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    21

    Sept 2021

    Last Updated: 21/09/2021
    Politics
    Politics

    Festive lighting plan is unveiled for Ripon Town Hall

    by Tim Flanagan

    | 21 Sept, 2021
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    Christmas is coming and Ripon City Council, which last year spent £65,000 on extending the city's festive lights, has ambitions to go even further in 2021.

    ripon-21st-september-2021-ripon-town-hall
    Under the proposals, Market Place South, which runs in front of Ripon Town Hall, would be pedestrianised

    With Christmas just over three months away, Ripon is gearing up for further expansion of the city's seasonal lights.

    Ripon City Council has unanimously agreed to support moves to create a new festive feature on the front of the town hall.

    Costing £5,400, it would consist of a sequenced multi-coloured lights display that can be programmed to include seasonal and other messages.

    Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the Grade II Listed building in the Market Place, needs to approve the proposal.

    Last year, in a festive season affected by covid lockdown and restrictions, £65,000 set aside for public events that were subsequently cancelled, was used to enhance and extend Ripon's Christmas lights.

    The lights covered three miles of city centre and adjoining streets, including all major gateways and this year, in addition to the town hall plan, improvements will be made to light displays on High Skellgate and Westgate.



    Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams said:

    "A multi-coloured curtain of light across the town hall, which can incorporate messages, will have a wow factor and create a focal point for Ripon's Christmas and New Year celebrations."


    Councillors were told that this would be be a temporary display and, if approval is received from Harrogate Borough Council, its installation will be timed to ensure that it does not clash with the Remembrance Day poppies display at the town hall.

    The technology employed enables the lights to change colour and feature a range of pre-programmed messages.