Councillors to debate petition from 925 people about saving Ripon’s military huts

The petition will be presented to councillors on the Skipton and Ripon area committee on Thursday after it met the required threshold for a debate.

However, the committee only has an advisory role and can only resolve to move the matter on to the decision-making executive if it wished.

Plans for 1,300 homes at the site of Ripon’s army barracks were given final approval in May.

The barracks site includes seven training huts believed to be some of the last remaining of their type in the country and there is uncertainty about what will happen to them before the homes are developed.

The petition asks to preserve the training huts at an area of the barracks site called Laver Banks and to use them as part of a military heritage centre alongside a heritage trail.

Ripon Military Heritage Trust, which has spearheaded the campaign, says this could attract tourists to Ripon and would ensure the city’s rich military legacy lives on.

The scheme is being developed by the government’s housing agency Homes England, which has been non-committal when it comes to the training huts.

It says the design of the scheme pays homage to the “military characteristics” of the barracks site.

The barracks have been used by troops since the First World War and the site is still operational today.

To make way for the housing, Royal Engineers based in Ripon are set to eventually move to Catterick.

Homes England has suggested turning the Laver Banks area into a country parkland that is themed on the “celebration of the important role that Ripon has played in supporting armed forces”.

It said some of the buildings could be retained and a feasibility study has been shared with Ripon Military Heritage Trust looking at potential options.

But this has not satisfied campaigners who want firm guarantees that the huts will not be demolished or rebuilt as replicas.

As part of the planning approval for the housing, Homes England has agreed to pay £100,000 towards a heritage strategy for the site.

A council officer has written in a report that the 1,300 homes will provide several benefits to the city, including affordable housing.

“It must be remembered that the site is allocated in the Local Plan for a mixed use development and the scheme will bring forward many important benefits to the city of Ripon including market and affordable housing, employment and retail space, community space, a primary school, sports pitches, a new country park and other public open space and biodiversity benefits.

“Protection of the military heritage forms an important part of the application and the weight to be given to this in the planning balance has been carefully considered by officers.”