Residents of Helmsley and the wider community are invited to view initial designs and share their thoughts on a new building intended as the Headquarters and Ranger depot for the North York Moors National Park Authority.
Drop-in sessions will be held on Wednesday 8 May at Helmsley Arts Centre.
Last year, the National Park Authority acquired land towards the southeast of Helmsley, at the end of Riccal Drive, with the intention of building a new combined office and depot to meet the needs of the organisation now and into the future. Following a Helmsley Town Council meeting in February, community members are now invited to view the initial designs of the building for the first time.
Ian Nicholls, Director of Corporate Services at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said:
“This is a first opportunity for residents and interested parties to see the draft plans and ask any questions they may have before we look to apply for planning permission from North Yorkshire Council later in 2024.
“Our requirements for office space have changed significantly over recent years and the Old Vicarage, where we currently reside, is now much bigger than we need. Our Ranger depot on Sawmill Lane in Helmsley also requires substantial investment to make it fit for modern working.
“We are keen to stay in Helmsley, providing employment opportunities and spending money locally, so it’s our intention to build a joint office and depot on the new site, which is land designated for employment in the Helmsley Plan.
“We’re grateful for the feedback we’ve had from a number of residents so far, and we’d now like to welcome people to see what stage the designs are at and let us know how we can make best use of the development for the community of Helmsley.”
The informal drop-in sessions will be held on Wednesday 8 May in the Dorothy Morley Room at Helmsley Arts Centre between 10am-12noon, 1pm-4pm and 4.30pm-7pm.
ENDS
Media contacts
Nina Beadle
Communications Officer, North York Moors National Park Authority press@northyorkmoors.org.uk
The North York Moors National Park
The North York Moors is a beautiful landscape of stunning moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites. Created on 28 November 1952, it became Britain’s sixth national park. Covering an area of 554 square miles (1,436 square kilometres) the National Park has 26 miles of coastline, two national nature reserves, 840 Scheduled Monuments and over 3,000 listed buildings, attracting an estimated 8.4 million visitors a year.
The National Park has two visitor centres, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and Sutton Bank National Park Centre, providing opportunities for cycling, walking, eating, picnicking, shopping, crafts and wildlife-watching. The centre in Danby also houses the Inspired by… gallery, which features regularly changing exhibitions by artists who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors.
The North York Moors National Park Authority works with a wide variety of people to care for this beautiful corner of Yorkshire, providing apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities with nearly 14% of staff being apprentices from local families.
To view other press releases and for further information about the North York Moors National Park, visit www.northyorkmoors.org.uk