
Plans for £8m Ripon Cathedral annexe withdrawn
Plans for a new £8m annexe at Ripon Cathedral have been withdrawn after they failed to gain council backing.The proposals for the two-storey structure to be built on part of the public open space known as Minster Gardens were due to be debated by councillors later this month.But the cathedral chapter said it had been decided to withdraw the application after the plans were not supported by Ripon City Council at a meeting in December.In a statement, the cathedral chapter said the debate surrounding the annexe scheme had been "challenging and difficult for everyone, but especially for cathedral staff and supporters".
'Eloquent arguments'
The proposals for the building, which would have contained a song school, cafe and toilets, had divided opinion within Ripon and the surrounding area.Original plans for work on the site had included the felling of 11 trees to make way for the annexe's construction.But under revised plans to be considered within weeks by North Yorkshire councillors, 12 trees would have been removed, a heritage beech tree would have been saved and 23 trees would have been planted in mitigation.In its statement, the cathedral chapter said its members "were saddened" the council did not support the proposed annexe in its December meeting "despite the many eloquent arguments placed before them and the amendments that had been made to retain the beech tree".According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the statement said the application had been withdrawn to "allow the further development and amendment of our plans to be discussed constructively and positively, balancing the many complex constraints and opportunities"."We now look to work constructively with North Yorkshire Council and Ripon City Council on how the essential needs of the cathedral can be met and will be asking them to share their vision for how the Cathedral Quarter will be developed," it added.
'Meaningful discussions'
A spokesperson for the Save Our Trees campaign, whose members had fought the scheme, said the withdrawal of the plans was "a vindication for campaigners who have tirelessly fought for the past two years to protect the local park against a large development and developer".Meanwhile, Ripon Civic Society, which has an advisory role on local planning applications, said the move by the cathedral chapter would allow "meaningful discussions" to be held with planners, the council, Historic England and local residents."The society has never denied the cathedral's needs, and looks forward to finding a way of meeting them that heals the present divide," it added.Announcing the withdrawal, the cathedral chapter said it wanted to clarify that all costs for developing the annexe proposals had been covered by fundraising from supporters.Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
New Alconbury Weald school approved after cost-cutting changes
A new secondary school will be built after cost-cutting changes were made to its school will be built at the Alconbury Weald Education Campus, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, with space for 600 of being built in the originally proposed "H" shape, the main teaching block will be a "T" school is being built to serve the new development in Alconbury which will turn a former airfield into about 6,500 new homes. In planning documents, Cambridgeshire County Council and developer Morgan Sindall said the changes "introduced improvements to the design of the scheme".The plans, which have been approved by the council's planning committee, said it was a "more efficient use of area and improves pupil and staff circulation between the school facilities".It could also allow for an expansion to create an enclosed external courtyard space. If expanded, the school could double its pupil capacity to 1,200, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Last year, the council proposed not installing a sprinkler system in the new school as construction costs had "significantly" exceeded the £37m project was thought a sprinkler system could cost between £850,000 and £900,000, although it was later suggested this figure may have been "on the high side".The report said a risk assessment found it was acceptable not to include sprinklers, with other fire protection features the time, some councillors disputed the proposals not top have final plans for the school include a sprinkler tank – a tank that typically provides the water for a sprinkler system. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Schools cash boost is 'not enough', North Yorkshire Council warns
More than £7m of government cash for improvements to schools in North Yorkshire is not enough to cover a backlog of repairs, a council has Department for Education (DfE) has awarded North Yorkshire Council £7.03m from its School Condition Allocation grant for maintenance and building councillor Annabel Wilkinson said while she welcomed the "crucial support", the funding was "nowhere near enough for what we actually require". A council spokesperson said more than £80m was needed. The DfE has been contacted for comment. Wilkinson, the council's executive member for education, learning and skills, said the money would be used to "enhance the school buildings' energy efficiency, reducing their carbon footprint and energy bills".She said the council was "committed to ensuring schools were upgraded to provide modern, safe, warm and well-equipped facilities".The funding - which is an increase from last year's allocation of £5.8m - would also go towards roofing, heating and window replacements across nurseries, family centres and primary and secondary schools, the council Fielding, assistant director for inclusion, said the authority would "continue to lobby the government for more money towards school maintenance and improvements".She said: "By improving the fabric of our school buildings and installing energy efficiency measures, we are also keeping classrooms warm and over time it should reduce energy bills for our schools too."A council spokesperson said schools in the county were already facing a maintenance backlog of more than £20m, with a further £62.3m estimated to be needed to address the condition of classrooms within five of North Yorkshire Council's executive are due to meet on 17 June to discuss the funding. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.


BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens plans include galleries and new entrance
A museum's entrance could be moved and new galleries created if plans are proposals for Sunderland's Museum and Winter Gardens have been officially submitted, after they were revealed earlier this Grade II listed building will have more space when the city's library moves to the Culture House development on Keel Square in the autumn.A decision on the redevelopment plans is expected later this year. The museum was last refurbished more than 20 years ago, according to Local Democracy Reporting the entrance is moved, the existing shop will become a learning hub called Growing Space, where visitors will be able to learn about the exhibition space will be created next to the new entrance lobby, along with a relocated reception desk and museum the city's pottery and glass collections will be moved into a new gallery on the third floor called The new galleries include Window on Wearside, which will feature "vibrant displays of star objects" to enjoy Sunderland's story of sports and music. The soon-to-be-vacated library space will become Sunderland Story, exploring the city's history through "mass displays" of early archaeology, ship models and mining for the proposed first and second floors are described as "more limited" but include the creation of a new meeting space, according to planning documents submitted to the council. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.