Developers behind plans for a Knaresborough retirement home have been told to make the building smaller and move it further away from the River Nidd.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today deferred a decision on the proposals for 61 extra care apartments near Grimbald Bridge after continued concerns were raised over flooding and the impact on local health services.

This was despite the Environment Agency and flooding specialists at North Yorkshire County Council raising no objections.

The developers, Adlington Retirement Living, also said there is “no record” of the site flooding and have agreed to pay £40,000 to help fund expansions at GP surgeries in the area.

However, local people claim the River Nidd has overflowed at the site as recently as February.

Resident Steve Benn told a meeting today:

“Although pictures on the planning portal show the land dry, the debris on the bank indicates that the site has recently flooded.”

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Mr Benn also claimed there are photos of the site flooded, but council officers said they have not seen any evidence.

Kate Broadbank, case officer at the council, said:

“We haven’t received any verified information that contradicts the applicant’s information which states the river did not overtop its banks on the site in either historic events or more recently in February.

“Irrespective of what has happened in the past, both the Environment Agency and the Lead Local Flood Authority are satisfied that the application provides acceptable mitigation.”

‘Overload’ health services

The Wetherby Road development was refused last year before councillors voted for a deferral in March when the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) lodged an objection.

The CCG previously said it was “extremely concerned” that another care facility in the area could “overload” local health services.

However, this objection has now been withdrawn after the £40,000 payment from the developers was agreed.

As well as this, Adlington Retirement Living have offered to pay for a new footpath connecting Grimbald Bridge as well as upgraded crossings after road safety concerns were raised by residents.

These proposals have been agreed in principle by highways officials at the county council.

‘It is too large’

Speaking at today’s meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said the retirement home amounted to “overdevelopment” of the site and that it should be reduced in size “considerably”. She said:

“It is the numbers that are being asked for on this site which are problematic.

“It is too large. If they want to do it, I would like to see them cut the numbers down considerably and move that building further away from the river.”

A revised application is now expected at a later date.

A new surface dressing programme has begun on roads in North Yorkshire this month.

North Yorkshire County Council has hired a new contractor to carry out this year’s work, which the local authority said can extend the life of a road surface by up to 10 years.

The 2022 programme, which will cover about 200 miles, will be the first delivered by NY Highways, the roads maintenance company created by the county council last year.

NY Highways has recruited Birmingham road construction firm Kiely Bros as its contractor.

Ross Bullerwell, managing director of NY Highways, said:

“Over the past four months we have worked with Kiely Bros to prepare them for the contract, to make sure they understand what we demand in terms of finish and quality.

“The company has already been providing white lining services for us and we have received good local feedback about their work.”

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A press release issued by the council today described surface dressing as “a quick, efficient and cost-effective way of maintaining skid-resistant and waterproof road surfaces”.

The process involves spraying the surface with bitumen, then spreading stone chippings on top and rolling these into the bitumen. Once the bitumen has set, the road is swept to remove any loose chippings.

Weather warning

Barrie Mason, assistant director highways and transportation at the county council, said:

“We know the value of surface dressing from experience. It is vital in maintaining the condition of our roads network. That’s why it is a key component of our annual roads maintenance programme.

“Year after year, through the programme we enhance the quality of sections of our road network. This is crucial in ensuring that businesses, residents and visitors can travel with confidence.”

Signs should go up at each location before work starts to alert residents and drivers.

Mr Mason warned the programme can be affected by weather, adding:

“This can makes communicating exact dates challenging, so we urge residents to check the advance site signage regularly. The contractor will amend this to highlight any change in the schedule.

“After a stretch of road has been treated, it is important for drivers to heed the temporary speed limit put in place while the new surface stabilises to prevent damage to their own vehicle and those of other road users.”

For more information about surface dressing, click here.

An accountant has been jailed for more than five years for conning a man with learning difficulties out of his Harrogate home and more than £30,000 of savings.

Sukhdev Singh, 73 spent the money within a fortnight on expensive jewellery, gambling, bank transfers to accounts he held in India, private school tuition fees and other domestic spending.

Singh persuaded his vulnerable victim into signing over his inherited £300,000 family home in an up-market location in Harrogate. He also made a sustained and determined but failed attempt to have the title deeds to the victim’s inherited Spanish holiday home fraudulently transferred to himself.

Today, detectives who led the investigation said Singh displayed astounding levels of arrogance, remaining unrepentant throughout his trial for what amounted to be a sickening and callous series of frauds perpetrated against a vulnerable victim.

The man Singh targeted, who has not been named to protect his identity, is in his 50s. But a psychologist who assessed him confirmed his mental capacity to be that of a 12-year-old, someone clearly vulnerable to potential exploitation.

Singh convinced the victim to let his sole trader accountancy business, SS Singh & Co, receive and hold his savings subsequent to the death of his parents some years earlier.

Offshore accounts

Singh, of Chelwood Drive, Moor Allerton in Leeds, had learned of all the assets owned by the victim which had been bequeathed to him by his parents.

These assets included the property in Harrogate, an apartment in Spain and tens of thousands of pounds in offshore savings accounts held with banks based in Gibraltar and Jersey.

By 2016, Singh had transferred the victim’s Harrogate house into the ownership of a company owned and controlled by himself; namely SS and SK Lalli Ltd.

The Land Registry title of the property was thereafter held in the name of SS & SK Lalli Ltd, which appeared to show a purchase price paid during the transaction. However, there was in fact no exchange of funds from Singh to pay for the house, which resulted in him obtaining the house for no payment whatsoever.

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During the same year, Singh travelled to Gibraltar with the victim where he persuaded him to close his savings account and transfer the balance of more than £34,000 into the UK bank account of SS Singh & Co held by Mr. Singh. The victim was led to believe that Singh would look after these funds on his behalf.

Singh then spent the whole of the £34,000 over the following two weeks on jewellery, gambling transactions, transfers to bank accounts held by Singh in India and other personal domestic spending.

From 2016 onwards, the victim continued to live at the Harrogate property, but had unwittingly become the tenant of Singh’s company without so much as a tenancy agreement to protect him.

The crooked accountant then suggested to the man that he could move from his home address into a flat. Had this happened, Singh would have been free to treat the house as his own.

In the meantime Singh made attempts to ‘help’ the victim to close his Jersey-based savings account and to transfer the account funds into the business account of SS Singh & Co. The police investigation was able to prevent this from happening.

Singh also met with an official in Spain and tried to arrange for the victim’s inherited holiday home to be signed over to him. Fortunately, it failed at the eleventh hour as officials became suspicious when Singh could not provide proof that the purchase funds had been paid to the victim.

The defendant created a series of documents containing false statements to support the frauds.

Citizen’s Advice raises concerns

By 2019, the victim’s Harrogate property had fallen into a significant state of disrepair and he approached the local Citizen’s Advice bureau for help.

This started a chain of events whereby Citizens Advice raised concerns with social services. Singh had let the home deteriorate so much that environmental health teams were brought in.

They became suspicious of the title transfer of the victim’s Harrogate home, and reported their suspicions to North Yorkshire Police’s economic crime unit in 2019.

The force’s specialist economic crime detectives began a long and complicated investigation that would ultimately see Singh arrested in July of that year, and the victim’s remaining assets were secured.

Singh was eventually charged with four counts of fraud, all relating to the one victim. During his trial, Singh refused to accept any wrongdoing and claimed he had acted entirely in the victim’s interests and had merely followed his instructions. Singh attempted to portray his victim as a shrewd and articulate man.

However, a jury didn’t believe Singh and found him guilty of all counts on 13th April this year. After the verdict he was remanded into custody.

A judge at York Crown Court today jailed Sukhdev Singh for five years and six months.

‘Sickening and callous series of frauds’

After the sentence, former Detective Constable Ian Sharp, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police’s economic crime unit said:

“Sukhdev Singh had been an associate of the victim’s deceased parents, and had full knowledge of his learning difficulties. He is a manipulative fraudster who displayed a callous lack of empathy for his vulnerable victim. He exploited these vulnerabilities for his own advantage in order to systematically asset-strip him.

“Singh has behaved in an arrogant, deceitful way throughout and appears to have no remorse whatsoever for his crimes.

“It was a truly sickening and callous series of frauds committed against someone who should have been able to trust an accountant to act in his best financial interests.

“Once the case had been brought to the attention of North Yorkshire Police, the force’s economic crime unit was able to safeguard the victim’s remaining assets, and to protect him. The fraudulent transfer of the victim’s Harrogate home has been reversed, and we will now pursue a Proceeds of Crime order against this defendant to confiscate his ill-gotten gains and from this compensate the victim for his lost inheritance.

“While this can’t change the facts of the ordeal he suffered at Singh’s hands, I hope it provides him with some comfort and security.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the agencies who played a significant part in bringing Singh to justice and in safeguarding the victim, particularly Harrogate Citizen’s Advice Bureau who first raised the alarm, also North Yorkshire County Council social workers and the environmental health team.”

Actor Simon Pegg was in Harrogate last night shooting a new film.

The Cornetto trilogy star was on Crown Place, the cobbled street between the Crown Hotel and the Royal Pump Room Museum.

He was working an upcoming movie called Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose, which also stars Minnie Driver, Tim Downie and Paul Kaye.

The film, described as a dark comedy, is based on a 1935 investigation by para-psychologist Nandor Fodor into claims of a talking mongoose.

Fake rain and smoke gave Crown Place an atmospheric air as the crew took several takes of Mr Pegg walking beneath an umbrella (pictured below) and entering a side entrance to the Crown Hotel.

Simon Pegg pictured filming in Crown Place in Harrogate.

Filming finished at about 10.30pm, when the crew retired to the Crown Hotel.

Shooting is expected to continue today in Leeds before returning to Harrogate.

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Film crews have been almost a permanent fixture in Harrogate in recent weeks, prompting jokes that it’s the new Hollywood.

Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has been shooting a horror film in Nidderdale; Sir Patrick Stewart filmed a Yorkshire Tea advert at Cardale Park and Netflix film ‘Bank of Dave’, featuring Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, was shot at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Shooting for All Creatures Great and Small also took place at Crescent Gardens over the last bank holiday weekend.

A small parish council in the Harrogate district has won an eight-year campaign to have greater control over local planning decisions.

Roecliffe and Westwick Parish Council started creating a neighbourhood plan in 2014 amid concerns about green space being lost to developers.

Last week, villagers overwhelmingly approved the adoption of the plan in a referendum by 78 votes to seven.

Neighbourhood plans, which were introduced by the government in the Localism Act 2011, set out planning policies for a local area.

They must have regard to national planning policy and conform with local development plans — in this case the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which sets out where development can take place.

Once adopted by a local referendum, the local authority is obliged to consider it as part of the planning process, which according to the government makes the plans “important and powerful tools that gives communities statutory powers to shape how their communities develop”.

Jim Bolland

Jim Bolland, chair of Roecliffe and Westwick Parish Council, has led the campaign to create a plan, which he believes is the first by a small village in the Harrogate district. He told the Stray Ferret:

“We are delighted. We did this because we didn’t want too many new houses in Roecliffe and Westwick.

“There are a lot of major businesses on the road from Boroughbridge to Roecliffe and we want to preserve a green channel. Housing has got a little bit out of control in the Boroughbridge area, in my opinion.”

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Mr Bolland urged other parish councils to consider creating neighbourhood plans.

He said Roecliffe and Westwick Parish Council initially expected the process to take two years rather than eight, and advised any groups going down the route to be proactive and start early rather than wait for a major planning application because the process wouldn’t be quick enough to influence individual applications.

Nevertheless Mr Bolland, who is stepping down as chairman next week, said the plans were worth the effort:

“If parish councils feel they have a lot of land that could be built upon then it is well worth doing.”

The referendum result was announced at last week’s North Yorkshire Council local election count in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret’s live election blog on Friday attracted the highest daily traffic ever to the site.

A total of 23,000 unique users logged on to the site on Friday, generating 65,000 page views.

Of these, 26,000 were for our live election blog, which provided regular updates from the count on a dramatic day of local politics.

The Stray Ferret provided the most comprehensive coverage of the historic election for the new North Yorkshire Council, profiling all candidates in the 21 Harrogate district divisions, as well as staging a local hustings event that put readers’ questions to candidates.

Tamsin O’Brien, director of the Stray Ferret, said:

“One of the reasons the site was founded was to increase interest in local democracy and the large blog following shows just how many people are engaged in political issues.

“We look forward to providing detailed political coverage of the new North Yorkshire Council as it comes into existence in 10 months time, replacing Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.”

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Harrogate Olympian Axel Brown has treated children at his former prep school to a special show and tell.

Axel Brown attended Brackenfield School between 1995-2003 and returned recently to talk about competing in the two-man bobsleigh at this year’s winter Olympics in Beijing, representing Trinidad and Tobago, the country of his mother’s birth.

Children had the chance to sit in Mr Brown’s bobsleigh and ask questions about his rise to Olympic fame.

Children try out the bobsleigh.

When he competed in Beijing, the school took time out of the day to watch on the big screen and cheer him on.
Mr Brown, who had seen a video of the children watching him, said:

“Seeing the kids cheering me on and chanting my name still gives me goosebumps. Seeing that was genuinely one of the most fulfilling moments of the whole experience. It’s those moments that make it all worth it.”

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Joe Masterson, headteacher at Brackenfield, said:

“Representing Trinidad and Tobago on the international stage is a huge accolade not only for Axel, but for us too – we couldn’t be more proud of the heights Axel has reached so far and we’re certain there is more to come from our super-fast and super-agile ex-pupil!”

Mr Brown, who also attended Harrogate Grammar School, played American football for Division 1 NCAA team the Colorado State Rams before taking up bobsleigh in 2014.

He said:

“I have always preferred sports with short fast efforts like sprinting, which is why I played American football in place of rugby. I also like the idea of taking one aspect of a skill and trying to do it really well, so bobsleigh has allowed me to focus and really find a niche.”

Founded in 1977, Brackenfield, is an independent school for boys and girls aged two to 11.

Mike White, a keen amateur photographer from Birstwith, sent us this image of a Mandarin duck he photographed on the River Nidd.

The waterbird was introduced to the UK from China and escaped captivity. A shy bird, it nests in trees. Male birds have elaborate plumage.

Mr White told us he had seen three pairs of the birds on the Nidd at Birstwith this year.

Send us your photographs of the Harrogate district to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Four men have been arrested in an operation targeting suspected cocaine dealers in Harrogate.

The action follows an investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit into a gang suspected of bringing cocaine and cannabis into Harrogate and the surrounding area.

Warrants were carried out across Harrogate yesterday afternoon when the men were arrested and officers seized suspected cocaine, bulking agent, cannabis, cash, mobile phones and drugs paraphernalia.

The arrested men include one aged 22, from London, one aged 34 from Portsmouth, and two aged 37 and 40 from Harrogate. All four were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

The 22-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

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The 34-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and the 37-year-old also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to produce class B drugs.

All four remain in police custody for questioning.

Detective Inspector Fionna McEwan, of North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit, said:

“The latest action follows six months of painstaking information gathering behind the scenes.

“This work is not always visible but I can assure local people that we continue to work hard to disrupt organised crime and relentlessly pursue those believed to be involved.

“If you suspect drug dealing in your neighbourhood, or you believe someone is being exploited, please don’t hesitate to make a report to us in confidence, or anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers. Every piece of information, no matter how small, helps to inform a bigger picture.”

Reporting information about drugs

Anyone with any information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police say the signs of drug dealing can include:

Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
Anti-social behaviour at a property
Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
Get help for drug and alcohol addiction

Jubilant Liberal Democrats are celebrating after winning the most divisions in the Harrogate division today.

But the Conservatives won enough divisions across the county overall to secure control of the new North Yorkshire Council.

Ten Liberal Democrat councillors were elected in the district, compared with nine Conservatives, one Green and one Independent.

Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said the result meant her party would take control of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee.

This means the Liberal Democrats could have a bigger voice on issues such as planning and highways. Cllr Marsh said:

“It’s a pleasure to see some really good people elected to the council, who want to represent their communities rather than just hold the title of councillor.

“Liberal Democrats will have a stronger voice and we will work with others.”

Read more:

• ELECTION LIVE: Lib Dems win most divisions in Harrogate district
• Future of Harrogate district McColl’s in question

Matt Walker, who was elected for the Liberal Democrats in Knaresborough West, said:

“We had a plan and exceeded what we were aiming for. We will be able to influence things more.”

Conservatives win majority in North Yorkshire

Across the county as a whole, the Conservatives won 47 divisions — one more than required for an overall majority.

Independents won 13, the Liberal Democrats and Labour both won 12, the Greens won five and the Liberal Party won one.

We will have further reaction and analysis from the local elections shortly.