The phrase ‘I care about where I live’ is a guiding principle for Ripon Civic Society (RCS) as it looks to the future of a growing city.
The organisation that aims to protect and enhance Ripon’s heritage assets for the benefit of all, is currently formulating its views on the new £6 million plans for the cathedral, the city’s most important and iconic building.
Society chair Christopher Hughes, told the Stray Ferret:
“We have, of course, been looking closely at the proposals and will have our response in due course and hope that residents and visitors will look at the plans and make their views known as well.”
While the ancient building is the city’s dominant feature, RCS, now in its 54th year, is encouraging citizens to play a role in shaping the Ripon of the future.
Speaking at the Civic Day 2022 awareness and recruitment event on Market Square on Saturday morning, Mr Hughes, said:
“We start with the simple proposition of ‘I care about where I live’ and look at what this means in helping to make the city an even better place.
“By the 2030s, Ripon is likely to grow by a quarter and we need to ask questions such as ‘what do we value of the city’s past?’ and ‘what is at risk?’
“That leads on to keeping a watch over vulnerable buildings and threatened trees and how we can enhance the green, blue and natural environment.”
Mr Hughes, added:
“We are not here to say ‘no’ to development, but to encourage those who are investing in Ripon, from retail to residential, to aim for the best possible design, with use of materials sympathetic to the city’s built and natural environment.”
RCS played a key role in setting up the Ripon Museum Trust 40 years ago, establishing an organisation that has developed the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Courthouse museums as linked heritage attractions, that bring the city’s history to life.
While protecting and promoting heritage, the society also had an eye to the future when it supported the construction in the 1990s of the city bypass, which helped in the development of the Dallamires Lane employment zone, where many businesses are based.
RCS has a healthy membership of 150, but welcomes new members and those who want to attend events as non-members. Further details are available at [email protected].
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