Walls around Bishopthorpe Palace’s gardens could fall over unless they are repaired, according to a planning application.
Plans from the Church Commissioners for England would see leaning sections of the walls around the palace’s gardens fastened to steel beams and cracked areas reinforced.
Repairs would also be made to some of the pointing along the walls and to wooden gates and doors.
The application stated that the repairs would keep the historic walls around the gardens standing, preserving a heritage asset for future generations.
Proposals lodged with City of York Council would see repairs made to the walls around the palace’s Small and Large Gardens.
Historically, flowers were grown for the palace in the gardens but they are now leased to the Brunswick Organic Nursery.
The gardens are in the Bishopthorpe Conservation Area and they were Grade II-listed in March this year.
Plans for the repairs follow a survey of the condition of the walls last year.
It found sections of the east wall were leaning out by up to 12cm and by up to 11cm along the west wall of the Large Garden.
Leaning in the walls measured up to 23cm in the north east corner of the north wall and up to 28cm in the north west corner.
There is also a bulge in the north east corner of the walls where tree roots have forced a section of them inwards.
Large cracks have also formed including in the southern part of the walls.
The proposed repairs would see steel pillars mounted in concrete bases installed along leaning sections of the walls.
The walls would be fastened to the beams, which would be enclosed within new brickwork and capped with limestone.
Stainless steel bars would be used to reinforce cracked sections of the walls, with repointing set to be carried out in line with Historic England guidance.
Metalwork which has corroded in some parts of the walls would also be removed along with timber and holes created by it would be bricked up.
Plans stated that rebuilding leaning sections of the walls was deemed unviable due to it resulting in the loss of the original brickwork.
They added excavations for the foundations may unearth some archaelogical finds which could add to knowledge about the history of the gardens.
Walter de Gray, the Archbishop of York in the 13th Century, bought land for a country seat on the site in 1226.
It is thought that his house which now forms the core of the current palace was built by 1241.
The plans stated: “The main purpose of the new piers and other works is to preserve the walls by preventing them from falling over.
“Hence, the less than substantial harm caused by the proposals is offset by the public benefit of sustaining the site so that its optimal use as a horticultural walled garden may continue.
“By doing so the positive contribution the walls make to the local character and distinctiveness of the area is maintained.”