Plans to build new 80-bed care home in Ripon refused by North Yorkshire Council

The plans were submitted by Muller Property Group and involved demolishing industrial buildings at T&R Williamson Business Park to make way for a new care facility.

Eight units at the site are currently occupied and let out to a range of tenants and the development would have resulted in the loss of between 12-15 jobs.

However, the developer argued that 70 social care jobs would have been created through the scheme.

Access was proposed off Stonebridgegate and the site is next to the city’s Aldi supermarket and near to the fire and police station.

According to plans attached to the application, the developer hoped to deliver a “high-quality” care home on the site with a design that better reflects the surroundings than what is currently there.

A named care provider was not attached to the application but the facility would have had 24 bedrooms in total and plans included several shared living rooms, a hair and nail salon for residents, a cafe and 31 car parking spaces.

The developer added in documents: “The development will improve the appearance of the site and will provide a use which is much more in-keeping with the residential character of the area.”

But the NHS submitted comments to the council that said GP practices in Ripon do not have the capacity to accommodate the additional residents that would arise from the care home.

It asked for a contribution of £40,478 to go towards local health services.

Despite the creation of new social care jobs, the council said in its refusal notice that it objected to the proposed loss of employment space due to the demolition of the industrial buildings.

The refusal notice said: “The proposed development would result in the loss of existing employment floorspace.

"No evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the site has been actively marketed for employment use, that continued use of the site for employment is no longer viable, that the existing businesses remaining on the site could relocate to comparable suitable premises in the local area, or that alternative employment uses cannot be accommodated on the site.”

The council also said the size of the building would harm the Ripon Conservation Area, the facility would not provide “satisfactory living conditions” for residents and insufficient information had been provided regarding the potential implications of gypsum-related ground stability issues.

The developer can appeal the decision.