Chester Cathedral has admitted its new ‘public access’ from the City Walls onto Dean’s Field won't be open to the public most of the time.
The newly-installed timber staircase provides easier access to potential customers for the cathedral’s falconry centre which is fenced off from the rest of the field making it out of bounds.
But the concluding paragraph of the document supporting the planning application states: “The stair provides the opportunity for public access onto the Dean’s Field, one of the few green spaces within the city, directly from the City Walls promenade.”
The Chronicle suggested to vice dean Canon Peter Howell-Jones that a misleading impression had been advanced given Dean’s Field would remain closed to the public for the majority of the time. But he said it was all a question of interpretation and that a private estate would never allow unfettered public access.
“I don’t think it’s misleading at all. There will be enhanced access to the Dean’s Field for public events,” he said.
Examples of such events included the launch of a cycling trail of historic churches and a gathering of scouts, both of which took place in April.
The vice dean stressed: “It’s not been a deliberate thing to get around the rules. We filed an application and have gone through the process and built the steps.”
The document accompanying the planning application approved in March, stated: “The Dean’s Field has, until recently, been closed off from the general public. This resulted in the space being misused, leading to cases of anti-social behaviour. As part of Chester Cathedral’s vision for this area, the Dean’s Field is to be accessed from the walls to encourage free public access.
“To prevent any potential problems with the security of the site in the evenings, a member of the cathedral staff will lock the stairs at the end of each day.”
The applicants acknowledged that when informal advice was sought from Kirsty Henderson, conservation officer at Cheshire West and Chester Council , concerns were raised about the principle of new access points for businesses off the city wall.
But the document explained: “The proposed stair provides free public access inside the City Wall to the Dean’s Field. It will, of course, allow easier access to visitors for the Cathedral Falconry Centre, but fundamentally is for the benefit of visitors and residents alike.”
Planning and listed building consent were required for the oak and metal mesh staircase as well as Scheduled Ancient Monument consent from Historic England. That’s because this section of the walls is a scheduled monument and grade I listed.
The steps also sit on the Abbey Green Roman site, which is also a scheduled monument due to its archaeological significance, as the site was once home to the vast barrack blocks which housed the Roman soldiers of fortress Deva, the largest Roman fortress in Britain. The area is currently the subject of a community archaeology project.
Due to the significance of the walls, the design of the stairs is free-standing, with no means of support from the walls. And because of the importance of the Roman remains, the design minimises the requirement to excavate for foundations. However, this means it is not possible to create lift or ramp access.
