Management Agreements

Management agreements may be set up for positive management of a monument which will improve its condition or prevent damaging activity. Fencing off earthworks from overgrazing, removing mature trees or bushes and strimming instead of machine mowing are some examples where a small amount of expenditure goes a long way to protect monuments from harm in the course of normal land use.

Management agreements are also established for the conservation of scheduled masonry ruins. These often require vegetation treatment in advance of working with the masonry itself and projects can be extended over several years allowing time for vegetation dieback and organising the conservation work. Examples of such work in recent years include Derrywoone Castle, Tyrone, Crevinish Castle Fermanagh and Malachy's Wall, Bangor, County Down.

A Local Field Monument Warden is the first point of contact in all cases where an owner of a scheduled monument has inquiries about the treatment of monuments or the potential application of management agreements. The Warden or an Archaeological Inspector may suggest an agreement to an owner following a site visit. Telephone 028 9054 3030 for further information.