Work is set to begin this month to build 120 homes in Knaresborough after Yorkshire Housing purchased the site from Gladman Developments.

The 18-acre site on Boroughbridge Road is allocated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan and planning permission was granted in August last year, despite objections.

Yorkshire Housing, which is a housing association, hopes the two, three, and four-bedroom homes will begin to be ready in January next year.

Andy Gamble, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, said:

“The 120 new homes will be mixed tenure and will provide homes for shared ownership, affordable rent, rent-to-buy and market sale.

“We want to continue creating new communities that bring more, much-needed homes to Yorkshire where our customers are proud to live and call home.”

Read more:

• Ripon housing development on old industrial site refused

• Housing Investigation: land the size of 700 football pitches lost to new housing

Scriven Parish Council said the homes would result in “saturation” for Knaresborough and its facilities when the plans were submitted.

The objection said:

“Knaresborough is under tremendous pressure and the historic market town, which all the residents recognise and enjoy, is being destroyed by over development.”

Plans to convert the Victorian Alexa House guest house in Harrogate into seven apartments have been refused.

John Worthington, Harrogate Borough Council’s chief planner, said the development would not “contribute to local distinctiveness” and would harm local heritage.

The application also proposed to demolish existing extensions and outbuildings, create a rear extension and remodel the car park.

The guest house on Ripon Road is owned by Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, who plans to retire from hospitality but stay on at the chamber.

She told the Stray Ferret she was “really disappointed” with the decision and is considering appealing. She also questioned why it took the council six months to refuse the plans.

A council spokesman said:

“Planning applications can be delayed in their consideration for a number of reasons. In the case of this application, the applicants was advised that the proposal could not be supported as it stood and were given the option to withdrawn rather than it be refused.

“There had been a number of representations received opposed the application, along with the harm to the conservation area and neighbouring dwellings it would cause.

“The application was not withdrawn but subject to a minor modification seeking, and failing, to resolve its impact on one of the neighbouring properties. It was therefore refused.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Kimberley Hotel permanently closes

• Plan to convert Harrogate guest house to flats

How the apartments would have looked.

Harrogate Civic Society called the extensions and alterations to the guesthouse “bulky” but did not object to them.

Alexa House was built in 1896 by the renowned art collector Baron Conrad Adolphus du Bois de Ferrieres.

It was built as a hunting lodge for its London-based owners to spend time enjoying Harrogate’s Spa and riding in the nearby countryside.

The headteacher of St Aidan’s Church of England High School has said he is “absolutely delighted” that councillors have given the school the green light to build a floodlit artificial sports pitch.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee approved the plan yesterday, subject to conditions on lighting and flooding, despite it being recommended for refusal.

Headteacher Chris Burt told the Stray Ferret the school was looking forward to building the new pitch.

He said:

‘”We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the planning committee meeting.

“We will be working hard to address the further questions and concerns and look forward to bringing this facility to St Aidan’s and the wider community’’

Read more:

• St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans approved

• Surge of public support for St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans

The pitch will be built on existing playing fields.

The application generated considerable interest after the Stray Ferret published an article on Tuesday saying the plans were recommended for refusal.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning portal subsequently received a surge of pro-school comments, with those classed as favourable jumping from 3 to 123.

Many online comments also backed the proposal and urged local residents that had complained about light pollution to support the school. One said:

“Come on local residents, please be selfless about this: think about someone outside of you. In particular, young people who have been absolutely bulldozed over this year.

Some people on social media have hailed “people power” for helping to influence councillors’ decisions.

However, divisions remain. One reader, who asked to remain anonymous, contacted the Stray Ferret today to express their displeasure at the outcome.

They said:

“Do these people who are agreeing to this planning application realise that nearby residents could lose up to 10% of their house valuation if this floodlighting goes ahead?

“Also it won’t be long before some organisations will want to use it late at night.”

Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it spent £57,360 on legal fees for the Flaxby judicial review, after initially refusing to reveal the figure.

The Stray Ferret sent the council a request under the Freedom of Information Act asking how much it had spent on the case, which was heard at the High Court in London in October.

But the council said the information was exempt from disclosure because its lawyers’ legal fees should remain private.

We requested an internal review of this decision. Joanne Barclay, acting chief solicitor for corporate services, has now overturned the council’s decision not to disclose and revealed the fee it paid.

I have reviewed this matter and I consider that the legal fees relating to the Flaxby Park Limited case should be disclosed.

“Harrogate Borough Council has spent £57,360 on legal fees regarding Flaxby Park Limited’s judicial review. At the time, the Council responded to your EIR request, it was considered to be reasonable not to release information relating to third parties.

“However, upon further consideration the Council has decided that this information should be disclosed.”

During October’s judicial review, the judge, Mr Justice Holgate, rejected a request by the council to be spared costs. He also ruled the council should pay 15% of Flaxby’s costs.

A spokesperson for Flaxby previously told the Stray Ferret 15% would amount to a “significant five-figure sum”.

Councillors have approved St Aidan’s secondary school’s plans to build a floodlit artificial sports pitch, subject to conditions on lighting and flooding.

A report from HBC officer Jeremy Constable had recommended the proposals for refusal due to its impact on the surrounding area.

However, councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee voted by a near unanimous decision this afternoon (nine in favour with one abstention) to defer to the chief planner for approval once new reports on drainage and light pollution are drawn up.

Nearby residents in Harrogate had complained the 15-metre high floodlights would cause light pollution to their homes and the Stray. However, Jeremy Constable, who wrote the council report, conceded at the meeting that light pollution would be minimal.

He said:

“There’s not going to be a great deal of light pollution. It can be mitigated with shields so that shouldn’t be a large issue.”

St Aidan’s chair of governers Jo Wicks spoke and said the pitch is “first and foremost” for the school but will also be used by the community in the evenings because of a “desperate shortage” of 3G pitches in the town.

Its hours of use will be 9am-8pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm on Saturdays and 10am-2pm on Sundays.

Read more:

• Surge of public support for St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans

• St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans set for refusal

Last week on HBC’s planning portal, the application had 40 objections and three in support. However, since the Stray Ferret story about the plans was published on Tuesday, there has been a surge of comments in favour, with 123 comments in support and 41 objections.

Several councillors spoke up in favour of the plans at the meeting, including Cllr Pat Marsh ,who said the council “would be letting our young people down” if they refused the plans.

She added:

“The weather at this time of year means the current pitches are unplayable. This is a way of providing to our young people. We owe it to them to provide this, not just for the school but for the wider community.”

A former Harrogate soldier is raising money for a children’s brain tumour charity by running to all 92 Premier League and EFL stadiums in England and Wales.

Nathan Richardson had planned to run from Leeds United’s Elland Road to Harrogate Town’s Wetherby Road ground today, until his plans were curtailed by the new national lockdown.

Nathan began his epic adventure in March 2020 and, once it is completed, he will have run between 2,000 to 2,500 miles on the tarmac, the equivalent of 95 marathons.

He remains optimistic that he’ll be able to complete his challenge once restrictions are eased:

“I’m disappointed but I know it’s the right thing to do. I will get going again.”

Born in Bury, Nathan began his army training at the Army Foundation College as a 16-year-old in 2007. He said he is looking forward to returning to a town he knows well:

“But we didn’t get let out much back then! It’s obviously a nice town and I spent quite a bit of time there. It will be good to go back.”

Read more:

• My Year: Tough time for young footballers in and after lockdown

• Frustration as Harrogate Town game abandoned after 10 minutes

He started the challenge before Town’s historic promotion to the EFL last summer, so he had to add a stop on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road into his itinerary, making it the 80th ground he’s visited so far.

He’s raising money for the mental health charity Mind, as well as The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity, which supports children who have or have had a brain tumour.

When he finally makes it to Harrogate he will then run north east to Middlesborough’s Riverside Stadium, which he said will take him a few days.

To donate to Nathan’s fundraising, click here.

Over 100 people in a week have voiced their support to the council about St Aidan’s secondary school’s plans to build a floodlit artificial sports pitch.

The school said the pitch is “urgently required” but nearby residents in Harrogate have complained the 15-metre high floodlights would cause light pollution to their homes and the Stray.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will meet at 2pm today to consider the planning application, which has been recommended for refusal in a council report.

The report said noise and lights from the pitch would have a “significant adverse impact” on the surrounding area even though it says a new pitch would benefit the school and local football teams:

Last week on HBC’s planning portal, the application had 40 objections and three in support.

However, since the Stray Ferret story about the plans was published on Tuesday, there has been a surge of comments in favour, with 107 comments in support and 41 objections.

Read more:

• St Aidan’s floodlit pitch plans set for refusal

• 300 more Harrogate children receiving free school meals since pandemic

Harrogate Borough Council has refused to reveal its legal costs for the recent three-day judicial review in London’s High Court.

The Stray Ferret sent the council a request under the Freedom of Information Act asking how much it had spent on legal fees for the case against property developer Flaxby Park.

But the council said the information was exempt from disclosure because its lawyers’ legal fees should remain private.

The council reply said:

“The counsel fees relate to the individual’s private life because counsel is a self-employed individual.

“Counsel would have the reasonable expectation that their personal data, their final salary for work done, is not disclosed into the public domain.

“There is a general expectation of privacy when submitting invoices for payment concerned with payment of salaries.”

Paul Brown QC, joint head of chambers at law firm Landmark Chambers, represented the council at October’s hearing.

Mr Brown is a local government specialist who has represented several councils at the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Read more:

• Could Flaxby now become a 400-lodge eco-resort?

• Flaxby fails to stop Green Hammerton development at High Court

During October’s judicial review, the judge, Mr Justice Holgate, rejected a request by the council to be spared costs. He also ruled the council should pay 15 per cent of Flaxby’s costs.

A spokesperson for Flaxby previously told the Stray Ferret 15% would amount to a “significant five-figure sum”.

But the council said Flaxby had not yet submitted a claim for costs.

Flaxby claimed the council’s decision to choose Green Hammerton and Cattal rather than Flaxby as the site of a new 3,000-home settlement was based on a flawed process.

Mr Holgate ruled in the council’s favour by saying the decision did not have to be made again.

But the judge ordered the council to vote again on its Local Plan to correct a legal flaw.

The Stray Ferret has requested an internal review of the council’s decision. This should be completed in 40 working days.

Another 68 covid infections have been reported in the Harrogate district today — down from yesterday’s record high of 101.

The figure from Public Health England takes the total number of cases since March to 4,480.

The seven-day average rate of infection has soared from 141 people per 100,000 to 198 people per 100,000.

The North Yorkshire average is 251 and the England average is 449. Richmondshire and Hambleton are the worst affected districts in the county.

North Yorkshire entered tier 3 at one minute past midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Read more:

• NHS insists Harrogate Nightingale ‘can take patients if required’

• Health chiefs call for patience on Harrogate district vaccines

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital has reported a further death in a patient who had tested positive for coronavirus in the last 28 days. The patient died on Boxing Day, but it was only included in figures released today by NHS England.

It brings the total number of patients who have died with covid-19 at the hospital to 109 since the start of the pandemic. One death was reported on each of December 26, 27 and 28.

A media briefing this week revealed there has been a big increase in the number of people being tested at the covid testing centre in the Dragon Road car park in Harrogate.

Matthew Robinson, senior resilience and emergencies officer at North Yorkshire County Council, said that on December 21, 280 people were tested at the site, the highest daily total to date.

This is more than double the figure of some previous weeks, which reflects the growing spread of the virus.

From December 21-27 over 1,200 covid tests took place.

North Yorkshire Police has said there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of an elderly couple in Pateley Bridge.

Officers discovered the bodies at 1.30pm on Wednesday after being contacted by a concerned member of the public.

The police said the man died of natural causes and the woman’s death is at the moment unexplained. Both were in their 70s.

Police cordoned off the scene following the incident in Blazefield in the Nidderdale town.

Enquiries are ongoing to trace the next of kin for the man and the woman.

Read more:

• Two people found dead in Pateley Bridge
• Do you recognise these people? Police issue plea for help