Plans have been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to build a major solar farm in South Stainley that could power 3,000 homes.

The site north of Burton Top Farm covers 19 hectares of land and is also close to the village of Wormald Green.

If approved, it would be the second solar farm in the area, following the approval of Elgin Energy’s nearby Caton Solar Farm by HBC’s planning committee in August 2021. That site is larger and can power up to 15,000 homes.

Applicants Infraland and Boultbee Brooks say the reneweable energy facility would operate at a peak capacity of 10MW a year to help the UK meet its legal target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Solar panels would be built on three grade 3 agricultural fields, which are currently used for arable farming and for pasture.

Construction would take around 12 weeks with planning permission sought for the farm to operate for 40 years.

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In a planning statement, the applicants said the farm would support HBC’s economic policies by encouraging the diversification of use for rural and agricultural areas.

The applicants set up an online consultation about the plans for residents living in South Stainley, Bishop Monkton, Burton Leanard and Markington with Wallterthwaite and sent out more than 1,000 leaflets to homes.

The web consultation garnered just nine responses, with four offering support or no objection and five against.

Caton Solar Farm

Irish renewable energy firm Elgin Energy was granted permission to build Caton Solar Farm on land the size of 70 football pitches last year. It will generate up to 48MW a year and power 15,000 homes.

The UK government sees solar as an important part of the energy mix as it attempts to reduce the country’s dependancy on foreign imports and fossil fuels.

However, applications to build solar farms on agricultural land have not always been popular with residents who might live near them.

South Stainley Parish Council is yet to issue its formal response to the Infraland and Boultree Brooks application, but last year it strongly objected to the Caton Solar Farm plans.

 It said:

“The area would become sterilised from an agricultural, environmental and recreational point of view.”

Two of the largest retailers in the country are locked in a battle over the location of a potential new Tesco supermarket in Harrogate.

Last December, Tesco submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council for its first major supermarket in the town.

The store, off Skipton Road on the site of an old gasworks, would be 38,795 square feet and include a petrol station, 200 car parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points. Tesco says 100 jobs would be created.

Tesco argues the supermarket is needed due to the proliferation of new housing around Skipton Road and towards Killinghall.

However, less than a mile away is the Co-op, which has been attached to Jennyfield Local Centre since 1980. The Co-op claims a new Tesco would lure shoppers and damage takings.

Harrogate Borough Council commissioned consultants Nexus Planning to examine how the new Tesco would impact on the local centre.

This is because key to the Co-op’s argument is a policy in Harrogate Borough Council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which says development must not “lead to a significant adverse impact” of local centres, such as the one in Jennyfields.

Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.

If it can be successfully argued Tesco would harm the centre it could give the council grounds to refuse the application.

Jennyfield Local Centre was built in the late 1970s to support the growing community on the estate and it includes a small shopping precinct and the Stone Beck pub.

The Nexus report said the new Tesco, and to a much lesser extent the new Lidl on Knaresborough Road, could divert as much as 38% of trade away from the Co-op.

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The report adds that such an impact on the centre’s anchor tenant would, in turn, threaten the future of the whole local centre.

It said:

“In light of [The Co-op’s] well-below benchmark average turnover, its importance in anchoring the local centre and the potential future loss in turnover should the Tesco food store proceed, we have significant concerns in respect of the future vitality and viability of Jennyfield Local Centre as a result of the proposal.”

Tesco’s response

Tesco consultants, MRRP strongly disputed the claim the Co-op would be at risk of closure from the new supermarket, arguing that it is likely to lose just 5% of its regular trade after residents from new housing developments are taken into account.

It said the Co-op and local facilities in Jennyfields would be boosted by the hundreds of new homes that are set to be built in the area. It added:

“In these circumstances, there is not considered to be any threat of closure in relation to the Co-op, none has been asserted by its consultants, or that there is a real risk of other shop units falling vacant.”

MRRP also disputed Nexus’s claim that the Co-op acts as an anchor tenant for the local centre. It said most people visit only to shop and do not use its other units. Two are currently empty and the other is a charity shop.

On November 22, a letter sent by Louise Ford, Tesco’s town planning manager, to the council said it was “disappointed” the two consultants could not agree on the potential impact of the new store.

Ms Ford pledged that Tesco would open a mini supermarket in Jennyfield Local Centre if the Co-op closed within five years of the new Skipton Road supermarket opening.

She said:

“If the Co-op does close within five years of the Tesco store opening and remains vacant for more than six months, then Tesco would use reasonable endeavours to open a convenience format store within Jennyfield Local Centre.”

Steve Russell will not return to his role as Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) chief executive after accepting a national director position with NHS England.

In February, Mr Russell left his role in Harrogate to take up a secondment as national director for covid and flu vaccinations at NHS England.

The secondment was due to last up to a year but he has now been offered a permanent role as director of vaccination and screening.

HDFT chair Sarah Armstrong thanked Mr Russell for his efforts at a HDFT board of directors meeting in Harrogate on Wednesday.

A HDFT spokesperson added:

“We would like to warmly congratulate Steve and wish him every success in the future.

“In the meantime, the current executive team arrangements will continue to operate whilst we consider what the permanent arrangement will be.”

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Mr Russell was appointed chief executive in April 2019 and was in charge of the trust during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also led the organisation during the creation of an NHS Nightingale hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre. The hospital closed last year without treating any Covid-19 patients.

Jonathan Coulter has been working as HDFT chief executive since February and will continue in the role until a permanent appointment is made. He is paid a salary of £181,000.

Mr Coulter is a qualified accountant and has taken on a number of roles at various hospital trusts.

He joined HDFT as finance director in March 2006 and has also worked as deputy chief executive.

Around 500 Harrogate District Hospital staff have applied for a cost-of-living hardship fund, which has been described as a “signal” of the financial pressure that healthcare workers are under.

Anyone employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) or Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) is eligible to apply for a one-off £500 payment. A panel meets each week to consider applications.

The number of people who have applied for the payment was revealed yesterday by HDFT acting chief executive Jonathan Coulter at the trust’s monthly board of directors meeting in Harrogate.

Between HDFT and HIF, there are around 5,000 staff, with the number of hardship fund applications indicating around 10% are currently struggling financially due to increased fuel, food and energy costs.

Mr Coulter said:

“It is a signal of some of the difficulties some of our colleagues are under in terms of the national situation. We will continue to watch out for those people.”

Other initiatives available for staff include being able to sell holiday entitlements to earn extra money. The trust also advises how to use food banks and provides information on managing finances.

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At a meeting in September, Wallace Sampson, hospital trust board member and chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, said he had “mixed feelings” about staff being able to sell annual leave as he believes it is “very much needed” to help with their wellbeing.

The number of staff struggling to make ends meet comes at a time when nurses are preparing to strike for the first time in over 100 years.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking for a 19% pay rise but the government says this is unaffordable.

Harrogate members of the RCN voted to strike but Mr Coulter said that Harrogate is not on the list for the first wave of action on December 15th and December 20th.

Mr Coulter added:

“We will continue to support colleagues and support trade unions. 

“It’s important that we do value our colleagues in terms of national negotiations or pay awards and we recognise the link between how people feel and are recognised with the ability to recruit and retain staff. We will watch this space but there won’t be any [industrial] action before Christmas.”