Consultation call for city street pedestrianisation

A public consultation could be held on proposals to pedestrianise one of Ripon's historic city centre streets during the daytime and summer evenings.

A petition signed by 868 people is calling on North Yorkshire Council to make progress on the long-discussed pedestrianisation of Kirkgate.

Campaigners want automatic rising bollards installed to restrict traffic between 10:00 and 17:00, with additional restrictions between 17:00 and 21:00 during the summer.

They say the change would create a safer, more welcoming area where people could walk, shop and spend time, while supporting local businesses.

Ripon councillor Andrew Williams said the petition had been raised by residents after North Yorkshire Council declined to carry out a consultation exercise on how seasonal pedestrianisation might be achieved.

However, he acknowledged there were significant practical difficulties.

"There are numerous complications to pedestrianising Kirkgate, and it's not that straightforward," he said.

"There are residential properties whose right of access is through Kirkgate, which makes it very difficult legally.

"The only way you could really introduce pedestrianisation would be with a rising and falling bollard, and that then raises issues around cost and maintenance. So it has never been straightforward to achieve."

Council officers have raised similar concerns.

Kirkgate is already classed as a pedestrian zone, where parking is prohibited and vehicles are only permitted to enter if they have a destination or business on the street.

Previous requests for further pedestrianisation were considered in 2019 and again in 2025/26, but were not progressed because of practical constraints.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, officers say one potential solution involving electronic bollards would require part of Kirkgate to become two-way, but the road is considered too narrow for this to operate safely.

The street's setting within a conservation area provides another complication.

Williams said he understood campaigners hoped pedestrianisation would allow businesses to provide outdoor seating.

"I'll be recommending that the area committee asks the highways committee to undertake the consultation exercise that the city council has previously requested," he said.

"A full public consultation would enable everybody's views to be heard, rather than simply those who are campaigning for pedestrianisation."

The Skipton and Ripon Area Committee will consider how to respond to the petition when it meets on Thursday.

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