Council rejects Harrogate Blues Bar’s road closure bid

North Yorkshire County Council has rejected a Harrogate bar’s bid to close the road outside for outdoor tables and chairs.

The Blues Bar, on Montpellier Parade, was forced to remove the tables and chairs from the Stray earlier this year and thought this could be the solution.

However, the county council said the closure of Montpellier Parade would cause issues for emergency vehicles, Montpellier Square car park and deliveries.

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Although Montpellier Parade is a highway it still forms part of the Stray, which is covered by a 1985 Act of Parliament.  In September when the issue of closing the road was raised the Stray Defence Association reminded those involved that using any part of the Stray for commercial gain may contravene the act.

However Melisa Burnham, the highways area manager at the county council, said it had been rejected because of access:

“Following site visits and consultation with the emergency services and adjoining businesses we could not recommend the closure of Montpellier Parade.

“However, the Blues Bar does have additional space on the pavement outside for tables and chairs. We have provided support by suspending parking bays so they can be used by pedestrians.

“We are doing all we can to support hospitality and retail businesses in these difficult times, and all measures are under constant review.

“The site visits confirmed that there would not be enough space to accommodate additional tables and chairs whilst allowing space for emergency vehicles to pass.

“The road is one-way from Parliament Street to Montpellier Hill. A closure would prevent access to Montpellier Square car park, delivery areas and the well-used loading bays.”

The Blues Bar is still able to use the parking bays immediately outside and hopes to be able to use the Stray again when the weather improves next year.

Harrogate district vaccine sites shrouded in secrecy

Health bosses in North Yorkshire have refused to reveal the locations of new vaccination centres that are due to open in the next week.

The vaccine programme is rolling out nationally and it was revealed today that eight more sites are due to go live in North Yorkshire in the next week.

The Stray Ferret reported this week the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate will be one of the vaccine centres.

However, that information was released on social media by GP practices who are involved in the operation and were seeking volunteers to help direct visitors in the car park.

The people in overall charge of public health in the county are steadfastly refusing to reveal the sites, even though they are due to open in days and people are keen to know where they will have to go, partly so they can plan transport.

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Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for the North Yorkshire CCG, said at a coronavirus press briefing this morning:

“I do know that a number of you have been asking for confirmation for the locations of the sites but we have been strongly discouraged from sharing this information.

“It is really important that these sites are able to operate smoothly and that we protect patient and staff confidentiality.”

This stance may raise some eyebrows, particularly as the locations of the coronavirus testing sites have never been kept secret and have been widely promoted.

The Stray Ferret understands fears over anti-vaccine protesters may be partly behind the decision to keep the sites out of the public eye.

Picture credit: Marco Verch/Flickr.

Five arrests after thieves hit Harrogate building sites

Police have arrested five people after thieves targeted building sites in the Harrogate district.

Officers travelled to South Yorkshire to make the arrests and seize property this morning after a string of thefts between March and November.

The thieves stole newly-installed boilers as well as machinery and tools.

In North Yorkshire alone, criminals struck at abound 40 housing developments when the homes were close to completion. A number of the developments were in the Harrogate district although precise details are not known.

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Detective Inspector Chris Stone, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“These incidents clearly involved high-value, organised crime, and had a significant impact.

“Not only businesses within North Yorkshire, but house buyers due to move in to their new properties.

“Significant resources have been deployed into this investigation, leading to today’s arrests.

“We are actively pursuing further lines of enquiry, and will continue to robustly investigate these offences.”

The police arrested a man in his 40s from Doncaster and three men in their 30s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and transferring criminal property.

Officers also arrested a woman in her 20s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary

All remain in custody at this time while the police conduct the investigation.

Plans for pet crematorium in Harrogate district

There are new plans to build a pet crematorium in the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the proposal, which are currently in the “development stages”.

It came to light in a council meeting on parks and environmental service fees and charges yesterday.

The document said there were plans for a new service in 2021/22:

“The fee for removal of deceased domestic pets is proposed for withdrawal, pending introduction of a new Pet Crematorium Service.”

Currently, the closest pet crematoriums are in either Thirsk or Skipton.

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Harrogate’s council currently charges £36 to collect dead pets from people’s homes.

This follows the lead of councils in North East Lincolnshire and Barnsley, which have already opened or started work on pet crematoriums.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council about its plans and were told:

“It is still in the development stages, we’ll have further information in the coming months.”

Council fee rises in Harrogate district

The meeting also covered some other fee rises that Harrogate Borough Council is planning to bring in for the financial year 2021/22.

It will now cost £25 for the council to clear bulky household items after an increase of £6.75.

The tennis hourly rate will increase from £8.90 to £10 to “reflect investment” in the facilities. The fee for bowls will also increase to £4 per hour.

Market traders will not see an increase in their fees and charges next year  “in recognition of the difficult trading conditions” caused by coronavirus.

It comes after some traders have been unhappy with increased rent charges this year and asked for reductions.

Lonely this Christmas? Harrogate group urges older people to join

A Harrogate community group has issued a plea to older people who are feeling lonely to get involved with its activities.

The Harrogate University of the Third Age, which has about 1,000 members, helps people over 50 pursue activities and develop new interests.

Anyone over the age of 50 and no longer in full-time work is able to join.

Although covid has prevented its usual monthly meetings taking place face-to-face, members are still meeting online.

They hope to do so twice a month from January before actual coffee mornings and summer outings, like the one pictured above, return as soon as possible.

Christmas can be an isolating time for some people, especially older people, so the group is urging people not to hesitate to get in touch.

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Alison Harris, the publicity officer at Harrogate U3A, said:

“Many people, especially older people, can feel very lonely at Christmas, but loneliness is not just for Christmas.

“If you are feeling socially isolated maybe Harrrogate U3A has something to offer you. We are a self-help charitable organisation run by and for its members.”

The subscription price is £12 per year. More details are available on the Harrogate U3A website.

55 drivers arrested in Christmas drink and drug campaign

North Yorkshire Police has arrested more than 50 drivers already in its annual Christmas drink and drug driving campaign.

In an update published today, the force said it had arrested 55 people on suspicion of driving over the limit since the start of the month. Eight happened after collisions.

One man in his 20s from Scarborough has been arrested twice: once on December 8 and again yesterday morning on suspicion of drug driving.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries, including blood tests are completed.

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The total number of arrests is similar to last year at the same stage.

Police have warned that many more drivers are likely to be arrested before the campaign finishes at the end of the month.

Traffic sergeant Andy Morton said:

“Anyone who’s convicted of drink driving faces at least a 12-month driving ban, which would mean losing your licence for the whole of 2021, possibly longer.

“They also get large fines, a criminal record and can even go to jail in some circumstances.

“Worse still, they stand a far greater chance of fatally injuring an innocent person. The risk is real, it happens here in North Yorkshire and it’s utterly devastating for the families who are left behind.

“So our message this year is simple – 2020’s been a terrible year. Don’t make it even worse by drink driving.

“There’s a good chance you will be caught, and if you are over the limit you will be prosecuted – there are no second chances.”

Plans for new business park near Knaresborough

A property developer has submitted formal plans for a business park on land near Knaresborough.

Opus North, based in Ilkley, and Bridge Fund Management, based London, bought the site from a private individual earlier this year.

At the time the developers said the 38-acre site could support 2,000 jobs and could make a “significant contribution” to the local economy.

Plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council include offices, light industry, start-up units, pubs and takeaways.

The Stray Ferret approached Opus North for a comment but received no reply by the time of writing.

Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, previously told us:

“This is a site with clear potential to make a significant contribution to the local economy through job creation and also through the delivery of high-quality office and logistics accommodation to meet existing and future market demand.

“With our joint venture partner, we are in a position to bring this development to life and are looking forward to continuing our discussions with both the council and local stakeholders to create an exemplar development to address the local and regional shortages of employment space.”

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The site, located south-west of junction 47 of the A1(M) and next to Flaxby Park is allocated as an employment site in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which sets out the area’s policy and planning framework until 2035.

It has existing planning permission for over half a million square feet of development for employment uses.

Florist wins Harrogate Christmas shop window competition

A florist has won this year’s Harrogate Christmas shop window competition.

It was hard fought with 27 shops taking part but Helen James Flowers, on Station Parade, took the top spot.

The competition aims to promote the town centre’s shops and encourage people to shop locally.

With shops pulling out all the stops it also gives Harrogate a festive boost.

As in previous years there are three separate categories for large, medium and small retailers.

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Mama Doreen’s Emporium was the winner in the large shops category, Helen James Flowers won the medium shops category, and Boho Chic, on West Parade, was the winner in the small shops category.

Graham Saunders, who organised the judging on behalf of the Rotary Club, said:

“We were delighted to be able to organise the competition again this year particularly with the problems for retailers brought about by the coronavirus lockdown.

“Harrogate is lucky to have so many independent shops who enjoy taking part in the competition.”

This year Harrogate BID partnered with the Rotary Club of Harrogate on the initiative. Each of the winners took home a Harrogate BID gift card.

Sara Ferguson, the Acting Chair of the BID, congratulated all the retailers for making the extra effort to decorate their window for Christmas and take part in the competition during this very difficult time.

“The retailers who took part in the competition have gone to great lengths to make their shop windows look fabulous, which in turn has given the town centre a real festive boost.”

Little Ale House to reopen by serving substantial meals

A Harrogate pub is set to reopen after finding a way to serve substantial meals with drinks.

The Little Ale House closed during the second national lockdown in November and did not reopen this month because tier two rules stated only pubs serving substantial meals could do so.

This meant wet-led pubs, which do not have kitchens to serve meals, stayed closed.

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But with little prospect of North Yorkshire moving to tier one anytime soon, the Little Ale House has decided to take action allowing it to reopen in the run-up to Christmas.

The independent micropub will offer a pie and peas warmer for visitors. It will serve pork pies and vegetarians pies.

Richard Park, co-owner at the Little Ale House, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are excited to open but this is not some golden goose. With restrictions on household mixing and drinks, sales will be reduced significantly.

“It will not be the same as before. But we cannot wait to move into tier one before we open, we have to keep our heads above water.”

 

Teens arrested after another weekend of disturbances in Ripon

Police in Ripon have arrested two teenagers and said they will step-up patrols after another weekend of anti-social behaviour.

One teen has been charged with being drunk and disorderly; the other remains “under investigation”, the police said.

The force said Ripon suffered ‘several incidents of anti-social behaviour’ over the weekend, including teenagers throwing objects in the road and walking in front of cars.

A statement on Ripon City Police’s Facebook page said teenagers were not only committing anti-social behaviour but also ignoring covid warnings. The statement added:

“They do not register the risk and have stated it’s their choice.”

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The statement urged parents in Ripon to ask their children about their whereabouts last weekend. It added:

“We have increased officer presence and are proactively patrolling areas whilst responding to calls but we can’t be everywhere.

“Parents have the biggest role to ensure that children are not causing trouble, committing crimes, not distressing our community or putting themselves at risk.”

Last weekend’s incidents were the latest in a series of anti-social incidents.

On the previous weekend vandals smashed windows at Ripon’s town hall and cathedral office.

North Yorkshire Police declined to comment on those incidents when approached by the Stray Ferret last week.