THE annexe project at Ripon Cathedral, under which a song school and a café are to be built on the adjacent Minister Gardens (News, 7 March), could generate an extra £3 million for the regional economy each year, through an estimated increase of 35,000 more visitors.
This was the message of the new Cathedral Support Group at its launch meeting. More than 100 people have joined the group, which “aims to give a voice to the support in the city for a new annexe for the cathedral and to counteract spurious myths that have arisen about the development”, a statement says.
The meeting was chaired by Meg Munn, an ecumenical canon of the cathedral and a member of the Group. “Ripon Cathedral is not only a wonderful historic building but a real asset for the city and the region,” she said.
“The proposed annexe would provide much-needed facilities and ensure that all of the cathedral can be open to the public. Everyone in the city would benefit from the increased visitor numbers. It is time for the people of Ripon to get behind this development.”
But the Ripon Civic Society, which advises on planning applications, has expressed concern that views from Studley Royal Park — which includes the ruins of Fountains Abbey, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — could be harmed.
A technical statement submitted to North Yorkshire Council from the International Council on Monuments and Sites sets out in detail the buffer zone in the UNESCO designation of the site, which is intended to protect it against anything that could “harm key views”, including “inappropriately sited buildings”.
The cathedral, which can be viewed from the park, was within this buffer zone, the civic society said, and the potential effect was “even greater” in winter, when the trees were without leaves. Ripon Cathedral’s heritage-impact assessment submitted with its planning application maintains that the annexe “will not impede or impair” any views from the site.
A counter-proposal is to locate the annexe in the cathedral’s stone yard, and not the gardens; but this has already been rejected by the Dean and Chapter.
Last month, the Yorkshire Post reported that Stanley Mackintosh, who lives near the cathedral, was ordered by North Yorkshire Council to remove posters and slogans outside his home which criticised the £8-million project. Alongside a petition, there was a cartoon depicting the Dean with a chainsaw. A 200-year-old beech tree, redesignated as a Veteran Tree by the Woodland Trust, is earmarked for felling.
The cathedral put the planning application on hold in January so that “drop-in sessions” could be held for staff to discuss the plans and receive feedback. The council’s decision on the scheme is expected later this year.
Speaking to the Church Times, the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, said: “The Renewed project is all about serving people, the city, diocese, and region better, and securing the long-term sustainability of the cathedral.
“There will be more to say in September; all the progress at the moment is behind the scenes and confidential.”