A special visit by Chester City Council representatives marked the completion of the archaeological excavation phase and the next step of the development of luxury apartments.

Council members and officers, as well as representatives of construction company Watkin Jones, attended the 'bottoming out' event to view the ancient quarry face exposed for the first time in centuries as a result of digging.

Gorse Stacks was once used to store brushwood and dry fuel for baker's ovens safely 'stacked' outside the city walls to prevent the outbreak of fires.

It later became the former Delamere Street Bus Station.

The site, expected to be finished by 2010, will include a mixture of one and two bedroom apartments, affordable housing, retail and commercial units.

It will also have large underground public car park.

City council leader Cllr Margaret Parker said: "This project is one of the main planks in our Chester Renaissance programme and will breathe new life into this part of the city.

"We have reached a fascinating milestone in the development, one for the archives.

"We can now look forward to the development taking shape as the construction phase gets under way."