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02
Mar 2024
The case for a new building on Minster Gardens
Ripon Cathedral is preparing for a funeral. The bereaved family wants to hold a lunch for 100 people after the service but finding a location isn’t easy.
The Very Reverend John Dobson, the Dean of Ripon, says:
The cathedral has proposed a solution: building an annexe on part of nearby Minster Gardens, which would include an 80-seat refectory. The refectory would also cater for bus tours, which stay away because parties have nowhere to congregate on site for a coffee, as well as concert goers.
The annexe, which it is estimated would cost about £8 million, would also include a song school for the cathedral choir, which is drawn from 20 schools. Choristers currently have to get changed in the library, which has to be sealed off.
There would also be a gift shop, freeing up the current cramped shop near the cathedral entrance for trips to the tower. Parts of the 1,350-year-old building currently used for storage would be opened up and, for the first time, visitors would be spared a trip to public toilets when nature calls.
The grade one-listed cathedral may be a source of local pride but Dean John describes the lack of facilities as "an embarrassment". He says:
'We are willing to compromise'
The annexe project led by Dean John has proved anything but straightforward.
The scheme is the culmination of a long-term vision that would, according to the cathedral, increase the number of visitors to Ripon from about 100,000 a year to 135,000, providing an economic boost for the entire city.
And yet over the last year opposition has hardened. There are concerns about the impact on trade at established cafés, the loss of public space and, in particular, the felling of 11 trees in Minster Gardens, including one veteran beech. Ripon City Council withdrew support in December; in February, Ripon Civic Society raised concerns, and a recent public meeting called for a referendum. Some 2,100 people have signed a petition opposing the loss of trees.
Ripon Cathedral. Pic: Association of English Cathedrals
The cathedral, which submitted a planning application in December 2022, paused the process in January this year for further consultation in the hope it would bring people together. But there is little sign of that happening. Some opponents have described the consultation as a sham, claiming those behind it are not open to change and and that the events being held at the cathedral should be held on neutral territory.
We put these claims and others to Dean John in an interview this week. He says:
As for the cathedral hosting events, he says:
He also denies claims an exhibition about the plans has been deliberately made less visible to stifle scrutiny:
He insists the pause is a sincere attempt to talk and compromise.
Dean John says he has “never taken it for granted that we will get planning permission” and "we might end up with nothing", which would have "grave consequences" for the city.
Losing £250,000 a year
Leeds-born John Dobson was appointed dean, usually a lifelong position, in 2014 after his predecessor Keith Jukes died. The dean is head of the chapter, which is the cathedral's governing body. Only 10 men have held the post in Ripon since 1876.
He says the lack of space had been an issue for decades but the cathedral “had more pressing financial needs” when he arrived from Durham:
The seventh-century cathedral, he says, was losing £250,000 a year and would have closed last year if the scale of losses had continued. Eighteen months of consultation with more than 1,000 people led to the publication of the strategy document Growing God’s Kingdom, which set a new vision for expanding the worshipping community.
The year 2014 also saw the creation of the Diocese of Leeds, with cathedrals in Ripon, Wakefield and Bradford. The three deans agreed to develop specialisms, with Ripon focusing on rural issues. As part of this it holds regular rural forums at which about 30 organisations, including councils, heritage organisations and companies meet to discuss rural issues.
The financial outlook has transformed, Dean John says:
Once the financial outlook improved, attention turned to finding more space.
The cathedral submitted two unsuccessful National Lottery applications for £12 million and £10 million for a south-side building. The chapter then changed course and secured pledges of over £4 million from private supporters.
But after three years of discussions, Historic England torpedoed the scheme in 2020 when an officer visited and said it could not support the south-side proposal because of the impact on the view of the main western entrance, described by the historian Pevsner as one of the finest in England. Without the support of Historic England, a non-departmental government body and statutory consultee, there was zero chance of success.
Dean John says:
Had Historic England backed the scheme, the south-side building “could have been built by now”, says Dean John.
Instead it turned its attention to Minster Gardens, which part two of the interview will explore tomorrow.
Read more:
- Ripon Cathedral invites civic society to discuss £8m annexe concerns
- Exclusive: Ripon Cathedral 'pauses' controversial annexe planning application
- Your chance to experience the sights and sounds of Ripon free of charge
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