Vandals strike again in Ripon city centre

A rare building that is part of Ripon’s heritage has been damaged by vandals.

The cabmen’s shelter — a Grade II listed structure – dating back to the days of horse-drawn transport — was the target.

The shelter was recently refurbished and returned to Market Square at a cost of £22,000

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s enough to make you despair.

“We are doing our best to get ready for the easing of lockdown, by making the city more attractive for residents and visitors,

“Now we have suffered another mindless act of vandalism that detracts from all of our efforts.”

A window in the shelter was broken yesterday and Cllr Williams, along with the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin, carried out a sweep-up after being alerted to the incident.

The window was temporarily boarded up and the broken pane will be replaced shortly.

Photo of the Cabmen's Shelter's broken window

The broken window on the cabmen’s shelter. Photograph: Ripon City Council

Police have been informed and Cllr Williams said:

“I hope the person or persons who did this were picked up on CCTV cameras covering the square.”

Yards away from the shelter, a broken window at the Tourist Information Centre in Ripon Town Hall remains boarded up, after being vandalised in December.

The city council, which has responsibility for the upkeep of the cabmen’s shelter, is waiting for landlord Harrogate Borough Council to repair the Tourist Information Centre window.

There has been a spate of vandalism in Ripon during the covid lockdowns.

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Windows at premises including the Ripon Cathedral office, shops in Westgate and Fishergate and a public house in High Skellgate, have been smashed.

In recent weeks, police patrols, particularly at weekends, have been stepped up in a bid to tackle a rising tide of violent and anti-social activity.

City councillors have called for action on policing numbers and also said they will join forces with the police to crack down on crime in the city.

The Old Deanery in Ripon goes back on the market

The Old Deanery in Ripon has ceased trading earlier than planned after 17 years and gone back on the market.

The hotel, bar and wedding venue was closed because of the lockdown but was not formally due to cease trading until the end of June.

However, the following statement, attributed to ‘the management team’, appeared on its website last week:

“It is with great sadness that we announce The Old Deanery has ceased trading from March 8 due to the negative impacts of coronavirus.

“From Linda, Chris and all the team; we’d like to thank you all for your custom over the years – it’s been our pleasure to welcome you to The Old Deanery.”

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Ripon Cathedral owns the iconic building, which is situated opposite.

Property consultants Sanderson Weatherall has listed the 17th Century Grade II listed building on its website, with the price available on application.

It describes the building as an ’11 bedroom boutique hotel and function venue’.

News of The Old Deanery’s permanent closure on its Facebook page led to expressions of sadness and treasured memories. They included:

“So very sad to see such a special place not make it through this rotten time.”

“Very, very sad news, our little escape from life for a few nights once or twice a year. Had the loveliest staff, always friendly and helpful.”

“Always enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and friendly service – smart but not stuffy.”

 

Ripon plans £105,000 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Ripon is planning for a right royal celebration next year.

In June 2022, The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her milestone of 70 years as monarch, will be celebrated with four days of events across the UK.

To enable Ripon to plan well in advance, the city council has set aside £105,000 from its reserve fund.

City council leader Andrew Williams received unanimous support for proposals to roll over monies that were not spent in the current financial year.

He pointed out:

“From our experience of hosting the UCI cycling event in 2019, we know that we need to put money aside now.

“That will enable us to put all arrangements in hand for a programme of events, which will require the booking of a variety of equipment and facilities.

“We want to do a proper job to mark the queen’s incredible service to this country.”

The government has unveiled plans for a long weekend of celebrations, which has seen the late May Bank holiday moved to Thursday June 3 and an additional Bank holiday added on Friday June 3, creating a four-day weekend.

Ripon has a long and proud royal heritage, having been awarded a ceremonial horn in AD 886 by King Alfred the Great after townspeople fought off a Viking attack,

During the English Civil War, the city was on the royalist side of Charles I and the cavaliers who battled against Oliver Cromwell’s troops on Market Square.

Photo of Victoria Jubilee clock tower

The clock tower erected for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee was commemorated in 1897 with the erection of a clock tower at the junction of Palace Road, North Street and Princess Road.

In 1985, the queen visited Ripon Cathedral and the town hall for Royal Maundy, when the monarch gives silver coins to older people on Maundy Thursday.

All her milestone anniversaries, from the Silver Jubilee in 1977 to the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, have been celebrated in the city.

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Besides planning for next year, Ripon City Council is also looking ahead to this summer.

Councillors voted an additional £30,000 of funding for the refurbishment of play equipment and fencing at Quarry Moor Park.

This brings total funding to £60,000, which will enable the swings and roundabouts to be replaced in time for the lessening of lockdown restrictions.

Huge increase in Harrogate district allotment applications

Applications for allotments in the Harrogate district have gone up massively since 2018.

The increase is being attributed to lockdown tempting people with the promise of clear air and fresh vegetables grown from a patch of ground they can call their own.

Harrogate Borough Council owns and manages allotments at Claro Road and Pearl Street in Harrogate and Ferrensby in Knaresborough. The remaining 23 allotments in the district are run by parish councils or managed privately.

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council received 12 requests for allotments at its Claro Road site, which is one of the biggest allotments in the district with 56 plots.

In 2020 there were 103 applications, an increase of over 750%.

The other two council-run sites saw a similar surge of interest. Pearl Street went from two applications in 2018 to 27 in 2020. Ferrensby saw an increase of six to 37 over the same period.

The council warns on its website that applicants could wait for up to five years, depending on which site they apply for.

Caroline Linford, who runs the website Sustainably Harrogate, has been on the waiting list for an allotment in Harrogate for two years. She would like her own plot so she can re-use food waste from her family’s dinner table.

“I love the idea of creating our own circular system where our food waste turns into nutritious compost that helps our vegetables grow. I intend to garden organically too so will avoid pesticides to help with local biodiversity.”

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The six allotments in Ripon are owned by Ripon City Council and leased to the Ripon Allotments Society.

Malcolm Hutchinson from the Ripon Allotments Society said there are now 76 people on the waiting list for a plot in Ripon, a significant increase over previous years.

He’s had an allotment since the 1970s and says they have become popular for people with more time on their hands due to lockdown.

He said:

“A lot of people are wanting to have a go at it. For most people, it’s something to do where they can potter away at their own pace.”

‘We need urgent action to safeguard Ripon Spa Baths’

Ripon City Council has vowed to do everything within its power to keep Ripon Spa Baths as a community asset for public use.

Councillors agreed unanimously last night on the need for urgent action to prevent the Grade II listed building from being sold for residential development.

They rallied to a call from council leader Andrew Williams, who said:

“We cannot let Harrogate Borough Council sell the spa baths from under our noses.”

Councillor Mike Chambers, who sits on both Ripon City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, representing Ripon Spa, said:

“We need to get this sorted now.”

Cllr Chambers, who is Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Safer Communities, added:

“It is clear that Harrogate Borough Council wants a capital receipt for this building and we must approach them and find out exactly what they have planned.”

Photo od For Sale Sign at Ripon's Spa Baths

On the market – Ripon Spa Baths.

Councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“Harrogate is trying to rush a sale through. We need to have detailed consultation and time to consider the future use of this asset that belongs to the city.”

A motion put forward by Cllr Williams, calling on Harrogate Borough Council to ensure the spa complex remains in public use as a community facility, was supported by all members.

It was also agreed to arrange a meeting with Ripon Civic Society and all other interested parties to investigate options.

If deemed necessary, after that meeting, the city council will look to appoint specialist consultants to advise on the development of heritage assets for community use.

Cllr Williams said:

“This is important in a growing city, which will see more than 1,700 new homes being built in future years.

“We can’t afford to see the loss of community facilities, with developments such as Clotherholme coming on stream.”

Ripon Civic Society has already stated that it favours development Spa complex for the NHS – in line with the neighbourhood plan for the city.

Councillor Stephen Craggs believes that the building should be developed as a facility for young people in Ripon. He said:

“This is a once in a generation opportunity and we must get it right.”

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For sale signs are already in place at the spa baths.

A statement issued by Harrogate Borough Council said the building is being replaced with a new six-lane swimming pool as part of an extended and refurbished Ripon Leisure Centre.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“Ripon Spa Baths has served the community well over the years.

“The future sale, and redevelopment of the listed building, would allow this local asset to be redeveloped (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”

 

 

Ripon hairdressers prepare for the long road back

A long road back from lockdown and lost trade lies ahead for Ripon hairdressers Deborah Chalmers and Sharon Bielby.

The friends own and run hair and beauty businesses less than 100 yards apart on North Street, Ripon.

Deborah’s Love Hair & Beauty Boutique depends heavily on the wedding market.

Sharon, whose shop bears her name, is a barber who cuts men’s and boys’ hair.

For both, the priority following the stop-start year of 2020 and the closed-down first quarter of 2021, has been to keep their heads above water.

Now they are buoyant at the prospect of reopening in six weeks time on 12 April and finally earning some money again.

Their loyal and now long-haired customers have kept in touch and they are looking forward to a busy post-lockdown period.

Deborah, who ensures brides and their bridesmaids look beautiful for the big day, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been a very difficult time.

“The shop was shut for long periods and just about every wedding booking I had for last summer was cancelled because of the pandemic.”

She used a government small business grant to pay for overheads while living off the crumbs that came from the dramatically scaled-down wedding table.

Photo of Sharon Bielby in her barber's shop

Sharon Bielby reflects on a difficult year, as she gets ready for the many customers in desperate need of a hair cut.

The same applies for Sharon, who said:

“It has been a case of surviving on the barest minimum, while staying positive and thinking about the many customers who just can’t wait to get their hair cut again.”

Her shop will have an appointment-only policy in place from reopening day. She joked:

“I will probably have to allow extra time for each customer, because they will have a lot more hair to cut!”

Deborah, who has created her own brand of lip balm as a reopening thank-you gift for her customers, is looking forward to a very busy summer.

She said:

“From mid-June, the government is easing the restrictions on the size of gatherings and that’s good news.

“Couples who postponed their plans, still want to get married and share their celebration with family and friends.”

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An additional factor gives Deborah hope that she can make up for some of the lost business she has experienced over the last year.

She said:

“With Saturdays like gold-dust in the wedding calendar, people are now arranging their weddings for other days of the week.

“That means I will be handling hair and beauty for up to four events a week, compared with a maximum of two Saturday weddings a week in a normal year.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone and welcome to our traffic and travel live blog, the last one before the weekend.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey. All brought to you by The HACS Group.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

Full update – 9am

Thanks for reading our traffic and travel blog. There have been a few police incidents this morning as well as increasing numbers of construction sites around the Harrogate district. That’s all from me for this week. I am heading over to the newsdesk now. My colleague Suzannah will be back on Monday morning.

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Full update – 8.45am

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Alert resident averts Ripon travel chaos again

North Yorkshire County Council has performed another u-turn to avoid travel problems for people going for vaccinations in Ripon.

For the second time in seven weeks, the council’s highways department has had to hit the brakes on plans to close a bridge on a key diversion route.

The bridge over the River Ure on Boroughbridge Road was due to close for inspection all day tomorrow.

But alert resident Paul Stockburn pointed out that such a move would have caused problems because Boroughbridge Road is already serving as a diversion for a section of the nearby Dishforth Road that is closed for road works.

Had the closure gone ahead, it would have created difficulties for people driving along Boroughbridge Road in and out of Ripon.

The bridge, which is half a mile from Ripon racecourse vaccination centre, was first due to close for inspection on 19 January.

But six days earlier part of Dishforth Road closed for eight weeks for work by Yorkshire Water. It remains closed.

Photo of conflicting closure signs

Conflicting closure signs on the Dishforth and Boroughbridge roads. But the bridge over the River Ure will be open tomorrow

When Mr Stockburn pointed this out, the highways department said it would re-schedule the bridge closure when Yorkshire Water’s pipe renewal work was complete.

So Mr Stockburn, who lives in Copt Hewick, was surprised to see road closure signs appear again this week. He told the Stray Ferret:

“I couldn’t believe my eyes because I know that the Dishforth Road is still going to be closed tomorrow.

“The county council appear incapable of working out that eight weeks from 13 January gives a finish date of 10 March.

“Unbelievably, they were about to make exactly the same mistake.

“You wonder, did they ask Yorkshire Water first, before deciding they were going to close the bridge on 5 March?”

After receiving a call from Mr Stockburn, the Stray Ferret contacted NYCC to let it know the Dishforth Road closure was ongoing.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, apologised and said:

“Yorkshire Water has been undertaking an eight-week programme of works on Dishforth Road therefore our contractors scheduled the one-day bridge inspection for this Friday when the work was due to be complete.

“Unfortunately Yorkshire Water need to extend their works until March 14 so we are in the process of rearranging the bridge inspection and have removed the advance notice signs.”

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Prior to the start of its work, Yorkshire Water sent a letter to all households in Copt Hewick. It said:

“We understand that these works will be inconvenient, which is why we’ve liaised closely with North Yorkshire County Council highways department regarding every aspect of this essential scheme.’”

The importance of the Boroughbridge Road diversion route, increased on February 2 when the covid vaccination centre opened at Ripon racecourse.

Starlings leave their mark in Ripon

Bird spotting has taken on a whole new meaning recently for some Ripon residents.

During early evenings, local people with their eyes on the skies can currently witness thousands of starlings swoop and switch in stunning synchronised movements.

The murmuration provides a delightful display for those looking on in amazement.

But for people living beneath the flight path, it’s a different story as the starlings leave their mark.

Following each performance, residents of Newby Street, Vyner Street and the adjacent roads, face a clean-up operation.

The aerial bombardment of the Bondgate area sees cars, rooves, pavements, gardens and back yards coated.

A murmuration over Ripon

A murmuration of starlings in acrobatic flight over Ripon.

One resident, who lives in the Bondgate area but asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret:

“There is no doubting that it is a magnificent spectacle, but they do leave a deposit.

“Some people who live around here are having to wash their cars every day.

“The worst hit have to scrape the stuff off windscreens or they wouldn’t be able to see where they are going.”

Spectators can also find themselves in a spot of bother if they don’t have an umbrella as they watch the winged wonders in full flow.

According to the wildlife charity RSPB, flocks of starlings – some native to the UK and others from Europe – come together to roost through the winter months.

Their beating of wings in flight is said to sound like a murmur, which gives the mass gathering its murmuration description.

The starlings stay safe from predators by sticking together in large numbers, making sure they are not easy prey.

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In colder months, by acting in unison, they generate collective body heat.

With thousands in close flight, this gives them the essential extra warmth they need to survive bitterly cold days.

For people engaged in car washing, window scraping, roof, path, garden and yard cleaning, who are not necessarily as thrilled as others by the natural phenomenon, there is good news.

Spring has sprung and later this month, with warmer weather on its way, the murmuration will be grounded until the autumn.

Ripon’s Quarry Moor play area to be upgraded for summer

One of Ripon’s favourite play areas is to be refurbished in time for summer.

New equipment will be installed in Quarry Moor park, funded by the 2021-2022 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 currently includes an activities centre for children as well as outdoor play equipment.

Ripon City Council leader, councillor Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:

“The play equipment, that adds to the park’s attraction for families with young children, has been in need of replacement for some time.

“With the prospect of the covid lockdown being lifted later this year, we want to ensure that the work is completed in readiness for the summer months.”

The land, which includes woodland walks, was left in trust by the former mayor on the understanding that it would be:

“Kept for Ripon children for all time.”

The 24-acre site was a limestone quarry for hundreds of years until the 1950s. It was also used for military training during the Second World War.

In 1986, after extensive conservation work by volunteers, it was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Photo of the Quarry Moor Activities Centre

Quarry Moor Activities Centre

The area includes species-rich calcareous grassland and a protected wildflower meadow.

A woodland path was added in 2019.

Ripon prides itself on being child-friendly and for many years the city council has supported free family events.

These include the St Wilfrid’s Day procession in August, the switch-on of Christmas lights and New Year’s Eve entertainment on Market Square.

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The coronavirus crisis and social distancing requirements, in place since last March, caused the cancellation of mass participation activities.

For the upcoming financial year, £100,000 is being allocated for public events from summer onwards.

It is hoped that covid will be under sufficient control to allow them to go ahead.

Ripon’s parish precept for 2021-2022 will generate £400,000. Council taxpayers in the city will pay £70 towards it, in addition to council tax paid to North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.