A DEBATE is under way about the potential growth of Ripon.

The City Partnership's 2020 Vision scheme has suggested that the population should expand from 16,000 to 20,000 people.

But there has been a mixed reaction amid fears that any growth would mean building on greenfield sites.

The partnership chairman, Councillor Bernard Bateman, has pointed to the regeneration of the city in recent years, with the partnership providing £3m to kick-start developments in the private sector totalling £22m.

He said this had already helped to transform Ripon from a place with several empty shops to a more vibrant city centre.

Coun Bateman said that the main aim of the scheme was to spark a debate on the future of the city.

He said the city's infrastructure had to be considered and education sorted out, as pupils are leaving Ripon to attend schools farther afield.

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Stuart Martin, said the issue would be discussed by the city council at a later date.

He said: "At the moment I have had a mixed reaction.

"Some have said it is ridiculous and others believe it is worth talking about."

Major concerns have been expressed by Dr Bill Forster, vice-president of Ripon Civic Society, who said the suggestions were contrary to Government policy.

Councillor Alan Skidmore said a number of people had already spoken to him about the issue and were left wondering which greenfield sites would accommodate the major growth suggested in the scheme.

Councillor Bateman said that he had not been involved in discussing where any developments would take place, but he said there were areas in and around Ripon where development could take place if it was sympathetic to the locality.