To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
08
Sept 2021
The battle to prevent Ripon Spa Baths being sold for housing received a major boost today when the historic building was listed as an Asset of Community Value.
Harrogate Borough Council put the historic baths on the market in February, leading to concerns it could be sold to a private developer and turned into housing.
Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together called for any sale not to be rushed through and applied for the 116-year-old Grade II listed building, which has a distinctive terracotta-clad frontage, to be listed as an asset of community value.
Ripon city council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret today the application had been accepted.
It means the local community now has six months to put together a bid to buy the building, which Harrogate Borough Council has said will be 'surplus to requirements' when the new Ripon Leisure Centre opens this year.
Cllr Williams said he was “highly delighted” by today's news. He added:
Plan to convert former Hampsthwaite surgery into a house
Around three cyclists an hour using Harrogate’s new low traffic neighbourhood
The Stray Ferret has asked Harrogate Borough Council for comment but has yet to receive a response.
What does Asset of Community Value status mean?
According to Harrogate Borough Council's website, a building or land can be listed as an asset of community value if:
0