The playground at Ripon’s Quarry Moor Park is to close following repeated vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
Ripon City Council agreed the measure at an extraordinary meeting last night.
An arson attack this month became the latest in a long list of damage and destruction wrought by vandals at the park.
Edward Brandie, who lives close to the site, told councillors:
“I called the fire brigade after seeing youths deliberately setting fire to an area of woodland and fortunately, the firefighters came quickly and put it out, otherwise It could have been disastrous.”
Last night’s meeting was held to enable councillors to agree actions required to address ongoing concerns about vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the playground.
Members of the public at last night’s meeting.
It was attended by members of the public, who heard councillors approve a radical plan involving the closure of the the playground, removal of the hut on site and development of a longer-term programme of improvements for the park.
All playground equipment and broken fencing is to be removed and trees and bushes trimmed back with the aim of creating an enlarged open picnic and recreation area, that can be safely used by families and other people who visit the site for legitimate reasons.
City councillors voted unanimously for the measures after Cllr Julie Ann Martin-Long, chair of the Alderman Spence Quarry Moor Trust Committee, said she and deputy chair Cllr Tony Duncan had been regularly monitoring the park and appalled at what they had seen.
Cllr Martin-Long said:
“In addition to graffiti on the play equipment that is lewd, crude and racist, the equipment has been vandalised and is no longer safe for children to use.
“Fences have been broken down, signs damaged and dens created on the site by youths. We have also had a problem of rats on the site because of discarded rubbish.”
City council leader Andrew Williams said he believed an area of the site was being used as a drop-off point for people handing over ‘substances’. His recommendation that the gate to the site car park be locked at 5pm each day from October onward, to prevent vehicular access, was agreed.
Councillors also agreed to a proposal by Cllr Barbara Brodigan, for Ripon residents to be invited to attend a public meeting later this year to discuss longer-term improvement plans for Quarry Moor Park.
Cllr Martin-Long said:
“We have been working closely with the police and taking their advice on how to tackle the issues we are facing. There’s no quick fix, but this area used to be one of Ripon’s crowing glories and we want to get it back to that once more.”
A children’s playground at Quarry Moor Park in Ripon will remain closed for the foreseeable future because of ongoing vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
The decision to maintain the closure was taken by councillors in private session at Monday evening’s Ripon City Council meeting and confirmed in a statement on the council’s Facebook page.
It said that the council “regretfully resolved not to reinstate the playground at Quarry Moor at the present time”.
It added:
“Unfortunately the site is being vandalised almost daily. We are working with North Yorkshire Police who are responding to the regular reports of anti-social behaviour when they occur.
“Until we can plan a way forward with our partners that includes measures that impact on the behaviour at the site we are unable to commit funds to the playground.”
The statement added:
“We appreciate that this is caused by a small minority and that it is affecting our residents using the site. We are actively seeking solutions to the issue (and) will provide a further update as soon as possible.”
Quarry Moor is funded by an annual grant from the city council and the budget for 2023-24 is £15,000.
The playground has remained closed since a vandal attack In March and this followed a six-month closure from September 2021 due to a rat infestation which was eradicated after rubbish bins were removed from the site.
Read more:
- Councillors call for ‘comprehensive resurfacing’ of Ripon city centre roads
- Child airlifted to hospital after collision outside school near Ripon
Long service award for former Ripon councillor
There was a full complement of Ripon city councillors and a unanimous vote of thanks to Charlie Powell, when the council held a special meeting to recognise his long service.
Over 19 years the former councillor, who retired from local politics at the May elections, served both the Moorside and Minster wards.
In addition to being a parish councillor, he also represented Ripon for 10 years as an independent on Harrogate Borough Council.
The long service award was presented by the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Cllr Sid and Mrs Linda Hawke.
Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, council leader Andrew Williams, said:
“Charlie served diligently and played a key role in a number of developments, not least his work in encouraging Curzon to open a cinema in the city, more than 30 years after the Palladium Picture House closed its doors.”
He added:
“With Curzon’s opening in 2013, local residents no longer had to make the journey to Harrogate or Thirsk to see the latest film releases.”
Curzon’s cinema on North Street Ripon
Cllr Pauline McHardy, said:
“Charlie has provided wonderful service to help improve the lives of people in Ripon and we all wish him a long and happy retirement from local politics.”
Before seeking election, Mr Powell served for 15 years in the Royal Engineers, then became a firefighter in Ripon for two years before starting out on a business career that took him all around the world.
He spent 18 years in Saudi Arabia, where he worked for the military aircraft division of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), then moved on to become a senior administrator with Waste Management International Ltd in Jeddah.
The business acumen that he gained over many years was put to good use in negotiations with Curzon and in guiding the development of Quarry Moor Park and Nature Reserve as a place for public enjoyment.
A former deputy mayor, he has also been a stalwart supporter of Ripon in Bloom.
The play area at Quarry Moor Park, which was closed in September because of rat infestation, could reopen in time for the Easter holidays.
The Ripon City Council-owned and operated playground shut after discarded food items attracted rodents.
Since then the council has tried to eradicate the rats. It has also removed a waste bin and put up a sign at the entrance to the adjacent Quarry Moor Nature Reserve, and park, asking visitors to take rubbish home.
City council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:
“Earlier this week, we appointed contractors to carry out the necessary refurbishment work and cleaning ahead of reopening.
“It is our hope that this can be achieved in time for the Easter holiday, but that will be reliant upon all equipment passing rigorous hygiene and safety checks, as the wellbeing of children playing there is of paramount importance.”
This sign was put in place after rat infestation caused the closure of the playground.
Longer-term plans for the playground include replacement of the play equipment and erection of new fencing.
A total of £70,000 from the Ripon parish precept has been set aside for this work and the city council is seeking additional sources of funding, before it proceeds with the refurbishment programme.
Read more:
- Thumbs up for Ripon’s Dallamires playground
- Ripon Together is planning free summer activities for children
Quarry Moor Park
The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was created on land donated to the city by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence in 1945.
He served as the mayor of Ripon between 1927 and 1929 and was managing director of varnish manufacturer T and R Williamson — a prominent employer in the city since the 18th century.
Alderman Spence donated the 24-acre site on the understanding that it would “be kept for Ripon children for all time”.
It has been held in trust ever since, becoming one of the city’s most valued attractions.
In recognition of its unique geology and rare species-rich magnesian limestone grassland, Quarry Moor was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1986 and is now managed for both nature conservation and recreation.
Three weeks after rat infestation closed a children’s play area in Ripon, the gates remain chained up.
Vermin control measures are in place at Quarry Moor playground, which is owned and operated by Ripon City Council.
To tackle the problem, the council has been clearing discarded food waste and put up signs asking visitors to the adjacent nature reserve to take their rubbish home with them.
Discarded food items attracted rats to the area.
The playground will remain closed until the rat problem, which poses a threat to public health, is eradicated.
Among those monitoring the situation and removing dead rats from the site is Trevor Welbourn, who regularly visits Quarry Moor park with his Labrador, Sparky.
Mr Welbourn told the Stray Ferret:
“Before the pest control measures were put in place, I was here one morning and there must have been at least 20 rats in the car park, eating discarded food.
“I come most days. I’ve removed 16 in the past week.”
Helping to rid the area of rodents — Trevor Welbourn and Rocky.
A statement by the city council when the park closed on September 15 said:
“The rat problem is worse than ever this year and we have unfortunately had to take the decision to close the playground on the grounds of public health.
“We will work with our partners at Harrogate Borough Council to address the pest problem and will explore all options available, including the use of poison, with both HBC and Natural England.
“We will make changes to the way rubbish is death with on site, all bins will be removed and we encourage all visitors to take their waste home with them.
“The volume of waste collected on site is huge. We usually collect a minimum of eight bags of rubbish per day, which is a constant food supply for the ever growing rat population.
“We will trial a metal trade waste bin in the car park in the short term but ask everyone to take their rubbish home.”
Read more:
- Ripon leisure scheme is more than £3 million over budget
- Can Kirkby Malzeard pub campaigners resurrect the Henry Jenkins?
The city council announced a refurbishment of the park this year, funded by council taxpayers through their parish precept.
The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was donated to the city in 1945 by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence.
Ripon park closed due to rats
A playground in Ripon has closed due to the amount of rats eating leftover food.
Ripon City Council officials shut Quarry Moor playground today over public health concerns caused by the rodents.
In a statement, the authority said the volume of waste at the park was “huge” and urged people to take their rubbish home.
It added that it collected a minimum of eight rubbish bags a day, which was “a constant food supply” to the rats.
A Ripon City Council statement said:
“We have today closed the playground at Quarry Moor due to the problem with rats on site.
“The rat problem is worse than ever this year and we have unfortunately had to take the decision to close the playground on the grounds of public health.
“We will work with our partners at Harrogate Borough Council to address the pest problem and will explore all options available, including the use of poison, with both HBC and Natural England.
“We will make changes to the way rubbish is death with on site, all bins will be removed and we encourage all visitors to take their waste home with them.
“The volume of waste collected on site is huge. We usually collect a minimum of eight bags of rubbish per day, which is a constant food supply for the ever growing rat population.
“We will trial a metal trade waste bin in the car park in the short term but ask everyone to take their rubbish home.”
Read more:
- Ripon’s Quarry Moor play area to be upgraded for summer
- Lidl store at Ripon retail park gets go-ahead
The city council announced a refurbishment of the park this year as part of its parish precept.
The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was donated to the city in 1945 by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence.
It has an activities centre for children as well as outdoor play equipment.