Ripon Renewal: City regeneration plans 'paused' amid contract talks

The Ripon Renewal project was due for completion earlier this year, but there have been delays.

Work on a masterplan for the regeneration of Ripon has been paused due to negotiations over a £85,000 contract.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded the contract to Bauman Lyons Architects last year to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.

However, there have been delays for the Ripon Renewal scheme which was due for completion earlier this year.

And now the project has been halted while a contract variation is agreed with the Leeds-based firm.

Ripon Moorside councillor Stuart Martin told a meeting on Monday that he was concerned about the delays as he questioned whether the project would be completed before the council is abolished.

In response, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said he did not know when the project would be done, but the aim was before the launch of the replacement North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

He said: "We are in dialogue with the consultants and it is very difficult to say when that conversation will be concluded.

"But it will be our intention to bring the project forward in that timeframe."

The project started in February 2021 and was due for completion a year later. Bauman Lyons Architects has been contacted for comment on the delays.

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held last year with residents, businesses and community groups which highlighted problems in the city. These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

There were also calls for better traffic management on Low Skellgate and Westgate, and a new green route linking the Workhouse Museum and Ripon Cathedral.

The Ripon Renewal project is being funded by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Separately, the borough council made a joint bid for £6 million from the government's Levelling Up Fund for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

This included cash for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the bid was rejected by the government last year and the plans have been put on hold.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter