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05
Feb
Could £4.6 million scheme put Fountains Abbey's World Heritage Site status at risk?
Fears have been expressed that the National Trust's plans to upgrade visitor facilities at Studley Royal could threaten the world heritage status of Fountains Abbey.
The Stray Ferret reported yesterday (February 4) that North Yorkshire Council's Skipton and Ripon area planning committee voted 6-1 in favour of the £4.6 million Studley Revealed scheme at a meeting in Ripon Town Hall.
The redevelopment project will see the construction of new visitor facilities, including accessible toilets, an enhanced 60-seat café and an admission point, as well as new landscaping in the water garden area.
But the cafe, which is currently free to access, will be brought inside the water garden and only be accessible to those willing to pay entry. A refreshment kiosk in the deer park car park will be available for those who do not wish to purchase a day ticket and who are not National Trust members.
The meeting heard concerns that the development could impact Fountains Abbey's status as a World Heritage Site.
An internal perspective of the proposed cafe. Credit: NT/Fielden Fowles
World heritage concerns
In 1986, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) named Studley Royal Park and the Fountains Abbey ruins as one of the UK's first World Heritage Sites.
The organisation is advised by the International Council On Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which in 2023 objected to initial plans submitted by the National Trust, when the proposals included a 100-seat cafe.
At the time, ICOMOS said:
The project will impact adversely on the authenticity and integrity of the water gardens, on their link to the lake, and overall on (the) outstanding universal value of the property.
'Significantly out of character'
This point was emphasised at yesterday's meeting by Peter Goodchild, a member of ICOMOS UK, who told councillors that he was addressing them as a person with 50 years of experience in the conservation of historic parks and gardens at home and abroad.
He said:
The initial and present revised proposals for both inside and outside the tea room, despite one or two conservation gains and despite the reduction in size of the revised scheme, are significantly out of character with their historical context.
They would both cause major and unnecessary damage to the historical and historical aesthetic character of an integral and very important part of a World Heritage Site and the reason it has been designated.
The essential character of the World Heritage Site is from the 18th and 19th centuries and the proposals will introduce an unnecessary and alien 21st century element.
How the gardens would have looked in the 18th century. Credit: NT
Mr Goodchild added:
It should be noted that in addition to giving World Heritage status, UNESCO can also remove it and has already done so in the UK.
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre has asked to be kept in touch wth the outcome of the applications.
Only World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire
Councillors were advised by planning officers that no response to the revised application had been received from ICOMOS and Cllr Andrew Williams, who respresents Ripon Minster and Moorside, said:
This is the only World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire and the National Trust has done an amazing job protecting and enhancing what we have here.
My only concern is the lack of clarification in respect of UNESCO's position on the revised application. We would not wish to inadvertantly do something that could contribute to withdrawal of world heritage status, that would be a significant loss, not only to the site, but also to the local economy.
Councillor Barbara Brodigan, who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division on North Yorkshire Council, told the meeting that she had lived for many years in Liverpool, where the waterfront with its historic buildings was stripped of its world heritage status because of concerns about new developments.
She said:
There is no comparison between this and the National Trust's plans, where any risk of harm to heritage will be outweighed by the benefits brought through reinstatement of natural features and a much improved cafe for visitors.
Councillor Robert Heseltine, the only member to vote against the applications, said:
This is a very special place and its heritage should not be sacrificed on the altar of commercialisation.
The proposal to accept the planning officers' recommendation for approval was put forward by Cllr Andy Brown and seconded by Cllr Brodigan.
'We’re delighted'
Justin Scully, the National Trust's general mananger for Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal addressed councillors before they discussed the planning applications..
After the meeting, he told the Stray Ferret:
We’re delighted that our planning application has been given the green light by North Yorkshire Council.
Our plans will enable us to improve the care and management of the World Heritage Site, maintaining its outstanding universal value and investing in its future, through carefully planned and sensitive development of the Studley tearoom area.
As a charity, we have a purpose to deliver benefit to the nation through nature, history and beauty, and look forward to realising our vision for Studley Revealed.
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