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Economic, Regeneration Tourism and Transport
Project Development Fund |
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SECTION A – PROJECT SCOPING |
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NYC Area Constituency Committee Name |
Skipton and Ripon |
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Project Name |
Langcliffe Quarry – A History of the Limeworks Industry |
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Description of Project Location |
The focus of the project is Langcliffe Quarry (BD24 9NU), located 1.5miles north of Settle on the border of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The site is situated within the Langcliffe and Stainforth civil parishes.
The project sits alongside a new development by Craven District Council to create a business centre, comprising the refurbishment of some existing 20th century stone buildings and construction of new industrial units, ancillary car parking, and landscaping. The area had formerly been used as a Council depot and had been allocated for employment by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The planning permission for the development included the agreement of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) to support the conservation and management of the wider site.
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NYC Division(s) in which the project is located |
Settle and Pen-y-ghent |
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Project Lead Officer Details |
Name |
Deborah Cross |
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Job Title |
Skipton Heritage Action Zone Programme Manager |
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Telephone |
07395 243121 |
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1. PROJECT DETAILS |
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Please outline why the budget is required and what are the current barriers to project development it will help overcome?
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The project area (the Site) extends to approximately thirteen hectares; North Yorkshire Council owns ten hectares – transferred from Craven District Council in April 2023 following local government reorganisation. The remainder of the Site is in private ownership and leased to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The Site is both an archaeological monument of industrial heritage and an important wildlife habitat. The Site consists of three kiln types that makes the site one of national significance and a key example of the lime working industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has therefore been designated as a Scheduled Monument. The Site contains the remains of three surviving kilns and associated structures – the Triple Draw Kiln, the Spencer Kiln, and the Hoffmann Kiln. The latter is one of only seven surviving in this country and is hailed as one of the largest examples of its type in the UK and one of the best preserved.
Since the cessation of industrial activity in the 20th century the Site has gained new significance as an important ecological environment. The colonisation of a range of often rare and unusual species and the development of keynote habitats has given the Site new and important meaning within the Yorkshire Dales. The ecological value of the Site is also an attractive part of its value to walkers and visitors.
In December 2023, a pre-application was made to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund North Yorkshire (UKSPF NY) for grant funding towards the delivery of a project to develop the Site into a unique visitor destination. The proposed project involved the creation of a coherent and comprehensive interpretative trail designed to enable people to explore and learn about the Site, its industrial past and diverse ecology. The pre-application has been approved, with an invitation for a full application to be submitted.
As the UKSPF NY programme is about to enter its final year, all grant funded activity must be completed by 31st March 2025. To enable the project team to meet this deadline and ensure that the maximum grant available is claimed, support from the Economic, Regeneration Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund (ERTT PDF) is needed to begin essential, preliminary development works before the full UKSPF NY application has been appraised and approved. Details of the preliminary works required is contained in the following section.
The project addresses key barriers limiting the potential to change the nature of the Site from being a purely historic monument to being a recreational resource, a place that the local community and visitors value as a place of relaxation, leisure, and education.
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Please detail what specific costs the budget will be spent on?
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The ERTT PDF will fund essential development works, including:
· A condition survey of the historic structures to assess their current condition and ability to accommodate any further impact from visitors and recommend a prioritised programme of consolidation works to address any identified issues.
· Research and preparation of designs for interpretation panels.
· Preparation of drawings to inform the submission of an application to Historic England for scheduled monument consent.
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Please describe the future project that this activity will help to unlock.
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The activity funded by the ERTT PDF supports the delivery of a project to create a unique visitor destination for the Skipton and Ripon Constituency Area. The project involves the development of a coherent and comprehensive interpretative trail designed to enable people to explore the Site and learn about its industrial heritage and natural environment. Specific activities include:
· any remedial works required to safeguard the historic structures and help protect visitors.
· improving accessibility of pathways, including widening and defining pathways, renovating any risky steps and installing handrails.
· Production and installation of interpretation panels and listening posts to feature both the historical and natural environments.
· Re-establishing lost features, such as reinstatement of tramway rails to highlight historic pathways.
· Production of promotional materials to support the physical interventions, including an educational resource pack.
· Hosting a programme of community engagement events such as an exhibition on the Site’s development throughout the decades, guided walks, bird-watching days and bat-watching evenings and special interest talks.
· Installation of sensors to monitor visitor numbers.
The project aims to improve access around the Site for a wider group of users, help people imagine the Site in operation, and help them gain a better understanding and appreciation of the local lime-working industry. The outcomes of the project will make a positive contribution towards providing economic and cultural benefits for local businesses and people.
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2. STRATEGIC FIT |
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Detail how the project will contribute to the North Yorkshire Council ‘Council Plan’ and the Economic Growth Strategy or the Destination Management Plan
(Reference should be made on how a future project will help deliver the respective strategies)
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The project aligns with an ambition in the Council Plan for heritage to play a part in the economic growth of North Yorkshire by using a local heritage asset to support the development of the visitor economy. The project directly contributes to the priorities of the Council Plan by:
· improving North Yorkshire’s tourism infrastructure to provide a meaningful, year-round attraction. · using engagement with culture and heritage to improve health and well-being. · celebrating North Yorkshire’s distinctive heritage.
The resulting project supports the delivery of the North Yorkshire Council Economic Development Strategy by protecting heritage and promoting growth through targeted enhancements to enable an important heritage asset to make a positive contribution towards providing economic and cultural benefits for local businesses, visitors, and residents.
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3. LOCAL FIT |
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Detail how this project meets local priorities including linkages with local regeneration plans and strategies. |
The project supports the delivery of key policies and actions in the Langcliffe Quarry Conservation Management Plan (December 2020), commissioned by Craven District Council in support of a planning application to develop part of the site for use as a business centre.
The role of the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) is to guide and support the long-term conservation and management of the site to ensure a viable and appropriate balance between the conservation of the site’s historic environment and natural heritage, and its use as a business centre and area for informal recreation. The CMP is the subject of a legal agreement between the Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, dated 22nd January 2021, and forms part of the planning permission granted for the development of the business centre.
The resulting project supports the achievement of the following key policies in the CMP:
· Undertake condition survey of historic structures and deliver essential conservation works to safeguard against any negative affect that an increase in visitor numbers may have on the structures and the habitats within or around them. · Review climbing restrictions at Stainforth Scar (the former quarry face). · Provision of additional interpretative signage regarding nature conservation and landscape value along visitor routes. · Consider the possibility of opening-up other parts of the site to visitors for well-being, education, and community engagement. · Install visitor sensors to monitor visitor numbers. · Enhance accessibility for a range of users. · Inspect viewpoints and undertake vegetation clearance to maintain. · Review provision of directional signage around the visitor routes and improve where necessary.
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4. FINANCE |
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Will the service area be making a financial contribution to the project development costs? If so, please detail.
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The Economic Development Regeneration Tourism Skills (EDRTS) service will not be making a financial contribution towards the development works. |
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Please confirm the amount of money required.
Please provide a breakdown of costs / estimates where available and how these have been calculated.
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The amount of funding required to deliver the required work is £25,000.
The estimated cost of the development work is based on prices obtained previously for similar projects. |
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5. DELIVERY, TIMESCALES AND MONITORING |
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What is the staffing resource within NYC required / how will it be resourced?
Has the capacity to complete the activity been confirmed with the relevant service manager?
Dependencies on other NYC services
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Delivery of the development work will be managed by a member of the Economic Development team covering the former Craven District area, who has a background in heritage and conservation, including working on grant funded projects involving various stakeholders and partners.
The capacity to complete the development work has been provided for within the work programme of the Economic Development team covering the former Craven District area.
The delivery of the development work is not dependent upon other Council services.
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Please outline the anticipated timeframe for delivery of the activity?
Please include details of how the activity will be procured (if required).
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Subject to approval of Skipton & Ripon ACC, implementation will commence March 2024, with an anticipated completion date of July 2024.
Services of a qualified chartered building surveyor and design agency will be required. A minimum of three quotations will be obtained from relevant supplies, with the contract being awarded to the supplier that demonstrates value for money based on quality and price.
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Can the proposed work to be funded delivered within the allocated financial year? |
Whilst implementation will commence in the allocated financial year (2023/24), delivery will extend into the new financial year (2024/25).
This accords with draft Minute 403.c of the Executive held on 20th February 2024, to allow any remaining balance of the ERTT PDF for each ACC to be carried forward into 2024/25.
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How will progress and the outcome of the project be reported to the ACC to aid effective monitoring? |
A project update report will be submitted to the meeting of the Skipton & Ripon ACC scheduled for 6th June 2024. Progress will be monitored against the following key milestones:
April 2024 – Application for scheduled monument consent submitted to Historic England. April 2024 – Contracts for condition survey and design of interpretation panels awarded. June 2024 - Notification of outcome of full application to the UKSPF NY programme received. June 2024 – Completion of condition survey of historic structures. June 2024 – Completion of designs for interpretation panels. July 2024 – Submission of final invoices for payment to NYC Accounts Payable and reconciliation of project budget.
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6. BENEFITS |
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What are the benefits of undertaking this work now?
What opportunities / estimated
economic, social or environmental
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The support of the ERTT PDF will help to secure additional investment of £155,000 from the UKSPF NY programme.
The project will bring new visitors and raise awareness of the fantastic wealth of heritage and culture that the Skipton & Ripon area has to offer. The project will result in the improvement of green space, creation of a more accessible, authentic, and distinctive tourist attraction that will attract more visitors and give current and repeat visitors a reason to stay longer and explore more. The outcomes of the project will make a positive contribution towards providing economic and cultural benefits for local businesses and people.
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AREA COMMITTEE SIGN OFF |
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ACC Meeting Date When Project Scope Agreed |
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Draft Minute Number |
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Signed (ACC Chairman) |
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Date |
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