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19
May
Campaign to pedestrianise historic Ripon street receives boost
A campaign to pedestrianise arguably Ripon’s most famous street has received a boost.
A petition was set up in March calling on North Yorkshire Council to launch a consultation into extending pedestrian-only hours on Kirkgate.
If successful, the move would see vehicles effectively banned between 10am and 5pm, and until 9pm between March 31 and September 30.
David Ingham, who has circulated the petition, this morning (May 19) told the Stray Ferret it had achieved the 500-signature target, meaning it is eligible to be considered by members of North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee.
Campaigners met yesterday with the three Ripon city councillors who represent the Minster ward — Cllr Chris Hardisty, Cllr Pauline McHardy and Cllr Tony Duncan.
Mr Ingham said they agreed to “take the request for North Yorkshire Council to carry out a formal public consultation” to the next area constituency committee meeting on June 4.
The area committee does not have formal powers but it can vote on whether to recommend the full council adopts a Kirkgate consultation. If it votes to do so, a final decision would then lie with the Conservative-controlled council.
Mr Ingham told the Stray Ferret today:
The councillors asked about local responses to our latest petition and how to address some residents' concerns about access and convenience. We all discussed how improvements could be made for the whole of the city, its visitors, businesses and residents with the minimum of inconvenience to those living and trading locally.
The need to make improvements to what should be the flagship street in the city to bring growth to Ripon, and to make a start on some of the proposals in the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan, were agreed by all of us to be well overdue, and the next step for that is for North Yorkshire Council to hold a public consultation.
Kirkgate, Ripon
Kirkgate, which links the Market Place and Ripon Cathedral, is currently a pedestrian zone, but permits access-only vehicles.
Petition supporters feel the move would boost footfall and business on the historic street, and create a better environment.
But some fear the move would make it difficult for people who live on or just off Kirkgate, particularly disabled people, to gain access to their homes.
Ripon City Council requested North Yorkshire Council open a consultation in March last year.
However, in December, Cllr Andrew Williams, who leads the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group on the city council and is also the North Yorkshire councillor for Kirkgate, said he had been “largely banging my head against a brick wall” in discussions with North Yorkshire Council on the topic.
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