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07
Oct
'Tatty' Ripon ‘starting to look like Blackpool’
Parts of Ripon city centre are starting to look as rundown as Blackpool, councillors claimed this week.
The state of the public realm came under the spotlight at a Ripon City Council meeting on Monday (October 5).
Firstly, councillors agreed to write to Bedern Court Ltd asking it to sort out the longstanding eyesore outside Bedern Court where land is fenced off on a main thoroughfare.
Cllr Andrew Williams, who leads the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group, said it was “a mess on the main approach onto the city and just below the cathedral”.
Bedern Court
Councillors also agreed to urge North Yorkshire Council to reinstate the Peacocks Passage public right of way off Kirkgate.
They then turned their attention to the state of North Street and Fishergate, and in particular the former Stuff 4 Offices building that has been repainted bright yellow at the end of Fishergate.
Cllr Williams, the current mayor, said
It doesn’t sit particularly well in the middle of anywhere, in my opinion, but certainly not in the middle of the conservation area.
It is so prominent in its location, when you come up North Street it literally is standing out in your face and it does nothing to enhance that locality at all.
Councillors agreed unanimously to write to North Yorkshire Council’s planning enforcement asking it to take action.
Cllr Julieann Martin-Long, an unaligned Independent, said she welcomed new business but added:
There are a number of buildings in Ripon that do not meet the listed building or conservation area criteria. Perhaps the officer could look at them.
But in particular North Street is beginning to look a bit like Blackpoll and it makes the city look tatty.
Cllr Williams said he “couldn’t agree more which is why I put the agenda item on”.
The meeting heard the bright yellow building, which is not yet occupied, is expected to become a hair extensions business.
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