Two major local leisure centre projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough have been delayed — and will cost more than expected.

The new North Yorkshire Council gave its first update on the refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro and the construction of Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre today.

It revealed the Hydro is now due to re-open in August following a £13.5 million refurbishment.

The facility, which will be renamed Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, was originally due to re-open in January this year and the project was due to cost £11.8 million.

But it now won’t be open for the start of the summer holidays.

A council statement today said:

“It had been hoped the new facility would be ready to open earlier in the summer but a number of unanticipated issues with the building were found during the construction process.”

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre is due to open in November at a cost of £17.6 million.

The project was initially due to re-open at the end of summer and cost £17 million.

The existing Knaresborough Pool was due to be demolished once the new facility was open.

But to keep construction costs as low as possible, the current pool will close and start to be demolished in early September following the opening of the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre.

It means Knaresborough is likely to be without a pool for two months.

Hydro overhaul

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre will include a 400 square metre fitness centre, a new sauna and steam suite, improved reception and café, as well an overhaul of the existing gym, spin, leisure and swimming facilities.

The diving structure is also being replaced.

Outside, the building is being remodelled to provide a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.

The existing gas boilers have already been replaced with air-source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.

Read more:

• Cost of delayed Harrogate Hydro refurbishment increases by £1m
• £28m contracts for new Knaresborough pool and Harrogate Hydro upgrades approved

The energy efficiency measures were made possible by a £1.8 million grant from the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy public sector decarbonisation scheme, and will halve the carbon footprint of the leisure centre.

The latest delay to the re-opening is to allow improvements to the fire protection of the steel frame, as well as the addition of new wall restraints, the replacement of corroded steelwork and fixing an issue that was causing an air leak and heat loss between the roof and the external walls.]

Today’s statement added:

“As a result of this additional work, the refurbishment project at Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre is now set to be completed by the end of July and will reopen in August, once staff from Brimhams Active have had a chance to familiarise themselves with the health and safety and operating procedures of the improved facility.

“Further details about the official opening will be announced in the coming months.”

Six-lane pool in Knaresborough

Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre, which is being built next to the current Knaresborough Pool, will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

It will incorporate high-efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint.

Today’s update said:

“Unfortunately, due to an unavoidable delay involving the new electrical supply to the building, the leisure and wellness centre will now open in November.

Once the existing pool has been demolished, a new play area in front of the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre will be installed.

Cllr Simon Myers, the council’s executive member for culture, arts and housing, said:

“We want to ensure a healthier, more active population that is living longer and more independently. By investing in leisure facilities, such as this, we can continue to make that happen.

“Unfortunately, refurbishment projects often uncover historic issues that need to be resolved. But by carrying out the work now, the building can conform to the latest legislation, be as energy-efficient as possible and allow people to keep fit and active for many years to come.”

The Stray in Harrogate has been chosen as one of three locations for a new UK fundraising walk.

Dementia research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK is staging five-kilometre Walk for a Cure events in Harrogate, London and Edinburgh in July.

The event on the Stray will take place on Sunday, July 23 and people are being encouraged to take part and raise £100 each.

Sara Hoxhaj, north of England and Yorkshire fundraising officer for Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Almost one million people are living with dementia in the UK today. Tragically, not one of them will survive. Alzheimer’s Research UK exists to change that.

“Come and join us on the Walk For A Cure.  Your support will help us fund pioneering dementia research, that will help us to save people from the heartbreak of dementia.”

Read more:

• New opening dates for Harrogate and Knaresborough leisure centres revealed
• Ramshackle phone box transformed into Stray information point

Besides the walk, there will be a host of activities to help people understand their brains and the things they can do to look after them in an area on the Stray that will include:

• A large wooden brain sculpture to capture visitors’ thoughts and reflections on dementia.
• A range of craft activities – colouring, making paper brain hats.
• A giant game of brain health Kerplunk.

Local supporter John Hirst will take part to raise money for dementia research in memory of his wife Pat, who died with frontotemporal dementia aged just 66.

Mr Hirst said:

“I know that one day there will be a cure for the diseases that cause dementia and I’m proud to be doing my bit to help us get there.”

More details of the walk are available here.

A second knife amnesty bins is being installed in Harrogate this week as part of a national police action week.

The town already has a permanent knife bin between Asda car park and Dragon Road car park to encourage people to safely get rid of potentially lethal weapons.

But a second amnesty bin is being put at Harrogate Police Station on Beckwith Head Road this week.

Bins are being installed in police stations in Harrogate, York, Scarborough, Malton, Northallerton and Skipton as part of the ‘save a life – bin a knife’ national police campaign running from today until Sunday.

Police will also be educating young people this week about the dangers of knife crime as well as carrying out high-visibility patrols, stop and searches and other enforcement activity in areas linked to possible knife crime.

A North Yorkshire Police press release today said:

“Simply wrap an unwanted knife in thick paper or cardboard as a safety precaution, and bring it directly to one of the locations.

“You do not have to give your name or any other details – just drop it in the clearly-marked bin.

“The aim of the bins is not only to reduce knife crime, but also give reassurance to people who simply want to dispose of unwanted knives and sharp objects – such as old kitchen knives, or unused work tools – safely and securely.”

Read more:

• Fifty knives dropped off in Harrogate’s ‘knife amnesty bin’ during first month
• Harrogate hails returning hero Rachel Daly

Detective Superintendent Andrea Kell, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Every knife placed in an amnesty bin is one less knife that could be used as a lethal weapon on the streets. That’s why I’m urging everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of them this week.”

Killinghall’s last remaining peacock looks set to be re-homed outside the village.

Roaming peacocks have been a common sight in Killinghall for about 50 years.

But about a dozen are believed to have been killed last winter by a disgruntled villager annoyed by their screeching.

It left just one peahen, which has prompted concerns she is lonely and would be happier elsewhere.

One of the missing Killinghall peacocks

Now a resident has contacted Lucie’s Animal Rescue in Thirsk about rehoming her.

The rescue centre has agreed to help and a group of villagers are trying to work out the best way to capture the peacock, which has its own Facebook page.

The resident leading the campaign, who asked not to be named, said:

“When I read there was only one female left I felt upset for her. It didn’t feel right that she was all alone.

“There is nothing Lucie won’t do for an animal so I know if our girl goes to her she will have the best care for the rest of her natural life.”

Read more:

• Have missing Killinghall peacocks been secretly killed?
• Bilton’s Peter the Peacock living his best life in Lancashire

The villager said the end of bird flu restrictions made it a good time to act before winter sets in.

Lucie has suggested somebody regularly feeds the peacock so she keeps going back, which would make her easier to capture.

But peacocks are big and strong and difficult to catch so some residents have found a large cage they hope to entice her into. The resident said:

“It would be good to avoid rugby tackling her if we can but I suspect that might be the only way.

“So far only a small group of ladies have come forward with offers of help and ideally we may need a couple of strong guys to help – if it comes down to rugby tackling her! Then the plan would be to drive her to Lucie at Thirsk.”

The village peacocks roosting in a tree before their disappearance.

Like many villagers, the resident was incensed by the peacocks’ mystery disappearance. That so many vanished overnight and no remains have been found suggests they were slaughtered.

The resident said:

“I was really angered by what happened to the others. They were doing nothing wrong, just living their lives as a family group.

“I used to love hearing the males calling across the village when I was in my garden.”

Peter the Peacock, who was regularly seen in Bilton, was re-homed in 2021 after getting injured.

It’s difficult to think of a bigger star from Harrogate right now than England footballer Rachel Daly.

Daly was part of the England Lionesses team that won Euro 2020 last year and is this season’s Women’s Super League leading scorer.

She also has 328,000 followers on Instagram so it was little surprise hundreds of football fans gathered at Killinghall Moor this afternoon to greet her homecoming.

Daly was back where it all started — Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — to open the Nomads Daly Brew cafe named in her honour.

She arrived with friends and family, not to mention dog Dexy, shortly after midday to a chorus of ‘She’s Coming Home’ and after a few quick speeches and media interviews signed autographs non-stop for more than hour.

Alongside her mural

Many fans turned up wearing shirts bearing Daly’s name.

Sitting in the cafe bearing her name and mural, people queued with balls, shirts, boots and bits of paper for her to sign. Many wore England or Aston Villa Women shirts bearing the name ‘Daly’.

She obliged them all and flashed her megawatt smile for selfies until everyone had got a memento. Mum Louise, who still lives in Harrogate, looked like she would burst with pride.

Some fans queued for over an hour to meet Daly.

Posing with current Killinghall Nomads players

Daly played for Killinghall Nomads from under-eight to under-15 level before moving on. Her brother and father also represented the club. Dad Martyn, who died two years ago, set up the under-15 girls team.

This was her first trip to Harrogate since Christmas and the event provided a chance to catch-up with some old friends as well as fans.

She was impressed by the building’s transition to a cafe and humbled by the decision to name it in her honour. She said:

“I spent every waking second of the day on these pitches, hitting a ball against this wall so to be here today is a great honour.

“It’s always important to remember your roots. When I was last here it was a meeting room with just a kettle!”

Simon Walker, vice-chair of the club, told the crowd that Daly continued to inspire others, which was evident by the number of girls and boys who turned out.

Read more:

• Harrogate hotshot Rachel Daly to open Killinghall cafe
• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly on target as England win Finalissima

David Terzza, women and girls’ football lead at the club, said it now had about 150 females on its books.

He emphasised how much Daly had contributed to its growth by sponsoring kit, arranging for some of the junior players to watch the Lionesses train at the St George’s Park national football centre and taking part in a zoom question and answer with girls during covid.

She said:

“Nomads will always have a special place in my heart. If it wasn’t for this place, where I played on every blade of grass and broke every piece of fence, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s such an honour.”

Her classy display on the day ensured Daly will also have a special place in Harrogate’s heart too. Time for a statue?

Here are some more photos from today’s event.

Police have recovered the body of a local woman from the River Nidd, near Bilton viaduct.

Concerns were raised about the woman, who is aged in her 40s, this morning.

An urgent missing person investigation was launched which included searches in and around the River Nidd at the location.

The woman’s body was recovered by the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Marine and Underwater Search Unit at around 1.20pm. She has not been named.

The bridge was closed while the body was recovered. A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the coroner in due course.

“The woman’s family are being supported by the police.”

Read more:

• Hundreds set for tomorrow’ Nidderdale Walk
• Garden centre near Harrogate to reopen after eight years

Harrogate Town has revealed it is letting go of three players following the conclusion of the 2022/23 League Two season.

Dior Angus, Max Wright and Alex Pattison will be leaving the club.

Attacking midfielder Alex Pattison spent two seasons with the Sulphurites, making a total of 86 appearances after arriving from Wycombe.

He scored 19 goals and registered 14 assists at Town.

Angus and Wright arrived at the club last summer and made a combined 12 appearances for the club.

Simon Weaver’s side finished the season 19th in League Two.

Eighteen players remain under contract for the 2023/24 season.

Read more:

• Knaresborough Town pair championing women’s football after remarkable season
• Harrogate Town secure English Football League status

In addition, negotiations are underway with midfielder George Horbury on the academy graduate’s future.

Matty Foulds, Tom Eastman, Kazeem Olaigbe, Matty Daly and Danny Grant have all left following the expiry of their loan deals and Rory McArdle has retired after a 19-year playing career that included 39 appearances with Town.

The contracted players are:

Mark Oxley

Pete Jameson

Joe Mattock

Warren Burrell

Toby Sims

Anthony O’Connor

Kayne Ramsay

Josh Falkingham

George Thomson

Levi Sutton

Stephen Dooley

Sam Folarin

Jack Muldoon

Emmanuel Ilesanmi

Luke Armstrong

Miles Welch-Hayes

Kyle Ferguson

Will Smith

About 400 people are expected to take part in tomorrow’s annual Nidderdale Charity Walk and Run.

The event, which is being held for the 29th year, has raised over £900,000 for charities since it started.

People will meet in Pateley Bridge from 7am before completing either four-mile, eight-mile, 15-mile, 22-mile or 26-mile routes.

The shortest route is around Wath while the longest is a challenging hike around Wath, Bouthwaite, Ramsgill and Lofthouse before returning via Scar House reservoir.

Registration is from 7am

Many participants are being sponsored to raise money for voluntary organisations, including Dementia Forward, Disability Action Yorkshire and Harrogate Homeless Project, while others just want to enjoy some of the country’s finest scenery in spring.

The routes are signposted and include checkpoints with medical help.

Brian Stuttard, chairman of the walk committee for the Rotary Club of Harrogate, which organises the event, said:

“About 320 people have registered so far and we expect another 100 or so on the day.”

Mr Stuttard said 40 junior soldiers from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College would be taking part in the four-mile route for the first time.

Nidderdale awaits

Registration begins at 7am and those taking part in the 22-mile and 26-mile routes are expected to depart by 8am. The shorter routes can start later.

It costs £10 for adults to enter (£5 for the four-mile walk) and you can enter on the day.

Read more:

• Fundraisers prepare to take on Nidderdale Walk this weekend
• Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet visits Nidderdale pub for dinner

Councillors voted by 10 to 3 in favour of proceeding with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway last week.

The heated three-hour meeting saw members of the public and North Yorkshire councillors speak for and against the scheme.

It would see the biggest change to the town centre for decades, including traffic on a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade being reduced to single lane so cycle lanes can be built and part of James Street pedestrianised.

But the meeting revealed far more than that. Here are eight key takeaways.

1 The project looks certain to go-ahead

North Yorkshire Council is expected to ratify the decision to proceed with the gateway when its ruling executive meets on May 30.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which met last week, is only an advisory body to the executive but the council’s Conservative transport chief Cllr Keane Duncan pledged in advance of the meeting to abide by its decision. The 10-3 vote in favour appears to have sealed its fate.

Cllr Duncan told the meeting the council was “up against it” if it didn’t want to lose the £10.9 million pledged by the Department for Transport towards the £11.2 million scheme. He said:

“We will have to make a decision as an executive on May 30 if we want to ensure we deliver this scheme in line with DfT requirements.”

He added the “majority of spend” must take place in 2023/24 budgets, so expect roadworks this winter.

Station Square is many visitors’ first impression of Harrogate.

2 Supporters say it will halt town centre decline

Although the gateway is mainly regarded as a transport scheme, supporters are keen to portray its potential for regenerating Lower Station Parade and the area around the bus and train stations.

Matthew Roberts, economic development officer at the council, displayed a slide at the committee meeting showing the number of shops in Harrogate declined from 539 in September 2013 to 474 in September 2021. The meeting also heard evidence that pedestrianisation often led to an increase in spending.

Mr Roberts concluded his presentation by saying:

“Change is often daunting but in Harrogate’s case, much needed.”

3 Otley Road cycle route has undermined confidence

The spectre of the Otley Road cycle route loomed over the meeting.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Monika Slater, who represents Bilton Grange and New Park, told officers the much-criticised cycle route had “taken away the public confidence” in the council’s ability to deliver infrastructure schemes.

The prospect of a part-pedestrianised James Street also raised concerns that Harrogate’s premier retail street could become a soulless shopping experience, as some feel Cambridge Street has become, rather than the pleasant oasis portrayed in council designs.

Cambridge Street – bland?

4 Divided Lib Dems enabled the go-ahead

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which advises North Yorkshire Council, consists of eight Lib Dems and five Conservatives — so the Lib Dems could have halted the scheme.

But there was no party whip and a wide range of views emerged. Committee chair and Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, was scathing:

“I’m totally against this scheme – it’s the wrong scheme. We need to get around the table and look at a more connected plan.”

Fellow Lib Dem Matt Walker, who represents Knaresborough West, and Michael Schofield, who represents Harlow and St Georges, described it as a “vanity project”. But the other five Lib Dems voted in favour, as did all five Conservatives, after receiving vague assurances the committee would be involved in the scheme going forward.

5 There are fears of Harrogate turning into Peterborough or Milton Keynes

Former Harrogate borough mayor Caroline Bayliss was one of many anti-gateway speakers at the start of the meeting. She said the project was “bland enough to suit Peterborough, Milton Keynes or Croydon”, adding:

“It takes away more of our distinct character to be replaced by concrete.”

Former architect Barry Adams, who handed out details of an alternative approach, described it as a “blinkered and contrived highways-led solution”.

By contrast, gateway supporters say it will breathe new life into a run-down part of town that provides the first impression for visitors by bus and train.

There are fears land near the train and bus stations will be developed.

6 Tower block fears

There are fears that the gateway could pave the way for other developments in the vicinity.

Martin Mann, acting chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, even said:

“There are also concerns about the development of the land next to the station, potentially into a tower block, which may overshadow Station Parade and this redevelopment to the public realm.”

Businesses recovering from covid are also more concerned about the disruption caused by months, or years, of roadworks rather than long-term vision of improvement presented by gateway supporters.

Harrogate has 7,000 parking spaces

7 Just 0.6% of parking spaces will be lost

The loss of parking spaces on James Street is one of the gateway’s most controversial aspects.

Richard Binks, head of major projects and development at the council, said 40 parking spaces would be lost in total because of the scheme

He said Harrogate had more than 7,000 parking spaces, if Asda and Waitrose are included, and therefore only 0.6% of spaces would be lost.

8 Cheltenham Parade bus lane scrapped

Mr Binks revealed plans to introduce a bus lane on Cheltenham Parade had been removed from the scheme.

But he added a bus lane on Lower Station Parade remained part of the plans. He said 44 buses an hour used that stretch of road and “each bus would gain 17 to 20 seconds” because of the lane.

Mr Binks added the project had been amended to allay business fears about unloading on Lower Station Parade after the owner of Party Fever raised concerns the business and customers would no longer be able to park outside. He said:

“We are proposing to truncate the length of the lead in the taper to the bus lane over the length of Bower House and make that double yellow line like it is now. That would avail you the opportunity to load as you do now, It would avail customers 30-minute pick up and drop off time.”

“You have a very valid point, we will take it on board and adjust the project to suit.”

Read more:

• Council in discussions with Harrogate Station Gateway contractor
• Station Gateway: Highways boss welcomes ‘positive’ backing from councillors
• As it happened: Councillors vote to SUPPORT Harrogate Station Gateway scheme

A ramshackle red phone box in Harrogate has been moved and transformed into a history of the Stray.

The disused phone box on the Stray, just off Otley Road, had fallen into a dilapidated state.

So the Stray Defence Association, which safeguards the 200 acres of parkland against building and encroachment, hired a specialist renovation company to uplift it on March 16.

It was restored to its original bright scarlet and moved to a more prominent town centre spot on West Park Stray, where it stood beneath a white cover for several days.

Two children removed the covers at an unveiling ceremony this afternoon to reveal the new-look phone box with panels displaying the history of Harrogate’s Stray and the Stray Defence Association.

Its old position on the Stray, next to Otley Road, has been restored and reseeded to return it to Stray land.

Stray Defence Association chairman Judy d’Arcy Thompson and committee member Syd Bell

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, said:

“It is the Stray Defence Association’s hope that it will become a valued part of the West Park street scene and an intriguing and iconic information source for both local people and visitors to Harrogate.”

Today’s unveiling, which was attended by members of the Stray Defence Association, Harrogate In Bloom and Harrogate Civic Society, coincided with the 90th anniversary of the Stray Defence Association, which was formed on May 12, 1933

Cordelia, 7, and Harry, 5, performed the opening by cutting a ribbon to highlight how children are the future custodians of the Stray.

A Stray Defence Association donor paid for the renovation, which was approved by the Duchy of Lancaster and both Harrogate Borough Council and the new North Yorkshire Council.

The phone box being uplifted

Panels on the restored phone box tell the story of the Stray.

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