A village’s conservation area could be extended to further protect its castle.

Today, all that remains of medieval Sutton Valence Castle near Maidstone – above ground at least – is the ruined Norman keep, built in the late 1100s.

In the mid-13th century, the castle was owned by Simon de Montfort, who led the barons’ rebellion against King Henry III and who after his victory over the Royal forces became the defacto ruler of England for around a year until he in turn was defeated and killed by Royalists at the Battle of Evesham in 1265.

Henry III then gave the castle to his half-brother William de Valence as a reward for his loyalty during the rebellion, giving rise to the village’s name today.

The keep’s ruins lie within the existing Conservation Area, which has not been reviewed since 1971, but it is believed that much of the castle’s historic precincts are outside the boundary.

Maidstone council is proposing a two-hectare extension of the Conservation Area eastwards to include all the land thought once to have been within the castle’s outer curtain wall to protect any archaeology yet to be discovered.

The extension would include two existing buildings: the Old Parsonage, now a private house, and Tumblers Plat, a house from the second half of the 20th century.

The garden of the Old Parsonage is included in the Kent Historic Gardens Compendium as being of national significance.

Classification as a Conservation Area gives the land an extra level of protection when future planning applications are considered, although it will not necessarily disallow any change.

Maidstone council is asking residents for their views: You can respond to the public consultation here.

The full report can be viewed here.

The consultation closes on October 24.

Sutton Valence Castle is owned by English Heritage.