Brogborough castle site 'at threat' from warehouse development

Campaigner said the existing warehousing zone (top right) could expand to the castle site (foreground)

A historical site that was home to a 12th Century Norman castle could be spoilt by new warehouses, a campaign group said.

The Save Brogborough Ringwork group believes the expansion of buildings, next to junction 13 of the M1 in Bedfordshire, will "harm the setting".

The Marston Gate Expansion development has been included in Central Bedfordshire Council's Local Plan.

The council said residents could take part in an ongoing public consultation.

The ringwork is the remains of a medieval castle

Historic England said the ringwork was a scheduled monument that had been identified as the site of Rugemont Castle and it was on its Heritage at Risk Register.

The only remains of the oval castle were its earthworks, ditches and ramparts.

The site also includes the remains of a Grade II listed 19th Century building called The Round House.

"What survives is thought to be a Norman period stronghold of the Wahull family and their successors, the de Greys, who later went on to develop nearby Wrest Park," a spokeswoman said.

"It is an interesting site and a rare survival."

The John Bunyan trail, where the author of The Pilgrim's Progress walked, also goes past the site

Maria Spearing, from the campaign group, said the site was "significantly important and it has been undervalued".

She said any new warehouses, which she said could be up to 18.5m (60ft) high, would ruin "the long-distance view, and the understanding of the ringwork will be completely lost".

"Once you have lost your history, it's gone forever," she said.

The red bricks of the The Round House are all that remains of the building on the site

A spokesman for the council said: "Our Local Plan, which is currently being examined by independent planning inspectors, outlines proposed development across the council area until 2035.

"Currently we are running a Main Modifications consultation, which follows on from public hearings that took place during summer 2019 and December 2020."

A consultation "on proposed modifications to our Local Plan, including Marston Gate" concludes on 5 May, he added.

The Round House was destroyed by fire in the 1990s