A STAND-OFF between heritage societies and a council over a Grade II listed building will come to a head next week.

A decision on whether to tear down decorative fencing surrounding the 18th Century Sunnyfield House, in Guisborough, will be made on Tuesday.

Guisborough Town Council says the fencing, a Grade II listed building in its own right, has become a target for vandals and should be removed.

But the Ancient Monuments Society and English Heritage have objected to the plan and planning officers at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council have recommended refusal. The council will make a decision on Tuesday, after visiting the site.

A report to Redcar and Cleveland councillors said: "It is quite rare for decorative timber features such as these to have survived from the late 1700s, and is unique in this part of the country. They are therefore very special.

"Metal is an inappropriate material to use for the replacement screens. While it is intended to visually replicate the existing ones, in historic terms they will no longer possess authenticity and, as a consequence, will doubtless be removed from the statutory list of buildings of special interest."