Council refuses plans for 80-bed care home in Ripon

Plans to build an 80-bed care home close to the centre of Ripon have been refused by North Yorkshire Council.

Muller Property Group proposed to demolish industrial buildings at T&R Williamson business park to make way for a new care facility.

Eight units at the site are currently occupied and let to various tenants and the development would have resulted in the loss of between 12-15 jobs.

However, the developer argued that 70 social care jobs would have been created through the scheme.

Access to the site, which is next to the city’s Aldi supermarket and near to the fire and police station, was proposed off Stonebridgegate.

According to plans attached to the application, the developer hoped to deliver a “high-quality” care home on the site with a design that better reflects the surroundings than what is currently there.

Besides the bedrooms, the plans also included several shared living rooms, a hair and nail salon for residents, a cafe and 31 car parking spaces.

The developer added in documents:

“The development will improve the appearance of the site and will provide a use which is much more in-keeping with the residential character of the area.”

But the NHS told the council GP practices in Ripon did not have the capacity to accommodate the additional residents that would arise from the care home. It asked for a contribution of £40,478 to go towards local health services.

Despite the creation of new social care jobs, the council said in its refusal notice that it objected to the proposed loss of employment space due to the demolition of the industrial buildings.

The refusal notice said:

“The proposed development would result in the loss of existing employment floorspace.

“No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been actively marketed for employment use, that continued use of the site for employment is no longer viable, that the existing businesses remaining on the site could relocate to comparable suitable premises in the local area, or that alternative employment uses cannot be accommodated on the site.”

The council also said the size of the building would harm the Ripon Conservation Area, the facility would not provide “satisfactory living conditions” for residents and insufficient information had been provided
regarding the potential implications of gypsum-related ground stability issues.

The developer can appeal the decision.

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Ripon City Council objects to plans for 80-bed care home

Concerns about the impact on neighbouring residential properties have prompted Ripon councillors to object to plans for a care home development on Stonebridgegate.

As a statutory consultee, the objection will be considered when the application is determined by North Yorkshire Council planners.

The proposed development by Muller Property Group at the T&R Williamson Business Park (pictured), would involve the demolition of existing industrial units and construction of a care home of up to 80 bedrooms, with associated parking and landscaping.

The outline planning application for the 0.61 hectare site, was considered by members at Monday’s full Ripon City Council meeting, where Cllr Julie Ann Martin-Long led the objections.

She said:

“The proposed building will be up to three storeys in height and will dominate neighbouring residential properties, which is unacceptable.

“It will also generate additional traffic close to a busy junction, with Aldi, the police and fire station and Marks & Spencer all nearby.”

The nearby Aldi in Ripon

Councillor Eamon Parkin, said:

“I’m concerned about the impact that a building of this height would have on its neighbours and for that reason I think we should object to it.”

A design, character and access statement prepared by ADG Architects in  support of the application on the North Yorkshire Council planning portal, stated:

“The building is expected to be 2.5 to 3 storeys in height to reflect the surrounding context. The lower ridge height and gable roof would be placed to the north of the site which has neighbouring residential properties.”

The statement added:

“There is a dense tree line to the north, east and west boundaries of the site, these provide a natural screen to the neighbouring properties to increase privacy.

“The trees along the boundary lines also create a buffer to reduce noise from Stonebridgegate and the surrounding highways network.”

In her comments on the proposed development, which can also be found on the planning portal, Anne Sims, North Yorkshire Council’s principal conservation officer said:

“The new building, although set back from the road side, sits much higher than the neighbouring two storey terraces along Stonebridgegate
(within the Conservation Area).

“To improve the design, there should be two storey elements, especially closer to the road and close to the existing two storey terraces and adjacent to the conservation area.”

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