John Plummer, Author at The Stray Ferret

Harrogate residents form group to fight £10.9m Station Gateway

Harrogate town centre residents have formed a group to oppose the £10.9m Station Gateway project, which they say will increase traffic and pollution and reduce the value of their homes.

Granville Road Area Residents Association is a long established group representing about 250 homes in the streets close to Cheltenham Parade and Cheltenham Mount.

Members are now setting up a Gateway Action Group to oppose the gateway scheme. They say the consultation has been rushed and fails to take into account their views. They are also upset that a full environmental impact assessment wasn’t deemed necessary for such a major scheme.

Karl Battersby, corporate director, business and environmental services at North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the gateway, said it doesn’t think the project will have a significant impact on streets off Cheltenham Parade.

But residents aren’t convinced and formulated plans to act at two meetings at North Bar this week.

Jo Bagley, chair of Granville Road Area Residents Association, said the scheme would push traffic away from the largely commercial Cheltenham Parade into residential areas such as Granville Road, Back Granville Road, Mount Parade, Back Cheltenham Mount and Strawberry Dale Avenue. She said:

“The consultation questions were not relevant for people who live in the area affected. We don’t go into Harrogate — we are in Harrogate,

“A lot of us run businesses and we need to be able to get in and out and I forsee the area being gridlocked.”

Computer data

Colin Anderson, who lives on Granville Road, said his main concern was the volume of traffic that would be diverted on to the narrow Mount Parade if plans to make a section of Cheltenham Mount one way are approved.

He added:

“Traffic will be sitting here with their engines running. Those in charge of the scheme haven’t stood here watching the traffic — they use computer data.”

Traffic on Mount Parade today.

Resident Nick Karpik said those leading the scheme had “manipulated” numbers from the previous consultation to falsely claim the scheme had public support.

Rachel Melvin, who has lived on Granville Road for 28 years, said:

“They are not solving the problem. They are moving it to a residential area and it will increase noise and pollution.”

Ms Melvin added that even if claims traffic would only increase in each street by two cars a minute were correct, that could still amount to more than 2,000 cars per day in the area.

Residents also face the loss of four parking spaces on Cheltenham Parade, for which they have permits. They say this will make parking more difficult, and the knock-on effects of reduced parking throughout Harrogate would encourage more motorists to use the disc zone area in streets outside their homes.

Rachael Inchboard, who is a member of Harrogate Civic Society as well as a local resident, said the gateway scheme would have a profound impact on Harrogate conservation area yet most residents weren’t aware of it until they received letters from the council on October 22 giving them notice of the intention to develop. They now have just nine days until the consultation ends.

The council’s response

Karl Battersby, corporate director, business and environmental services, said:

“We don’t envisage significant impacts on the streets off Cheltenham Parade. Traffic modelling has assessed the potential impact of the proposed changes. In the worst-case scenario, which is the afternoon peak hour, we do not anticipate a significant increase in vehicles on these streets.

“The streets where the greatest increases are predicted in this hour are Bower Road, with an average increase of two or three vehicles per minute, and Cheltenham Mount, with an average increase of one or two vehicles per minute.

“We are in the middle of a public consultation in which we encourage as many people as possible to make their views known. All views will be taken into account before final decisions are made on how we will take the proposals forward.

“In addition to the online consultation – which I encourage people to complete at yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/harrogate – project officers have seen many residents face to face at drop-ins in the Victoria shopping centre. If people have not yet given us their views, I urge them to do so before the consultation ends on 12 November.”

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 is currently taking place on the revised designs. It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.

Harrogate district schools urged to consider park and stride schemes

Schools are being urged to follow the example of a Knaresborough secondary school by setting up park and stride schemes.

Park and stride schemes incentivise parents to park in designated areas away from the school gates, with students walking the rest of the way.

They aim to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality near school entrances.

King James’s School in Knaresborough introduced a park and stride scheme in 2019. Harrogate Borough Council issues permits to those taking part, enabling them to park for free in York Place car park at certain times.

Carl Sugden, headteacher at King James’s School, said:

“It helps further reduce congestion around our school grounds during drop-off and collection times and, as a result of the park and stride scheme, more pupils have the valuable opportunity to safely walk their last five minutes to school in the fresh air, promoting alertness in support of their learning and a healthy routine.”

North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council collaborate on park and stride schemes.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“There are many advantages to park and stride schemes like this one at King James’s School. Keeping motor vehicles well clear of school entrances keeps pupils safe, provides a bit of useful exercise, and improves air quality.

“Our road safety and active travel team would be happy to talk to any schools keen to investigate the possibility of introducing a park and stride scheme.”

Councillor Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“I hope lots of people take full advantage of this incentive and support our efforts in making the district greener for future generations.”

Any schools interested in learning more about park and stride schemes can contact North Yorkshire County Council via the Open North Yorkshire website, opennorthyorkshire.co.uk, or email opennorthyorkshire@northyorks.gov.uk

One week left to register to vote for North Yorks police commissioner

People in North Yorkshire have a week left to register to vote to elect a new North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The by-election will take place on November 25 following last month’s resignation of the Conservative commissioner Philip Allott in the wake of comments he made about the murder of Sarah Everard.

The commissioner holds the county’s chief constable and chief fire officer to account.

If you are not currently on the electoral register and wish to vote, you can register here.

Turnout at the last election in May was 25%.

Applications to vote by post must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 10th, while proxy vote applications must be entered by 5pm on Wednesday 17th.

Janet Waggott, police area returning officer, said:

““Polling cards will be arriving shortly, and I urge all our residents to take this opportunity to have their say on who is elected to this role.

“Covid remains an important consideration and we’re putting arrangements in place to help you stay safe at the polling station; such as hand sanitiser and face masks.”

Further details about voting are here.

The full list of candidates is:

Hannah Barham-Brown, Women’s Equality Party

James Barker, Liberal Democrats

Zoë Metcalfe, Conservatives

Emma Scott-Spivey, Labour

Keith Tordoff, Independent

Roadworks on Harrogate’s Ripon Road delayed for third time

The completion date for the Northern Gas Networks roadworks on Ripon Road in Harrogate has been put back again.

Traffic lights were initially due to operate for four weeks from September 6 on the busy route into Harrogate town centre for what the company described as “essential work to modernise the gas network in Harrogate”.

But they were still in place when a major gas leak, which affected 3,000 homes for 48 hours, occurred on October 15.

North Yorkshire County Council has already granted roadwork extensions until October 22 and October 28.

Now Northern Gas Networks has said it expects work to continue throughout this week.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We had expected to remove temporary traffic lights on the Ripon Road at the end of last week, however we have encountered a delay in completing the final stages of our work and traffic management will remain in place this week.

“We know that no one likes roadworks and we would like to thank everyone for their patience while we complete this essential work.”

Northern Gas Networks said on October 17 it would carry out a “full investigation” into the gas leak but it has not released any details since, despite requests from the Stray Ferret.

Covid poetry raises funds for Harrogate hospital

A book of poetry and photography about covid has been published to raise money for Harrogate hospital.

The book, called Focus on the GOOD, was compiled by author Leah Knight and Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity.

The charity has been collecting thoughts, anecdotes, stories and photographs from colleagues, volunteers, patients, service users and families about their experiences over the last year. They formed the basis of the book.

Contributors include staff from The White Hart Hotel, Little Dragons Day Nursery, Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, Ashville College, Belmont Grosvenor School, Mike Brown Art, Stacey J Evans Photography and the Cedar Court Hotel.

Author Leah Knight said:

“Focus on the GOOD is filled with poetry inspired by stories of people we can all relate to, which is one of the many reasons it will always hold a special place in my heart.

“I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The last 18 months has been filled with much sadness, but there have also been times where we can laugh and smile too.

“This book reflects on what has been gained as well as lost, where hope and positivity overcame fear, and how through challenging times a sense of community spirit has shone through.”

All proceeds from the book, which costs £12.99, will go towards the charity. It can be bought here.

Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber set for world championships

Harrogate’s bodybuilding barber David Steca is preparing to fly to Italy this weekend to take part in an over-60s world championships.

Mr Steca, 62, wrote another remarkable chapter in his story last weekend when he finished second at the IBFA British Championships in Gateshead.

The result qualified him to compete at the world championships in Rome.

Mr Steca owns male grooming salon Steca No 6 in Princes Square, Harrogate.

Besides bodybuilding, he also competes at polo.

Showing tremendous rear conditioning.

Harrogate ex-prison governor raises £5,000 for charity

A former prison governor from Harrogate has raised almost £5,000 for charity by giving speeches about her 35 years in the prison service.

Veronica Bird, a Harrogate resident of over 20 years, worked with some of the most notorious criminals in the country, including Moors Murderer Myra Hindley, and Charles Bronson, a man labelled ‘the most violent prisoner in the country’.

Proceeds from Ms Bird’s speaking engagements will be handed to nine local and national charities at an event on Tuesday. The event, which will be held in a garden on Cornwall Close, will be opened by Brackenfield school choir.

Ms Bird, who received an OBE for her work in the prison service, said:

“I came from a big family, a lot of poverty, and so I know what it is to be without food, without clothes.

“My school motto was ‘not for oneself, but for all’ and that is what I try to follow. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

She has chosen local charities Saint Michael’s Hospice and Girlguiding’s Birk Crag Centre. Cheques will also go to Jacqui’s Million, Barnsley Hospice, St Leonard’s Hospice, and Mind, alongside the MS Society UK, Royal British Legion, and the NSPCC.

The event begins at noon, at 100 Cornwall Close, Harrogate, on Tuesday 2nd November.

Chris Bartle: the Markington man who led Team GB to Olympic gold

Think of an England sports coach living in the Harrogate district who enjoyed a remarkable summer, and chances are Gareth Southgate comes to mind.

But there is another option — and this one didn’t have to settle for second best.

Chris Bartle was high performance coach of the Great Britain equestrian team that won its first Olympic team gold medal for 49 years in Tokyo.

Despite living just a dozen miles apart, the two men have never crossed paths. Chris says:

“I’d love to meet him. Some of the things he’s quoted as saying are similar to my mantra. We seem to have very similar philosophies.”

Like Gareth, Chris is regarded as one of sport’s nice guys. But unlike the Swinsty man, whose life is consumed by England duties, Chris spends most of his time in the Harrogate district at the Yorkshire Riding Centre in Markington, which he runs with his wife and sister.

He says he spends about two-thirds of his life at Markington and one third on GB coaching duties.

When he’s at Markington, he still teaches everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars at Markington.

The family riding centre in Markington.

Olympic riders in Markington

Chris’ Belgian mother opened the riding centre at Markington in 1963, 11 years after his parents moved to the village, which is between Ripon and Harrogate.

The family still lives on site and Chris takes a hands-on approach, teaching everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars and generally mucking. When we visited he’d just been on a cherry picker helping mend a roof — something we doubt Gareth does at Wembley.

With its four training arenas, livery, cross-country fields and on-site accommodation, the centre caters for riders of all standards.

Everyone from bygone stars like Harvey Smith and the Whitakers to current Olympic riders from Sweden, Brazil and Germany have trained at Markington. Chris says:

“I look at the print out of riders at the Olympics and it’s amazing how many have connections with the Yorkshire Riding Centre.”

The centre also has an elegant wedding venue, built by the Wilberforce family of anti-slavery fame. The Wilberforces still own nearby Markington Hall.

The wedding venue

Chris studied economics at Bristol University and jokes he has spent his entire life with horses to avoid a proper job.

He started as a jockey but was too tall so he switched to eventing and then dressage, at which he finished sixth at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has been to all nine Olympics since.

His coaching CV is phenomenal. He was national coach to the German Olympic three-day event team that won team gold at the Beijing and London Olympics in 2008 and 2012. The Germans also won gold at Athens in 2004 but were stripped of their medals when a horse failed a doping test.

Olympic glory

Chris, who had trained the British eventing team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, was appointed GB high performance coach in 2016 in the hope of emulating Germany’s success.

He masterminded the team’s preparation for Tokyo, which included staying outside the athletes’ village to minimise the covid risk. He says it was like staying in a five-star prison, and despite their caution there was a constant fear of covid jeopardising everything.

The British team gave an utterly dominant performance to take team gold for the first time since 1972. But his abiding memory is rather sad.

“It was the athletes on the podium wearing masks and you can’t see them grinning and how happy they are.”

Chris says he is equally proud of the gold medals he helped Germany win, but adds:

“Team GB was different to doing it with another nation. For that reason and how long it had taken for GB to get gold, that’s a standout moment. It was a super highlight.”

Britain’s Tom McEwen also won individual silver in the eventing but, like any coach, Chris wasn’t totally happy.

“It could have gone better. I felt there was another medal to be had in the individual eventing. I slightly blame myself for that because Laura Collett slightly over-egged it in preparation. She tried to get better and better and in that heat and humidity the horse didn’t sparkle in the dressage phase as much as it usually does.”

One of the training areas at Markington.

California dreaming

Chris is 69 now but looks remarkably fit and isn’t planning to put himself out to grass anytime soon. He hopes to continue in his current GB role until 2028 when the Olympics will return to Los Angeles, 44 years after he competed there. It would cap one of the longest and most remarkable careers in sport. He says:

“Los Angeles is an attainable goal and it would complete the circle.”

His 14-year-old daughter Poppy, a very talented rider, will be 21 then, which must be at the back of his mind but he’s careful not to put any pressure on her.

Whatever happens in his career, Markington will remain home.

“We are very fortunate where we are. The whole of this area is just an amazing place to live — although some of my colleagues tend to think this is the frozen north!”

Bilton church holds gathering to remember the dead

A church in Bilton is holding an event tomorrow to remember those who have died over the last 18 months.

The gathering of lament and remembering, which is open to everyone, will be held at St John’s Church on Bilton Lane.

It will commemorate those who have lost their lives to covid and anyone else who has died since the pandemic began. It will take place two days before All Souls Day, the annual Christian day for remembering the dead.

The 45-minute event starts at 3.30pm and will include music, hymns and reflection. There will also be the opportunity to light candles.

Pre-pandemic, the church held two memorial services each year primarily for families it had taken funeral services for.

Rev Simon Dowson, rector of St John’s and St Luke’s in Bilton, said:

“The last 18 months have been a very challenging time for our community in all sorts of ways, and grief and sadness have been emotions that many of us have been experiencing.

“Our gathering ‘A time to lament and remember’ offers people an opportunity to come together in a sacred space to acknowledge that grief and sadness and hopefully be helped in their journey of bereavement.”

Harrogate businesses set for crunch talks on £10.9m Station Gateway

Transport chief Don Mackenzie has agreed to meet sceptical Harrogate businesses for crunch talks about the £10.9 million Station Gateway project.

Many firms in Harrogate have deep reservations about the scheme, which aims to make the town centre more attractive and encourage cycling and walking.

Some fear a reduction in parking spaces, the part-pedestrianisation of James Street and potentially a year of major road works would damage businesses already struggling to recover from covid.

One recent survey of businesses, which received 180 responses, revealed 72% were against reducing the A61 from Cheltenham Mount to Station Bridge to a single lane, which is one of the most controversial aspects of the scheme,

Cllr Mackenzie, the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the scheme, has agreed to take part in a question-and-answer session at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce’s next monthly meeting at the Cedar Court Hotel on November 8,

Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability at Harrogate Borough Council, which also supports the gateway initiative, will also participate.

Members of the project team will give a presentation before chamber members get the chance to quiz them on issues such as what assessments have been made of the likely impact on the town’s economy.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said:

“Our meeting will hopefully put businesses fully in the picture about the Harrogate Station Gateway Project, and the implications for them and their customers.

“I must stress this is a business meeting and open to our members, those in the Harrogate BID area, as well as members of Independent Harrogate.

Those planning to attend the meeting must register their interest in advance on the chamber website.

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 is currently taking place on the revised designs. It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.

Computer data

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The council’s response

What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?

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Olympic riders in Markington

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Olympic glory

California dreaming

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What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?