A new 80-seat independent restaurant with a cocktail bar and terrace will open in Harrogate on Friday.

The Stray Ferret revealed last week HG1 Grill and World Bar was to open in the building formerly occupied by Samsons and Le Bistrot Pierre on Cheltenham Crescent.

New owner Jas Gill has confirmed the venue will open in two days time.

Ms Gill, who is from a property background, has assembled a team including head chef Javier Oitana, general manager Jerome Lacheure and bar manager Joe Oliver.

Customers are able to visit for drinks or to sample the menu.

The grill will provide a wide range of international options and the bar will offer live music and DJ sets as well as cocktails.

Ms Gill said:

“We’ve assembled a team that is passionate about food and what we are trying to achieve.”

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New tree avenue to be planted on Harrogate’s Stray

An avenue of apple and maple trees will be planted on Harrogate’s Stray this month.

They will be among 800 trees planted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of National Tree Week.

The council will also be planting native trees, including oak, lime and sycamore, at Hay a Park in Knaresborough and at Paddies Park and Gallows Hill in Ripon.

About 500 of the trees have been nurtured at the council’s Harlow Hill nursery.

National Tree Week, which begins on November 26, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Planting more trees is a priority for us and this project supports a number of schemes – the White Rose Forest, for example – that will help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.

“We couldn’t do it without the help of volunteers so I’d like to thank everyone who has either provided a sapling or will be planting a tree.”

More information about National Tree Week is available on the Tree Council website.

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Harrogate’s multi-storey car parks are generating considerably less income than expected this year.

Off-street parking revenue is £293,000 below budget, a Harrogate Borough Council meeting heard on Monday.

Gillian Morland, service finance manager at the council, told the overview and scrutiny committee meeting the  Jubilee and Victoria multi-storey car parks were “particularly down on income”.

Ms Morland said the looming abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and the creation of a single unitary authority for North Yorkshire presented the chance to improve matters. She said:

“There is a good opportunity as we merge into the new authority to look at a joined-up approach and the whole issue of traffic management, bring on and off-street parking together.”

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate Borough Council is forecasting to spend £2.5m more than budgeted in its final year of existence.

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This is mainly because utility bills are £1.7m above budget and staff pay is £1.1m higher than expected following the 2022/23 pay award of 6.7% rather than the predicted 2.5% .

But the report to councillors also revealed several other areas of shortfalls.

Besides car parking, planning application income is £320,000 less than expected due to a reduction in applications.

Ms Morland said:

“I understand planning income has been down for some time now and it’s not returned to the pre pandemic levels. The big issue is we are not getting the big planning applications, the high value ones, but I don’t know any more of the detail.”

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, said he understood there had been “a lot fewer applications” for house extensions because of the economic climate over the last three or four months.

Trial 20mph speed limits are to be investigated in residential areas in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire County Council‘s executive agreed to look into running pilot schemes at a meeting today.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which advises the executive, requested the measure last month.

The committee asked for the limit to be tested in towns and villages “where a need has been identified”.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said at today’s executive meeting:

“It’s fair to say that a default 20mph limit is controversial. While it has some support, it also attracts strong opposition.

“The pilot being called for by the constituency committee represents a radical departure from our existing approach, which is based on national guidelines. It could also cost several million pounds.

“I am very keen that we investigate options to be able to provide an evidence-based assessment of the request. This will require information on factors such as road safety, environment, value for money, enforcement and lessons from other local authorities.”

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He added:

“It would also be useful to learn lessons from our own authority. It was only nine months ago that the executive agreed a new 20mph policy, so it is important we assess how that is working and any changes needed.

“I welcome the opportunity to investigate these factors thoroughly in order to be able to give an informed and comprehensive response to the constituency committee’s request in due course.”

The council’s current 20mph policy, which can be viewed here, says any 20mph limits must be self-enforcing and operate without a reliance on police intervention.

20’s Plenty

Today’s decision is a boost for local supporters of the 20’s Plenty campaign, which is pushing for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres

Yesterday, pensioner Pam Fawcett, 79, delivered a card to County Hall in Northallerton on behalf of the 20’s Plenty initiative in North Yorkshire.

The card calls for the forthcoming North Yorkshire Council to invest £1m into introducing 20mph limits in the county.

Malcolm Margolis, who supports the campaign in Harrogate, said:

“Default 20mph is gradually being adopted across the country and will come to Harrogate district and North Yorkshire.

“It needs to, to save lives, reduce road casualties, encourage people to walk and cycle more benefitting our health and environment, and make our towns and villages better places to live in.”

Nidderdale environmental artist James Owen Thomas met Monty Don when the BBC Gardeners’ World presenter visited Harrogate.

Mr Thomas spoke recently on Gardeners’ World about being an artist in residence at Fishpond Wood in Bewerley and the importance of being in nature for his health and wellbeing.

At An Evening With Monty Don at Harrogate Convention Centre last Friday, Mr Thomas was able to meet the famous gardener shortly before he went on stage.

He presented him with one of his original collages of a garden scene, and received two books signed by Monty Don.

Mr Thomas, who will be opening a gallery in Pateley Bridge shortly, added:

“He knows I spoke on Gardeners’ World about mental health problems.

“It was good that some of his talk on stage was about mental health and the importance of being out in nature.”

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Starbeck’s former Harper’s could be turned into housing

The former McColl’s store ravaged by fire in Starbeck could be turned into housing.

Built on High Street as a Harper’s grocery, the building was later used as a McColl’s but closed and was derelict when fire struck in 2018.

Since then, the building has frequently been described as an eyesore, although it was brightened this year when volunteers painted it in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

An agent for the owners of the building said today there are plans for a “residential-led development”.

Pete Gleave, from Zerum Consulting, told the Stray Ferret:

“Our client is looking to progress proposals with the local planning authority and has entered into pre-application discussions with planning officers.

“This will be a residential-led development and we will shortly be commencing work on a formal planning application.

“Our client recognises the importance of bringing the site forward for redevelopment and we will now look to do so in a timely manner.”

Mr Gleave would not reveal who owned the building. He said he was “unable to pass on client details without their approval”.

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Andrew Hart, founder of Starbeck Community Group and owner of Starbeck Post Office, said the building was “just rotting away” and urgently needed attention. He added:

“Anything is better than nothing — it can’t stay as it is. The building is dangerous. We know it has asbestos problems inside and is an eyesore.

“But I’ll be disappointed if they don’t put some kind of retail function in on the ground floor.

“If we can get a prestigious restaurant, bar or shop in there then we can get other businesses in. There can be housing upstairs.”

In February, Harrogate Borough Council granted an application by Leeds-based developer Bates & Hemingborough to demolish the building.

The plans had been put on hold in December after the council asked for safety documents, which were later provided, addressing how the demolition would impact the adjacent St Andrew’s Church.

Harrogate Borough Council is forecasting to spend £2.5m more than budgeted in its final year of existence, a meeting has heard.

The council’s revenue budget for the year is £21.8m and it was predicted to overspend on this sum by £701,000 at the previous quarterly update in July.

But last night’s overview and scrutiny committee heard the figure had increased to £2.5m in the latest quarterly forecast for the period to October.

Gillian Morland, service finance manager at the council, said the “two really big variances” were utility prices and larger than expected staff pay increases.

Gillian Morland speaking at last night’s meeting.

Ms Morland said utility bills were £1.7m above budget and staff pay was £1.1m higher than expected following the 2022/23 pay award.

She told the meeting the council had locked into a 12-month rate for electricity but gas prices were “more complicated and it is possible we could see a reduction of up to £600,000 on the overspend that’s quoted in the report”.

She added the council had budgeted for a 2.5 percent pay increase and the agreed figure turned out to be almost 6.7%.

“As things stand we are looking at a sizeable overspend this year.

“We are hoping overspend will come down but we do have sufficient funds to cover it.”

John Mann, the Conservative councillor for Pannal, told the meeting the overspend was “typical of most councils”, which were dealing with similar issues relating to rising utility bills and pay awards.

Harrogate Borough Council is one of seven district councils, which along with North Yorkshire County Council, will be abolished on April 1 to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

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Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre will begin 11 days of celebrations this week marking its 30th birthday.

Tomorrow’s official birthday date will see visitors receive a free birthday cupcake from 10am at the centre.

The celebrations will then continue until November 20, adopting a ‘looking back’ theme.

A screen installed on the ground floor will show photos and videos of the centre, as well as news clips from the last 30 years.

People are being inviting to send their own images or videos to be included on the screen, creating a community time capsule. They can be uploaded on the centre’s website.

A birthday party from 11am to 3pm on November 19 and 20 will include visits from favourite 1990s movie characters, including Lightning McQueen on the Saturday and The Terminator on the Sunday.

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Giant 90s themed props will also appear throughout the centre to provide selfie opportunities.

There will also be a free photobooth on the first floor and family party games, crafts and prizes on the ground floor.

James White, centre manager, said:

“We are hoping that our birthday party will be an opportunity to bring together a town that is full of pride about its own history, something that Victoria Shopping centre greatly represents.”

A house in Jennyfields has been closed amid concerns about anti-social behaviour.

Harrogate Magistrates Court granted a closure order for 46 Bramham Drive on Thursday.

The order bans people from entering the property for three months.

Harrogate Borough Council applied for the order under section 80 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The closure order on the door of the property.

A copy of the order, attached to the door of the property, said the court was satisfied there were either concerns about “disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour on the premises”, the house being used for “serious nuisance to members of the public” or nearby disorder related to the premises.

The document also says “access to the premises is prohibited by all persons” until February 3 except by an authorised council officer and one other named person.

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for further details of why it applied for the order. A spokesman said:

“We applied for the closure order following concerns about drug use and anti-social behaviour.”

In May, the council successfully applied to magistrates for a three-month closure order on a house on Cawthorne Avenue, in the Fairfax area of Harrogate following claims a drug-dependent woman was being exploited by drug dealers.

Last year the council and police also secured the three-month closure of two homes on Avenue Grove in Starbeck.

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