The East Anglian Daily Times has reported on how a tight-knit community determined to protect their village’s history has pulled together to protest against a housing development on what they consider to be sacred ground – marked by a stone monument in the shape of a cross where legend has it the former patron Saint of England, St Edmund, was slain.
East Anglian Daily Times writes:
On the outskirts of the ancient village of Hoxne, just north of Eye in Mid Suffolk, lies a precious stone monument in the shape of a cross – erected on the spot where, legend has it, the former patron saint of England, St Edmund, was slain by vicious invaders.
It is this memorial, set in an otherwise ordinary field near to Abbey Hill, that a group of campaigners hope will deter developers from building a series of new homes – a move which they claim would be an insult to St Edmund’s memory. Gill O’Connor, along with a group of local residents, has been campaigning to protect the greenfield site since Roberts the planning application was submitted to Mid Suffolk District Council (MSDC) in May 2017.
Now, having lodged a complaint with the ombudsman and successfully appealed for the site to be listed by Historic England, she hopes officials will reconsider. ‘The reason for the listing originally was because a developer put in a planning application to build up to four dwellings there – which was passed by the Mid Suffolk planning department,’ she said. ‘We wanted to make sure that the monument was given due consideration.’
Following their appeal, the memorial was granted Grade II status on Christmas Eve, 2018…
‘A group of us decided to take it further because we thought the planning department should have given the monument more regard,’ Mrs O’Connor explained…’
… For now, it’s a waiting game for the campaigners while the ombudsman considers their appeal. In the meantime, Mrs O’Connor said she was gearing up for the next challenge. ‘Some of us want to talk about reinstating King Edmund as the patron saint of England,’ she said. ‘Now I have got the bit between my teeth I won’t be letting go….’
