Call to remove damaged Valley Garden statues

The chair of Harrogate International Partnerships has called for damaged statues in the town’s Valley Gardens to be removed.

Vandals ripped out chunks of wood from the Kiwi bird and the carved Maori bench in the New Zealand garden section of Valley Gardens last year.

Dennis Richards, chair of the HIP, a charity that supports twinning groups, told the Stray Ferret the sculptures needed to be removed in order for the charity to come up with proposals to replace them.

The section of Valley Gardens commemorates Harrogate’s twinning with Wellington and the country’s airmen being stationed in the town during World War Two.

However, Mr Richards said the council needed to remove the statues. It follows concern about the condition of them ahead of a visit to Wellington by the HIP.

He said:

“All we are asking for is the wooden statues to be removed forthwith. That is what is causing this disconnect.”

Mr Richard added that once the structures are removed, the HIP will put forward proposals with what could replace them.

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Last week, Kate Spencer, the HIP’s representative who has travelled to New Zealand as part of the twinning arrangement, raised concern that the conditions “dishonoured” the airmen commemorated in the gardens.

Valley Gardens development plan

Harrogate Borough Council said in a statement previously that the sculptures had “already started to rot independent of any vandalism that has taken place”.

It added:

“We would welcome any support or fundraising ideas from Harrogate International Partnership for the replacement of these with something more sustainable and robust for the location.

“Equally if there is anyone who would like to help with maintenance of the space we would be happy to arrange volunteering sessions in conjunctions with our own team or the Friends of Valley Gardens who provide fantastic support in maintaining this space.

“More widely we are in the process of agreeing a Valley Gardens development plan to continue to improve these spaces over the coming years.”

The garden dates back to 1954 and chainsaw sculptor Mick Burns carved the Marlin, Kiwi, and bench in 2010.

Government approves controversial 72 homes in Spofforth

The government has approved controversial plans for 72 homes in Spofforth. The approval will come as a bitter disappointment to many residents who fought the development.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd has challenged Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refuse its proposal for the site on Massey Fold.

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

Siobhan Watson, a government planning inspector, has given the go-ahead for the proposal.

Ms Watson said in her decision report:

“I find some harm to the character and appearance of the countryside, however, I find the internal layout and detailed design of the proposed housing to be acceptable.”

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She also awarded costs against the council after finding that the authority “behaved unreasonably” and that its reasons for refusal were “vague and illogical”.

Ms Watson 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. 

“The council has therefore behaved unreasonably, and thereby caused the party applying for the costs to incur unnecessary expense in the appeal process.”

The decision follows 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 scheme.

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

She said in her letter that the village is “a very blue village but which is seeing red thanks to the government’s planning policies”.

Ms Fawcett added that it “will never be the same” if the appeal is allowed and that the “Sword of Damocles” hung over villagers.

The developer said the borough council had “unreasonably delayed development” at the site and that its case “does not contain any objective analysis that justifies the reason for refusal”.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd declined to comment at this stage.

Boulder installed at Skelton Primary School

A boulder has been installed at Skelton Newby Hall Primary School in an effort to help children’s physical development.

The boulder, which was paid for using the school’s PE and sport premium grant, was unveiled this week at an opening ceremony.

Cllr Stuart Martin, the Harrogate borough councillor for Ripon Moorside, joined pupils at the school to unveil the project.

The school said the idea behind the project was to give children the chance the climb, run and jump and help their physical development.

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A spokesperson for Skelton Newby Hall Primary School, which has an open day for prospective new pupils on November 13, said:

“After listening to the views of the children and undertaking research into children’s physical development, the boulder was installed.

“Much of the time we use our lower bodies and therefore we wanted something that would allow the children to use their upper bodies.  This also strengthens the muscular structure needed for handwriting.”

Work starts on Great Ouseburn housing development

Work has started on a new housing development in Great Ouseburn.

North Yorkshire County Council’s housing company, Brierley Homes Limited, has started work on the scheme which is on Branton Lane in the village.

It will see nine new homes built on the site.

Called The Paddocks, the first phase will focus on a highways scheme to provide the access to the new development as well as the installation of traffic calming measures.

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It will include a scheme to safeguard an avenue of lime trees and will be overseen by Brooks Ecological, which will work in partnership with the council’s highways company NY Highways.

Construction on the houses will start next year after access work is complete.

Matt O’Neill, director at Brierley Homes, said: 

“We are pleased to be moving forwards with this development, which will provide high-quality new homes in an area with high demand for housing.

“It is good to be working with NY Highways and their work will help the village by providing new traffic calming measures and also protect the environment by ensuring the lime trees are protected from unintended damage.”

Ross Bullerwell, managing director of NY Highways, said: 

“This highways work is a vital first step in the construction process and we are delighted to be completing the task on behalf of Brierley Homes Limited.

“Our construction staff are working carefully and the new traffic calming will be a benefit to all who live in the area.”

Daniel Ainsley: mental health, homelessness and murder

The trial of Daniel Ainsley at Leeds Crown Court this week was a story of homelessness and complex mental health problems.

The convicted murderer was found guilty yesterday of stabbing 48-year-old Mark Wolsey to death in his bedsit at 38 Mayfield Grove.

Ainsley’s defence rested heavily on the fact that he had a personality disorder and claimed he was not able to make rational decisions.

However, the defence did not convince a jury on Friday afternoon.

‘A traumatic upbringing’

The 24-year-old had a “traumatic upbringing”, which included being bullied at school by older children who put cigarettes out on him.

His experiences at school led him to become suspicious of other people and being suspended due to his reaction to being bullied.

Ainsley started drinking at age 13 and was later said to have been drinking a litre of spirits a day. He started to report feeling low and anxious.

Dr John Kent, psychiatrist, and Dr Harry Wood, psychologist, who assessed Ainsley said he had a “complex psychiatric background” and “a lifelong pattern of behavioural problems”, which included a dependancy on alcohol.

On two occasions, he was assessed by mental health services in Harrogate where he reported hearing voices.

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In 2013, the court was told that he did not engage with mental health staff. Those who assessed him said his reports of hearing voices were “a symptom of his personality” and not psychotic.

Dr Kent concurred with this assessment and felt Ainsley’s accounts of hearing a voice telling him to murder Mr Wolsey were “unreliable” as he had not told Dr Wood the same.

In his 2021 assessment he told staff that he was feeling low and that he felt there was “no point being here”.

Despite the complex mental health background, Dr Kent felt that Ainsley was in control of his actions from “start to finish” on the night of the murder.

Homelessness

Ainsley was homeless and had been offered a place to live by Mark Wolsey after he was evicted from a hostel on Bower Road.

He put his head and arms through a window at the hostel, which later led him to moving to Mayfield Grove.

Ainsley had been homeless since 2020 and his mother gave evidence to say that she had been trying to find him a place in Ripon.

Mr Wolsey, who had known Ainsley for around three years, offered Ainsley a place to stay at Flat 4, 38 Mayfield Grove. He would later be killed in his own bedsit by Ainsley.

The mixture of alcohol dependancy and his personality disorder, which included paranoia, hyper-vigilance and lifelong behavioural problems, became central to his defence.

While Ainsley’s “abnormality of mental functioning” was something which both the prosecution and defence agreed he had, it was not enough to convince a jury that he had not intended to kill Mr Wolsey.

It took a jury five hours and 17 minutes to reach its decision on Friday.

Ainsley is facing a lengthy prison sentence. He will be sentenced by Judge Phillips at Leeds Crown Court on November 24.

Harrogate district reports 150 covid cases as rate drops

The Harrogate district has reported another 150 covid cases as its seven-day rate has dropped, according to latest Public Health England figures.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has dropped to 667 per 100,000 people, but remains the highest in the county.

The North Yorkshire average is 535 and the England rate stands at 482.

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This week, headteachers have been urged to bring back face masks and postpone after-school activities in an effort to bring down cases.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to latest NHS England figures.

A total of 130,122 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 121,675 have had a second dose.

Harrogate man Daniel Ainsley found guilty of murder

A 24-year-old man has been found guilty of murder on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate.

Daniel Ainsley, of no fixed address, killed 48-year-old Mark Wolsey after stabbing him 15 times in the chest and arm with a kitchen knife on March 5.

Ainsley was living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit at 38 Mayfield Grove after he became homeless.

He admitted manslaughter, but denied murdering Mr Wolsey on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

However, a jury at Leeds Crown Court delivered a verdict of guilty verdict for the murder charge today.

Police were first called to 38 Mayfield Grove on the night of March 5 after Mr Wolsey made a 999 call asking officers to remove Ainsley from his flat because he was scaring him.

Ainsley had been living with Mr Wolsey since being made homeless.

He complained to the officers who arrived at the property that Mr Wolsey was keeping his medication from him, which led to an argument.

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Ainsley was taken to Harrogate District Hospital to pick up medication by police and instructed not to go back to the flat.

At 9.21pm, Ainsley left the hospital and was filmed on CCTV walking to Asda on Bower Road.

After entering the supermarket, he went to the kitchenware aisle where he purchased a box of knives. Ainsley used his own bank card to pay for the knives and went outside to dispose of all but one of them.

Ainsley then returned to Mayfield Grove where he stabbed Mr Wolsey to death, leaving the victim in his chair with the murder weapon still in his chest.

Mark Wolsey

Mr Wolsey was found by neighbours and certified dead at the scene at 10.22pm. His cause of death was stab wounds to the chest.

After leaving the bedsit, Ainsley made a phone call to police admitting to the killing and asking for officers to come and arrest him. He also called his mother and father to tell them he “loved them” and that they would not “see him for a while”.

‘A clear case of revenge’

The prosecution during the trial described the murder as “premeditated”, “goal-directed” and “purposeful”.

Mark McKode QC, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court:

“There can be no doubt that the defendant intended to kill Mark.

“The defendant knew exactly what he was doing and did it in a calm and calculated way.”

Ainsley has a personality disorder, which his defence claimed “impaired his ability to form a rational judgement” and resulted in diminished responsibility.

The court was told that Ainsley had a “traumatic upbringing”, which contributed to his personality disorder.

He was also suffering from alcohol dependancy. There was evidence that Ainsley was intoxicated on the night of the murder.

Both parties in the case agreed that Ainsley was suffering from an “abnormality of mental functioning”, which was his personality disorder.

However, Mark McKone, prosecuting, said Ainsley “knew what he was doing was wrong” and pointed to his 999 phone call after the killing and as evidence.

He said:

“This was a clear case of revenge.”

Ainsley is due to be sentenced on November 24.

Harrogate district reports 147 covid infections

Another 147 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

The district’s seven-day covid rate now stands at 727 per 100,000 people and continues to be the highest in the county.

The North Yorkshire average is 532 and the England rate stands at 460.

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This week, headteachers have been urged to bring back face masks and postpone after-school activities in an effort to bring down cases.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to latest NHS England figures.

A total of 130,034 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 121,598 have had a second dose.

State of Harrogate’s New Zealand gardens ‘dishonours’ airmen

A representative of Harrogate International Partnerships has expressed “disappointment” at the state of the New Zealand gardens in the town and says it “dishonours” the airmen it commemorates.

The section of Valley Gardens commemorates Harrogate’s twinning with Wellington and the country’s airmen being stationed in the town during World War Two.

But, Kate Spencer, who is set to go on an official visit to Wellington to present a gift to the mayor from Harrogate, said she felt nothing had been done to improve the state of the garden.

Last year, sculptures in the garden were damaged by vandals. A private donor later offered £2,000 to replace them.

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But Ms Spencer, a dual national who is due to visit New Zealand on Sunday for three months, told the Stray Ferret that the current state of the garden “dishonoured” the airmen.

She said:

“They should have done it before now, it is still the same.

“We are supposed to be honouring those airmen.

“It is a true disgrace and I feel embarrassed to see that my fellow countrymen in New Zealand are being ‘dishonoured’ rather than ‘honoured’.”

Ms Spencer added that she was unsure of what her response would be to the Mayor of Wellington if she was asked about the garden.

She said:

“This garden was there for them when links were made in the 50s. What’s happening? How can I tell the Mayor of Wellington, when he will no doubt ask [about it].”

The garden dates back to 1954 and chainsaw sculptor Mick Burns carved the Marlin, Kiwi, and bench in 2010.

In response, a spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We have an ongoing conversation with Harrogate International Partnership about links to Wellington, New Zealand and are waiting for information from them on arrangements for placing a stone to mark the New Zealand Airmen in Stonefall Cemetery.

“Whilst at this time of year gardens are dying back for the winter it is disappointing to hear the feedback HIP are proposing to take to New Zealand, instead of using the opportunity to confirm the links we have been making over the previous period with the team at the Botanical Gardens in Wellington or the extensive planting of New Zealand daffodil species that took place last year despite the Covid restrictions.

“As has been communicated previously, the sculptures in the New Zealand gardens are soft wood and had already started to rot independent of any vandalism that has taken place.  We would welcome any support or fundraising ideas from Harrogate International Partnership for the replacement of these with something more sustainable and robust for the location.  Equally if there is anyone who would like to help with maintenance of the space we would be happy to arrange volunteering sessions in conjunctions with our own team or the Friends of Valley Gardens who provide fantastic support in maintaining this space.

“More widely we are in the process of agreeing a Valley Gardens Development Plan to continue to improve these spaces over the coming years.”

Second solar farm plan unveiled in South Stainley

Developers are consulting on proposals for another solar farm in South Stainley 

Infraland Ltd and Boultbee Brooks Renewable Energy Ltd have unveiled plans for a farm on 19 hectares of land between South Stainley and Wormald Green.

The proposals would see photovoltaic panels laid out in rows running east to west on the site. The plan has yet to be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

According to the plans, the site would generate 10 megawatts of power which would be able to power up to 3,000 homes.

The developer said in its proposal:

“The solar panels will be fixed on a pile-driven metal mounting frame securely fixed to the ground with posts. The height of the panels will be at a maximum of 3.087 meters from ground level.

“The panels will be installed at around 25 degrees from the horizontal, around 5.0m apart and would be fixed in that orientation.”

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LanPro, planning agent for the developers, is holding a consultation on the proposal online until October 24. Residents can give their views on the plan here.

Meanwhile, South Stainley with Clayton parish is set to host a meeting on November 1 to discuss how to respond to the solar farm.

It follows Harrogate Borough Council approving a similar development in the village in August.

Elgin Energy were given permission to build a 200-acre solar farm, despite concerns from villagers about the loss of green fields and agricultural land.