The Stray Ferret is today backing a campaign by Ripon Military Heritage Trust to save key parts of the city’s military history.
Government agency Homes England has planning permission to build 1,300 homes on army barracks at Clotherholme.
But there are fears it will bulldoze sites of international significance, including huts built by Neville Chamberlain’s government in 1939 and training bridges that shaped international warfare, to make way for the housing.
The trust accepts the homes will be built but is campaigning to preserve a number of surviving structures on a site at Laver Banks.
It wants to repurpose huts that would otherwise be demolished not just for heritage reasons but also so they can be used for employment and community use.
They would then feature in a newly created military heritage centre and a military heritage trail that would tell the story of Ripon’s part in international warfare.
We have launched a petition urging people to back the campaign to save Ripon’s military heritage.
If 500 people sign then North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee will be obliged to debate it, which will present an opportunity to raise awareness of the issue.
You can sign here.
The trust has adopted the campaign slogan ‘heritage worth fighting for’.
Trustee Michael Furse said:
“The wooden militia camp is unique because it is the last one standing.
“We are not proposing to stop the development. What we are saying is we would like to preserve some of the most important structures from it on a different site.
“We would then like to display those structures in a way that shows them off in a cohesive manner.”
The campaign will run up to the 80th anniversary celebrations of D-Day when Winston Churchill’s great grandson will be in Ripon for the city’s commemorations.
John Plummer, editor of the Stray Ferret, said:
“We fully support this campaign. Ripon’s military heritage should be treasured — not destroyed.”
In the weeks ahead we will provide updates on the campaign and, with the help of the trust, tell the remarkable story of Ripon’s vital role in defending Britain over the years.
Read more:
- New Clotherholme plans heighten fears for Ripon’s military heritage
- Sketches by Magritte to go under the hammer in Ripon
