The introduction of a banking hub was among plans unveiled by Ripon Business Improvement District at its annual review meeting this week.

Sine the BID launched in autumn 2021, banking facilities in the city have reduced with the closure of the Barclays and Halifax branches, leaving HSBC as the only high street bank with a presence in Ripon.

A banking hub would provide a counter service where customers of major banks and building societies can carry out cash transactions. One is set to open in Knaresborough after it lost its last high street bank.

BID manager Lilla Bathurst told Monday’s meeting at the Old Deanery:

“We are seeking to bring a banking hub to Ripon to enable businesses to access and deposit cash more readily than they can at the moment.”

The HSBC Bank on Westgate.

The BID, funded through a £170,000 annual levy raised from businesses in Ripon and the surrounding area, is also looking to support the fight against crime.

Ms Bathurst said:

“We plan to invest in a Radiolink scheme for businesses to reduce shop theft and antisocial behaviour, by having a means of sharing information with each other about suspicious characters or perceived threats that they see.

“We will also ensure that all night-time economy businesses are offered this.”

The review meeting marked the BID’s second year of operation.

Ms Bathurst said the highlights included a reinvigorated events calendar featuring live music, street parties run as part of the Totally Locally campaign instigated by independent traders in Kirkgate and support for the Ripon Theatre Festival in June, which saw an 86 percent increase in audience numbers.

The BID supported the festival in its inaugural year of 2022 and this year and will again be a sponsor in 2024.

Other BID activities in the year included the installation of new boundary signs and the creation of walking maps that encourage visitor flow around the city and work in conjunction with refurbished noticeboards that contain mapping, tourist and regularly updated events information.

The Dean of Ripon has said plans to remove trees from Minster Gardens to make way for a new £6 million cathedral building presented a “moral dilemma”.

The Very Revd. John Dobson presented the cathedral’s annual review on Saturday.

It addressed plans to fell 11 trees, including a beech listed by the Woodland Trust as having veteran status, to create space for a two-storey building on the gardens to the north of the ancient building.

The proposed annex development, which includes a song school, refectory, accessible toilets, shop and additional storage space, is part of the Ripon Cathedral Renewed project which aims to safeguard the future of the cathedral.

The Dean said all possible options for the location of the annex had been considered.

In a leaflet given to parishioners and members of the public who attended on Saturday, Dean John said:

“We regret the need to fell 11 trees and are sympathetic to public concern. There is a moral dilemma though which requires balancing this with urgent needs and undeniable benefits.”

“Providing 21st century facilities is not only essential, but will help to attract more visitors to the cathedral and thereby to the city.”

He added:

“Ripon Cathedral attracts 100,000 visitors per year, in addition to pilgrims, worshippers and concert goers. Experts predict that this project will result in an increase in numbers of between 30% and 50% — good news for the local economy and local businesses.”

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The Dean acknowledged not everybody was in favour of the development and said:

“Some people here today will disagree with us about the felling of trees. We respect those people,  but we disagree with them.”

Jenni Holman, who has raised a petition signed by 1,400 people opposing the removal of trees to make way for the annex, said:

“The loss of mature trees and impact on the wildlife that depend upon them for habitat is totally unacceptable.

“This is not about a difference of opinions, it’s something that we say is just wrong.”

As part of its mitigation strategy, the cathedral proposes to plant 300 native trees on land near Studley, but fellow objector Pat Waterfall questioned:

“How will the planting of trees outside the city mitigate for the huge carbon footprint of the new building?