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Oct 2020

Last Updated: 20/10/2020

Transport

Ripon councillors reject 'flawed' transport report on barracks development

by Tim Flanagan

| 20 Oct, 2020

The 1,300-home Ripon barracks scheme would be the biggest single development ever seen in Ripon. Councillors have rejected a transport report in support of the scheme.

A computer generated image of the proposed Ripon Barracks site

Ripon City Council has unanimously rejected a transport report commissioned by Homes England for the proposed 1,300-home Ripon Barracks development.

The report in support of the development came under heavy fire at Monday's virtual full council meeting.

In the longest debate of Monday evening, the consultants' findings were described as ‘flawed’

Council leader Andrew Williams said:

“The report fails to address core issues that local residents and the city council have raised.”

Cllr Williams said the council supported the principle of developing the former army bases, but added:

“A great deal more needs to be done, especially with regard to addressing the questions about the capacity of major junctions in the city.

“With such a flawed report, it is impossible for us to support the outline planning application for this huge scheme.”

Councillor Mike Chambers, who is also a district and county councillor, agreed a number of key transport matters needed to be addressed.

He seconded Cllr Williams' motion for a letter to be sent to Harrogate Borough Council planners, calling for resolution of outstanding issues before outline planning can be approved.

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Both he and Cllr Williams met last week with David Walpole, a traffic consultant appointed by the city council to look at the impact of the Clotherholme scheme on the the feeder road network and the city as a whole.

One issue that featured in the Walpole report was the amount of traffic generated by a new primary school in the development.

Cllr Williams said the report for Homes England had not taken account of the fact that 132 places at the school will be provided for children living 'off-site' in other parts of Ripon, creating traffic movements that had not been accounted for in the overall assessment of mitigation measures that would need to be taken to alleviate pressure on the road network.

Councillor Pauline McHardy told the meeting:

"This is the biggest single development ever seen in Ripon and its size has consequences, not just for the immediate area, but the whole of the city for years to come.

"Traffic movements to and from the site will impact on everybody and we have a duty to ensure that the developers provide the required road infrastructure and don't cut corners."

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Ripon councillors reject 'flawed' transport report on barracks development

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