North Yorkshire Council has said a government policy change designed to reduce fly-tipping has left it £889,000 out of pocket, forcing it to look for new ways of saving money. 

Last month, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow announced households would no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres, such as those at Penny Pot Lane and Wetherby Road in Harrogate and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon.

DIY waste will now be treated the same as household waste, saving tip visitors up to £10 per sack of rubble or sheet of plasterboard. The change, which enjoys widespread public support and was lobbied for by organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, is due to come into effect later this year.

But North Yorkshire Council, which is one of the third of English local authorities that still charge for household DIY waste, told the Stray Ferret there was little evidence the move would reduce fly-tipping, although it could mean cuts elsewhere. 

Cllr Greg White, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for waste, said: 

“We introduced charges for residents to dispose of soil, rubble and plasterboard at our household waste recycling centres in 2014 following a consultation in which residents stated they would rather pay a fee at sites than have to seek an alternative such as hiring a skip. 

“This was implemented to preserve other services, many of which the council must legally provide. The abolition of charging means that many taxpayers will have to meet the costs of those few undertaking home improvements. 

“We care passionately about minimising fly-tipping, but do not believe that the proposed changes will result in a significant decrease. We are not aware of any research that has found a link between charging for waste at household waste recycling centres and increased fly-tipping, which suggests that the removal of charges may not reduce fly-tipping levels. It’s important to remember that there is a large percentage of fly-tipped waste that can be disposed of for free at our household waste recycling centres. 

“As a result of this change, we forecast that we will incur disposal costs of £586,000 and lose income of £303,000, creating a cost pressure of £889,000 which will force the council to look for savings elsewhere.” 

Fly tipping at Priest Lane in Ripon.

Local authorities across England deal with well over a million fly-tipping incidents annually, according to government data, and it is estimated that fly-tipping and waste crime cost the economy £924m per year.

In an effort to tackle the issue, the government has consulted on reforming the waste carrier, broker, dealer regime and on introducing mandatory digital waste tracking. It is also developing a fly-tipping toolkit with the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to help spread best practice among local authorities. 

Jacob Hayler, executive director of the Environmental Services Association, the trade body representing the UK’s waste management industry, said: 

“We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly at their local household waste recycling centres, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped. 

“The government clarified the law in 2015 that local taxpayers should not be charged for disposing of household waste at civic amenity sites – scrapping backdoor ‘tip taxes’. It has also repeatedly stated that councils should not be charging for such DIY household waste disposal either.” 

Incidents of fly-tipping can be reported to North Yorkshire Council via its website. 

Read more:

• Fly-tipped jalapenos could solve mystery of Harrogate couple’s missing van
• North Yorkshire councillors voice frustration at 20 year delay to food waste collection service
• Fears of fly tipping in Harrogate district as recycling centres close

This story is sponsored by Kempston-Parkes.

As concern grows across the country following the latest rise in interest rates, Harrogate’s foremost chartered surveyor says he’s confident the market will remain largely unaffected in our area. 

Last week, the Bank of England raised interest rates to 5% – a level not seen since 2008, when the global financial crisis hit. As a result, mortgage lenders have been withdrawing deals and raising their rates ahead of a predicted peak of 6% later this year. 

But Andrew Kempston-Parkes, of Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors, said: 

“A lot of people seem very fretful about the housing market at the moment – there’s a lot of bad news in certain sections of the press. But what I’m seeing here in Harrogate and the surrounding areas is that sales are still going ahead. 

“Interest rate rises don’t seem to be having much effect here, and Harrogate and Knaresborough still have a very strong market. Those agents that are busy are very busy, and the houses that are coming to market are still selling.” 

Mr Kempston-Parkes said the town and its surroundings had so many “pull” factors that the local property market would be able to weather any storm arising from the 0.5 per cent rate increase. 

He said: 

“In my career I have seen four sets of rises in property values and four sets of falls in property values (‘booms and busts’, if you are a certain tabloid newspaper), but the long-term trajectory is upward.

“And whatever happens in terms of a fall in value across the country, Harrogate and district has always been affected least and we have always recovered to the high level of values, quicker than anywhere outside of London. Our property market is resilient.”

He said the area has high levels of employment, good schools and a clean environment, meaning that plenty of people still want to settle here from other places. 

Mr Kempston-Parkes added that with six trains a day to King’s Cross, London is very accessible for commuters for those working in the capital for two or three days a week. 

He added: 

“Despite Menwith Hill being significantly rolled back in terms of personnel, it still contributes the Harrogate’s housing market, not least because most of the housing up there has been demolished. That means there are a lot of base personnel in the rental market, which in turn supports the general housing market.”

Mr Kempston-Parkes earned his professional qualifications form the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 1997, and founded Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors in 2011. It now employs 15 people from its offices in central Harrogate. 

Find out more:

Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors provide surveys and valuations for all purposes, including purchase, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, matrimonial assessments, boundary disputes and Land Registry plans. 

For more information, go to www.kempston-parkes.co.uk, or for a confidential conversation about your requirements, call 01423 789111.

The story is sponsored by Harvey George.

A couple in Wetherby loved their bespoke furniture units from Harvey George so much that they hired the firm to fit out almost every room – in both their houses. 

Bespoke cherry wood dining table for the kitchen.

When Leon and Linda Wheeler completely renovated their detached, four-bedroom house, they were looking for a company that would take the time to understand what they wanted, and then execute the plan to perfection. 

Leon said: 

“We weren’t really price-driven, although that did come into it. It was more about getting the right team on board, who could show flexibility and an understanding of our objectives.

“We didn’t know about Harvey George – we found them through Google. But they came round to visit and measured up, and we just felt confident about them as a business.

“Being a business-owner myself, I was looking for a small, local company who would have a more personal approach and would take real care to get things right. Harvey George have delivered that for us, time and again.”

Harvey George is the UK’s largest manufacturer of bespoke painted and oak bathroom vanity units, and also makes kitchen cabinets and storage solutions of every kind – all made to measure by Yorkshire craftsmen. Its full range can be viewed at its 10,000 sq ft showroom on Hookstone Park in Harrogate.

Bespoke colour-matched vanity unit created by Harvey George.

The Wheelers commissioned the company to make a long list of items for their home, including oak-veneered bedside tables for the master bedroom and a colour-matched vanity unit for its en suite bathroom, a vanity unit and wardrobes in their daughter’s bedroom, a wardrobe and cupboarding in their son’s bedroom, fabulous birdseye maple alcove units for the sitting room, and a showstopper bespoke cherry wood dining table for the kitchen. 

They were so impressed with the quality and service from Harvey George that they hired the firm to fit out rooms in another five-bedroom property they bought nearby. 

Leon said: 

“Harvey George helped us create a practical, usable home that looks fantastic, and their customer service is of the very high standard I demand of my own employees.

“We’ll probably be moving house over the next couple of years, and when we do, we will definitely call on Harvey George again. We made the mistake of trying a different company for our kitchen, and ironing out all the snags took forever. Next time, we’ll just go straight to Harvey George for everything.”

See more:

If you’re impressed by the Wheeler’s home and wish to discuss creating your own bespoke furniture units, visit Harvey George’s Harrogate showroom to discuss your bespoke furniture needs over a complimentary drink at The Inspiration Centre, Unit 3, Hookstone Park, Harrogate HG2 7DB.

To make an appointment, call 01423 810070.

The bedroom features a bespoke wardrobe.

A bespoke headboard designed to compliment the bedroom.

The couple opted for a made-to-measure media unit designed by Harvey George.

The debate over the Stray’s official designation has been rekindled following an intervention by Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough. 

He became involved in the controversy after the Open Spaces Society applied to register Harrogate’s 200-acre expanse as common land, a move which has been met with opposition by some in the town. 

Mr Jones wrote to the general secretary of the OSS seeking more information about the application. He said:

“After reading it carefully it was still difficult to see why the Open Spaces Society had made this application. I was unclear what it would achieve and why this designation was needed when we already have law – the Stray Act – giving the area protection.  

“The Stray Act has served us well. It limits large-scale use of the land; changes can only be made after Parliamentary scrutiny, and where the Stray is damaged it has to be restored by law.” 

Founded in 1865 as the Commons Preservation Society, the OSS is Britain’s oldest national conservation body. Its past victories include the preservation of Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon Common and Epping Forest. 

When the Commons Registration Act 1965 came into force, the Stray was exempted from inclusion in the common land register, but following the passing of the Commons Act 2006, the OSS has been trying to register such exempted land and wants to bring the Stray “back into the fold”. 

When the application was made in January 2023, OSS case officer Hugh Craddock said: 

“The decision in the 1960s to keep the Stray off the registers was understandable but misguided. Only a quarter of one per cent of registered common land was exempted from registration, and exemption proved to be both misleading and unhelpful. The Stray has always been common land, and ought to be registered as common land.” 

Frances Kerner, the OSS’ commons re-registration officer who made the application, added: 

“Registration can only reinforce the protection already afforded to the Stray under the Harrogate Stray Act 1985.  The land will also become protected under the Commons Act 2006. And registration will ensure that those who buy and sell land adjacent to the common are always notified of its protected status.”

‘Unnecessary and alarming’

But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association (SDA), said the application was unnecessary as the Stray already enjoyed three layers of protection: it is Crown land; it was granted in 1778 to the people of Harrogate “forever hereafter” under the Enclosures Act of 1770; and it is safeguarded by the Harrogate Stray Act 1985. 

Writing to the commons registration officer at North Yorkshire Council, she said: 

“The SDA has been contacted by many who are worried and would like to know what is going to happen. All are bewildered as they have always felt certain that their beloved Stray was already fully protected and they are alarmed in equal measure as to what might happen should the OSS application be approved.”

A drone image of West Park Stray. Picture: David Simister

Ms d’Arcy Thompson also pointed to the fact that some parts of the Stray are not connected with the main 200-acre expanse, such as land in the Woodlands area and the grass verges, or “slips”, along Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road. She said if the Stray was designated common land, some people could theoretically be barred from crossing those verges, effectively denying them access to their own property.

She also feared that the OSS may be working from the wrong maps – a concern first raised by the late Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam. 

She said: 

“This kind of designation has happened elsewhere and has caused such legal machinations that in some cases it has ended up in the High Court and cost a lot of money. We don’t want that to happen here. 

“It might not turn out like that here, but knowing how careful people have to be with maps and boundaries, the OSS only need to get one small thing wrong to cause a lot of trouble. This may prove to be a legal minefield in the making.” 

‘It would strengthen protection’

In its reply to Mr Jones, the OSS said that, using a mechanism provided by Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, its policy is now to apply to register as common land all exempted land in North Yorkshire, including the Stray. It said:  

“Registration will ensure that the exempted land properly is recognised as registered common land and will be reported as such on a search conducted in relation to a purchase of land or house adjacent to the common (where for example access is required over the common).  

“It will also ensure that the land definitively is brought within the protection of Part 3 of the 2006 Act, which provides for controls on works on common land, with a régime for the Secretary of State to consent to such works.”

It added: 

“The controls in Part 3 of the 2006 Act will be in addition to those set out in the Harrogate Stray Act 1985. Far from weakening the 1985 Act regime, registration will strengthen the protection for the Stray.” 

But Mr Jones said: 

“In the response from the Open Spaces Society I could still see no positive reason to progress this application. They may think that the exemption in 1965 was misguided and they may have some blanket policy they are implementing from their Henley-on-Thames HQ. But the important thing is to ensure the Stray is protected rather than ticking some policy box.  

“The Stray Act is very powerful protection. That will not change, so the question remains about the purpose of this new common land application. I simply haven’t yet been given any meaningful reasons by the Open Spaces Society to support their proposal.” 

Ms d’Arcy Thompson also remains unswayed. She said: 

“We’re not being petty – we’re just foreseeing potential problems. Why open the Pandora’s box to possible litigation here, there and everywhere? 

“It’s all ifs and buts and maybes, but we don’t want to see something happen that could cause stress and expense when the status quo works very well.”

Read more:

• Student to run 100km around the Stray at night for charity
• Ramshackle phone box transformed into Stray information point
• Cherry trees on Harrogate’s Stray vandalised again

Roadworks that have caused over a week of long tailbacks in the north of Harrogate will be completed tomorrow, ahead of schedule, the utility company responsible has said. 

Works at the junction of Ripon Road and Coppice Drive started on June 19 and reduced one of the town’s main arterial roads to a trickle of traffic, moving in one direction at a time and directed by temporary three-way traffic lights — causing misery for motorists. 

Northern Gas Networks said they were “part of our essential works programme to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers”, but added that the road would be cleared for two-way traffic on Thursday. 

Mark Mawhood, operations manager at NGN, told the Stray Ferret today:  

“Upon starting the work, we realised that there were some unforeseen engineering difficulties and we therefore sought an extension to complete the works until July 7. We are pleased, however, that, using a different technique, work has finished today. The filling in of holes and laying tarmac will be completed tomorrow and then all traffic management will be removed. 

“Once again, apologies for any inconvenience caused and bearing with us. Safety is our first priority and works can sometimes take longer than anticipated depending on any problems that may arise. We have been working closely with North Yorkshire Council throughout the process and keeping them informed of our developments.” 

Read more:

• Busy Knaresborough junction reopens after roadworks end early
• Three months of roadworks between Ripon and Harrogate start tomorrow
• Road closure continues after gas pipe problem found in Knaresborough

This story is sponsored by Howard Conrad.

Yorkshire’s number-one Apple specialist repair company is offering Mac owners a free software tune-up this summer.

The service, which is like a “digital spring-clean”, would normally cost £49, but Howard Conrad, an independent firm based in Harrogate, is offering it free of charge throughout the month of July, with absolutely no strings or obligations.

Steve Murray, who has been a Mac technician at Howard Conrad for over six years, said: 

“A lot of people don’t realise how easily they can accumulate years’ worth of redundant software updates and applications; ultimately they will clog up your system and slow it down. We’ve even seen people lose personal data due to software faults caused by storage issues.”

All Howard Conrad’s repairs come with a three-year warranty.

Steve said:

There’s long been a myth that you can’t get a virus on a Mac, but it’s not true. They maybe less common than they are on windows computers, but they adapt and overcome defences, and can still infect Apple devices. You shouldn’t just rely on your Mac’s security software – it’s no guarantee of safety.”

Howard Conrad, which is based on Leeds Road, was founded over a decade ago and specialises in repairing iPads, iPhones and Macs. All its repairs come with a three-year warranty. 

Steve said: 

“We’ve built up a really good reputation across the region and put a huge amount of effort into keeping up to date on all the latest Apple technology. A lot of our time is spent learning and researching, and we all help each other keep on top of developments. 

“It’s more of a passion project than a job, to be honest, because we’re all massive Apple fans, so that definitely helps.” 

Find out more: 

Howard Conrad’s free Apple Mac software tune-up offer can only be accessed using the Stray Ferret link – just click here.

To find out more about Howard Conrad’s services, visit the website or speak to a Harrogate-based technician on 01423 228420. 

A student from Harrogate is aiming to run 100km – 62 miles – around Oatlands Stray to raise money for charity. 

Morgan Glazier, 21, will run for 12 hours through the night of Friday, June 30 to Saturday, July 1 – and will then cap it off by completing the 5km Harrogate Parkrun.  

Morgan, who left Rossett School in 2020, said: 

“I’ve been out practising a lot over the last couple of months, building up my mileage and getting used to the pace I’ll be keeping on the night. My route around Oatlands Stray is about a mile long, and I’m hoping to manage as many as 62 laps, but if it gets really tough, I may have to make do with 52, but that’s still a double marathon.” 

The run is part of Morgan’s longer-term fundraising plan. He has just finished the final year of his degree in economics at the University of Bristol and plans to mark the achievement by running the Budapest Marathon in October in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation.  

But to secure his place, he must raise 80% of his £1,000 fundraising target by the end of July, and he is hoping his epic Stray all-nighter will be a way of hitting his target fast. He will be supported through the night by friends and family, some of whom plan to keep him company for a few laps. 

This is not the first time Morgan has set himself an ambitious target to raise money for charity. In 2020, aged just 18, he ran 465 miles in 30 days, raising over £9,000 for mental health charity Mind.

Morgan said:  

“I’ve been running for years, but this 12-hour challenge is new territory for me – I’ve never run this far in one go before, but that’s part of the fun.” 

Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It can kill, and survivors can be left with long-term effects, such hearing loss, brain injury and limb loss. 

Students are the second-biggest group at risk of contracting meningitis, after babies and toddlers. 

The Meningitis Research Foundation funds work to find new ways of preventing meningitis and septicaemia, and to mitigate their effects. 

To support Morgan and help him on his way to his £1,000 fundraising target for the Meningitis Research Foundation, go to his JustGiving page and make a donation. 

Read more:

• 30 runs, 30 days, 465 miles: Harrogate teenager crosses finish line
• Knaresborough runners to take on first Leeds Marathon to tackle MND
• Woman visiting daughter’s grave issues dog fouling plea

A change in the council’s bin regime is seeing dog-waste pile up by the roadside, according to local residents. 

Over the last week, North Yorkshire Council has removed the familiar red dog-waste bins from Knox, which is on the north-west edge of Harrogate. In their place, they have put green wheelie bins, but not all in the same positions as the bins they replace. 

Knox resident Maxie Schiffmann-Rowinski said: 

“They’ve put a wheelie bin right outside our house, and now it’s filling up with dog poo and it really stinks in this warm weather. 

“All of us living down here are pretty angry about this. This lane is very popular with dog-walkers, and some who don’t know about the green bin are just leaving their dog-poo bags on the ground where the dog-waste bin used to be.  

“I’ve complained to the council via their online form, but had no reply.” 

Asked about the move, Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of environment, told the Stray Ferret the bins had been removed following a service review, and that the council was being guided by good practice outlined by the Waste and Recycling Action Partnership in its Right Bin, Right Place study. 

He said:  

“The newer bins have a larger capacity and house a wheeled bin. This means they are efficiently emptied by our larger wagons, reducing the risk from manual handling individual bags. With the greater capacity, fewer bins are required which helps to reduce street furniture, particularly in locations where two bins may have been placed close together. 

“This and other new bins will be emptied less frequently due to the increase in capacity, but they will be emptied as often as required, taking seasonal variances into account. 

“The replacement bin at the end of Knox Lane was planned to be further down the lane, in close proximity to existing street furniture. We will check it’s correctly positioned.” 

The council has installed a large new bin at the end of Knox Lane… but some dog-walkers have yet to get the message.

Paul Haslam, the North Yorkshire councillor serving Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he was party to the decision-making process that led to the policy change, but that it had not been implemented as he had imagined it would be. He said: 

“This looks like a well-intentioned project that’s gone wrong. I agreed with the principle behind the plans: to make it easier by using more machinery, which in some cases would result in changes of locations and frequency of emptying. 

“But it’s quite obvious that the way it’s turned out is not ideal – there are not enough bins and some of them are in the wrong place.” 

North Yorkshire Council’s Mr Battersby said that the bin replacements in Bilton and Knox would be followed by others in Harrogate.  

He said: 

“Surrounding parishes have already had the work completed, and Bilton is the first of the urban areas to start and receive the new bins.” 

But Cllr Haslam said the policy needed to be reviewed and that’s what the council would do. He said: 

“I’ll be meeting with street-cleansing officers on Monday and we’ll be going over the whole of the Bilton and Knox area and seeing how it can be improved. 

“The council is not going to roll any more bins out until we’ve got Bilton and Knox right.”

Read more:

• Concerns over ‘undemocratic’ planning meeting on Knox Lane houses
• Harrogate council defends new ‘oversized’ bins
• Discarded dog poo bags leaving Harrogate ‘disgusted’

Pineheath, the derelict mansion on the Duchy estate that failed to find a buyer at auction earlier this month, is to be re-offered for sale at a much reduced price. 

The 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road in Harrogate was earlier marketed for £3.5 million, but will now be included in FSS’ next auction with a guide price of £3 million. 

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a wealthy Indian shipping magnate who been knighted in 1922 after reportedly donating £1 million to the war effort during the First World War.  

In its heyday as a family home, Pineheath was fully staffed and had gold-plated taps, a centrally-heated garage of Rolls-Royces, and its distinctive glazed cupola is said to have been covered in gold leaf. 

Following the death of Sir Dhunjibhoy’s daughter in 2012, Pineheath was sold for £2 million to developer Jason Shaw.  

The house currently has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot includes the adjoining former chauffeur’s cottage, which has been refurbished into a pair of semi-detached coach houses yielding rent of £51,000 a year.  

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said: 

“The front runners at the June 8 auction have not been able to finalise funding and we cannot delay the sale any further so it has been included, with a much-reduced guide price of £3 million.  

“This will, we believe, bring in a fresh impetus of buyers and should also allow parties to potentially sell the two already modernised coach houses if vacant possession is obtained, thus recouping capital and leave them with Pineheath as a standalone project. 

“At around £1.6 million this could then be converted to a single residential house, though of course the already implemented planning consent for 12 apartments could also be continued.” 

A 0.545-acre parcel of land behind the site, on Rutland Drive, is believed to be the last undeveloped parcel on the Duchy estate, but also failed to sell at auction for its £1.85 million guide price. 

Mr Croft said: 

“The building plot on Rutland Drive will not be publicly offered at this time as it became clear parties interested in the plot wanted to know Pineheath had sold and would therefore be developed and improved.

“So we will market it again, subject to a successful sale of Pineheath, although a fruitful purchaser of Pineheath will be able to negotiate a purchase of the plot post-sale if desired.” 

Pineheath will be re-offered at auction by FSS on July 13. 

Read more:

• Historic Harrogate house fails to sell at auction
• Unbeatable views for sale as Georgian windmill goes under the hammer
• Harrogate auction house sees 50 year old bottle of whisky fetch £12,000

A diplomat from Harrogate has been appointed the UK’s new ambassador to Iraq. 

Stephen Hitchen takes over the role from Mark Bryson-Richardson, who has been in post since July 2021. 

On his Twitter feed, Mr Hitchen said:

“Delighted to be appointed as the next UK ambassador to Iraq, really looking forward to getting to know this fascinating country and building UK and Iraq’s partnership.”

The son of a solicitor and Methodist lay preacher, Mr Hitchen has deep family roots in the area, and was a pupil at St Peter’s CE Primary School and Ashville College. 

Upon graduation he joined the civil service and worked for the Ministry of Defence for eight years, including 18 months’ full-time Arabic language training. 

Following postings to Cairo and Kuwait, he became head of the Iran political team in the Middle East and North Africa directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In 2012 he was made head of Middle East reporting in the same department. 

After three years as counsellor regional affairs based in Amman, Jordan, he became the FCO’s director of national security for the Middle East and North Africa, and lastly was appointed director of the counter terrorism department at the renamed Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

In a video post on the British Embassy’s Facebook page, Mr Hitchen, who is fluent in Arabic, said:

“The mission of our embassy is to help our friends in Baghdad and Erbil to strengthen the prosperity, and stability and sovereignty of Iraq. […] I’m hugely looking forward to my arrival in Iraq.”

Mr Hitchen will take up his post next month. Most UK ambassadors to Iraq over the last 20 years have spent two years in the post. 

Read more:

• Knighthood among King’s honours for Harrogate district residents
• Travellers leave Harrogate’s Ashville College
• Pioneering young Harrogate barrister appointed judge