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10
Nov
Ripon sinkhole flats to be demolished
A block of flats in Ripon which has suffered from sinkholes is set to be demolished at a cost of £70,000.
The block of four properties on Princess Close in the Magdalens area of the city is now empty, after the final residents were moved out in the summer.
A North Yorkshire Council report, which is due before Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for housing, said the the site is “affected by severe geological instability, including gypsum dissolution and saturated peat”.
The council drew up three options for the flats, including remedial works and the retention and monitoring of the site. However, officials have recommended demolition as the preferred option.
In a report, Imogen Downie, housing policy and strategy officer at the council, said:
The recommendation for demolition is primarily driven by the need to eliminate unacceptable risks to public safety, legal liability, and insurance exposure.
Although the building is vacant, its unstable foundations present a persistent hazard. Retention could lead to increased insurance premiums, limited coverage, or denied claims due to the site’s known subsidence history. Demolition removes these risks and ensures a safer, more sustainable outcome.
The council added that remedial works to the property would cost in excess of £200,000 and “would not guarantee resolution of the underlying geological issues”.
Cracks can also be seen on exterior walls.
A disposal of the site was also considered, Ms Downie said, but was discounted due to the “severity of structural and geological risks”.
Meanwhile, the council has lost £244,529 in rent at the site and ground investigations and drainage and structural surveys have cost £38,449.
Should the demolition be approved, the council is expected to undertake an options appraisal to determine the future use of the site.
Cllr Myers will make a decision on the demolition at a meeting on Monday, November 17.
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