Londonderry (Northern Ireland) could be on the verge of a major archaeological find. Two areas of archaeological potential have been discovered at the site of a proposed huge housing development at Ballyoan in the Waterside area of the city.
      Archaeologists will be present throughout digging at the site to monitor the operation and record any significant finds. This comes just months after ancient artefacts were uncovered by workmen building the new Thornhill College at Culmore Road. The settlement is believed to date back 6,000 years.
      The new development at Ballyoan will incorporate up to 7,800 new homes and is scheduled to be completed by 2010. An environmental statement about the site, which has been forwarded to the Planning Service, highlighted the possible archaeological areas. "Should significant archaeology be discovered, a mitigation strategy would be implemented prior to development to avoid any destruction," the statement said.

Source: Belfast Telegraph (4 October 2001)