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Hereford Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI)

The Hereford Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI) encompasses the whole zone within the medieval walls of the city, together with some of the early suburbs and former monastic precincts. It was designated an AAI in 1983 (under the 1979 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act) due to the national significance of the historic core of Hereford. Hereford is only one of five national AAIs.

View map of Hereford Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI)

Designation helps to prevent important archaeological sites from being damaged or destroyed without at least allowing for some investigation and recording first. It is an offence under the Act to undertake any operations within a designated Area of Archaeological Importance which may disturb the ground, or flood any site, or tip upon any site, without giving the administering authority six weeks' notice of the commencement of those operations.

The unauthorized use of metal detectors in an AAI is an offence.

Herefordshire Archaeology, is responsible for determining what archaeological works might be required in response to receipt of Operations Notices. The scale of any potential archaeological work will depend on the level and nature of the intended works.