Plans have been approved to build 33 homes in Kirkby Malzeard.

Mulberry Homes Yorkshire submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to construct the scheme off Back Lane in the village.

The development will see a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom houses built at the site.

A total of 40% of the homes will be allocated for affordable housing.

In a letter to the council, Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council said it welcomed the reduction in homes for the site.

Initially, outline planning permission was granted for 37 homes.

Victoria Preston, clerk at the parish council, said:

“We note that the total number of units proposed is to be 33, rather than the maximum permitted under the outline consent of 37, and we feel that this is a useful reduction, given the concerns of residents in respect of the increased flow of traffic which the development will create through the village.”

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The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the scheme would respect the local area and its characteristics.

It said:

“The result of this design process is a proposed development of 33 dwellings, which would be delivered through a variety of house types that promote local distinctiveness.

“The development would be designed to respect the site location, the physical characteristics of the site and the positive architectural elements of existing development which contribute to its sense of place.”

Police are appealing for information following a robbery on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate.

The incident happened yesterday close to the double mini roundabouts at 6pm and involved two teenage boys threatening violence to steal a man’s bag and wallet.

The suspects are described as teenage white males and were both wearing a grey tracksuits. Officers say one of the boys may have had dark coloured hair

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward. We are asking that local residents check any CCTV or dashcam footage that may have captured the suspects around the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email Paul.Griffiths@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 741 Griffiths.

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Police have arrested three men after reports of a trailer theft from a compound near Boroughbridge.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police were called at 9.20pm last night after suspects were seen breaking into the compound and making off with the trailer.

The force used number plate recognition to locate the Land Rover Discovery off the A1(M).

The car was stopped by police off junction 45 after it attempted to make a U-turn.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Security cameras at the premises picked up a partial registration number of the vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, and within minutes it was located by police on the A1(M) heading south. The Land Rover began to make a u-turn in the carriageway, but officers quickly managed to bring it to a stop just after junction 45.

“Three occupants, all men in their 30s, were arrested at the scene, on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police. They remain in custody at this time. The trailer will be returned to its rightful owner.”

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North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner looks set to sell Masham Police House as a community asset.

Known locally as “the old police house”, the building was initially used to house the local police constable.

However, since 2003 it has been leased to Mashamshire Community Office, a charity that provides community services, such as tourist information, the community library and arts and crafts.

Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has revealed the plans as part of a move to relocate police to Masham Fire Station.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“Co-locating services at Masham Fire Station aligns our police and fire service in this area, making effective use of our estate to ultimately maximise investment in frontline services as detailed in my police and crime plan.

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to have a place of touchdown for local officers when needed, and they will continue as usual to work out of Ripon and Pateley Bridge police stations.

“Mashamshire Community Office is a fantastic local asset which has been providing benefit to the public for nearly two decades. I recognise this value on the community and I hope our sale will afford them the opportunity to purchase the property, with a supportive timeline and value agreed for this process.”

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Mashamshire Community Office will now have the opportunity to raise funds to purchase the police house prior to the building being put up for sale.

The commissioner expects to sell the property next year.

Paul Theakston, chair of trustees at Mashamshire Community Office, said:

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to purchase the old police house, from which the community office has been delivering an ever-expanding range of services into our community for the past twenty years.

“Actually, owning the building will secure our position literally at the heart of the community and ensure that we will be able to provide community services long into the future.”

This is the moment that a First World War bomb was detonated in Knaresborough.

The unexploded bomb was found in the River Nidd during a weekly litter pick by Simon Briscombe, whose partner Rachel Wills owns the Watermill cafe.

The couple wrapped the bomb, which they initially thought to be a gas canister, in sandbags at their home and dialled 101. The bomb squad, police and firefighters rushed to their home at The Chase.

Their house, along with about 30 others on the estate, was immediately evacuated while the bomb was taken to a nearby field and a controlled explosion carried out. The A59 was closed for about two hours.

Local resident Piers Ballance shot the footage below of the detonation in his friend Sam Darnbook’s field off the A59, opposite the Toyota garage.

Mr Ballance said the road was closed from Goldsborough roundabout to Manse Lane while the controlled explosion was carried out.

He said:

“We saw several police officers and army personnel at the site of the detonation.

“The explosion surprised us all as we did not expect it to be as loud. We felt the shockwave go through us.”

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Meanwhile, Ms Wills said her and her partner were left in shock after finding the bomb.

She said:

“We’re still in shock. If Simon had known what it was he wouldn’t have moved it.

“The police were horrified because he brought it home in the car and there are a lot of speed bumps in Knaresborough. But we didn’t know what it was.”

Homes England has submitted formal plans for 480 homes at Bluecoat Wood opposite Cardale Park.

The government housing agency bought the site on Otley Road last year after a previous scheme stalled.

The plans follow a public consultation which was held in December 2021.

Documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council show that the site is set to be called Bluecoat Park.

The site covers 28 hectares of largely green fields and the homes would wrap around Horticap.

The proposals include plans for a new cricket pitch, which would also act as a village green. The pitch would be used by Pannal Ash Cricket Club.

The site layout for the homes at Bluecoat Wood.

A “football hub” would also be created, which would include changing rooms, a full-size pitch, a youth pitch and two mini pitches, along with car parking.

A new community woodland would also be planted.

As part of the plans, a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses are proposed for the site. Homes England says in its plans that 40% of the houses will be allocated as affordable.

Read more:

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The housing agency said in its planning documents:

“The proposed development at Bluecoat Park provides a most important opportunity to deliver a new sustainable and thriving community which will form part of the proposed new urban extension to west Harrogate.”

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

To view the full details, click here and search using reference 22/01558/EIAMAJ.

Site history

Housing has been mooted at Bluecoat Wood for many years.

In February 2016, the borough council granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

However, Homes England bought the site in February 2021 after the developer pulled out.

That summer, Homes England submitted an environmental impact assessment for 530 homes on the site. The number has now been reduced to 480.

Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP Julian Smith has called on the government to negotiate a settlement over the Northern Ireland protocol rather than make changes unilaterally.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Northern Ireland today amid reports that the government is set to introduce legislation that would override part of the Brexit agreement.

The protocol was agreed as part of post-Brexit trading arrangements, but has faced scrutiny following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections on May 5.

Unionist politicians have raised concern about how the measures are working and refused to engage with the assembly, meaning a new administration cannot be formed.

Mr Smith, who was the government’s Northern Ireland secretary from 2019 until 2020, called for ministers to negotiate a settlement.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning:

“The protocol is popular with business. 

“There are major technical issues, but business likes the fact that they face both ways to the UK and EU markets.”

He called for both EU and UK government negotiators to come up with a “fudge” over the protocol:

“I think we need the EU and UK negotiators to spend some positive time in a locked room and come up with a deal.

“We need a political deal. We need a fudge.”

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With a planned £47 million renovation and a change of control to North Yorkshire Council on the horizon, the next 12 months are set to be pivotal for Harrogate Convention Centre.

Now that last week’s local elections are out of the way, the clock is ticking until one of the town’s major assets is handed over to the new unitary authority.

But key decisions on the convention centre, including the £47 million spend, have yet to be made.

Harrogate Borough Council currently controls the centre’s destiny, but that will no longer be the case come April 1 when it is abolished.

So what will happen with the convention centre and when will decisions be made?

Historic investment

In August 2020, the borough council outlined what would become its single biggest investment in recent times.

It tabled a plan to renovate the convention centre at a cost of £47 million over three phases.

However, while a plan to create seminar rooms in studio two to accommodate up to 1,200 people have been brought forward over fears the local economy could miss out on £14.9 million worth of events, the wider project has yet to be signed off.

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A spokesperson for the council previously said it intented to seek approval for the studio two project ahead of the first phase of the wider scheme.

The council also said that a final decision on the scheme was due to be put before councillors in 2022.

Meanwhile, questions also remain around how exactly the project will be funded.

Council officials have included an investment in the convention centre in a list of requests to government as part of a North Yorkshire devolution deal.

The 140-page document, which has already been submitted to ministers, includes a request to “work with government to address the capital funding gap we have identified through our business case work to date”.

The report adds:

“Our ‘ask’ is that stakeholders work together to develop a dialogue with government to meet the capital shortfall identified through business case modelling.

“Debt costs in meeting this high upfront capital expenditure will weigh-down the projects viability necessitating innovative funding solutions to enable these costs to be mitigated. 

“Finding a means to write-off or subsidise a portion of the upfront capital costs is considered necessary to enable the scheme to be viable.”

Ministers and council leaders in North Yorkshire are currently in negotiations over the devolution deal.

But given the government’s long list of funding headaches at the moment, there is a risk that ministers could not agree to the request – which would raise questions over how the scheme would be funded and who would stump up the cash.

Depending on timing, it’s likely that it fall to the new North Yorkshire Council to take the decision – it too will have funding pressures.

‘An integral part of Harrogate’

While the politics of the convention centre rumbles on, the prospect of any investment remains key to traders.

The centre continues to host a range of events, including bridal shows, political conferences and Thought Bubble Comic Con.

Sue Kramer, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce president.

For businesses, the hope is that the convention centre attracts more visitors to the town who will then go onto stay, shop and visit the area.

Sue Kramer, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce president, told the Stray Ferret:

“From a retail perspective, with the number of customers we have who have come to Harrogate specifically because of HCC I regard it as an integral part of Harrogate’s special and unique offering.

“The range of events held throughout the year attract a diverse range of visitors to Harrogate, many of whom then visit the town centre to shop, eat and stay. 

“The HCC is undoubtedly a huge benefit to local businesses.”

Whether it is fantasy films or period dramas, the Harrogate district has become a hotspot for film crews to shoot big productions.

This past year has seen Harrogate town centre and Fountains Abbey play host to major film and television stars, including Simon Pegg and Bridgeton star Phoebe Dynevor.

Earlier this week, Pegg was spotted shooting a scene for his upcoming film Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose on Crown Place.

Simon Pegg filming in Harrogate on Monday.

While the district can offer picturesque scenes for Netflix and film productions, local industry officials say there is more to Harrogate which attracts crews.

Film crews love Harrogate

Chris Hordley is production liaison and development manager at Screen Yorkshire, a body which helps production companies film projects in the region.

The organisation helps major films get off the ground in Yorkshire by giving them location options and helping find crew members to support shooting scenes.

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Mr Hordley said while Harrogate is a perfect place for fantasy films, period dramas and other series, its hospitality is part of the reason why production teams keep coming back.

“They love it.

“A lot of the feedback we get is that it is well placed for hotels. If they [the crew] are not from Yorkshire, they get places to stay over.

“They will say to us: ‘I loved it so much that I booked a weekend for my family’. We get that a lot.”

He added that the ability to get from the centre of Harrogate to another location, such as Newby Hall near Ripon, in a short space of time was also part of the appeal.

“You can also get to lots of interesting locations in a short time. It’s a good place.”

More productions to come

Areas of the district have hosted many major productions over the years.

The Nidd Gorge viaduct was used to film a scene in Paddington 2 and Plumpton Rocks and Fountains Abbey feature in the The Witcher, a popular Netflix series.

Plumpton Rocks and Fountains Abbey both star in The Witcher.

Mr Hordley said Screen Yorkshire has a database of around 1,500 locations in the region, which they offer to production companies.

This includes landscapes, historic buildings, private businesses and major cities like Leeds and York.

Mr Hordley added that Yorkshire and Harrogate is often used to portray a different place because of the history and heritage locations.

“A lot of what we do is portraying Yorkshire as somewhere else.

“Yorkshire and Harrogate is really good for storytelling for past and present, feature and fantasy.”

All Creatures Great and Small

Mr Hordley pointed to All Creatures Great and Small, which is filmed mainly in Grassington but also in Harrogate as an example of a successful historical series that has put the district on the map.

More recently, Simon Pegg’s upcoming film, Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose is a film based on the story of the para-psychologist from the 1930s and was shot in Harrogate.

When asked whether people in the Harrogate district can expect to be on television screens more in the future, he said:

“You absolutely can.

“We have been working hard on more projects. There are projects that will be happening in Harrogate.”

GP practices in Knaresborough are operating at “clinical capacity”, according to clinical commissioning group managers.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions GP services in the area, recently reviewed the average number of patients to full time GPs in the town.

Details of the review emerged when the CCG recently objected to a new housing development on the site of the former Trelleborg factory on Halfpenny Lane in Knaresborough.

Nick Brown, senior planning and capital officer at the CCG, said in a letter to Harrogate Borough Council that the impact of any further housing developments would be “very significant”.

He said:

“NHS North Yorkshire CCG has recently undergone a review of the GP primary care estates in Knaresborough, consulting with all the GP practices and the Knaresborough and Rural Primary Care Network (PCN) with responsibility for providing services in this locality.

“The confirmed consensus is that the practices are currently operating at clinical capacity in relation to the average number of patients to full-time GP ratio, compounded by existing limitations with internal clinical space.”

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Mr Brown added:

“The existing GP surgery premises in Knaresborough are currently operating at capacity and the impact of any further local housing development on health services and health infrastructure is very significant.

“The existing health infrastructure cannot absorb the further pressure on delivery of services arising from the housing development.”

On Tuesday, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to developers Countryside Properties to build 64 homes at the former Trelleborg site on Halfpenny Lane, which closed in 2016.

The CCG asked for £75,937 from the developers to fund improvements to services in the area. How much will be given is to be negotiated.

The CCG made a similar objection in March to plans for new retirement apartments on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough.

It said it was “extremely concerned” that another care facility could increase the elderly population and “overload” local services.