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10
Apr
Plans for Ripon cinema receive warm welcome from city
Plans to convert a now-vacant shop in Ripon into a cinema have been welcomed by local organisations.
Independent cinema operators John Tate and John Hewitt are seeking North Yorkshire Council’s approval to convert the former Original Factory Shop unit on Fishergate 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.
The plans were submitted towards the end of March, and are still awaiting the council’s verdict, but have been welcomed by two Ripon organisations.
Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon Business Improvement District (BID), which first revealed the plans, published a comment in support of the application on behalf of the BID.
She said the proposal represents a “significant and timely opportunity for our city economically, socially and culturally”.
Ms Bathurst adds:
A new cinema would bring a substantial increase in footfall, both during the day and into the evening. As a city with a growing visitor economy and a vibrant independent business community, this additional activity would directly benefit local retailers, hospitality venues, and service providers.
The positive impact on the evening economy in particular cannot be overstated; Ripon has long-needed more reasons for people to stay in the city after 5pm, and a cinema offers exactly that safe, accessible, year-round activity for residents and visitors alike.
The proposed floor plan. Credit: Emily Dickinson Architects Ltd
Should the cinema be approved, Ms Bathurst says the development would send a “powerful signal of confidence in Ripon’s future”.
The comment adds:
A cinema would also enhance the city's cultural landscape. Ripon is home to a wealth of heritage, arts organisations, festivals, and community groups, and the addition of a dedicated film venue would broaden the cultural offer for all ages. From family films and accessible screenings to independent cinema, live broadcasts, and community events, this space would provide inclusive opportunities for entertainment, learning, and connection.
For visitors, the cinema adds another compelling reason to choose Ripon, complementing our attractions, supporting longer dwell times, and strengthening the city's reputation as a welcoming and dynamic destination.
Revealing news of the proposed cinema last month, Ms Bathurst said Ripon BID will do “everything in our power to support the application, which will add substantially to the city’s retail and leisure offering”.
Plans show ‘much-valued investment and optimism in Ripon’
Ripon Civic Society also showed support for the plans.
In its comment, the civic society said the proposed cinema would lead to “an improvement to [the] building and wider area, and one that will extend the use of the building into the evening, thereby adding to the vibrancy of the Market Square area”.
No significant external changes are proposed as part of the development, but the civic did raise one concern:
Our only concern is that [planning document] shows internal roller shutters to the entire shop front without any details of type or design. Whilst we agree that it is preferable for shutters to be located behind the glazing, we consider that solid shutters behind the large existing windows would result in an unacceptably blank frontage in this prominent location in the Conservation Area and next to a Listed Building.
We would, therefore, expect to see an open type of shutter so that visual interest is maintained from the outside when the interior lights are left on. This is particularly important for a use that may operate outside normal shop opening hours.
Ripon Civic Society also said the closure of the Curzon in July 2023 was a “sad loss for the city”, and one which the civic society “has been keen to see remedied”.
It added:
We would like to echo the comments made by Ripon Business Improvement District and we are very pleased that this application has come forward. It represents much-valued investment and optimism in Ripon as a vibrant place to live.
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.
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