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28
Feb 2023
Long-awaited £1.2m refurbishment of Ripon’s police and fire station confirmed
North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that a refurbishment of Ripon’s shared police and fire station is underway.
The £1.2m project has been in the pipeline for several years after the force sold Ripon’s police station in 2014.
Officers have used facilities at the fire station since 2018 but the site on Stonebridgegate has been deemed not fit-for-purpose by North Yorkshire Police.
In summer 2021, former Conservative Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner Philip Allott unveiled plans for a major refurbishment of the building.
A report was prepared for councillors yesterday that said the works had now been approved and represented “the best value for money” for Ripon residents.
The works will include repurposing the ground floor for the police to interact with the public, changing the first floor to create better meeting spaces for the fire service and improving the windows and lighting of the building.
Additional facilities costing £90,000 will also be created in Ripon’s Town Hall on Market Place to improve the police’s presence in the city centre.
Councillors in Harrogate met last night and heard from North Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Richard Ogden about the project. Construction work is estimated to take around 15 weeks.
Ch Insp Ogden said:
The police said there will be slight disruption during construction but work will be phased to reduce its impact.
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Zoe Metcalfe
In a press statement released after the meeting, Conservative Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe said:
Anti-social behaviour in Ripon
Last week, police in Ripon urged residents to report instances of anti-social behaviour following reports in the Aismunderby Road and Ambrose Road areas and the area around the Jack Laugher Leisure Centre and nearby skate park.
Ch Insp Ogden told councillors last night that spikes in anti-social behaviour “comes and goes” in Ripon but that officers have worked to target offenders in the city. He said:
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