Harrogate’s Rachel Daly was among the winners at this week’s Pride of Britain awards.

Daly was part of the England women’s football team that beat Germany 2-1 in the final of Euro 2022 this year.

At a ceremony hosted by Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman, the team received a special award for inspiring girls to play football.

Pic: Rachel Daly Instagram

The ceremony was held at London’s Grosvenor House on Monday and broadcast on ITV last night.

The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain recognise extraordinary achievements by ordinary people.

It was the latest success of a remarkable year for Aston Villa striker Daly, who was named Women’s Super League player of month in September.

Read more:

• Rachel Daly wins Women’s Super League player of the month award
• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly scores twice on dream return to England

A man from Bradford has been jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to supplying Class A drugs in Harrogate’s Library Gardens.

Shaoib Shafiq, 20, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, were stopped on September 26, 2020, after reports of drug dealing.

The 16-year-old had 110 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine hidden in his underwear and Shafiq had a Nokia burner-style mobile phone with a pre-pay SIM card that was used as the drugs line.

The pair were sentenced at York Crown Court on Wednesday.

Shafiq was jailed for 30 months and the boy was handed a community order, unpaid work and a rehabilitation requirement.

Shafiq and the teenager travelled to Harrogate from Bradford together and were in regular contact several days before their arrest.

Read more:

• Knaresborough man jailed for ‘punishment beating’ of ex-partner
• Prolific Harrogate criminal jailed after hospital rampage

PC Chris Dyson said:

“Drug dealing has a hugely damaging effect on communities and destroys lives.

“These two individuals thought they could come into North Yorkshire and deal Class A drugs, but we showed them different.

“We work hard to target those who insist on bringing misery to communities and we will not stop making sure those who commit this type of crime are brought to the courts.”

North Yorkshire County Council has said it will consider “alternative educational uses” for Woodfield Community Primary School‘s buildings after it closes.

Councillors confirmed this week the 56-year-old Bilton school will close on December 31.

The council claims it has “exhausted all options” to keep the school open after years of falling pupil numbers and an inadequate rating by Ofsted.

But the move has angered local families who do not understand why the school, in a densely populated area of Harrogate, needs to close.

Following this week’s decision, the Stray Ferret asked the council about the future of the site, which includes substantial playing fields as well as the school building.

We asked what discussions have taken place about the use of the school site, what the options are and what the timescale for a decision is likely to be. We also asked whether the council had ruled out using the site for housing.

Read more:

• ‘Badly let down’ Woodfield school closure confirmed\
• Starbeck and Bilton community libraries set for 10-year council deal

The council replied in a statement:

“No discussions have taken place on the future use of the site, ahead of a decision being made on the school’s future this week.

“The site is owned by the county council and also houses Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Harrogate Bilton Children and Family Hub and Oak Beck House. All of these services remain open and unaffected by the school closure.

“The county council will be exploring whether there are alternative educational uses for the school buildings. There are controls around the reuse or redevelopment of school sites, and any alternative uses that are proposed will be the subject of consultation.”

No further details have been released.

A housing developer has said it “doesn’t anticipate” a controversial road closure in the Kingsley area of Harrogate will last six months.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that pedestrians, dog walkers and cyclists face a 1.4-mile detour when Kingsley Road is completely sealed off beyond the junction with Kingsley Drive up to the bridge leading to Bogs Lane.

The affected route is popular among people looking to access the shared cycle route and footpath to Bilton.

North Yorkshire County Council issued a temporary prohibition of traffic order, from November 7, lasting for up to 12 months, to enable Redrow to carry out work at its 133-home Kingsley Manor development.

David Faraday, technical director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:

“The road closure will be in place while works to create a new junction, access road and associated services for the development are completed. This includes extensive excavation works to connect the sewers and installation of a new three-way traffic light system.

“We don’t anticipate the works will take the full six months to complete and the closure allows for a period of contingency.”

Hundreds of homes are being built in the Kingsley area.

Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire County Council, said yesterday he planned to ask Redrow if access for walkers and cyclists could be maintained for some periods while work is carried out.

Asked if this was something Redrow would consider, Mr Faraday responded:

“The road will be closed to ensure the safety of local residents and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience they may experience over the coming months.

“If it is possible to create a safe through route for pedestrians temporarily while more minor works are underway we will endeavour to do so, but a full closure will be in place while all major works are undertaken, as advised by our contractor.”

Read more:

• Harrogate road closure means 1.4-mile detour for walkers and cyclists
• Harrogate council says it can’t take action on complaints of ‘poisonous’ construction dust in Kingsley area

Asked what consultation had been carried out, he said:

“We notified local residents of the works and road closure via letter on October 19. Formal notification of road closures is the statutory responsibility of the local authority.”

An artist’s impression of how the Redrow development will look.

Mr Faraday said the two, three and four-bedroom homes would “provide a huge boost to local housing supply for a wide market” and the development “will be characterised by areas of natural green space, mature trees and varied planting, and will also feature two play areas”.

He added:

“We are making significant contributions to the local community as part of the planning agreement, including more than £540,000 towards local education, £190,000 towards open space provision, £44,600 towards traffic signals and £5,000 for a local travel plan.”

Calls to make Oatlands Drive safer for cycling feature prominently in the initial responses to a new survey on active travel in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council opened a public engagement this week on how to encourage more people to cycle and walk in the densely populated area bordered by Wetherby Road, York Place, Leeds Road and Hookstone Drive and Hookstone Road.

It is hoped the exercise will lead to the introduction of traffic calming measures that result in fewer vehicles and more cycling and walking, especially as the area includes two large secondary schools — St. John Fisher Catholic High School and St. Aidan’s Church of England High School.

People can have their say on an interactive map, which has generated 271 responses so far in its first week.

The narrow cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive.

Oatlands Drive, which passes St Aidan’s, has attracted a strikingly high number of responses, with many focussing on how unsafe the narrow cycling lanes are. The comments include:

“The cycle lane is actually worse than having no lane as cars see it as a segregated lane and pass really close in their lane.”

“Please, please do something to stop people parking their cars at the side of this road. When I cycle on this road, I am forced to undertake potentially dangerous positional moves.”

Other Oatlands area suggestions include banning hospital workers from parking in the Saints area and better cleaning of drains to prevent flooding.

Backlash to previous Oatlands Drive plans

The survey was launched this week — more than a year-and-a-half after proposals for one-way traffic on Oatlands Drive were scrapped following a backlash from residents.

A 20mph limit and traffic filters were then proposed, however, residents were still unhappy.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, has urged the council to “have the backbone to deliver” this time.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the authority, said previously: 

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

To have your say on the proposals, click here.

Rail operator Northern has told passengers to expect six days of disruption during the next wave of strikes.

The RMT union has scheduled strikes on Saturday, November 5, Monday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 9 as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

Northern, which operates the line passing through Knaresborough and Harrogate, today advised people not to travel by train on those days.

It also warned that “services are also expected to be affected”  on November 6, 8 and 10 November.

The company added disruption would occur “especially in the morning, so please check before you travel”.

The RMT previously announced a strike on November 3, however, this was cancelled and Northern said trains will be operating as usual that day.

The company said in a statement:

“On strike days, only travel by rail if necessary and if you do travel, expect severe disruption and plan ahead — especially the first and last trains of the day.  Remember to check your entire journey as other train service providers may be affected.

“Advanced tickets will be withdrawn from sale, until an alternative strike timetable is in place.”

Read more:

• Picket line at Harrogate station today as rail strikes resume
• Ambulance workers in Harrogate district could be set to strike

Rainbows have designed a Stop, Look and Listen banner to display on the gates of Saltergate School.

It was one of a series of activities undertaken by members of 5th Harrogate Rainbows to help them learn about road safety.

As part of the initiative, Lauren Doherty, who lives in Knaresborough and uses her own experience of a traffic accident to educate people about road safety, gave a talk to the group.

The banner was the Rainbows’ final assignment and will encourage others to take road safety more seriously.

Samantha Suttle, leader of 5th Harrogate Rainbows, said”

“We hope this will help all children and adults stay safe when crossing the road. Well done Rainbows!”

Read more:

• Pannal Ash residents call for 20mph zone for four schools
• ‘Badly let down’ Woodfield school closure confirmed

Northern Gas Networks has paused its “slower than anticipated” gas mains replacement works in Harrogate town centre.

The company said yesterday the scheme had proved “challenging” and would be temporarily halted to avoid Christmas disruption.

It means five weeks of traffic lights on Cold Bath Road, which were initially due to take place in September, won’t happen until at least January.

Northern Gas Networks, which transports gas to 2.7 million homes in northern England through a network of underground pipes, also said it had finished long-term work at Crescent Road, near the tourist information centre.

But it added it still needed to “make good” the area before traffic and pedestrian restrictions were lifted — hopefully this week.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks said:

“Our gas mains replacement works in Harrogate town centre have progressed well, but it has been a challenging project to undertake due to the location of the main.

“The complexity of the engineering involved means the pace of the works has been slower than anticipated and that has extended their overall duration.

“We want to minimise disruption for Harrogate residents and motorists as much as possible, so rather than impact customers during the busy festive period by continuing the works now, we’ve temporarily paused the project and will return to complete it in the new year.”

Mr Kitchingman added the company’s customer care officers would keep residents and businesses updated with new dates “as soon as they are agreed with North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team”, adding:

“We sincerely apologise in the meantime for any inconvenience customers have experienced.”

Read more:

• Gasworks on Cold Bath Road rescheduled until Monday
• Harrogate road closure means 1.4-mile detour for walkers and cyclists

The long-term gas works on Crescent Road In Harrogate town centre are due to be paused this week.

Motorists are still unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction and traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right but by next week the restrictions should have ended.

Roadworks near the Harrogate Town ground on Wetherby Road in Harrogate are due to end tomorrow.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, two sets of traffic lights will be active on Skipton Road, between the Empress roundabout and King’s Road.

Traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 in Knaresborough are due to remain in place until November 11.

Yorkshire Water has installed four-way traffic lights as it lays a new water main for a housing development.

In Ripon, roadworks are due to be active on Heckler Lane and New Road today and tomorrow.

Work to reconstruct the landslip-hit B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, is ongoing.

The road is closed and a diversion is in place via Pateley Bridge; the B6451 Dacre; Menwith Hill Road; Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.

Trains and buses

Rail operator Northern is not reporting any problems on the line passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough this morning but the live departure and arrival board for Harrogate shows the 7.37am LNER service to London is cancelled.

The Harrogate Bus Company is reporting cancellations on the 36 bus, the 9am and 10.55am Harrogate to Leeds services are cancelled, as are the Leeds to Harrogate 7.40am, 9.55am, 11.55am services and the Starbeck to Leeds 6.23am bus.

You can get updates here.

Read more:

• Otley Road cycle path could be re-routed with new traffic restrictions
• New plans to tackle traffic on Harrogate’s A61

A section of a busy Harrogate road is to be closed for up to a year to allow work to begin on a 133-home housing scheme.

Kingsley Road will be completely sealed off beyond the junction with Kingsley Drive up to the bridge leading to Bogs Lane.

It means people travelling along Kingsley Road will be unable to get to Bogs Lane without a lengthy 1.4-mile detour on to the main A59 Knaresborough Road.

Pedestrians, dog walkers and cyclists, who use the route to get to the bridge going down to the shared off-road walking and cycling route to Bilton, will also be affected.

The bridge leading down to the pedestrian and cycle route.

Jenny Mills, who lives in the area, said

“It will now mean when I take my two little boys for a bike ride or a dog walk I will now have to walk the entire way around Starbeck to get to the cycle track, which is less then 50 metres from my front door.

“The sad part is I meet so many elderly and disabled people on the cycle path for whom the path is a lifeline, basically. Without it they don’t have access to a safe and level walk in the fresh air or to a safe place to walk their dog.

“There’s no way these people will be able to walk the huge distance to get to the cycle path which then leaves them limited options to walk their dogs safely.”

Read more:

• Final approval for 133 Harrogate homes
• Starbeck and Bilton community libraries set for 10-year council deal

North Yorkshire County Council has issued a temporary prohibition of traffic order, which says the closure will come into force on November 7.

The order says “it is envisaged” to last until May 8 next year, but the maximum duration is 12 months.

A map showing the Kingsley Road detour.

Councillor seeks solution

Harrogate Borough Council granted final approval in July for Redrow to build 133 homes on Kingsley Road, in what will be the latest development in the Kingsley area.

Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire County Council, said he planned to hold talks with Redrow to see if access for walkers and cyclists could be maintained for some periods while work is carried out.

Cllr Aldred said the road closure would stop the route being used as a “rat run” by motorists trying to avoid the A59 Knaresborough Road and there were long-term plans to close it permanently to through traffic.

But he said those plans involved maintaining non-vehicular access and he couldn’t see why this couldn’t also be achieved now.

“They won’t be digging for all six months so I would have thought there might be option where pedestrians and cyclists can go up there for maybe five months out of six.”