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Ripon flats to be demolished due to structural issues

Monday, 24 November 2025 15:07

By Joe Willis, Local Democracy Reporter

The Ripon flats will be demolished after structural issues appeared.

A block of council flats is set to be demolished after major structural issues caused by ground instability appeared.

North Yorkshire Council has agreed that the block at 1 to 7 Princess Close, Ripon, should be knocked down.

Imogen Downie, the council’s housing policy and strategy officer, said in a report:

"The building at Princess Close is structurally compromised due to geological instability.

"Extensive investigations confirm that the site is affected by peat compression, gypsum dissolution, and drainage failure.

"Demolition is recommended as the most appropriate course of action to mitigate on-going risk and liability.”

The report noted that the conditions presented “an ongoing and unpredictable risk of structural failure”.

The council said the building remained a hazard despite being unoccupied.

The structural issues were first noticed in 2023 when cracking on the outside of the building and signs of movement were spotted.

The block will be the third in the area to be demolished due to stability issues, with flats on the opposite side of the road pulled down in 2009 and 2010.

A nearby building in Magdalen’s Close was demolished in 2014 after a sinkhole caused by gypsum dissolution appeared.

In 2016, a second large sinkhole occurred in nearby Magdalen’s Road, resulting in the evacuation of seven properties and emergency ground stabilisation works.

Historical records indicate the presence of a diverted watercourse called Skittergate Gutter and a sulphur spring approximately 50m east of the site.

Council experts say these features are indicative of underlying gypsum deposits, which are known to dissolve in the presence of water, forming voids and subsidence hollows.

The British Geological Survey confirmed that the site lies within a high-risk subsidence zone.

Council officer estimated that it would cost £200,000 to carry out remedial work to the block, although there was a high risk of further structural problems in the future.

Demolition of the flats will cost around £70,000. Council officers will look at possible future uses of the site.

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