Colchester: Monument will harm Roman site say Historic England

A proposed monument for a historic Army barracks could "harm" remains of an ancient Roman chariot racing track, Historic England said.

The Roman Circus, a scheduled ancient monument in Colchester, Essex, shares a site with the Royal Artillery Barracks.

An application has been submitted for a monument and two blue plaques to recognise the barracks as one of the earliest in the Colchester Garrison.

The applicant said it was "surprised" by the objection from Historic England.

The Roman chariot racing track is the only one of its kind in Britain and one of only six in the north west provinces of the Roman Empire, the Local Democracy Report Service said.

Historic England said in its objection: "In our view, the proposed erection of a commemorative monument would have a negative impact upon the setting of the scheduled monument and would result in less than substantial harm to the significance of the monument."

A later section said: "We are not convinced that the proposed development would deliver public benefit that is sufficient to outweigh the harm that we have identified to the scheduled monument, and we therefore object to this planning application."

Historic England has recommended a new location for the monument is found, away from the circus.

According to a response from the applicant, Sergeants Mess Limited, to be found in Colchester Borough Council planning documents, the proposed land would be donated specifically for the purpose of the monument.

The applicant also said there was a block of flats built near the site, saying it was "difficult to justify" why its construction was deemed acceptable, but not that of the monument.

The blue plaques would be for Maj Raymond England, who served in World War One, and the Officers' Quarters.

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