AN ENGLISH Heritage official has admitted that Germany Beck – where York planners today look set to give final approval to a 650-home development – probably is the site of the Battle of Fulford.

But he said that including the site in the official Register of Historic Battlefields would “raise the temperature of discussions” regarding the reserved matters planning application. He also revealed that, after the land had been developed, it would be very unlikely to merit inclusion in the Register.

The comments came in an internal report in February last year to a battlefields panel by Nick Bridgland, the organisation’s Battlefields panel coordinator and designation team Leader (North), as English Heritage considered a request by archaeologist Chas Jones to consider inclusion in the Register.

Mr Bridgland said: “It is clear the Battle of Fulford is of sufficient historical importance for inclusion in the Register. On the basis of probability, Germany Beck can be identified as the location of the Battle of Fulford.”

He said inclusion in the register was not obligatory, and added: “Given the planning history of this site, EH is currently considering responding to the request to ‘Register with advice’ which recognises that Germany Beck is likely to be the location of the battle, but that, given the planning situation, refrains from adding the site to the register.”

Mr Jones said he found the attitude revealed in the document extraordinary, and accused English Heritage of an “utterly cynical dereliction of its duty as guardians of our heritage.”

Fulford parish chairman Alan Smith said the parish was dismayed at English Heritage’s behaviour.

An English Heritage spokeswoman said it was always very difficult to determine conclusively the exact site of an early battlefield and the Battle of Fulford was no exception.

She said: “Our staff report was delivered to our Battlefields Panel, an independent body of experts who provide guidance and advice, in February 2012.

“By the next meeting, in November 2012, we had carried out a thorough and exhaustive review of all of the evidence before us to suggest Fulford should be added to the register, and we decided the evidence was not conclusive. That is the reason we have not added it to the register.”

She added that following further representations from Mr Jones, an independent review committee would look at that decision in coming months.