Traffic is moving steadily in the Harrogate district this morning.

However, roadworks are still in place in some areas which may cause delays.

Here is your Stray Ferret morning traffic roundup.

Roads

Traffic is moving steadily in Harrogate this morning, although that is expected to build up during the morning rush hour.

Roadworks are still in place in Knaresborough at the junction between Wetherby Road and York Road which will cause delays this morning.

The busy junction just past King James’ School and the cemetery has been undergoing resurfacing works for a few weeks and continues to cause delays during rush hour.

The works are expected to continue until August 15.

Trains and buses

No delays or cancellations to report on the trains from Harrogate to Leeds and York this morning.

Harrogate Bus Company still has a diversion in place on its 21 service meaning it is unable to reach Ashbourne Road due to a road closure.

The nearest alternative stop is Morrisons in Boroughbridge. This diversion will be in place until June 30.

Read more:

• Environment campaigner revives Harrogate Spring Water protest
• Council rejects Knaresborough scuba diving facility plan

Harrogate Borough Council has rejected plans for a bespoke scuba diving training pool in Knaresborough.

Tim Yarrow, owner of Harrogate-based Diveshack UK, lodged the plan to build the facility at Thistle Hill in the town.

Mr Yarrow said the proposal offered the district a chance to get a “truly unique” facility.

The plan would have seen the pool built at land at Thistle Hill and see the site changed from agricultural land to a deep water diving centre.

However, the borough council refused the proposal on the grounds that the plan would “result in harm to the visual and spatial openness of the green belt”.

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Council officials added that the site was outside the development limit of any village or settlement.

In a decision notice, the council said:

“The proposal is for a new tourism and recreational use however the application fails to demonstrate that there is a local need for the facility in this location, that the facility is of a scale and nature appropriate to its location and intended purpose, and that the facility is accessible to the community or catchment population it is intended to serve.”

Mr Yarrow, who has been a a scuba instructor around the world for 30 years, told the Stray Ferret previously that the move would help to draw people in from the area and improve access to the sport.

He added that his club, which has been open since 2018, currently trains young and upcoming divers. He said the facility would help to expand this.

Mr Yarrow said:

“The facility proposed will allow access for Diveshack to promote courses tailored to individual needs and timings, taking very little of the land for change of use and no negative impact on the close neighbours of whom all have been consulted and are in support.

“It has been drawn up in a sympathetic way to the environment with materials and energy usage and aims to be the best, most eco designated scuba training facility in the North.

“It will allow access to an amazing sport to numerous people who would maybe never have thought they could ever give it a try.”

A project to demolish and replace a bridge near to Harrogate’s New Park roundabout will cost taxpayers £1 million.

The scheme, which is planned by North Yorkshire County Council, will see Oak Beck Bridge on the A59 replaced.

Authority officials say the bridge is in poor condition and work was earmarked to start in January but has been delayed.

A contract valued at £1,067,929.93 has been handed to Leeds-based Howard Civil Engineering to demolish, design and build the new bridge.

Read more:

• No start date yet for Harrogate’s Oak Beck Bridge replacement
• Harrogate rail campaigner ‘optimistic’ early morning train could be reinstated

The company said on its website that work would take 24 weeks and access would be maintained over the bridge.

It said:

“Access over the bridge will be maintained throughout the project, with the exception of night works for surfacing.”

The Stray Ferret asked the county council if a start date for the scheme had been confirmed, but had yet to receive a response.

The A59 road on which the bridge is situated is heavily used by traffic, especially by people visiting Aldi, B&Q and Pets at Home on the Oak Beck retail park.

The volume would increase if Tesco is given permission to build on the former gas works site nearby.

Nigel Adams has called for the Conservative party to “put leadership speculation and distractions behind us” after the Prime Minister survived a confidence vote.

Boris Johnson won last night’s ballot among his own MPs by 211 to 148.

The result means Mr Johnson will remain as leader of the Conservatives and Prime Minister, however the number of his own MPs voting against him has raised questions about his long-term future.

Following the announcement of the result, Mr Adams, who is MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate, tweeted his support for Mr Johnson.

Mr Adams, who is in the cabinet and a close ally of the Prime Minister, said:

“Tonight, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won another clear mandate as leader of the Conservative Party.

“Now we can fully focus on delivering on the people’s priorities and put leadership speculation and distractions behind us for good.”

Read more:

• MPs watch: ‘anger’ over partygate and Northern Ireland politics
• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones MP named as Tory ‘rebel’
• Andrew Jones MP to vote against Boris Johnson tonight

Among those who voted against Mr Johnson was Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

Mr Jones said he made the decision after “hundreds of people” in his constituency wrote to him, with most calling for the Prime Minister to resign.

Tonight, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won another clear mandate as Leader of the Conservative Party. Now we can fully focus on delivering on the people’s priorities and put leadership speculation and distractions behind us for good.

— Nigel Adams (@nadams) June 6, 2022

Mr Jones said in a statement yesterday:

“There were many harrowing stories in those emails where people couldn’t visit elderly relatives or mourn them at their funerals. These were people following the rules the Prime Minister set and championed.”

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has remained silent on how he voted.

The result means that the Prime Minister cannot face another confidence vote for 12 months.

But it has been suggested that the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs may change the rules to allow for a vote sooner.

Temporary traffic lights are causing delays on Ripon Road coming into Harrogate this morning.

Drivers are urged to avoid the area as the lights are causing queues.

The lights are in place just past Jennyfield Drive coming into Harrogate and have been installed by CityFibre as part of maintenance work.

According to North Yorkshire County Council, the lights will be in place until tomorrow.

Read more:

• Harrogate rail campaigner ‘optimistic’ early morning train could be reinstated
• Traffic order to discourage cars on two Knaresborough streets begins today

A group of Travellers who set up camp on Harrogate’s Stray have now left.

Six caravans and several cars arrived on the section near to Oatlands Drive on Saturday.

It is thought that the Travellers were on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which starts on Thursday.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is the legal protector of the Stray, was due to begin the eviction process today, according to the Stray Defence Association.

But the Travellers are believed to have vacated the parkland yesterday.

Travellers also parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough three days earlier and remain on site.

Read more:

• Travellers arrive on Harrogate’s Stray
• Council to start moves to evict Travellers on Harrogate Stray tomorrow

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council confirmed that the travellers in Knaresborough were now subject to a legal process.

The spokesperson said:

“The travellers in Knaresborough are being managed through the legal process and a team will undertake a clear up (if required) once they have gone.”

From street parties to concerts, the Harrogate district celebrated the Queen’s platinum jubilee in style this past week.

Across the district people draped themselves and their neighbourhoods in red, white and blue as part of the four-day bank holiday weekend.

In Harrogate, a jubilee square was set up just for the occasion while Ripon had a feast of celebrations in the market square.

Read More:

• New horn is the jewel in the crown of Ripon’s royal celebrations
• Your memories of how the district celebrated the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977

Masham featured a parade of floats and fancy dress, and Knaresborough had an array of events to mark the jubilee.

The Stray Ferret was out every day capturing the celebrations and you can watch our montage of how the district celebrated the jubilee below.

Conservative MPs in the Harrogate district will vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s future this evening after a confidence vote was triggered.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, confirmed this morning that a ballot will be held at 6pm today.

The move comes as the threshold of 15% of the parliamentary Conservative party seeking a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson was met.

It means Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Nigel Adams in Selby and Ainsty, which includes south and east rural parts of the Harrogate district, will all have a say in the Prime Minister’s future.

Should Mr Johnson lose the vote, he will have to stand down as Prime Minister.

The ballot comes as 54 Tory MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in the wake of partygate and revelations that lockdown parties were held at 10 Downing Street.

What have the Harrogate district MPs said?

Mr Jones was named by the Daily Mail last week as one of the Conservative rebels.

Mr Jones has not publicly called for the Prime Minister to resign and has not revealed whether he submitted a letter to the 1922 committee.

Read more:

• Harrogate district MP: ‘Time for Boris to get on with the job’
• Andrew Jones MP tells constituent he feels ‘anger’ over partygate
• Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones MP named as Tory ‘rebel’

In a letter to a constituent who had asked about the Sue Gray report, he said he felt “anger” over partygate.

Meanwhile, Mr Adams has said previously that it was time for Mr Johnson to “get on with the job” following the publication of the report.

A member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet and a key ally, he said last month:

“The Prime Minister welcomes Sue Gray’s report and has apologised again.

“He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges including the cost of living and Ukraine crisis and delivering for the country and for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.”

Mr Smith has yet to speak publicly on Mr Johnson’s future.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans to convert a former Lloyds pharmacy in Starbeck into an Italian kitchen and takeaway.

Under the plans, the site would be refurbished to include an Italian trattoria on the ground floor and two apartments above.

SSA Architects tabled the proposal on behalf of the developer for the site on Starbeck High Street.

It said that the kitchen would provide employment for between five to eight people.

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The kitchen would be open from 12pm until 12am, according to the proposal.

Meanwhile, both flats proposed as part of the development would be one bedroom.

The developer said in its application:

“The proposal looks to rejuvenate the plot by refurbishing the existing structure within the setting.

“Within this outlined development, the design aims to create an inviting setting for the new residents, and customers for the takeaway business.”

After two years away, Tractor Fest returned to Newby Hall to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations in its unique way.

Scattered across the famous gardens were an estimated 1,000 exhibitors, including tractors adorned for the occasion.

Hundreds of people ranging from hardcore enthusiasts and novices, flocked to the stately home near Boroughbridge to enjoy an array of machinery, engines, attractions and even some vintage car displays.

Kevin Watson, organiser of the festival, said he was initially nervous about returning after so long away.

The festival was one of many mainstay events in the Harrogate district which fell victim to the covid pandemic in 2020.

Ian Muir and tractor fest organiser Kevin Watson with a golden painted Queens coronation tractor.

Kevin said:

“It has been a while and we wondered if we had done the right thing in making it a three day event.

“But, in the end it feels like we have never been away.”

The return of the popular festival coincides with the landmark platinum jubilee and it would have been remiss of those regular exhibitors not to mark it in their own way.

Read more:

• Village near Knaresborough creates collage to mark jubilee
• JUBILEE LIVE: Parade in Masham, street opera in Harrogate

Among the thousands of tractors was one special exhibit, which stood out with its golden paint and draped in Union Jack bunting.

The golden coronation tractor which was introduced in 1953 is owned by Northumbrian Ian Muir, who had to rebuild it twice to get it into shape to display at festivals.

Marking the jubilee 

Elsewhere, engine enthusiasts were also marking the jubilee in their own way.

Tom and Alison Moffat made the three-hour journey from Ayre in Scotland to be among fellow engine collectors.

Tom’s engine was made in 1939 at the outbreak of the war and was used as an emergency lighting plant for Ballochmyle Hospital in Ayrshire.

Hundreds flocked to Newby Hall for the return of Tractor Fest.

The couple have toured the exhibit around various festivals, but today they decided to flock our their stall in red, white and blue.

After learning they were going to be at Tractor Fest over the jubilee weekend, Alison borrowed some of her parents flags which had also been used as part of the silver jubilee celebrations in 1977.

She said:

“I borrowed them from my parents, who had also used them to celebrate. We felt we had to mark it.”

Mervyn Hoyle with his vintage car at Newby Hall.

Those who brought vintage cars to the festival were also in on the celebrations.

Mervyn Hoyle bought his 1933 Austin Seven deluxe saloon 42 years ago and prided himself on keeping it in good condition ever since.

He and his sister draped the car in red, white and blue for the occasion and his fellow collectors even set up a picnic table for the weekend.

To top off the day’s entertainment, a Hawker Hurricane took to the skies above Newby Hall.

While people filled the streets and bunting adorned buildings across the Harrogate district, the Tractor Fest marked the occasion in its own way.