‘Make traffic two-way on Parliament Street and West Park’

Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam has called on North Yorkshire County Council to explore making West Park and Parliament Street open to traffic from both directions.

The two adjoining roads have been one-way for 50 years since the layout changed in 1970.

Mr Neesam, who has written several books on the town, believes returning the roads to how they used to be could be a solution to the town’s congestion problems.

Station Gateway

Traffic flow in Harrogate has been under the spotlight in recent months due to the £7.9m Station Gateway proposals, which could reduce Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianise part of James Street under plans yet to be decided

Some fear that it would have implications for the rest of Harrogate town centre and would exacerbate tailbacks on Station Parade, Cheltenham Parade, King’s Road and back to Parliament Street and West Park.

Mr Neesam believes that changing the road layout would “free up” traffic to flow more easily through town.

He also said it could benefit delegates visiting Harrogate Convention Centre, who would have better access to the town centre.

He said North Yorkshire County Council had long opposed reintroducing two-way traffic but called on the highways authority to reconsider.

He said:

“I’m very much in favour of making the roads two-way. It already works on Leeds Road and Ripon Road.

“They were built as a two-way system in the 18th century.

“It’s quite logical and would free up Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade.”

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In response, Don Mackenzie, the county council’s executive member for access and the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Saltergate, said he “wouldn’t rule it out forever” but was lukewarm on the idea.

He said:

“Many people will recall that in the 50s and 60s there was two-way traffic on West Park and Parliament Street. But this was when vehicle numbers were far less than today.

“Look at West Park and Parliament Street today — it’s difficult to imagine it being two-way with the amount of traffic the two lanes get.”

Cllr Mackenzie also rejected suggestions the Station Gateway proposals would significantly increase congestion in the town. He said:

“It’s likely to happen to a small extent, but the numbers suggested are very small.”

A radical history

Plans to make West Park and Parliament Street one-way were first drawn up in the 1960s by the former West Riding and Harrogate councils.

It was intended to be the first of a five-phase plan to radically alter the road network and would have involved the creation of dual carriageways and flyovers in Harrogate town centre.

However, the rest of the plan was scrapped following massive public opposition.

Trees planted to honour Captain Tom at Harrogate’s army college

Junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate have planted six magnolia trees in tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who was the honorary colonel of the college on Pennypot Lane.

The planting is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative to plant trees to mark next year’s platinum jubilee.

The project was launched yesterday by the queen and Prince Charles, who planted a tree at Windsor Castle.

The choice of a magnolia tree, which is native to Asia, is designed to be poignant as during Captain Tom’s service during World War Two he served in India and Burma.

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Having been raised in Keighley, West Yorkshire, Captain Sir Tom was made an honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate last spring. He later visited the college to speak to junior soldiers and was invited back for their graduation in September.

He raised almost £33m for NHS Charities Together by walking lengths of his garden in Bedfordshire, hitting the headlines in the process. He died aged 100 in February this year.

Junior soldier Michael Oates said:

“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been a new experience for me and it’s ace. Captain Tom was born in the same place, and went to the same school as my mum, who has passed away. So, it’s good to see someone from a place close to me.

“Planting trees and helping the environment is really good. It makes me proud to know that I am a part of this.”

Harrogate council awarded £204,000 to reduce rough sleeping

Harrogate Borough Council has been awarded £204,269 by the government to help people living on the streets find accommodation.

The funding is part of the £203m Rough Sleeping Initiative allocated to councils by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said the funds will be spent on providing short-term support for rough sleepers, including accommodation and support worker staffing.

According to the government, the Rough Sleeping Initiative, which was launched in 2018, has reduced rough sleeping by almost a third compared to areas that have not taken part in the programme.

Eddie Hughes, the minister for rough sleeping, said:

“This is part of an unprecedented £750 million of government investment this year to help us reach our goal of ending rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.”

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Harrogate and homelessness

Last month, the council opened a new 19-bed homeless centre in Starbeck called Fern House. The site, on Spa Lane, cost £2.3 million to build and provides accommodation as well as support for homeless people.

The council erected temporary winter accommodation units for homeless people on Tower Street last winter. The units were removed in March without being used.

The Stray Ferret revealed in March that the council spent more than £350,000 on bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people from the start of the first lockdown until the end of last year.

E-scooters: scourge of pedestrians or saviour of transport in Harrogate?

E-scooters have been described as both an innovative solution to congestion and air pollution and a danger to pedestrians.

The Stray Ferret published a letter from reader Richard Abbott over the weekend, who said he recently dodged out the way of an e-scooter rider near the Stray. 

He called them a “blight” and a “scourge” yet they are likely to become a more familiar sight in places like Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon in the coming years.

The government is trialing the use of rented e-scooters in over 30 areas across the UK until August. It thinks they could encourage people to use their cars less and help the country’s green recovery post-covid. 

What are e-scooters?

E-scooters are similar to regular scooters but have small, electric motors.

Over 100 cities across the world operate scooter-sharing schemes, including Paris and Barcelona, where you can hire one for around €19 an hour.

E-scooters are sold in the UK online and in shops, and they can cost anywhere from just over £100 to £1,000.

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Are they legal?

It is against the law to use a privately owned e-scooter in the Harrogate district. Riders risk a £300 fine, six penalty points on their licence or having their e-scooter impounded.

The government said it will make a decision on legalising e-scooters in the rest of the UK after the trial ends in August.

For the trial, e-scooters are allowed on the road and in cycle lanes provided users have a full or provisional car, motorcycle or moped licence. They are still banned on the pavement and must not go above 15.5mph.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said it was not aware of e-scooter use being a particularly prevalent issue and added the number of recorded incidents last year was in single figures across the whole of the county.

Sustainable or dangerous?

Mr Abbott’s letter to the Stray Ferret provoked a lively response on the Stray Ferret’s social media, with some heralding them as a sustainable transport option for the future while others were fearful of injuries.

One person said on Twitter:

“They are dangerous, they use both the pavements, precincts and roads, going too fast.”

Another said:

“Depends on who’s riding it and how. If used with consideration for others I think they’d be a useful sustainable transport option that takes up less room than a car. If they were legal I’d get one for sure. Far cheaper than an electric bike.”

With the number of e-scooter riders set to increase, the debate is likely to intensify in the years ahead.

Simon the Big Issue vendor: After 18 years I’m still smiling

Big Issue North vendor Simon Wray is one of the most friendly, and familiar, faces to shoppers in Harrogate town centre.

“Not many people can stay in a job for 18 years and say they still enjoy it. I still have a smile on my face.”

Simon, who is 43, moved to Harrogate from his home city of Wakefield when he became homeless.

He has lived in a house in Knaresborough for many years while making a living selling the magazine for £3 per issue. He keeps half of all the money he makes, with the other half covering the costs of the magazine.

His current pitch is on Cambridge Street outside Boots and he said getting to know the “kind and loving” people of Harrogate was the best part of the job.

Simon received life-changing news five years ago when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that affects the nervous system.

He said:

“The way I look at it, s*** happens. There’s no point sitting here maungy-looking like something has kicked me. Smile and be happy.”

During the covid lockdowns, Simon was classed as clinically extremely vulnerable so relied people making donations directly to Big Issue North, which then passed money on to him.

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Over the years, he said he’s become an expert lip reader so does not like people wearing masks as it makes it difficult to understand what is said to him. It hurts his feelings when he is ignored and he always appreciates a shake of the head or a “no, thank you”.

He added:

“Some people look at me and walk away.”

Cambridge Street can be a busy place with different street fundraisers, buskers and vendors vying for shoppers’ attention.

When the Stray Ferret met Simon, an opera singer was belting out a song further down the road.

Simon joked:

“Buskers are the bane of my life! I sometimes ask them to turn their speaker down, I got to the toilet and they’ve turned it back up!”

The micro-entrepreneur said he enjoys being his own boss and can work up to seven days a week. If he is not seen on his pitch after a couple of days, the Big Issue North office in Leeds will even get calls from the public asking if he is OK.

“I’ve made a lot of friends in Harrogate over the years, just don’t ask me to name them all!”

Harrogate Town releases seven players

Harrogate Town have cut their squad ahead of the new season letting seven first-team players leave the club.

Jake Lawlor, Brendan Kiernan, Ed Francis, Melvin Minter and Jay Williams have not been offered a new contract and have left the club.

Calvin Miller and Scott Brown, who spent time out on loan at Notts County and Warrington respectively, will also be departing following the end of their contracts.

38-year-old striker Jon Stead announced his retirement after the club’s final game of the season against Cheltenham Town last weekend.

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The winger Kiernan was a popular member of the squad and he featured heavily in the 2019/20 campaign that saw the club promoted to League 2. However, he found opportunities more limited this season.

The club paid tribute to him on Twitter as did former teammate Ryan Fallowfield who called him an “unbelievable character on and off the pitch”.

https://twitter.com/RyanFallowfield/status/1393239020210204674?s=20

Controversial Oatlands Drive active travel scheme scrapped

Proposals to make the Oatlands Drive area of Harrogate more friendly to cyclists, which included making some of the Saints area one-way, will now not go ahead following fierce opposition from local residents.

In December, North Yorkshire County Council accepted £1,011,750 as part of a five-year, £2 billion programme by the Department for Transport to improve active travel infrastructure.

The council put forward four schemes in the county: three in Harrogate and one in Whitby.

However, opposition against the Oatlands Drive plans has proved too difficult to overcome for the county council which has now withdrawn it from its bid.

Unpopular with local residents

NYCC had originally planned to make the whole of Oatlands Drive in Harrogate one-way but it was dropped in March after 57% of respondents to an initial county council consultation opposing the proposal.

Opponents cited the impact on school buses and the creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

The scheme moved forward and included making nearby St Winifred’s Road and St Hilda’s Road one way but this was similarly unpopular with residents.

It also proposed to make Oatlands Drive 20mph and to add double yellow lines down both sides of its advisory cycle lane to stop motorists parking there.

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NYCC will instead commission an ‘Oatlands Constituency Feasibility Study’. It says this will “reeassess opportunities” for infrastructure improvements across a wider area than the government scheme allows.

The two other schemes in Harrogate have been recommended for approval, however.

Don Mackenzie, NYCC’s executive member for access, said:

“The work done so far on this scheme will not be wasted since it has highlighted opportunities to deliver improvements more widely in that area. That is why it is proposed to carry out a feasibility study focused on the Oatlands area later this year.

“The three schemes recommended to be taken forward were generally well received by residents. The Oatlands Drive scheme, however, and in particular the one-way filters for motorised vehicles, proved less popular and many local residents expressed their opposition. Since a condition of the Active Travel Fund is that each scheme should have public support, it is recommended that the Oatlands Drive proposal be withdrawn.”

The council said some of the savings made by dropping the Oatlands Drive scheme would be spent expanding its Whitby scheme.

The schemes that have been recommended to go ahead are below:

Victoria Avenue, Harrogate

A59, Harrogate Road, Knaresborough

Recommendations will be considered at a meeting of NYCC’s Business and Environmental Services Executive Members on Friday, May 21.

Criticism over 560 homes plan for Otley Road in Harrogate

560 homes have been proposed for fields near Harlow Hill in Harrogate- 25% more than the number of homes agreed in the council’s Local Plan.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, which owns the 26-hectare site called Bluecoat Wood, has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report to Harrogate Borough Council for a development off Otley Road.

The homes, as well as a community hub and sports facilities, would be built directly opposite Cardale Business Park and Harrogate Police Station.

HBC’s Local Plan, which was finally adopted in March 2020 following a tortuous process, says 450 homes can be built on the fields.

A spokesperson for Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Group (HAPARA) said it was “extremely disappointing” that Homes England wants to increase the number of homes for the site and called on HBC to “prevent large-scale overdevelopment”.

Homes England is also the developer hoping to build 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane. That site is in the Local Plan for 161 homes and faced similar criticism for “unjustifiable planning creep”.

A HAPARA spokesperson said:

“The news that Homes England is seeking to increase the numbers of houses on the Bluecoat Wood site from 450, as the Local Plan indicates, to 560 is extremely disappointing but not unexpected.

“This 24.4% increase follows a similar increase applied for on the Police Training Centre site and would result in a 19% increase overall in new housing in the area, compared to the Local Plan provision.

“HAPARA along with others welcomed the Local Plan as giving certainty to the location and scale of housing in this area. However, it is becoming clear that developers are treating the Local Plan as a licence to build as many houses as possible, substantially above the identified need, and the Borough Council seem unable to prevent large-scale overdevelopment.

“So we ask the question: what is the point of the Local Plan?”

Homes England and HBC respond

A spokesperson for Homes England said:

“The submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion Request represents an early stage of the planning process and future development proposals will be subject to further consultation with the local community and Harrogate Borough Council before a planning application is submitted.  The Bluecoat site is identified as a commitment in the Local Plan and will make an important contribution towards Harrogate Borough Council’s housing and infrastructure delivery.”

A council spokesperson said:

“The Local Plan sets out a minimum target for new homes, along with allocations and planning policies to guide a sustainable pattern of growth and quality place-shaping. This minimum figure is based on a number of important housing-need factors and has been agreed at the public examination of the Local Plan. 

“The appropriate dwelling numbers for each site are determined upon more detailed site masterplanning, taking into consideration important policy matters set out in the Local Plan such as appropriate density and mix of development as well as the provision of infrastructure, open space and facilities. All of these factors need to be considered when assessing the suitability of any proposal at the planning applications stage. Additionally, site H45 falls within the West Harrogate area for which an additional layer of masterplanning is taking place (the West Harrogate Parameters Plan). Homes England have committed to working with the council and the promoters of adjacent sites H51 and H49, to ensure coordinated delivery of infrastructure and quality place making across the area.

“The submission of an environmental impact assessment scoping opinion request represents an early stage in the planning application process and it is too early for us to comment on the appropriateness of the yield for the site until the planning application has been fully worked up, evidenced, consulted upon and can be assessed against the Local Plan as a whole.”

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What happens next?

HBC’s Local Plan identifies more than 4,000 homes that could be built on the Western side of Harrogate. Several developments have already been built or are currently underway, including 600 homes by Persimmon Homes at Pennypot Lane.

Homes England said it is in discussions with Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, and other developers in the West of Harrogate about the upcoming Parameters Plan.

This document will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with the huge increase in housebuilding. It was expected last year but has been delayed.

The developer has also asked Harrogate Borough Council to now provide a formal opinion on the scope of an Environmental Impact Assessment which it plans to submit at a future date. This will explore how the development will impact on the environment.

The site’s history

In February 2016, HBC granted planning permission to a partnership of developers called HTH Harrogate LLP to build 450 homes at Bluecoat Wood.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

However, Homes England bought the site in February after the developer pulled out.

Harrogate Town to play Premier League club in friendly

Harrogate Town fans will be treated to a glamour fixture in July when Premier League outfit Newcastle United comes to the CNG Stadium for a pre-season friendly.

The game will take place on Sunday July 18 and fans are expected to be able to attend if the government’s roadmap out of lockdown continues as planned.

The club said they will release ticketing information at a future date. It will be the first home fixture of the 2021/22 season.

Newcastle are currently 16th in the Premier League table and have a host of international stars including England’s Callum Wilson.

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Newcastle United is arguably the biggest club to play in Harrogate in many years.

Leeds United used to be a regular for pre-season friendlies at Wetherby Road which they stopped when Town installed its artificial pitch.

The last Premier League club to visit Harrogate for a friendly was Hull City in 2013 who were coincidentally also managed by Newcastle manager Steve Bruce.

Love is in the air as marriage proposal seen above Harrogate skies

A romantic offer of marriage was spotted above the skies of Harrogate earlier today.

The words, “Chloe will you marry me? Luke”, were seen tied to the back of an aeroplane flying over the Great Yorkshire Showground at around midday.

After Luke popped the question it seemed to brighten up an overcast day in the district for those who saw it and it received warm comments on a local Facebook group.

One person said:

“Aww I love this … every lady deserves a Luke.”

Another person asked the important question:

“Do we all need to buy a new hat?”

The question is …did Chloe say yes? 

Are you Chloe or Luke? Get in touch contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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