A 200-year-old building on the Ripley estate is set to be converted to support outdoor pursuits.
The bothy, adjacent to the east pavilion in the walled garden, will be fitted out with changing rooms, storage and toilets if a planning application is approved.
The proposals are to provide better facilities for Live For Today, an outdoor activities business based in the grounds of Ripley Castle.
Last year, the bothy had structural work done to improve its condition, including a new roof and repointing with lime mortar.
Sir Thomas Ingilby of Ripley Castle told the Stray Ferret:
“Live For Today need extra storage, so part of it is for that. We have got plans for toilets and locker rooms shared by Life For Today visitors to the gardens and garden staff.
“We’re hoping to do more work with community groups coming into the gardens. We’re really keen to get it done – we have spent a lot of money doing up the bothy and it will be nice to see if back in use.”
Now a listed building, the bothy is originally believed to have been the home of a gardener on the Ripley estate.
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Live For Today runs activities including paddle boarding, axe throwing, body zorbing, kayaking, bushcraft and escape rooms at the Ripley estate.
It currently uses the east pavilion for storage, which the application said was causing damage to the fabric of the building because of poor ventilation. Moving storage to the bothy would allow the pavilion to be used by the public.
Life For Today’s current facilities include portable toilets and makeshift changing rooms in the woods, which the application described as “inadequate and unsatisfactory”. The application said the newly-converted bothy would be an asset both to the business and to the estate.
To view or comment on the application, visit the planning section of Harrogate Borough Council’s website and use reference 22/04111/LB.
