Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely

A decision on whether to allow controversial plans to build 200 homes in Pannal Ash has been deferred.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee yesterday voted against a recommendation to approve the development on the site of the former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.

Homes England, the government housing agency, already has permission to build 161 homes on the site.

But it now wants to increase this by 23 per cent to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Councillors voted by four votes to two against the recommendation to approve the scheme, with one abstention.

They then voted by four to three in favour of deferring a decision pending the creation of the council’s parameters plan, which will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The parameters plan was expected last year but has been delayed and councillors heard it could take years to be finalised.

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John Mann, chair of the planning committee, said he agreed with the principle of planning on the site but the uplift in houses and the loss of sports facilities meant the application was now “too dense”. He added:

“It is not a good idea to remove children’s playing fields especially as we hear reports that many young people have been badly affected by being cooped up during lockdown.

“Perhaps the last thing we need at the moment is the removal of outdoor space for them to play in.

A statement read on behalf of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council said the parameters plans was essential before making a decision. It added:

“To date there is no information on any infrastructure to cater for the 4,000 houses to be built on western arc of Harrogate

“Our request is for deferment until everyone knows what the parameters plan reveals.”

Nick Viles, chairman of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club said it had “serious concerns about the loss of pitches for community use”, which he said went against the ethos of the club.

But Homes England’s planning consultant said the application was compliant with Local Plan policy and, through section 106 infrastructure payments, would invest in ‘much needed sports facilities’ elsewhere.

He added it was a “viable and deliverable scheme” which, if approved, would begin next year.

But the final vote means the future of the development is now uncertain.

Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association tweeted after the meeting:

“We now hope this will accelerate the development of the parameters plan to allow for considered consideration of suitable infrastructure needed.”

District church could sell its pews in bid to transform building

A village church in the Harrogate district wants to permanently remove all of its pews to create more space for events.

St John the Baptist Church in Bishop Monkton replaced the pews with individual chairs in November as a temporary social distancing measure.

It now wants to make the arrangement permanent so it can hold choir concerts, coffee mornings and fundraising events.

If it succeeds, it would sell all 14 pine pews, which are believed to date back to the church’s consecration in 1879. Each one could fetch a few hundred pounds.

The church has notified Harrogate Borough Council, the Victorian Society and Historic England that it intends to permanently remove the pews in the Grade Two listed building.

The Diocese of Leeds will take into account any comments before deciding whether to proceed.

If the move goes ahead, the church’s seating capacity would remain at 95 — but because individual chairs are easier to move than pews, it would make it easier to stage events.

Sue Short, the church warden, told the Stray Ferret a survey in the village had shown there was widespread support for the idea of turning the church into a “more flexible, usable space”. She added:

“It just seems to me to be incredibly sensible.

“We’ve got to move forward. We have to be innovative and be forward thinking with the use of the church.

“I personally feel a church is there to be used by the community rather than just exist as an icon.”

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The church, which recently underwent repair work to the tower, will require a new roof in the next 10 years and fundraising would be boosted by the potential to host more events.

A Statement of Significance, submitted by the Reverend Robb Wainwright in planning documents to Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“On the whole it would have the desired effect of making the whole nave a much more flexible worshipping and missional space.

“The village is organising a new arts festival, now scheduled to begin in 2022 rather than this year. It is hoped that the church will be one of the main venues.”

Self-combusting linseed oil causes freak house fire in Bilton

Self-combusting linseed oil is believed to have caused a fire that spread to a Harrogate house and shed last night.

The fire shattered a kitchen window and melted a PVC frame during the freak incident at a home in Cecil Street, Bilton about 9.30pm.

The North Yorkshire Fire and Service incident log said:

“Two crews from Harrogate and an officer attended a fire to a shed that spread to a garden fence and caused damage to the rear of a property.

“The fire shattered a kitchen window and melted some of a PVC frame.

“The cause is believed to be some linseed oil that self combusted and melted a turps containers and then run down to the shed setting that alight.”

Linseed oil, which is extracted from flax seed, is a natural oil used as a preservative for wood as well as being an ingredient in paints and varnishes.

Firefighters used two hose reel jets and a thermal imaging camera to tackle the blaze.

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Harrogate ice cream man scoops top award

A Harrogate ice cream van’s Mr Whippy cones have been judged the best in Britain.

John Taylor, whose family has been selling ice cream since 1889, is parked outside the Victoria Shopping Centre most days from March to September.

After a desperate few months of lockdowns and cold weather, business is now booming thanks to soaring temperatures and recognition at the National Ice Cream Competition 2021, which is run by the Ice Cream Alliance, the sector’s UK trade association.

C and M Ices, which Mr Taylor runs with his step-cousin Chris Walker, was awarded the gold medal for its Mr Whippy ice cream. It is the most prestigious ice cream competition in the country and has been running for 76 years.

Harrogate born and bred Mr Taylor, who is his family’s fourth generation ice cream seller, said:

“I am not often lost for words but the moment it was announced I was literally speechless.

“As an ice cream van operator you can’t get a much more prestigious award, and it proves to everyone we put quality products as a core part of our trading.”

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The last time Mr Taylor’s family won the award was in 1979, the year he was born. Back then vans manufactured their own Mr Whippy ice cream; now it is judged on qualities such as flavour, appearance and texture. The amount of air is one of the crucial factors, Mr Taylor explained.

The championships are normally held at the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show in Harrogate but it was cancelled due to covid so the ICA organised a panel of judges to tase the entries at its head office.

Zelica Carr, chief executive of the ICA, said:

“Congratulations to John. There was very stiff competition in all the categories so to win gold is a very big achievement.”

According to the ICA, the pandemic cost ice cream parlours and ice cream vans £289million of income in 2020.

Mr Taylor said it had been a tough year and he was sad his uncle David McBretney, who also ran the business until he died in September, was not around to collect the award.

He added he hoped the current fine weather continued.

“Everyone thinks we are millionaires because we have had three days of hot weather but we have only got June, July, August and September until our season is over again.”

Two men flee after crashing car on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove

Police were called late last night when a car crashed into a lamppost on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate and the driver and a passenger fled.

A resident woken by the commotion sent these images to the Stray Ferret and described hearing the driver and another man in the vehicle beg passers-by not to call the police before running off.

The driver had tried to reverse the car out of the hedge and grass verge after it hit the lamppost and spun out of control but were unable to do so.

The resident, who did not wish to be named, said he was in bed when he heard a loud bang followed by shouting. He added:

“I got up to have a look. A large crowd had gathered and I could hear voices saying ‘don’t call the police’. People were saying ‘why don’t you want us to call the police?’

“The two men then ran down the back roads and one deliberately smashed his phone on the floor. They both legged it.”

The resident said the police arrived 20 minutes later and removed the black VW Golf at about 12.30am this morning.

The lamppost was repaired by the morning.

The resident said Mayfield Grove was notorious for anti-social behaviour and cars with modified exhausts often drove along the road at excessive speeds.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Officers attended reports of a damage-only collision just after 11pm. The driver had left the vehicle, which was recovered by police and enquiries are ongoing.”

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Ripon’s Jack Laugher selected for the Olympics

Ripon diver Jack Laugher has today been named in the Great Britain diving team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Laugher, who made history at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by becoming the first ever Olympic champion in diving for Great Britain, is one of 12 people selected.

Other leading names include Tom Daley, who hopes to win his first Olympic gold medal.

Laugher will defend his Olympic crown in the men’s 3m synchro event. He will also target a second Olympic medal in the individual 3m springboard event, after taking silver in that competition five years ago.

Laugher, who represents City of Leeds, will be joined in the synchro by Rio 2016 bronze medallist Daniel Goodfellow, with Edinburgh’s James Heatly the other pick in the 3m individual.

British Swimming described today’s squad as “phenomenally strong”.

Alexei Evangulov, British Diving performance director, said:

“This has been the longest Olympic cycle ever, however the hardest part of it was the last year – our team exceeded all my expectation in terms of coping with all the challenges we experienced during the pandemic.

“There were a lot; pool closures, isolation, quarantine, uncertainness, competitions postponements, you name it. Our divers not only managed to secure their physical and technical shape in this situation, but also significantly improved their diving quality.”

The Olympics are due to take place in Japan from July 23 to August 8.

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Missing Harrogate teenager Lucy Morris found safe in Surrey

Missing Harrogate teenager Lucy Morris has been found safe and well in Woking town centre, police said this morning.

North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for information on the whereabouts of Lucy, 17, on Sunday.

It said she was believed to be in Leeds but this morning it said she had been located yesterday evening by Surrey Police.

A statement by North Yorkshire Police added:

“We thank everyone who has supported the appeal. We are very grateful for your help.”

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Harrogate councillor’s third bid for four-bed farmhouse set for approval

A Harrogate councillor will this week make a third attempt to win final approval to build a new countryside home after her previous plans were refused over size concerns.

Margaret Atkinson, a Conservative who represents the Fountains and Ripley ward on Harrogate Borough Council, was granted outline permission for a four-bedroom farmhouse opposite her existing home in Kirkby Malzeard in 2019.

But she has since made two failed attempts to secure a final go-ahead.

Her plans were previously refused because officers said she could not justify why the property needed to be so big.

However, cllr Atkinson has now submitted a scaled-back application, which has been recommended for approval at a meeting on Thursday.

A report to the meeting said the property – which is classed as a farm workers dwelling – had been reduced in size by around 75.5 square metres.

It said:

“The proposed dwelling provides for four-bedroom accommodation as per the previous application but the overall floorspace has been reduced from 276 sq m to 199.5 sq m.

“The revised proposal provides a dwelling that is considered to be of a scale and level of accommodation commensurate with that of an agricultural workers dwelling.”

The report added while the farmhouse was still larger than government’s nationally described space standards, which recommended up to 124 sq m, this was only guidance and the size was justified by the amount of space needed for farm work.

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As well as four bedrooms, cllr Atkinson’s plans also include a living room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom, office, storage space and two-bay carport.

Other reasons for refusal previously given by officers were a negative impact on the surrounding countryside and that the farmhouse would not have been affordable to any future owners because of its size.

The scale and layout of a proposed garden area was also a concern, as well as a lack of “suitable planting species and mix”.

However, the report to Thursday’s meeting said these areas had now been addressed in the new application. It said:

“The overall layout and design of the proposed property is considered to be in keeping with the local area and would not have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“The proposed landscaping scheme sets out a clear delineation of the domestic curtilage from the wider landscape and the proposed planting  provides opportunities for biodiversity net gain and a suitable level of screening.”

Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council did not support or object to the latest application, but did ask for reassurances over highway safety, future development on the site and the impact on the countryside.

Missing Lucy: appeal for information about Harrogate teen continues

Police in two counties are still appealing for information on the whereabouts of missing Harrogate teenager Lucy Morris.

North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal on Sunday night, saying Lucy, 17, had not been seen by her family since May 15 and there had been no text messages or social media contact from her since May 22.

The plea led to comments on the force’s Facebook account from people claiming to be friends of Lucy, and even Lucy herself, saying they knew of her whereabouts and that she was fine.

But North Yorkshire Police said this morning:

“The appeal from the weekend is still relevant. There’s nothing further to add at this time.

“As soon as we have an update or a further appeal, it will be released straight away.”

Lucy is described as white, 5ft 3in tall, blue eyes, slim build and she has shoulder-length blonde hair. She has a tattoo on her left hand, which says ‘blessed’.

North Yorkshire Police urged Lucy to “get in touch with the police immediately and let your family know you are safe” and said anyone with information could call 101, select option 1, and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number 12210122535.

Lucy is believed to have gone to Leeds to stay with a friend and North Yorkshire Police said West Yorkshire Police was helping with the missing person investigation.

A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said:

“We will support North Yorkshire as much as we can to help locate Lucy.”

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Urgent police appeal to find missing Harrogate teenager

North Yorkshire Police tonight issued an urgent plea for help to find missing Harrogate teenager Lucy Morris.

Lucy, 17, has not been seen  by her family in Harrogate since May 15 when it was believed she was heading to Leeds to stay with a friend.

A police statement said:

“Worryingly, there have been no text messages or social media contact from her since May 22, which is out of character and further raises concerns about her safety.

“Lucy, if you see or hear about this appeal, please get in touch with the police immediately and let your family know you are safe.”

Lucy is described as white, 5ft 3in tall, blue eyes, slim build and she has shoulder-length blonde hair. She has a tattoo on her left hand which says ‘blessed’.

It is not known what clothes she had on when she went missing.

West Yorkshire Police is also assisting the missing person investigation in the Leeds area.

Anyone with information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number 12210122535.

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