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22
Oct 2020
Subsidence causes evacuation of four Ripon homes
Extensive subsidence has caused the evacuation of four properties in a Ripon housing development.
The problem is believed to be caused by sinkholes in the area.
It was deemed so severe that owners of two of the properties in Bedern Court were advised by tenancy management company Joplings to tell tenants they had to leave for their own safety.
Mat Pritchard, whose 81-year-old father Norman was living in 5 Bedern Court, had to rapidly make arrangements for him to move out.
Tenants at the other properties, 1 and 3 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths, which is within the scheme, have also had to move out at very short notice.
Mr Pritchard is chairperson for Bedern Court Ltd, which is a non-profit company controlled by leaseholders and owners.
It manages the leaseholds and freeholds for the 29-unit brick-built block, which was built in 1986.
He told the Stray Ferret:
Mr Pritchard said:
He added:
The block is within the shadow of Ripon Cathedral and alongside one of the main routes into the city centre.
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An adjacent block of flats built after the Bedern Court development was subsequently demolished and Peacock’s Passage, which runs between the two sites, has clear signs of subsidence.
BCL believe that sinkholes in the area are the likely cause of the subsidence, but claims dating back to 2009 lodged with underwriters Aviva and subsequently QBE, have been turned down by both insurers.
Mr Pritchard said:
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