Council tree expert ‘not in a position to support’ Harrogate Spring Water

North Yorkshire Council‘s tree expert has said he is “not in a position to support” Harrogate Spring Water‘s bid to expand into woodland alongside its headquarters.

Arboricultural officer Alan Gilleard raised a series of concerns in his response to the consultation on the company’s planning application.

Mr Gilleard said “normally an application includes a tree survey though I cannot find one”. He added he could also not find any evidence detailing the species to be removed.

He raised several other issues that required further information before concluding:

“Reading through the documentation we seem to be light on detail and some way off a position where we could support. At the moment I am not in a position to support.”

The company, which is part of French-owned multi-national Danone, wants to fell trees in a section of the Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood to make space for a new building. It has agreed to plant 1,500 saplings to create a community woodland as mitigation for the loss of trees.

Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods

The public consultation was due to end on Sunday (March 10) but has been extended following a request from Pinewoods Conservation Group, which does not feel it has sufficient information to give its view. Representatives from Harrogate Spring Water are due to attend the group’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, March 20.

So far the consultation has attracted 590 objections and six expressions of support.

Concerns about ‘large scale industrial’ building

In another blow for the company, Helen Golightly, the council’s principal landscape architect, has said the “planting details are incomplete for the stage of the proposals” and requested further details.

Ms Golightly said it was “essential” for Harrogate Spring Water to produce a landscape visual appraisal that “should account for the loss of woodland and the consequences of this on both visual amenity and the character of the area”.

She said there needed to be “a rudimentary tree survey” and raised concerns about the latest designs for the proposed new building. which she described as a “very large scale industrial building”. She said:

“The reserved matters application shows a building which is much more monolithic than the outline proposal which had a series of components which helped to provide some relief along elevations and incorporated areas of glazing along the north elevation.

“There was also a suggestion of a green roof which now appears to have been removed from the proposals.”

Harrogate Spring Water has pledged to replace any trees lost on a 3:1 ratio. It has said the scheme will create 50 jobs plus 20 more during construction.

Richard Hall, managing director at Harrogate Spring Water, previously said the new community woodland “will be fully accessible to the public and we hope will become a valued resource for the local community for many years to come”.

Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning permission for the scheme in 2017, which remains valid. The current reserved matters stage deals with its appearance, size and landscaping. Councillors rejected a previous reserved matters application in 2021,

You can view planning documents and comment on the application by visiting the council’s planning portal here and typing in reference number 20/01539/REMMAJ where it says ‘enter a keyword’.

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Bid to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club to flats

Plans have been submitted to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club into two flats.

The club, which forms part of a three-storey building on Devonshire Place, has operated since 1901, according to planning documents sent to North Yorkshire Council.

The documents add the club, which last posted on Facebook on May last year, is currently closed.

It was granted permission in 2022 to convert the first and second floors into six flats while retaining and refurbishing the ground floor bar.

But a planning and heritage statement in support of the new application says “the continued public house / working men’s club facility within the building is now no longer considered to be viable”.

A planning document showing where the club is.

The statement highlighted a marketing exercise by Nationwide Building Sales. It said:

“This states that the costs of the approved refurbishment substantially outweigh the valuation of the completed bar and that any investment would not be protected in the property value should the business not be successful.

“Interested parties have been deterred by the costs of the refurbishment and NBS have not been able to progress a sale beyond the initial enquiries.

“Potential buyers were also unconvinced that the area warrants another new bar when the area is already saturated.”

The statement also refers to a viability and marketing report prepared by commercial property consultants Everard Cole in September last year, which said “poor trading performance and the provision of alternative facilities nearby” deterred buyers. It added:

“To refurbish the working men’s club, a capital expenditure of circa £600,000 to £750,000 would be required and this would not see a return sufficient to be viable, especially due to its out of town location.”

The planning documents do not give the name of the applicant but identify the agent as Nicholas Gallagher, of Leeds agents Nicholas and Nicholas Ltd.

The club, which is a registered society under the Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, opened in a local public house before moving into 5 Devonshire Place.

You can view the planning documents on the council’s website here. Type in reference number ZC24/00704/FUL

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Abseil down Brimham Rocks to help neurodiverse children

The charity Autism Angels is giving people the chance to abseil down Brimham Rocks to raise funds.

The organisation is holding its first charity abseil during World Autism Acceptance Week on Saturday, April 6.

Individuals, families, friends, work colleagues and corporate teams can take part at the National Trust site near Pateley Bridge. Registration costs £30.

Autism Angels, which is based at Summerbridge, works with horses to support neurodiverse children and their families.


It relies heavily on donations to provide services and hopes the event will boost its coffers. Further details are available here.

You can also donate on JustGiving, where a fundraising page has been set up with a £4,000 target.

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Barman at Ripon’s South Lodge jailed for dealing cocaine

A barman at a well-known pub in Ripon has been jailed for over three years for dealing cocaine and cannabis from his living quarters.

Jay Goodall, 29, a heavily convicted felon, was arrested at the South Lodge pub on Harrogate Road after police searched his bedroom and found about £3,000 of cocaine, cannabis and benzocaine, York Crown Court heard.

Police found all manner of drug paraphernalia inside his room including digital weighing scales – which Goodall claimed were for baking cakes.

He was brought in for questioning and initially claimed the drugs were for personal use.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke said that would be impossible because it would have meant he had a £1,750-a-week drug habit on a £400 weekly wage.

Goodall was charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply and admitted both offences. He appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in custody.

Ms Clarke said police executed the search warrant at South Lodge on February 9 after receiving a tip-off that someone was potentially dealing drugs at the hotel owing to a “strong smell of cannabis” emanating from the staff quarters.

Police at the scene on February 9.

An officer turned up at the newly refurbished pub – one of the largest and most prominent in the area – as Goodall parked his vehicle in the car park. He was detained in the communal bar area.

Ms Clarke said police noted a “strong smell of cannabis (coming) from the living quarters upstairs”.

Officers followed the smell to Goodall’s bedroom where they found a “large quantity” of suspected cocaine in various snap bags and boxes.

They also found two plastic boxes and a black safe full of dealer bags. One of the boxes contained a pestle, used for grinding substances, on which police found “remnants of Class A drugs”.

They also found a large bag containing 330 grammes of benzocaine, a cutting agent used to bulk up drugs which can also be used as a painkiller.

Inside Goodall’s wardrobe was a black balaclava, two zip bags full of cannabis, the digital weighing scales and a box for an air pistol, although no weapon was found inside.

Ms Clarke said:

“He said the drugs were for his own personal use and (that he) had consumed around three-and-a-half grammes per day.

“He said the scales were for when he baked cakes.”

The estimated value of the drugs stash, including the benzocaine, was about £3,000.

Police also seized two mobile phones – one from inside a rucksack in the wardrobe and one from Goodall’s car – but Goodall failed to provide officers with the PIN numbers to enable them to analyse his messages.

Racial offences

The prosecution outlined Goodall’s criminal record which included several convictions for racially aggravated harassment and criminal damage, as well as assaulting an emergency worker and a previous conviction for dealing cannabis.

Other previous convictions included driving while unfit through drink or drugs, battery and sending malicious communications.

He received a nine-month suspended prison sentence for possession with intent to supply cannabis in Leeds in 2021.

In July last year he received another suspended jail sentence for yet more racially aggravated offences. The new offences in Ripon put him in breach of that 16-week suspended prison term.

Goodall’s solicitor advocate Stephen Smithson said the former barman was a drug addict but “there’s no suggestion (that he had conducted) this criminality for the sake of his own addiction”.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Goodall:

“You were caught red-handed in your place of work and residence, and you had the full paraphernalia for drug-dealing in your room. It’s quite clear this was determined drug-dealing.

“You should have learnt your lesson (following the previous conviction for dealing drugs). You haven’t.”

He told Goodall he had a “bad record for unpleasant” offences including ones with a racial undertone.

Goodall was jailed for three years and seven months for possession with intent to supply cocaine and breaching the suspended sentence. There was no separate penalty for dealing cannabis.

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Police ‘increasingly concerned’ for missing Harrogate man

North Yorkshire Police has issued an urgent appeal to find a man who has been missing from the Harrogate area for nearly two weeks.

The constabulary said in a statement this afternoon Cao Xuan Tuan, 25, has not been seen since  Thursday, February 29.

The statement added:

“Cao is Asian, with short straight black hair, brown eyes and around 5 foot 6” tall.

“We’re growing increasingly concerned for Cao’s welfare and are asking for anyone who may have seen him, or knows where he is, to contact us immediately.

“Cao, if you are reading this, please get in touch with someone, we just want to know that you are safe.”

Officers urged anyone who has seen Cao, or have information that could help, to urgently call 101 or, if you know his immediate whereabouts, 999.

Quote reference number 12240041667.

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Council predicts positive future for Harrogate Convention Centre despite scrapping £57m redevelopment

Senior Conservative councillors confirmed this morning that a proposed £57 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre will be scrapped.

But they offered a positive outlook for the facility’s future and heard it could operate without a £2.7m annual council subsidy in less than three years if it can attract outside investment to make smaller improvements.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive met in Northallerton this morning and agreed to discontinue the project it inherited from the defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

A council officer described the project as unaffordable and blamed spiralling building costs which have seen the cost jump from £49m to £57m.

It also failed in a bid to win Levelling Up money worth £20m from the government that would have helped to pay for the project.

The council’s executive member for finance Cllr Gareth Dadd said it had been a “long and arduous task” to get to a decision on the redevelopment which he said would have achieved “dubious outcomes to say the least”.

Executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said it would have been “ludicrous” to move forward in light of the current financial predicament facing the authority.

The council is facing a £41.6m deficit in its budget this year with significant financial pressures on adult social care and special educational needs.

Cllr Dadd said:

“It was our job to get under the bonnet of the issues and see how the landscape has changed.”

The council will now undertake market testing to see if the venue can attract investment from the private sector or elsewhere. Cllr Dadd also proposed that the council writes to each mayoral candidate for the upcoming York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority urging them to support further investment.

Despite scrapping the redevelopment, Cllr Dadd maintained the council was committed to improving the convention centre and said it was “not the end of the story, far from it”.

The Harrogate Convention Centre opened in 1982 with conferences and events providing a boost to the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels.

North Yorkshire Council says the convention centre contributes £45m a year to the wider Harrogate district economy which Cllr Dadd said “should be ignored at our peril”.

Convention centre director Paula Lorimer came out against the redevelopment, arguing to do so would be counterproductive as it would involve shutting the venue for large periods.

Ms Lorimer is a proponent of creating new break-out spaces for conference delegates, which she believes could attract £1m additional income each year.

She told councillors that last year was the venue’s most successful in many years and if the upturn continues, along with a more commercial business model and investment, the convention centre could be “cost-neutral” for the council within just three years.

Ms Lorimer also suggested the venue could be renamed to reflect “a broader Yorkshire identity”. It was previously known as the Harrogate International Centre until 2017.

She said:

“I’m very committed to getting investment in the HCC but not at any cost, I do feel there are better ways of investing tactically, so we can do parts of the venue each year.”

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Kex Gill: Repair work unlikely to start before end of month

Work to repair a crack in the road on the A59 at Kex Gill is unlikely to start until at least the end of the month.

In an update, North Yorkshire Council said the wet weather and “further movement” had delayed and complicated matters.

The A59, which is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton, closed suddenly on February 2 after a crack appeared. It has led to lengthy diversions and increased traffic in places such as Ilkley and Pool-in-Wharfedale.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“February has been one of the wettest on record and this persistent rainfall has made the situation worse.

“We are monitoring the landslip daily and have unfortunately seen further movement since the start of the closure. This has resulted in additional investigations to ensure we have the most appropriate and effective repair scheme.

“Designs have now been completed, which will include sheet piling and backfilling, to address the existing slippage and prevent future movement of the road.”

Mr Mason added:

“Given the complexities of the work involved, we are working with our contractor on when it can start, which we hope to be before the end of the month.

“At the same time, we will also carry out any additional works which might be required in this area to minimise any further disruption once the road has re-opened.”

Motorists have previously expressed frustration at the lack of communication about the timeframe for work.

A council map showing Kex Gill.

Some have also questioned whether the closure is linked to work on the £68.8 million realignment of the A59 taking place nearby.

The realignment is being funded by £56.1 million from the Department for Transport and £12.7 million from the council.

Mr Mason said:

“As we have said previously, the A59 at Kex Gill has a long history of landslips and this latest closure is a result of the weather over the past few months.”

He thanked people for their patience and said:

“We understand the delay it is causing to journeys and would reiterate that we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.”

The update does not give a latest estimate for the cost of the repairs, which were previously £115,000.

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Abseil down Brimham Rocks to help neurodiverse children

The charity Autism Angels is giving people the chance to abseil down Brimham Rocks to raise funds.

The organisation is holding its first charity abseil during World Autism Acceptance Week on Saturday, April 6.

Individuals, families, friends, work colleagues and corporate teams can take part at the National Trust site near Pateley Bridge. Registration costs £30.

Autism Angels, which is based at Summerbridge, works with horses to support neurodiverse children and their families.


It relies heavily on donations to provide services and hopes the event will boost its coffers. Further details are available here.

You can also donate on JustGiving, where a fundraising page has been set up with a £4,000 target.

Read more:

Motorbike destroyed in Knaresborough arson attack

A motorbike was destroyed in a fire believed to have been caused deliberately in Knaresborough last night.

On-call firefighters from the town were caused to a recreational area near Halfpenny Lane at 9.29pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident report said the motorbike was “well alight” when they arrived.

“Crews extinguished the vehicle using a hose reel jet. The motorcycle sustained 100% fire damage and the cause was believed to had been deliberate.”


Knaresborough firefighters were called out earlier last night when they helped police deal with four youths on top of a commercial building on High Street.

The incident report said:

“Crews accessed the roof and politely persuaded the youths to come down from the roof via an internal stairway.

“The youths came down by their own accord and the incident was left in the hands of police.”

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Police tell drivers to stop abusing Harrogate lollipop man

North Yorkshire Police has urged motorists to stop abusing the lollipop man at Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School in Harrogate.

The lollipop man helps children cross the busy Bilton Lane outside the school.

But following a visit yesterday, police said in a statement:

“We have had reports of anti-social driving with drivers being abusive towards, and failing to adhere to the lollipop man outside Richard Taylor primary school.

“The school crossing patrol is there to ensure the safety of children crossing the road and failure to adhere to a stop sign outside of a school could result in penalty points and a fine.”


During their visit to Bilton, police speed cameras detected 15 vehicles travelling in excess of the 20 mph limit during a 30-minute check at school arriving time.

The statement added:

“We will be back in the area and continue enforcing to help tackle the issue.”

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