City councillors have given their support in principle to Ripon Cathedral’s proposed £6 million standalone development on land to the north of the ancient building.
Members at Monday’s full meeting voted unanimously to support a proposal from leader Cllr Andrew Williams saying the council is in favour of the general principle of the development but is opposed to the closure of Minster Road.
The vote was taken following a presentation of the plans by the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson and Colin Little, chair of the Ripon Cathedral Renewed Steering Group.
Ripon City Council is opposed to the closure of Minster Road as part of the development proposals.
In addition to their presentation, a model showing the planned development was available for councillors to see.
Dean John told the meeting:
“We have had a tremendous year with in excess of 100,000 people visiting the cathedral.”
He said attracting large numbers of visitors was beneficial to the wider Ripon economy, but also highlighted the need for the provision of modern facilities.
Dean John said:
“We have been looking for a solution to give the cathedral what it needs and this includes new toilets, new facilities for the choir, a gift shop larger than the one we currently have, a refectory and more storage space.”
Mr Little said the proposed cloistered two-storey stone building on Minster Gardens would be in keeping with neighbouring buildings in the conservation area and the development would include extensive landscaping that would increase the amount of public open space.
Cllr Williams said:
“We will be looking at the finer detail when the planning application is submitted, but the city council supports the general principle of this development, with the exception of the proposed closure of Minster Road, which we cannot agree with because diverting traffic elsewhere would cause many problems.”
He added:
“The cathedral draws in tens of thousands of visitors a year to Ripon and it should have decent toilets and other facilities to serve their needs.”
Should planning permission be granted, the building would include the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet facility for use by disabled people.
Cllr Pauline McHardy said:
“I am very excited about these plans. Our ancient city with its beautiful cathedral must move forward and the addition of facilities that make it more accessible to disabled people are most welcome.”
