War over shop plan at medieval castle
WIth its commanding views of historic york it has been a favoured vantage point for the city’s defenders and, these days, tourists.
after nine centuries, however, campaigners say that Clifford’s tower – the last surviving part of the medieval castle – faces ‘irreparable harm’ from, of all people, english heritage.
Locals are protesting at plans for a visitor centre around the stone tower’s base that will mean part of the embankment on which it stands is removed and a basement excavated to 6ft 6in deep.
a hearing in the Court of appeal has been secured for July and a letter sent to Culture Secretary Matt hancock asking him to block the scheme. the Save Clifford’s tower campaign says the visitor centre should instead be built in a nearby car park.
Planning permission was granted by york Council in October 2016 and an application for a judicial review of the decision by campaigners failed last June.
But the release of previously unseen project documents under a freedom of Information request has prompted fresh hope among english heritage’s opponents.
Johnny hayes, an independent councillor and an organiser of the campaign, said: ‘the documents show the scale of the underground works. It’s the digging below the surface of the motte [embankment] which is the main issue.’ Mr hayes said he requested the documents after checking the public planning reports and finding ‘just two views of the wing adjoining the visitor centre’.
‘there were no cross sections or any indication of how deep this wing was going to go down. When I received them I was shocked. It goes down by around two metres below ground level deep under the motte itself. the wing was shown as being 13m (42ft) long by 5m (16ft) wide. I could not understand why these drawings had not been presented previously.’
Mr hayes, 64, said the campaign has been supported by 3,800 members of the public through a petition, and has raised almost £18,000 towards its legal costs.
Dr Mike heyworth, director of the Council for British archaeology, criticised english heritage. ‘Why didn’t they draw more attention within the planning application to the fact that there was going to be this substantial excavation underneath the visitor centre?’ he told the Guardian.
english heritage said the section of the motte to be removed is an area rebuilt in the 1930s so is not part of the medieval structure.
head curator Jeremy ashbee said: ‘Our project has been specifically designed to minimise damage to the significant archaeology of this site.’ a spokesman said its documents ‘clearly showed the exact nature and dimensions of the entire visitor centre’.