The safeguarding of trees has taken precedence over the safeguarding of children in a revised proposal for a new annex at Ripon Cathedral, it has been claimed.
Ripon Civic Society says the plans for a café, gift shop, song school, additional storage space and new toilets on Minster Gardens do not do enough to ensure the safety of young choristers.
In its response to North Yorkshire Council on the revised plans, the society states: “There are more references to safeguarding the trees in Kirkgate Park than to the safeguarding of the users of the building.
“Yet safeguarding the children who serve the cathedral choristers must be a vital consideration of any planning.
“We consider the planned layout to be incompatible with that need.”
As well as the choristers having to use the same staircase and entrance hall as the public, the society is critical that there are only two toilets planned for the choristers’ use.
“On days when all the choristers (up to 60, we are told) and the adult members of the choir and music staff are together, this is inadequate.”
The society has also raised concerns that proposed new public toilets are unisex which it says are “not considered to be safe for vulnerable children and adults”.
Revised plans were drawn up amid public anger about the destruction of 11 trees to make way for the annex.
The changed proposal would see 12 trees removed, but one heritage beech tree saved and 23 new trees planted in mitigation.
The Woodland Trust says it is maintaining its objection despite the changes.
It said the development could damage the beech tree’s roots, stating: “The ingress of the proposals into the root protection area of the veteran beech will cause deterioration in both the short and the long-term, posing a threat to the retention of the tree.
“These incursions will undoubtedly affect the veteran tree’s vitality resulting in early deterioration, particularly in the tree’s crown.”
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said it was pleased the redesigned scheme retained the beech, but said it too had concerns about damage to its roots during the building work.
Documents submitted with the revised plans say the proposal will help to “secure the future sustainability of a very significant building and make a positive contribution to the well-being of Ripon and the surrounding area”.
The cathedral says it has been working on the annex plans for more than ten years.
It says that the proposed location is the only one suitable and it is not practical to split the uses across several smaller buildings around the cathedral site.
The revised plans are due to be considered by North Yorkshire councillors next year.