Battle to save Ripon Spa Baths being sold for housing receives boostThe battle to prevent Ripon Spa Baths being sold for housing received a major boost today when the historic building was listed as an Asset of Community Value.
Harrogate Borough Council put the historic baths on the market in February, leading to concerns it could be sold to a private developer and turned into housing.
Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together called for any sale not to be rushed through and applied for the 116-year-old Grade II listed building, which has a distinctive terracotta-clad frontage, to be listed as an asset of community value.
Ripon city council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret today the application had been accepted.
It means the local community now has six months to put together a bid to buy the building, which Harrogate Borough Council has said will be ‘surplus to requirements‘ when the new Ripon Leisure Centre opens this year.
Cllr Williams said he was “highly delighted” by today’s news. He added:
“I hope it means we can now guarantee a future for the site that doesn’t involve it being turned into expensive apartments.
“People across the community have been calling for it not to be housing. There has been very broad support for it remaining as a community asset.
“We now need to explore all the options open to the local community with proper professional advice, to secure the long-term use of the spa baths for community use.”
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Next steps
Cllr Williams said it seemed unlikely the baths would remain as a swimming pool and what happened next remained unclear.
“I’ll be talking to the full council on Monday, looking to appoint professional advisors on what can be done with the building and to create a development brief for how it can be used by the community.
“A new use needs to be found, and I doubt it will still be a swimming pool. But it does provide an exciting opportunity to reinvent the site and city as a whole”.
The Stray Ferret has asked Harrogate Borough Council for comment but has yet to receive a response.
What does Asset of Community Value status mean?
According to Harrogate Borough Council’s website, a building or land can be listed as an asset of community value if:
- current primary use of the building/land or use of the building/land in the recent past furthers the social well-being or social interests (cultural, recreational, or sporting) of the local community
- it’s realistic to think that now or in the next five years there could continue to be primary use of the building/land which will further the social well-being or social interests of the local community, whether or not in the same way as before
Once an asset is listed, owners can’t dispose of it without:
- letting the local authority know that they intend to sell the asset or grant a lease of more than 25 years
- waiting until the end of a six-week “interim moratorium” period if the local authority doesn’t receive a request from a community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder
- waiting until the end of a six-month “full moratorium” period if the local authority does receive a request from a community interest group to be treated as a potential bidder
The owner doesn’t have to sell the asset to the community group.
History of plans to sell Ripon Spa Baths
Crowds flock to Ripon’s weekend of entertainmentThe sun shone during the day and the tribute acts sparkled at night, as Ripon staged its second weekend of large-scale entertainment since the easing of lockdown.
By dawn yesterday, the city centre was swept, tidy and ready for dozens of stallholders at the Little Bird Artisan Market.
With its locally-made goods, the market remained open until 3pm, sharing the square with two fairground rides and a climbing wall.
The market opened prompt at 10am.
The entertainment, paid for from Ripon’s parish precept, aimed to support the city’s retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and heritage attractions, by driving additional footfall.
Saturday night’s crowd was larger than the one attracted by the Yorkshire Day Weekend tribute acts at the start of the month.
ABBA Forever, performing songs made famous by the Swedish supergroup, brought the curtain down on the musical entertainment, which also featured the Big Boyband Reunion whose repertoire ranged from The Backstreet Boys to Take That.
In between acts, in the shadow of the obelisk, Allison Clark from Ripon’s own ‘fab four’ team of hornblowers, performed the city’s ancient ceremony of setting the watch.
A spin beside the obelisk
Many of the children allowed to stay up late and join family groups on Market Square had, earlier on Saturday, ridden the Thomas the Tank Engine train, climbed the wall or enjoyed the uplifting experience of the Mini Paratrooper ride.
For three-year-old Scarlet, pictured above, with her grandmother Catherine, the train was the ride of choice, while a long line of older children, queued for their attempt at scaling the wall.
Today, the city’s Bank Holiday of free entertainment continues at Ripon Racecourse, which is holding its last family fun day of the season.
Gates open at 11.15, with complimentary entry for accompanied children to the course enclosure.
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The activities include a performance by the National Festival Circus, a Punch ‘n’ Judy magic show, barrel train ride, cub karts, an inflatable assault course with giant slide, balloon modelling, face painting and sand and slime modelling.
Action on the track includes Ripon’s only listed race of the season — the EBF-sponsored Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy.
Ripon’s fairground attractions bring out families for Yorkshire dayRipon’s first major event since covid restrictions eased on July 19 was welcomed by bright sunshine this afternoon.
From the opening of the Yorkshire Day Weekend at 2pm, there were queues of excited boys and girls waiting for their go on the roundabouts and climbing wall.
Two free fairground rides for young children, provided courtesy of the city council, proved a magnet to attract families onto Market Square.
Children had to wear harnesses and safety helmets to go on the climbing wall
The climbing wall for older children, was also free of charge, giving an opportunity for budding Chris Boningtons to try out mountaineering skills.
The rides and wall were attended by stewards to keep the children and other visitors safe.
Nikita, with daughters Lexie (centre) and Octavia, after the children enjoyed a spin on one of the fairground rides.
The free rides and climbing wall will be open until 8pm today and again tomorrow between 10am and 4pm, when there will also be an artisan market on Market Square.
Sadie and her children Lewis (centre) and Jack (right) with family friend Catalin and his children Iris and Rafi
Music takes centre stage from 5.45pm today, when local singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Freddie Cleary performs on a stage in front of Ripon Town Hall.
He will be followed by Elton John, Amy Winehouse and Queen tribute acts, whose respective performances will begin at 7pm, 7.45pm and 9.45pm.
Between the tribute acts, at 9pm, hornblower Richard Midgley will be present to set the watch, with blasts of his horn at the four corners of the obelisk.
The Yorkshire Day Weekend is the largest public event to be staged in Ripon since covid restrictions eased on 19 July
The fairground fun and entertainment will be brought to a sparkling crescendo with a fireworks display.
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This day in Ripon’s calendar is normally dedicated to Wilfrid the city’s patron saint and founder of a church on which the cathedral stands.
The covid pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 St Wilfrid’s Day procession and also meant that this year’s event is not being staged.
However, to keep the tradition alive, an unofficial St Wilfrid’s Walk was conducted around a route taking in Ripon’s streets which, in non-convid times, would normally be lined by thousands of people.
‘I think government has got this wrong’: Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Ripon politicians react to devolutionCouncillors in Knaresborough, Ripon and Nidderdale have shared their reaction to the government decision that North Yorkshire’s two-tier councils will be scrapped and replaced with a single unitary authority.
In a move which will mark the end of North Yorkshire County Council and seven district and borough councils including Harrogate, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick last week announced his decision to opt for a new single council structure over a rival bid for two authorities split on an east/west basis.
It will mean all council services will come under the control of the new authority from April 2023 – and there could also be the opportunity for town and parish councils to take on new powers.
Harrogate is also likely to get a new town council.
The government decision comes after North Yorkshire County Council last year submitted plans for the single council bid, while the district and borough councils, except Hambleton which rejected all options on the table, were behind the east/west split.
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The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked councillors in Knaresborough, Ripon and Nidderdale for their thoughts on the decision, as well as how they hope their areas will fit into the new local government picture.
Here is what they said.
Christine Willoughby, mayor of Knaresborough.
Cllr Christine Willoughby, the mayor of Knaresborough
“I hope that the new North Yorkshire council will be responsive to people’s needs and will realise that decades of budget cuts have left services in a poor state.
“I fear that we may get a distant uncaring council which will continue neglecting our town.
“I really hope the new council will listen to Knaresborough Town Council and take notice of its views.
“In the past, Knaresborough Town Council has often been frustrated by North Yorkshire County Council’s unwillingness to discuss and negotiate over certain key issues i.e. the insistence of gritting of roads in Knaresborough being restricted to bus routes and leaving Kirkgate ungritted with our railway station at the bottom of the hill.
“I’m sure the town council will be willing to discuss the possibility of taking over certain responsibilities from the new council, if the financial package is acceptable.
“Areas that the town council might be interested in looking to take over might include burial services including the cemetery, the use of and responsibility for the market place including car parking, and the weekly market and I’m sure there may be many others including possibly some buildings.”
Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council.
Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council
“I have no angst against North Yorkshire County Council but I do think the government minister has got this decision wrong.
“My fear is that we will have a very large authority with not as many elected members and as a result of that fewer voices standing up for local people.
“I also worry we are not going to see an improvement in services and I am sure there will be counterarguments to this but you only have to look at the state of the roads in Ripon to see the county council already does some things badly and other things really well, such as education.
“We have an aspiration to do more as a city council as we believe doing things locally and involving local people is the best way forward.
“We would certainly like to see Ripon Town Hall back in the control of people in the city, as well as Hugh Ripley Hall. We would also very much like to run the Thursday markets.
“We have already raised some of these issues with Harrogate Borough Council and some have had a more favourable response than others. We hope they will work with us to get the best possible outcome for our residents.
“I don’t think tears will be shed locally following the demise of the borough council.
“Ripon residents do not feel they have had a fair crack of the whip when it comes to provision of services but we hope that can be put aside over the next 20 months for us to finish working with the council on a positive note.”
Mike Holt, mayor of Pateley Bridge.
Cllr Mike Holt, the mayor of Pateley Bridge
“The first thing I have to say is that Pateley Bridge Town Council is an independent council and as such does not have to follow a party line on policy, so the town councillors have their own opinions on devolution and I believe that is how it should remain.
“My personal thoughts are that the single unitary authority is the correct route to take simply because it cuts out the seven current district tiers of management and supervision which must save money but will also end the double taxation situation that many parishes face.
“To give an example, some of our council tax is paid to Harrogate Borough Council which amongst other things pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the flower beds in Harrogate and the Stray, but we as a council are also charged by HBC for the maintenance of the flower beds and borders in and around Pateley Bridge.
“I believe this is a double tax and HBC acknowledged this several years ago and paid us a ‘maintenance grant’ to cover the difference.
“Over the last few years this grant has been reduced and is now not available, so reverting to a double taxation. The single authority should remove that type of anomaly.
“I really cannot see much change for Pateley Bridge or Nidderdale in general, as we do not have any boundary issues with the changes.
“To take on extra roles, for example cleaning gullies or planting and maintaining flower beds, costs more than just the labour and materials involved.
“The whole administration costs and insurances as well as extra staff have also to be budgeted for but in the future, with the money saved with the single authority, there may be more funds available to make that work effectively at our local level.”
Ripon is ready to rock this weekendRipon will be rocking on Saturday when four musical acts perform in the city’s ancient square.
The Yorkshire Day Weekend will also feature free fairground rides for children, fireworks and a Little Bird Artisan Market.
The weekend has been arranged by Ripon City Council, which is funding the events from the parish precept paid by council tax payers.
It will be the city’s first mass public gathering since the relaxation of covid restrictions on July 19.
In line with the council’s family-friendly policy, two free fairground rides for young children will operate from 2pm until 8pm on Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sunday.
For older children, a climbing wall will be in place for use free of charge.
Ripon’s first Little Bird Artisan Market this year was held on Market Square in May.
Music takes centre stage from 5.45pm on Saturday, when local singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Freddie Cleary performs.
He will be followed by Elton John, Amy Winehouse and Queen tribute acts, whose respective performances will begin at 7pm, 7.45pm and 9.45pm.
A more traditional performer will be on Market Square at 9pm, when a hornblower’s blasts at the four corners of the obelisk will signal the setting of the night watch.
Ripon’s day of fairground fun and entertainment will be brought to a sparkling crescendo with a Saturday night fireworks display.
Cupcakes by Ripon-based When the Cake Door Opens will be among the items for sale at Sunday’s market.
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Between 10am and 3pm on Sunday’s Yorkshire Day, the Little Bird Artisan Market will showcase more than 50 businesses, selling goods handmade or produced in the Yorkshire area.
Last month the market attracted many local people and visitors to the city centre, who browsed stalls selling an array of crafts, homeware, skin products, candles, clothing, photography, wood crafts and other goods.
Bid to open Lidl in Ripon wins support of city council
Plans for a Lidl supermarket in Ripon have won the support of the city council.
Council leader Andrew Williams described a planning application by the German supermarket chain as a ‘win, win, win, situation’.
He said:
“It will bring 40 new jobs, increase choice for Ripon’s residents and also serve our growing population, with the new homes that we have coming on stream.”
Cllr Williams was speaking at last week’s full city council meeting at which he and fellow members supported Lidl’s planning application.
Lidl will join M&S Food at St Michael’s Retail Park if its plans are approved.
Harrogate Borough Council will decide whether to accept Lidl’s application to open a 1,100 square metre store at the £10 million St Michael’s Retail Park.
But the backing of Ripon City Council suggests there is support locally for the plan.
The Rotary Way site, off the bypass, is already home to a Marks & Spencer Food outlet, which opened last July.
Ripon, with a population of 17,000-plus and growing, is well-served by supermarkets, with Aldi, Booths, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s also trading in the city.
Lidl put forward its Ripon proposal following an online consultation.
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Following the consultation, a spokesperson from Lidl GB said:
“Many people have welcomed the proposed Lidl store, which would bring competition, increasing choice and providing a boost to the local economy through job creation.
“Many also mentioned that a store on this site would reduce the need to travel out of the city to shop and therefore keep expenditure in Ripon.”
The supermarket has also submitted an application to open its first Harrogate store on the site of the former Lookers car dealership on Knaresborough Road.
‘The roads around Ripon’s Market Square are unfit and unsafe’Pressure is growing for urgent work to take place to improve the state of some of Ripon’s busiest roads.
Ripon City Council voted unanimously last night to write to North Yorkshire County Council calling for resurfacing work to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
The principal areas of concern are parts of the Market Place roads where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.
North Yorkshire County Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.
Councillors want to see comprehensive repairs to the city centre roads, as Market Square is the focal point of entertainment and activities, including the weekly Thursday and Saturday markets.
At last night’s meeting, two Conservative county councillors joined independent city councillors to call for urgent repairs.
Councillor Stuart Martin, who is chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Mike Chambers, are also Ripon city and Harrogate district councillors.
They said they have been pushing for repairs to the Market Place East and West roads and other roads in the city.
Councillors say roads around Ripon Market Square are unfit and unsafe
Speaking about the long-term calls for repairs, Cllr Martin, who represents Ripon South on North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“You can’t defend the indefensible. We have been consulting about the east and west carriageways for some time and they need to be sorted out.”
Cllr Chambers, who represents Ripon North at County Hall, added
“We have been pushing for repairs to the road surfaces and will continue to do so.”
The county councillors were responding to a call from city council leader Andrew Williams for North Yorkshire County Council to use reserve funds to pay for work.
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Last week, in response to Stray Ferret questions about the state of city centre roads, Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:
“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.
“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”
But Cllr Williams told last night’s meeting:
“We can’t wait until next year. The roads around Market Square are unfit, unsafe for motorists, cyclist and pedestrians and unacceptable.”
The square will also be a key venue for next year’s events celebrating the queen’s platinum jubilee.
Ripon grants scheme opens for applicationsCommunity groups in Ripon are being invited to apply for grants of up to £1,000.
Ripon City Council’s small grants scheme has £20,000 available for allocation in the 2021/2022 financial year.
The scheme is designed to be an easy way to access a source of funding for local organisations.
A council spokesperson said:
“The council recognises the disruption to our local groups and organisations caused by the covid pandemic.
“We aim to support as many different activities in the city as possible in the financial year.
“With this in mind, the scheme will not have a closing date in 2021/22 and will remain open until funds are exhausted.
“We will review the applications received at each meeting of the council.”
The Jennyruth Workshops charity provides training and work opportunities that help to build confidence (Photograph courtesy of Jennyruth Workshops)
Among those to receive an award last year was Jennyruth Workshops, which is a charity that provides work and life skills for adults with learning disabilities.
An award was also made to Ripon YMCA, which provides supported housing for young people aged 16-35.
Other grant recipients in the 2020/2021 financial year included Ripon Community Link, Ripon City AFC, Ripon City Photographic Society, Ripon City Panthers Junior Football Club Friends of Hell Wath and Abbeyfield Ripon and District Society Ltd.
If an applicant is not a wholly Ripon-based organisation it may be necessary to ringfence any grant from the council towards a Ripon-based event, project or activity.
Applications must clearly benefit Ripon people as the grants scheme has been funded by an increase in the precept – money collected through the council tax levied on Ripon residents.
The council will not consider applications from commercial organisations, individuals, political groups or for projects of a directly political nature.
All valid applications will be considered by full council. Further details are available here.
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Ripon council to buy CCTV camera to tackle anti-social behaviourA mobile CCTV camera is to be deployed in Ripon to target hotspot areas for anti-social behaviour and crime.
Ripon City Council has this week agreed to purchase the surveillance equipment which its leader said will act as a “significant deterrent” against “frustrating” levels of crime seen during the third national lockdown.
It comes as the authority discussed using the cameras in March in an effort to tackle anti-social behaviour which has blighted the city.
Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the council, said:
“We have witnessed in recent months problems with anti-social behaviour across the city.
“Thankfully the pressure that this council has brought to bear upon the relevant authorities has led to a significant improvement.
“But I do think it would be helpful in terms of supporting police efforts generally across the city, and reinforcing the point that the city council and city as a whole won’t tolerate anti-social behaviour, that we have a mobile CCTV camera.
“The ability to deploy a camera would act as a significant deterrent and be extremely useful.”
Cllr Williams said a “yob culture” had developed in the city with recent reports of crimes including street robberies, assaults on emergency workers and members of the public being spat at.
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He previously said empty streets and dark evenings earlier in the lockdown had created the “perfect storm” for crime and that some residents – including himself – had become too afraid to leave their homes on an evening.
Cllr Wiliams also raised concerns over the number of officers patrolling the streets.
In February, North Yorkshire Police responded by stepping up patrols and said it had made “a number” of arrests, recovered drugs and seized criminal property including cash, imitation firearms and other weapons.
This was after the spate of crime prompted a meeting between city councillors and North Yorkshire, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan who later said she was “confident” that officers were dealing with the problem “robustly”.
At Tuesday’s meeting, city council clerk Paula Benson said the CCTV camera could cost more than £7,000 and that the authority hoped to secure the funds through grants.
Cllr Stuart Martin said:
“It is absolutely essential that we support the police in the fight against crime and the more we can do to help them the better.
“It is a good move forward and a good use of public money.”
In a direct plea to those causing anti-social behaviour problems, North Yorkshire Police inspector Alex Langley previously said:
“If you commit anti-social behaviour and mindless acts of theft and criminal damage we will take every opportunity to investigate and prosecute you.
“As a young person you may not realise that throwing that stone or stealing some alcohol may result in a criminal record – and that a criminal record could prevent you accessing higher education and certain types of employment.
“Please stop and think about the consequences of your actions and how your decisions today could impact on your future.”
Sale of Ripon Spa Baths to go ahead despite protestsHarrogate Borough Council has rejected repeated calls for the sale of Ripon Spa Baths to be halted while work on the city’s regeneration masterplan is underway.
The council put the historic baths on the market in February in a move which sparked concerns that it could lose its community use if snapped up by a private developer.
Groups including Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and Ripon Together have since made calls for the sale not to be rushed through.
But a Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson has now made its intentions clearer than ever. The spokesperson said:
“We have no plans to withdraw the sale of Ripon Spa Baths.
“The building will soon become surplus to our requirements and we do not have the resources to maintain it.
“Selling the baths for redevelopment, subject to planning permission and listed building consents, would allow this local asset to be given a new lease of life, retain its key features and remain as a city landmark.
“Ripon City Council, or another interested party, is welcome to submit a bid.”
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Alternative options
City council leader Andrew Williams told a meeting on Tuesday that it was “clearly inappropriate” for the 116-year-old baths to remain on the market while the Ripon Renewal Project is underway.
The Harrogate Borough Council-led project started in January with a consultancy firm being paid £85,000 to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for major infrastructure, planning and community projects.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Cllr Williams also pledged to set up a community working group to think up future uses for the baths, which will reopen on May 14 following months of closures caused by the lockdown and staffing issues.
He said:
“This council needs to take a lead in bringing other groups together to look at alternatives in terms of what the Spa Baths site could potentially be used for.
“With this master-planning exercise going on at the moment, we shouldn’t be taking this building out of the equation.”
The Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the building was being sold because it will no longer be needed by the authority when the refurbishment of Ripon Leisure Centre is completed later this year.
The multi-million pound upgrades were due to be completed earlier in 2021 but there have been construction and covid delays.
The spokesperson added:
“Our strategy of disposing of assets no longer required means we have been able to invest more than £10m in Ripon.
“The city’s new state-of-the-art, bigger, and better swimming pool and refurbished leisure centre will open at the end of this year”.