Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.

North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.

This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.

The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.

Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.

Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.

But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.

Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:

“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.

“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”

Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.

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After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.

‘It just goes on forever’

Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.

Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:

“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.

“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.

“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.

It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.

A Starbeck community group has offered to find a new home for the ‘little temple’ that looks set to be moved from Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council said yesterday it had submitted a planning application to remove the tempietto in Station Square.

It plans to sell or recycle the construction so it can open up the area and use the space to host events, as part of the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

Postmaster Andrew Hart has written to the council offering to donate £1,000 towards bringing the little temple to Starbeck.

Mr Hart, who founded Starbeck Community Group, which has 1,800 members, wrote in his letter:

“Starbeck is very much the poor relative of Harrogate and Knaresborough and has suffered badly due to a depleted High Street, covid and the economy.

“We noticed with interest that you are planning to recycle or sell the tempietto from Harrogate. Could we please have first claim on it as either a gift or as a purchase?

“The community would be so proud to have this in Starbeck, it would not only enhance our community but it would lift spirits. I would happily start a community fund with a donation of £1000 towards the purchase if necessary.”

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Mr Hart was behind a successful bid last year to relocate eight planters from Harrogate to Starbeck when Harrogate Borough Council decided to get rid of them.

He said “these things help poor neglected Starbeck” and told the Stray Ferret the idea of Belmont Park hosting the little temple had been well received by locals:

“Everyone is working hard in Starbeck to make it look more colourful and this would give us a sense of pride.

“I saw the story and thought ‘this is a great opportunity for us’.”

A marathon spell of bell ringing will take place tomorrow to mark the 1,350th anniversary of the consecration of Ripon Cathedral.

The cathedral’s bell ringers will attempt a peal to mark the consecration by St Wilfrid in the year 672.

Peals are traditionally rung to mark significant events in the history of both the cathedral and the city.

Over 160 peals have been rung at the cathedral since the first in 1764.

A post on the cathedral’s Facebook page said:

“A peal requires at least 5,040 changes to be rung continuously and without repetition or mistake and will take up to three-and-a-half hours to complete, so it poses a significant mental and physical challenge to the bell ringers.

“The attempt will be made by members of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers under the leadership of Martin Davies, the cathedral ringing master, and will start at around 9.30am. We wish them luck!”

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North Yorkshire County Council revealed today it has selected three possible sites in the Harrogate district to become investment zones.

The sites are: junction 47 of the A1; Potter Space Ripon, a business park at Junction 50 of the A1 and Harrogate Convention Centre.

The government has said the zones, which will receive liberalised planning laws and tax incentives for businesses, will support business and economic growth.

But they have been criticised by conservation organisations because of the potential impact on wildlife.

Last month, North Yorkshire County Council was named as one of 38 local authorities in talks with the government over creating investment zones.

Today, the county council named the 12 commercial sites it had identified for possible zones in North Yorkshire.

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Of the seven districts within the county, only Selby, where five sites have been identified, has more locations than the Harrogate district.

Carl Les

Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the county council, said:

“We are at a very early stage in the process, but this could be an exciting and welcome initiative that would enable us to work with the government to deliver benefits for the North Yorkshire economy.

“Following discussions with our district council colleagues, we are submitting an expression of interest. This identifies a number of sites across the county that we feel fit the criteria from government. We look forward to further negotiations with Government following our submission.”

Full list of sites in North Yorkshire

The sites identified in the expression of interest are:

• Hambleton: Dalton, at Junction 49 on the A1.
• Harrogate: Harrogate, at Junction 47 of the A1; Potter Space Ripon, at Junction 50 of the A1; Harrogate Convention Centre.
• Richmondshire: the area around A1 Junctions 52 and 53.
• Ryedale: Eden Camp East, Malton.
• Scarborough: Scarborough Business Park.
• Selby: Gascoigne Wood Rail Interchange, Olympia Park, and sites at Eggborough, Kellingley and Sherburn.

Cllr Les said:

“The sites we are putting forward for consideration are locations that have already been earmarked for commercial development to support business growth and job creation. The proposed benefits of investment zones could help to make these sites even more attractive to new businesses and accelerate development ambitions.

“We are fully aware of the need to minimise any environmental impacts, so all the sites we are putting forward have been selected in accordance with local planning and conservation policy. None are sensitive or protected sites.”

Proposed sites must meet the Government’s criteria to offer a significant economic opportunity, be ready to deliver quickly and align with the wider local strategy.

Once the government has received the expressions of interest from invited authorities, further criteria will influence site selection, including consideration of the overall geographic distribution of investment zones, the balance between residential and commercial, and urban and rural sites and the readiness to deliver.

A ‘little temple’ in the centre of Harrogate is set to be removed as part of the £11.9m Station Gateway.

The tempietto, an Italian term for little temple, is close to the Victoria monument opposite the train station in the town centre.

The area is due to be redeveloped as part of the gateway scheme, which aims to improve the public realm and encourage cycling and walking.

Station Square, where the little temple is situated, would be cleared to make way for an open landscaped area with water jets that can host events. The Victoria monument would, however, remain.

The tempietto

North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the gateway scheme, said today it had submitted a planning application to remove the tempietto.

A council spokesman said:

“The proposal is to remove the tempietto permanently from Station Square under the redesigned public realm to facilitate an open vista suitable for performance and event space options.

“It would be recycled or sold as appropriate to enable re-siting in another location as opposed to being scrapped.”

The council also revealed it plans to consult on new traffic regulation orders, which would involve closing some roads to traffic, as part  of the gateway scheme.

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Richard Binks

Richard Binks, head of major projects and infrastructure at the council, said:

 “We have recently submitted two planning applications relating to individual scheme elements – removal of the tempietto and wall lowering in Bower Street – and will consult on the scheme’s traffic regulation orders shortly.

“After that, the executive will be asked to consider whether to submit a full business case to West Yorkshire Combined Authority and implement the project.”

Asked why the council had submitted these applications before the executive has made a final decision on whether to go ahead with the gateway, the council spokesman said:

“Statutory orders and applications are being processed now to capture an informed position, which is needed before submission of a full business case.

“That submission of a business case is subject to approval from the council’s executive.”

Latest gateway consultation response

Mr Binks also today revealed details of the third round of consultation on the gateway scheme. He said:

“In the third public consultation on the Harrogate Station Gateway Transforming Cities Fund project, held between 20 July and 23 August, we received 2,044 completed surveys. This is higher than the previous two consultations (which received 1,101 and 1,320 responses).

“Analysis of all the feedback, including approximately 5,000 text comments, plus letters and emails, is ongoing.”

Questions are being raised over the future of a partnership which sees North Yorkshire and Cornwall’s fire control rooms share emergency calls at peak times.

At more than 300 miles apart, the fire services joined forces in 2016 with each call centre able to dispatch crews in the two counties.

It has been hailed as a move to make services more effective as the geographic distance means they are less likely to be affected by major incidents at the same time.

But the partnership is now being brought into question after plans were revealed to close Cornwall’s call centre and merge it with others elsewhere in England.

Cornwall Council, which administers the service, said all options are being considered for the control room and that a final decision would be made next year.

However, it would not comment on what a potential closure could mean for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

At a recent Cornwall Council meeting, the proposals were met with protests from dozens of firefighters after further criticism from the Fire Brigades Union, which said it is opposing the “ridiculous move” in the interests of public safety.

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The issue has also been raised by Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Fairfax on Harrogate Borough Council. He was contacted by a member of staff at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service who said the proposals have caused “huge upset and emotional strain”.

Councillor Aldred has since has called on North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to carry out a review into the “critical” service.

In a statement, Conservative commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said the agreement with Cornwall “remains in place with no change” and that she had been reassured that talks would be held about any potential change. She said:

“My chief fire officer, Jonathan Dyson, has provided assurance of the current and future resilience of our control room in North Yorkshire.

“Jonathan is in regular contact with the chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and the timescales for any decision and potential change to their control room allows North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to explore future resilience opportunities.

“As such, there is no current impact on our control room’s ability to handle 999 calls and to effectively mobilise our fire engines to emergencies.”

A wanted man who didn’t turn up in court to face attempted robbery charges has Harrogate connections, police said today.

Keith David Whitehead, 45, failed to appear at York Crown Court on Friday last week.

He was accused of attempting to rob a man in Scarborough in October last year. The court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

He has also been recalled to prison for displaying poor behaviour, including harassment, which is in breach of his licence conditions.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for help locating Whitehead.

A police statement today said:

“Police enquiries are ongoing in North Yorkshire where it is known Whitehead has connections in Scarborough and Harrogate.”

Keith Whitehead

Whitehead is described as white, short grey hair, 5ft 8in tall, with a slim build.

Anyone with information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number 12220163507.

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An exhibition of original art by the comedian Vic Reeves is on display at Red House Originals Gallery in Harrogate.

The exhibition, called Yorkshire Rocks and Dinghy Fights, includes several paintings of Brimham Rocks.

Leeds-born Mr Reeves, a keen artist who exhibits under his real name Jim Moir, is a frequent visitor to the National Trust site near Pateley Bridge.

The exhibition, featuring work priced up to £12,500, also includes paintings that show his love of birds and shoes, as well as art highlighting his surreal sense of humour.

Mr Reeves attended the opening of the exhibition, which was extended by a week due to demand. Saturday will be the last day.

Mr Reeves at the opening night. Pic by Robin Clewley.

Dave McTague, who is responsible for marketing at the gallery, said:

“We’ve had a phenomenal response to it. We’ve had people travelling from all over the country.”

Red House Originals Gallery, on Cheltenham Mount, is owned by Richard McTague, nephew of Paul McTague, who owns the McTague of Harrogate gallery next door.

While McTague of Harrogate features traditional art, Red House focuses on pop art, modern art and contemporary work, often showcasing Yorkshire artists.

Dave McTague in front of three of the Brimham Rocks exhibits.

Opening night of the Vic Reeves exhibition.

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A new play area has opened at Hookstone Chase Primary School in Harrogate.

The new equipment is part of investment the school is making in facilities especially for reception age children.

The school is part of Northern Star Academies Trust, which runs four primary schools in Harrogate.

Constructed from natural timber to reflect the school’s commitment to the environment, the play area gives children a new learning space to get physical and creative – with a water stream, sand play and jungle planters.

A new shelter offers a place to act out plays, have outdoor lessons, or even an alfresco story time.

The play area is the first part of a development plan for the school being led by new headteacher, Joe Cooper, who joined the academy at the start of September.

Headteacher, Joe Cooper, tries out the new outdoor learning area.

Mr Cooper said:

“Learning should be engaging and fun – whether it’s inside the classroom or outside it.

“Our new play area for our youngest children is a safe place where they can let their imaginations run free. Whether children want to run and climb or play quietly with friends in specially created seating areas, there is something for everyone.  Outdoor play is a great way for children to build social skills and friendships”.

Jenn Plews, chief executive of Northern Star Academies Trust, said:

“Learning outdoors is an important part of the curriculum in every Northern Star Academy.  Getting outside has benefits for children’s wellbeing and health, as well as their learning”.

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A temporary bar is due to open at Harrogate Town‘s stadium in about two weeks.

Club chief executive Sarah Barry revealed the news at a fans’ forum last night — and added she hoped the Wetherby Road ground would have a second bar for home supporters by Christmas.

Not being able to get a drink on match days has been frustrating fans for some time.

Ms Barry told the forum she had been working on a solution since she arrived as chief executive just over a year ago, adding:

“We got planning permission on 6 September – that’s how long it has been. By the time we got planning permission unfortunately for us we can’t get the building slot we hoped.

“I’m absolutely delighted to say we have just had permission to put up a temporary bar which we hope will be put up as soon as possible. We will also be turning another part of the ground into a home supporters bar too.

“We will certainly have a temporary bar coming imminently and we will have a second bar, I’d like to say by Christmas, but don’t hold me to that as we still have to go through some hoops.”

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About 100 fans attended last night’s event at the Cedar Court Hotel and although many questions focused on Town’s poor form there were no direct calls for manager Simon Weaver to go.

Irving Weaver said it was a “fair question” when someone asked about the direction of the club but added it was “a bit early” for a change.

Last night’s fan forum also revealed…

Simon Weaver has turned down two job offers at other clubs

Chairman Irving Weaver revealed his manager and son Simon Weaver had rejected two job offers from professional clubs. He said:

“I’ve never disclosed this and he doesn’t know I’m going to say this: Simon has had a couple of offers because of the success of the club.

“One was from a Championship club and six weeks ago a League Two club went direct to him without any protocol of going to the chairman.”

The Weavers are “scrappers” who plan to battle their way out of trouble

Simon Weaver has been under pressure lately following a poor run of form that has left Harrogate just above the relegation zone.

Irving Weaver said he and Simon had no plans to quit and would work together. Talking about their relationship, he said:

“I’ve always said it was a linkage that was strong and if it failed it failed together. We are scrappers. We are going to graft this.”

Luke Armstrong has the manager’s backing – but is not “undroppable”

Asked about the struggling striker, Simon Weaver said:

“Nobody is undroppable. I have a really good relationship with Luke. He’s my Harry Kane. He has droughts, takes a battering, but I know there’s goals in there and there’s a real player there. I’m backing him but don’t be kidded – no player signs a contract where they are guaranteed a spot but the lad needs backing.”

Attendances are “not as bad as reported”

Sarah Barry was asked at the forum why ticket prices had been ‘hiked up’. She replied:

“I’d challenge that by saying prices have not been hiked up — we’ve aligned them. We were way, way, way behind average and had a price freeze for three or four years.”

She said there had only been a few home matches so far this season and there were mitigating circumstances behind some low attendances. She said “overall it’s not as bad as reported”.

Irving Weaver gave a more despondent answer when asked what the season’s highlights had been for him so far.

“There have not been too many highlights on the pitch. We’ve been down on crowds so that’s not an easy one to answer. It’s been a tough time all round. We need to be racking up the points.”