A Co. Antrim landowner has been fined £50,000 for destroying historic lime kiln structures, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
64-year-old Henry Price was sentenced for damaging protected monuments without consent at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday, January 10).
On April 16, 2021, police were made aware of building works taking place in the Moneybroom Road area of Lisburn, where protected monuments were situated.
Upon reviewing the building site, it became evident that the landowner had levelled land without receiving any prior consent, destroying lime kiln structures, the PSNI said.
Price had entered a previous guilty plea to the offence on Tuesday, December 12, and was subsequently fined £50,000, according to the PSNI.
Lime kiln structures
Moneybroom Lime Kilns date back to the 1800s, acting director of the Historic Environment Division (HED) at the Department for Communities, Brian McKervey said.
Lime burning for agricultural use was common on a small scale on farms in our landscape throughout the 1700s and early 1800s, according to the department.
“We welcome the court’s recognition that our heritage is an important and finite resource and an appreciation that once gone, these sites are impossible to replace,” McKervey said.
“HED appreciates the pressures that scheduled monument owners can face and one of our primary aims is to support them and facilitate their needs, where possible,” he added.
There are over 2,000 scheduled historic monuments in Northern Ireland. Consent from the department is required for any changes to a scheduled historic monument.