Harrogate Grammar School unveils new £1.3m building and garden

Harrogate Grammar School has unveiled its new McHugh building and garden, which were built as part of the school’s expansion.

The development consists of three new classrooms, an atrium and garden.

The elevated ‘classrooms on stilts’ have also created space underneath for students to meet.

The stilts are steel pillars, inscribed by children of key workers and vulnerable students who attended school during the pandemic.

The £1.3 million project was built during the pandemic to accommodate the 2,000-pupil school’s growing numbers.

The McHugh building takes its name from Jim McHugh, of the Red Kite Learning Trust, which oversees the school.

His history with Harrogate Grammar School began in 1975 when his wife Pat started teaching there. He became a governor in 2004 and later became chair of governors.

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More recently, Mr McHugh was integral in establishing the Red Kite Learning Trust as its chair. 

He said:

“I was speechless when I found out new building was being named after me. It’s a wonderful 70th birthday present.

“Above all, it’s so rewarding to see the amazing improvement here at Harrogate Grammar School. Not only with an outstanding Ofsted report, but also in creating such a lovely space for students to meet, to learn together and communicate.”

An aerial shot of the new student garden at Harrogate Grammar School.

An aerial shot of the new student garden at Harrogate Grammar School.

Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, added:

“Jim and Pat McHugh stand for commitment to children, for collaboration and positivity, so this is a fitting tribute to them both.

“This whole project also shows what happens when we come together with a vision to provide the very best for children. To achieve this, especially in the middle of covid, is something we are immensely proud of.”

Unveiling of the plaque McHugh Harrogate Grammar

Unveiling the plaque

 

Interior of The McHugh Building Harrogate Grammar

The interior of The McHugh Building.

Police appeal after quad bikes stolen from Great Yorkshire Show

Police are investigating after two quad bikes were stolen from the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate last week.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information on the bikes (pictured above), which are believed to have left the show in the direction of Wetherby Road.

Police said the theft happened between 3am and 4am on Wednesday, July 13.

Officers said they were appealing to the public to establish the “full circumstances surrounding the incident”.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who has information or who witnessed anything suspicious around the area at the time of the theft.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option two, and ask for PC 1606 Kinnear.

“If you’d prefer to remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 08000 555 111. Please quote reference 12220121553.”

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Nigel Adams: By-election could be called amid peerage reports

People in parts of the Harrogate district could be set for a by-election amid reports that MP Nigel Adams is in line for a peerage.

According to The Observer, Mr Johnson is planning to award peerages to both Mr Adams and culture secretary Nadine Dorries. Both are regarded as key allies.

The awarding of a peerage would trigger a by-election, which could prove an early test for Mr Johnson’s successor.

Mr Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes Spofforth, Follifoot, Huby and Weeton, is currently a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.

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Mr Adams has already announced he will be standing down at the next general election, which is due to take place in 2024.

He was first elected in 2010 and has defended the seat in three subsequent elections.

He currently holds the Selby and Ainsty seat with a majority of 20,137.

The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Adams for comment.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district travel disruption amid extreme heat

Amid the weather warning for extreme heat, those using trains in the Harrogate district are urged to only travel if necessary.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Drivers should expect the usual traffic on Wetherby Road and Skipton Road this morning during the rush hour.

National Highways has also issued advice to drivers who are planning to travel during the extreme heat. You can find out more information here.

Meanwhile, long term roadworks are in place on Station Road in Goldsborough. The road will be closed until September 19, 2022, as Stonebridge Homes installs a foul water and surface water pipes to connect to the sewer system.

A diversion route is in place in the village.

Trains and buses

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for extreme heat for today and tomorrow.

As a result, Network Rail has urged passengers on trains to only travel if necessary.

Northern has warned that its services are subject to short notice changes amid the extreme heat.

Meanwhile, LNER has cancelled its direct services from Harrogate to London Kings Cross due to the heat.

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

The Harrogate Bus Company is reporting that its 21 service will not be able to reach Goldsborough village due to the ongoing roadworks in the village.

There are also cancellations on the 1A, 1C, the 7 and the 36 this morning. You can find out more details on the disruption here.

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Spofforth housing developer requests £23,000 in council appeal costs

A developer has asked Harrogate Borough Council to pay £23,000 in costs after it won a planning appeal against the authority.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd took the council to the government’s Planning Inspectorate after it refused a proposal for 72 homes on Massey Fold in Spofforth.

The developer already had outline permission to build on the site, but councillors turned down an application that finalised the appearance and landscaping details in November 2020.

At the time, councillors said the plan would have a “detrimental urbanising impact upon the character and setting of Spofforth”.

A planning inspector sided in favour with Yorkshire Housing and gave the go-ahead for the scheme in October 2021.

Now the council has confirmed that the developer has submitted a request for costs totalling £23,278 for the appeal.

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The developer sought costs from the council after it said the authority had “unreasonably delayed” the housing development.

Council officials asked the inspector dismiss the request. But the government awarded costs against the authority.

Local concern

The decision to approve the scheme followed concerns from local residents over the design and that the housing would not be in keeping with the village.

More than 300 local people and organisations, including Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, raised concerns about the development.

Shirley Fawcett, chairman of Spofforth with Stockeld Parish Council, wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealing for help in challenging the development.

However, Siobhan Watson, the government planning inspector, said she found the council’s reasons for refusal “vague and illogical”.

She said:

“Given the site’s planning history, I find the council’s refusal of the application and subsequent defence of the case to be both vague and illogical. 

“I consider that the development should have been clearly permitted and that the council produced vague and generalised assertions about the proposal’s impact which are unsupported by objective analysis.”

Former Pateley Bridge police station sold for £297,000

The old police station in Pateley Bridge has been sold for £297,000.

Former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, announced that the station on King Street would be sold in January 2021.

Officers based at the site have since been moved across the road where they share space with Harrogate Borough Council.

According to the police, the move is expected to save £19,000 per year.

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The commissioner’s office confirmed that the police station was sold last month for £297,000. It had initially been estimated to sell for £142,000.

Details of the buyer have yet to be made public.

The commissioner’s office said the funds will help to pay for policing in North Yorkshire.

A decision notice to sell the building said previously:

“Pateley Bridge station is a large building and is relatively expensive to run.

“Whilst local officers and staff are based there, the building is far too large for the size of team based there.  

“New mobile working technology means officers are spending less time in the station and more time in the community, which has also affected how often the current station is occupied. This will decrease further as new applications are added to the technology.”

Questions over deadline for £11.2m Harrogate Gateway project hit by legal threat

A legal threat against Harrogate’s £11.2 million Gateway project has raised new questions over whether the controversial scheme can meet its completion deadline.

There is an agreement between the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority that the project to revamp key parts of the town centre should be completed by March 2024.

But revelations that one of Harrogate’s leading property companies has submitted a proposed claim for a judicial review has cast uncertainty over the already-delayed project which is being led by North Yorkshire County Council.

Letters obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal claims from Hornbeam Park Developments that a council-run consultation on the proposals was “unlawful”.

The council – which recently announced plans for another consultation this summer – responded in a letter to say it “does not accept” the claims.

A Department for Transport spokesman said it expects all projects funded through its Transforming Cities Fund to be delivered on time and that where there are delays, deadlines will be “reassessed by a panel on a case-by-case basis”.

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But when asked what a possible judicial review could mean for the Harrogate Gateway project, the spokesman added “we can’t comment on the specific funding arrangement” of the scheme “as this information is commercially sensitive”.

Separately, the council also said in response to the FOI that it “does not hold this information”.

Hornbeam Park Developments made the legal threat in February when it challenged the council’s decision to submit a final business case for the project despite survey results showing more respondents felt ‘negative’ (56%) about the scheme than those that felt ‘positive’ (39%).

The council then announced plans for another consultation and said it hoped construction works would start this winter, with completion in winter 2023/24.

The works will involve cycling and walking upgrades for Station Square and the One Arch underpass, as well the Odeon cinema roundabout and several other streets in the area.

But the most controversial plans include a reduction of Station Parade to one-lane traffic and a part-time pedestrianisation of James Street.

There are similar Gateway projects for Selby and Skipton, yet Karl Battersby, director of business and environmental services at the council, said the Harrogate scheme “has generated the most interest by far”.

He said: 

“It is positive that local residents and businesses feel so strongly about changes to their town and it is important to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to share their views on designs for the ambitious scheme.

“The project has developed since the previous consultation, and we know that the impact of the changes on traffic levels and flows were key issues raised in the previous consultation and we will provide further information on those aspects.

“We will also be consulting on the draft Traffic Regulation Orders, which would be required to implement the scheme.

“We will continue to work to the current timescales as set by the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.”

Mr Battersby also said details of the next consultation will be announced “shortly”.

In pictures: Great Yorkshire Show 2022 highlights

The 163rd Great Yorkshire Show returned to Harrogate this week for a sold out event.

All 140,000 tickets were snapped up in advance for the annual event, which started on Tuesday and finished on Friday.

Visitors flocked to the show, which featured a host of celebrities, including former Blue Peter presenter Matt Baker and shepherdess and presenter Amanda Owen.

An array of attractions were also on display, including sheepdog trials, horse showing classes and a pigeon show.

Meanwhile, some of the best farms across the north of England competed for the Tye Trophy, which recognises the contribution of farmers to conservation and environmental improvement.

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Princess Anne attended on the opening day to mark another royal visit.

Charles Mills, show director, said: 

“It was a real honour to welcome the Princess Royal to the Great Yorkshire Show again this year.”

The Princess Royal visited the food hall, cheese show and farming charities as well as the bicentenary celebrations of the Shorthorn cattle breed. 

Here are some pictures from this year’s event.

Ripon Royal Engineers embark on subterranean warfare training

Ripon Royal Engineers have embarked on a subterranean warfare training exercise in Leeds.

Around 20 personnel from the 21 Engineer Regiment embraced the hot weather earlier this week and slipped into an array of tunnels as part of the training known as Hypogeal Bear.

The Ripon-based unit made their way through 2km of knee-high water for what is seen as one of the Army’s most innovative exercises of the training year.

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Starting off from near the Royal Armouries Museum, and supported all the way by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, the troops made their way through the winding underground route until they reached Harewood Barracks.

Sergeant Mottley, one of the masterminds behind the exercise, said:

“We are trialling subterranean tactics, techniques, and procedures in a real-world environment, with the aim to build a specialist engineering capability that can augment the infantry and civilian services.

“This is not a sterile training area! It is not easy-going underfoot, it is not easy to manoeuvre down. We are in the middle of Leeds and it is something completely different. The links that this has built with Leeds City Council and the Fire and Rescue Service have also been a big plus.”

Pictures by Sgt Ben Maher RLC / MOD Crown Copyright 2022

Plan to convert former Markington pub into house

Plans have been lodged to convert a former Markington pub into a house.

The Cross Keys Inn, High Street, closed in 2016 after declining turnover and profitability.

Now, plans have been tabled to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the pub into a home.

ID Planning, who have lodged the plan on behalf of Leeds-based Lotherton Property Services, said in documents submitted to the council that the building had been extensively marketed.

It added that potential buyers had little interest in reopening the pub.

The documents said:

“No party expressed any interest whatsoever in reopening it as a public house or indeed any other use other than residential.”

The proposal would see the former pub converted into a four bedroom house along with three car parking spaces.

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

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