A medieval church in Co Down which could hold undiscovered artefacts has caused the refusal of a farmland development.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s (NMDDC) planning committee refused the Rostrevor home plan this week on a ritual site that could date back thousands of years.
The chamber heard the local family applicant had ensured “respectful” measures surrounding a potential children’s burial ground and an Irish folklore Fairy Tree for three decades.
However, an objection from the Historic Environment Division (HED) raised concerns the Kilbroney Road house construction would impact on a “regionally significant historic site”.
In chambers (July 23) a HED spokesperson said: “In terms of substantial remains of a medieval church, our objections were largely based on impact on the setting of the church and grave complex.
“It is very much about how the quality of the green rural setting is going to be adversely impacted.
“These types of ritual site locations would be reused in the medieval period.
“Archaeological sites, what you can see are the remains we can see today, but you may not see the remains from the past 2,000 years.
“The applicant’s site would have high potential to contain remains associated with the church site and we would consider those to be protected as part of a regionally significant site.
“The site is now scheduled for protection under the historic monuments order, but it is not listed.”
The site for development is located beside the Kilbroney Church and Graveyard. The unique and important ecclesiastical site, which dates from at least the early medieval period, consists of ruins of the church on an earlier monastic site, associated graveyard, St Bronagh’s Well and two ancient crosses.
The applicant replied: “We have lived there for 30 years and as a family have always been respectful and sensitive to everything in regards to protection.
“Below the graveyard there is a Fairy Tree, and a bank on the top where the remains of children may well have been laid to rest many years ago and we are very protective of that.
“We work with the Graves Committee, we are respectful of everything in that regard and the site cannot be seen and you can’t see the church from the site.”
Mournes Sinn Fein rep, Willie Clarke said: “We went to a site meeting and we could view the site from the road and I think that was the opinion of everyone. However, I would like an alternative site to be teased out and to defer this application.”
A council officer told the chamber that a separate site could not be facilitated through the current application.
The proposal to defer fell with a majority vote refusing the application.
