ENGLISH Heritage has hit back over accusations it has washed its hands of Halesowen Abbey.

The organisation has given a robust defence of its actions and praised the owner’s plan to renovate barns on the site and provide a visitor’s centre.

An English Heritage spokesman said: “We believe that the guardian agreement and the conditions on the proposed planning permission will ensure that the monument is protected and indeed enhanced, allowing a greater number of visitors to have a better appreciation of this interesting and important 13th century monastic site without additional expense to the public purse.”

The spokesman added: “The ruins of the abbey are scheduled as an ancient monument and some of the farmstead is listed. The barns are in a poor state of repair and it is good news that the present owner is taking an active and responsible role in maintaining and finding a new use for them.

“We have been working with him and Dudley Borough Council to make the most of the application.

“The result is a guardianship agreement (currently in draft) which will bring about considerable benefits to the setting of the abbey and to public access, which are both very poor at present.

“The proposals will save the barns and preserve their exterior, and will involve no substantial additional building works. The plans also include a “visitor lobby” which is a small area for interpretation of the site which will be maintained by the owner, improved road access and parking, and new public footpaths, all of which will enable the abbey to open daily in future.”

And English Heritage claim there is no danger to the hidden treasures which some believe are under the ground.

The spokesman added: “The archaeological evaluation that was conducted as a part of the planning process revealed that the site already had considerable ground disturbance in the yards adjacent to the barns, and it is our view that this previous disturbance provides an opportunity to accommodate new services and drainage without extensive further disruption of buried deposits of national importance. Nevertheless, there should be a planning condition that the groundworks are archaeologically supervised and features of interest are appropriately recorded.”