Demolition of four sinkhole-hit Ripon homes ready to begin
The demolition of a block of four empty Ripon homes affected by subsidence and sinkhole issues will begin shortly, taking up to seven weeks for completion.
The properties at 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths were evacuated in October 2020 after being deemed unsafe for habitation.
Planning permission for their demolition was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in November.
Ashley Hutchinson, site manager for Dewsbury-based Hutchinson Demolition & Dismantling Ltd, told the Stray Ferret:
“The work will be carried out by a team of four using hand-held tools.”
“Following a fortnight of preparation, which has involved erection of scaffolding and putting fencing in place, we anticipate completion over the next six to seven weeks.”
Site safety signage is in place
Mr Hutchinson added:
“We will be using a cherry picker for the removal of roof tiles and they, along with bricks, timber and other materials will be removed from the site and recycled.”
Neighbouring residents have been contacted and advised that the demolition will be carried out Monday to Friday between the hours of 7.45am and 4.30pm
Consent granted for demolition of Ripon homes affected by subsidencePlanning consent has been granted for the demolition of a block of four empty homes in Ripon’s conservation area, which have been affected by subsidence and sinkhole issues.
The properties at 1,3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths, were evacuated in October 2020 after being deemed unsafe for habitation.
A section of Peacock’s Passage, which is adjacent to the site, has been fenced off ever since.
Permission has also been granted for steps (pictured below) to be demolished and for the erection of hoardings following demolition of the block, so the area can be enclosed while investigation of the site is carried out.
A report from Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) planners states that:
“Demolition of the buildings is considered appropriate to ensure safety within the conservation area and to allow for investigations to determine an appropriate redevelopment of the site.”
The report says that the four properties:
“Have been adversely affected by the local ground conditions that arise notably from the dissolution of gypsum.”
It also points out that HBC’s building control officers:
“Have been involved with these buildings as a dangerous structure in recent months so we are aware of the concerns regarding their stability.”
Bedern Court Ltd, a not-for-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders with houses and apartments in the 29-unit residential development, employed engineers to monitor and report for more than a decade on signs of movement in the affected block, after subsidence occurred on an adjacent site.
With signs that subsidence causing damage to the block of the four properties is continuing, the application seeking permission to demolish was submitted to HBC in September.
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Permission sought to demolish Ripon homes affected by subsidencePlanning permission is being sought to demolish a block of four empty Ripon homes in a perilous condition caused by subsidence and sinkhole issues.
The properties at Bedern Court and Skellgarths were evacuated in October 2020, after being deemed unsafe for habitation.
A section of Peacock’s Passage, which is adjacent to the site, has been blocked off ever since.
In a document confirming his support for demolition of the block, Harrogate Borough Council’s principal building control officer Darren Sykes said:
“We have been involved with these buildings as a dangerous structure in recent months so we are aware of the concerns regarding their stability.”
The application also seeks demolition of these steps and walls, where the effects of subsidence can be seen
A report prepared by Architecture:AB on behalf of Bedern Court Ltd, which manages the 29-unit residential development, says:
“Bedern Court Ltd are seeking consent to demolish 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths because of damage to the building’s structure caused by subsidence.”
The report adds that the buildings have been monitored by structural engineers for more than a decade after subsidence occurred on an adjacent site.
With movement in the structure continuing, residents had to vacate the properties, which have been deemed unfit for habitation.
Last November, councillors at a full Ripon City Council meeting called on North Yorkshire County Council as highways authority to intervene and bring about an urgent demolition of the stricken block.
At that time, city council leader Andrew Williams, said:
“The movement of the affected block caused by sinkhole activity in the area is gaining speed and the implications for public safety are enormous.
“The block fronts onto the public highway and pavement and the potential impact of collapse and possibility of opening up of more damaging sinkholes in neighbouring areas cannot be ignored.
“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t be safe to walk or drive past it on Skellgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”
Harrogate Borough Council will decide whether to give permission for the demolition in the coming months, with the date for the decision yet to be confirmed.
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Ripon property owners to take complaint to insurance ombudsmanOwners of properties in Bedern Court in Ripon face a demolition bill of at least £75,000 as arguments over a long-standing insurance claim continue.
Three apartments and a house in a block at the 29-unit residential complex were evacuated in October 2020 as sinkhole activity raised fears of a catastrophic collapse.
Bedern Court Ltd (BCL) – a not-for-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders – is preparing a complaint to send to the insurance ombudsman, but, with the continuing deterioration of the stricken block, is faced with having to find the money to take the building down.
BCL chair, Mat Pritchard, told the Stray Ferret:
“We are already doing everything we can to mitigate the risk and, with time running out, have obtained quotes from four demolition contractors.
“These have come in at £75,000 and upwards and, unfortunately, in the absence of settlement from the insurers, the bill will have to be paid by the owners of the 29 properties.”
In pursuit of its claim, BCL has supplied insurers Aviva and QBE with detailed reports from geologists and a monitoring engineer. But Mr Pritchard pointed out:
“As we have been getting nowhere with the insurance companies, we have sought legal advice and decided to make a formal complaint to the ombudsman.”
He added:
“In addition to our protracted discussions with the insurers, we have kept all authorities updated and have used fencing to shutter off part of the courtyard area as a safety measure.”
Fencing also remains in place to block entry from Skellgaths into Peacock’s Passage, which runs alongside the affected block.
Ripon City Council wrote to North Yorkshire County Council in November calling on it to demolish the block, after city council leader Andrew Williams said:
“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t be safe to walk or drive past it on Skellgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”
However, NYCC has said that this matter is not its responsibility and now the city council has written to Harrogate Borough Council asking it to carry out a detailed risk assessment at Bedern Court.
Urgent plea to demolish four Ripon homes affected by sinkholesRipon City Council has called for the urgent demolition of four homes in the city that are in danger of collapse because of sinkholes.
A council meeting last night heard the properties at Bedern Court were in a “perilous” state and “the implications for public safety are enormous”.
The homes, which have remained empty since they were evacuated in October last year, border Skelgarths, one of the arterial routes through and into the city.
Peacock’s Passage, a footpath that runs alongside Bedern Court, was blocked off with permission from North Yorkshire County Council a year ago, after the owners of the stricken block raised concerns about public safety.
Peacock’s Passage has been barriered off since the evacuation of four properties at Bedern Court
Last night’s meeting saw councillors vote unanimously to support the call to contact the county council and request urgent action.
City council leader Andrew Williams, told the meeting:
“The movement of the affected block caused by sinkhole activity in the area is gaining speed and the implications for public safety are enormous.
“The block fronts onto the public highway and pavement and the potential impact of collapse and possibility of opening up of more damaging sinkholes in neighbouring areas cannot be ignored.
“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t be safe to walk or drive past it on Skelgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”
Skelgarths borders the affected block
Mat Pritchard, chairperson of Bedern Court Ltd, a not-for-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders with houses and apartments in the 29-unit development. told the Stray Ferret:
“All authorities, including the parish, district and county councils, have been contacted by us and kept updated on the increasingly desperate situation that we are facing and we welcome this news from Ripon City Council.
“We have taken all of the measures that we can, but feel that we are rapidly running out of time.”
Reports from a monitoring engineer employed by Bedern Court Ltd indicated that ground movement is ongoing and appears to be speeding up.
While monitoring the signs of movement, Bedern Court Ltd continues to await the outcome of a long-standing insurance claim relating to the affected properties.
Ripon homeowners fear ‘catastrophic collapse’ due to subsidenceA year after four Ripon homes had to be evacuated because of subsidence, the owners are continuing to press for settlement of a long-standing insurance claim.
Fears of a building collapse at the 35-year-old Bedern Court scheme on Skellgarths have increased following a new report by a monitoring engineer.
Leaseholders and owners feel they have been put in a desperate situation caused by circumstances beyond their control.
The claim is currently with global insurance company Arch, and while owners and tenants of the four affected properties hope for good news, the engineer’s report has highlighted a worsening situation exacerbated by sinkhole activity in the area.
Four homes at Bedern Court have remained empty after being evacuated a year ago
Mat Pritchard, chairperson of Bedern Court Ltd (BCL) – a non-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders with houses and apartments in the 29-unit development – told the Stray Ferret:
“The report from our monitoring engineer indicates that the ground movement is still ongoing, and appears to be speeding up.
“The risk of catastrophic collapse has ratcheted upwards and we are now seriously worried that the block could be very close to some kind of tipping point.
“We greatly fear a situation where it does collapse or partially collapse, and someone gets killed or injured.”
In addition to the monitoring report, BCL commissioned a separate investigation from a geotechnical engineering practice.
This looked at the history of the site and concluded that the subsidence issues experienced there do constitute an insurable risk that should be covered by insurance.
The report was sent to Arch in June and Mr Pritchard, who owns one of the affected properties with his wife Jane, said:
“We have been in very regular contact with the insurers in an attempt to get this matter resolved as swiftly as possible, but we are still waiting.
“All authorities, including the parish, district and county councils, have been contacted by us and kept updated.
“We have taken all of the measures that we can, but feel that we are rapidly running out of time.”
Subsidence causes evacuation of four Ripon homesExtensive subsidence has caused the evacuation of four properties in a Ripon housing development.
The problem is believed to be caused by sinkholes in the area.
It was deemed so severe that owners of two of the properties in Bedern Court were advised by tenancy management company Joplings to tell tenants they had to leave for their own safety.
Mat Pritchard, whose 81-year-old father Norman was living in 5 Bedern Court, had to rapidly make arrangements for him to move out.
Tenants at the other properties, 1 and 3 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths, which is within the scheme, have also had to move out at very short notice.
Mr Pritchard is chairperson for Bedern Court Ltd, which is a non-profit company controlled by leaseholders and owners.
It manages the leaseholds and freeholds for the 29-unit brick-built block, which was built in 1986.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“The block has now been in effect, partially condemned for human habitation, with numbers 3 and 5 worst affected and issues also affecting the neighbouring properties at 1 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths.”
Mr Pritchard said:
“Joplings told BCL that a recent geo-technical and building site investigation had returned very concerning results and they believed that flats 3 and 5 were no longer safely habitable.”
Jane and Mat Pritchard are pictured at Bedern Court, where their flat is deemed unsafe because of major subsidence issues.
He added:
“Our priority was the safety of the tenants after large internal and external cracks opened up. Because of the visible shift of the building it was also necessary to evacuate the two adjoining properties.”
The block is within the shadow of Ripon Cathedral and alongside one of the main routes into the city centre.
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An adjacent block of flats built after the Bedern Court development was subsequently demolished and Peacock’s Passage, which runs between the two sites, has clear signs of subsidence.
BCL believe that sinkholes in the area are the likely cause of the subsidence, but claims dating back to 2009 lodged with underwriters Aviva and subsequently QBE, have been turned down by both insurers.
Mr Pritchard said:
“In the urgent situation we find ourselves, we have lodged a further claim with QBE.
“We have also contacted our MP Julian Smith and Ripon City Council seeking any help or advice they can give us and we will continue to ask for cooperation from the owners of neighbouring sites.”
