Wanted man could be in Harrogate, say police

A wanted man who breached his conditions of release from prison could be Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police is seeking information on the whereabouts of 24-year-old Joshua David Greaves.

Greaves was jailed in September 2020 for stealing motorbikes and bicycles worth £12,000.

Police say he could be in Scarborough, but also has links to Harrogate and Eastfield.

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Greaves is about 6ft 2, of slim build and has dark brown hair and blue eyes.

A police statement added:

“If you see him, or have any info about his current whereabouts, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12210238354.”

All you need to know about next week’s police commissioner election

The countdown has begun for the election to replace former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott.

Voting will take place on November 25 to replace Mr Allott who quit last month following a two-week storm of sustained criticism over the comments he made on the murder of Sarah Everard.

Mr Allott had only been in the job for five months having been elected in May and faced multiple calls to resign after saying Ms Everard should not have “submitted” to arrest by the police officer who murdered her and that women needed to be more “streetwise”.

There are five candidates competing for the £74,000-per-year post with women’s safety already featuring as a key part of their campaigns:

Conservative

Harrogate councillor Zoe Metcalfe is the Conservative candidate and said her focus is on “improving safety for women and girls across North Yorkshire, supporting victims of crime and tackling serious and organised crime”.

Ms Metcalfe is a project manager for a property company in addition to being a member of Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Labour

Emma Scott-Spivey, who is a student paramedic and the daughter of two police officers, will contest the role for Labour.

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She said she wanted to stand in the election after hearing Mr Allott’s comments and that she would prioritise tackling violence against women and girls, as well as county lines drugs gangs.

She said: 

“The police are facing unprecedented challenges – not just from savage cuts to funding but also due to a breakdown in trust. That trust must be rebuilt and the damage done by Philip Allott must be repaired.”

Liberal Democrat

The Liberal Democrat candidate is City of York councillor James Barker who served in the military for 24 years and also stood for the commissioner role in May when he finished in fourth place.

He said: 

“There is work to do to rebuild the trust lost with victim’s groups, women’s groups and the public at large.

“If elected, my priority on day one would be starting the long process of making sure everyone can have faith that the PFCC listens to and supports victims of crime.”

Independent

Keith Tordoff, who served for 20 years in West Yorkshire Police and ran the world’s oldest sweet shop in Pateley Bridge, has also decided to stand again as an independent after finishing in third place in the last election.

He said the county had been “badly let down” by the previous commissioner and that he will “prioritise responses for crimes against women, hate crime and fight for justice for all victims of crime”.

Mr Tordoff said: 

“With my policing, business and community led background, I will work tirelessly if elected to keep the people living, working or visiting North Yorkshire safe.”

Women’s Equality Party

The final candidate is Dr Hannah Barham-Brown who will stand for the Women’s Equality Party and works as a GP in Leeds.

She said she took part in protests against Mr Allott and that she would launch an independent inquiry into misogyny at North Yorkshire Police if elected.

Dr Barham-Brown said:

 “Women and girls in North Yorkshire deserve to live their lives free from the fear and the threat of violence, and that is why I am contesting this election.

“I will not allow politicians to sit idly by while women lose their lives and freedom in the face of violence.”

The announcement of the election results will take place from Selby Civic Centre on 26 November – the day after voters go to the polls.

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How will the election work? 

Polling cards were sent out earlier this month with the deadlines to register and to vote by post having already passed, while the deadline for proxy voting is 5pm on Wednesday.

Voters are being urged to check their poll cards to see where their local polling station is as some may have changed due to the need for covid safety measures.

Anyone who has tested positive or has symptoms should not visit a polling station.

If you can not vote in-person because of covid, or because of your employment or a disability, there is an option to apply for an emergency proxy vote by 5pm on the day of the election.

Janet Waggott, election returning officer and chief executive of Selby District Council, said: 

“Covid remains an important consideration and we’re putting arrangements in place to help you stay safe at the polling station; such as hand sanitiser and face masks.

“Residents should be reassured that voting in these elections will take place in a covid-safe environment.”

Elections for commissioners use a supplementary voting system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference.

If no candidate receives a majority then all but the two leading candidates are eliminated and a second count takes place.

In the second count, the second preference votes of those supporting eliminated candidates are distributed among the two leading candidates.

In May, Philip Allott took 84,737 of the first and second-preference votes ahead of Labour candidate Alison Hume who finished in second place with a total of 53,442 votes.

The final results in terms of total votes were:

Ofgem appoints company to take on CNG customers

Energy regulator Ofgem has appointed a new company to take on customers of Harrogate firm CNG Energy.

CNG ceased trading this month after 27 years and entered the regulator’s Supplier of Last Resort process.

The SoLR procedure was established as a safety net to ensure that when a company stops supplying energy, affected customers are guaranteed continuity of supply through other companies.

Ofgem has now appointed Pozitive Energy, which is based in Colchester, to supply energy to 41,000 customers of both CNG Energy and CNG Electricity.

In a statement on Pozitive Energy’s website, it said:

“We’ve reached out to all current CNG customers by post and email to let them know we are taking over their supply and what to expect over the next four weeks. We’ve confirmed current rates and how to secure more competitive rates with Pozitive Energy.”

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Meanwhile, Neil Lawrence, Ofgem’s director of retail, said:

“We understand that this news may be unsettling for customers, however they do not need to worry.

“Their energy supply will continue as normal, and domestic customer credit balances as well as some non-domestic credit balances, will be honoured.”

Downfall of CNG

The move follows the demise of Harrogate company CNG, which told its employees about the SoLR process in an email on November 3.

However, the company’s troubles became apparent in October when Paul Stanley, managing director of CNG, sent a letter to customers saying it was exiting the wholesale market.

The company, which is based on Victoria Avenue, supplied energy to about 15 to 20 retail energy companies through its wholesale business arm and also had around 50,000 business customers.

It had been impacted by spiralling global gas prices over the past few months.

About 145 jobs have been lost and staff have been told that wages for days worked this month are not guaranteed to be paid.

 

Harrogate district covid cases rise by 109

The Harrogate district has reported 109 cases of covid, according to Public Health England figures.

The district’s seven-day average case rate is 480 per 100,000 people, which is the second-highest rate in North Yorkshire.

Across the county, the average rate is 444 and the England average is 363.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England figures.

Since March 2020, 197 people have died with covid at the hospital.

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Meanwhile, the number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital remains stable with 22 currently receiving treatment – a slight fall from 25 this time last week.

The government announced today that third vaccine doses will now be offered to all over-40s in the UK after advice from the government scientists.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also said 16 and 17-year-olds, initially offered only a single dose, should now receive a second.

It is hoped the move will top up protection and help limit the spread of the virus over winter which bosses at Harrogate District Hospital previously warned will be “more challenging than ever before”.

New digital and tech office space to open in Harrogate

A new £500,000 office space dedicated to digital and technology firms in Harrogate is set to open next month.

Springfield House, which is directly above Harrogate Convention Centre on King’s Road, has been refurbished since Harrogate Borough Council staff left the premises in 2017.

The authority secured £540,000 of funding from the Leeds City Business Rates Pool to fund the project.

Known as Co-Lab, the offices feature 10 serviced offices with desk space for up to 10 people, high-speed broadband, a lounge and kitchen, meeting rooms and showers.

Tenants will also have access to information about issues such as funding and investment, supply chains and talent recruitment.

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Alistair Forbes, Harrogate Borough Council’s in-house growth manager who will support businesses at Co-Lab, said: 

“Over the last few years, we’ve lost count of the number of people who have asked us ‘are there any co-working or incubator office spaces in Harrogate?’.

“This got us thinking; we needed to find a way to meet this demand and it needed to be dedicated to digital, creative and tech businesses who really need this type of space.

“Co-Lab will be focussed on digital and tech businesses, but we are inviting anyone interested in collaborating with the business community to talk to us. From designers, to hardware specialists, technologists, marketers and developers, our aim is that everyone works together to help our community become more successful.”

Businesses wishing to join Co-Lab will ideally need to be in the digital and creative industries business sector.

This includes fintech, augmented reality and virtual reality, digital health, film and animation production, music, digital content creation and management, immersive technology and content, publishing, cyber security, data, gaming, or product design.

For more details email hello@harrogateco-lab.co.uk or visit: www.harrogateco-lab.co.uk.

New Harrogate cocktail bar given go-ahead

A new cocktail bar is set to open in Harrogate town centre.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans for the former Moss Bros clothes shop on Parliament Street to be converted into a bar.

Owners of Leeds-based cocktail bar, Roland’s, submitted the proposal along with a licence application to open from Monday to Sunday from 10am until 2.30am.

Roland’s website says it serves up “exceptional drinks, great music and a good time”. The Leeds bar opened in 2014 and is situated at 39 Call Lane, one of the most popular streets in the city for nightlife.

ELG Planning, which lodged the proposal on behalf of Roland’s, said in documents submitted to the council that the move was an opportunity for the bar to expand its business.

It said:

“The unit on Parliament Street, Harrogate provides the best opportunity for our client to expand their existing business Roland’s.

“The client has been looking for suitable premises for a long period and due to a combination of the location and size the application site is suited to their operational needs.

“They have considered a number of locations in the last five years to provide a similar facility in Harrogate to that already trading in Leeds.”

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The new bar would be the latest addition to Parliament Street’s nightlife scene, which includes the Harrogate Arms, Revolución de Cuba, Mojo, Wetherspoons and the Viper Rooms.

The Ginnel hosts bars Montey’s and Major Tom’s Social.

Some venues on Parliament Street have struggled to survive in recent years, including Jamie’s Italian, Wagyu Bar and Grill and The Restaurant Bar and Grill, which all closed.

Residents submit complaint over South Stainley solar farm decision

Residents in South Stainley have submitted a formal complaint to Harrogate Borough Council over a decision to approve a solar farm in the village.

The proposal, submitted by Elgin Energy EsCo Limited, was approved in August and would see a farm of the equivalent size of 150 football pitches built.

The developer said in its documents that the farm could generate 50 megawatts of electricity during peak operation and potentially power 15,000 homes in Harrogate.

However, residents in the parish have complained to the council over how the application was handled at planning committee.

Following a meeting of the South Stainley with Clayton parish, Jane Pickering, who chaired the meeting, wrote to the borough council.

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She raised concern that the committee never took a site visit, held the meeting at short notice and that the views of residents were “ignored and not taken into account”.

In the letter, Ms Pickering said:

“Solar green energy schemes require a balanced planning view. Due to the sheer scale of the proposals and the landscape and visual impacts involved, time should have been given to hear both sides of the argument, and to carefully analyse the negative environmental impacts.

“The parish is not convinced that a balanced and accurate view was presented to the committee and that a decision was made with a lack of understanding of the issues and the local impact of such a huge scheme.”

South Stainley had previously submitted objections to the council over loss of green fields and agricultural land.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The planning application (19/02259/EIAMAJ) was determined in accordance with national and local planning policy and procedure.”

Second solar farm planned

The complaint from residents comes as a second solar farm is planned for 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.

Crunch meeting tonight over Harrogate’s £10.9m Station Gateway

Businesses are set to hold crunch talks with council officials over Harrogate’s £10.9 million Station Gateway project.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce will hold the meeting at Cedar Court Hotel tonight.

Many business owners have expressed serious concern over the scheme, with some fearing the measures may affect footfall.

Council officials say the project aims to encourage more walking and cycling in the town centre.

Some fear a reduction in parking spaces, the part-pedestrianisation of James Street and potentially a year of major road works would damage businesses already struggling to recover from covid.

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Cllr Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the scheme, has agreed to take part in a question-and-answer session.

Meanwhile, Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability at Harrogate Borough Council, which also supports the gateway initiative, will also participate.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said:

“Our meeting will hopefully put businesses fully in the picture about the Harrogate Station Gateway Project, and the implications for them and their customers.

“I must stress this is a business meeting and open to our members, those in the Harrogate BID area, as well as members of Independent Harrogate.”

Station Gateway: the story so far of the £10.9m scheme

The Harrogate Station Gateway project is set to reach a crucial stage as the final round of consultation draws to a close this week.

Residents have until Friday to give their say on the contentious proposals, which would change the look of the town centre.

Here is the story of the scheme so far and what happens next.

What is the Station Gateway project?

The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects worth a combined £42 million in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby paid for by the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which encourages cycling and walking.

It is led by North Yorkshire County Council in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Since it was launched back in February, the project has outlined measures such as the part-pedestrianisation of James Street, reducing Station Gateway to one-lane and improvements to One Arch.

Should it be approved, it is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.

What does the council say?

Council officials say the purpose of the scheme is to improve walking and cycling in the town centre.

They also say that it will benefit businesses, despite concern over the project – in particular the pedestrianisation of James Street between Princes Square and Station Parade.

In October, Matthew Roberts, economy and transport officer at Harrogate Borough Council, told an online consultation event the scheme was a case of “short-term disruption for long-term gain”.

He said national case studies from similar schemes had shown they could boost trade by up to 40% by making the town centre more attractive and easier to access for non-car users.

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He also pointed to a KPMG report, which outlined the impact of covid on town centres across the country and what can be done for high streets to survive the pandemic.

The authority has used the report, as well as a 2019 congestion study in Harrogate, to back up its proposals. However, it is unclear what further impact assessments it has taken.

The council is working against the clock as the Department for Transport has set a deadline of March 2023 for the scheme to be completed.

Recently, the authority revealed that one of the reasons it chose not to fully pedestrianise James Street was because of the threat of a public inquiry if it were objected to – which could delay the project.

The option to part-pedestrianise was the least supported during its first consultation, with most people backing a full pedestrianisation.

But officials said the move struck an “appropriate balance between the wishes of respondents and risks to delivery of the scheme”.

They added in the Gateway proposal document:

“This extension in delivery timescales would likely result in funding deadlines being missed, which would prevent implementation of the full scheme, and so full pedestrianisation is not considered viable at this time.”

What do the public say?

A number of consultation events have been held in an effort to offer people a chance to have their say on the project.

In the early stages, events were only online due to the covid pandemic and the national lockdown.

Following the first consultation, council officials released a 160 page report which summarised the 1,101 responses to their proposals.

Of 935 people who replied to a consultation question about traffic on Station Parade in the survey, 49% preferred the one-lane option, 27% preferred the two-lane option and 24% preferred neither.

Of the 934 who replied to a question about pedestrianising the northern section of James Street, between Princes Street and Station Parade, 54% said they were either positive or very positive about it while 38% were negative or very negative towards it.

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The publication of the report led to an agreement to move onto the detailed design stage and another round of consultation.

This time, the meetings have been held both in public and online. Three in-person consultation events have been held in Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre.

Last month, the first physical event in Harrogate saw tensions flare as residents quizzed council officials over the proposals.

A further meeting raised concern over “no-go areas” amid fears for public safety at night. However, others did feel the scheme overall “was a good idea” despite potential traffic fears.

But concerns over the project has seen some local residents take action.

Some members from the Granville Road Area Residents Association have set up the Gateway Action Group to oppose the gateway scheme.

They said the consultation has been rushed and failed to take into account their views

What do businesses say?

Many businesses have remained sceptical over the multi-million pound scheme amid fears of a drop in footfall as town centre traders recover from the covid pandemic.

Much of the concern is over the impact of reducing Station Parade to one-lane and the part-pedestrianisation of James Street.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate's James Street pedestrianised.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

Back in August, local business organisations launched their own survey in an effort to canvass opinion on the scheme.

The survey was sent to more than 900 businesses and 180 replied.

Of those that responded, a total of 79% believed that reducing Station Parade to a single carriageway would be of no benefit to town centre businesses, and 68% felt likewise about pedestrianising James Street.

Ahead of the lifting of restrictions and public gatherings being permitted, businesses called for a public meeting with council bosses to have an “adult conversation” on the matter.

Those crunch talks will take place tonight at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting.

What happens next?

People in the district have until November 12 to have their say on the detailed design stage of the project.

Following the closure, final proposals for the scheme will be drawn up ahead of a decision on whether or not to implement the scheme.

If approved, it is anticipated that construction will start in spring 2022 for approximately 12 months.

For more information and to have your say, visit the West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Stray Views: Station Gateway ‘a waste of money’

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Traffic concern over Beech Grove

Since the closure of through traffic along Beech Grove, the daily count of (mainly) cars using Victoria Road has increased by over 300%. The Project Engineer attributes most of this increase to cars driving southbound from A61 Ripon Road to A61 Leeds Road using Victoria Road as a cut-through thus avoiding the Cheltenham /Station Parade congestion.

There is now an experimental scheme, about to be installed, which will stop movements from Victoria Road to Otley Road. Hence the extra 300% of cars using Victoria Road will be pushed back on to Cold Bath Road and Cheltenham Parade which are already the subject of complaints about increased traffic.

Richard Wright, Harrogate

Station Gateway “a waste of money”

Having attended the consultation meeting on October 29, I left feeling that the general consensus of attendees was that the project was a gross waste of public money irrespective of the source of that money.

When asked the source and integrity of the data being used to support the scheme the project team spokesperson appeared more coy mentioning ‘social media’ and local surveys without being specific, although the council leader’s strong support of cycling was mentioned by an attendee. The council leader sees a vote of just over a thousand people (mainly cyclists) as being a significant majority vote in support of the planned cycle lane’s scheme incorporated in the Gateway project. The town’s population of over seventy five thousand seemingly being overlooked i.e. Less than 2% appear to support the introduction of many of the proposed changes.

It was indicated that forty thousand survey letters would be sent out shortly but the area of coverage was unknown.

Bearing in mind that the consultation was indicated to be the final opportunity for public comments to be made this seems a little late in the planning process.

In essence as a percentage of the total populace it seemed to highlight how few people were fully aware of the proposed project details or cost of it.

Comments expressed, as a generalisation, was the council do what they want anyway, appearing to endorse seeing the town as their ‘fiefdom’ without cognisance of the ‘silent majority’ Ie. those who are just too weary of the local politics and money wasting schemes over several years to further engage.

John Marsden, Harrogate

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Spofforth homes would be a “disaster”

The site of Yorkshire Housing Ltd’s new development is on a green field site. The field is in a conservation area, and to quote the local news website, The Stray Ferret,  “more than 300 people and organisations, including Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, have raised concerns about the scheme”.

As well as being in a beautiful setting (where my son and his family live), the roads and infrastructure are not suitable for the increased amount of traffic, not to mention the small bridge that spans the Crimple Beck, which is very narrow and cannot possibly take the strain of the extra HGVs vehicles that the construction would necessitate.

There does not appear to be any proper access/exit roads to the site? The increase of 72 cars plus, would turn this into an ecological disaster and a dystopian nightmare for the residents of the village.

Denis Ffoulkes Standing, Spofforth

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.