Plans have been submitted to convert the Herald Buildings in Harrogate, which was most recently home to the Slug & Lettuce pub, into four retail units and apartments.

Built in the 1850s, the buildings were also the headquarters of the Harrogate Advertiser newspaper for much of the last century until it moved out in 1990.

The Slug & Lettuce chain then occupied part of the buildings for nearly 30 years before closing in May last year.

Plans were submitted last week by Leeds-based developer Rushbond PLC to give it a new lease of life.

It hopes to subdivide the downstairs pub into four retail units and convert the upstairs area into five apartments.

It’s in the Montpellier Quarter which is a popular area for boutique shops.

The plans have been designed by Harrogate-based SPX Architects. Documents say the development would “enhance the area’s reputation” as a destination for independent boutique-style shops.

It says:

“The proposals generate a sustainable, long-term use for the upper floors of this locally designated heritage asset and simultaneously improve its energy efficiency and visual contribution to the area.

“Moreover, the replacement of a large public house and its associated outdoor eating and drinking areas with a scheme providing a complementary mix of small high-quality ground floor retail units to those found on Montpellier Mews, Montpellier Parade and Montpellier Street only serves to enhance the areas reputation as a destination for independent boutique style shops.”

HBC will decide on the plans at a later date.

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The phrase ‘I care about where I live’ is a guiding principle for Ripon Civic Society (RCS) as it looks to the future of a growing city.

The organisation that aims to protect and enhance Ripon’s heritage assets for the benefit of all, is currently formulating its views on the new £6 million plans for the cathedral, the city’s most important and iconic building.

Society chair Christopher Hughes, told the Stray Ferret:

“We have, of course, been looking closely at the proposals and will have our response in due course and hope that residents and visitors will look at the plans and make their views known as well.”

While the ancient building is the city’s dominant feature, RCS, now in its 54th year, is encouraging citizens to play a role in shaping  the Ripon of the future.

Speaking at the Civic Day 2022 awareness and recruitment event on Market Square on Saturday morning, Mr Hughes, said:

“We start with the simple proposition of ‘I care about where I live’ and look at what this means in helping to make the city an even better place.

“By the 2030s, Ripon is likely to grow by a quarter and we need to ask questions such as ‘what do we value of the city’s past?’ and ‘what is at risk?’

“That leads on to keeping a watch over vulnerable buildings and threatened trees and how we can enhance the green, blue and natural environment.”

Mr Hughes, added:

“We are not here to say ‘no’ to development, but to encourage those who are investing in Ripon, from retail to residential, to aim for the best possible design, with use of materials sympathetic to the city’s built and natural environment.”

RCS played a key role in setting up the Ripon Museum Trust 40 years ago, establishing an organisation that has developed the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Courthouse museums as linked heritage attractions, that bring the city’s history to life.

While protecting and promoting heritage, the society also had an eye to the future when it supported the construction in the 1990s of the city bypass, which helped in the development of the Dallamires Lane employment zone, where many businesses are based.

RCS has a healthy membership of 150, but welcomes new members and those who want to attend events as non-members. Further details are available at info@riponcivicsociety.org.uk.

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A report from the national charity SAVE Britain’s Heritage has named the former Debenhams buildings in Harrogate as one of 18 former ‘cathedrals of commerce’ that should be spared from demolition and repurposed.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient is behind a proposal to demolish the three buildings on Parliament Street and replace them with 50 flats and two commercial units.

The site on Parliament Street has been home to different retailers for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

But the developer has said there is no market for the building to be reoccupied as a department store, and the 1902 and 1920-era buildings should be torn down.

Departing stores

The report, called ‘Departing Stores’, sounds the warning klaxon for a group of former department stores across the UK that are at serious risk of being permanently lost.

As well as Harrogate’s Debenhams, it includes large empty buildings in Liverpool, Bristol and London.

The report says:

“In a new era when large-scale retail is no longer sustainable, these fine structures are at risk of dilapidation or even demolition. And as these hubs of daily life are erased from the map, local communities feel increasingly disenfranchised.

“Protecting and reviving these buildings is not only a matter of preserving precious and distinctive architecture; it is an opportunity to restore a sense of place.”

The report says the demise of Debenhams alone left a hole of 1.3 million square metres of space across the country, with 90% of stores still empty a year later.

Read more:

• Harrogate council conservation officer ‘cannot support’ Debenhams demolition
• Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams

A new fate

The developer Stirling Prescient said in planning documents that there was no scope to convert the Harrogate Debenhams into smaller units “due to its internal layout and the age of the building”.

It said its new plan will “strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.”

However, the report includes 14 case studies of former department stores that have been successfully regenerated.

These include Bournemouth’s former Debenhams building that closed as a department store in May 2021 and is now home to a wide range of community activities:

“Developers Verve Properties have been imaginative in their ideas for keeping the building in active use. Besides retail, the store now houses an art gallery, beauty parlour and Bobby’s, Bournemouth local makers’ market.

“Later this year a food hall and rooftop terrace bar will open. Several spaces have a social function, hosting knitting meet-ups and children’s entertainers. The varied mix of community-focussed uses seems most faithful to the original department store – a place where people from all walks of life can gather and enjoy themselves.”

Read the full report here.

Knaresborough Town Museum will open its doors for the first time this summer to give visitors a sneak peek at the museum.

Knaresborough Museum Association will hold a community history festival on June 2-4 as part of the town’s the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

The museum, based at the former Castle Girls’ School near Knaresborough Castle, has been in the works since late 2020 but with the building lease set to be signed on April 1, the group can begin to plan events.

Some of the museum’s volunteers. Left to right: Sam Roberts, Clare Joia, Kathy Allday and Suzanne Coulson

The museum won’t be fully ready for the festival but it will have had a fresh lick of paint and will host stalls from numerous local groups, including the Royal British Legion Knaresborough branch and the Knaresborough Historical Society.

There will also be activities for children, including a mock-Victorian classroom for craft activity. The group hopes to have people teach heritage crafts, such as cotton spinning.

The museum itself is set to officially open in February 2023. A planning application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council but chair of the association, Kathy Allday, said due to a delay in contractors works won’t be able to start until autumn.

She said:

“It’s a shame we’ve had to push back the opening date but after the festival we can hit the ground running and get works underway.

“We’ll be unveiling artefacts at the festival and a 3D model of how the museum will look. We will also be trialling our history trail which walks around the town, the hopes is we can do these regularly once the museum is open.”

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The museum is being funded by public donations and grants, it will include eight exhibition zones covering periods of history from the Jurassic age to the World Wars.

The association is currently looking for business sponsors to come on board to support the museum as it opens, to get in touch click here.

Next year’s Ripon 1350 volunteer programme is being supported with funding of £60,800 from the National Lottery.

The award, from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Digital Skills for Heritage initiative, will help Ripon Cathedral to celebrate the 1350th anniversary  of its foundation by Wilfrid, the city’s patron saint.

Ripon 1350, which will include a programme of events throughout 2022, is one 17 projects across the UK to receive funding to create digital volunteering opportunities, supporting volunteers to develop and contribute their digital skills.

Some opportunities will be offered online – removing barriers such as place, mobility, time commitments and confidence in returning to in-person activities due to the pandemic.

In turn, heritage organisations will gain the perspectives and skills of ‘at distance’ and on-site digital volunteers including many who may not have had the chance to volunteer before. The impact of the new volunteering opportunities and ways of working will be shared across the heritage sector.

Ros Kerslake, CEO at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting and sharing the UK’s heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players we are delighted to support these trailblazing projects, including ‘Ripon 1350’ as they create exciting new digital volunteering opportunities, helping to break down barriers and inspire the sector to get even more people involved in the heritage they love.”

The Ripon 1350 programme will develop participants’ knowledge, skills, and experience, through digital activities connected to the cathedral’s heritage.

It will provide, for the very first time, opportunities to become a digital volunteer and volunteer remotely. The project will also significantly contribute to the digitisation of the cathedral’s heritage, aimed at attracting and engaging new audiences from the UK and abroad.

The project will expand the cathedral’s current volunteer programme of 100 volunteers, by providing new digital volunteering opportunities in roles such as social media, photography, collections, visitor experience and website development.

Currently many of the cathedral’s volunteers are aged 55 or over, living locally and generally engaging in roles at the cathedral in daytime hours. These roles are difficult to access by those working, those with family or caring commitments, those living outside the area or those without the means to travel.

Volunteers will be trained in the production of digital tours, educational and collections videos, live and pre-recorded lectures and talks, aerial drone film production and social media. Role opportunities include a digital volunteer coordinator – a part/time paid role to manage the project and coordinate, train and support all Ripon1350 digital volunteers

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A Chinese restaurant set in the main hall of the Royal Baths in Harrogate plans to reopen next year after months of repairs.

Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has been closed for most of the last two years due to coronavirus lockdowns and an extensive refurbishment that began in May this year.

Because the restaurant is based in a Grade II listed building, the work has been more complicated than expected.

The building, which is owned by North Yorkshire County Council, underwent a series of roof repairs before work started on the internal central hall in September.

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Now the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has revealed that the works are almost complete. It said on its Facebook page:

“We are almost finished with the renovations. However we will not be open until after the New Year.

“Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2022.”

Although the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant has been closed, the owners have continued operating at their other site, Haks Little Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant, on Station Parade.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded almost £100,000 to Ripon Museum Trust to develop a major project.

The Inspiration for a Fairer Future project will enable the stories of poverty, law, crime, punishment and justice to be explored by a wider, more diverse audience.

It will also enable work to be carried out to safeguard the future of the Grade II listed Ripon Workhouse building.

The successful first round funding application provides the financial means for work to begin in spring, which will inform a larger proposal for £1.7 million, to be submitted to the heritage fund for consideration in 2023.

A fundraising campaign is being launched to secure match funding for the project.

The trust runs the Workhouse, Courthouse, and Prison and Police museums and the project will create a more cohesive story across all three sites, giving access to more historic spaces, improving orientation and creating new digital and on-site interpretation.

A new lift will be installed in the Workhouse to allow access to the upper floor and the dormitories will be opened up to provide new meeting spaces for community groups, schools and researchers.

There will be new facilities for school groups and other learners as well as new community spaces.

The initial development funding of £99,396 from the heritage fund will be used to appoint project staff and undertake community consultation to ensure the project reflects the needs of the people it seeks to engage, inspire and support.

Trust director Helen Thornton said:

“We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. Our long-term vision for the three museums in our care can now begin to be realised.

“This grant will significantly increase the opportunities for people to get involved here – after reflecting upon our history and themes we hope to inspire people to seek a fairer society”.

Richard Taylor, chair of trustees, said:

“We were able to purchase the workhouse complex in 2016 due to a significant grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“Thanks to their ongoing support, we can safeguard an important listed building for the future and link up all the fascinating powerful and personal stories we have from the Workhouse, the Prison and Police Museum and the Courthouse Museum.”

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Plumpton Rocks is finally set to open to the public in March 2022 after several years of restoration works and investment of £700,000.

When people visit the site near Harrogate they will notice improved paths and dam as well as plenty more spaces and historic buildings to explore.

They will also notice that it is open more often. Rather than just weekends, it will be open for around 250 days in the year.

Robert de Plumpton Hunter, who inherited Plumpton Rocks from his father in 2010, has overseen a major turnaround in the attraction’s outlook.

More areas are now open to explore.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“To have an opening date of March 2022 is a great relief. Plumpton Rocks is now truly a place worth shouting about.

“The help we have had has been revolutionary. I never thought in my wildest dreams that we could do all of this work.

“My family are well-connected to Plumpton Rocks, it feels like it is in my DNA. The place has a great history which we are now able to play up to.”

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A major catalyst for change came when Historic England added it to the “Heritage at Risk Register” in 2012.

In order to make much-needed improvements, Plumpton Rocks closed in 2013 for three years and in 2018 for two and a half years.

The time closed, as well as major investment from Mr Hunter, Historic England, Natural England and the Historic Houses Foundation has made a significant difference.

Not only did Historic England take Plumpton Rocks off its “Heritage at Risk Register” earlier this year  but it also now closely resembles the 18th century sketches of JMW Turner.

Plumpton Rocks restoration timeline

• 2012 – Heritage England puts Plumpton Rocks on the Heritage at Risk register
• 2013 – Plumpton Rocks closes for restoration of lake, dam and parkland
• 2016 – Plumpton Rocks reopens after works
• October 2019 – Plumpton Rocks closes for dam improvements
• December 2019 – Dam improvements paused after poor weather
• March 2020 – Dam improvement works due to restart but pandemic restrictions begin
• October 2020 – Dam improvements restart
• January 2021 – Dam improvements completed
• March 2022 – Plumpton Rocks due to reopen after several years of works

The Ripon Business Improvement District board has appointed a management team to deliver events and projects aimed at helping local businesses thrive.

Eighty per cent of Ripon traders voted in favour of creating a BID in June. BIDs, which are funded by a levy on local firms, come up with ideas to increase visitor numbers to towns and cities.

Elizabeth Faulkner, former manager of Altrincham BID, has been appointed Ripon BID manager and Lilla Bathurst, who previously worked for Hull BID, has been named assistant Ripon BID manager.

Ms Faulkner worked for tourism organisation Visit Manchester for 12 years. Her experience as a destination marketing specialist was put to good use in Altrincham, where she led the submission that saw the town win the Great British High Street Award in 2018.

Ms Bathurst worked as a stockbroker in the City of London prior to her move north to Hull and change of career. Her initiatives included the award-winning Hull Street Food Nights, which supported the city’s evening economy by increasing footfall.

The two women are excited by the prospect of working alongside businesses to promote Ripon as a destination locally, regionally and nationally.

Ms Faulkner said:

“This is a wonderful city with a rich history and so much more and it’s our job to make as many people as possible aware of what Ripon has to offer.”

Promoting what the city has to offer and increasing footfall are two of the objectives of the Ripon BID

Ms Bathurst added:

“I relocated to the area and soon discovered that it has a great community spirit, with people who work together and have a positive attitude.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with businesses of all sizes who make Ripon such a special place.”

Deep clean

Projects to be delivered over the next few weeks include a deep clean for city streets, the first stage of a way-finding strategy looking at signage and evaluation of Ripon’s destination and social media platforms, material and websites.

In addition, at a time of rising fuel and power costs, businesses will be offered free consultations on ways to save money.

Rick Jones, who owns Valentino’s restaurant and the Water Rat in Ripon, and is a member of BID board, said:

“We are all looking forward to moving things forward through initiatives that focus on many aspects of the Ripon economy, from heritage to hospitality to the city’s retail offer and major visitor attractions, such as Fountains Abbey and Newby Hall.

“There is a collective benefit – If they do well, we all do well and the city thrives.”

“In the first instance, we are getting the foundations right and in the appointment of Elizabeth and Lilla, we have made a great start.”

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The bitter battle between a community campaign group and the owner of a now-derelict pub in Kirkby Malzeard rages on.

More than 10 years after the last pint was pulled at the Henry Jenkins Inn, the fight has entered a new phase.

Campaigners want to refurbish and resurrect the centuries-old inn and see it return as a community-owned and run pub, restaurant and coffee shop.

To support their case, they have launched a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to restore Asset of Community Value listing, so it covers all of the building in Main Street.

They hope that the petition will contain 500 or more signatures when it is presented at the full council meeting next Wednesday.

Also preparing an approach to the council is David Fielder, owner of the western portion of the building, which was the original pub before an eastern annex was added.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I am going to apply for a change of use from public house to residential.”

Flashback to how The Henry Jenkins Inn looked before it closed

Fielder Holdings, Mr Fielder’s pub company, sold the eastern part of the building to his business associate Justin Claybourn, who subsequently applied for a change of use to allow conversion to a single dwelling.

The council’s decision to refuse the application was overturned at a planning appeal in December.

At the online hearing, planning inspector Helen Hockenhull said:

“I am not persuaded that the loss of the annex would make the remaining pub unviable for an alternative community use.

“The scheme would therefore not result in the unnecessary loss of a community facility reducing the community’s ability to meet its day to day needs.”

‘No prospect of reopening’

In making her decision, Ms Hockenhull took into account the fact that Kirkby Malzeard already has a pub – The Queen’s Head, as well as Kirkby Malzeard Mechanics Institute, which is also licensed to sell alcohol.

In a hammer blow to campaigners, she concluded:

“There is no reasonable prospect of the public house reopening.”

However, the campaign group thinks differently, though its ambitions are reliant upon securing the purchase of the whole site from its two owners.

In May, they offered £200,001 for the entire Henry Jenkins building, saying it would use £237,000 of pledges made by supporters to fund the deal.

Richard Sadler, press spokesman for the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group, said:

“It’s vitally important that this pub is recognised for what it is: The Henry Jenkins has been an essential part of the fabric of this village for hundreds of years, the overwhelming majority of villagers want it back as a pub and community facility – and they’ve put their money where their mouth is.”

But Mr Fielder said:

“Both my part of the former pub and Mr Claybourn’s eastern annex remain for sale. For the whole site any purchaser would need around £500,000 to secure a deal.

“We’ve always been willing to speak with the campaigners, but there is a significant difference between their valuation and our own.”

Possible £250,000 support

If the campaigners, who have the support of Kirkby Malzeard Parish Council, district ward councillor Nigel Simms and former MP and now pub campaigner Greg Mulholland, are successful in their application to obtain ACV listing for all of the Henry Jenkins, Mr Sadler, claimed:

“The group would be well placed to qualify for up to £250,000 under the government’s new Community Ownership Fund.”

He does, however, admit:

“If the whole of the pub is not recognised as an ACV, that could sink our chances.”

“That’s why we’re calling on the council to do the right thing. It never made sense to delist half a pub just because it has changed hands – the council should be helping local communities rather than private developers.”