A historic fort built in the 1861 to protect Dover Castle has had its future secured - thanks to an agreement between National Land Management charity, The Land Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Fort Burgoyne, originally known as Castle Hill Fort was built at a cost of £88,053, but was never called upon to defend the castle.

Up until now it has never been accessible to the public.

On taking ownership of the fort and the surrounding green space, The Land Trust will start a discussion with the community, businesses and heritage groups about how it should be managed.

Operations director, Matthew Bradbury said: “We’re excited about taking on the ownership of this very special site and are keen to work with local people to ensure that we preserve the fantastic heritage of the fort and help people feel connected to and involved with its future.”

Long-term solutions

“The Land Trust is a charity which exists to provide sustainable long-term solutions for land in order to benefit local people.

“Many of our sites across the country really contribute to bringing communities together to enable them to experience the benefits of outdoor spaces. That is our aim with Fort Burgoyne.”

“We have lots of exciting ideas about how we will manage the fort, but we are very open-minded and are really looking forward to working with the local community and to hearing their thoughts.”

Cllr Paul Watkins, leader of Dover District Council, said: “I am delighted that the future of Fort Burgoyne has been secured thanks to this agreement with The Land Trust.

"We look forward to working with The Land Trust and local people to unlock the potential of one of Dover’s great heritage assets.

"This provides a unique opportunity for the community to be involved in opening up this historic site, and cementing the district’s reputation as having one of the finest collections of publicly accessible castles and fortifications in the country.”