Ambitious plans to transform one of Harrogate’s most historic buildings into a care home and community facility look set to be determined within weeks.
Grove House, a grade two listed building off Skipton Road, was the home of Victorian inventor, philanthropist and mayor Samson Fox.
Harrogate businessman Graeme Lee, chief executive of Springfield Healthcare, bought the disused six-acre site four years ago for more than £3m.
Mr Lee plans to convert Grove House into 23 independent living apartments and build a 70-bed care home and eight houses providing supported living for over-65s on land alongside it.
How the 70-bed facility alongside Grove House will look.
He also wants to host an annual garden party for locals and let schoolchildren from nearby Grove Road Community Primary School participate in activities alongside residents and use the gardens for study and play as part of his vision for a new type of inter-generational and community care facility.
After months of delays in the planning process, Mr Lee said he was expecting a decision in the next month or two. He added:
“This a great opportunity for the council to bring this gem of a building back to life. The history around it is amazing.
“It will be brilliant for the community and would be a great way of honouring Samson Fox’s legacy.”
An artist’s impression of how Grove House would look.
It would be Springfield Healthcare’s eighth care home in northern England and second in Harrogate.
Mr Lee, whose company employs 1,600 staff, said he hoped work would start in autumn or winter and be completed by September 2025.
He said:
“The quicker we can get this under development the better. Grove House is deteriorating at a rapid rate and it would be a travesty if it didn’t happen.”
Harrogate woman jailed for hammer threat
A woman from Harrogate has been jailed for six months for threatening a person with a hammer.
Angela Gromett, 53, of Wetherby Road, pleaded not guilty to the offence, which occurred at her home in December last year.
But Gromett, who also uses the name Angela Bennett, was found guilty following a summary trial and was sentenced on Thursday at Harrogate Magistrates Court.
Court documents say she was jailed because it was “an unprovoked attack of a serious nature”.
Gromett was also ordered to pay £156 towards victim services.
Lidl silent on Ripon supermarket plans
Lidl has declined to give an update on its plans for a Ripon supermarket — more than 18 months after it received planning permission.
The German retailer was given the go-ahead to build a supermarket alongside M&S Food at St Michael’s Retail Park in September 2021.
At the time Lidl said it would create up to 40 jobs and occupy three units at the £10m Rotary Way site, which opened in 2020.
But there have been no updates since, prompting the Stray Ferret to ask the company this week if it still planned to proceed with the scheme and, if so, when work would start.
The company has so far declined to respond.
Lidl submitted its Ripon planning application in May 2021 following a virtual consultation.
Since then Harrogate’s first Lidl has opened at the former Lookers car dealership on Knaresborough Road.
There is also a Lidl on Chain Lane in Knaresborough.
Kirkby Malzeard is to revive its village gala over three days in June.
Now known as The Big Weekend, it will include street food, stalls, a bar and an 11k run as well as children’s activities.
Details of the event, which will be held from June 16 to 18, were unveiled this week at a launch event that included Cllr Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who was recently elected to represent Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire Council.
Pippa Manson, chairman of Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, said:
“For many years we had a gala with a parade and all the trimmings but this gradually faded.
“However, in recent years we have put on amazing events to support the Tour de Yorkshire and last year a four-day extravaganza over the jubilee. Attendance was very high so we know people support and enjoy these village festivities”.
The playing field activities will include an 11k crackpot run, a mini mosaic walk and children’s disco.
There will also be a youth arts festival, a parade, a scarecrow trail and a dog show and scurry.
The Big Weekend will round off at the village pub, The Queen’s Head, with an all-age karaoke and barbecue.
Ms Manson said:
“This is the first time we will be holding such an ambitious event and opening it up to the area. The more the success, the more the community benefits.”
Profits from the weekend will be used to host other activities, such as the bonfire and youth projects.
Photo shows: Cllr Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, parish council chair Pippa Manson, parish councillor Richard Hughes and Big Weekend committee members.
Ripon Grammar School rated ‘good’ by OfstedRipon Grammar School has been rated ‘good’ in its first Ofsted inspection for 11 years.
Government inspectors widely praised the 919-pupil school, and assessed its personal development and sixth form provision as ‘outstanding’.
But its overall ‘good’ grade is a notch down on the ‘outstanding’ it received in 2012.
Inspectors visited on January 25 and 26 and again on March 3. Their report has been sent to the school and is expected to be uploaded on the Ofsted website next week.
The report said leaders are ambitious for pupils and students “achieve very highly in their GCSE and A level examinations”. It added:
“Across the school, and particularly in the sixth form, teachers challenge pupils and students to stretch themselves academically and to take risks in their learning.
“Pupils benefit from the broad range of provision offered by clubs and societies, for example, in science, the arts, humanities and sport. Pupils are eager to seize the extensive opportunities presented to them.”
The report added the majority of pupils are happy and behave very well and staff deal with rare examples of bullying effectively.
It said support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities has been strengthened recently but “teaching and wider strategies used to support pupils with SEND vary across the school”.
Two other areas requiring improvement were highlighted.
The report said “a very small minority of staff do not speak to pupils in an appropriately encouraging manner” and recommends “leaders should continue to ensure that all staff are crystal clear about the responsibility on them to always speak appropriately to all pupils”.
It also said behaviour policy “is not always consistently applied” and “behaviour is weaker in a small minority of classrooms, particularly where a substitute teacher is leading the lesson”.
A letter to parents signed by headteacher Jonathan Webb and chair of governors Elizabeth Jarvis, said:
“Overall, we are pleased with the headline conclusions that RGS is a school which offers students a culture of high expectations, an ambitious curriculum, high academic achievement, strong teaching, outstanding opportunities for personal development and strong community-based relations, as well as effective and secure safeguarding.
“The report identifies some areas for improvement – ensuring all students, whatever their abilities, talents and skills, are nurtured and supported to do their very best. This includes high quality SEN support, positive encouragement and behaviour expectations which are consistent and high.
“The governors and leadership team are committed to continuous improvement and development, adapting to demands and challenges of modern life.”
Road closures announced for Harrogate’s St George’s Day Parade
Traffic will be prohibited on several roads in Harrogate on Sunday afternoon for the annual St George’s Day parade.
The parade, which was held for the first time in three years last year, sees hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.
North Yorkshire Council, the highways authority, has issued temporary prohibition of traffic orders lasting from 1.30pm to 3pm.
It covers Victoria Avenue and parts of West Park, Beech Grove, Station Parade, Marlborough Road, Queen Parade, North Park Road, Coach Road and Christ Church track.
Victoria Avenue is among the roads affected.
Alternative routes will be signposted.
The closures do not apply to emergency vehicles.
Model boating to continue in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens
A 99-year-old tradition of model boating looks set to continue in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.
Members of Claro Marine Modellers and a representative from North Yorkshire Council held talks at the boating lake today about a new fountain.
The model boating club was concerned the fountain would damage boats and bring an end to their hobby in Harrogate.
But Adrian Selway, the new club secretary who has been sailing model boats for 30 years in Valley Gardens, said the talks had reached a solution.
Mr Selway said the council had agreed the fountain will not operate when club members sail their boats on Sunday mornings all year round and on Wednesday evenings during summer.
He added:
“It was a very amicable meeting and the outcome was favourable. The council was anxious to support the club.”
Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to spend £6,000 installing the fountain prompted concerns of boats running aground on the structure.
There were also fears spray from the fountain could ruin boats.
Harrogate Borough Council was abolished at the end of last month. North Yorkshire Council has inherited its assets, including Valley Gardens.
Two children admit Knaresborough graffiti outbreak
Two children have admitted being responsible for an outbreak of graffiti in Knaresborough.
Graffiti appeared throughout the town early this month, including on Knaresborough House and on High Bond End and Boroughbridge Road.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said today:
“Following enquiries, those who were responsible for the graffiti — two children aged 14 and 15 — have been identified and have taken responsibility.
“They have agreed to a community resolution disposal and will be taking part in removing the graffiti and will be receiving an appropriate educational and restorative input to teach them about impact of graffiti on the community and local businesses.”
Community resolution disposals are usually issued to remorseful first-time offenders and do not constitute a criminal record.
Some of the recent graffiti
The clerk of Knaresborough Town Council told the Stray Ferret it had been “very concerned about the amount of graffiti” that had appeared recently.
The clerk said individual councillors had been trying to tackle the problem with the help of CCTV, adding:
“Knaresborough Town Council is currently asking for more CCTV coverage behind Knaresborough House.”
She added the mayor, Cllr Kathryn Davies recently organised a drop-in session with the police on Stockwell estate following reports of anti social behaviour in that area.
Graffiti at Knaresborough House
Blubberhouses crash: lorry driver banned for being three times over limit
A lorry driver who lost control on the A59 at Blubberhouses on Tuesday was three times over the drink-drive limit.
Jacek Borowski, 51, from Poland lost control of his HGV heading down the hill.
His vehicle blocked the road completely for most of the day, causing significant disruption on the main route between Harrogate and Skipton.
Nobody else was involved or injured.
The lorry blocked the road for most of the day.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today Borowski had been banned within 24 hours of the incident. It added:
“Officers breathalysed the driver who blew 92 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milligrams of breath – almost three times the legal limit.
“He was remanded into custody immediately and put before York Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 19 April where he pleaded guilty to driving over the prescribed limit and was disqualified from driving for 23 months.”
Have your say on new development plan for Pannal and Burn Bridge
A six-week consultation on a neighbourhood plan which will guide development in Pannal and Burn Bridge is underway.
The consultation is the last chance for local people to have their say on how the area around the two villages will be shaped going forward.
The Pannal and Burn Bridge Neighbourhood Plan, which was drawn up by the local parish council shortly after it was created in 2016, is the first such document sent out for consultation by the new North Yorkshire Council.
If approved, it will be considered alongside in all future planning applications — although it can be overruled.
It has already been the subject of local surveys – but this new consultation is the last before it goes for independent examination.
Those surveys aimed to ensure the plan reflects aspirations and concerns and showed that green area conservation was a prime factor, along with the need to address traffic pollution and parking congestion around the school.
Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council chair Howard West said:
“We realise the villages need to grow, but we trust that any future development will be in keeping with the local area.
“We want to retain and cherish the rural character of our villages while still catering for our future employment and residential needs. Village protection is at the heart of this plan and we urge people to make sure they have had their say.”
North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman (pictured above), said:
“Neighbourhood plans are an important part of the planning process, allowing communities to help shape their area and therefore guide future developments.
“North Yorkshire Council has to consult on the plan the parish council has submitted and we are calling on people to express their views before it goes for final examination.”
The consultation runs until Wednesday, May 31. The documents and comment forms are available here and representations can be submitted online.
Alternatively, the comment form can be downloaded and comments sent to PlanPolicy.har@northyorks.gov.uk or Planning Policy, North Yorkshire Council, PO Box 787, Harrogate HG1 9RW.
Updates and information on earlier stages of preparing the plan can be found here.