The £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme is one of the biggest and most controversial transport policies in Harrogate for years.

The scheme aims to transform the way people travel in the town centre by encouraging cycling and walking and reducing traffic.

Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have received UK government funding for the initiative.

Two proposals have proved particularly divisive so far: reducing traffic on Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianising the northern section of James Street.

Some businesses fear these moves could damage trade but many individuals and environmental groups support them.

Detailed designs are now being drawn up after the publication of a consultation document.

Here are edited extracts of what some stakeholders said in their consultation responses.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce

In the case of James Street, whilst we are against full pedestrianisation, we are not adverse to its semi-pedestrianisation, beyond its junction with Princes Square. We would also advocate retaining some of the parking bays.

Harrogate Business Improvement District

The BID supports the two lane proposals but with one dedicated to buses and taxis only. We don’t agree with the proposed two-way cycle lanes as it doesn’t form part of a connected and segregated cycling route and would result in reduced space for pedestrians — we would prefer to see some pavement widening.

We are concerned that the current consultation process hasn’t engaged the wider Harrogate community and urge you to consider sending details of the proposals via email and post to all Harrogate residents a this is such a significant step change in travel.

Harrogate Civic Society

There is a problem with making comments on these specific options (which focus on a relatively small section of Harrogate town centre) when there is no indication of these being part of a longer-term, integrated traffic policy for the wider area. As with previous proposals (some of which have been implemented) there is the very real possibility that, without a clear traffic policy for the whole of the town, these changes will in the future be seen as having been unnecessary or detrimental.

The need for major change to Station Square is questioned. The principal problems with this space relate to inadequate maintenance and poor collection of litter.

Commercial Street Retailers Group

An overwhelming majority of 81.25% of Commercial Street retailers voted for the two-lane option.

We are concerned and disappointed about the length, geographical reach and visibility of the consultation. With something as significant as this, all households in the Harrogate district should be consulted.

Harrogate District Friends of the Earth

An emergency response is underway at homes in the Harrogate district in danger of flooding after today’s thunderstorms.

The emergency planning department at Harrogate Borough Council revealed tonight it had been called to homes in Pannal and Dishforth following today’s heavy rain.

The council’s emergency planning department supports the emergency services in the response to major incidents.

It said on Twitter:

“Our team have deployed to Dishforth this evening to protect a property at risk of foul water flooding and are currently working with our North Yorkshire County Council colleagues to protect another property in Pannal from surface water flooding.”

No further details are available at this time.

A Met Office yellow weather warning is in place in the Harrogate district until midnight tonight. The warning says:

“Heavy showers and thunderstorms leading to a chance of flooding and disruption.

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district records 71 new covid cases today
• Smouldering barbecue sets garage alight in Pannal

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said today it was critically busy and urged people only to call in the most serious circumstances.

Nick Smith, executive director of operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said in a series of tweets:

“We are currently experiencing extremely high demand and this is having a severe impact on our operations. We are implementing a number of actions in order to protect our core services for patients and respond to the ongoing demand.

“We are asking members of the public to only call us in a serious or life-threatening emergency to help us focus our efforts on our most poorly patients.”

“Our dedicated staff are working extremely hard to reach patients as quickly and safely as possible.”

Nick Smith

Elliott Carter, a 999 emergency medical dispatcher in the emergency operations centre for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, asked people to consider making their own way to emergency departments.

‼️We are CRITICALLY BUSY at present‼️Please do only call us for immediate life saving help. Do consider, if safe to do so – making your own way to the Emergency Department. This enables us to send our Ambulances to people who desperately need them. #ChooseWell @YorksAmbulance pic.twitter.com/PFSZc0yWbF

— Elliott Carter (@YAS_ElliottC) July 4, 2021

Yorkshire Ambulance Service tweeted that it was “extremely busy this afternoon” and added the NHS Health A to Z was a good resource for information and advice on health conditions and how to get help.

It asked people to “use our services wisely”, adding.

“Emergency ambulances are for life-threatening and serious incidents only. For urgent medical advice, please use NHS 111 Online at 111.nhs.uk.”

Read more:

• Elderly woman waits two hours for ambulance after James Street fall
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance issues hoax call warning

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Don’t blame dog mess on long grass

May I respectfully suggest that long grass is not the reason for dog fouling. It is due to irresponsible dog owners breaking the law.

Nigel Heptinstall, Darley

Rossett School is fantastic!

So often the press around schools and education is negative. I just thought I’d like to highlight the fantastic reception my daughter has had at Rossett School since she started there in September 2020.

Written off by her previous school as not academic, she came to the school quite depressed about life. Life at Rossett has utterly changed her into a hard-working girl with an array of options ahead of her.

This is a remarkable turnaround and the school should be applauded for taking in a pupil who had such a low opinion of herself and turned it around inside an academic year. The teaching has been fantastic during a very challenging time for educators and pupils alike. Thank you, Rossett!

Nick Bentley, Harrogate

These bins are a menace

Read more:

• Big blue bins create ‘eyesore’ in Harrogate’s premier shopping area
• Harrogate’s Commercial Street to host dog-friendly day

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Police and council officers are attempting to close two more properties let by landlord John Willis.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council have jointly applied to Leeds Magistrates Court for closure orders on 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck.

The two organisations can apply to courts for closure orders if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

The same authorities successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, in March. This order expired last month.

All three properties are let by Mr Willis.

A joint statement today by the two authorities said:

“Following concerns about crime, drug use and anti-social behaviour at two multi-occupancy addresses – 19 and 31 Avenue Grove – Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police have applied for closure orders.

“Under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, a closure order prohibits access to a property for a specified period. Breach of an order is a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment and/or a fine.”

The application was due to be heard on Wednesday but the hearing was adjourned until July 14.

Until this date the two properties have been served with closure notices, which prohibit visitors.

Read more:

• Mayfield Grove: house at centre of crime concerns allowed to re-open
• Calls for ‘dangerous’ Starbeck junction to be improved

Dean Richardson, head of safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“It is imperative that residents across the Harrogate district feel safe in their homes and community.

“If landlords fail to manage their properties properly, and there is sufficient evidence to support any reports, we will work with the police and partner agencies to explore all legislative options available and act accordingly.”

Inspector Nicola Colbourne of North Yorkshire Police said:

“This action once again demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Harrogate remains one of the safest towns to live in.

“By listening to residents and working with partners like Harrogate Borough Council, we can address concerns head-on while offering the appropriate support to any vulnerable people we encounter.”

Last month Constable Kelvin Troughton, of North Yorkshire Police, told the Stray Ferret there had been a “reduction of incidents” at 38 Mayfield Grove since the closure order was served.

The man in charge of Harrogate District Hospital has said racist abuse isn’t as uncommon in the town as many people think.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, was abused in the town centre following England’s 2-0 defeat of Germany on Tuesday.

A woman told him she was “proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you”.

Mr Russell, who was born in Leeds, grew up in Sheffield and lived in London before moving to Harrogate, said he didn’t think racism was any more prevalent here than other places he lived but added:

“There’s probably a perception that stuff like this doesn’t happen in Harrogate because it’s a nice place, but it does.

“The reason I tweeted about it is because sadly this is something that happens more frequently than people think.

“People have been very kind in their comments in response to what happened. But many were surprised it happened and I’m not. If you talk to other people from ethnic minorities they probably wouldn’t be surprised either.”

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital chief executive racially abused by England fan
• Security guard racially assaulted in Harrogate

Mr Russell, who is in charge of more than 2,000 staff at the trust, was born in the United Kingdom to parents from India and was then adopted.

He said he was “as British as anyone else” but nevertheless experienced childhood racism frequently and although it became less common during his university years and beyond things had “got worse in recent years”.

Racism needs “calling out”

Asked what could be done to prevent it, he said it required people to be “good allies” and to call out racism while not putting themselves at risk of attack.

He admits he was more shaken than he realised by Tuesday’s incident, which happened close to the Odeon cinema. He recalls:

“I was walking home, minding my own business. There were lots of people in town celebrating, which was lovely.

“The woman said it to me just as I was walking past.

“In the moment I was just taken aback. I just put my head down and speeded up walking. It was only when I got in my flat I realised I was quite shaken by it.”

Mr Russell’s tweet has received almost 4,000 likes and has been shared a thousand times. He said:

“I’m really surprised by the number of people who have interacted with it. My tweets are not normally very exciting. They’re usually about what great work my team have done or about my cat!”

Nice. Just walked home in Harrogate. People celebrating the #EnglandvGermany win and a woman slurred ‘I’m proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you’ at me.

Charming.

— #hellomynameis Steve (he/him) 💙 (@steve_r76) June 29, 2021

The man in charge of Harrogate District Hospital has been racially abused by England fans on his way home tonight.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, tweeted about the incident shortly after England’s 2-0 win over Germany.

He said that a woman shouted “I’m proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you”.

Mr Russell is in charge of more than 2,000 staff who have been at the forefront of the fight against covid in the district over the past 15 months.

He has spoken about racism encountered in previous interviews, saying he had been told to “get back in my banana boat” while at school.

He has also said BAME colleagues deserve to be treated better.

Mr Russell’s tweet to his almost 4,500 followers prompted an avalanche of supportive responses.

One said the comment was “utterly vile”, another said “awful and just plain old barbaric” while another person said he hoped Mr Russell pointed out that most of England’s goals have been scored by Jamaican-born Raheem Sterling.

Nice. Just walked home in Harrogate. People celebrating the #EnglandvGermany win and a woman slurred ‘I’m proud to be white and British because we’re better than people like you’ at me.

Charming.

— #hellomynameis Steve (he/him) 💙 (@steve_r76) June 29, 2021

Read more:

• A year of ‘outstanding care’ under immense pressure at Harrogate hospital
• Harrogate hospital coping well with covid, says chief executive

The Royal Hall in Harrogate is to reopen to the public next week after being closed for more than a year.

The hall will hold an open day on Wednesday, July 7, which will allow visitors to look around the Grade II listed Edwardian building.

The hall, which was built in 1903 and reopened in 2008 following a £10.8 million restoration, held regular guided tours pre-covid. Because social distance rules have not been lifted, tours won’t be available next week but visitors will be able to make their own way round.

One-hour guided tours are due to recommence at 11am and 2pm on August 21.

But Gay Steel, open day coordinator for the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, said the situation would be reviewed after the government decides whether to lift all lockdown measures on July 21, and there was still a chance tours might be available on the second open day on July 27.

Ms Steel said:

“We are looking forward to the prospect of welcoming our visitors back to Harrogate’s glittering palace of gold and hope that you have an enjoyable experience.

“We are just being cautious in our approach as the safety of our visitors and volunteers is paramount.”

Live entertainment is due to return to the Royal Hall on July 31 with a performance from students at Knaresborough’s Freedom Performing Arts.

The 11-day Gilbert and Sullivan festival and a Fleetwood Mac tribute act are scheduled for August, as things gradually return to normal.

Read more:

• Royal Hall roof set for repairs following ‘ongoing’ leaks
• Grantley Hall withdraws helipad plan for third time

Libraries in the Harrogate district are to adopt a wild world heroes theme for next month’s return of the summer reading challenge.

North Yorkshire County Council and the Reading Agency, a charity that encourages reading, hold the challenge annually encourage children aged four to 11 to pick up books.

However, it did not take place last year due to covid.

Children sign up for free at libraries to read six library books over the summer holiday period.

In return they receive stickers to fix environmental problems and other incentives, including a medal and certificate.

This year’s theme also aims to educate youngsters on how they can make a difference to the environment,

A programme of online events for families will support the challenge, including a cartoon workshop, a story hunt and finding out why rubbish isn’t rubbish.

Read more:

• Harrogate phone box transformed into community library
• Harrogate Toy Library receives funding for more baby classes

County councillor Greg White, executive member for libraries, said:

“It is wonderful that we can run the challenge in libraries again this year. Children really missed the free incentives and the advice and encouragement of staff and volunteers last year.

“Signing children up to the summer reading challenge is a great way for parents and carers to help them to maintain their reading levels.

“The wild world heroes theme could not be more relevant as we need all our young people to know how to care for our precious planet.”

Karen Napier, chief executive of the Reading Agency, said the charity WWF-UK was a partner for this year’s challenge. She added:

“We have seen first-hand, via our children’s programmes, that climate change and the environment are subjects that children are keen to explore.”

Children can sign up from July 10.