Reopening Ripon to Harrogate train line could cost ‘hundreds of millions’

A transport official has poured cold water on hopes that the Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton train line will reopen any time soon, saying to do so could cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds.

Harrogate’s link with Ripon was axed by Dr Beeching during his infamous 1960s rail reforms and the last train ran in 1967.

Much of the track was then ripped up to make way for the Ripon bypass and former station buildings have been converted into homes.

But there has been a long-running bid to see it reinstated, led by Dr Adrian Morgan, who founded the Ripon Railway Reinstatement Association in 1987.

The campaign was discussed by Graham North, strategy and performance rail officer at the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, when he gave a wide-ranging presentation to Skipton and Ripon councillors on Thursday.

However, Mr North claimed there was not the same level of public support for reopening the route when compared to similar campaigns such as at Skipton to Colne.

Mr North said:

“These schemes cost hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds and we have to prioritise which ones come forward. We didn’t get the same level of support for Harrogate to Ripon when compared to other schemes.

“It’s been one individual all the time who’s been writing. There has to be a more coordinated campaign.”

The closure of Ripon Station left the city without rail connections and was strongly opposed at the time.

Cllr Barbara Brodigan (Liberal Democrat, Ripon Ure Bank and Spa) said she wanted to see the line reopened as she believes Ripon is underperforming primarily because of poor connectivity.

But she said she “doesn’t hold out any hope” for the line reopening in her lifetime.

Cllr Brodigan said:

“It will get worse with the barracks development increasing the population by 25%. All development is on the west side of the city. It’s a logjam that will get worse.

“Opening up the Harrogate to Ripon line would be a huge move forward and contribute to our economic development. Funding is an issue but the longer we leave it, the more expensive it becomes.”

Cllr David Noland (Green Party, Skipton North and Embsay-with-Eastby) struck a more optimistic tone and added:

“If we can put a tunnel under Stonehenge and a man on the moon why can’t we link Harrogate to Ripon?”

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Brimhams Active to be scrapped in council leisure shake-up

Brimhams Active, which runs council-owned leisure centres in the Harrogate district, is to be abolished.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive confirmed today it will bring all leisure centres and wellbeing hubs in the county back in-house. The Stray Ferret revealed in November it was planning the move.

It means Brimhams, which was set up less than three years ago by the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council and has overseen the multi-million pound opening and refurbishment of leisure centres in Ripon, Harrogate and Knaresborough, will no longer exist.

The news comes just two months after Knaresborough Leisure and Wellbeing Centre opened.

Brimhams Active, which was set up by the former Harrogate Borough Council in 2021, recently completed multi-million pound refurbishments at the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre and Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.

A report prepared for councillors said this was “no reflection” on Brimham’s which delivers “much-valued and high-quality services” at venues including the Turkish Baths in Harrogate and Knaresborough’s new leisure centre and pool.

The company was set up following a strategic review carried out by the borough council, which recommended a local authority controlled company called Brimhams Active be formed to run leisure services in the district.

Its sites include Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre, the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon and Nidderdale Leisure and Wellness Centre in Pateley Bridge.

 

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre

According to the council, the new service which will see a greater focus on health and wellbeing, provide more opportunities for people to participate and be active and focus on addressing inequalities.

The new delivery model, which triggers the start of the next phase of the authority’s strategic leisure review.

Councillors were told that work so far has included input from local communities and sports groups, as well as stakeholders like Sport England and North Yorkshire Sport. A cross-party working group of councillors has also visited sites across the county to help shape the proposals.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture, leisure and housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “With one of the largest leisure portfolios in the country we now have the opportunity to transform the way we deliver those services and put us at the forefront of a national movement towards improving physical and mental health and well-being.

“We will be creating a service bespoke to North Yorkshire with locally-based services and targeted provision, with particular emphasis on the needs of groups that may face barriers to participation. The UK population is 20 per cent less active than it was in the 1960s and we want to reverse that be providing the high quality, accessible and inclusive services people want, where they want them.

“We also want to work in greater partnership with the NHS and social care providers as we recognise the benefits of physical activity in preventing and managing long term health conditions.

“This is a very exciting time for leisure in North Yorkshire – local government reorganisation has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look at our expansive portfolio and consolidate the services by building on best practice to create a new sport and active well-being service.”

Currently the council’s leisure portfolio – which includes 19 leisure centres, 16 swimming pools, three well-being hubs, a nursery and Harrogate’s Turkish Baths are run by five different operators.

Those arrangements will be moved to the single in-house model in a phased way – with the aim of the service being fully integrated and transformed by 2028. The first change will be for services in the former Selby district where the contract with IHL comes to an end this year.

The next phase of work is to create a leisure investment strategy, progressing work already undertaken during recent asset condition surveys at the leisure centres. This will look at the condition of each site, their future roles and sustainability as part of the new delivery model and identify sites where investment is needed.

 

Questions raised over bid to build homes on Harrogate commercial site

Plans have been submitted to build 12 homes on a commercial site in Harrogate.

Property firm Carter Jonas is advertising the former Buildbase builders merchants site on Prospect Road in Starbeck as a ‘prime residential development opportunity’.

Its sales brochure adds “a decision is expected shortly” by North Yorkshire Council on whether to approve an outline planning application for 12 homes on the 1.02-acre site.

According to planning documents submitted to the council, the site — known as Arville Works — was advertised for sale as a commercial site by property firm FSS but failed to attract a buyer.

An officer at Harrogate Borough Council said in an email in January last year that it would be “really disappointing see the loss of this warehouse and retail showroom”.

The email said FSS had conducted 35 viewings, including second viewings, since September 2020. These led to nine offers, with two deals that progressed to solicitors falling through. But despite this “significant interest”, it concluded:

“Given the length of time that it has been actively marketed and the inability of FSS to secure a deal despite their best efforts, unfortunately it seems that there is little more that can be done in order to secure a successful commercial future for this site.”

The Arville Works site

 


Chris Robbins, a partner at Harrogate commercial property consultants Robbins Associates, questioned this.

Mr Robbins said:

“There is a massive shortage of employment land in Harrogate and Knaresborough, with most of the land allocation being at Flaxby, which does not appeal to many local employers.

“In my view this site should be retained for employment uses in accordance with the Local Plan policy. If it were to come back to the market, I believe it would find a ready occupier or purchaser.”

Cllr John Mann, a Conservative who chairs the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee, said:

“The application remains under consideration with nothing on file to indicate one way or the other whether it will be approved.”

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‘Stop this madness,’ says anti-Station Gateway campaigner

One of the main opponents of the £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway has issued a plea to halt the scheme.

The Stray Ferret reported on Friday that West Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to approve the full business case for the gateway on Thursday (March 13).

This will pave the way for North Yorkshire Council to begin preparatory work soon before the year-long project gets underway in earnest in September

However, the latest plans for the downgraded scheme have not yet been made public, the cost has risen by almost another £1 million to £12.1 million and an assessment of the scheme has branded it “poor value for money“.

This led retired architect Barry Adams, a Harrogate resident and vocal gateway critic, to issue a plea for a rethink.

In a letter to the Stray Ferret, Mr Adams said the “overwhelming opinion” in Harrogate was that the gateway is a “total waste of public money”.

He added:

“The gateway plan achieves absolutely nothing but disruption to the town.

“We need to get this madness stopped so in the first instance we will once again consider organising an online petition and would ask residents of Harrogate and businesses to give it their full support.

“We need to strike a chord with people before it is too late.”

Mr Adams, who said he represented Harrogate Residents Association and Granville Road Residents Group, called instead for more focus on creating a park and ride bus service and a Harrogate bypass.

He accused Cllr Keane Duncan. the council’s executive member for highways and Conservative candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor, of “drip feeding” limited information on the gateway to boost his image in the run-up to the mayoral election on May 2.

You can read Mr Adams’ letter below.


Cllr Duncan said last week it was an “exciting time for the regeneration” of the town centre. He added:

“It will see pedestrian improvements along Station Parade, including raised crossings and signal junction improvements, a bus lane from Bower Road into the bus station and a south-bound segregated cycle lane. Station Parade will remain two lanes and there will be no changes to James Street.

“The scheme will also see public realm improvements to One Arch and Station Square, and new cycle parking at the railway station.”

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Letter by Barry Adams

I was not totally surprised when I read the news in a Stray Ferret article that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to agree to approve downgraded gateway schemes in Selby and Skipton as well as Harrogate next week.

We have been drip fed very limited written statements on the de-scoped gateway but the actual plans have not been made public. This is totally inadequate to pass constructive comment on.

As we have stated repeatedly and publicly over the last few years the highways executive had and still appears to have a history of ignoring the democratic process, not listening, being dismissive of public comment, hiding behind a meaningless excess of words in press releases.

However, and in the spirit of co-operation and adopting a positive approach a small interested group has tried to arrange a meeting with Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways, to understand the full implications of the details. We have been waiting for over two months now for him to confirm an actual date.

We believe all the noise from North Yorkshire Council and Keane Duncan is a publicity exercise massaged to justify the project and now to boost the image of Cllr Duncan, the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming elections for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.  It also appears they are desperately scrambling to rescue their reputation with the Department for Transport and possibly other funding bodies.

This must not be allowed to happen at the long term expense of damage to Harrogate but North Yorkshire Council seem inured to criticism.  As the article points out, the de-scoped gateway has been branded “poor value for money” in a cost assessment of the scheme. It is an utter total waste of money when councils across the country are desperately trying to make ends meet.

From the extremely limited information we have been fed by North Yorkshire Council, this scheme is more insane than the original, wasting even more money.

It is OUR money — we as taxpayers in one form or another will ultimately pay for it.

The overwhelming opinion in Harrogate is that the gateway project even in its scaled back form is still a total waste of public money especially with the extortionate level of consultants’ fees spent to date.

All this appears to put the cart before the horse and we therefore question what opportunity there will be for change if, for example, we are not satisfied with the so called “first class public realm improvements”.

What improvements will there be to the appearance of Station Square, if any?  What improvements will there be for cycling when we have already suggested a way of achieving this in a joined-up way?  What improvements will there be for pedestrians? None.

What improvements will there be to public transport — none apart from the creation of a short length of dedicated bus lane.  Still no mention of park and ride.  What improvements will there be to reducing congestion, the original purpose of a gateway project — absolutely none.

A re-think on a bypass to remove through traffic from Station Parade is required along with park and ride in the town.   The gateway plan achieves absolutely nothing but disruption to the town.  We need to get this madness stopped so in the first instance we will once again consider organising an online petition and would ask residents of Harrogate and businesses to give it their full support.  We need to strike a chord with people before it is too late.

Barry Adams

On behalf of Harrogate Residents Association and Granville Road Resident’s Group

Developers revive plans to build in Harrogate’s Crimple Valley

Developers have revived plans to build 17 homes in Harrogate’s Crimple Valley.

North Yorkshire Council refused an application by Harrogate firm Square Feet Ltd and Leeds-based Antela Developments Ltd to build 17 homes at Almsford Bank Stables in September.

It was the third attempt to build on land off Leeds Road, south of properties on Fulwith Road and Fulwith Grove.

The plans were opposed by the campaign group Save Crimple Valley and received 360 objections and no letters of support.

Now the developers have appealed against the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which will adjudicate.

The council’s reasons for refusal included that the scheme would “urbanise and erode the distinctive rural character of the Crimple Valley landscape”, cause harm to the setting of the grade two listed Crimple Valley Viaduct and result in the loss of a “relatively large number of mature trees, including trees protected by a tree preservation order”.

The 4.4 hectare-site, which has historically been used for equestrian purposes, would see seven affordable build and 10 self and custom build homes.

Loss of 48 trees

A statement of case by the developers said the appeal “is made in the context of the government’s requirement to meet the need for self and custom build housing and seeks to assist in addressing the significant and sustained unmet need in Harrogate for self and custom housing plots”. It then details why it believes the council’s reasons were flawed.

It says the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, supports windfall sites for self and custom build housing on the edge of settlements.

It argues views of the viaduct “have been carefully considered and protected” and “extended areas of native planting will reinforce the green nature of the corridor”. The document adds:

“The proposal does not therefore urbanise or erode the rural character of this part of Harrogate but has been sympathetically designed to respect the edge of settlement location and the setting of the Crimple Valley Viaduct.

“The proposed replacement and mitigation planting results in a net increase in tree cover.

“On the basis of the evidence set out, the development as proposed is both suitable and sustainable and there is a justification to grant planning permission.”

A tree report submitted in documents to the council says 48 trees “together with a short stretch of hedge requires removal for the access road”.

It adds:

“The trees to be removed are generally poor quality, mostly small in stature and easily replaceable, the retained trees and woodland can be robustly protected.”

In 2021, plans for 65 homes at the site were withdrawn. In 2022, a smaller application for 35 homes was refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

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Cedar Court Harrogate to open £500,000 restaurant

A new restaurant called Amber’s is to open at the Cedar Court hotel in Harrogate.

The hotel, which has been undergoing an extensive refurbishment over the last 12 months, is investing £500,000 into the venture.

It is hoped the restaurant, which will seat 75 people, will open next month.

The hotel said in a press release today it would be a “high-quality dining experience through its menu, service and décor” serving traditional British dishes.

A private dining and entertaining venue, the Imaginarium, is also being launched alongside the restaurant with capacity for up to 28 people.

The Cedar Court also announced a refreshed banqueting space for dinners, events, and weddings with a capacity of 250 covers, known as the Queen’s Suite, will also open.

The venue has undergone ground floor renovations, including updating the lounge, bar and other public areas over the last year.

Cedar Court Hotel

Hotel group managing director Wayne Topley said:

“Since I joined Cedar Court five years ago, I wanted to put a special dining concept into Cedar Court Harrogate.

“The significant investment underlies our belief in Harrogate as a real Yorkshire gem, a first-choice dining destination for visitors and local residents alike.

“Amber’s will be a very elegant dining experience, with stylish and traditional design features giving this part of the hotel a new lease of life and energy and new offering this part of Harrogate.”

They name Amber’s was inspired by the pioneering scientist Lady Amber Fitzwilliam, who was a long-time resident at Cedar Court, formerly known as The Queens Hotel in the 1900s.

Cedar Court has been working on the design and planning for the restaurant since last summer with Yorkshire-based, Studio Two Interiors, which has worked on hospitality projects including Lucia’s Wine Bar & Grill, Cut & Craft and Six by Nico.

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Readers’ Letters: Can’t council chief executive survive on his £198,000 salary?

Readers’ Letters 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. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This letter is in response to an article about Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, being awarded a pay rise.

Who sanctioned Richard Flinton’s pay rise?

He was already on a near £200,000 salary and is now to be awarded nearly another £6,000 – can’t he survive on what he already gets?

It is rather ironic when others are struggling with the cost of living and expecting a 5% rise in council tax.

Lenny Redmond, Harrogate

Keane Duncan should ‘increase his quest to 365 days’

This letter is in response to Keane Duncan’s 100-day campervan trip around North Yorkshire.

The best thing Mr Duncan can do is to increase his campervan quest for mayorship to 365 days a year.

Hopefully, that will keep him out of the way from making anymore huge mistakes such as the Harrogate Station Gateway project that he pursued, which fortunately didn’t come to fruition after wasting £2 million of public funds.

Gordon Lund, Sawley

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Yorkshire Water will face ‘many complaints’ over reservoir parking charges

This article is in response to the parking charges recently imposed at reservoirs in the Harrogate district.

For background, my partner and I are well into our 70s. I have poor eyesight and can’t drive, and she has chronic arthritis and a limited walking range. We absolutely love walking around the Washburn Valley reservoirs, it’s flat and it’s most beautiful for mental uplift, so it’s a trip we do quite regularly from our home in Ilkley.On January 18, I saw an article in The Stray Ferret about the car parking charges being introduced at the reservoir car parks from the following Monday. Despite my having a blue badge parking permit, I have to apply for a special permit to use it under the new scheme. That, in itself, is indicative of the problems which are going to arise for Yorkshire Water.I immediately went on the website, completed the form, and applied for my special permit. But three weeks later, and still no sign of any acknowledgement from the parking company. Nevertheless, last week we decided to venture up to the reservoir and pay our £1 charge; it goes against the grain but needs must.

To our dismay we first of all found that the registration number has to be typed into the ticket machine, but the keyboard is far too small both for me to see to use it, and for my partner to use it with her arthritic fingers — if nothing else that is surely against the spirit of the disability discrimination legislation. And in any case the machines don’t take cash, only card: not anticipating this we had not brought a card with us, but I’m very reluctant to use one anyway in such circumstances.So we drove back home, unable to take our much anticipated exercise because of our disabilities. How Ironic!Imposing parking charges and the way they are collected is a dreadful situation for a renowned beauty spot, and the income likely to be generated is very low.

Yorkshire Water is going to be faced with a great many complaints, especially when the parking company starts dishing out the massive fines for inadvertent breaches of their ridiculous regulations.A very sad situation indeed, and extremely bad public relations.

Steve Broadbent, Ilkley

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.

Reform UK backs Independent Keith Tordoff for mayor

The Reform UK parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough has backed Independent Keith Tordoff to be Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Mr Tordoff, from Pateley Bridge, is the sole Independent candidate standing for election on May 2.

Reform UK is not fielding a candidate but Richard Brown, who will stand for the party in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election, has given his support to Mr Tordoff and suggested the alliance could extend beyond May. He said:

“My focus is on becoming the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, so working strategically with Keith would be beneficial, not just to both us, but the whole region”.

“Having spoken to Keith, I have got to know about him and what he believes in. Working with him now, and going forward would be very useful.

“I think people want to see the country come together. They also want parties to work together, where there is common thinking, to give focus on delivering for the people.”

Mr Tordoff said:

“While I am not affiliated to a political party as an independent, I do of course need to work with other parties going forward.

“It is certainly true that many are watching the development of Reform UK, some welcoming the possibility of change and others still unsure — Reform UK does though, have the potential to change UK politics fundamentally and in my opinion for the better.

“I share their views that there needs to be fundamental change to how politics operates in this country.”

In a statement today announcing the news, both men highlighted concerns about the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme, which has recently been scaled back after North Yorkshire Council admitted its initial plans were legally flawed.

Mr Tordoff said it “has been fraught with problems from day one, and now we have a project that is proceeding with little focus over the benefits”.

He added:

“Fundamentally it’s an example of a mismanaged project, without a clear set of objectives, and it seems to divide the community, but North Yorkshire Council are pushing ahead regardless.”

Mr Brown described the gateway as a “fiasco”, adding:

“I think we need to develop a better understanding of how the Station Gateway project has gone wrong for Harrogate, and what that means for the project going forward.

“It will give important learning for similar projects that come under the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. We need to do much better than we have done, or are doing.”

Whoever is elected mayor will oversee a new combined authority, and a multi-million budget in areas such as housing, transport and the police and fire services.

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Heritage groups back plans to convert Harrogate Debenhams

Harrogate Civic Society and Historic England have supported plans to convert the former Harrogate Debenhams building into shops and 34 flats.

Debenhams closed on Parliament Street in 2021 after the company went into administration.

Wetherby developer Stirling Prescient initially applied to demolish the building and build 50 flats but withdrew these plans in May 2022 after widespread opposition.

But Harrogate Civic Society and the non-departmental public body Historic England, who were among those objecting, have backed latest proposals submitted to North Yorkshire Council in November last year.

The new application is to convert the first floor into 34 flats and use the ground floor and basement as a ‘flexible commercial space’ or a ‘drinking establishment’.

It also proposes erecting a rooftop extension, the removal and replacement of canopies, shopfronts and the slate roof, and re-cladding the part of the building with a 1960s facade. The plans also include a secure cycle store and seven car parking spaces.

Stirling Prescient has said the development would “provide a high quality and vibrant new residential development” as well as “a new focal point along Parliament Street”.

The civic society submission to council as part of the consultation process says it is pleased demolition is no longer being proposed, adding:

“We are content with the currently proposed uses of the building and are keen to see it returned to beneficial use and retain its positive place in the conservation area

“Loss of the existing façade of the 1960s building next to the Westminster Arcade will not be mourned, likewise the ugly canopy that does the conservation area no favours.

“Overall, we are very pleased to see this proposal for re-use of the building and look forward to it making a positive contribution to the conservation area and the vitality of the town.”

The HArrogate branch of Debenhams, which has filed for administration

Debenhams on Parliament Street closed in January 2021.

Suzanne Lilley, inspector of historic buildings and areas at Historic England, said in its consultation submission the site at 22-30 Parliament Street “forms part of an iconic commercial street-scene”, adding:

“The proposals have benefited from pre-application engagement with Historic England and we now welcome the approach taken by the applicant.

“There is an exciting opportunity here for a positive restoration and conversion scheme which enables these buildings to be appreciated and enjoyed by the public.”

You can view details of the application on North Yorkshire Council’s planning portal here, entering the reference number ZC23/03273/FULMAJ.

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10-point guide to Knaresborough’s 1,000 new homes

Anyone who has driven along the A59 to the east of Knaresborough could hardly fail to have noticed hundreds of new homes going up in recent years.

More are coming. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey held a public consultation event yesterday (Tuesday, February 13) at which it revealed the latest designs for a 402-home scheme called Highfield Farm.

Staff from Taylor Wimpey and planning consultants Pegasus Group discussed the plans with members of the public.

The Stray Ferret went along to find out more about the new development, and what it means for housebuilding in that corridor along the A59 just outside Knaresborough town centre, towards the A1.

Yesterday’s consultation event.

Here is a 10-point guide.

1 The 1,000 homes are being built at two adjoining sites: Manse Farm and Highfield Farm.

2 Some 600 homes are being built at Manse Farm by two developers. Taylor Wimpey’s Trinity Fields site accounts for 324 properties while Linden Homes‘ Castle Gate site accounts for the other 276. All 402 homes at Highfield Farm will be built by Taylor Wimpey.

3 Many homes at Manse Farm are already built and people have moved in. But construction has not started at Highfield Farm. Taylor Wimpey has outline planning permission for the site, which means the principle of development has been established. It now intends to submit a reserved matters planning application giving details of the layout and design by mid-March. After a public consultation, North Yorkshire Council will decide whether to approve it.

Taylor Wimpey’s Trinity Fields development at Manse Farm.

4 The section 106 legal agreement between the council and Taylor Wimpey for Highfield Farm commits the developer to pay for the impact of the scheme on local services. The sums awarded to the council include £1.8 million for junction 47 of the A1(M); £1.4 million for education, £874,000 for local highways; £350,000 for bus services and £330,000 for open spaces.

5 A layby on the A59 will be converted into a roundabout, which will provide access to Highfield Farm.

How Highfield Farm will look.

6 The estate will consist of three clusters of homes. Each cluster will be connected by a main road that will be built from the roundabout at the entrance to the estate.

7 A total of 40% of the Highfield Farm homes are classed as affordable.

8 A primary school and community centre are supposed to be built to cater for the influx of thousands of new residents. But there is no sign of work beginning on either yet. An Aldi is the only new shop serving the area so far.

How Highfield Farm will look.

9 Details of how many trees that will be felled and planted as part of Highfield Farm have yet to be revealed.

10 To reduce the impact of flooding, sunken basins will be constructed in the land to collect water in the hope that it will then be released more slowly into watercourses.

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