English Heritage, Northumberland National Park Authority, Natural England and a local tenant farmer are to carry out a pilot Heritage Partnership Agreement (HAP).

The deal will see 570 hectares - part of which is arable land and managed by the farmer - scheduled as an ancient monument, encompassing a complex archaeological landscape.

It is hoped that the HAP approach will encourage a more proactive, efficient and collaborative approach towards heritage management.

A list of works will be produced, including repairs to fencing, stone walls and hedges, footpaths and tracks, that the farmer will be able to undertake without a separate agreement.

The HAP is part of a series of pilot agreements under the Heritage Protection Reform, which aims to provide an improved national template to change the way heritage is managed.

In practice this means the tenant farmers have agreed works in advance with English Heritage and with consultation from Natural England and Northumberland National Park Authority reducing bureaucracy and ensuring a more flexible system of management.