Oswestry Hillfort group calls for heritage Bill to cover English sites
A new law to protect historic monuments and buildings in Wales should be applied on the English side of the border, a group wanting to protect a Shropshire hill fort from developments has said.
The Welsh Assembly has passed the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill giving local authorities powers to make people carry out repairs if they damage monuments.
It will also make it difficult for people to claim they did not know about a monument or building's status or location.
HOOOH – the Hands off Old Oswestry Hillfort group – says a similar bill in England might stop local authorities granting planning permission for houses too close to historic sites.
It is holding a Hug-a-Hillfort celebration this weekend culminating in a walk around the ramparts of the hill fort on the edge of Oswestry on Sunday.
Spokeswoman for the campaign group Kate Clarke said: "It is a pity this won't apply to Old Oswestry.
"It is so near to Wales, yet so far from this admirable and responsible stance on heritage protection and true guardianship of cultural assets."
The new Bill stems from concern that historic sites are being damaged. Out of 119 cases of damage to sites in Wales between 2006 and 2012 only one resulted in a successful prosecution.
In 2013 a stretch of Offa's Dyke on the Welsh side of the Shropshire border was left flattened on private land near Chirk.
But despite police inquiries there was said to be insufficient evidence to bring charges over damage to the earthworks, built in the eighth century.
Now authorities will be allowed to take urgent action to stop unauthorised work on sites and there will be measures to prevent historic buildings from falling into disrepair.
Historic environment records – including place names – will also be put on a statutory footing in a UK first for Wales.
Ken Skates, deputy minister for culture and the Assembly Member for Clwyd South, which includes much of the Oswestry and north Shropshire/Welsh border, said the new law would offer more protection.
"It will give councils the power to act sooner to recoup costs where they have to go in and make urgent repairs to buildings. We already have a huge number of owners and occupiers of listed buildings and owners of monuments who are incredibly responsible," he said.
"We want to make sure that all our assets are preserved and properly protected in future."