Concerns over traffic and environment as £1bn plan to dual A66 presses ahead

Concerns over additional traffic, the environment and construction have been raised over a planned £1 billion upgrade of one of England’s busiest roads.

National Highways, formerly Highways England, today published a summary report of its consultation into the project to dual the remaining parts of the A66 between the M6 at Penrith and A1 at Scotch Corner.

The road is used by thousands of drivers in the north of England each day to travel between the north east and Cumbria and on to Scotland. Many experience delays due to the regular changes from single to dual carriageways.

A total of 645 said they were in favour of dualling the remaining single carriageway, whereas 68 opposed the move and 87 said they were neutral.

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In its summary report, National Highways said the most common concerns raised were over construction, traffic and the environment.

It said:

“Some people raised issues about an insufficient reduction in traffic when the project was finished, with a concern that dualling could attract additional traffic from other routes.”

Others had concerns that the project could disrupt wildlife and increase congestion during construction.

Appleby Fair could move

The report also reveals National Highways is considering an alternative to the proposed replacement of the travelling community’s Brough Hill Fair site on the section between Appleby and Brough. It says:

“In the autumn ​2021 statutory consultation, a site to the east of Warcop was earmarked on land belonging to the Ministry of Defence — ​known as the “bivvy” site.

“An alternative location, approximately 1.6 miles east from the current site, is now also being considered ​​in response to feedback from the statutory consultation.”

The responses are helping to shape the final design and inform National Highways’ application for a Development Consent Order in May 2022 which, if successful, will pave the way for the project to dual the entire road to go ahead.

Lee Hillyard, National Highways’ A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project director, said:

“We’re delighted so many people have taken such a keen interest in our proposals.

“Today we’ve published our statutory consultation summary report and spring 2022 project update, which is the perfect opportunity to provide the latest information and show how we are acting on the feedback we’ve received.”

Highways boss ‘confident’ Harrogate park and ride can still be funded

North Yorkshire County Council officials are still confident that a park and ride in Harrogate can be funded despite cuts to government funding.

A park and ride scheme is among the measures proposed by the county council as part of a series of transport initiatives to reduce traffic and ease congestion.

Two locations in Pannal on the 36 bus route were identified as possible sites.

On Tuesday, county council officials warned that it was “unlikely” that the authority would receive all of its £116 million bus improvement bid from government – which would help to fund the scheme.

But Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for highways, told a Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee that he was still confident that there would be enough funding for a park and ride scheme.

He said:

“The various interventions following the Harrogate Congestion Study and the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme are every much prioritised in our bus services improvement plan.

“Even if we get reduced funding, which is likely, I am confident that there will be money there for the various interventions that we want to make in Harrogate including a pilot for park and ride.”

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The news comes as the county council bid for £116 million worth of funding to improve bus services in North Yorkshire.

The county council unveiled its Bus Service Improvement Plan in October with proposals for more bus lanes, cash support for existing and new services and a simpler ticketing system.

But, the government wrote to councils in January highlighting how its £3 billion budget to “transform” bus services had more than halved to £1.4 billion.

Hope that electric buses bid will be successful

Separately, the county council has also bid for £8 million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.

If successful, the company’s parent firm Transdev would contribute £11.5 million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.

Cllr Mackenzie told the area constituency committee that he remained confident of being successful in receiving the funding.

He said:

“I remain fairly confident about that [the bid]. We ought to hear something about that by the end of this month, that was originally the deadline given to us.”

Thieves steal money and CDs from Beckwithshaw church

A Beckwithshaw church is appealing for help after a thief stole money and a CD player.

St Michael and All Angels’ Church, on Otley Road in the village, said the church had been targeted twice in about three weeks.

In a Facebook post, the church said someone had tried and failed to prise the cash box from the wall on the last weekend in February.

However, they returned between 11.30am and 6pm yesterday to cut the padlock locking the box and steal what was inside — which the church believes was around £6.

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The church said in its post that the thief had “come prepared” the second time round.

It said:

“The thief has also taken the CD player with two small speakers from the area near to the choir stalls which we used for Sunday music when we don’t have an organist.”

The church added that it believed the CD player was stolen by someone with a large Sainsbury’s carrier bag.

The church was built in the late nineteenth century in the Gothic revival style. According to its website, the building is open from 10am to 4pm daily for private prayer.

Vandals smash shop and car windows and bus shelter in Starbeck

Vandals have smashed shop and car windows and a local bus shelter in Starbeck overnight.

Two windows at Pets Corner near the level crossing were shattered.

Windows were also destroyed on a bus shelter next to the shop and on several cars on nearby residential streets, including The Avenue and further down the High Street.

One employee at Pets Corner said that staff arrived at work this morning to find their workplace had been vandalised.

They added they were still in a state of disbelief that somebody had done it apparently for fun.

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North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“We’re investigating a spate of incidents of criminal damage in the Starbeck area overnight.

“Officers have received reports that five cars have had their windows smashed, and damage has been caused to the windows of two shops on High Street, overnight between 16 and 17 March 2022.

“Enquiries are ongoing today. Anyone with information about the incidents, or who might have relevant CCTV, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12220045092.”

Last week vandals pulled up 20 trees on Belmont Field.

The trees had previously been damaged so many times at the other end of the field that Starbeck in Bloom, the community group that aims to make Starbeck more attractive, decided to move them.

Val Young, a local resident, described it as “disgusting” and “absolutely diabolical”.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Melmerby Green Lane road closure starts this morning

A road closure on Melmerby Green Lane near Ripon starts this morning.

Between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Thursday and Friday, a section of Melmerby Green Lane, between the A61 and Barker Business Park, will be shut for carriageway repairs.

As previously reported by the Stray Ferret, the road is being closed for works carried out by North Yorkshire County Council.

North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team, said:

“Drivers will be able to follow a diversion route to avoid Melmerby Green Lane while the work is in progress and there will also be advance notifications on the A1.”

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

Pure Gym to open in former Knaresborough supermarket

A Pure Gym is set to open in a former Knaresborough covid vaccine centre and Lidl supermarket.

The Lidl on York Road closed in 2018 when the supermarket relocated to a larger site nearby.

In February 2021, the site was taken over by Homecare Pharmacy Services, which administered thousands of covid jabs from a building in the car park until it moved in September last year to larger premises on Knaresborough’s Chain Lane.

In January this year, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission to convert the site into a gym.

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Now, documents submitted to the council have confirmed that national fitness chain, Pure Gym, will move into the site.

Pure Gym has lodged an application to the council to operate opening hours from 6am until 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

The company does not plan to increase the size inside the former Lidl unit and will instead use the existing space for the gym.

The council will make a decision on the opening hours at a later date.

The new gym would become Pure Gym’s second in the Harrogate district. The company operates a 24-hour facility on Harrogate’s Tower Street.

Why more construction challenges lie ahead for Ripon leisure centre

There were celebrations at Ripon’s Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre this month when a multi-million pound swimming pool opened after months of costly delays.

It was hailed as a “major development” by Harrogate Borough Council, which invited the city’s three-time Olympic medalist to officially open the new facility that proudly displays his name above the main entrance.

The opening on March 2 was also welcomed by residents who were left without a pool for months after the closure of Ripon Spa Baths in November.

Jack Laugher holds his Olympic gold medal at the opening.

But attention is now turning to the outcome of an investigation into ground conditions beneath the older half of the leisure centre where an underground void was discovered in 2020.

The investigation by engineering firm Stantec could end next week and will be followed by a report setting out what reinforcement works will be required ahead of the completion of the venue’s redevelopment project, which is nine months overdue and £4million over budget, and included the new pool.

A spokesperson for the council said: 

“These investigations began in February and should be finished in the coming week.

“Once they have been completed, we will have a comprehensive understanding of what is required to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come.

“Should remedial work be required, the final stages of the investment project – predominantly to the ground floor of the existing leisure centre – will be completed once this work has been carried out.”

The underground void was discovered in 2020, but only became public knowledge last May when the £110,000 investigation was agreed by councillors.

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This was followed by an initial report from Stantec last November which was described as “sobering reading” by council leader Richard Cooper.

‘Significant deterioration’

The report suggested there had been a “significant deterioration” of the ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre, which was built in 1995 and like much of Ripon sits on gypsum deposits.

It also said piles were not driven deep enough into the ground during the initial construction and that it remained unclear why this happened as “many critical records” were missing.

The report added strengthening works could include steelworks, thickened floors and grouting where mortar is pumped into the ground – the same method “successfully” used to stabilise the new pool.

However, it said strengthening alone is “unlikely to mitigate risks to acceptable levels” and that other measures would be required, including long-term monitoring.

The new Ripon swimming pool.

The new Ripon swimming pool.

The council decided to build the pool next to the leisure centre in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” about ground stability at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

‘Safe to use’

The council has continually insisted that professional advice has made it clear that the site is “safe to use”.

But what remains to be seen are the crucial conclusions of the ongoing investigation, which is likely to stretch the project further into this year.

Ripon Independents councillor Pauline McHardy said while she and many residents were “delighted” with the new pool, it was now key that any extra costs and delays were kept to a minimum.

She said: 

“We must remember that a sinkhole appeared on the land prior to the work starting, so Harrogate Borough Council knew the risk they were taking of building on that land rather than elsewhere in Ripon.

“I hope the remainder of the work can be completed quickly and with minimal further cost to deliver the combined leisure and swimming facility that Ripon was promised.”

Teenagers steal equipment from Spofforth primary school

Six teenagers who stole equipment from Spofforth Church of England Primary School are being hunted by police.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened on Saturday, March 5, at 5pm.

Officers said they believed the teens attempted to break into the school on School Lane in the village, but were unsuccessful.

The suspects then broke into the school’s equipment shed, stole multiple items and caused criminal damage to school property.

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A police statement added:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help identify suspects in relation to the incident. Five of the suspects have been described as teenage boys and one of the suspects has been described as a teenage girl.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Fleming. 

“You can also email ethan.fleming@northyorkshire.police.uk. Please quote reference number 12220039590.”

‘Irrecoverable’ housing debts written off by Harrogate council doubles

The amount of “irrecoverable” housing debts written off by Harrogate Borough Council has almost doubled this year.

A total of £61,853 in debts owed to the council have been crossed off for 2021/22 – almost twice as much as the £32,277 in 2020/21 and the largest amount in at least the last six years.

A council spokesperson said the increase was mostly down to debts owed by temporary accommodation users who have stayed at council hostels, houses and flats across the district, but were no longer traceable.

The spokesperson also said a large amount of the debts were owed by council tenants who died and had no assets to pay what they owed.

The spokesperson said: 

“There are a number of reasons we have decided to write off the debt from former council tenants. The majority of these come from either tenants that have sadly passed away or tenants who left their property and remain untraceable.

“In both instances, there is almost no way that this can be recovered and, if it could, may ultimately cost more than the outstanding debt to try and do so.

“The vast majority of the increase – compared to last year – is due to the level of rent debt being written off for former temporary accommodation tenants.

“If the former tenant applies for council housing at a future date the arrears can still be recovered.”

Before any debts over £500 are recommended for write off, the council said at least two searches are carried out using tools such as the National Anti Fraud Network before further checks are made for housing benefit or waiting list applications.

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Meanwhile, the majority of debts under £500 are considered to be “too small to make the cost of recovery action worthwhile,” the council said.

Largest debt £2,903

There were almost 100 incidents where council tenants had died in 2021/22, with the debts totalling almost £19,000.

The single largest debt was £2,903 owed by a temporary accommodation user who was considered to be untraceable after ending their stay.

A decision to write off all of the debts – some of which predate this year – was taken by the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, Cllr Graham Swift, at a meeting on Monday.

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

 Cllr Graham Swift

A report to Cllr Swift said the council had made “sufficient bad debt provision” in its finances to accommodate the write offs and that this would not impact on its spending plans.

It also said the amount of the provision made will be reviewed and increased if necessary for any future write offs.

The council spokesperson added: 

“The total arrears represent less than 0.5% of the annual housing debit.

“The money is a loss to the housing revenue account, which is funded almost entirely from rent income from tenants, rather than through council tax.”

Developer appeals decision to reject Harrogate district eco-homes

A developer has appealed a decision to refuse plans for nine new eco-homes near Flaxby.

Holmes Planning Ltd submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for the development in October 2021.

It would have seen houses built to environmental standards and include solar panels, air-source heat pumps and super-tight insulation.

It also included self-build and custom homes on the site at York Road in Flaxby.

The council rejected the plan on the grounds that it was outside the development boundary, the affect on the character of the area and because the number of homes was below the council’s requirement per hectare.

However, the developer has appealed the decision to the government.

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In documents submitted for the challenge, the developer argued that there was not enough custom build developments in the district.

It said:

“The appellant submits that the custom self-build deficit is so severe, and likely to get worse, that this material consideration outweighs any departure from the Harrogate District Local Plan and that the appeal site is suitable for custom self-build and the appeal, if allowed, would be secured for custom self-build through the Unilateral Undertaking.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the plan at a later date.