Plans for 69 retirement apartments in Knaresborough refused

An application to build 69 retirement apartments with additional care facilities near St James Retail Park in Knaresborough has been refused.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject the bid yesterday. Eleven councillors refused and one abstained.

Adlington, part of the Gladman group, applied to build on land adjacent to the single-track Grimbald Bridge on Wetherby Road, alongside the River Nidd.

Adlington has built similar developments for retired people across the north of England, including Adlington House on Bridge Street in Otley.

Cllr Phil Ireland, who sits on both Knaresborough Town Council and Harrogate Borough Council, said the plans would increase traffic and air pollution for children walking to Aspin Park Academy primary school.

He said:

“The size and scale of the development is overpowering. The visual intrusion will be evident to all entering Knaresborough.”

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Robert Gaskell, planning manager for Adlington, said new retirement complexes were “critical” to the Harrogate district as they helped to release existing homes back into the housing market.

He added:

“The accommodation brings a social life that combats isolation and loneliness. In the context of current lockdown, this is surely something to be supported.”

Several councillors raised concerns about flooding, including Sue Lumby, who said elderly residents would not “be able to make a quick getaway” if the Nidd flooded.

However, Nick Turpin, the council’s planning manager, said officers were satisfied the development would have “minimum risk” of flooding.

The development was proposed be built to the left of Grimbald Bridge on Wetherby Road.

Grimbald Bridge is a pressure point for congestion and the proposals faced objections from both Knaresborough Civic Society and Knaresborough Town Council on transport grounds.

Harrogate phone box transformed into community library

A disused red phone box on St Hilda’s Road in Harrogate has been saved from the scrapheap and turned into a community library.

Last year, BT Group announced plans to remove 32 inactive booths across the Harrogate district, 22 of which were built in the traditional red style.

BT encouraged communities to keep the red telephone kiosks under its “adopt-a-kiosk” scheme, which costs £1 and lets community organisations, including councils and charities, transform the kiosks into defibrillator sites, mini-libraries and more.

The Oatlands Community Group has successfully adopted the St Hilda’s phone box, which is now called The Saints Community Library and can be used to store up to 200 books for people to swap, free of charge.

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Jane Kennerley, a member of the group, told the Stray Ferret she believes similar community libraries have been set up inside former phone boxes in Pannal and North Rigton in the Harrogate district.

The new library on St Hilda’s Road will be adapted for themed events, such as Red Nose Day, World Book Day and Pride.

To kick this off, from Monday it will celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight by featuring books from countries that produce Fairtrade goods.

Hand sanitiser is available on entry and people are advised to quarantine all books for 72 hours prior to using them.

Ms Kennerley said the phone box has already generated a great response from the local community.

She said:

“People seem to love it and it’s been really busy, especially with the charity shops being closed in Harrogate.”

‘Build affordable housing at Harlow Nurseries’

Harrogate Community Land Trust has appealed for the chance to develop affordable housing on the Harlow Nurseries site.

Harlow Nurseries, next to the Pinewoods, is owned by Harrogate Borough Council and sells plants, pots and compost to the public.

However, the council’s Local Plan says 40 homes can be built on the site. The nursery will relocate if the development goes ahead.

The council has appointed three external consultants to draw up plans for the site before the end of the year.

But Harrogate CLT, which wants to develop homes to meet community needs, such as affordable housing or low-carbon housing, fears whatever is proposed will be too expensive for most people.

Sarah Hart, who helped to create Harrogate CLT four years ago after becoming demoralised with the cost of housing in the town, urged the council to consider selling Harlow Nurseries to it rather than a private developer.

Ms Hart thinks Harrogate CLT, which has 39 individual members, could provide homes the current property market does not cater for.

Harrogate Borough Council requires developers to include 40% affordable housing, which includes social housing, shared ownership schemes, and homes sold at lower than the market rate.

But Ms Hart said these options are still out of reach for too many people, forcing some to move outside of the district.

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Highly sensitive development

Any housing on the popular Harlow Nurseries site is likely to be controversial, especially after the local community recently rallied against Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial expansion plans into Rotary Wood.

Ms Hart says the “highly sensitive” nature of any development made it ideal for community-led housing that put the needs of local people first.

Her vision is to create homes for older people who want to downsize, people at the end of the council’s social housing waiting list, and people trapped in the private rented sector due to high rents.

She added:

“If you do housing from the bottom up you can find out what people really need.

“You hear people’s frustrations [about Harlow Nurseries]. So instead of being against a development, it’s better to bring people along”

Flagship scheme

Last week the local Green Party also suggested a housing development at Harlow Nurseries could be Harrogate’s flagship community-led housing scheme.

Residents in community-led housing schemes govern themselves to keep housing affordable in perpetuity.

A well-known local example is LILAC, which is a community of 20 eco-build households in west Leeds.

Raising capital to buy the Harlow Nurseries site would be a hurdle for Harrogate CLT.

Ms Hart said the group was in discussions with a local housebuilding company about working in partnership on the scheme.

She added she wanted Harrogate CLT to be “around the table” with the council before the land is sold.

A council spokesperson said:

“We have now appointed a specialist to progress with masterplanning work on the three strategic sites allocated in our Local Plan.

“We will be working closely with them to engage with and involve key stakeholders and local groups to ensure we create the right type of communities for existing and future residents of the Harrogate district.”

Pinewoods tree protestor to resume vigil

A Knaresborough woman is to don her tree costume once again and resume her protest against Harrogate’s Spring Water‘s plans to expand into the Pinewoods.

Sarah Gibbs braved the cold on Fridays throughout December and January by dressing as a tree outside Harrogate Borough Council‘s civic centre at Knapping Mount.

Ms Gibbs halted her protest when the council’s planning committee voted last month to refuse Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

However, she has changed her mind because she believes the battle has not yet been won.

Harrogate Spring Water’s parent company Danone has still not indicated whether to appeal the refusal, submit another application or stick with the original outline planning permission it received in 2016 to remove a smaller section of trees in Rotary Wood.

If it decides to proceed with the original outline planning permission it would need to submit a full application before May, which would again be considered by the planning committee.

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Ms Gibbs said:

“I want to make sure the council knows that the public eye is still on this and that I’m not just going to go away and be quiet.

“The protest is to show the council that I’m still here. I’m not going away quietly and I don’t want this swept under the rug.”

Former Boroughbridge butchers shop to be auctioned

The former Greenwood butchers shop in Boroughbridge is to be sold by auction next week.

The butchers on Horsefair in the centre of the town was popular for its range of pies and local meats. It is believed to have closed last year.

The 19th century building, which has a guide price of £50,000, includes a retail area, storage rooms and bathroom.

The auction house Pugh says the building could be used for a variety of uses.

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Paul Thompson, managing director of Pugh, said:

“It’s always sad to see a local business close. Boroughbridge is a fantastic community with excellent road links to most of the north of England and there is definitely potential for a variety of business uses for the former Greenwood premises.

“It would be great to see the property become an asset to the town once more in the hands of an imaginative new owner.”

The shop will be sold in Pugh’s next online property auction on 24 February.

New Starbeck bar granted alcohol licence

A new bar is set to open in Starbeck after Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee granted it a licence to sell alcohol.

Robert Thompson, director of Appetite for Life, hopes to have The Waiting Room open in May, covid restrictions permitting.

The building at 34 High Street was previously occupied by Greenalls and Your Factory Bed Shop, but has stood empty for some time. The name of the bar ties in to its location near Starbeck railway station.

Mr Thompson told the committee this morning that he hopes the bar will attract a different clientele to the nearby Prince of Wales pub.

He said:

“We see Starbeck as an up and coming area that lacks a high-quality, modern hospitality venue. We want to change that through an investment of up to £100,000.”

Appetite for Life’ already runs a number of bars in the Harrogate district including the So Bars in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, and the Tap on Tower Street.

The bar will also sell coffee from 7am Monday to Saturday and from 9am on Sunday, with a deli counter open during each day. It will close at 11.30pm Monday to Wednesday and 00.30am during the rest of the week.

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Starbeck is currently served by one pub, the Prince of Wales, plus two clubs.

However, the high street could see the addition of a second new bar called The Office Ale House, which submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council last year.

Owner Kevin Jones told the Stray Ferret that he is confident that Starbeck is big enough for the two new venues, and thinks covid has highlighted how important pubs are for local communities.

Harrogate district’s mixed reaction to Leeds Bradford Airport expansion

“Very good news” was the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce reaction after Leeds Bradford Airport was granted planning permission to build a new £150m terminal.

But the decision was unpopular with Zero-Carbon Harrogate who called it a “massive setback” for local climate targets.

The airport, which is 12 miles from Harrogate town centre, was yesterday given the green light by Leeds City Council to build the new terminal, which would replace the current terminal that was built in 1968.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of chamber, said the expansion will improve Harrogate’s standing as an international conference and exhibition destination.

She also called for a new £42 million rail station on the Harrogate line that would connect with Leeds Bradford Airport with the town.

‘Fantastic news for our region’

The airport said the new terminal will help increase annual passenger numbers from four million to seven million.

Transdev Blazefield’s Flyer buses connect the airport with Harrogate as well as Bradford and Leeds and soon to be Otley.

The company’s CEO Alex Hornby called the decision “fantastic news for our region.”

He added:

“We’re looking forward to growing demand for public transport alongside Leeds Bradford Airport and continuing our investment in increased services and low-emission buses.”

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‘Such a setback’

24 people spoke yesterday against the plans including academics, environmentalists and charity bosses. Most cited the impact the extra flights will have on climate change and carbon emissions.

Rod Beardshall, transport lead at Zero Carbon Harrogate, said the decision “beggars belief”.

“It’s so utterly shortsighted. We are playing Russian roulette with our future. I’m absolutely shocked and dismayed. It’s such a setback.”

His view was shared by local environmental campaigner Brian McHugh who added:

“I would say that this is yet another example of the UK not living up to its climate emergency pledges. Why we are still investing in industries that raise emissions further is absurd.

“We have already seen the protracted case for Heathrow expansion and yet again it seems that potential economic benefits outweigh real enviromental damage.”

Harrogate Town game postponed due to frozen pitch

Harrogate Town’s game against Leyton Orient tomorrow afternoon has been postponed due to a frozen pitch.

A pitch inspection today deemed the surface at Wetherby Road unsafe to play.

The recent cold snap has posed problems for the club, who have already been forced to postpone fixtures against Carlisle, Cheltenham, and Exeter.

The Carlisle game in December was abandoned after just 10 minutes.

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The club are currently in 15th place in their first-ever season in the English Football League.

They are 10 points clear of the relegation zone but Simon Weaver’s men could also have one eye on the play offs — which are nine points away.

Calls for community involvement in Harlow Nurseries housing

The local Green Party says a future housing development that will be built at Harlow Nurseries could be Harrogate’s “flagship” community-led housing scheme.

Harlow Nurseries, next to the Pinewoods, is owned by Harrogate Borough Council and sells plants, pots and compost to the public.

However, the council’s Local Plan says 40 homes can be built on the site with the nursery relocating if the development went ahead.

What is community-led housing?

Community-led housing developments are designed and managed by local people and built to meet the needs of the community, such as for more affordable or low-carbon housing.

Rebecca Maunder, Harrogate & District Green Party campaigner for Harlow says the site offers a “great opportunity” for the council to support community-led housing.

This means the council would offer the site to a community group rather than selling it to a property developer, who may choose to maximise the land for profit.

Ms Maunder wrote to HBC’s director of economy and culture Trevor Watson calling on the council to explore offering the site to the community:

“The site provides an ideal opportunity for any new development to be led by the community for the community.

“The proximity to the Pinewoods means special consideration should be given to integrate it into the landscape, prioritising wildlife and biodiversity, alongside mental and physical health.

“Such a sensitive site would benefit from maximum community input and help to create a sense of ownership and full integration with the existing community and landscape.”

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The council is moving forward with plans to develop the nurseries and has appointed three external consultants who will draw up a programme for what might happen to the site before the end of the year.

If the local community decided it wanted to get involved, it would first need to form a Community Land Trust (CLT).

HBC is able to issue financial grants to CLTs to help establish themselves and to conduct feasibility studies for potential schemes.

A HBC spokesperson said:

“We thank Harlow Greens for their letter and will respond shortly.

“We have now appointed a specialist to progress with masterplanning work on the three strategic sites allocated in our Local Plan.

“We will be working closely with them to engage with and involve key stakeholders and local groups to ensure we create the right type of communities for existing and future residents of the Harrogate district.”

 

 

Snow forces extended closure of Whinney Lane

The seven-month closure of Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is likely to be extended, with the county council blaming the recent spell of cold weather.

North Yorkshire County Council closed the road in July 2020 due to the construction of two site access points for the Castle Hill Farm housing development as well as a new roundabout.

Local residents had hoped the road would be back open by February 28 — but Mike Newall, who lives in Whinney Lane, said he has been told by site foreman that the road could now be closed until Easter “at the earliest” due to problems bringing in materials.

He added:

“We understand that the planned works are now running late by some months. At this rate, the road will be shut for over a year!”

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council confirmed a delay is likely and said residents will soon be informed of exact timescales:

“Works were due to be completed and Whinney Lane re-opened on February 28 2021, but the works programme has been delayed by the severe weather over the last few weeks.

“The developer is progressing to bring the site up to formation level and digging out and installing gullies and assures us they are doing everything possible to carry out the work as quickly as possible.

“However, it is possible the closure will be extended due to the delays caused by the weather. Residents will be informed by letter and email if the closure is to be extended and what the timescale will be.”

An unpopular closure

The extended closure of Whinney Lane has been unpopular with residents and businesses in Pannal Ash. The landlord of local pub the Squinting Cat told the Stray Ferret last summer that it could even put the pub out of business due to it being more difficult for customers to drive there.

To improve access for walkers, a temporary footpath was created through a nearby field. However it faced criticism from residents who said the lights were “as bright as Leeds Bradford Airport runway”.