Historians are mustering their forces to protect one of English history’s most iconic sites – the famous battlefield that gave birth to Tudor England.

Sections of the killing fields where the founder of the Tudor dynasty, Henry Tudor, defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field will become part of a vast, partly government-funded driverless car testing facility – if the area’s local authority, Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, gives the project the green light at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday evening.

Council officers have recommended planning permission be granted subject to conditions, meeting papers showed.

The Richard III Society, the main organisation devoted to the study and commemoration of the king who perished in the battle, has written to the local authority imploring them not to allow the developer to encroach onto the officially protected area of the battlefield.

“I ask the council to think again,” said the society’s chairman, Dr Philip Stone.

Another key organisation, the Battlefields Trust, which has carried out detailed archaeological investigations at Bosworth Field, has also officially objected to the development and has asked the council to reject it.

The well-known historical researcher, Philippa Langley MBE, who led the successful search for the grave of Richard III is also calling on the council to reject the planning application. She has advised them that the development is in “an area that may well have played an important part in the actual battle”.

Two other leading experts, both authors of important books on the battle, Michael Jones and Mike Ingram, are also urging the council to think again.

Over 50 acres of what is potentially an important part of the battlefield – including a 25 acre area that has officially protected status – is included in the scheme before councillors.

The area is earmarked for development by a Japanese-owned automotive company, Horiba Mira, and includes the zone of the battlefield where Henry, who became Henry VII of England, first began to deploy his troops in battle formation.

It is also just 300m from the place where Richard III is believed to have personally killed Henry Tudor’s standard-bearer. Part of that historic standard was discovered there less than a decade ago.

And the development is just 500m from where archaeologists believe Richard III was finally killed. Archaeological work back in 2009 succeeded in unearthing one of the gilt silver insignias worn by Richard’s personal retinue.

Nobody knows the precise boundaries of the battlefield – but because the development area is so close, it is likely that it featured in the fighting. It is therefore of potentially great archaeological importance for further understanding the ebb and flow of that crucial battle.

The Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 was the final major military engagement of the Wars of the Roses and arguably one of the three most historically significant battles ever fought on English soil, the others being William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings in 1066 and Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell’s victory over Charles I at Naseby in 1645.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 September 2020 A model presents a creation during the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week 2020 Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2020 World kickboxing champion Carl Thomas during his attempt to run a marathon while pulling a plane at Elvington Airfield near York. The attempt is raising funds for Ollie's Army Battling Against Battens, an organisation campaigning to raise GBP 250,000 to fund a clinical trial aimed at saving the sight of children with CNL2 Batten Disease PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2020 Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner speaking during Prime Minister's Questions UK Parliament/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 September 2020 People enjoying the autumn sunshine as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2020 Early morning light bathes the skyscrapers of the City of London, at the start of a week in which the UK is expected to bask in temperatures of more than 30 degrees PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2020 England celebrate after they dismissed Australia's Alex Carey to win the second ODI match of the series at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2020 Protesters outside BBC Broadcasting House in central London, as marches and rallies form across the country calling for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and an increase in NHS funding PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2020 An empty migrant dinghy floats off the beach at St Margaret's Bay after the occupants landed from France in Dover Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2020 A view of small boats thought to be used in migrant crossings across the Channel at a storage facility in Dover, Kent PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2020 EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, left, arriving from the Eurostar with EU Ambassador to the UK, Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida at St Pancras International railway station, London, for the latest round of the negotiations on a free trade deal between the EU and the UK PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2020 Dawn over Coquet Island, a small island off Amble on the Northumberland coast PA UK news in pictures 7 September 2020 A hovercraft arrives to Southsea, Hampshire from the Isle of Wight PA UK news in pictures 6 September 2020 Forensics officers near the scene of multiple reported stabbings in Birmingham Reuters UK news in pictures 5 September 2020 Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate in Dover against immigration and the journeys made by refugees crossing the Channel to Kent PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2020 Activists take part in a demonstration against the HS2 hi-speed rail line outside the Department of Transport AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 September 2020 Peter Baker, who plays Trigger in the musical version of Only Fools and Horses, sweeps the stage of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London, after observing a 15 minute silence to show solidarity with those in the theatre industry that have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2020 Kadie Lane, right, 11, and Brooke Howourth, 11, hug on their walk to Marden Bridge Middle School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, for their first day of term, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2020 Extinction Rebellion protesters sitting outside The Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London PA UK news in pictures 31 August Surfers at Long Sands Beach, Tynemouth PA UK news in pictures 30 August Black Lives Matter protesters march through Notting Hill in London in the first Million People March EPA UK news in pictures 29 August A protester reacts as she demonstrates against the lockdown and use of face masks, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside Downing Street in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 August Caribbean soca dancers display their costumes as they promote the first ever digital Notting Hill Carnival, following the cancellation of the normal Carnival festivities due to the continued spread of the coronavirus disease, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 August Father and son team Chris and Sam Milford from historic building conservation specialists WallWalkers begin restoration work on the spire of Norwich Cathedral, which stands at over 312ft high. The first known spire was completed in 1297 PA UK news in pictures 26 August Giant waves at Seaham in County Durham, as the bad weather continues PA UK news in pictures 25 August An assistant at the Wallace Monument cleans the case which houses the William Wallace sword in the Hall of Arms room at the monument near Stirling as they prepare to re-open PA UK news in pictures 24 August Restored World War Two landing craft LCT 7074 is transported from from the Naval Base in Portsmouth to its final resting place at the D-Day Story at Southsea PA UK news in pictures 23 August Jenny Nguyen and Tony Cao, from Vietnam, pose for wedding photos on Tower Bridge in London, as it remains closed to vehicles after it was stuck open on Saturday due to a "mechanical fault". The landmark's Twitter account confirmed only pedestrians and cyclists could use it on Sunday morning PA UK news in pictures 22 August England's Zak Crawley hit 267, joining the exclusive Double Hundred club, on day two of the Third Test match against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton PA UK news in pictures 21 August Harri Teale gathers lavender during the annual harvest on the Wolds Way Lavender farm near Malton in North Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 20 August Parents and a student react after checking GCSE results at Ark Academy in London Reuters UK news in pictures 19 August Tate Modern workers hold a strike outside the gallery in London, to protest the institution's announcement that it would cut more than 300 jobs from its commercial arm, Tate Enterprises PA UK news in pictures 18 August Two rescued brown bear cubs, Mish (left) and Lucy, cool off in a pool after arriving at their new home with the wildlife conservation charity Wildwood Trust in Herne Bay, Kent. The orphaned pair, who have been living in a temporary home in Belgium since they were found abandoned and alone in a snowdrift in the Albanian mountains, will be acclimatised to their new life in the country before moving to a permanent home PA UK news in pictures 17 August A level students celebrate outside the Department for Education in London after it was confirmed that candidates in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm. The government U-turn comes just days after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson vowed there would be "no U-turn, no change. PA UK news in pictures 16 August Wasp players take a knee as Northampton Saints stand prior to kick-off in their Premiership match at Franklin's Gardens PA UK news in pictures 15 August Piper Colour Sergeant Lil Bahadur Gurung attends the VJ Day National Remembrance event, held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 14 August People including students hold placards on Whitehall outside Downing Street as they protest against the downgrading of A-level results. The government faced criticism after education officials downgraded more than a third of pupils' final grades in a system devised after the coronavirus pandemic led to cancelled exams yes AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 13 August Benita Stipp (centre) and Mimi Ferguson (left) react as students at Norwich School receive their A-Level results PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2020 A train derailment near Stonehaven has left three people dead. Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie, and a passenger were killed when the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service crashed amid heavy rain and flooding BBC UK news in pictures 11 August 2020 A woman hydrates in the sun after open water swimming at the West Reservoir Centre in north London Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 10 August 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes part in an archery session as he visits Premier Education Summer Camp at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' in Upminster Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2020 People cycle through Cambridge as the heatwave continues in Britain EPA UK news in pictures 8 August 2020 Healthcare workers take part in a protest in London over pay conditions in the NHS Getty UK news in pictures 7 August 2020 Emergency services make their way along the seafront on Bournemouth beach in Dorset on one of the hottest days of the year PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2020 Alison Murphy poses for a picture by husband Peter as she walks through a field of sunflowers in Altrincham, Cheshire PA UK news in pictures 5 August 2020 Pakistan's Abid Ali being bowled by England's Jofra Archer during day one of the First Test match at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 4 August 2020 The 'Timbuktu tumblers' from Kenya perform their balancing act on the Southsea waterfront as Zippos Circus reopens in Portsmouth Rex UK news in pictures 3 August 2020 Pelicans interact with a visitor in St James's Park in London PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2020 Lewis Hamilton drives with a puncture towards the finish line to win the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone POOL/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 1 August 2020 Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the FA Cup, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease Pool via Reuters UK news in pictures 31 July 2020 People enjoy the sunny weather at a Bournemouth Beach Reuters

Bosworth Field represents the end of the Middle Ages and the birth of the Tudor dynasty and early modern Britain. It started a Tudor political dynamic which led to the Reformation under Henry VIII and the acceleration of England’s maritime and colonial expansion under Elizabeth I.

The development raises not only key questions of heritage conservation but also of how best to maintain a suitable ambience in the zones surrounding major heritage areas.

The official Bosworth Field conservation plan, adopted by Leicestershire County Council in 2013, undertakes to “retain and enhance the varied landscape character and special landscape qualities of the Bosworth battlefield area” and to do so by ensuring “sensitive management of the landscape, conserving its varied character and local sense of place”. It also pledges to ensure that “topographic views across the battlefield and within its setting are conserved” and to protect the area from “activity and development which undermines tranquillity – in particular noise [and] visual intrusion”.

Key stakeholders appeared not to have been told that the planning application had been recommended for approval. They included the Battlefields Trust, which excavated parts of the battlefield; the neighbouring local authority, which, along with Hinkley and Bosworth jointly promotes the battlefield as a major tourist attraction; and the Richard III Society, whose main subject of study and commemoration, Richard III, was killed just a few hundred metres from the proposed development site.

The Bosworth Field battlefield and its visitor centre is a major regional tourist attraction of considerable economic value to the area – but the £26m driverless car test track project would create 250 direct jobs and many hundreds of indirect additional ones.

“The planning committee will consider all the representations made regarding the development’s impingement and impact on the registered battle site and will consider the level of potential harm prior to making a decision. Alternatively, they have the option to defer their decision to a later date,” said the council’s chief executive, Bill Cullen.

“A condition of any planning consent for this project will be that archaeological investigations should take place in advance of the proposed development,” he said.

Michael Jones, author of Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle, believes that it is “highly regrettable that the proposed development encroaches upon a registered battlefield – indeed one of major historical importance”.

He added: “It is vital that we protect the integrity of the Bosworth site.

“As a number of important finds have been uncovered in the surrounding area, further archaeological work would be of considerable value, but only alongside a commitment to fully preserve this crucial sector of the battlefield.”

And historian Mike Ingram, the author of Battle Story: Bosworth 1485, urged the council to at least defer its decision. He said: “It is beyond belief that anyone would even consider building on a single square metre of such a nationally iconic battlefield as Bosworth.

“The site in question is close to the heart of the fighting and it has been my long-held belief that it is not only where Henry’s French mercenaries gathered before the battle but also close to where he positioned his cannons.

“There are still many questions to be answered about the battle and how it fitted into the landscape. It is therefore essential that it is preserved intact, without further disruption to the surrounding landscape, for future generations to study and understand.

“We must also not forget that as well as the site of the death of Richard III, many more lost their lives during the fighting and rout. Their bodies have never been found and may still lie under the quiet Leicestershire countryside.