Thomas Barrett, Author at The Stray Ferret

Plans to convert Half Moon pub in Sharow into a home

Plans have been submitted to convert the Half Moon pub in Sharow, near Ripon, into a four-bedroom home.

The village pub and restaurant, on Sharow Lane, opened in 1822 and closed four years ago.

Owner Mark Fitton was, until recently, advertising for a tenant to take on the pub.

He has now submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the premises.

A planning statement attached to the application claims three separate couples have run the pub in recent years but all suffered insolvency due to “a lack of custom”.

It reads:

“For at least 20 years everyone who has tried to run the Half Moon as a hospitality venue has found it to be extremely difficult.

“Since 2009 various people have tried to run it as a village pub or a high-quality restaurant, but all have failed due to a lack of custom.

“Three separate couples have, over the past 12 years, suffered insolvency as a result of trying to run the Half Moon as a commercial venture; none has managed to last beyond two years.”

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Sharow Parish Council clerk Nick Reed said the planning application was unpopular with villagers, and the parish council would submit a formal objection letter in the coming days.

The parish council previously said it was hoping to register the building as an asset of community value in the hope that it could re-open as a pub.

However, Mr Reed said Harrogate Borough Council has asked for more evidence if its bid is to be successful.

He said:

“They told us it would be unlikely to be granted in its current state, so we have been going around the village asking people what the pub means to people, what it could be in the future and what we are missing by not having it.”

Villagers in Sharow were encouraged last year when residents in Kirkby Malzeard raised more than £200,000 in a bid to prevent residential redevelopment of a site occupied by The Henry Jenkins Inn.

However, the campaign was dealt a hammer blow last month when The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency that deals with planning appeals, overturned Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for conversion of the eastern part of the site into a single dwelling.

Andrew Jones MP calls for debate on stricken conference sector

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has called for a Commons debate on the stricken conference industry.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Jones said the sector was “central to the economy” of both towns he represented but faced “real hardship” due to the pandemic.

Mr Jones said:

“One sector of business that has faced real hardship is the conference industry, a sector with a long and diverse supply chain, ranging from hospitality to exhibition stand construction.

“Please may we have a debate about that sector, to consider what can be done to ensure that it bounces back quickly, as it is so important for jobs and it is central to the economy of not only Harrogate and Knaresborough, but, of course, other constituencies around the UK?”

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg did not agree to the request but said event venues and organisers could make use of initiatives such as the furlough scheme and various grants.

He added:

“I join my honourable friend in praising the Harrogate convention centre for becoming a Nightingale hospital and therefore being able to help the community widely.”

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and Humber, based at Harrogate Convention Centre.

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, based at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Judith Rogerson, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described Mr Rees-Mogg’s response as “wholly inadequate”.

She added:

“It is striking that Jacob Rees-Mogg’s response on behalf of the government does not answer the question.

“Instead he has talked about the Harrogate Convention Centre helping the community by becoming a Nightingale hospital.

“I’d like to know what the government has planned to help restore the convention centre so it is ready to re-open again as soon as it is safe to do so.”

The convention centre was turned into a Nightingale hospital at breakneck speed last spring for covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, but has yet to treat a single person with coronavirus. It has been used for CT scans.

Knock-on effect

The effects of the pandemic on the conferences and events sector in the town have been profound, with several businesses closing their doors for good.

The Kimberley Hotel closed in December, citing the impact of covid and in October family events firm Joe Manby Ltd folded after 46 years.

This month would have seen the convention centre host the BIGGA turf management exhibition, which is an annual three-day conference for green-keepers that is one of the year’s biggest money-spinners for Harrogate — with hotels full and bar tills ringing.

Mr Jones urged Boris Johnson to provide financial support for the conference and exhibition industry at Prime Minister’s Questions last year but that plea also went unheeded.

Young farmer given chance to run Washburn Valley farm

Yorkshire Water has appointed a new tenant for a farm it owns near Swinsty Reservoir, as part of a scheme to encourage young farmers and sustainable land management.

The company announced the starter scheme last year amid concerns about the lack of farmers aged under 40.

It revealed today it has appointed 23-year-old Robert McAneney as the first tenant under the new scheme.

Yorkshire Water will rent Scow Hall Farm in the Washburn Valley to Mr McAneney for five years.

It will then help him find a permanent residency and rent the farm to another tenant for five years as part of the company’s Next Generation programme.

Mr McAneney grew up on his family small-holding and currently works on an arable and Christmas tree farm in Darlington.

View of Swinsty Reservoir from Scow Hall Farm

He plans to keep a flock of Oxford Down sheep and Cheviot mules alongside other livestock at Scow Hall Farm.

Mr McAneney said:

“I’m really excited to start this new chapter. When I got the call from Yorkshire Water I was at work, out in the fields ploughing – my life changed overnight, and I immediately started planning what I want to do at Scow Hall Farm.

“To have this kind of opportunity at this age is amazing, and the team at Yorkshire Water have been really supportive. I’m most looking forward to being able to develop Scow Hall Farm into a more sustainable farm and increase my flock to substantial numbers.”

Yorkshire Water’s Next Generation programme was created as part of its Beyond Nature scheme, which supports farmers with sustainable land management.

MPs watch: lockdown three and hopes for the vaccine

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In January the third national lockdown has dominated life in the district, with non-essential retail and hospitality closing and the majority of school children now being taught from home.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On January 13, Mr Jones revealed on his website that he had visited the Great Yorkshire Showground to check on progress with the vaccination programme. At that point, he said the site had vaccinated over 3,000 people at a rate between 125 and 135 people per hour.
Writing on his website later in January, he called the latest lockdown the one “nobody wanted”. However, he said the vaccines now provide “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Mr Jones was contacted by a constituent in Knaresborough who told him that she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days. ‘This simply isn’t good enough,’ the MP wrote on his website.
At a Commons debate on the Financial Services Bill on January 13, Mr Jones spoke about the cycle of debt that some constituents become trapped in. He said debt is “sometimes very easy to get into and very hard to break out of.”
He voted in favour of the ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill that gives protection to police or MI5 agents working undercover to commit criminal acts “where it is necessary and appropriate”.
On January 26, Mr Jones voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill to enshrine air pollution limits in law.
Mr Jones met virtually with fellow MPs and figures from the rail industry as part of his role as co-chair of the Transport Across the North APPG.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority published its latest annual report of MPs expenses which revealed that in 2019/20, Mr Jones spent £174,597.97 on accommodation, office, staffing, staff absence, travel and other costs.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

The Ripon MP was appointed an external advisor to a green energy company at a rate of between £1,000 and £2,000 per hour. It’s the second lucrative advisory position he has taken in a year. Both companies have ties to Ireland, where Mr Smith spent time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2019/20.
Mr Smith tweeted 13 times in January, including a tweet that marked a year since he helped to broker a historic power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.
He retweeted celebrity PE teacher Joe Wicks announcing his return to YouTube.
He also voted in line with the government on its controversial ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill.
The expenses report revealed Mr Smith spent £170,235.42 last year.
Mr Smith was interviewed on the BBC’s Today Programme on Saturday criticising the EU’s decision (and then retraction) to over-ride the Brexit Northern Ireland border deal and create checks on vaccine’s coming into the UK. Mr Smith called the act “almost Trumpian”.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

The MP hit out at the Yorkshire Post for running a story about vaccines from Yorkshire being redistributed to the south of England. He tweeted that the story was “irresponsible and sad”. In a public row with a number of conservative MPs on the report, the paper’s Editor robustly defended the story.
The expenses report revealed Mr Adams spent £191,616.52 last year, the most of our three MPs.
He tweeted 16 times in January, including a screenshot that revealed he walked 24,101 steps in one day.
A big sports fan, Mr Adams hailed the England cricket team’s series win over Sri Lanka.
The minister for Asia called on the Hong Kong authorities to “end their targeting of pro-democracy voices.”

Change of ownership at Harrogate dental practice

South Park Dental Practice in Harrogate has been taken over by the Leeds-based Perfect Smile Clinic, with owner Dr Sanjay Gautam joining the staff.

The practice on South Park Road was owned by Dr Ian Auckland who has worked as a dentist in Harrogate since 1986. He will now reduce his hours with Dr Gautam taking on his patients.

Patients registered with Dr Kit Barnfather will continue to see him and these changes will not affect them.

Dr Gautam was brought up in Yorkshire and studied dentistry at King’s College London, qualifying in 1993.

Perfect Smile Clinic also has dentist practices in York, Leeds and Horsforth.

Proposal to close NHS dentist in Harrogate

Fifteen Harrogate postal workers self-isolating after covid case

Dr Gautam wrote a message for patients on the website for the Harrogate practice.

“I am sure that there will be a few changes along the way, but most of all I want to reassure you that you will continue to receive the high-quality treatment, that you have come to expect from our practice.”

Dentists have been allowed to remain open during the current lockdown, with social distancing in place.

Government commits £56m for Kex Gill re-routing

The government has committed up to £56 million in funding for an overhaul of the Kex Gill section of the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton.

The proposed new road will divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the route and will see the creation of a diversion west of Blubberhouses at Kex Gill.

The project, which is yet to receive planning permission, would take a year to complete with the county council covering the remaining £4.95 million.

The plan for the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill as proposed by North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: NYCC.

The site has a long history of landslips, which have blighted travel on the road for years.

According to North Yorkshire County Council planning documents, between October 2000 and May 2019, five landslips were recorded at the site and the retaining wall failed four times.

North Yorkshire County Council’s planning and regular functions committee met earlier this month to consider the proposals, which received extensive support from the public and North Yorkshire county councillors.

However, no decision was made after Lewis Williams, representing mining firm Sibelco, requested the application is given final approval by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick.

Mr Jenrick is yet to respond to the request.

Mr Williams argued the valuable minerals in the area should be given more consideration.

Although the Blubberhouses quarry closed some years ago, he said there remained significant mineral deposits which were valuable to industry but had been overlooked in a plan that was “ham-fisted, rushed and ill-conceived”.

Fifteen Harrogate postal workers self-isolating after covid case

A total of 15 postal workers in Harrogate are self-isolating following a positive covid test from a member of staff at Royal Mail’s delivery office on Claro Road.

The company said any disruption caused to the regular postal service “has been kept to a minimum” due to the flexibility of remaining staff members.

Following the positive case, the company undertook a deep clean of the site.

The Communication Workers Union and Public Health England are being kept updated.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said:

“There is currently one colleague who has tested positive for coronavirus at Harrogate delivery office. We wish them a speedy recovery. Some colleagues are also self-isolating due to the test and trace app.

“We have carried out an intensive clean of the site and have organised additional cleaning of key touch points and all communal areas.

“We are keeping the CWU, PHE and colleagues updated. Any disruption to deliveries as a result of the absences, has been kept to a minimum through the dedication and flexibility of the delivery postmen and women who remain at work.”

Julia Mulligan pledges to visit Ripon to hear crime fears

North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has promised to visit Ripon to hear people’s concerns about escalating crime.

Ripon City Council wrote to Ms Mulligan last week asking to meet to discuss the “ongoing problem” of violence and anti-social behaviour in the city.

One councillor, Sid Hawke, said at a meeting last week the city was “sick of these yobbos”. Council leader Andrew Williams said some older people were too frightened to go onto Market Square.

In her written response, seen by the Stray Ferret, Ms Mulligan says she will meet councillors once she has been briefed by North Yorkshire Police.

She wrote:

“Once I have received this, I would be very willing to meet with you to hear your concerns first-hand.

“I will also arrange a public surgery for residents in Ripon, so that I can hear their views for myself.”

Ms Mulligan also said she will discuss the situation with Lisa Winward, North Yorkshire’s chief constable:

“Whilst the chief constable has control over her police officers, I will certainly raise this with her, with a view to looking at the options that might be available to resolve the problems.”

Cllr Williams welcomed the response and told the Stray Ferret he hoped to meet Ms Mulligan soon.

He said:

“I am pleased our concerns are being taken seriously and I hope we can all work together on this”.

Solar farm proposed for Spofforth

Yorkshire Water could build a solar farm on its wastewater plant near Spofforth.

The company has submitted an environmental impact assessment to the council for its site on Ribston Road, near the village.

The plans are still in their early stages and it has not been decided how much space to allocate for the solar panels.

Yorkshire Water, which is the second largest landowner in the county, plans to develop energy at 150 of its sites as part of a plan to become carbon net-zero by 2030.

A spokesman for the company said the sewage farm would continue to operate alongside the solar panels.

He added:

“Many of Yorkshire Water’s treatment works include land that could be used for different purposes, such as ground mounted solar arrays.

“These allow us to maximise the value of otherwise unused land, while providing renewable energy to offset the consumption of existing on-site assets.”

In November the company submitted proposals for a similar solar scheme at its sewage works in Bilton.

The plans attracted concern from Leeds Bradford Airport, which said in its consultation response that the panels could dazzle pilots.

Councillors’ ‘pride’ at Harrogate Spring Water decision

Two long-serving councillors who vocally opposed Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans into Rotary Wood at yesterday’s planning committee have expressed their pride at the decision to refuse the application

Eight councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the plans, with four abstaining.

Conservative councillor for Harrogate Harlow Jim Clark told the Stray Ferret the decision “showed the common sense of the planning committee”.

He said:

“I was very pleased and it was the right result. It will restore people’s confidence that there are excellent councillors on the planning committee.”

Mr Clark also paid tribute to local residents who he said “are very well informed” on issues surrounding the environment.

He said he hopes the debate around the bottling plant shows that local issues can be “at the forefront of climate change.”

Liberal Democrat councillor for Hookstone, Pat Marsh, who has been a councillor in Harrogate since 1990, told the Stray Ferret the Pinewoods application has been one of the most passionately felt issues in Harrogate in decades.

She praised members of the planning committee as well as many members of the public who wrote to her about the plans.

“I was very grateful to fellow members for standing up and saying this is wrong.

“I’m so grateful for all the people who took time and energy to contact me, especially the children. It made me very emotional.”

What happens next?

Harrogate Spring Water, which was bought last year by multinational firm Danone, already has outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site.

The company could choose to stick with this outline planning permission, appeal yesterday’s decision or submit a different application.

Immediately following the decision yesterday, Harrogate Spring Water released a statement that said it was considering its options.

Sales and marketing director Rob Pickering added:

“We would like to reassure our local community that we are committed to keeping them informed and involved with any environmental measures and landscaping developments at the Harrogate Spring Water site in the future.”

The Pinewoods Conservation Group charity called on Harrogate Borough Council to safeguard Rotary Wood from development.

In response, a HBC spokesman said:

“Outline planning permission, granted by the planning committee in 2017 for Harrogate Spring Water Limited to expand its bottling plant, still exists. This approved application (16/05254/OUTMAJ) permits the applicant to expand into Rotary Wood. Should an application for reserved matters be received, this will be reported to the planning committee.

“A separate decision by the council as landowner, regarding any potential disposal of the site and the status of the site as an Asset of Community Value, would still be required and subject to elected member approval.”

Read more:

Read more:

Knock-on effect

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

What happens next?