Ripon’s St Cecilia Orchestra is promising a programme of epic proportions on Saturday evening, as it unites with the horn section of Opera North.

Entitled ‘Horns and Heroes’, the concert at Ripon Cathedral calls for a large orchestra, which will include no fewer than 12 French horn players.

Helen Dawson of St Cecilia Orchestra said:

“The concert will open with Tchaikovsky’s romantic classic Romeo and Juliet. Described by Classic FM as Tchaikovsky’s ‘first true masterpiece’ and one of his most enduringly popular works, this fantasy overture is full of drama and sweeping melodies, and its love theme has been used in countless films.

“Next, the orchestra will be joined by the four horn players of Opera North – Alex Hamilton, John Pratt, Sam Yates and David Tollerton – in Schumann’s inventive and compelling Konzertstück.

“Written in 1849 to showcase the horn section of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Konzertstück is a virtuosic work, exploiting the full range and capability of the valve horns that were only just coming into fashion.”

After the interval, the concert will turn to Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, which he began working on in 1898 with the intention of writing a “heroic work” like Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony.

Called A Hero’s Life, the piece features eight French horn players, a large wind and brass section, multiple percussion players, two harps and a string section.

Ms Dawson added:

“Strauss’s writing for orchestra is always virtuosic and Ein Heldenleben does not disappoint here – the eighth of his tone poems, Heldenleben exceeds any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands and should make for an exciting and spectacular conclusion to the concert.”

Tickets, priced at £20 for adults and free for under 18s, are available via Ticketsource, from the Little Ripon Bookshop, and on the door.

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Ripon city centre is set to get its first specialist toilet for people with disabilities.

Changing Places toilets are larger, accessible toilets for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets.

They include equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.

After a successful bid by Harrogate Borough Council and Ripon Disability Forum £40,000 has been granted through the government’s Changing Places Fund to create the new facility.

It will be located at the existing Ripon Bus Station toilets and it is hoped it will be open by the end of the year.

Ripon already has a Changing Places toilet at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre but not one in the city centre.  Recent plans to develop Ripon Cathedral also include proposals to create a Changing Places toilet.

Councillor Graham Swift, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:

“Changing Places toilets are a welcome addition for the local community and I am glad that following our successful bid we will be able to install a new facility for residents and visitors of Ripon.

“This new addition follows the Changing Places toilet at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre to ensure everyone has access to our fantastic new facility.”

Jeremy Dunford, from Ripon Disability Forum, said:

“Changing Places toilets allow families greater freedom when caring for a family member with specific needs.

“They allow whole families to shop, visit and travel with more confidence and security. For independent people with greater need it means their independence is supported by the facilities they need.

“This is great news for businesses, residents and visitors to the City of Ripon.”

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• Harrogate council to create specialist public toilet with £40k funding
• Calls to assess impact of Ripon Cathedral’s £6m expansion on cafes and shops

A new addition to Ripon’s hospitality sector has arrived with the opening of The Silva Bells restaurant and cafe at the bottom of Kirkgate.

Eight months after the closure of the Bambudda Asian fusion restaurant, a total refurbishment and kitchen re-fit has been carried out at the corner-site premises, located across the road from the city’s cathedral.

Following successful negotiations with landlord Mike Johnson, Silva Bells’ managing director Jenk Pepec and his business partner David De Silva invested time and money in delivering the new look.

The name recognises the vital role that Mr De Silva and his wife Betty played in getting the new venture off the ground.

Members of The Silva Bells’ chefs and kitchen team: (from left) Jack O’Brien, Lloyd Gardener, Carl Smith and Stu Hooren

Mr Pepek, who gained expertise through working in the hospitality sector in his home city of Bursa in northern Turkey and subsequently in Birmingham and York after he moved to the UK, told the Stray Ferret:

“I fell in love with this place the first time that I saw it and after a lot of hard work new life has been breathed into it.”

The business employs 17 people and is open six days a week, serving a selection of modern British and European cuisine and incorporating Mediterranean dishes.

Mr Pepec said;

“Our menu includes items ranging from traditional Sunday roasts to a ‘create your own’ pizza and we will also be serving dishes featuring locally-sourced game.

“We have received a warm welcome and look forward to contributing to the community of this charming and historic city.”

The main image shows Jenk Pepec (centre) with members of The Silva Bells’ front of house team — from the left: Gaby Symonds, Mia Kitching, Harry Jewers and Jack George

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• Free entry to heritage attractions in the Ripon area

Ripon residents can sample some of the best of what the city has to offer for free on Saturday.

The annual Sights and Sounds of Ripon event provides the opportunity for local residents to visit the workhouse, courthouse and prison and police museums without charge.

To gain free entry, all that is required is a proof of residence within the HG4 postcode.

In addition to the city’s three heritage attractions, family-friendly activities are also being staged from 11am at Ripon Cathedral and the library.

The event is being organised by Harrogate Borough Council as part of the Ripon My Neighbourhood partnership which involves a wide range of public and voluntary organisations.

Further details are available here.

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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.”

Ripon City Council has announced that the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, has been nominated to serve a third mayoral term.

He was the city’s mayor in 2008/09 and has now been nominated as mayor elect for 2023-24.

Cllr Hawke’s wife, Linda will accompany him during his year in office as mayoress.

Elected to Ripon City Council in 2002, he represents the Ure Bank Ward on both Ripon City Council and on Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Hawke said:

“I am delighted to be nominated by Ripon city councillors in the selection for the position of mayor for the second year running.”

Born and bred in the city, Cllr Hawke is semi-retired and has previously served in the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon.

The current mayoral year has proved a busy one for the mayor and mayoress, including the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in June, the mourning of Her Majesty’s death in September and the subsequent proclamation of King Charles III – all of which involved major civic events in Ripon.

The city’s annual mayor making ceremony will take place on May 10 and on May 21. Cllr Hawke will be installed as mayor in a service at Ripon Cathedral.

On becoming mayor for the third time, he will be matching fellow Independent councillors Eamon Parkin and Pauline McHardy, both of whom served three terms in mayoral office.

Cllr Parkin will serve as Cllr Hawke’s deputy.

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Historic England, the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment, has said it supports Ripon Cathedral’s £6 million plans to build a two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.

However, the national heritage watchdog’s views about the suitability of the proposed development site to the north of the cathedral are not shared by Ripon Civic Society.

The cathedral chapter submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council in January, seeking permission to construct a standalone two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.

It would include a song school, cafe, shop and the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet for disabled people.

The development has divided opinion, with concerns about the impact on retailers and the removal of 11 trees, including a beech categorised as a veteran tree by the Woodland Trust.

In a letter to Harrogate Borough Council planners, Historic England said:

“Historic England supports the location and design of this proposal, which will make a positive 21st century contribution to Ripon’s wonderful historic environment.”

The letter, which can be viewed on the council’s planning website also states:

“This application is highly sensitive due to the wonderful historic townscape of Ripon, its proximity and relationship to Ripon Cathedral, and from the heritage value of the site itself.

“The proposal would make a positive contribution to the historic environment of Ripon, sitting appropriately in location and design terms with the townscape and cathedral, and beginning to rearticulate the original cathedral precinct. However, the loss of open space and trees would have a minor impact on heritage significance.

“We consider that many elements of the proposal are in line with those parts of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) within our statutory remit.

“However, the NPPF also advises a need for an appropriate understanding of all heritage impacts before decisions are taken on applications. In this case, the archaeological impact of the proposal is unclear, and this issue needs to be resolved in advance of any planning decision.”

‘Unacceptable’

But Ripon Civic Society took a different view in its submission to the council. It said:

“While we do not disagree with the cathedral’s view that a new annex on the north side of the cathedral will contribute to the sustainable future of the cathedral and enhance the city of Ripon, we consider that siting an annex on Minster Gardens is unacceptable.”

The society added:

“The proposals in the application are unaltered from those we commented on in 2022.

“Ripon Civic Society wrote to the cathedral authorities in July 2022 supporting development on the north side of the Cathedral.

“We did not consider, however, that the proposed siting recognised the significance of Minster Gardens as an open space for the city, as set out in the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan that was agreed by referendum and adopted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of the Harrogate Local Plan.

“We therefore suggested the proper examination of the stone yard land for a redesigned building.”

To create space for the annex, the existing toilet block, outbuildings and a wall would need to be demolished and trees removed.

The civic society said:

“The trees that are proposed to be removed are an important part of the character of the conservation area, which would be severely lessened by their removal and replacement with a large building.

“We consider that a redesigned building in the stone yard would be an acceptable alternative.”

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Clergy raced along Kirkgate today as part of Ripon Cathedral‘s annual Pancake Day event.

The event has become a traditional Shrove Tuesday event in the city, although it was halted during covid.

It sees cathedral clergy, vergers and staff join school children and local residents for races on Kirkgate.

It is one of many Pancake Day events taking place in the Harrogate district.

In Harrogate, the Fat Badger pub is giving people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.

The pub is providing pans and pancake mixes for anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm today and fancies trying to complete a short course in the beer garden as quickly as possible while tossing pancakes.

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The Dean of Ripon Cathedral, the Very Rev John Dobson (left), joins in the fun.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

‘Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway has cost £2.2m so far’. If this headline is correct, and the figure seems to be confirmed in the details in the article, then this is a scandalous use of taxpayer money.

Do we really have a partly finished and largely dysfunctional cycle track, which is avoided by most cyclists, at such outrageous cost? And how is this supposed to support ‘National Productivity’ which is the name of the the fund from which the money was drawn, even if it was completely operational, which it isn’t?

And why has the lion’s share of the cost gone to surveys, reports and studies rather than work on the ground?

I do hope that I have misunderstood the figures, but I fear I haven’t. Maybe someone in authority from the County Council can explain how we got into this fix.

Tim Hurren, Harlow Hill, Harrogate

Solution to Ripon Cathedral plans

At a recent council meeting at Ripon town hall, the subject of the planned annex for Ripon Cathedral was the major item under discussion. I was dismayed to see the reaction and the split within the Ripon community over the proposed siting of the building.

With that in mind, I would like to offer a solution that should benefit all parties, one that would allow for the business expansion aspirations of the cathedral and the preservation of a much-loved green space.

My suggestion would be to use the buildings to the right of the cathedral, being Minster House, the old coach house complex and another building. As this is already cathedral property, the saving financially to the cathedral would be huge as there would be no need to purchase any land.

The buildings in question are closer to the cathedral than the proposed annex on the other side of Minster Road and there is safe and level access. There would be no crossing of the public highway to access these facilities.

I estimate that the floor space of the three buildings in question is 939m² which falls just short of the 1000m/2 that the cathedral requires. But I believe that this could be regained with use of the car parking area or the extensive gardens.

My idea is:

1.     The ground floor of Minster House be used for the retail outlet and the refectory

2.     The 1^st floor be used for the song school with the installation of a lift for the disabled choristers

3.     The stable block to be used as the toilet block and changing area

4.     The other building to be used as storage and meeting rooms

Other combinations are possible.

This then would negate the need to destroy the green space.

I hope you agree with this possible solution and I ask that the cathedral re-submit plans.

Kevin Hill, Ripon

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Concerns raised by hospitality and other businesses about the proposed £6 million Ripon Cathedral annex, with its cafe and gift shop, have prompted Ripon City Council to call for a retail impact assessment to be carried out.

Supporters and opponents of the cathedral’s application to build the two-storey building on Minster Gardens made their views known at last night’s full council meeting.

After hearing both sides, council leader Andrew Williams, who proposed the impact assessment, also called for the cathedral’s chapter to meet with businesses and Ripon Business Improvement District to listen to their concerns and answer any questions they have.

He said:

“I’m keeping an open mind until the application is considered later this year by (the new) North Yorkshire Council and my door is open to the cathedral and the traders who want to speak with me.

“We need to move forward in unity, minimise our differences and draw people together.”

Cllr Williams declared an interest prior to speaking about the application because he has been nominated to serve on the North Yorkshire Council planning committee, which will adjudicate on the proposal.

Kevin Hill, who owns the the Karma clothing and gift boutique on Kirkgate with his wife Liz and Helen Slater, owner of Cathedral View Cafe that faces onto the ancient building, both felt the annex on Minster Gardens with a direct route from the car park would ‘funnel’ visitors away from Kirkgate.

Stanley Mackintosh, who lives on Kirkgate, said the street which leads down to the cathedral has numerous independent cafes and restaurants, with more in the city centre. He claimed:

“There will be damage to small independent traders if the proposal is given the go-ahead.”

Mr Mackintosh had a copy of the longer-term masterplan vision for the cathedral quarter, which has elements that are not included in the annex planning application lodged with Harrogate Borough Council.

Minster Gardens

That wider masterplan, which would require a further planning application or applications, includes a proposed hotel with arts cafe underneath, which he said would further impact on hospitality businesses in the city.

Richard Taylor, co-chair of Ripon Civic Society, reiterated that the society supports development of new facilities for the cathedral but not at the proposed location. He said:

“Our concern was that the chosen site was one of great heritage and environmental sensitivity and we encouraged the cathedral to look at moving the new building a little further north into the stoneyard.

“More evidence has since come to light to show just how significant Minster Gardens are as a green space in the centre of the city framed by high-grade listed buildings.

“The importance of the fine group of trees there was recognised as long ago as 2009 in the Ripon Conservation Area Appraisal.

“They have recently been reassessed and the large beech tree in the centre of the garden has been added to the national register of veteran trees. Sweeping it away as the current proposal would do means losing an irreplaceable asset as highlighted by three of the borough council’s officers.”