Appeal for missing man seen in Harrogate

Police are appealing for information about a missing man seen in Harrogate.

Richard Pask, 54, of Bramham near Wetherby, was seen at Enterprise car rental on Ripon Road in Harrogate.

A subsequent police social media post said he was later captured on CCTV getting off a bus at Thorner on Monday.

https://twitter.com/WestYorksPolice/status/1676337464435265536?s=20

West Yorkshire Police described him as white, 5ft 8, bald with white partial hair and stubble.

Richard was wearing a blue raincoat, cream trousers and brown shoes.

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact West Yorkshire Police.

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Reduced speed limit at A59 Kex Gill to remain until September

A reduced speed limit on the A59 at Kex Gill is set to remain in place until September due to an “uneven road surface”.

North Yorkshire Council has introduced the reduction which sees the speed limit lowered from 60 to 40 miles per hour.

Officials at the authority said the measure had been implemented due to the stretch of Kex Gill Road being uneven.

It added that the speed limit reduction will remain in place until September when the road will be closed for two weeks and resurfaced.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for highways and transport at the council, said:

“We have introduced a 40mph speed limit on a section of the existing A59 at Kex Gill due to the uneven road surface. This will only be in place until we carry out a resurfacing scheme.

“A start date is yet to be confirmed but we anticipate early September, lasting for two weeks under full road closures with signed diversions in place. We will notify the public in due course.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate builders’ merchants supports retrofitting scheme

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, 27 July at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Tickets will be available later this week.

A Harrogate builders’ merchants is supporting an online training course to teach builders about retrofitting homes.

GH Brooks is hosting a sign-up event at its branch on Claro Road to help the initiative to make buildings more energy efficient.

The course is being launched by the charity Zero Carbon Harrogate on July 7 between 7am and 11am.

It is designed to help prepare the local building trade for home retrofit specifications.

John Kerr, Zero Carbon Harrogate’s retrofit programme manager, said: 

“We are so pleased that GH Brooks are helping us spread the word about retrofit and the free training we have on offer.  

“A big part of retrofitting homes is supported by good suppliers like them and supporting their customers. We really hope that the local building trades take advantage of this training, preparing them for both demand from homeowners and new legislation in home efficiency measures.”

For more information on how to sign up for the online course, visit the Zero Carbon Harrogate website here.

Rudding Park wins at industry award ceremony

Rudding Park Hotel and Spa has won an award at the annual Good Spa Guide awards.

The spa, which is based on Rudding Lane, picked up the best spa for the eco conscious award.

The ceremony was held at the Spa Life Convention in Gloucestershire on July 3.

Sarah Johnson, Rudding Park Head of Spa collecting the award with members of her team; Lorraine Kennedy, Emma Sorby and Megan Ainsworth.

Sarah Johnson, Rudding Park head of Spa, collecting the award with members of her team; Lorraine Kennedy, Emma Sorby and Megan Ainsworth.

Rudding Park was one of eight finalists, which also included The Spa at Carden Park and Swinton Country Club & Spa.

Sarah Johnson head of Rudding Park Spa said:

“As a responsible business the environment and sustainability is a key focus for us combined with ensuring we provide guests with an exceptional spa experience.

“Offering guests something new and embracing our natural environment is really important, so we are absolutely thrilled to have won the award for the best spa for the eco conscious.”

Highways boss defends North Yorkshire speed limit review

The councillor responsible for highways in North Yorkshire has defended a review into speeding amid concern the local authority is delaying the introduction of 20 miles per hour speed limits.

Campaigners, headteachers and local councillors have called for a timescale on bringing in 20 miles per hour speed limits in Pannal Ash and Oatlands areas in Harrogate.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council, said today the authority would not support default 20 miles per hour zones within the county.

It will instead draw up a speed management strategy to “guide a countywide review of speed limits across towns, villages and rural road”.

Cllr Duncan said this “tailored approach” to road safety measures that would not delay road safety measures.

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Hazel Peacock, of the Oatlands Road Safety and Active Travel Campaign, and Dr Jennie Marks, of Pannal Ash Safe Streets, told the meeting 20 miles per hour limits in their areas were “urgently needed” and called for timescales on implementation.

Councillors on the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee passed a motion supporting the campaigners’ plea last year.

Earlier this week, leaders of 13 schools and education settings in Harrogate also backed the measure.

But it required the support of the council’s Conservative-controlled executive today.

Headteachers, councillors and campaigners united to call for urgent road safety measures this week.

In response, Cllr Duncan said measures were already being considered for the areas which are “not narrowly limited to 20 miles per hour limits only”.

He added:

“Work on these measures is already in progress and nothing within today’s new approach to setting speed limits will delay work that is already ongoing nor prevent implementation of appropriate 20 miles per hour zones in Pannal Ash and Oatlands.”

Cllr Duncan added that proposals for the Otley Road sustainable transport package would go before the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in September.

Meanwhile, further consultation on the delayed Oatlands feasibility study, which aims to cut congestion in the area, would be carried out later this year.

Temporary lights at Knaresborough’s Bond End to remain until Friday

Drivers are set to face delays at Bond End in Knaresborough until Friday.

Temporary traffic lights were installed yesterday by North Yorkshire Council.

According to the council’s roadworks map, the lights are necessary because scaffolding has been erected to enable roofing work to take place.

Motorists have taken to social media to report long delays at the notorious bottleneck.

The council website shows that the lights will remain in place until Friday.

Further roadworks at nearby Scotton are also due to last until Friday.

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English Heritage declines to buy Ripon’s ‘Stonehenge of the North’

English Heritage has declined to buy a section of Thornborough Henges near Ripon after talks with the landowner broke down.

The cluster of Neolithic monuments above the River Ure consists of three large circular henges that have been described as the Stonehenge of the North. They date back 4,500 years.

The northerly henge is currently on the market for £200,000.

Knight Frank, which is selling the freehold of the land on behalf of owner Richard Bourne-Arton, described it as a “unique opportunity”.

However, English Heritage, which currently manages the central and southern sections of the henge, confirmed that it has decided against purchasing the land.

It said part of the decision was because the site was in better condition than the other two, which were added to Historic England’s heritage at risk register in 2009.

The northern section of Thornborough Henge, which is being marketed by Knight Frank.

The northern section of Thornborough Henges, which is being marketed by Knight Frank.

The charity added in a statement that it also had “limited resources” to be able to go-ahead with the purchase.

A spokesperson for English Heritage said:

“Of the three henges, the northern henge is the best preserved (it is not on the Heritage at Risk register) and it has recently come up for sale.

“However, English Heritage is a charity with more than 400 sites to care for – the vast majority of which are like Thornborough, free-to-enter but not free-to-maintain – and we have limited resources.”

The move comes after the remaining two sections of the monument were gifted to the public free of charge in February.

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Historic England has described the Neolithic site as “probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland”.

The three large circular earthworks are each more than 100 metres in diameter.

Construction firms Tarmac and Lightwater Holdings gifted the site into the legal ownership of Historic England, which is a non-departmental public body, although it is managed by the charity English Heritage.

The site is located near West Tanfield, between Ripon and Masham, just outside the Harrogate district.

New housing scheme proposed in Ripon

A developer has submitted plans to build 14 new homes in Ripon.

Manchester-based Atzaro Box Clever Ltd has tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council for land off Athelstan Court.

It would see 14 new home build on land next to a former office building.

The office block, which stood empty for 10 years, has since had approval to be converted into 16 flats.

Designs for the new houses on Athelstan Court.

Designs for the new houses on Athelstan Court.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the move to build the new homes would be a “natural extension” to the newly approved flats.

It said:

“The council have since accepted a change of use for the conversion of Athelstan Court into residential apartments.

“The remainder of the site would therefore be a natural extension of the residential use across the full site.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

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Business Breakfast: Ripon ad firm agrees Transdev sponsorship

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is a breakfast event on Thursday, 27 July at Banyan in Harrogate between 8-10am. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.  Tickets will be available later this week.

A Ripon advertising firm has agreed a sponsorship deal with bus company Transdev.

Adverta Transport Advertising, which specialises in bus and tram adverts, will promote local attractions and businesses across the company’s fleet as part of the deal.

The agreement will see Transdev, which operates Harrogate Bus Company, promoting destinations along its bus routes to encourage greater use of sustainable travel.

Adverta is one of the UK’s largest bus and tram advertising specialists representing 30 bus companies and was acquired by Yorkshire-based outdoor advertising company CP Media in 2022. 

Mike Brennan, chief executive of CP Media and Adverta, said: 

“When we acquired Adverta it made total sense to extend its model into optimising sponsorship revenues as well. Transdev is one of the most prestigious and respected transport companies in the country and we are thrilled to be working with them.”

Matt Burley, commercial manager of Transdev, said:

“It is really important for us to promote the destinations we serve along our routes to our customers and to form great relationships with these attractions.”

Healthcare practice to takeover Harrogate parkrun

A healthcare practice is set to takeover Harrogate parkrun as part of the 75th anniversary of the NHS.

Moss Healthcare, which is based at King’s Road in Harrogate, will have staff and patients acting as volunteers at the weekly run around the Stray this Saturday.

The Harrogate parkrun is one of many ‘parkrun for the NHS’ events happening across the country to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

James Sharratt, business manager at Moss Healthcare Harrogate, said: 

“We have managed to get our staff and patients, including our patient participation group, involved – whether volunteering or taking part in the run itself.”

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Ilke Homes collapse: 80 staff at Flaxby housebuilder start legal action

More than 80 employees of Flaxby-based Ilke Homes are to take legal action against the firm after it entered administration.

The company appointed AlixPartners as administrators on Friday after it failed to find a buyer or new investment.

In a statement, the administrators said the move will see the immediate closure of the manufacturing facility in Flaxby and all site activities are to cease.

It added that a “significant majority” of the company’s 1,150 staff would be made redundant with only a small amount remaining to help oversee the administration process.

Today, Manchester-based law firm Aticus said it has been instructed by 80 staff members, 60 of whom are from Flaxby, to investigate concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.

It said this would involve whether ex-employees were eligible to claim for a protective award claim against the company.

Aticus said if its clients were able to successfully pursue a claim, those involved would receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.

Edward Judge, partner at Aticus Law, said:

 “Further to the collapse of Ilke Homes, we have been instructed by more than 80 former employees who have lost their jobs and who are now looking to pursue a Protective Award against the company.

“While there are reports to suggest that the business will be bought out of administration, this does not prevent people who have already been made redundant from pursuing a claim even if they are offered their jobs back in due course.

“Of course, for many of our clients that would be the ideal outcome, but the Protective Award is claimed because the redundancy process was not followed correctly, which of course has a short term impact on a person’s financial wellbeing.”

The firm is also currently representing around 100 staff of former Harrogate-firm Amvoc, which collapsed back in March.

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Harrogate businessmen give council notice of Station Gateway legal action

Two Harrogate businessmen have given North Yorkshire Council notice that they intend to press ahead with a judicial review of the Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

Chris Bentley, of Hornbeam Park Developments, and Dr Terry Bramall CBE have lodged the claim against the scheme.

The pair have concerns over the legality of the council’s consultation process over the gateway.

In a letter from solicitors Walton&Co sent to North Yorkshire Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which are overseeing the project, they argue that the procedure for the gateway scheme was unlawful on six grounds.

It includes claims that the council failed to hold an inquiry on planned traffic regulation orders, that it carried out unlawful publicity of the orders, and that it acted “irrationally” when approving them before receiving funds for the project.

The letter also claims the council’s consultation was “unlawful” and that it failed to “take into account material considerations”, such as access to premises, when deciding to proceed with the gateway scheme.

Mr Bentley told the Stray Ferret previously that he felt the council had come up with “utopian ideas” and that the plan should be shelved.

He said:

“They just keep throwing the dice until they get the right answer. I think it should be shelved.

“There is so much other stuff that the town needs.”

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Mr Bentley and Mr Bramall declined to comment further on the matter.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council whether it would be defending its position against the claims made.

In response, Karl Battersby, corporate director of environment at the council, said:

“We will be responding to the pre-action protocol letter, and we will look to defend our position should legal action be taken.”

The gateway project includes proposals such as the pedestrianisation of part of James Street and the reduction of a section of Station Parade to single lane traffic to encourage walking and cycling.

The scheme is still to receive final approval but won the backing of senior councillors in Northallerton at a meeting last month.

The predicted cost of the scheme is now £11.2m — a sum that has risen considerably from the £7.9m initially suggested by council.