Subscribe to trusted local news
If you are accessing this story via Facebook but you are a subscriber then you will be unable to access the story. Facebook wants you to stay and read in the app and your login details are not shared with Facebook. If you experience problems with accessing the news but have subscribed, please contact subscriptions@thestrayferret.co.uk. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
01
Apr
More details of proposed Ripon cinema emerge
Further details of plans to open a cinema in Ripon have emerged.
Ripon Business Improvement District (BID) last week revealed independent cinema operators John Tate and John Hewitt have sought North Yorkshire Council’s approval to convert the former Original Factory Shop unit on Fishergate into a cinema.
The change of use application had not been published on the council’s planning portal at the time, but the documents are now publicly available.
Mr Hewitt and Mr Tate are seeking approval to convert the unit, which closed its doors on Saturday, into a three-screen cinema.
The Ripon cinema would be a similar operation to the applicants' cinemas in Ilkley and Wetherby, with plans saying it would show current box office films, independent and foreign-language films and documentaries.
National Theatre and Royal Opera House screenings would also be shown, as well as special screenings for over 60s and films for parents and children.
According to planning documents, screen one would have 65 seats, screen two would have 55 seats and screen three would have 37 seats.
Plans add:
Each screen will be fitted with state-of-the-art laser projection, 7:1 surround-sound and Dolby IMS servers, and will also include DAS technology for the deaf and hard-of-hearing to allow personalised subtitle screenings or enhanced audio for most shows.
Food and drink will be served in the ticketing lounge and also direct to the auditoriums, which will have sofa-style seating and personalised table provision.
The proposed floor plan. Credit: Emily Dickinson Architects Ltd
Plans say the conversion would not result in significant external changes to the property, but Mr Tate and Mr Hunt plan to paint the front of the building dark grey and repair "the flat roof behind the frontage".
They add the city has been cinema-less since Curzon shut its doors in July 2023, and the applicants feel the proposed new cinema would “allow the community to gain access to a much-needed leisure facility that can be up-and-running within the year”.
The application concludes:
The proposed change of use represents an appropriate and sustainable reuse of an existing [city] centre building. It will diversify the range of uses within Ripon [city] centre, support the vitality and viability of the [city] centre, and contribute positively to the economy, while preserving the character and appearance of the conservation area.
By making effective use of an existing building in a highly sustainable location, the proposal represents a beneficial form of development that aligns with both national and local planning policy.
North Yorkshire Council will issue a verdict on the plans at a later date.
The Original Factory Shop in Ripon ceased trading on March 28 after the company fell into administration.
‘Phenomenal news’
Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon BID, last week said the organisation will do “everything in our power to support the application, which will add substantially to the city’s retail and leisure offering”.
She added:
This is phenomenal news for Ripon and is a further sign of the confidence that investors have in the historic cathedral city of the dales.
Our post-covid recovery puts us high on the list of UK locations where independent businesses want to be — and importantly, places where people want to visit.
I believe that this £1.25 million investment will be the catalyst for further inward investment in our thriving city.
Robert Sterne, director of Sterne Properties Ltd, which owns the North Street unit that was previously occupied by Curzon, told Ripon BID “the ship has now sailed” on its attempts to broker a deal with Curzon to reopen a cinema at the site.
Mr Sterne added the company remained “fully committed” to returning the premises to use as a family leisure facility for people of all ages and welcomed news of the proposed cinema on Fishergate.
0