Councillors voted unanimously on 1 October to ask North Yorkshire Council's highways chief for a public consultation on pedestrianising Kirkgate, Ripon.
Councillors have unanimously backed a public consultation on closing Kirkgate in Ripon to traffic, overriding the advice of the council’s own highways officers.
The Skipton and Ripon Area Committee voted on 1 October to write to North Yorkshire Council’s Corporate Director of Environment asking for the consultation. The minutes were published on 8 October.
The vote answers a petition with 868 signatures asking for timed rising bollards on the street, which runs from the market place up to Ripon Cathedral. Before the meeting, officers had set out why they thought the scheme as drawn could not work, chiefly because a daytime closure would cut off the homes and businesses on Court Terrace.
What was said
A trustee of Ripon Disability Forum spoke for the petitioners. He told the committee that Kirkgate is already designated a pedestrian zone, yet still has vehicles moving through it, pavements obstructed and parking problems. He said the effect falls hardest on wheelchair and mobility scooter users and on older residents.
He asked for three things:
- designated pedestrian-only periods on the street
- a draft management plan drawn up with local stakeholders
- a consultation backed by a trial scheme, so the effect of any change could be measured
The council’s Highways Area 6 Improvement Manager attended to answer questions.
Councillors’ discussion, as recorded in the minutes, covered:
- that pedestrianising Kirkgate has been a long-running issue for residents and businesses
- that Ripon City Council had already resolved to seek a public consultation and was broadly supportive of a trial
- that residents of Court Terrace had raised concerns about earlier proposals
- that a detailed consultation would let every affected resident and business have their say, and let the problems in the officers’ report be explored along with ways round them
- that the idea fits the wider ambition for a cathedral quarter in the city
One councillor said the officers’ report “focused primarily on costs and constraints”, and argued that traffic management, emergency access and heritage impact were better tested through a consultation than ruled out beforehand.
The motion was proposed by Councillor Andrew Williams, who represents Ripon, and seconded by Councillor Robert Heseltine. It passed without a vote against.
David Skaith, the York and North Yorkshire mayor, also attended the meeting. Asked whether he would support a pilot or seasonal closure of Kirkgate to gather evidence, he said improving walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure was a priority for the combined authority. He encouraged both councils to bring forward investment proposals.
What the committee cannot do
The committee has no power to order a consultation or to change the street. Its report said as much before the meeting: it could refer the petition to a scrutiny committee, write its own recommendations to the decision-maker, or take no further action. It chose the second route.
The decision now sits with the Corporate Director of Environment, whose department wrote the report that counted against the scheme. The minutes set no deadline for a reply.
The second petition: Brierley Homes
The same meeting heard a petition from Kirkby Malzeard, a village about six miles north-west of Ripon, titled “Make Brierley Homes Pay Up What They Owe to the Kirkby Malzeard Community”. Brierley Homes is owned by North Yorkshire Council.
The petition concerns the Laverton Oaks development. Commitments agreed in 2019 included about £113,000 for community facilities and 40% affordable housing. A parish councillor speaking for the petitioners said more than 1,000 people had signed, and asked the council to guarantee the original commitments if its company could not meet them.
Planning officers told the committee:
- Brierley Homes has indicated it will pay the full Section 106 and open space sums, subject to a legal agreement being signed
- the developer had argued that rising costs meant only 15% affordable housing was viable
- an independent viability assessment found the scheme could support 39.39%, which would still mean 13 affordable homes
- talks are continuing, and if no agreement is reached the application could be refused and settled on appeal
Councillors split on what to do. A motion to take no further action and leave the matter to planning officers passed by eight votes to five, with one abstention. A rival motion, that council-owned companies should be “exemplars of good practice” and pay in full, was not put to the vote.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on Kirkgate yet. The street stays access-only, one way, with no parking at any time. A consultation, if the director agrees to one, would be the start of a process, not a decision.
- If you live on Court Terrace or trade on Kirkgate, the access problem is still the one that will decide this. A consultation is your chance to put solutions on the record rather than objections.
- Watch the Harrogate and Knaresborough and Skipton and Ripon committee pages on the council’s democracy site for the director’s reply. We will report it when it appears.
- Kirkby Malzeard residents have been told the decision on the reduced Section 106 obligations will be made by planning officers, not councillors.
Our earlier report sets out what the petition asked for and why officers said no. For parking rules across the district see our parking guide.
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