A battle royal looms over Bosworth Field
Bid to convert iconic site into a tarmac track for Japanese driverless cars is condemned by historians
Richard III, whose remains were only recently identified beneath a car park in Leicester, is at the centre of a development dispute, after plans were released to build a car-testing track over the site of his final battleground. A bitter fight has begun over the plans to tarmac over part of Bosworth Field.
RICHARD III has already suffered the indignity of being buried under a car park in Leicester, but now his final battleground could also be tarmacked over, under new proposals. A ferocious battle has commenced at Bosworth Field over plans to turn part of the historic site into a 155mph test-track for driverless cars.
The Battle of Bosworth in 1485 settled the Wars of the Roses, bringing the death of England’s last Plantagenet king and the Tudor dynasty to the throne. But part of the site now belongs to Japanese-owned automotive specialists Horiba Mira Ltd, which has applied to Hinkley and Bosworth borough council to build a 1.2 million sq ft test track for autonomous vehicles at a cost of £26million.
The area is part of Historic England’s registered battle zone, and opponents claim that if the track is approved tomorrow, it will destroy an important area and block the view from where Henry Tudor first saw Richard III’S army.
Kelvin van Hasselt, vice-president of The Battlefields Trust, said: “The Battle of Bosworth is a crucial part of England’s history.
“The development would be on a critical part of the battlefield and the area from where Henry advanced. Schoolchildren should be able to go up to the area and contemplate where Henry looked out and saw Richard’s forces, but the buildings may obscure the view and the landscape in the foreground will be changed forever. Who wants to climb a hill and just look at industrial buildings?”
Historic England has written to the council arguing that the proposal will harm the site and destroy archaeological evidence which could be key to understanding “the ebb and flow of the battle as it progressed”.
Dr Andy Hammon, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, said: “The development proposal is a substantial structure and would have a direct physical impact and indirect impact through altering the rural character of part of the battlefield.
“Clear justification needs to be identified by the local planning authority to ensure that the level of harm that would be caused is outweighed by the public benefits.”
The new track would be built on 83 acres of land next to Horiba Mira’s existing vehicle test centre at High-amon-the-hill near Hinckley. The company says the new facility, which is being developed with Coventry University and is part government-funded, will create 1,800 jobs.
Recent archaeological investigations have shown that shot from the battle still remains in the ground, along with other artefacts.
Dr Glenn Foard, of the University of Huddersfield, who has spent 14 years researching the Battle of Bosworth and whose discoveries led to Historic England redrawing the battlefield perimeters, said the development would transform a unique landscape.
“Bosworth is a battlefield of international importance,” he said. “It is not only significant for the major change of dynasty it heralded, it is also of the highest archaeological importance.
“Henry Tudor approached the battlefield along the Roman road and will have first seen Richard’s army when he reached the highest ground.
“A key element of the battlefield will be lost – the potential for future interpretation to present that view at the outset of the battle.”
The council’s planning committee will meet at 6.30pm tomorrow evening to decide on the site. Of 162 letters sent about the proposal, 161 objected.
Michael Wood, president of The Battlefields Trust, added: “We hope that, even at this late hour, any decision might be delayed until expert consultation is taken.”
‘The landscape will be changed forever. Who wants to climb a hill and just look at industrial buildings?’
SIR – A major and totally unexpected threat has arisen to the historic battlefield of Bosworth, where Richard III was defeated and killed by Henry Tudor in 1485.
A planning application has been made to Hinckley and Bosworth borough council to build a car-testing track, control tower and associated buildings on part of this battlefield site, which is registered with Historic England and is one of the most important in British history.
The application includes two fields at the western end of the battlefield but also fields further to the west, which recent and widely publicised research has shown were on Henry’s line of approach and should have been included in the original Historic England battlefield designation. The track would be laid out in the space between the two armies, as the battle is now understood
Hinckley and Bosworth borough council are meeting to make a final decision tomorrow to decide on this application. There can be no appeal.
If approved, the application will seriously damage the site’s historical, archaeological, educational and amenity value.
We hope that even at this late hour any decision might be delayed until expert consultation is taken over the full importance of this historic landscape. Professor Michael Wood
President, The Battlefields Trust London EC1