Alistair Hardaker | Image: Binchester Roman Fort (The Auckland Project)
Transfer expected to create £15,000 saving for council and new visitor facilities, with site opening by summer.
Durham County Council is to transfer the custodianship of Binchester Roman Fort to The Auckland Project.
The Auckland Project is a regeneration charity in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Its attractions include Auckland Palace, the Spanish Gallery, and the Faith Museum, focusing on the area’s history, art, and faith.
The Binchester Roman Fort attraction shows what life was like at one of the largest Roman military sites in Northern Britain is to come under new management.
The heritage site is a Scheduled Monument and home to remains of a significant Roman military base dating back to 80 AD.
The council currently owns a small portion of the Binchester estate, with the surrounding land owned by The Auckland Project.
The Auckland Project will now take over the management of Binchester Roman Fort as an attraction and visitor centre, which it said will create a saving of £15,000 per year for the council.
It purchased the land at Binchester Roman Fort in 2014 and has since supported Durham County Council’s guardianship of the Scheduled Monument.
The Auckland project said the completed transfer would allow “significant investment in the site to enhance its facilities.”
Cllr Karen Allison, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said: “We want to see the site reach its full potential, so we are working with The Auckland Project to transfer the operation of the site to them. This will allow the site to receive significant investment to make the experience for visitors even better than it is now.
“The move has also been identified as a significant saving in our budget, allowing us to protect frontline services, and forms part of our ongoing work to regenerate and transform Bishop Auckland into a thriving heritage town and visitor destination.”
Jane Ruffer, CEO of The Auckland Project, said: “In this new phase of activity, The Auckland Project intends to improve both the visitor facilities, enhance the interpretation of the site, and fund essential conservation on the exposed archaeological remains.
“We aim to welcome more visitors, including families, to experience the wonder of archaeology, and share even more of the site’s rich history.”
Arrangements to transfer the site to The Auckland Project are ongoing, with the fort expected to open under new management by the summer.
