Fire crews called to garage blaze in Lofthouse

Fire crews were called to a fire at a garage in Lofthouse late last night.

Fire fighters from Masham, Summerbridge and Lofthouse were summoned to the village at 11.51pm.

The fire was estimated to have damaged 50% of the garage and its contents.

The owner of the property extinguished the blaze before North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue arrived.

The service added in an incident log:

“Crews carried out an inspection using a thermal imaging camera and gave advice to the owner.

“The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.”

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Plan to convert 53 Bo Grove into flats

Plans have been tabled to convert the site of the former 53 Bo Grove antiques emporium and cafe into five flats.

The bohemian business on Grove Road in Harrogate closed in December 2021 after more than two years of business.

It became a hub for residents during the early coronavirus lockdowns by remaining open to sell food at a time when many supermarkets were struggling for stock.

Kyrensa Bentley, who set up 53 Bo Grove.

Now plans have been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the site, which consists of two buildings and a car park, into flats.

The proposal has been lodged by Architecture One Eight Ltd on behalf of David Birtles.

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All of the apartments proposed would be two-bedrooms.

A planning statement from the developers said the proposal would help to bring the building back into use.

It said:

“The existing buildings have fallen into disrepair and are having a negative impact on the adjacent conservation area.”

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

Traffic and Travel Alert: Congestion in Harrogate district due to A1(M) southbound closure

There is queueing traffic due to a closure of the A1(M) southbound between Dishforth and Boroughbridge this morning.

There are also roadworks in Harrogate and cancellations on buses.

Roads

Traffic is backing up in Boroughbridge, Topcliffe and Ripon this morning after part of the A1(M) southbound was closed.

The road was closed between junction 49 at Dishforth and junction 48 at Boroughbridge earlier this morning due to planned roadworks going over there pre-agreed time, according to National Highways Yorkshire.

All lanes have now reopened, but there is some congestion on the A1(M) and in Boroughbridge and Topcliffe due to the closure.

Drivers are advised to allow for extra time for there journeys.

All lanes have now reopened on the #A1M southbound between J49 (#Dishforth) and J48 (#Boroughbridge) following completion of the overnight roadworks. There is approx. 3 miles of congestion on approach, please allow extra time for these delays to clear. Thank you for your patience pic.twitter.com/uZeamTTOmc

— National Highways: Yorkshire (@HighwaysYORKS) July 5, 2022

As usual, drivers should be aware of the normal rush hour traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, Yorkshire Water is due to start planned work Leeds Road this morning.

These works will be finished today.

Trains and buses

Train services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at 8.55am this morning.

There are also cancellations on the 1A, 1B and 1C services.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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133 Harrogate homes set for approval after badger concerns

Plans to build 133 homes on Kingsley Road in Harrogate look set to be approved after being delayed due to badger surveys.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build the development on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

The company’s reserved matters application, which considers issues such as access and appearance, came before the council’s planning committee last month.

But the council delayed a decision after residents claimed there were more badger setts in the area than developers had surveyed.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies that found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used.

A previous ecological study undertaken in 2019 by a different developer found no evidence of badgers.

Members of Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside to capture the movement of animals.

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They claimed their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, six of which were still active.

A report due before councillors at a meeting next week refers to a study on badger setts undertaken by Dan McAndrew, the council’s principal ecologist. It says:

“The report provided is comprehensive, thoroughly assesses the current position and provides acceptable mitigation. 

“There are no badger setts on the site and the development will not cause loss or disturbance to the main sett and will only involve the temporary closure under licence of a small number of outlier setts.”

It added that mitigation measures were already in place as part of the outline approval.

Council officials have recommended that the committee approve the application at a meeting on July 12.

The proposal will see 133 homes built on the site, of which 53 would be allocated as affordable.

Appeal after indecent exposure at Newby Hall

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a man exposed himself to a group of three women at Newby Hall.

The naked man approached the women on the woodland walk in the gardens of the hall at about 3.40pm on Thursday last week.

Officers are looking for any witnesses who were in Newby Hall gardens at the time.

The hall is situated between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

A police statement said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help identify the man and in particular, we’re appealing to anyone who’d been at Newby Hall gardens on the day and may have information which could assist our investigation.

“The man is described as being white, aged 40-50 years old, 6ft to 6ft 2′ tall, of a medium build with a slight beer belly and dark brown hair in the style of a short back and sides that had grown out.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email Richard.Jackson@northyorkshire.police.uk You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 1505 Jackson.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220113065.”

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Man released after conspiracy to commit murder arrest in Bilton

A man who was arrested in connection with an incident in Bilton has been released with no further action taken.

Police were called to a property on Byland Road on Thursday, June 23, where a woman was found with serious injuries.

A man in his 40s was arrested following the incident. Clare Bailey, 44, was also arrested.

The man was initially arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and bailed pending investigation.

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However, North Yorkshire Police has confirmed over the weekend he has been released from bail and no further action is being taken against him.

Ms Bailey, 44, was charged with attempted murder.

She appeared before York Magistrates Court on June 27, but entered no plea.

Ms Bailey, who is from Dudley, will now appear before Leeds Crown Court on July 25.

Statue to commemorate Knaresborough philanthropist approved

A memorial bench and statue for Knaresborough businessman and philanthropist George A Moore has been approved.

The statue, which has been planned by the George A Moore Foundation, will be placed in High Bridge Gardens in the town.

Harrogate Borough Council has given the go-ahead to the proposal, which the foundation says will help to commemorate the life and achievements of Mr Moore.

As part of the plan, a life-size bronze sculpture of Mr Moore will sit on the right hand side of the bench.

An umbrella, coat and newspaper will be permanently secured to the cast iron and stainless steel bench along with the sculpture.

In documents submitted to the council, the foundation said:

“The proposed memorial bench will make a positive contribution to and enhance the gardens, while creating historic interest by celebrating a local philanthropist.”

George A Moore

Born in 1928 at the Mitre public house in Knaresborough, George Moore left his local secondary modern to put his carpentry skills to the good use.

He formed his first business at Cottingley near Bingley, which later expanded into manufacturing high quality kitchen furniture and prepared joinery for local authority housing.

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His business Moore’s Furniture Group employed hundreds of people at Thorp Arch Trading Estate near Wetherby.

In 1970, Mr Moore formed his foundation which started off as a welfare fund for his staff. But it was later enhanced after he sold his business and went onto to become a respected grant making foundation.

Mr Moore was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1988 for his business career and was later awarded Knight of St John status in 1995.

He died at his home on the Isle of Man on September 16, 2016, aged 88.

Emergency services attend three car crash on Ripley Road

Emergency services were called to a crash on Knaresborough’s Ripley Road yesterday.

Police, fire crews and and an air ambulance attended the three car crash at 6.13pm.

Fire fighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to the incident.

An incident log from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said crews attended the three vehicle road traffic collision and extricated a female passenger at the scene.

The Stray Ferret has contacted North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Air Ambulance for further details on the crash.

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Traffic is moving normally this morning throughout the Harrogate district.

However there are some roadworks and bus cancellations being reported.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

As usual, drivers should be aware of the normal rush hour traffic on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, Yorkshire Water is due to start planned work on Skipton Road and Leeds Road this morning.

These works will be finished today.

Trains and buses

Train services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at 8.55am this morning.

There are also cancellations on the 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 7 services.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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Carter Jonas makes new senior appointment in Harrogate

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Carter Jonas has made a new senior appointment to its team who will be based in Harrogate.

Nicky Partridge is set to become the new Head of Yorkshire New Homes at the estate agents and property consultants.

She will help the northern sales team, aiding the consultancy to further extend its presence in the new homes sector, as well as reflecting the national levelling-up initiative.

Ms Partridge said:

“There has never been a greater need for new homes in the UK, with Michael Gove having recently announced the potential shortage year on year, so the time is now to answer the call for more stock.

“The new homes market is extremely buoyant. Enticements are rife, with green mortgages available for buyers who are drawn in by newer more energy efficient homes from quality developments. Through my 17 years’ experience of pricing, marketing and selling homes, I’ve found proven strategies for both consumers and developers, ensuring best prices are found for all home units.”

New Florist in Knaresborough

A new florist has opened up in Knaresborough this past week.

River & Rose is located on Market Place and specialises in bespoke designs for weddings, funerals and events.

The new florist opened on Friday and celebrated by hiding five bunches of flowers around the town.

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