The town council is being forced to spend around £2,000 just to install a new sign in Abbey Fields.

Kenilworth Town Council (KTC) began installing new finger post and monolith signs across the town earlier this year, following months of work on a new wayfinding strategy.

Planning permission was signed off in April, and nearly all the signs are now in place.

However, installing one of the monoliths - which include a map of the town and some local history - at the entrance to Abbey Fields near the castle has been delayed.

KTC was told Historic England needed to give permission for the works, and the council is now being forced to pay up to £2,000 for a survey on the piece of land before the post can be put in place.

The design for the monolith (image via planning application)

"The remaining monolith from the first phase which was to be at the far end of Abbey Fields - an absolutely crucial point - members will recall that we needed to get Historic England to give us scheduled monument permission. That they have done," Cllr James Kennedy said at the most recent KTC meeting. 

"However, they require a written scheme of investigation from an archaeological company before we can proceed with the works. 

"We now have a quotation to instruct an appropriate company to produce the written scheme of investigation and to carry out the necessary consultations which will require an approval of up to £2,000 in order to carry this out."

The piece of land by the ford already has three signs in place.

But councillors voted in favour of the £2,000 spend, saying there was no other option available.

There are already three signs in place on the piece of land (image by James Smith)

Cllr Kennedy explained: "As we have discovered with the swimming pool, as soon as you start putting a spade in the ground in Abbey Fields, you are into a whole lot of difficult legislative and regulatory issues. 

"If we want to go ahead with this new monolith, I don't see that we have any alternative."

Cllr Alix Dearing added: "The town council considered it was an ideal place. 

"So it is upsetting really that it is taking so long to get this sorted."

KTC has also set up a new task and finish group to discuss the success of the signs already installed, and to look into placing more across Kenilworth.