‘No justification’ to delay building 200 homes in Pannal Ash

Harrogate Borough Council officers have said a decision to delay a controversial proposal to build 200 homes on a former police training centre site in Pannal Ash was “not justified”.

The council’s planning committee deferred a decision in June on whether to approve the development on the Yew Tree Lane site, pending publication of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The parameters plan will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

As reported by the Stray Ferret, the decision to defer was met with frustration by Homes England which told the council in an email it was “extremely disappointing”.

Now council officials have told councillors that the decision had “no policy basis” and urged them to approve the scheme next week.

In a report due before the council’s planning committee next week, they say the parameters plan will not “replace or alter any of the policy requirements set out within the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35”.

It adds that the Local Plan, which describes where development is permitted to take place in the district, is the “starting point” for determining any application submitted to the council.

The report says:

“As noted above there is no policy basis for deferring the determination of this application until the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is concluded.

“There is no reason to delay the determination of this application pending completion of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.”

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The report goes on to say that the development would make “a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need”.

It recommends councillors approve the proposal at the planning committee meeting on December 7.

Homes England, the government housing agency, has permission to build 161 homes on the site on Yew Tree Lane but wants to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Indicative masterplan of the homes on the former police training centre, as included in the planning documents.

Indicative masterplan of the homes on the former police training centre, as included in the planning documents.

The proposal has proved controversial with Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, which said its faith in the planing system was being “severely tested” by the development.

A spokesperson for HAPARA said:

“HAPARA and the Western Arc Coordination Group will discuss our response very shortly, but the last time this went before committee we argued very strongly that any decision on this site before the parameters plan is agreed will jeopardise the objective of a joined-up approach to the developments and infrastructure on the west side of Harrogate and be contrary to the statements and assurances the community have been given by Harrogate Borough Council.

“Members agreed with this view.  The new officer’s report is based on a very narrow interpretation of the requirements of the Local Plan which was predicated on the earlier permission for 161 dwellings.  The current application is materially different in scale and content.”

Homes England has already appointed property company, Countryside Properties, to build the scheme as part of a £63 million contract.

The contract was awarded in March this year and runs until December 2026.

111 covid cases reported in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported a further 111 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 494 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 457 and the England rate is 439.

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

Latest available figures show 14 covid patients are being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Today, the government announced that booster vaccines would be extended to all adults aged over-18 amid concern over the new Omicron variant.

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The gap between a second dose and booster has also been cut to three months.

There is currently no data available on the number of booster vaccines administered in the Harrogate district.

However, 17.8 million have been given nationally.

Ripon hospital in line for further £212,000 refurbishment work

A further £212,000 of refurbishment works have been approved at Ripon Community Hospital.

NHS Property Services, which owns the building, is carrying out works to the hospital site in an effort to “bring it up to standard”.

The organisation has commissioned Middlesborough-based Maval Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Ltd to carrying out an upgrade to the hospital’s generator.

NHS officials confirmed that the move, which is a £212,262 contract, comes as part of a five-year investment into the site.

As previously reported, the hospital is already in line for a £161,000 refurbishment.

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The move will include upgrading some of the 30-year-old flooring, roofing and a range of electrical units for the building.

Health bosses added that the work had been designed with the input of staff and that the nurses’ station will be refurbished along with new kitchen facilities and a staff breakout area.

Martin Salmon, senior construction manager at NHS Property Services, told the Stray Ferret previously:

“NHS Property Services is committed to a 5-year investment plan that aims to bring Ripon Community Hospital up to the very best of standards, providing first-rate facilities for staff and patients.

“We are pleased that once these improvements have been made, they will help the NHS to deliver excellent patient care.”

 

Profile: North Yorkshire’s new police commissioner

Newly elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe is set to take the helm this coming week.

Ms Metcalfe will take over the £74,000 a year position from fellow Conservative, Philip Allott, after he resigns last month.

She will take on a position which requires confidence to be restored after Mr Allott made headlines in October when he remarked that Sarah Everard should not have “submitted” to arrest by the police officer who murdered her.

But who is Ms Metcalfe and what was her campaign?

From Harrogate councillor to commissioner

A current Harrogate Borough councillor, Ms Metcalfe represents the Claro ward on the authority.

She sits on various committees, including planning, overview and scrutiny and is chair of the human resources committee.

A Conservative councillor, she also sits on North Yorkshire County Council representing Knaresborough.

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It is unclear if Ms Metcalfe will remain as a councillor on both authorities.

Ms Metcalfe is a project manager for a property company.

Restoring confidence

After launching her campaign in October, Ms Metcalfe said her aim as commissioner would be to protect women and girls and tackle organised crime.

She said the focus of her campaign was “improving safety for women and girls across North Yorkshire, supporting victims of crime and tackling serious and organised crime”.

Ms Metcalfe also pledged to restore confidence by “being visible, transparent and open, working alongside our excellent police officers and firefighters”.

She also made a pledge to “make sure resident’s priorities are put in place to make our streets safer for everyone”.

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On the 101 number, Ms Metcalfe said she would use all the commissioner’s powers to get to grips with what is a “crucial” service.

She said the public money spent updating the service had not resolved the long telephone waits people experience/  If elected, Mrs Metcalfe pledged to “take a forensic look at what the issues are and work alongside the police to resolve them”.

Tackling speeding and inequality

Ms Metcalfe, who is the third Conservative to be elected to the role, said education and more publicity were needed as part of the speeding management strategy.

She said:

“I would like to see an emphasis placed on showing drivers the impacts of their speeding from being an anti-social behaviour, a serious and dangerous activity and how their own lives can be impacted if caught breaking the law.”

Meanwhile, in an effort to tackle inequality, said she would work with the services to ensure the correct recruitment strategies are in place. 

“There can be no room for inequalities in North Yorkshire and I will ensure the commissioner’s office leads the way on equality issues and will work with senior figures within the services so they do likewise.”

All these issues mean Ms Metcalfe has her work cut out as North Yorkshire’s latest Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Philip Allott’s blunder left many feeling it’s a job that hasn’t delivered and should not be politicised. The spotlight of public scrutiny now turns on her.

Conservatives win North Yorkshire Police commissioner election

The Conservatives have held the position of North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Tory candidate who is also a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council, was elected with a vote of 41,760.

The vote went to a second preferences count after no candidate took 50 per cent of the vote.

She replaces Philip Allott, who resigned from the role last month.

The turnout of the election was 13.94% – a significant drop from the 25.3% recorded at the polls in May.

The results on first and second preferences were:

In the first round, James Barker, Liberal Democrat, got 9,499 and Keith Tordoff, Independent, 14,988. Dr Hannah Barham-Brown. Women’s Equality Party, got 8,837.

Simon Dennis, chief executive of the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner said:

“On behalf of the Office, I am delighted to welcome Zoë to the role of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Together with the Chief Constable and the Interim Chief Fire Officer, I look forward to working with her in the years ahead.

“I also want to thank Jenni Newberry for serving as Acting Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for the past few weeks and all the team at the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who have worked so hard to ensure our work continued without interruption ahead of this by-election.

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Harrogate district reports 112 covid cases

The Harrogate district has reported a further 112 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 509 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 519 and the England rate is 431.

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

As of Tuesday, 14 covid patients were being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

The number is nearly half that recorded at the hospital two weeks ago.

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EXCLUSIVE: Ripon leisure scheme racks up additional £1m cost

The Stray Ferret can reveal that Ripon’s new swimming pool and leisure centre has racked up another £1 million in cost.

According to a freedom of information request obtained by Ripon resident and chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh, the council agreed a budget of £14.5 million for the scheme back in September.

The Stray Ferret previously reported that the scheme was already £3.3 million over budget.

The new figure was revealed after Mr Mackintosh successfully appealed a decision by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse disclosing the information on commercial grounds.

Following an internal review, the council overturned its previous refusal and disclosed the total sum of its budget in September.

In its full FOI response to Mr Mackintosh HBC said that:

This means that the authority’s budget is £4 million more than a previous contract agreed for construction.

The original 17-month contract signed with construction company and principal contractor Willmott Dixon was for £10.2 million, with a completion date of May this year.

However, the move was delayed and the pool is expected to open on December 8.

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Mr Mackintosh told the Stray Ferret that he felt the site is unstable and that “things were bound to go wrong” with the site.

He said:

“I do not think it [the site] has long term stability. Nobody can know how long it will last.”

The morning, Conservative Cllr Nigel Simms said he stood by his view that the choice of Dallamires Lane for the new pool was a poor use of public money.

Cllr Simms told the Stray Ferret:

“Nothing has happened to change my mind, the geology of the site with its sinkhole issues, means it’s the wrong place.

“I’m all in favour of new leisure facilities for Ripon, but a more stable area should have been selected.”

Further concern of the pool site was raised earlier this month after a council-commissioned report by engineering company Stantec outlined measures to mitigate the effects of a void that was detected last year.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, called for the council to postpone a decision on the measures and give greater consideration to finding an alternative site.

However, senior councillors voted to press ahead with its plan to carry out further work while opening most of the site.

New energy plant to be built at major Harrogate district employer

A new heat and power plant is to be built at a major Boroughbridge company in an effort to create “cost-effective” energy after plans were approved.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its site off Bar Lane and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

The company submitted plans for a combined heat and power plant, which would be built on its site and generate electricity.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has given permission for the plant to go-ahead.

According to documents lodged with the borough council, the plant would work by “igniting air and natural gas to produce hot, high-pressure gases”.

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The gas would then be fed through a turbine to drive an electrical generator and produce electricity.

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall’s cold storage division, told the Stray Ferret previously: 

“We’re investing in a new combined heat and power system as a way of protecting the energy needs of our business for the future.

“It is more cost-effective than buying power from the National Grid and is generally considered to be a greener alternative. We expect it to be fully operational by the end of the year.”

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

The company added that the energy would be used to power its headquarters in Boroughbridge. Any excess energy would be exported back to the local electricity network.

Construction of the plant is expected to take place over three months.

Once up and running, the plant would run for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it would be unmanned and operated remotely.

175 covid cases in Harrogate district as rate drops

The Harrogate district has reported a further 175 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 509 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 519 and the England rate is 431.

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

As of Tuesday, 14 covid patients were being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

The number is nearly half that recorded at the hospital two weeks ago.

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CCTV footage shows Harrogate killer’s final movements

Police have released CCTV footage of convicted murderer Daniel Ainsley’s final movements before he killed Mark Wolsey.

Ainsley was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for murdering Mr Wolsey, 48, on Mayfield Grove on March 5.

Following sentencing, North Yorkshire Police has released footage used to prosecute Ainsley.

The three-minute clip, which can be played below, shows the 24-year-old going into Asda supermarket on Bower Road to purchase a set of kitchen knives with his own bank card.

He later goes outside the store to dispose of all but one of them before walking back to 38 Mayfield Grove where he stabbed Mr Wolsey multiple times.

At Leeds Crown Court last month, Ainsley pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility but admitted manslaughter.

However, Mark McKone QC, prosecuting, said the CCTV footage demonstrated that Ainsley knew what he was doing and that the killing was premeditated.

He 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.”

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The defence’s case that Ainsley was suffering from a personality disorder which “impaired his ability to form a rational judgement” did not convince a jury.

He was convicted of murder on October 22 and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison yesterday.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton, head of crime at North Yorkshire Police, said: 

“I am pleased with today’s sentence and that the court previously agreed with the prosecution that this was clearly a case of murder, and nothing less.

“My thoughts remain with Mark’s mother, children and his wider family who have had to sit through the trial and listen to the horrific details of his death. Nothing can bring Mark back, but I hope that his loved ones can take some comfort in the knowledge that justice has now been done.”