A public meeting is being held in Ripon next week to hear views on how to shape a new tourism strategy for North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Council, which came into existence last month, is devising a strategy to boost the county’s multi-million pound tourism industry.

As part of this, the council is staging three free workshops, including one at the Old Deanery in Ripon from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday.

A council press release this week said the events would “gather information and views from key organisations and enterprises involved in the tourism sector to develop the first countywide destination management plan”.

Attendees will be asked about their priorities and aspirations for the tourism industry as well as the strengths, opportunities and challenges being faced by North Yorkshire’s visitor economy.

Newby Hall. Pic: Mervin Straughan

The council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“The opportunity to develop the first county-wide plan to promote tourism is a major milestone for North Yorkshire.

“The views of businesses and organisations involved in tourism will be key to developing the strategy and the future of the industry as a whole.”

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In-person events will also be held in Ripon, Skipton and Scarborough followed by two online sessions from 5.30pm to 7pm on Tuesday, May 23, and then from noon until 1.30pm on Thursday, May 25.

The draft destination management plan is due to be finalised by the end of June, before being presented to councillors the following month.

A bid is then due to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September for North Yorkshire to be home to a Local Visitor Economy Partnership, which would involve both the private and public sectors and would need to follow a new national process to be eligible for support and potential funding from the government.

Tourism in North Yorkshire accounts for 11 per cent of the county’s overall economy and employs 41,200 workers.

The county is home to two National Parks for the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, as well as Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, which is one of only two World Heritage Sites in Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire also has stately homes, including Castle Howard, Kiplin Hall and Newby Hall, as well as 23 English Heritage sites, including Whitby Abbey, Richmond Castle and Rievaulx Abbey, along with the recently acquired Thornborough Henges.

The county also has a wealth of famous food and drink producers responsible for brands including Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Wensleydale Cheese, Harrogate Spring Water and Yorkshire Tea.

Further details of the workshops are available here.

You can complete a 10-minute questionnaire on North Yorkshire’s visitor economy here.

Ripon Cathedral‘s proposed £6 million building poses a threat to the future of the Old Deanery and should not be approved, it has been claimed.

The cathedral has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to create an annex that would include a song school, refectory, retail unit and toilets on Minster Gardens.

The nearby Old Deanery is governed by the Chapter of Ripon Cathedral, which agreed a 20-year lease on the property to Layton Hills Hotels in 2021.

Layton Hills Hotels now holds events at the Old Deanery and plans to re-open it as a hotel and restaurant.

The Old Deanery is just metres from the cathedral.

Now LCF Law, which has offices in Harrogate and is acting on behalf of Layton Hills Hotels, has written to the council claiming the proposal threatens the future of the business.

LCF Law also questions why the Old Deanery does not appear to have been assessed as a site for the new development because, it says, the building has the space and facilities to accommodate such a scheme.

Masterplan

The law firm also claims that since signing the lease, Layton Hills Hotel has seen a masterplan developed by the cathedral six years ago that includes “not only the current development but also hotel and housing on land close by, including in the garden of the Old Deanery on land comprised within the leased area”.

It adds:

“However, in discussions for the lease for the Old Deanery, no mention was made to Layton Hills Hotel about any of these commercial proposals which, if permitted, would be in direct competition with the Old Deanery.

“This is somewhat surprising, not least because the Old Deanery, a grade 2* listed building, would have been available for use by the Chapter to satisfy the alleged need for additional space and facilities.”

The Old Deanery currently caters for events, such as weddings. Photo: Tim Hardy

The letter goes on to say the leaseholders are concerned about what impact drinks receptions and evening events at the new cathedral building might have on the Old Deanery. It adds:

“If Layton Hills Hotel had been notified by the Chapter about its future plans, including the possibility of the development of an events’ venue in direct competition with its business and immediately adjoining it, then it is unlikely that it would have entered into the lease of the Old Deanery as its future is directly threatened by it.

“Layton Hills Hotel are concerned that the proposal may be used for commercial ventures which go above and beyond a visitor facility for the cathedral and will be used to hold events in direct competition to the operation of the Old Deanery.”

LCF Law’s letter also raises wider concerns about the planning application, including the loss of trees in Minster Gardens.

It concludes:

“The proposal will cause significant harm notably through the loss of trees, the loss of open space and the adverse impact it will have on the setting of four listed buildings of great importance.

“It is therefore contrary to both local and national planning policy. It should therefore be refused without an exceptional justification with public benefit at its heart which has not been provided.

“There has been no convincing justification for why the uses must be combined in a single building of such scale.”

Ripon Cathedral says the new building will attract more visitors to the city.

The Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for a response to LCF Law’s letter. A cathedral spokesperson said it didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on individual responses while the planning process took place.

However, a cathedral website about the project says:

“The proposed new building will provide key facilities to ensure it can continue to play its role in the life of the city, diocese (of Leeds) and region and enable it to host more events, exhibitions, and concerts, which will attract increased numbers of people to the city, to the benefit of all.

“We understand people’s concerns around the removal of 11 trees, but the building will deliver a range of much needed facilities for the people of Ripon and visitors, along with the cathedral community, and the loss of these trees will be offset by the planting of 300 trees at Studley Royal where land has been made available to us.

“Extra storage space will mean that the cathedral will be able to declutter its internal space, which will enable historic parts of the cathedral, currently not viewed, to be accessible to the public.

“There will be an increase in the conservation area and biodiversity of the cathedral estate.”

The new business owners of The Old Deanery in Ripon have been granted a licence to reopen the 16th century building as a hotel, restaurant and wedding venue this month.

Hoteliers Rebecca Hill and Chris Layton took over the historic building last year after it was forced to close following months of coronavirus lockdowns.

The pair – who also run York’s Galtres Lodge Hotel – plan to renovate the building and have now been granted a premises licence after a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s sub-licensing committee today.

Ms Hill told the committee that Ripon residents wanted to see The Old Deanery “thrive” as a new business and that support from locals had been “huge”.

She said: 

“The Old Deanery is one of the most significant businesses in Ripon.

“It is a key part of the city, both for the business community and tourism economy, as well as the wider residential community.”

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Despite the support of residents, Ms Hill said the licence application had been hit by “unnecessary” conditions put forward by environmental protection officers at Harrogate Borough Council.

These included a ban on speakers and music being played outdoors.

Ms Hill said the rules were suggested with “little knowledge” of the area and would have been a “detriment” to the new business, which wants to ensure The Old Deanery’s gardens remain open to the public and music is permitted outdoors.

Council officers argued the rules were “fair and lenient” – but they were later dropped by members of the sub-licensing committee.

Ms Hill said: 

“The representations from Harrogate Borough Council’s environmental protection team centre around noise disturbance – something that we hold in the highest importance.

“We do not believe our application will cause any issues in this respect.”

The Old Deanery neighbours and is owned by Ripon Cathedral.

It dates from 1625 and has 11 bedrooms, gardens, and several public areas which are being restored back to a country house that will be available for weddings and other events.

Ripon’s Old Deanery Hotel is to reopen with a focus on wedding receptions and events.

The historic property, which neighbours and is owned by Ripon Cathedral, closed in March after months of lockdown due to covid.

Now it is being prepared for reopening by new occupiers Layton Hill Hotels Ltd, which operates the Galtres Lodge Hotel close to York Minster in the city’s Low Petergate.

The company was formed in May 2018 by Christopher Layton and Rebecca Hill.

In a social media post announcing their plans for the iconic Grade II listed building, Ms Hill said:

“We’re going to run it as wedding/events venue.

“It has 11 bedrooms, a huge lawn and loads of public rooms – restaurant, function rooms, reception rooms etc.

“Seems we like cathedral cities and the Old Deanery is opposite the beautiful Ripon Cathedral.”

Having obtained the keys for the property, the two Layton Hill directors are organising a deep clean in readiness for an opening date that will be announced later.

Refurbishment work in progress at the Spa Hotel

Across Ripon, refurbishment work has begun at the Spa Hotel, which was purchased in June by The Inn Collection Group.

Headquartered in Northumberland, the group now owns four sites in Yorkshire in a portfolio of 24 locations across the north of England.

The company says that the Spa Hotel:

“Will remain closed while a major but sympathetic refurbishment is carried out to enhance and repurpose the venue and bring it in line with The Inn Collection Group’s award-winning ‘Eat, Drink, Sleep and Explore’ brand.”

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• The Old Deanery in Ripon goes back on the market

Sean Donkin, managing director of The Inn Collection Group, said:

“The Ripon Spa is a fantastic addition to our portfolio of properties. It has huge potential which we have an exciting vision to realise. We’re looking forward to starting that journey while expanding the group’s footprint in Yorkshire.

“The Inn Collection Group excels at revitalising classic, landmark sites like The Ripon Spa and realising their full potential with significant capital spend, detailed planning and care to retain the unique, historic character of landmark sites such as this.”

In a third boost to the city’s economy, café-bar-restaurant operator The Loungers Group has confirmed that its Claro Lounge, currently being fitted out on Market Square South, will open on September 15.