Kirkstall Abbey entry fee set at £5 for non-Leeds residents

Entry will remain free for Leeds residents, with proof of address required upon entry

Tourists will be charged to enter a 12th Century monastery for the first time under plans approved by a cash-strapped council.

The ruins of Kirstall Abbey, in Leeds, are one of the city's top spots for out-of-town visitors.

But the local council said the "harsh reality" of its finances meant non-Leeds residents would now have to pay.

The charge is expected to raise an extra £160,000 for the council, which said it needs to save £64.5m next year.

Admission for local council tax payers will remain free, with proof of address required upon entry.

The council said some of the revenue raised would be put into improving the 870-year-old site, with plans for a renovated public café and new audio tours.

Deputy leader Jonathan Pryor said the abbey was a "treasured part of the city's heritage" and ideas to make it more attractive and sustainable were needed.

He said the council's finances meant it had to come up with "innovative and creative ways" to generate cash to protect and conserve the abbey.

The council said more than 70% of visitors to the Abbey came from Leeds

A public consultation earlier this year found the introduction of admission charges was "not altogether popular", according to a council report.

As a result, it was decided to reduce the proposed £8 fee for an adult to £5.

Mr Pryor said the decision was not easy and the council had "consulted broadly with the public both in and out of Leeds".

The attraction is one of the most complete examples of a medieval Cistercian Abbey in Britain, according to the council

Monks began building Kirkstall Abbey in 1152 on land gifted to them by wealthy nobleman Henry de Lacy.

They lived there until the dissolution of the monasteries when, on 22 November 1539, Abbot John Ripley surrendered the abbey to King Henry VIII's agents.

In the late 1800s the abbey buildings were bought by Colonel John North, who donated the grounds to the Leeds Corporation in 1890.

It is now thought to be one of Britain's most complete Cistercian monasteries.