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A telecommunications company has appealed a decision to refuse a new mobile phone network mast in Ripon Cathedral car park.
EE Limited had proposed installing the 15 metre high pole in the car park in order to provide improve 4G coverage to the area.
The new mast would have been located in the north east corner of the car park on St Marygate next to a maintenance building.
However, North Yorkshire Council rejected the plan on the grounds that the mast would be “detrimental to the visual amenity and character of the conservation area and harm the setting of the surrounding heritage assets”.
Now, EE Limited has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.
In a statement of case, the company said the mast was required as a replacement for the current infrastructure at Liberty Court House which is being decommissioned.
It added that the mast would not be visible from any of the heritage sites in Ripon.
It said:
“The proposed new mast will not be visible from Ripon Cathedral, nor will it form a meaningful part of views from the cluster of listed buildings to the north and east of the site.
“In utilising a sympathetic design, with colouring designed to reduce visual impact, the proposed development has sought to mitigate any potential harm where views are possible.”
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.
Read more:
- Telecommunications firm appeals Harrogate 5G mast refusal
- Government rejects plan for 20-metre 5G mast overlooking the Stray
Electric vehicle charging points go live in Ripon
Six electric vehicle charging points are now in operation at the North Yorkshire Council controlled Cathedral Car Park in Ripon.
They add to a number of other locations across the city where drivers can re-charge their batteries. They include Blossomgate Car Park, Booth’s Supermarket at Marshall Way Retail Park, the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane, M & S Food at Rotary Way, Morrisons Supermarket on Harrogate Road and Phoenix Business Centre at Low Mill Road.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive agreed a new county-wide strategy for electric charging points this year.
The strategy showed there are almost 4,000 electric vehicles registered in North Yorkshire but just 225 publicly available charge points.
It is forecast that 3,161 charge points need to be installed and just under half of these need to be funded by the public sector at a cost of approximately £10.3 million. It is expected that at least half of the publicly funded chargers (724) will need to be ready by 2025 to meet demand.
The council has secured £3.2 million from the national Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme to install 150 charging points across the county.
They are being installed alongside battery storage units, charged by solar panels.
North Yorkshire Police is seeking assistance from the public following a spate of vandal attacks on vehicles in Ripon car parks and on residential streets.
Over the past week, cars have been deliberately damaged in the Cathedral and Morrisons car parks in the city, as well as on Quarry Moor Lane and Oak Road.
The vandalism, which has been reported on social media, has ranged from the smashing of windscreens to attacks on bodywork, windscreen wipers and mirrors.
Yesterday (Sunday) members of the Harrogate Outer policing team were on Ripon Market Square to promote the North Yorkshire Community Messaging service and, while there, Sgt Jeff Peel, told the Stray Ferret:
“We’ve had a number of people who have given us information that may be helpful in our on-going investigations into the recent vandalism incidents.
“We would urge anybody else who feels they can help to contact us in confidence.”
Anybody with information about the attacks or other suspicious behaviour that that they have witnessed, can call 101 or report online via www.northyorkshire.police.uk.
The North Yorkshire Community Messaging service, provides another means for the public to help in the fight against crime and those who sign up for it will receive localised email alerts about events, crime appeals and safety advice.
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