Marks & Spencer has submitted plans to expand its Simply Food store on Leeds Road, Harrogate and close the cafe.
M&S was granted planning permission to demolish a car showroom and build the store at Oatlands Retail Park in 2012.
It now plans to expand into the adjoining sofa.com unit.
The company actually had permission to occupy the sofa.com site in 2012 but did not want as much space then and chose to sub-divide the unit instead.
A planning document sent to Harrogate Borough Council by commercial real estate agents Avison Young (UK) on behalf of M&S reveals the retailer now plans to expand and ‘remove’ the cafe. It says:
“The current works to reverse the unit’s sub-division reflect changes in consumer demand for food products in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and a wider business strategy by M&S to invest in and expand its food retail offer.”
A Stray Ferret reader got in touch to say the potential loss of the cafe had not gone down well with customers and some were considering a petition calling on the company to reconsider.
An M&S spokesperson said:
“Our expansion plans at M&S Harrogate Oatlands are designed to deliver a bigger, better and fresher new-look food hall for shoppers and mark a significant investment in the local area.
“Whilst these plans involve closing the in-store café, they will allow us to transform the store to deliver the very best of M&S for our customers in Harrogate, with a bigger range of M&S food products than ever before.”
Read more:
- Jaeger to return to Harrogate inside Marks and Spencer
- New digital and tech office space to open in Harrogate
Woodfield primary school set to close in September
Woodfield Community Primary School and nearby Grove Road Community Primary School look set to amalgamate next year.
Under plans to be discussed by councillors next week, Woodfield would be effectively swallowed up by the bigger Grove Road, which would operate as a split-site 280-pupil school.
The Woodfield site would initially operate as a nursery for children from both schools while Grove Road would cater for all children from reception to year six.
Then from September 2023, all nursery children and reception pupils would be based at the current Woodfield site, which would eventually accommodate all key stage 1 pupils. All key stage 2 children would be based at the current Grove Road site.
North Yorkshire County Council revealed plans last month to merge the two schools. A meeting on Tuesday next week will see councillors asked to approve putting the wheels in motion.
If approved, a six-week consultation will start on December 2 and a final decision taken on April 19.
The council says amalgamation is necessary because Woodfield has been unable to find an academy willing to take it on since it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January last year.
But some parents have vowed to fight the move because they feel the school has made significant progress — a view supported by an Ofsted monitoring visit in June, which said ‘leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures’.
Read more:
- Parents vow to fight closure of ‘fantastic’ Woodfield primary school
- Woodfield school taking ‘effective action’ to improve, says Ofsted
Some parents with more than one child have also expressed concern about having to drop off and collect from both schools, which are 0.6 miles apart.
A report to councillors says:
“The intention is to have a walking bus, across the iron bridge to the back of the Woodfield playing field, that enables parents to drop their child at either school and then children who need to will be able to walk safely to the other site accompanied by school staff.
“We will look at the timings of the school day to ensure that parents who choose to drop off or collect children from both sites are able to do so.
“Grove Road school also have wrap around care provision that will continue to be available from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Other opportunities, including clubs, will be looked at closely across both sites.”
80 fewer primary school places
The report also says that if the proposals go ahead, there would be 350 primary school places available across the two sites compared with the current 280 at Grove Road and 150 at Woodfield — an overall reduction of 80 places.
However, Woodfield only currently has 49 pupils, compared with 92 in January 2019.
The report adds that forecasts suggested “there would appear to be sufficient primary places available in the local area” and cites as evidence declining birth rates in Harrogate district, from 1,425 in 2016/17 to 1,308 in 2018/19.
It says the financial position of schools is “dependent on both pupil numbers and the level of staffing”
Woodfield, it adds, has projected in-year budget deficits of £119,000 in the financial year 2021/22, £103,300 in 2022/23 and £128,400 in 2023/24, and a forecast cumulative budget deficit of £98,000 in 2021/22, £201,400 in 2022/23 and £329,900 in 2023/24.
Grove Road, by contrast, is predicted to make surpluses in the corresponding years.
The report says any deficit on the Woodfield school budget “would be absorbed by the county council”.
It adds:
Hunt to find family of dead Harrogate man“A separate HR consultation process for staff and their professional associations will commence in the spring term and the governing
bodies will most likely propose an internal transfer of staff from Woodfield to Grove Road, following Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) principles.”
Police are appealing for help tracing the family of a Harrogate man who was found dead at home last week.
Michael ingleton, 64, died at Harewood Road.
North Yorkshire Police said today it it had been asked by the coroner’s office to help locate his next of kin.
It said in a statement:
“His death is not thought to be suspicious.
“If you knew Mr Ingleton and have any information that would help the coroner to locate any members of Mr Ingleton’s family please email
coroner@northyorkshire.police.uk.”
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Anti-vaccine protest at Harrogate roundabout
About 10 people took part in a demonstration against covid vaccines at a roundabout in Harrogate today.
The group held placards alongside the Prince of Wales roundabout from about 1pm to 3pm.
It is part of a national movement called Rebels on Roundabouts, which co-ordinates similar anti-vaccine protests at roundabouts across the country.
A Rebels on Roundabouts website says it believes ‘the virus has been ruthlessly exploited by a global elite through their puppet politicians and mainstream media’ and is a ‘scapegoat for the inevitable upcoming collapse of the scam economy’.
Those taking part held up signs saying ‘how may vaccines are you going to have before you question it?’. ‘why vaccinate teens?’ and ‘this is not about a virus’.
A participant from Harrogate, who asked not to be named, said the event was organised by people from Leeds and Otley.
Read more:
- Compulsory covid vaccines make recruitment harder, say district care homes
- Andrew Jones MP queries delay of covid vaccinations in schools
Knaresborough viaduct — best view in Harrogate district?
Knaresborough viaduct is one of the most photographed places in the Harrogate district.
The viaduct, which crosses the River Nidd, has stood for 170 years and is a magnet for photographers.
But it is less commonly captured from the sky, as Darren Leeming achieved with this photograph when he flew a drone over the site this week.
St John the Baptist church can also be seen.
Mr Leeming, from Starbeck, also took this drone photo of the Stray from Wetherby Road.
The Stray by Darren Leeming
You can see more of his drone photography on Facebook here or on YouTube here.
Masham hosts first Harrogate district Christmas market tomorrowMasham will host the Harrogate district’s first Christmas market of the year tomorrow.
About 30 stallholders, plus Father Christmas, are expected to attend the event in the town’s market place.
Many of the usual monthly stallholders will be in attendance, plus others, so visitors can expect hand bell ringing and folk music as well as a wide variety of craft and food and drink stalls.
Masham has one of the few licensed market places in the country so alcohol will also be available.
The market opens at around 9am and Santa is expected between 11am and 1pm.
Masham Parish Council has organised the event. The town will host a second Christmas market in the market place and town hall on December 4.
Councillor Ian Johnson said the long stay car park near the cricket field was a good place for anyone travelling in by car to park.
Read more:
- Government rejects £6m levelling up bid for Ripon and Masham
- Masham restaurant founders to sell business after 16 years
‘Station Gateway consultation a whitewash’, claim Harrogate petitioners
Harrogate residents described the Station Gateway consultation as a “whitewash” when they delivered a petition today.
Consultation on the revised plans for the £10.9 million scheme, which would see Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic and James Street partly pedestrianised, closes today.
Five members of Granvillle Road Area Residents Association took the petition to Harrogate Borough Council‘s Knapping Mount office at lunchtime today.
They are concerned that re-routing traffic off Cheltenham Parade and Cheltenham Mount through the nearby residential streets where they live will increase traffic and pollution and make it more difficult to park.
Dan Harper, executive officer economy and transport at Harrogate Borough Council, received the petition, which had about 140 signatures. He declined to be photographed by the Stray Ferret.
The residents expressed frustration over the consultation process, claiming it was difficult to get hold of information or people to address their concerns.
Catherine Ward-Brown, who lives on Cheltenham Mount, where traffic will be diverted if Cheltenham Mount is made one-way, said:
“They are trying to force commercial traffic on to residential streets and ignoring valid points made. They are hellbent on sticking to their views. It hasn’t been a consultation — it’s been a whitewash.”
Andrew Jones ‘not willing to engage’
Antonia Lowe questioned why Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, had not meaningfully replied to residents’ questions about the scheme.
“He was willing to engage with the process to relocate the post office but isn’t willing to engage with us.”
Rachael Inchboard said:
“He is passing the buck and refusing to engage. He has a duty to the Harrogate residents who voted him in to engage with this at the earliest opportunity. We would like to see him come to Granville Road.”
Read more:
- Harrogate businesses consider legal challenge to Station Gateway
- Station Gateway: the story so far of the £10.9m scheme
The petitioners are considering paying to monitor air quality in their local streets as well as launching an online fundraising appeal to pay for an environmental impact assessment, which Harrogate Borough Council did not deem necessary.
The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Jones for comment.
What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?
The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects worth a combined £42m in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby funded by the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which encourages cycling and walking.
They are being delivered in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Selby District Council.
A consultation on the revised designs ends today. It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.
To take part in the online consultation, click here.
Two arrested after late night Harrogate drugs swoop
Two people have been arrested after police pulled over a car last night and found suspected class A drugs.
Officers from Operation Expedite, the county lines drugs team at North Yorkshire Police, stopped the vehicle.
Harrogate traffic police officer Sgt Paul Cording, who along with Harrogate traffic constable David Minto assisted the other officers, tweeted shortly after 5am:
“A search of the occupants revealed a number of clear bags containing believed class A drugs. Driver and passenger arrested and enquiries ongoing.”
This vehicle stopped by myself & @TC174_NYP along with our colleagues from #OpExpedite in #Harrogate A search of the occupants reveals a number of clear bags containing believed Class A drugs. Driver & passenger arrested & enquiries ongoing #NotInOurCounty #RoadsPolicing pic.twitter.com/BWx1zv9Al3
— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) November 12, 2021
Harrogate residents deliver petition opposing Station Gateway
Harrogate residents will hand in a petition today opposing the Station Gateway on the final day of consultation on the £10.9 million scheme.
Members of Granvillle Road Area Residents Association organised the signatures in response to fears that re-routing the A61 will increase traffic in nearby residential streets, such as Granville Road, Back Granville Road, Mount Parade, Back Cheltenham Mount and Strawberry Dale Avenue.
Rachael Inchboard, a member of the association, said about 200 of the 250 homes affected by the changes had signed the petition, which will be presented to Harrogate Borough Council.
After the consultation ends, councils supporting the initiative, led by North Yorkshire County Council, are expected to produce a final report summarising consultation outcomes and outlining the next steps.
Businesses in the town are considering applying for a judicial review to halt the scheme.
Read more:
- Harrogate businesses consider legal challenge to Station Gateway
- Station Gateway: the story so far of the £10.9m scheme
- Harrogate residents form group to fight £10.9m Station Gateway
North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access, reiterated his support for the scheme. He said:
“I do not believe that the gateway scheme for Harrogate should now be dropped because of opposition from certain businesses.
“Whilst their views, and indeed the local town centre economy, are very important to us, there are also the views of many other sectors and persons to consider. The findings of the latest round of consultation will be important to us too, as are the many thousands of views expressed in the Harrogate congestion study public engagement.
“I have nothing further to say about legal action. If an individual wishes to begin such a process, we shall be ready to respond.”
What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?
The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects worth a combined £42m in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby funded by the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which encourages cycling and walking.
They are being delivered in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Selby District Council.
A consultation on the revised designs ends today. It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.
Harrogate College students devise menu for Harrogate Arms reopening
Hospitality students from Harrogate College are helping to devise a menu for the the cafe due to open at the former Harrogate Arms pub.
The horticultural charity RHS Harlow Carr, which owns the former inn, plans to open the cafe in summer 2023.
The students have been asked to use their culinary and creative skills to come up with a concept for the long-closed venue and a sustainable menu.
Fresh produce grown at the RHS gardens will feature prominently in the dishes.
The students, who are being led by seven Level 2 professional cookery students, recently visited the site to be briefed on their task.
Harrogate College students being briefed on their ‘design a menu’ challenge at RHS Garden Harlow Carr.
The initiative represents the start of a closer partnership between the college and Harlow Carr.
Jason Parry, the college’s cultural, contemporary and heritage studies programme manager, said:
“It ticks so many boxes for us in terms of the college’s values and aspirations — sustainability, ‘food to fork’, carbon reduction and seasonality — along with menu and service design, work experience and responding to a client brief.
“The project will be followed up throughout the year with Harlow Carr, who will do a progress check with the students in January.
“Ultimately it will end up with the students giving a Dragon’s Den style pitch to Harlow Carr staff, with small groups presenting their ideas around the menu, and the service, and showing how they have worked to meet the client’s brief.”
The college recently launched a sustainability pledge which sets out its commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030.
Read more:
- Harrogate College meets local firms to fix skills gap
- Harrogate Civic Society has ‘many concerns’ about Station Gateway