The company that owns The Ripon Inn has submitted a planning application to fell 10 decaying trees around the venue.

The Inn Collection Group, which owns a range of hotels around the UK including the newly refurbished Harrogate Inn and Knaresborough Inn, submitted the application to North Yorkshire Council this month.

It came after an arboriculture survey by tree consultants Think Arb identified trees in need of surgery or removal.

The application said a total of 39 trees required attention, including 10 earmarked for removal, which are suffering from timber decay to roots and limbs.

In the tree survey report, Think Arb wrote:

The report recognises the hotel is within the Ripon Conservation Area and that "all the trees above 75mm in stem diameter are offered protection under Section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990".

It also said sycamore, common beech, elm, Leyland cypress and common ash are among the types of trees that will be affected if the plans are approved.

A spokesperson for The Inn Collection Group told the Stray Ferret the work is “all part of our programme of maintenance and management of the grounds at The Ripon Inn”, adding:

The work would take around five days to complete subject to approval, the spokesperson added.

The trees set to be felled were not shown or photographed in the planning application.

Trees have been in the spotlight in Ripon following Ripon Cathedral's proposed £6 million scheme to build an annexe in Minster Gardens, which would see a veteran beech and 10 other mature trees cut down to make space for the new building.

The Stray Ferret revealed this week the cathedral had decided to pause the plans for "a number of months".

However, the Ripon Inn proposal is due to the state of the trees rather than to make way for a new development.

Read more:

• Exclusive: Ripon Cathedral 'pauses' controversial annexe planning application


• Campaigner 'delighted' at Ripon Cathedral pausing annexe plans


• The Ripon Inn opens today after multi-million pound refurbishment