Anger at ‘reckless actions’ after fencing installed on historic monument site

The monument – the remains of a manorial settlement, dovecote and medieval field system – is afforded legal protections and previous permission granted by the Secretary of State for the new housing after an appeal said a buffer zone extending to 150 metres should be put in place to protect the site north of Marske Inn Farm, which is adjacent to the new housing.

Marske councillor Tristan Learoyd said a tractor had been driven over the land with fencing put up, damaging it, with photos seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service appearing to show this was the case.

Historic England confirmed that an “unauthorised” fence had been erected on the “important historic site” and consent would now be required in order to remove it.

A spokesman on behalf of developers Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes said a full investigation was being carried out to establish why the error had occurred.

There have been reports of altercations between members of the public and contractors during initial preparation for the development.

A protest was also recently held over the cutting down of hedgerows in the area in order to create a temporary access point, which is said to have disturbed local wildlife.

Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes are between them building a total of 812 homes on land bounded by Longbeck Road, the A1085 and A174, which will also include a convenience store, primary school, nursery, a GP surgery and pharmacy, community hall, a petrol filling station, a drive-thru restaurant, pub and hotel.

The contentious scheme has been described as being the size of 71 football pitches with critics claiming it will overwhelm the existing community in Marske.

An e-mail sent by Redcar and Cleveland Council’s development services manager Claire Griffiths described a site visit that recently took place subsequent to the incursion after the local planning authority was alerted, along with the actions that were now required to be taken.

However she said the matter was for the developers to resolve directly with Historic England and the local planning authority would not be involved.

Cllr Learoyd said the scheduled ancient monument site contained the remains of a 13th century manor house and was “tucked away” behind a bridge at the top of Marske High Street, with few people knowing about it.

He said: “The complete lack of regard shown for Marske’s heritage by the developer in not correctly informing their contractors is astounding.

“Here is a monument that records the distant history of a corner of England and two developers may have destroyed something of national significance.

“This is what happens when developers fail to engage local communities and their representatives.

“The very people who have the local knowledge they require to make projects successful and sustainable over the long-term.”

The councillor described how walls which were part of the remaining structures were under mounds of grass and soil.

He said: “They don’t need to put fencing around it and shouldn’t have.

“The mounds are quite obvious and I find it incredibly hard to believe the contractors didn’t suspect something was beneath them.

“Either way the developers should have made them aware.”

Marske resident Peter Finlinson, a local parish councillor who has been a leading figure in opposition to the housing plans, also said the matter had been reported to Cleveland Police and condemned the “reckless actions”.

He said: “When the Secretary of State granted approval for this development in July 2017, he stressed not only the importance of the need to protect the Scheduled Ancient Monument, but also its setting.”

A statement from Historic England said: “We can confirm that an unauthorised fence has been erected at the medieval manorial settlement scheduled ancient monument in Marske and we have informed the site owners.

“The site owners will now need to send a detailed application to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to secure consent for the fence to be removed, for which we will be consulted.

“We will advise on this process to ensure the safety of this important historic site.”

The spokesman on behalf of Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes said: “We met with representatives of Redcar and Cleveland [Council’s] planning department, Historic England and specialist consultants on site on November 14 to discuss next steps.

“We will remain in close contact with them as we seek the necessary approval before the fence is removed.”