RIPON CATHEDRAL CHAPTER has withdrawn its planning application for a proposed annexe that would have included lavatories, a refectory, a song school, and storage. It was estimated to have the potential to bring a 32-per-cent increase in visitor numbers to the cathedral and city (News, 17 March 2023).

The Dean, the Very Revd John Dobson, made the announcement last Friday. “We believe, as we always have, that our development must be part of a wider agreed plan for the city. This includes creating a ‘Cathedral Quarter’ which would deliver wider benefits to the city and county,” his statement said.

Central to the development of the plan had been a belief that the cathedral was working within the Neighbourhood Plan (adopted after a local referendum) to create that Quarter. “However, we were saddened that Ripon City Council did not support the proposed annex in its December meeting, despite the many eloquent arguments placed before them, and the amendments that have been made to retain the beech tree,” the Dean said.

“In addition, we continue to be asked for ever more proof of viability and justification within the planning system.”

The debate within the city had been “challenging and difficult for everyone, but especially for cathedral staff and supporters”, he said. “The intention in withdrawing the current application is to allow the further development and amendment of our plans to be discussed constructively and positively — balancing the many complex constraints and opportunities.”

He warned: “Despite comments to the contrary, the financial sustainability of Ripon Cathedral cannot be taken for granted, and this has been highlighted recently by the situation of some other cathedrals in England.

“With this in mind, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the vision for Ripon Cathedral, with growing numbers of worshippers, visitors, pilgrims, and concertgoers, along with our flourishing choir.”

The Cathedral pays the city council to keep open the public lavatories across the road, as it has no facilities of its own. “The provision of essential facilities (including toilets) for all those who use the cathedral remains an urgent priority,” the Dean said.

“We are also dedicated to protecting the fabric of the cathedral for future generations, some of which has been in continuous use for over 1350 years, and is currently at risk from its inappropriate use for essential storage.”

He clarified that all costs for developing and amending the proposals in response to the feedback had been covered by fund-raising, and paid tribute to the “ongoing, generous support” of donors and funders, along with the efforts of all who supported the ongoing venture

He concluded: “The whole Chapter joins me in thanking staff, volunteers, and all in the wider Cathedral community for continuing to achieve so much while battling with the inadequate facilities.

“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 we will be asking them to share their vision for how the Cathedral Quarter will be developed.”

The Chapter first put plans forward in 2020. It revised them after consultation, offering a solution to the contested felling of a 200-year old beech tree. Supporters have raised more than half of the estimated cost, £8 million, and the plans had the support of Historic England

The Chapter published a booklet, Your Questions Answered, in the face of social-media discourse that the Dean, the Very Revd John Dobson, suggested was “lacking facts and distorting the conversation — I’m concerned that some of the people who say they aren’t supporting this may actually be ‘not supporting’ something we’re not doing.”

Last August, the Civic Society opposed the proposal on the grounds that the proposed annexe could harm views from a UNESCO World Heritage site, Studley Royal Park, which includes the ruins of Fountains Abbey.

A local resident, Stanley Mackintosh, was ordered by North Yorkshire Council that month to remove posters and slogans outside his home which criticised the project. They included a cartoon depicting the Dean with a chainsaw (News, 9 August 2024)

The plans went before North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee on 3 December. The citizen journalism website Yorkshire Bylines reports that more than 2700 people had formally and publicly objected to the plans, and that the Woodland Trust, Ripon City Council, and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust had raised concerns.