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02
Aug 2021
Company awarded £277,000 ground investigations contract for Ripon barracks site
A Darlington-based company has been awarded a £277,000 contract to undertake ground investigations on land earmarked for a potential 1,300-home development in Ripon.
Homes England has commissioned Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental, a ground investigations firm, to carry out the work at the former Ripon barracks site.
The government housing agency has tabled a plan to build 1,300 homes on the site.
Ripon has a history of ground instability and sinkholes caused by the soluble of nature gypsum, the rock that lies under much of the area.
The brief for the contract, which is worth £277,108.77, says the work is to:
The proposal for the barracks site has caused controversy in the city with councillors opposing the development and residents signing a petition objecting to the plan.
Harrogate Borough Council is currently considering the proposal and will make a decision at a later date.
History of Ripon barracks plan
When the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan was being drawn up, it was envisaged that the barracks site would provide space for 800 new homes.
The site, encompassing Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks, initially included 11 hectares earmarked for employment uses.
After the allocation of land for employment uses was reduced, Homes England sought outline planning approval for a 1,300-home scheme.
A transport assessment, prepared in support of the development, was described as ‘flawed’ by Ripon City Council.
Read more:
- Call to reduce Ripon barracks development by 500 homes
- Housebuilder awarded £63m contract to build 200 homes in Pannal Ash
- Highways England puts handbrake on 1,300-home Ripon development
Harrogate Borough Council validated a planning application for the site back in September 2020 in a move which developers saw as a "major step forward".
However, in May this year, Highways England called for further assessment of the transport and traffic impact of the proposed development.
The planned homes will include a significant number of two- and three-bedroom mid-range houses and will include apartments in the centre.
It also includes a community centre, employment space, shops, parkland, a new primary school and sports facilities.
It means Homes England now has a major presence in the Harrogate district.
The developer already has plans submitted with the council for 200 homes at a former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate.
Last week, the Stray Ferret reported that Countryside Properties had been awarded a £63 million contract to construct the scheme.
The housing agency also has plans lodged for 390 homes on land off West Lane, Littlethorpe.
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