Plans submitted by award-winning operators for new three-screen cinema in Ripon city centre

John Tate and John Hewitt have submitted a planning application to North Yorkshire Council to transform the former Original Factory Shop on Fishergate into a modern cinema.

The prominent three-storey, 10,000 sq ft unit closed earlier this year after more than 40 years of trading, and the proposal would see it repurposed into a leisure destination.

Speaking about the plans, Mr Tate said the city had long been on their radar.

He said: “Ripon is one of the few places of its size in the north of England that is without a cinema and we have been looking for an opportunity there for six years, as we believe that it is a city on the up and with great potential.

“By strange coincidence, I discovered during my research on Ripon that my grandfather and namesake, John Henry Tate, was born at a house on North Street in October 1883 and I take this as a lucky omen.

"We are delighted to have signed a lease, subject to planning, for a change of use from retail unit to cinema on 14–16 Fishergate and hope to secure the necessary permission to proceed as soon as possible.”

If approved, the cinema would offer a a wide range of films, including the latest blockbusters and current releases, alongside Event Cinema, National Theatre Live, Royal Opera House productions, cinema stage musicals, documentaries and independent foreign-language films.

Mr Tate added that the venue would also cater to a broad audience.

“We will also have schemes for the over 60s, families with babies, and film-lovers of all ages will be able to enjoy food and drink in the comfortable lounge area or in the auditorium while watching a film or performance,” he said.

Tate and Hewitt, both members of the Executive Board of the UK Cinema Association, have a strong track record with highly successful operations in Ilkley and Wetherby.

Their Ilkley venue was named Cinema of the Year at the Big Screen Awards in 2022, while their investment in Wetherby saw the town’s historic film theatre transformed into a two-screen venue.

The proposals have been strongly backed by Ripon Business Improvement District (BID).

Lilla Bathurst, Manager of Ripon BID, said: “We will do everything within our power to support the application, which will add substantially to the city’s retail and leisure offering.

“It is phenomenal news for Ripon and is a further sign of the confidence that investors have in the historic Cathedral City of the Dales.

"Our post‑Covid recovery puts us high on the list of UK locations where independent businesses want to be - and importantly, places where people want to visit.”

She added that the £1.25 million investment could act as a catalyst for further growth in the city.

Meanwhile, the owners of the former Curzon cinema on North Street have also welcomed the development.

Sterne Properties Limited, which owns the building that has stood vacant since July 2023, said it remains committed to bringing the site back into use as a family-focused leisure facility.

Robert Sterne, Director of Sterne Properties Limited, said: “The ship has now sailed in respect of our attempts to broker a deal with Curzon that would involve reopening the cinema at the site.

"We do, however, remain fully committed to returning the premises – closed since July 2023 – back into active use as a family-focused leisure facility for people of all ages.

"We are fully supportive of the plans that John Tate and John Hewitt have been kind enough to share with us, as we believe their development on Fishergate will be complementary to a new leisure use in North Street that would also save this landmark building from further deterioration.

“We now hope to be able to get around the table once more with Curzon to seek equitable terms for the surrender of their lease.”