Ripon’s priceless military heritage assets are under threat once more after an about-turn from the government’s housing and regeneration agency Homes England.
Ripon played a major role in both world wars and the Cold War. The poet Wilfred Owen was among thousands stationed in the city during the First World War and the Laver Banks site played a pioneering role in military bridges. Further details are available here.
Military and civic organisations campaigned to preserve this heritage when plans were revealed to build 1,300 homes at the city’s barracks, which will be the biggest single residential development in Ripon’s history.
They thought the section 106 agreement agreed with developers when the project was approved last year would do this but Jane Furse (pictured below) a trustee of Ripon Military Heritage Trust, told the Stray Ferret:
“Homes England has said that the military heritage aspects of the barracks site has not been included in the section 106 agreement that they have been drawing up with North Yorkshire planners.
“This comes as a massive disappointment after we have fought so hard to ensure that the extremely rare and historically-important assets currently on the proposed housing development site have the legal protection that would be afforded through the 106 agreement.
“Homes England’s actions fly in the face of a democratic decision made at a Harrogate Borough Council meeting last February, when members agreed that a legally-binding agreement needed to be in place to protect the site’s military heritage.”
Ms Furse added:
“Ripon, as a military city played a crucial role in both world wars and the subsequent cold war period in areas ranging from bomb disposal to the development of Bailey Bridges that were used in many different theatres of war.
“Its Royal Engineers received the Freedom of the City in 1949 in thanks for their worldwide service and it is rather ironic, in a year when we will be marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, to find ourselves in an uncertain position with regard to the heritage that Ripon has built over decades, and which now could be lost to a housing development
“Our fight goes on and we will be pressing North Yorkshire Council to call on Homes England to carry out the wishes of the councillors who represent Ripon and the wider area.”
This heavy girder bridge over the River Laver on the barracks site was the successor to the Bailey Bridge.
At the Harrogate Borough Council planning meeting in February at which Homes England was effectively given the green light for the 1,300-home development to be known as Clotherholme, councillors agreed a clause, referring to: ‘provision within the s106 to secure a strategy to secure military heritage within the site.’
Without this in place any plans to preserve and promote Ripon’s military history and develop a trail that has potential to attract heritage tourists to the city will remain in doubt.
The Stray Ferret is seeking a response from Homes England.
Main image: Rare huts that were home to Second World War soldiers are among the heritage buildings the trust is trying to preserve. Picture RMHT
Read more:
- Ripon’s rich military heritage is under threat
- Council requires heritage assets at Ripon site to have legal protection
Harrogate housing company says 60-home scheme ‘undeliverable’ due to costs
A Harrogate-based housing developer has warned that a 60-home scheme near Ripon is “undeliverable” because of the terms being imposed.
V & A Homes has planning permission to develop a 6.8-acre site in Back Lane, Sharow (pictured).
But the section 106 agreement agreed between the developer and the local authority setting out planning obligations has proved to be a stumbling block.
The agreement requires 40 percent of the homes to be classed as affordable housing.
Besides this, the section 106 agreement requires V & A Homes to make a number of other financial contributions ranging from supporting education provision and traffic calming measures to funding improvements for Sharow Village Hall.
The site in Sharow earmarked for 60 homes.
Working on behalf of V & A Homes, consultants Continuum have submitted a financial viability assessment to North Yorkshire Council planners, after conducting detailed appraisals relating to the scheme.
The report, which has been uploaded on the North Yorkshire Council planning portal, said:
“Continuum conclude that the scheme cannot support any section 106 contributions (including affordable housing) as required by the current section 106 agreement and the section 106 agreement should be modified in order to allow for the scheme to be deliverable.”
The consultants added:
“The appraisals show that the proposed scheme makes a significant loss if the section 106 agreement’s contributions were not modified. Based on this, if contributions are not reduced, the scheme would be undeliverable.”
The report listed other factors, including increased developer finance rates, rising interest rates, a slowing residential market and ‘abnormal’ costs on site, which have impacted on the viability of the development.
The developer is now seeking to modify the terms of the section 106 agreement.
The report said:
“At the time the application was being considered, our client highlighted that there were issues with the viability of the scheme due to cost inflation and abnormal costs.
“Harrogate council however informed that our client could undertake a viability assessment after receiving a planning consent instead of delaying the granting of a planning consent.
“Subsequently, since the granting of the planning consent, our client has requested that they be able to run a viability case to reduce the section 106 contributions through a section 106 modification. This has been accepted by North Yorkshire Council and this financial viability assessment forms the basis of the evidence behind the modification of the section 106 contributions.”
In November 2022, a planning application for the Sharow development was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council as a joint proposal by V&A and non-profit developer Broadacres Housing Association Limited. The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council planners in April.
Read more:
- North Yorkshire Council seeks to plug £25 million black hole
- Maintenance work starts on Ripon bypass bridge
Homes England earmarks £10m for major Ripon housing site contributions
A total of £10 million has been budgeted to cover items in a Section 106 agreement being drawn up by Homes England for the 1,300-home Clotherholme development at the Ripon Barracks site.
The money will fund a number of areas, including off-site highway adjustments and contributions towards primary and secondary education provision and primary healthcare.
In addition, under the legally-binding agreement, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, is required to put a strategy in place to “secure military heritage within the site”.
On Monday, Homes England project manager Martin Wilks and senior planning and enabling manager David Rowlinson, met with city councillors to provide a progress report on the major scheme, that will eventually increase Ripon’s population by 20%.
In February, Harrogate Borough Council planning committee said it was minded to grant planning consent for the Clotherholme scheme and Mr Wilks, pointed out:
“The next stage on the planning process is to present the Section 106 agreement to North Yorkshire Council for approval.”
He added:
“The Section 106 monies have been set at £10 million to cover areas including off-site traffic interventions and contributions to education provision,”
The 21 Regiment of the Royal Engineers is scheduled to vacate the site by March 2026 and enabling works for the homes development will start in 2025.
In the meantime, Homes England is drawing up a sustainable drainage plan for the scheme with Yorkshire Water and working on a design guide for the development with Ripon Civic Society.
Meetings have been held with Ripon Military Heritage Trust regarding the protection and preservation of historically-important buildings and bridges on the site and a further meeting with them is planned for November 7.
Matters raised by councillors included the significance of the site’s rich military Heritage, increased traffic generation and the impact it will have on the city’s roads infrastructure and the additional strain that an increase in population will put on healthcare provision.
In view of the number of issues put forward, it was agreed that Mr Wilks and Mr Rowlinson will hold further meetings with councillors to focus on specific concerns that they have in relation to the development.
Read more: