Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

New crossing on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road to be installed next year

A toucan crossing on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road looks set to be installed next year after plans were approved.

North Yorkshire County Council proposed the crossing to encourage walking and cycling at the junction with Slingsby Walk.

It will be the fourth set of lights in less than a mile between the Empress roundabout and the Woodlands junction, which is already one of the most congested stretches of road around Harrogate.

Council officials have estimated the crossing could double the number of cyclists using the Slingsby Walk route, which runs alongside the Stray.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at the authority, approved the crossing at a meeting yesterday.

Subject to a feasibility study, it will be installed in the 2023/24 financial year.

The section of Wetherby Road and Slingsby Walk which is earmarked for a new crossing.

Cllr Duncan said:

“A crossing at Slingsby Walk would be a positive step forward for active travel in Harrogate, providing a safe, formal crossing point for both pedestrians and cyclists who might currently be hesitant about using the link.

“We recognise the concerns around existing traffic congestion on this section of Wetherby Road and at the meeting we discussed how we will use sensor technology to detect automatically when the crossing is clear to ensure no unnecessary delays to motorists.

“We are committed to doing more to create opportunities for people to walk or cycle for work, education and shopping as part of a balanced approach to travel. This means doing what we can to support all road users – motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and public transport services.”

Likely to increase delays

Council officers have admitted the crossing is likely to cause further delays for drivers.

In a report outlining the proposal, Barrie Mason, assistant director for highways and transportation, accepted the move would likely increase pressure on the road network.

He added there were also officer concerns over “existing traffic congestion on this section of Wetherby Road”.

However, he said these concerns had to be balanced against the benefit that it would offer to pedestrians and cyclists.

Funding of £75,000 for the crossing has been secured from Harrogate Borough Council’s sustainable transport budget.

Ripon teacher died after accidental fall in Italian Dolomites, coroner rules

A Ripon teacher died after an accidental fall in the Italian Dolomites, a coroner has ruled.

Louise Atkinson, 55, of North Stainley, was trekking with her partner in the Tires Valley, Bolzano, in northern Italy, when she fell to her death on July 24 this year.

An inquest today heard that Ms Atkinson and John Dickinson, who had both been to the area four years prior, were heading on a more difficult route after their original path had changed due to a new restaurant development.

In a statement given to the court, which was read by coroner Catherine Cundy, Mr Dickinson said the pair took a different path “hoping to find a route we were familiar with”.

He said:

“It became difficult and we stopped and decided to return to the cafe.”

The inquest heard Ms Atkinson was about 20 feet behind Mr Dickinson.

After deciding to turn back, Mr Dickinson then heard her lose her step and slip off the cliff.

He said:

“I turned around and called her name. I could not reach her and she slipped off the cliff edge.”

The inquest heard Ms Atkinson rolled about 35 metres down the mountain.

Two young walkers alerted the Italian emergency services and a mountain rescue helicopter was called out to the scene.

The commander of the mountain service said in a statement to the coroner that “serious injuries to her body” led to Ms Atkinson’s death.

He added Mr Dickinson had “tried in vain” to save her following the fall.

A post-mortem carried out by Elzer Tjio, of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, concluded the cause of death was a traumatic brain injury.

Ms Cundy concluded that Ms Atkinson’s death was an accident likely to have been caused by her losing her footing on the route.

She said:

“I am satisfied that on balance it is more likely than not that she fell in the circumstances that I have described.”

‘An amazing teacher’

Following her death, tributes were paid to Ms Atkinson, who was a teacher at Roecliffe Church of England School near Boroughbridge and St Wilfrid’s Catholic School in Ripon.

One person posted:

“Heartbreaking news. This is so sad. She taught both our sons at Roecliffe. She was an amazing teacher and a lovely kind lady. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and pupils.”

Another said:

“Such sad news. My son loved her as a teacher and came home every Friday full of stories of what she taught him that day. Condolences to all her family and friends. RIP.”

Plan to convert former River Nidd mill into housing

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Nidd Valley Saw Mills into housing and build a further 15 homes.

The proposal has been tabled by Wakefield-based Milner Homes for the former mill, which is based next to the River Nidd near Dacre Banks.

The mill was sold to the developer in 2020 after its former owner retired.

Now, Milner Homes plans to convert the mill into five homes, and build a further 15 houses consisting of two to four bedrooms.

It also proposes to build 12 glamping pods on the site.

The housing and glamping pod scheme as outlined for the Nidd Valley Saw Mills site.

The developer said in documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council that it intends to build both a sustainable residential and tourist development.

It said:

“The proposal will create a distinctive residential development which is sympathetically designed to respect the surrounding built and natural environment.

“Housing will compromise a mix of two to four bedroom houses, to create a sustainable and mixed community.

“The site provides a leisure use in the form of camping pods which seeks to promote sustainable tourism and leisure whilst respecting the character of the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Amazon driver on Snapchat jailed for causing death of Ripon biker

An Amazon delivery driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving in Ripon has been jailed.

Daniaal Iqbal, 23, was running out of fuel and texting on Snapchat when he knocked over and killed Peter Rushforth on Kirkby Road near Ripon in September 2019.

Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, denied driving dangerously, but was found guilty by a jury on August 15 this year.

He appeared before York Crown Court this afternoon where he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Second day of new job

Iqbal, who was on only the second day of his new Amazon delivery job, was also allegedly using a navigational app on his mobile phone when the collision occurred.

He was driving around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road when he collided with Mr Rushforth’s Suzuki travelling in the opposite direction, the court was told.

Mr Rushforth, 56, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side. The side of the van struck Mr Rushforth’s helmet, part of which broke off.

Mr Rushforth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. He then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground. Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was certified dead at the scene.

York Crown Court.

The court heard that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrisons petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card.

He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

Mr Rushforth and his bike were thrown from the road into a nearby wall and then into a tree, the court was told.

Police were called out and Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene.

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, he had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the camera and Snapchat apps on Iqbal’s phone had been activated as he approached the collision site.

A forensic officer said his investigation suggested that Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came round the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike.

The court heard that Iqbal was “distracted” for 32 seconds in the time that the crash happened.

‘Devastated’ and ‘remorseful’

Katherine Robinson, prosecuting, told the court this afternoon that Iqbal’s use of his phone had caused a “substantial risk of danger”.

However, Felicia Davy, mitigating, said the 23-year-old had never been before the courts before and was a “low risk” of future offending.

Ms Davy said the defendant was “devastated” and “remorseful” and that the case had been delayed for three years.

She said:

“In the three years since this offence, he has used his time as positively as possible.

“He is not somebody who has no regard or lack of appreciation of the impact on the deceased’s family.”

Iqbal did “everything appropriate” to help following the crash and has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, the defence added.

Judge Simon Hickey sentenced the 23-year-old to three and a half years in prison.

Judge Hickey said while he accepted that Iqbal was a “decent young man” and was “spoken of highly”, he was distracted for too long and caused the death of an “innocent man”.

Iqbal was also disqualified from driving for 45 months.

He will serve half of his sentence before being released on licence.

Harrogate M&S manager calls for longer Christmas fayre to bolster town centre

Retailers and a business group have said the Harrogate Christmas Fayre had a significant impact on town centre footfall.

The fayre, which ended on Sunday after 10 days, included about 50 stalls on Cambridge Street and Market Place.

It was operated by Market Place Europe in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Business Improvement District.

It was part of a wider Christmas offering that also included an ice skating rink, an après ski bar and a 32-metre ferris wheel.

Although the market stalls have been disbanded, the other attractions will continue into January.

Mark Robson, store manager at Harrogate Marks and Spencer, called for the market to be held for longer next year.

He said:

“I am super positive about the impact of the market, we saw a very clear impact on improved footfall into store and spending.

“All of the comments I heard from customers and my store colleagues were about how good it was.

“My view is that we should aim to do the same again in future years, and ideally for a longer period of time. We should also have confidence to go bolder with future marketing if the event.”

The Christmas Fayre wheel in Harrogate town centre.

The ferris wheel in Harrogate town centre.

Simon Midgley, owner of Starling Bar and Kitchen on Oxford Street, said the market helped to “bolster” business.

He said:

“I think the Christmas market was much better than previous years coupled with the other attractions of the big wheel, ice rink, etc. It made it more of a reason to come into Harrogate from out of town.

“Starling has been nice and busy since reopening four weeks ago and I do believe our business has been bolstered by some trade from those visiting the Christmas market. Bookings in the run up to Christmas look strong for us.”

Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate Business Improvement District, which was also a partner in the Christmas activities, said:

“Harrogate’s great all year round offering, plus this year’s fabulous Christmas attractions, has seen town phenomenally busy — and not just at weekends.

“The BID team has been receiving really positive comments, with the general consensus that footfall and spend has been very much up. The manager of one national retailer told me her takings were more than 50% up compared to this time last year, which is fantastic to hear.

“The Christmas fayre has definitely helped with the pull factor, and having it in town for ten days has helped attract shoppers during the earlier part of the week. So too did the BID-funded Candy Cane Express.”

Transport chief: Partially repainted Skipton Road bus markings ‘look silly’

North Yorkshire’s transport chief has admitted partially repainted bus stop markings on the A59 Skipton Road in Harrogate “look silly”.

The work was pointed out by local resident Alan Huddart on social media, who criticised it as a sign of “broken Britain”.

The bus stop in New Park is next to Kdcarpets and looks worn and faded.

In the middle, contractors have carried out work to reinstate a trench but appear to have only repainted where the work has been carried out.

Mr Huddart took to social media to ask Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire County Council, why the contractor could not have completed the rest of the markings.

He asked:

“Surely they could have done the rest?”

The bus markings pictured this afternoon. Picture: Lisa Galinsky.

In response, Cllr Duncan admitted that the work had left the stop looking “silly”.

He said:

“This really does look silly. Leave it with me.”

Mr Huddart told the Stray Ferret that the work had yet to be fixed.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council whether contractors would be returning to the area to finish the work.

In response, Melisa Burnham, highways area manager, said:

“Utility companies are only mandated to replace lining on the section of road that they have excavated and reinstated.

“However, in this case the bus stop is no longer in use and the lining will therefore be removed as soon as possible.”

Man jailed for setting fire to historic Knaresborough pub

A man has been jailed for setting fire to a historic Knaresborough pub and causing £15,000 worth of damage.

Stephen Pearson, of Pinhoe Road in Exeter, was charged with arson at Blind Jack’s pub on Market Place in the town on August 21 last year.

He admitted the offence and was jailed for 31 months at York Crown Court this morning.

Pearson, who had grown up in the area, had been in Knaresborough for a week’s holiday to visit old places from his childhood.

The court heard how, because the weather was poor, the 45-year-old decided to go drinking in Wetherspoons.

At around 8.15pm, he went to Blind Jack’s pub where customers complained he had been handing out flyers from a bag.

Dan Cowdy, prosecuting, told the court that Pearson had been asked politely by bar staff to leave the premises.

He was described as “smelling of cannabis” and stumbling.

Mr Cowdy said:

“On his way out, he asked if [other customers] had complained about him.”

The court was told that Pearson then went to the Cross Keys pub and missed his train to Leeds.

As a result, he decided to sleep in the castle grounds and woke up at 4am.

‘Woke up cold and angry’

Mr Cowdy told the court that Pearson “woke up feeling cold and angry” and began walking back to Market Place.

On his way, he picked up a bin bag of paper and placed it in front of Blind Jack’s pub.

CCTV shown in court showed Pearson attempting to light the bag multiple times at 4.14am.

He then left and returned with a piece of paper at 4.27am, which he set fire to and used to ignite the bag before leaving the scene.

Blind Jack's was the victim of a fire in August 2021.

CCTV footage from the fire, which shows the bin bag in front of the pub.

The fire caused an estimated £15,235 worth of damage to the door, glass and signage of the pub.

The Grade II listed pub is named after Knaresborough’s John Metcalf, the first professional road builder to emerge in the industrial revolution.

The fire service extinguished the blaze and Pearson was arrested and later charged with arson.

Owners left feeling ‘unsafe and anxious’

Owners Christian and Alice Ogley were staying at a friend’s house at the time of the incident.

In a statement read out in court, Mr Ogley said then fire had left them “constantly checking” CCTV and feeling “unsafe and anxious”.

He said:

“We feel that the effect of this incident has made us feel unsafe.”

The court heard how during interviews with North Yorkshire Police, Pearson apologised and described himself as “an idiot”.

He told officers that he did not intend to set fire to the pub itself, but wanted to leave the bag in front of the building as he was angry.

Mr Cowdy said:

“He assumed that the pub was empty and that no one lived there.”

Mitigating for Pearson, George Hazel-Owrem told the court that the 45-year-old had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

He added that Pearson had shown “genuine remorse” for his crime and had issues with alcoholism and homelessness.

Mr Hazel-Owrem said:

“It is plain that he has a number of serious issues, particularly with alcohol and as a consequence of that has been homeless for some time.

“He also suffers from depression and anxiety and has had suicidal ideation in the past.”

Sentencing Pearson, Judge Simon Hickey told him that the fire had a significant impact on the victims.

He said:

“As the owners have pointed out, it had a drastic effect of them and a knock-on effect as they came out of covid.”

However, he accepted that Pearson had shown remorse for his actions.

Pearson was jailed for 30 months for arson, plus an extra month to be served consecutively for assaulting an emergency worker in Devon while on bail for the Blind Jack’s offence.

He will serve half the sentence before being released on licence.

Tributes paid to long-serving Harrogate councillor who has died

Tributes have been paid to former Harrogate mayor and long-standing councillor Jim Clark, who has died.

Mr Clark, who was born in Arbroath and later moved to North Yorkshire, represented residents on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

He represented the Harlow division on the county council for 20 years before stepping down in May.

During his tenure, he was made chair of the county council – a role he held during the covid pandemic when meetings were held remotely. He had previously served as Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, with Cllr Shirley Fawcett as Mayoress.

Mr Clark was a keen advocate for mental health and hospital facilities and represented the county on West Yorkshire Health Scrutiny Panel.

Paying tribute to him, Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“Jim was a strong advocate for mental health services as well as the preservation of key hospital services in the county.

“This was highlighted during his time as the chair of the council’s scrutiny of health committee from September 2010 to May 2019, when he stood down to be appointed as the authority’s chair.

“His presence in County Hall was already missed after he decided not to stand for re-election at the elections in May this year.

“But the news of Jim’s passing is a huge shock to all of us who knew and respected him for the dedicated and talented man that he was.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim’s family at this desperately sad time, and he will be remembered as someone who was committed to ensuring the very best was achieved for North Yorkshire.”

As well as a councillor, Mr Clark was a keen supporter of the arts and served as chairman of Harrogate Theatre for 10 years.

After standing down from the county council, Mr Clark had moved back to Scotland to be closer to family.

Paying tribute to him, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council said:

“By profession, Jim was an accountant and a very accomplished one too. His interests included the theatre, being an occasional amateur actor as well as an active supporter.

“I liked Jim enormously. A passionate individual, a proud father and grandfather, a dry with and a powerful advocate for his community. He will be greatly missed.”

Study grants open to Harrogate district students

Students in the Harrogate district are being invited to apply for grants to fund study equipment and travel.

The grants have been made available by Haywra Crescent Educational Trust, which has around £1,000 to share, and are available to those taking post-16 education courses.

The money is available through the proceeds of the sale of a former education property in Haywra Crescent, Harrogate.

As part of the scheme, eligible students can apply for a small sum to go towards books, equipment or fund travel that relates to study.

The fund, which is administered by North Yorkshire County Council, is available to those who are who are studying at schools, colleges and universities outside the Harrogate borough.

Further information and application forms are available by emailing post16@northyorks.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is January 31, 2023.

No Harrogate and Knaresborough trains for five days as walkout begins

No trains will run from Harrogate and Knaresborough to Leeds and York for five days this week.

RMT Union members will walkout from today until Saturday (December 17) in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The strikes will be the latest to hit the Harrogate district rail network this year.

Northern, which operates services from Harrogate and Knaresborough towards Leeds and York, has warned passengers not to travel as no replacement bus services will be running.

Services will resume on Sunday (December 18), but Northern has urged passengers to check before they travel.

Meanwhile, no LNER services from Harrogate to London King’s Cross will run until Sunday.

A table issued by Northern warning passengers of days with industrial action.

It said in a statement:

“On strike days, only travel by rail if necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption and plan ahead – especially the first and last trains of the day.

“If you do decide to travel, there will be very limited services running across the whole rail network so remember to check your entire journey as other train service providers may be affected.

“There will be no rail replacement buses on strike days for Northern services and some Northern stations may be closed or have reduced hours due to the limited staffing and services.”

Likely to increase delays

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‘An amazing teacher’

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‘Woke up cold and angry’

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