Police urge people to avoid Cold Bath Road area due to ongoing incident

Police have urged the public to stay away from the Cold Bath Road in Harrogate this afternoon as they deal with an incident.

A heavy police, fire and ambulance presence has been reported. Officers have been diverting people away from the area.

An eye witness reported that officers have closed off Belmont Road and Belmont Close, adjacent to Cold Bath Road.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Emergency services are at the scene of an incident in Belmont Road Harrogate involving a distressed man on the roof of a building.

“It was reported at 12:50pm on 25 June and officers are working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

“The road has been closed for safety reasons, to protect members of the public and to assist the emergency services while the incident is ongoing.

“We urge members of the public to stay away from the area to assist the emergency response.”

Contractors invited to bid for £60 million Kex Gill works

Contractors have been invited to bid to take on the works for the £60 million A59 Kex Gill scheme.

The North Yorkshire County Council highways project will see a section of the road between Harrogate and Skipton realigned.

The new road, which is expected to take a year to complete, will divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the A59 route.

This section has a history of causing unsafe driving conditions and delayed journeys, as well as high maintenance costs

Work on the project could start as early as this autumn. Earlier this year, the government declined to have a final say on the scheme, clearing the way for it to begin.

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Now, contractors have been invited to tender for the works.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council said:

“We are pushing forward with this scheme to provide a safe, reliable route for residents, businesses and visitors.

“This stretch of road has experienced closures in recent years because of land slips. These have disrupted travel, enforced long diversions and been costly. The realignment of the route will provide much better connectivity for all road users.”

Cllr Stanley Lumley, member for Pateley Bridge division, said: 

“This is another step towards the delivery of this long-anticipated scheme. Locals, commuters and visitors will all benefit from enhanced safety and reliability of the road. We look forward to work beginning.”

New footbridge for RHS Harlow Carr given go-ahead

A new footbridge at RHS Harlow Carr has been given council approval.

Harrogate Borough Council gave the go-ahead to the proposal, which will see the wooden bridge cross over Queen Mother’s Lake.

It forms part of proposals to improve the visitor experience at the attraction.

Liz Thwaite, head of site, said:

“The new bridge is part of our overall masterplan for the RHS Harlow Carr site, and will improve the flow of people and the overall visitor experience.”

Meanwhile, RHS Harlow Carr has partnered with illustrator and children’s author, Chris Riddell, to transform the gardens with an Alice in Wonderland theme this summer.

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It will offer families the chance to view the gardens through the eyes of Alice, encountering topsy-turvy installations along the way.

The event, which is being held in partnership with charity Macmillian Publishers, celebrates 150 years of the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There stories by Lewis Carroll.

RHS Harlow Carr is also set to open a sculpture exhibition at the gardens this summer.

The Four Seasons, a collection of busts by contemporary American artist and filmmaker Philip Haas, will go on display from July 7 until summer 2022.

The 15ft tall fibreglass heads are three-dimensional interpretations of Renaissance paintings created by Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo in the late 16th century.

Paul Cook ,RHS Garden Harlow Carr Curator,  said:

“These sculptures feel as though they’re made for garden lovers, and we’re looking forward to hearing what our visitors think as they encounter them around the garden. 

“The locations of the Four Seasons have been carefully chosen with the artist to interact with the planting schemes.

“Summer is set in a woodland glade surrounded by meadow flowers, whilst Winter in the woodland echoes the mature trees around the sculpture. 

“Autumn will be a talking point as the real-life fruit and vegetables in our kitchen garden mature through the growing season and the spotlight will be on Spring, also in the woodland, next year, as new foliage emerges once again.”

Harrogate district village rallies to save phone box

A village phone box has been saved after residents objected over concerns that it may be required for emergency use.

BT launched a consultation on a proposal to remove the red phone booth from Grantley, near Ripon, after it said there was sufficient mobile coverage in the area.

It planned to remove the phone box, along with two others in Bishop Monkton and Markington.

However, Grantley and Sawley Parish Council objected to the move over concerns that the village has a defibrillator which is used by residents and passing cyclists and walkers.

In a letter to BT, David Taylor, clerk of the parish council, said:

“The parish council supports a defibrillator in the village for the benefit of the local community and for walkers and cyclists who regularly pass through the village.

“It is absolutely essential that a reliable means of telecommunication exists in the event that the defibrillator unit requires deployment.

“Until there is a universal and reliable mobile telephone and broadband service in the area, the village are very much opposed to the de-commissioning and removal of the payphone.”

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As a result, Harrogate Borough Council objected to the removal of the phone box. 

However, it has offered no objection to removing those on Boroughbridge Road in Bishop Monkton and High Street in Markington.

A BT spokesperson confirmed the booth would remain in place and added that the company was encouraging residents to adopt red phone boxes for community use.

The spokesperson said:

“With the vast majority of people now using mobile phones, it’s led to a huge drop in the number of calls made from pay phones. At the same time, mobile coverage has improved significantly in recent years due to investment in masts.

“There are many pay phones that see no calls made from them each month. So, we’re giving communities the chance to decide how best they can use their local phone box.

“We’ve consulted with Harrogate Borough Council on the proposed removal of three pay phones in the area. The council raised an objection to the removal of a payphone in Grantley, so the service will stay in place. We received no objection to the removal of two pay phones in Markington and Bishop Monkton.

“For iconic red kiosks, we’re encouraging communities or charities to adopt them for only £1, so they can transform them into things like lifesaving heart defibrillator units, or libraries. Communities can also adopt glass ones for defibrillators. More than 6,400 kiosks have been adopted already through our website, bt.com/adopt.”

Last year, BT Group announced plans to remove 32 inactive booths across the Harrogate district, 22 of which were built in the traditional red style.

Oatlands Community Group saved a disused red phone box on St Hilda’s Road from the scrapheap by turning it into a community library.

Harrogate council paid £45,000 in Kirby Hill and Ripon service station legal fees

Harrogate Borough Council paid more than £45,000 in legal fees to defend a decision to refuse a controversial service station near Kirby Hill.

According to the council’s own public record of expenses, the authority paid Stephen Whale QC £45,491 in counsel fees for the inquiry.

The figures show the council made three payments of £43,000, £750 and £1,741 between January and March this year.

Harrogate Borough Council said the fees also included a successful defence of a decision to refuse a proposal for a service station on the A1(M) near Ripon at the same hearing.

The Stray Ferret asked the council whether the sum was the total paid to Mr Whale and if it wished to comment on the fees.

A council spokesman said:

“The legal fees for Stephen Whale QC were for two appeals; Kirby Hill and Melmerby. The latter was successfully defended by the council following its decision to refuse.

“When an appeal is to be heard at a public inquiry, it is appropriate and expected for a local authority to make use of highly rated and specialist legal counsel to run its case.”

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Mr Whale, of London-based Landmark Chambers, appeared at the hearing in February.

The hearing lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies to defend the council’s refusal of the proposal. 

But it resulted in the service station between junction 48 and 49 on the A1(M) northbound being approved after 25 years of public inquiries and planning battles.

However, a separate appeal from Moto Hospitality Ltd for a motorway service station on the A1 near Ripon at junction 50 was rejected.

David Rose, the government’s planning inspector who oversaw the inquiry, said the benefits of the service station near Kirby Hill would outweigh the harm.

Campaigners call for review

Since the approval, campaigners in Kirby Hill have called on the government to review the inspector’s decision.

They have questioned one of the policies used in the inspector’s report to approve the site, which says that the distance between motorway service areas should be “no more than 28 miles, but it can be shorter”.

Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said the decision made in April “does not make sense”.

Mr Owens said the policy “appears to have been plucked out of thin air” and called for a review of the decision.

He told the Stray Ferret earlier this week:

“The government should admit that it made a mistake in approving the Vale of York motorway services and should announce a review of this controversial decision.”

Harrogate district covid rate reaches four-month high

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has surpassed 100 per 100,000 people for the first time in four months.

Currently, the average stands at 103 — the first time since February 10 that it has been as high.

Elsewhere, the North Yorkshire rate is 93 and the England average is 112.

A further 39 covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

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According to Public Health England figures, it takes the total number of infections since last March to 8,170.

The figure is another four-month high for daily cases in the district, with the last highest reported on February 1, when 51 were recorded.

However, no covid-related deaths have been confirmed at Harrogate District Hospital since April 11.

The death toll at the hospital since the pandemic started remains at 179.

Police issue knife warning in Harrogate district schools

Police are urging parents to have “difficult conversations” with children after a spate of knife incidents in Harrogate district schools.

North Yorkshire Police said it was aware of five incidents of knives being brought into schools since September.

They include children flashing knives in the playground to other students.

Boys and girls had both been involved.

Officers said that, while the number of cases were high, no pupils or staff had been harmed or threatened.

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Police Constable Colin Steele, from Harrogate neighbourhood policing team said:

“Not only are young people risking their life, and the lives of other students and teaching staff by carrying a knife, they are also showing a disregard for their own futures. 

“Carrying a knife on school premises is a serious offence and a conviction for such an offence can stay with you for life. 

“I encourage the parents and guardians of young people to have what can be a difficult conversation with their children around the dangers of carrying knives and the real implications this can have on their child’s future.”

The police praised teaching staff for identifying children carrying knives at school.

First events at Harrogate Convention Centre to be government pilot

The first events in over a year at Harrogate Convention Centre will have no social distancing after being selected for a government pilot.

Organisers of The Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival and the Manchester Furniture Show 2021 confirmed the news after discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Restrictions on the number of visitors will be lifted and social distancing requirements scrapped at the events, which are being held from July 18 to July 21.

However, visitors will be required to show proof of two vaccinations at least two weeks prior to attending or a negative NHS lateral flow test at least 48 hours before the event.

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The event comes as part of a limited number of pilots being held in the third phase of the government’s Events Research Programme, which examines the risk of covid transmission at events

Russell Rule, director of The Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival , said:

“With the backing of the government, public health bodies, and our key customers we can see that the appetite and enthusiasm are there for an in-person buying and selling event. 

“There is great excitement from both exhibitors and visitors to reconnect in Harrogate to celebrate our 60th anniversary.”

The convention centre is still waiting to get back to normality following the delay in lifting the final covid restrictions.

The pilot will be used to gather data and research how small and large scale events could be permitted in line with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Nigel Huddleston, tourism minister, said the business and events industry was worth around £40 billion annually to the UK economy and he was delighted the events would be held at full capacity. He added:

“This will continue to trial the use of the NHS app as a means to show you’re covid safe.”

19 Afghans get homes in Harrogate district in resettlement scheme

A senior Harrogate borough councillor has said the district will be prepared to rehome more Afghan families after the authority agreed to take part in a resettlement scheme.

Up to four families totalling 19 people will be flown to the district in the coming months as fears for their safety grows, with international troops preparing to leave the country.

On the flight will be mostly former translators, their families and others whose lives are under threat because they worked for the British government during the two decades that the UK military has been fighting in Afghanistan.

A decision to welcome the families was agreed by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet last night when Madeleine Bell, head of housing and property, said the authority had asked to take part in the relocation scheme which is now being accelerated as the security situation in Afghanistan worsens.

She said:

“Since 2013 the government has had a programme of resettling locally employed Afghans who have worked with British armed forces.

‘Due to changes in the international presence in Afghanistan, this programme has now been accelerated and it has become urgent that Afghans who have worked with our armed forces together with their families are brought to this country for their own safety.

“We have asked to be part of this scheme and have provisionally agreed to accept three or four families, although of course we stand ready to accept larger numbers if we are asked to do so.”

The Harrogate district has previously taken part in other resettlement programmes, including welcoming 13 Syrian families between 2016 and 2017.

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Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said the families are not only offered a place to live, but also given opportunities to go to school, learn English and find employment.

He added that the authority would be prepared to resettle more families if it was required to do so.

‘We will take more if necessary’

Cllr Chambers said:

“This district has a long and proud history of taking in people who are in need, people who are in distress and people who need shelter.

“It is clear that we need to play a part in ensuring that these people are brought to a place of safety and given every opportunity to move on.

“We initially looked to take about 19 people in total and should we be required to take further, then we will do so, because this is what we do in this district. We are known as places of sanctuary. My own city of Ripon is a city of sanctuary.

“It means a great deal to people that we show compassion and care, and that we play our part in ensuring these people are given every opportunity to live in a place of safety.”

Nationally, more than 3,000 Afghans are expected to be allowed to settle in the UK, joining 1,300 who have already done so.

A large number of translators were not eligible under a previous relocation scheme, which considered an applicant’s role and length of service.

But now any current or former locally-employed staff deemed to be under serious threat will be offered priority, regardless of their employment status, role, rank or length of service.

Announcing the acceleration of the scheme last month, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“As we withdraw our armed forces, it is only right we accelerate the relocation of those who may be at risk of reprisals. Nobody’s life should be put at risk because they supported the UK government to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Harrogate district records 38 more covid cases

The Harrogate district today recorded another daily high of covid cases, as 38 infections were reported.

According to Public Health England figures, the number takes the total cases since last March to 8,131.

The figure is the highest since February 1, when 51 cases were recorded.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

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NHS England figures show the last death was reported in April and the total number of covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 179.

Harrogate hospital is currently treating three covid patients, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 96 cases per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 86 and the England rate stands at 105.