New £6m plans to extend Ripon Cathedral facilities proposedPlans for a £6million extension to the south side of Ripon Cathedral’s west-facing frontage are on hold and alternative proposals have been put on public display.
The Ripon Cathedral Renewed Project, which aims to provide 21st century facilities for the cathedral’s parishioners, choristers, the wider community and an ever-increasing number of visitors, already has £4 million in pledges.
But it needs to secure a further £2 million if ambitions are to be achieved.
Signs at the exhibition, being held in the north transept, explain that the alternative plan has been brought forward after reservations were expressed about the previously proposed extension
The new plan, captured in this artist’s impression, involves creating new indoor and outdoor space.
Proposals involve a standalone two-storey development to the north of the iconic building on an area of land that also houses the Old Courthouse Museum and the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance.
Proposal to close Minster Road to through traffic
They also include the suggested closure of Minster Road to through traffic, to provide a safe link for pedestrians and people in wheelchairs or families with prams and buggies, to move between the cathedral and the new building.
The proposal includes the provision of pedestrian-friendly links between the cathedral and the new building and into the Cathedral Car Park.
The community consultation aims to gauge views on the design of the new building, landscaping of the site and the Minster Road proposal.
Approval required at every level
A message from the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson, thanks donors who have already pledged support to the Ripon Renewed Project and adds that the bid to make the vision a reality is ‘nearer than ever before.’
He points out that in addition to obtaining further financial pledges:
“We need plans that will attract approval at every level.”
The wooden model on display shows the new two-storey building to the right and its relationship to the cathedral.
The new building would incorporate indoor toilets, including a Changing Places toilet for disabled people, a café/refreshment area, improved shop, meeting room, new facilities for the choir school and additional storage capacity to take the pressure off use of space in the cathedral.
A national treasure
When the Ripon Renewed project that was announced Dean John, said:
“It is clear that the development of the cathedral is vital to bring this national treasure into the 21st century.
“As custodians of this fantastic building we are only too aware of the legacy we uphold. We have this ancient history, this wonderful architecture – what we haven’t got are the facilities that people need.
“Each generation has, over 13 centuries, taken on what has been handed to it and made its own contributions. We take none of this for granted and we have a responsibility, in our generation, to make our contribution now.”
The site for the proposed new building, is to the right of the Old Courthouse Museum and adjacent to the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance
Serving future communities
He added:
“Over the last few years it has become increasingly obvious to a growing number of people that the development of Ripon Cathedral is vital as we seek to serve the communities of the region now and in the future.”
The community consultation will help to shape a formal planning application that will be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and people who go to view the plans, are asked by Dean John to fill out a short questionnaire available at the exhibition.
If successful, plans would see the first major development in hundreds of years of the cathedral’s facilities, for a building containing the oldest built fabric of any English cathedral – St Wilfrid’s Crypt – dating back to 672 AD.
Calls for archeological survey into Knaresborough’s Roman pastPlans to develop a site in Knaresborough could provide an opportunity to conduct an archeological survey into the town’s Roman past.
An application was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council on March 22 to build a four-bedroom house on Abbey Road.
There was pre-Roman and Roman occupation on the site prior to a Trinitarian Priory being founded.
Kathy Allday, chair of the Knaresborough Museum Association, said the planning application provided a rare opportunity to carry out an archaeological survey prior to any development,
She added the survey could reveal key details about Romano-British life in the area and also whether a nunnery, which is known to have existed in the vicinity, was on the site.
The association has been undertaking its own research in the vicinity of the former Trinitarian Priory and has found a Roman brooch and a medieval coin.
Ms Allday said:
“Antiquarian records and archive material suggest there was also a nunnery and outbuildings which were part of the Priory precinct in the vicinity. As such an archaeological survey of the site. should be a condition of any planning approval for this development.
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“Archaeological excavations in Abbey Road have been few and far between in the last few decades, so this is an opportunity that should not be missed. Otherwise the chance to learn more about medieval and Roman occupation in Knaresborough may be lost for a few more decades.”
There have been objections to the property being built. Knaresborough Town Council’s submission to the planning consultation says:
“We object to this development as it is within the Knaresborough Conservation Area and would not preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area.”
A medieval window from Knaresborough priory, now in Pannal church – Photos by – @knaresboroughmuseum Instagram
Plans have been submitted to create a new, modern outdoor learning facility at Bewerley Park, near Pateley Bridge.
The proposals include two new accommodation blocks, a changing and wet suit drying room, and a central ‘hub’ space.
Each accommodation block would include 12 en-suite dormitories – seven with six beds and five with eight beds – and eight single rooms for staff.
The two-storey ‘hub’ would have space for lessons, dining, games and indoor sports, as well as a reception and kitchen facilities.
The new, larger buildings would be built in the same part of the site as the current smaller dormitories and would be centred around a courtyard. The project would be completed in phases, with the first accommodation block built before the old rooms are demolished.
The proposed new buildings at Bewerley Park
In a supporting statement, North Yorkshire County Council‘s agent, Align Property Partners, said:
“Simply, the design and layout of the current buildings do not meet the demands and function requirements of a modern outdoor education centre.
“The size and layout of the existing dormitories are inflexible in terms of varying occupancy and limit the potential use of the centre. For this reason, a new dormitory block is proposed in the first phase.”
As well as catering for schools and other groups, the plan references including facilities for campers, with a shower and toilet block. This, it says, forms part of the business plan: NYCC has emphasised the need for Bewerley Park to be sustainable without relying on funding from the taxpayer.
The residential centre had faced an uncertain future last year when owners North Yorkshire County Council said it was running at significant loss and its accommodation was not up to scratch.
However, after extensive support from schools and individuals, the county council decided to invest in the site for future use.
Full details of the planning application can be found here. Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision about the proposal on a date to be confirmed.
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Edwardian chapel near Masham could be converted to homeA disused Methodist chapel near Masham dating back more than 100 years could be converted into a home.
The Old Chapel at Breary Banks, Healey, was built in 1911 for workers building reservoirs that served people in Leeds. Breary Banks was later used as a prisoner of war camp during the First World War.
The slate roof chapel is not a listed building but is considered to be a non-designated heritage asset located within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Harrogate Borough Council has now received a planning application from Clementine Godwin to convert the chapel into a single house.
The rear of the chapel.
Planning documents submitted to the council say:
“The proposal is to convert the redundant former chapel into a single dwelling unit. This will be open plan and the sleeping area will be on an upper mezzanine level.
“The intention is to repair and maintain the external character and appearance of the old chapel. The entire development is contained within the existing envelope of the building, without the need for additional structure or openings in the external walls.
“The external repairs to the building will all be carried out with the utmost care and be sympathetic to the original construction.”
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Masham Parish Council has supported the application.
Breary Banks village was constructed in 1900 by the Leeds Corporation, which had commissioned the creation of two nearby reservoirs to supply Leeds with water.
The village was designed to house the navvies working on the construction of the reservoirs and their families. By spring 1904 the settlement accommodated 400 men with more huts being built, according to planning documents.
Sixteen men lived lived in each hut.
Planning permission was granted for the chapel to be used as a furniture workshop in 1983 but it was never acted on.
Plans for 350 ‘eco lodges’ and hotel in Flaxby refusedHarrogate Borough Council has refused a bid to build a luxury eco-resort with 350 lodges on the former Flaxby golf course.
The plans included a hotel, outdoor swimming pool, spa and sports area as well as a pub/cafe, farm shop, gift shop and activity hub.
The developer Flaxby Park Ltd had previously said the resort would attract “the most discerning visitors” and would have a focus on sustainability to allow families to “reconnect with nature”.
But council planning officer Kate Broadbank said the development would have a negative impact on the district’s natural environment as well as harming views from the nearby Temple of Victory, which is Grade II* listed.
The golf course, off the A59 and A1(M), closed in 2014 and has been derelict ever since.
Ms Broadbank wrote:
“The scale and layout are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact upon the district’s natural and historic environment.
“In addition, the application site is not considered to be accessible to local services nor is it demonstrated that an acceptable connection to public utilities can be achieved.”
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The application generated 31 objections, including one from Knaresborough Town Council which feared the hotel would never be built and the site would be re-marketed as a residential development.
An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1 (M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.
The council added:
“The applicants seem to have no experience of running a holiday park, have no proven business case and have not considered the constant traffic noise from the adjacent motorway.”
The Stray Ferret has approached Flaxby Park Ltd for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.
History of the site
In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.
But in 2016 the company went out of business after these plans never materialised.
Flaxby Park Ltd is a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner.
It bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.
Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district.
In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.
Harrogate council open to selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring WaterHarrogate Borough Council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring Water, as the company looks to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.
The move was revealed in an email sent by Trevor Watson, the council’s director of economy and culture, to HSW in October 2021. It was obtained via a freedom of information request.
HSW leases the land where it is based, on Harlow Moor Road, from the council. The company pays the council ground rent of £13,000 a year plus turnover rent revenue, but this figure has never been publicly revealed.
The council is also the planning authority and in January last year councillors rejected a bid by HSW to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.
The woodland was planted by the Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren and is part of the council-owned Pinewoods.
In July 2021, Harrogate Spring Water said it would table new proposals to expand the bottling plant ‘within weeks’ but eight months on it has yet to do so.
Asset of Community Value
Pinewoods Conservation Group successfully registered the Pinewoods as an Asset of Community Value in 2015.
This means if the council decided to sell any of it, it must pause any sale for six months whilst it gives local community groups the chance to make an offer to buy it.
The email from the HSW employee, whose name is redacted, to Mr Watson reveals that representatives from HSW had a ‘helpful’ meeting with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper and deputy leader Graham Swift in September 2021. The ACV status of the woodland was discussed.
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In the email to Mr Watson, the HSW employee asked about the process for “releasing the land of this status”.
The email says as HSW decided to ‘do right by the town’ by not appealing last January’s refusal to grant planning permission, it asks the council to ‘lend your assistance’ around the ACV status of the wood, which it would like removed to speed up its planning application. It adds:
“A key element of the new application would be to try to expediate the process of releasing this land of its status, in order to avoid an unnecessarily protracted period of consultation and media scrutiny. I firmly believe this would be in the best interest of both parties.”
Open to offers
Mr Watson’s reply said that any sale of land with ACV status must follow due process but the authority would be open to offers.
Mr Watson added:
“The timing of all this therefore largely rests with HSW, in terms of how soon you wish to commence negotiations for the land and ultimately whether an in-principle agreement can be reached on potential disposal terms.”
He said informal discussions between the council and the business about buying the land took place “a number of years ago” but terms could not be reached.
Harrogate Spring Water’s head office on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.
Mr Watson said if a bid came in from HSW for the land, it would be subject to the usual six-month consultation period.
“We would therefore see the ball being in the HSW court in terms of formally approaching the council with a new, meaningful proposal for our consideration.
“If and when disposal terms are agreed in principle, the ACV process would then be formally triggered and we would carefully follow all the legal processes required, including public consultation as appropriate.”
Planning process ‘needs to be followed’
A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:
“Harrogate Spring Water is evaluating its plans for the site and will communicate any update as and when that occurs. We are committed to working with the public and we will continue to keep people engaged and informed as part of the process”.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokeswoman said:
“This matter remains entirely in the hands of Harrogate Spring Water. We wrote to them back in Autumn 2021 setting out a factual response to questions that they asked us about our decision-making processes. We made very clear that there are distinct, statutory processes that we need to follow and that planning and land disposal processes are, quite rightly, dealt with as very separate matters. We have not had a response or any further discussions with the company on either the planning or land ownership situation”.
A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said
“With each year that passes the Rotary Wood area of The Pinewoods becomes a more mature woodland with increasing bird and plant life, improving the biodiversity of the area and improving air quality.
“We are aware that Cllr Swift has been vocal in his support of this planned development but would be very concerned if any promises had been made to expedite any part of this complicated process and avoid full transparency and consultation. We also note that Cllr Cooper has recently been attending planning committee meeting and would hope he would now excuse himself from any future planning committee that considered these planning matters.
“However, we are somewhat comforted by comments from council officers restating the legal and planning processes that needs to be followed with respect to disposal of public land, and land that is protected as an ‘asset of community value’.
“Our lawyers will continue to monitor progress with interest.”
Co-op claims new Tesco would cut takings at Jennyfields store by 15%The Co-op has submitted an objection to Tesco’s plans to build a new supermarket on Skipton Road, saying it would reduce takings at its Jennyfields store by 15%.
The Co-op on Jennyfield Drive is less than a mile from the old gasworks site where Tesco hopes to build its new supermarket.
It also operates smaller shops tied to petrol stations on Skipton Road and Ripon Road.
Planning consultant Barton Willmore submitted the objection last week on behalf of the retailer.
It was submitted two days before Waitrose submitted an objection of its own that claimed a new Tesco would have a “significant adverse impact” on its large supermarket on Station Parade as well as the large Asda on Bower Road.
Questions over retail assessment
The Co-op has criticised a retail assessment written on behalf of Tesco that was produced to support the retailer’s claim that a new supermarket is needed in that area of Harrogate.
The assessment suggested a Tesco would only divert 4% of trade from the Co-op in Jennyfields, which the Co-op called “absurd” in its objection.
It said the true number would be closer to 15%.
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Tesco’s retail assessment also said the Co-op was “locally-focused” and is “essentially a facility for the Jennyfield community”.
It said any adverse impact from Tesco would be compensated for because residents at new housing developments around Skipton Road and Killinghall would use it.
The Co-op has disputed this suggestion and called on Tesco to produce new data that gives a “more accurate reflection” of the number of new homes that will be built in the area.
‘Consider all feedback’
Tesco submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to build the new store in December.
It would be 38,795 square feet and include a petrol filling station, 200 car parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and 24 cycle spaces. A new mini-roundabout would also be built on Skipton Road.
Tesco says 100 jobs would be created.
A Tesco spokesperson said it will consider all feedback from other supermarkets about the application.
They said:
“We will consider all feedback received on our application and will have further discussions with Harrogate council about the issues raised.”
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plans at a later date.
Boarded-up building in Harrogate town centre could become pharmacyPlans have been lodged to convert the former William Hill bookmakers in Harrogate town centre into a pharmacy and retail unit.
The Pharmacy Group has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the boarded-up unit on the town’s Beulah Street.
It would see the bookies, which has been closed for some time, converted into a shop and the unit facing Station Parade into a pharmacy.
Office space will also be created in the space above the pharmacy.
The view from Station Parade.
The Pharmacy Group is a third generation family-owned business with 30 NHS community pharmacies across Yorkshire. They include Harrogate Pharmacy on Haywra Crescent.
The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the proposal would bring “positive benefits” to the area.
It said:
“The change of use from turf accountants to retail and offices and the proposed redevelopment of the site will bring positive benefits to the area by maintaining, enhancing and giving new life to a key property on both Beulah Street and Station Parade.”
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
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Harrogate residents launch campaign against Tesco planA group of residents whose homes would back onto the proposed new Tesco in Harrogate have begun a campaign against plans for a supermarket and petrol station.
The supermarket chain has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to build the almost 40,000 square feet store at the former gas works on Skipton Road. It hopes it will open next year.
An application was submitted in December after a public consultation showed support for the plans, with more than 70% of 190 people who took part giving a positive response.
But residents living next to the site on Electric Avenue have launched a campaign against the proposals, which they see as a threat to wildlife at the site which forms part of Oak Beck. They are also concerned about traffic.
Resident Jennifer Dance said there are also concerns over the consultation process, as well as the impacts on people’s daily lives:
“To local residents’ horror Tesco quietly held a public consolation and they claimed 70% were in favour of the development.
“However, only two residents on Electric Avenue were approached or consulted.
“They plan to put the delivery road directly behind our property, so everyday we will hear and see delivery vans whizzing up and down the road.
“The proposed site is home to and feeding grounds for lots of wildlife. Many of the animals visit our garden from the site and I have photographic evidence of some.
“I believe sites like this should be nurtured and cherished, not destroyed and replaced with concrete, steel and tarmac in the name of progress, prosperity and profit.”
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Around 20 residents living on Electric Avenue met last night to discuss the plans. They have also launched a petition which has so far attracted more than 330 signatures.
The petition states residents have seen several animals at the site including roe deer, badgers, foxes, newts, frogs, squirrels, hedgehogs, owls, cuckoos and kingfishers.
The petition added:
“We do not need another supermarket in this area, in a five-mile radius from this site there are 14 food stores including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Co-op, and express shops.
“We do understand the need to support the new homes being built, but this is not the right location.”
Another petition in support of the development has also been launched, saying there is “significant need” for an additional supermarket in the town.
Tesco responds to residents’ claims
Tesco was previously granted planning permission to build a supermarket at the site in 2012, but the plans were never brought forward.
It is now proposing a smaller supermarket with a petrol filling station in a development which it said will create 100 new jobs.
The supermarket chain has responded to the concerns raised by residents in a short statement which said it would listen to all feedback.
Tesco also pointed towards an ecological study carried out by consultants which concluded the site is “dominated by habitats not considered to be of ecological importance”. The study also said new habitat creation is proposed to offset the loss of any wildlife areas.
A spokesperson for Tesco said:
“We will consider all feedback received on our application and continue to work closely with Harrogate Borough Council.
“The application was submitted with an ecological appraisal which specifically considers these matters.”
A decision on the plans from Harrogate Borough Council is expected around April.
Plan to build 23 affordable homes in Scotton rejectedA plan to build 23 affordable homes in Scotton has been rejected.
Harrogate Borough Council turned down the proposal from Jack Lunn (Properties) Ltd, which was earmarked for a site on Ripley Road in the village.
The plan would have seen a mix of one, two and three-bedroom affordable homes built on the site.
Affordable housing is defined as housing for people who cannot afford to buy or rent homes on the open market. The price varies locally.
The council estimates the district needs 6,600 affordable homes built between 2014 and 2035, which is the equivalent of 313 per year.
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However, the council turned down the application on the grounds that the site was outside the development boundary for the village.
In its decision, the council said:
“The proposal would result in an incongruous projection out of the existing settlement into open countryside.
“The proposed development is not small in scale and is not an infill development that relates well to the existing built form of the settlement.”
The proposal also received 20 letters of objection from residents calling for the application to be turned down.
Scotton and Lingerfield Parish Council said in its objection that the scale of the development was not justified for the village.
It said:
“The National Planning Policy Framework is quite clear how exceptions sites should only be released for local affordable housing needs and not to meet general affordable housing needs.
“The level of local affordable housing need has not been identified within Scotton and Lingerfield parish area to justify the scale of development being proposed.”
In documents submitted to the council, the developer said that the homes would make a “positive contribution” to the area.
It said:
“The design proposal intends to provide a sympathetic response to the surrounding context.
“The homes use materials indicative of the local area whilst the layout seeks to provide a range of homes as part of the development to allow for a positive contribution to the local community.”