Fears for Harrogate district’s first-time buyers despite 50% discount scheme

There are fears that many first-time buyers will still struggle to afford the Harrogate district’s high property prices despite a new national scheme offering up to 50% discounts.

First Homes aims to support the sale of new homes to people in the district, which is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times average incomes.

Discounts of at least 30% can be knocked off market prices under the scheme, but councils can increase this to either 40% or 50% if they can “demonstrate a need”.

The scheme has been hailed by government as a move to help people get on the property ladder, many of whom will be key workers such as NHS, care home and supermarket staff.

But with the average property price paid in Harrogate last year rising to £395,526, there are fears that the current housing boom and years of rising prices will mean home ownership will still be out of reach for many – even with the top discounts.

Conservative-controlled Harrogate Borough Council has backed the scheme but described it as “problematic” and said it is “highly unlikely” that first-timer buyers will be able to afford new builds in the district.

There are further concerns that the scheme will slow the delivery of much-needed rental homes, which around 1,800 Harrogate district households have registered for.

This is because First Homes requires housebuilders to nominate a proportion of their properties for sale discounts – and this could mean renters miss out.

People needing rented homes ‘will lose out’

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on the council, said it is these households which can only afford to rent that are in the greatest need:

“Our residents needing affordable rented homes will lose out and Harrogate will suffer from not having the mix of residents that will sustain our economy and fill our important key worker roles.

“We question whether this is the most effective way of meeting overall needs if it displaces other tenures which are needed.”

The scheme is for first-time buyers only and does restrict some households with a combined annual income of more than £80,000 from applying.

There are also price caps which mean that after the discount has been applied, the buyer cannot be required to pay more than £250,000.

Those who can afford to buy a First Home without a mortgage are not eligible, and there are further measures aimed at preventing people buying the homes as an investment.

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The scheme launched last year and has recently been backed by Harrogate Borough Council, which said it would publish more information online and use it as a tool to decide planning applications.

Speaking when the scheme launched, former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said:

“First Homes will offer a realistic and affordable route into home ownership for even more people who want to own their own home.

“These homes will be locked in for perpetuity to first-time buyers and key workers from their local area – making them an asset to both their owners and the wider local community.”

Knaresborough sci-fi author tells kids ‘Asperger’s does not define you’

A Knaresborough writer with Asperger’s Syndrome and attention-deficit disorder wants to show young people diagnosed with similar conditions that they will not stop them achieving their dreams.

Matt Wilkinson was only diagnosed with Asperger’s, a form of autism, in recent years.

He had always struggling academically but said his disorder never stopped him working towards his goal of becoming a writer.

Mr Wilkinson fell in love with writing at a young age whilst watching cult science fiction films, such as Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. They inspired him to write his first science fiction novel in 2017 called Drive Time.

It tells the story of three friends who invent a machine to send messages back in time in the hope of saving humanity from itself.

Mr Wilkinson is now working on a second novel, which he hopes to finish by the end of the year.

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He said:

“I’ve always loved writing, I remember in primary school we’d be asked to write a story and I would make mine the most extravagant I could. At school I was always difficult, I was really clever but I struggle to focus.

“I think it’s good for younger people to see that just because they may have autism it doesn’t mean they can’t succeed doing what they love.”

Mr Wilkinson works with APM UK as part of a government’s work and health programme to help people improve their employment skills.

He hopes it will help him find work writing for TV and film companies that understand his needs.

Police helicopter used after thieves force their way into Killinghall house

Thieves forced their way into a house in Killinghall on Sunday and stole jewellery and car keys.

Police confirmed today they were investigating a report of aggravated burglary in the village.

Aggravated burglary is used to describe a burglary in which it is believed some kind of weapon or violence was used.

A statement by North Yorkshire Police today said it was notified at 10.05pm and officers were at the scene at 10.13pm.

It added they immediately began searching the area assisted by the National Police Air Service, which provides helicopters to police forces in England and Wales.

Multiple social media posts on Sunday night questioned why a police helicopter was flying over Harrogate.

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The police statement added:

“A black Kia Sorento, which matched a description of a vehicle seen leaving the burgled property was located abandoned on a residential road, near to the Great Yorkshire Showground.”

Enquiries are ongoing. The statement said:

“Anyone with any information which could assist the investigation is asked to dial 101 and speak to force control room quoting reference 12220017438.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: Works to remove trees on B6265 near Fountains Abbey causing delays

Works to remove trees at Fountains Abbey today is causing delays on the nearby B6265 heading into Ripon.

The National Trust site is felling trees on its woodland boundary due to their proximity to the road.

It has said traffic management is in place along the B6265 between its visitor centre and Ripon. It asked commuters to allow extra time for their journey.

1/2 Our work to manage trees on site affected by ash dieback continues this week. There will be traffic management in place on the B6265 between the visitor centre and Ripon on Mon 31 Jan and Tues 1 Feb. We’ll be working on trees on our woodland boundary which sadly need to be pic.twitter.com/zl4MNkLXnz

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) January 30, 2022

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

Hampsthwaite volunteers clear-up after tree falls in churchyard

Volunteers arrived at a Hampsthwaite churchyard today to clear debris left after a tree was urgently felled.

The centuries-old tree splintered during Storm Malik on Friday night, luckily avoiding graves in the cemetery at St Thomas a Becket Church.

But with some of the tree remaining, and Storm Corrie approaching, the decision was taken yesterday to fell the rest of it urgently in case it was blown over and damaged the graves.

Fortunately Darley tree surgeon Ross Hanley was able to fulfil the task before the winds picked up last night.

The clear-up operation of the fallen tree began today.

Today about 15 volunteers including a group from Community Payback, an initiative whereby offenders help with projects in their local communities, joined the clean-up operation.

Lead volunteer and Hamspthwaite resident Geoff Howard said:

“Ross Hanley was here to look at a tree that fell during Storm Arwen only a few weeks ago and he saw how close this one was to falling.

Luckily the branch that came down on Friday night fell between graves but if the full tree had fallen it could have caused damage to dozens and dozens of graves.”

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The graveyard has over 3,000 plots. The church also has a public right of way running through it.

Mr Howard said it would have been too dangerous to leave the tree in such a precarious position because of the risk it posed to people and the churchyard.

He thanked volunteers for dealing with the debris today and hoped the clean-up operation would be completed by the end of the day.

‘We all bolted… I didn’t think the wind was that strong,’ says car wash worker

A member of staff at a Harrogate district car wash has talked about the moment the roof came crashing down when Storm Malik struck on Saturday.

The Bubblerun Car Wash, on Harrogate Road, near Leathley, was open as usual at 11.30am when the incident occurred.

Fortunately, staff heard the roof begin to fall and managed to hastily get out of the way.

A customer, however, was still in his car as the roof came down. Staff moved fast to get him out and check he was OK as soon as the roof stopped moving.

Bubblerun Car Wash

The Bubblerun Hand Car Wash.

Staff member Alan Clemmit, said everyone was “lucky” to avoid being hurt. He said:

“It just collapsed. Bits of the corrugated plastic had flown off earlier on but we didn’t think the whole roof would come down. We all just bolted as soon as we heard it.

“I didn’t think the wind was that strong, it’s probably about 1.5 tonnes worth of weight that fell.”

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Mr Clemmit added the customer’s car was dented but no serious damage was done.

The car wash reopened today after staff returned on Sunday to help clear up the debris.

Police seek man carrying gun in Harrogate

Police are searching for a man believed to have been carrying a gun in a street close to Harrogate town centre yesterday.

Officers received reports of a man acting suspiciously in Harlow Oval at 12.30pm yesterday.

According to police, he had approached a nearby car and spoken to the driver. As the man moved away from the car, a witness saw what is believed to have been a gun tucked in the waistband of his trousers.

The suspect is described as white, in his early to mid-twenties and around 5ft 10/11in tall.

He had black short hair with a receding hairline and a short fringe. He’s described as having red blotchy, acne-marked skin and was wearing a blue facemask pulled down his chin.

A statement from North Yorkshire Police today said:

“He was dressed in a plain navy t-shirt and a black mid-length coat, which was unzipped, blue jeans with a belt. He is described as having a local accent and was smoking a cigarette at the time.”

Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time who saw the incident or anyone who recognises the description of the man to contact them.

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Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask to speak to PC 1606 Kinnear or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The crime reference number 12220017125.

140 homes in Harrogate district without power after storm hits

Northern Powergrid has reported that about 140 homes are without power this morning in the HG3 postcode area.

Homes near Darley and Stainburn appear to be the worst affected.

The electricity provider said it was “working hard to restore power” to 130 homes near Darley but is currently unaware of how long residents will be without power.

Near Stainburn Forest, there are fewer than 10 homes affected, according to the Northern Powergrid live power cut map, and again the company was unable to say when power would be restored.

The map also indicates some homes may have been without power since Saturday, with the first reports coming in Saturday morning.

Over the weekend the district was hit with high winds following Storm Malik. It caused multiple trees to fall and block roads as well as power cuts in areas such as Hampsthwaite and the Bubblerun Hand Car Wash had to close due to a collapsed roof. It has now reopened.

Damage to the roof of Bubblerun car wash, Harrogate Road. Picture: Sarah Tayan.

Damage to the roof of Bubblerun car wash, Harrogate Road. Picture: Sarah Tayan.

The Met Office has removed its yellow weather warning for the district but Storm Corrie is still expected to bring winds of around 30mph throughout the morning.

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Northern Powergrid said on its website:

“We are still responding to the extensive damage caused by Storm Malik. There is a lot to do and the work involved is often not fully known until our teams get on site. So, we regret that in some cases we cannot yet give precise estimates of when power will be restored because the work involved in one job has a knock on effect on the timing of others.

“We are still working to get your power back on at some point today, but there is a possibility that it runs beyond Monday night.”

Is your home without power? let us know by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Harrogate nurse to raise money through 24-hour gameathon

A Harrogate nurse has pledged to game non-stop for 24 hours to raise money for Medecins Sans Frontieres, a charity also known as Doctors Without Borders.

Andy Masters will start his gameathon at 10am next Saturday, February 5, and hopes to raise £1,000 for the medical charity.

Mr Masters has worked as a nurse for 30 years and began working at Harrogate District Hospital seven years ago.

The charity offers medical assistance in areas affected by conflict, epidemics and natural disasters. Mr Masters said he’s known doctors who have worked with the charity and seen first hand how necessary its help is.

Mr Masters said:

“It’s a highly respected charity and they go and help those in real need in areas others don’t. I just want to do a little bit to help them.

“Last time I raised over £1,000 so if we can get close to that it would be great, but anything is amazing.”

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He is a keen gamer and said he will switch between multiple games to help keep him awake. The whole event will be streamed on his Youtube and Twitch accounts.

To donate, click here.

Stray Foodie: Harrogate Café Culture with a difference

In the Montpellier area of Harrogate there are at least six eateries, all serving to a high standard and all managing to have their own individuality.  They offer a variety of interesting experiences including loaded sourdough toasties, classic brownies, jam-packed sandwiches and nutritious, delicious smoothies, cajun chicken skewers, or perhaps eggs benedict, eggs royale or eggs florentine?

Years ago I used to frequent a café in Edinburgh that served fantastic vegetarian dishes reasonably priced and became very much part of my lifestyle. It was stimulating and tasty.

With that in the back of my mind I set off to investigate Nourish Plant Kitchen on Mayfield Grove, an inspirational vegan café. I set off with great enthusiasm looking forward to a different experience. Unfortunately so did many other people which says a lot for this atmospheric neighbourhood café.

By the very name Nourish one would expect it to be a comforting, fulfilling experience, which it was, but if in a hurry not a good idea.  Juices, smoothies, seeds and all things that are good for you it revealed a very tempting menu. With yoga mats and wellbeing influences adding to the atmosphere.

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Yoga and wellbeing seem to be the order of the day at the moment as they are on offer at Gron Café, one of the cafés in Montpellier, in the form of a Yoga Brunch, a gentle vinyasa flow sequence with guided meditation at GoYoga followed by Juice and Brunch at Gron. Or perhaps a vegan cocktail that are also on offer.

I worked out I could have breakfast at Hoxton, elevenses across the road at the Brownie Café, Lunch at Gron and Supper at The Old Bell Inn.  Aren’t the residents of Harrogate lucky? This is all in the space of a concentrated area.