Homes England earmarks £10m for major Ripon housing site contributionsA total of £10 million has been budgeted to cover items in a Section 106 agreement being drawn up by Homes England for the 1,300-home Clotherholme development at the Ripon Barracks site.
The money will fund a number of areas, including off-site highway adjustments and contributions towards primary and secondary education provision and primary healthcare.
In addition, under the legally-binding agreement, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, is required to put a strategy in place to “secure military heritage within the site”.
On Monday, Homes England project manager Martin Wilks and senior planning and enabling manager David Rowlinson, met with city councillors to provide a progress report on the major scheme, that will eventually increase Ripon’s population by 20%.
In February, Harrogate Borough Council planning committee said it was minded to grant planning consent for the Clotherholme scheme and Mr Wilks, pointed out:
“The next stage on the planning process is to present the Section 106 agreement to North Yorkshire Council for approval.”
He added:
“The Section 106 monies have been set at £10 million to cover areas including off-site traffic interventions and contributions to education provision,”
The 21 Regiment of the Royal Engineers is scheduled to vacate the site by March 2026 and enabling works for the homes development will start in 2025.
In the meantime, Homes England is drawing up a sustainable drainage plan for the scheme with Yorkshire Water and working on a design guide for the development with Ripon Civic Society.
Meetings have been held with Ripon Military Heritage Trust regarding the protection and preservation of historically-important buildings and bridges on the site and a further meeting with them is planned for November 7.
Matters raised by councillors included the significance of the site’s rich military Heritage, increased traffic generation and the impact it will have on the city’s roads infrastructure and the additional strain that an increase in population will put on healthcare provision.
In view of the number of issues put forward, it was agreed that Mr Wilks and Mr Rowlinson will hold further meetings with councillors to focus on specific concerns that they have in relation to the development.
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Little Bird markets to light up Christmas across the Harrogate district
This article is sponsored by Little Bird Made.
From the garden of the Magdalens Pub in Ripon to the stately splendour of the Harewood estate, it has been a remarkable journey for Jackie Crozier and the Little Bird Made venture that she launched five years ago in her home city.
In 2018, Jackie’s first artisan market was held just a stone’s throw from Ripon’s magnificent cathedral, providing a platform for 20 local traders to showcase and sell their hand-crafted goods.
Since then, Little Bird has spread its wings, increasing year on year the number of historic Yorkshire towns and cities where its markets are held.
As Christmas approaches, a very busy period lies ahead, beginning with their biggest event of the season on the North Park Walk at Harewood House.
Visitors flocked to the 2022 Winter Market curated by Little Bird at Harewood House
Over five days between November 8 and 12, the home to Earls and Countesses since the 18th century, will be the exquisite backdrop for a very special winter market, curated for the second successive year by Jackie and her 14-strong team of professional event managers.
It will feature 130 local makers, crafters and producers and with pre-booked entry available at the reduced price of £5, those visiting the market will also be able to explore Harewood’s 150 acres of stunning grounds, including the Terrace Garden, Himalayan Garden, Walled Garden, Farm Experience and Adventure Playground.
For the energetic, there’s a three-mile walking trail across the North Park, South Park and Lakeside.
Little Bird will also be back by popular demand for the third year running to curate the Christmas Markets being held in the elegant setting of the Sun Colonnade at Harrogate’s glorious Valley Gardens. These will take place over three consecutive weekends on December 2,3, 9,10 and 16, 17.
The Christmas markets in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens will be held over three consecutive weekends
On November 25 and 26, Harrogate Horticultural Nursery is the venue for a Christmas market staged by Little Bird and further festive markets will also be held in Northallerton, Easingwold, Richmond, Leyburn, Thirsk, Wetherby and, of course, Ripon.
A birthday celebration
Before the festive season gets into full swing, Sunday October 22 will see Little Bird’s fifth birthday celebrated with an artisan market on Ripon’s Market Square.
The day will be dedicated to Jackie’s late parents David and Marilyn, who ran the former Fleece Pub on St Mary’s Gate for ten years.
Jackie, said:
“I think about them every day and know that they would be proud of what I have achieved since returning to the city where I was born and bred and am now an Independent member of the city council.
“I had been away for more than 20 years, working as the Director of the Manchester Pride Festival and later working on high-profile events including the London 2012 Olympics, Manchester’s Parklife Festival and the Download Festival at Donnington Park.”
Jackie, added:
“Dad’s nickname was Crow and I was known as Little Crow – so that’s how the Little Bird name came about, though sadly he didn’t live to see my fledgling venture get off the ground,
“Mum was in the intensive treatment unit at Harrogate Hospital for much of the time when I was setting up the business. I visited her every day and though she was very poorly, she never failed to take an interest and offer me words of advice and encouragement.
“That meant so much to me and has made me determined to use the expertise that I have gained through 25 years in event management, to make the Harrogate district and neighbouring areas a Mecca for artisan markets which support independent traders, while bringing increased footfall and economic benefits to the communities where they are staged.”
Visiting a Little Bird Made market is a great way to support local businesses and find unique Christmas gifts.
Here’s when you can visit a market near you:
Council reiterates call for police base at Ripon Town HallCouncillors have reiterated the call for North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe to fulfil her promise to establish a police presence in Ripon Town Hall.
Members at last night’s full Ripon City Council meeting said the need for visible and accessible policing in the city centre had increased because of recurring issues of antisocial behaviour and vandalism.
The problems range from vandal attacks on cars parked in the the city centre to stones being thrown through house windows — one of which injured the occupants.
Councillor Pauline McHardy said:
“Youths are making people’s lives a misery and blighting this city and residents need somewhere convenient to go to to report these incidents when they occur.”
City Council leader Andrew Williams received unanimous support in his call to approach Ms Metcalfe, whose time in office will end in May when her office’s duties are transferred to the new York and North Yorkshire mayor’s office. He reminded fellow councillors:
“In February, the commissioner issued a press release to say that a £91,000 refurbishment of space in the town hall was already underway and would be completed by June, but this wasn’t correct.
“Since then, nothing has materialised and we need to write to the commissioner in the strongest terms calling on her to keep the promise that she made.”
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At the time of the February announcement, councillors were hopeful the move to create a public consultation room, an office and a room for officers would help tackle crime in the city, providing an additional site to Ripon’s main Police and Fire Station at Stonebridgegate.
In August, a spokesperson for the crime commissioner said following the decision to approve funding for the move into the town hall, the ground floor space originally offered by Harrogate Borough Council was changed by the new North Yorkshire Council, in conjunction with Ripon City Council.
Alternative space was then offered on the second floor which it said will need to be assessed for “public accessibility and operational use”.
The spokesperson said:
“Commissioner Zoë is committed to ensuring that the residents of Ripon are provided with consistent, visible policing, and it is understood that North Yorkshire Police are currently in the process of assessing a number of additional sites in the heart of the city to ensure the local policing team are accessible to the public.”
Ms Metcalfe added:
“When elected as police, fire and crime commissioner I made a commitment to the people of North Yorkshire that I would strive to ensure that they would always be safe and feel safe, with efficient use of public resources being one of my five key priorities.”
Land at Ripon City Golf Club up for sale at £375,000The board of Ripon City Golf Club is looking into the possibility of buying land it currently leases at the Palace Road course, after half of the site was put up for sale.
The land, where nine of the holes at the 18-hole course are located, is owned by the Church Commissioners.
It is being marketed by property agents Savills, which described the land as:
“Part of the Ripon City Golf Club course, strategically positioned on the northern fringe of Ripon and adjacent to Palace Road, sold subject to lease expiring in 2048.”
A guide price of £375,000 has been given for those interested in purchasing the freehold and in response to this, the club board has issued a brief statement, which said:
“The board are actively investigating the possibilities of purchasing the land, further details will be made available to the press in due course.”
Ripon City Golf Club, was founded in 1908, when it had a nine-hole course on the 53.7 acres owned by the Church Commissioners.
The club celebrated its centenary in 2008, 10 years after signing a new 50-year lease for the land, which restricts its use to ‘golf course and ancillary uses associated thereof’.
In the late 1980s, the club purchased adjacent farmland, which enabled the creation of the additional nine holes that made it an 18-hole course.
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Long-standing Ripon eyesore finally tidied
The site of a former Ripon petrol station and convenience store that has been derelict for decades, has been tidied up 11 months after city councillors called for enforcement action.
The defunct Express petrol station on Skellbank, which has been empty for more than 20 years, is located on the tourist route to Fountains Abbey and diagonally across the road from Hugh Ripley Hall — named in honour of Ripon’s first mayor.
In early 2021 Harrogate Borough Council planning enforcement officers instructed the owner to tidy the site, cut back vegetation and leave it in an acceptable manner prior to any further development.
Last November, Ripon councillors called for further action to smarten up the area, which remained in an overgrown state.
The overgrown site pictured in November 2022.
At a full city council meeting last November, Cllr Stuart Flatley’s request for the now abolished Harrogate Borough Council to serve a Section 215 enforcement notice on the site owner was unanimously supported, after he said:
“This area is on the route to the Fountains Abbey world heritage site and has been in this unacceptable condition for many years and we can’t let this continue.”
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Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives local planning authorities the power to take steps requiring land be tidied up when its condition adversely affects the amenity of the area.
If it appears that the amenity of part of their area is being adversely affected by the condition of neighbouring land and buildings, they may serve a notice on the owner requiring the situation be remedied.
Ripon businesses given free help to be more disability-friendlyRipon Disability Forum is arranging free training for local businesses, voluntary organisations and councils aimed at making the city more accessible.
The training, at Community House on Allhallowgate, is being provided by disability consultants Nimbus Disability. It will take place from 9.30am to 2pm on October 26.
Nimbus created The Access Card, which is an ID card for disabled people that indicates what their legal rights might be and gives businesses an indication of the support they need to provide.
RDF trustee Jeremy Dunford, who is a wheelchair user, said:
“The Purple Pound, which refers to the spending power of people with a disability, is estimated to be worth £274 billion per year to the UK economy, so it is in the interests of businesses to ensure that their premises are as accessible as possible for those with limited mobility.
“However, it’s not just about clients and customers, it’s is also about employment opportunities, information sharing/presentation and technology.
“It is also about developing the best accessible practise by overcoming barriers that can be overcome and sharing open information when a barrier cannot be overcome for example, when it is not possible to provide ramped access to a listed building.”
With 25 places available at Community House, the training is being offered on a first come, first served basis to businesses or organisations that operate in, or serve Ripon and its surrounding area. Attendance via Zoom can also be arranged.
Bookings should be made via ripondisabilityforum@gmail.com or the forum’s facebook page.
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Ripon leisure centre work halted after ground movement detectedA £3.5 million scheme to stabilise the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon has been halted because of new suspected land movement.
Groundwork began in June following the discovery of a “void” beneath the former leisure centre building in the sinkhole-prone area.
Members have had to use a temporary gym in the car park and attend group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre while remediation work takes place at the old building.
The new building, which includes a swimming pool, sauna and steam room has remained open.
The new building on the site remains open.
Work was due to finish in spring next year but the latest discovery may jeopardise that — and spark fresh questions about the wisdom of choosing the site and continuing to spend money stabilising the land despite sinkhole fears.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if work had been halted after noticing a lack of activity in recent weeks.
Jo Ireland, the council’s assistant director for culture and leisure, said:
“Our contractors have temporarily paused groundworks at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre as a precautionary measure while they investigate and assess signs of movement that have appeared in the internal blockwork of the existing building.
“A specialist engineer has advised the movement is predominantly aesthetic with no grounds for concern over the safety of the building.
“We will be installing a monitoring system on site in the next few days to detect any further movement that may occur. This system will give us the data we need to allow us to restart work later this month.
“We would only need to pause work again should the monitoring system detect additional significant movement, at which point further assessment of the situation would take place.”
‘Throwing good money after bad’
In October last year Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, said it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and and “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.
He accused the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council, which took the decision to build on the site, of “blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin”.
Cllr Williams added:
“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.”
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Ripon on track to be chosen for double devolution dealRipon City Council has cleared an important hurdle in its double devolution bid to take control of city assets.
North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.
It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.
The council said it would choose up to six locations this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.
This afternoon Ripon City Council was notified by council assistant chief executive Rachel Joyce the evaluation board proposed to to set up individual project teams to work with Ripon and Selby.
The news is likely to come as a blow for other towns, including Knaresborough, which also expressed interest. Harrogate was unable to bid because it does not have a town council.
Ms Joyce said in correspondence with the city council:
“Two expressions of interest that were considered, submitted by Ripon Town(City) Council and Selby Town Council; were both ambitious and multi-faceted, with a number of service areas involved in the evaluation of their expressions of interest.”
Ripon Town Hall
The Ripon devolution bid sought management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.
Ms Joyce said:
“Whilst the bids were considered to be showing the level of ambition for their areas that was originally envisaged for the double devolution project they highlighted that the evaluation criteria was not sophisticated enough to manage a wide range of services within its scoring mechanisms.
“It is therefore proposed by the evaluation board that individual project teams are set up to work with Ripon City Council and Selby Town Council to bring forward double devolution proposals to be considered by the executive in these two areas recognising that these may require more support.”
The news has been welcomed by Cllr Andrew Williams, the Independent leader of Ripon City Council, who also represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“We have cleared an important hurdle and that’s very good news for Ripon as we seek greater say over our own destiny.
“We put forward a very strong double devolution bid and North Yorkshire Council has shown that it is willing to listen to us and work with us — in considerable contrast to the relationship that we had over almost 50 years with Harrogate Borough Council.”
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Ripon’s South Lodge to reopen tomorrowOne of Ripon’s largest and most prominent pubs will reopen under new management tomorrow afternoon (Saturday), following its sudden closure in April.
The South Lodge doors will be open again from 4pm and at 9pm there will be free live music.
Ahead of the pub’s reopening, the Stray Ferret was invited for a sneak peek and the opportunity to meet new licensee Terry Flanagan and his daughter Sinead, to find out about plans for the Harrogate Road hostelry.
The pub’s wonky sign will be fixed shortly
Mr Flanagan, told the Stray Ferret:
“The minute I saw this pub was available, I just knew I had to have it. It’s in a great residential location and has bags of potential.”
With experience built over almost 30 years in the hospitality sector across Yorkshire, beginning in the mid 1990s when he was landlord of the Queen’s Head in Kirkby Malzeard, he added:
“I go on my gut instincts and could see that South Lodge has all of the ingredients needed for success.
“My aim is to put it right back at the heart of the community, welcoming families with children during the daytime and catering for adults in the evenings, with free musical entertainment at weekends, Thursday quiz nights and pool nights on Wednesdays.”
Ms Flanagan, also an experienced publican, is providing administrative support for the South Lodge reopening.
Sinead Flanagan
She said:
“The food offer, including Sunday carvery, will be up and running by the end of the month and we also have plans for the Christmas period.”
Re-decoration is nearing completion and the pub, which stands in its own grounds and has a beer garden, will have its sign fixed shortly.
South Lodge is located by the busy A61 on the route of the 36 bus service between Ripon and Harrogate.
Further information is available via the pub’s Facebook page.
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Ripon’s Blue Cross charity shop closes todayAn animal welfare charity is closing its Ripon shop today (Friday) due to declining trade.
This proved the tipping point for the Blue Cross shop, which has operated for five years from a large corner unit in The Arcade.
All remaining stock is being sold off for £2 or less, ahead of this afternoon’s closure..
David Palmer, Blue Cross head of retail operations, told the Stray Ferret:
“We were coming up to the end of our lease and after considerable thought we have sadly taken the difficult decision to close our shop in Ripon due to a decrease in the levels of trade and low profitability.
“We’d like to thank the staff and volunteers for all their hard work in the shop and pass on our thanks to everyone in Ripon who has supported Blue Cross over the five years.
He added:
“We are constantly looking at all of our 55 shops across the country to ensure we’re raising as many funds as possible for the thousands of sick, injured and homeless pets we help every year.
“We have shops in Northallerton and Thirsk where we would be delighted to receive donations and people can also support our charity by volunteering with us.”
The former Caffe Tempo Unit (pictured right) has been vacant since late July.
In July, Caffe Tempo, which had traded for six years in the unit neighbouring the Blue Cross shop, closed because of spiralling ingredient and overhead costs, that wiped out its profitability.
The former Caffe Tempo and two further units in The Arcade remain vacant.
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