Muddy footpath at Swinsty closed amid safety fears

Yorkshire Water has closed a temporary footpath at Swinsty reservoir that has drawn complaints about it being too muddy to use safely.

The footpath was introduced last month while maintenance works takes place on the usual route.

The closure will continue until the £6m works are completed in summer 2022.

It means there will no longer be a circular walking route at the popular beauty spot, which many people from the Harrogate district visit over the festive period.

The Stray Ferret reported how a pregnant woman had to be rescued by a passing family after she struggled to walk the diversion.

The company has employed marshals over the break to offer advice to visitors on safety issues, including parking if the car parks become full.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said it expected Swinsty to be busy over the festive period and the diversion south of the reservoir, which went through farmer’s fields, had become too muddy.

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Yorkshire Water is encouraging walkers wanting a circular route to visit Fewston instead.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“As a result of ongoing engineering work at Swinsty reservoir the circular route around the reservoir is no longer available.

“We have put up signs around the site to inform people of the closures. The circular walk around nearby Fewston reservoir is still available.

“Additionally, extra colleagues will be on hand at Swinsty over the festive period, which is expected to be busier than normal, monitoring car parking at the site and advising people of the closures.”

An updated map of the current walking routes at Swinsty is below:

Doubts about future of 2021 Great Yorkshire Show

The future of next year’s Great Yorkshire Show is uncertain as the Harrogate venue that hosts the event begins a huge mass vaccination project.

The NHS began the programme on Tuesday at the showground. It is expected to last several months, which raises questions about the viability of the 2021 show, which is provisionally scheduled for July 13 to 15.

Heather Parry, managing director at Yorkshire Event Centre, told the Stray Ferret is is “looking at all the options at the moment” for the 2021 event.

Ms Parry said:

“It’s a changing picture. It’s obviously a big event with lots of people so whether we do it the same way or a different way, we are keen to do something if we can.

“We don’t know how many months we’re in this for. We would like to run a Great Yorkshire Show, absolutely, whether it’s the same or different, we don’t know. We are doing lots of planning.”

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Ms Parry said none of the contingency plans involved moving the event, which has been held at the Great Yorkshire Showground since 1951, to a different site.

The show was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus. A virtual event took place instead with three days of video footage.

Ms Parry added that at least 200 other events have been cancelled this year at the Yorkshire Event Centre and the Pavillions of Harrogate venue, which is also on the showground, due to the pandemic.

‘Show patience’ on covid turnaround, says Andrew Jones MP

Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said people must “show patience” before the UK turns the corner on coronavirus.

Reflecting on the year on his website, Mr Jones said many people would be glad to see the back of 2020.

But he added we “can be certain life will slowly return to normal” due to vaccinations and improved care for severe cases of covid although it will take “some time.”

Mr Jones wrote:

“As we quietly move into the new year we must show patience and further restraint as that process takes place.”

Coronavirus vaccines began at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground on Tuesday. People aged over 80, care home residents and care home staff were first in line.

It is believed about 900 vaccines a day are being given although the NHS has yet to reveal figures.

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In further reflections on 2020, the Conservative MP praised the public, private and voluntary sectors for rallying together during a year like no other.

He wrote:

“We didn’t need a pandemic to know how brilliant our public services are but it was a very powerful reminder.

“We have though learnt some things about ourselves and one another which I hope we can carry through into 2021 and beyond.  And we have also learnt lessons that reinforce that which we already know but perhaps didn’t recognise enough.

“Community matters.  We looked out for our neighbours who were elderly or less well than us. We got in touch with support organisations to volunteer our services.  Street-based groups sprang up to help those around them.”

 

The Den offers night of live music and food

The Den bar on Cambridge Street will host a night of live music and food in Harrogate on Sunday December 27.

The bar, which recently reopened after refurbishment, has teamed up with Fashion House Bistro on Swan Road for the ticket-only venture.

Chefs from the bistro will cook food for the event, which will start at 6pm. Tickets are £60 per couple.

Singer and pianist Dan Burnett will perform a selection of blues and soul classics from 7pm. He will be followed at 8.30pm by Biz Denton on vocals and guitar and Jason Odle of “Ont’ Sofa” ont’ drums, who will play two sets.

The fixed menu consists of six tapas dishes.

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Rob Taylor, from The Den, said:

“The event is strictly limited to socially distanced tables of two, and will provide a relaxed and enjoyable evening of post-Christmas entertainment.

“2020 has been a very difficult year for everybody, and in particular for those in the hospitality trade. David and I are really looking forward to jointly hosting this event.”

Demolition of Bilton’s Woodfield House set to begin in January

Work to demolish Woodfield House care home in Bilton and build 19 flats could start in a fortnight and last more than a year.

A construction management plan submitted to Harrogate Borough Council says construction firm HACS will start the project on January 4 and continue for 55 weeks.

If the plan is approved, workers will be on site in Woodfield Square from 8.00am – 6.00pm from Monday to Friday and 8.00am – 1pm on Saturdays.

Access to the site is from Skipton Road via the Woodfield Estate.

North Yorkshire County Council’s housing company Brierley Homes was granted planning permission for the project last month.

It has sparked controversy because none of the homes is classed as affordable.

This is because Brierley Homes applied for a Vacant Building Credit — a government mechanism to encourage vacant properties back into use, which can be used to remove the provision for affordable housing.

Instead, Brierley Homes will make a financial contribution of £72,528 to Harrogate Borough Council, which granted planning permission.

Henry Pankhurst, ex-chairman and current planning spokesman for Harrogate Civic Society, told the Stray Ferret he was not happy that all the new homes will be sold at market value with no provision for affordable properties, particularly as they are being built by a local authority.

Mr Pankhurst said:

“It’s very disappointing. I would have hoped North Yorkshire County Council would have recognised that Harrogate Borough Council has a difficulty in providing affordable housing. It’s an ideal location to have more affordable housing.”

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Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, defended the company’s business model in a statement released to the Stray Ferret: 

“Brierley Homes’ focus is on developing high-quality housing with the primary aim of generating an income to reinvest in supporting frontline services provided by the county council.

“This is a socially responsible approach and is something buyers see as positive, too. I believe that our taxpayers expect the county council to use its assets wisely and responsibly, as in this case. “

 

Former Yorkshire pub of the year could be turned into a home

A former winner of the Yorkshire Pub of the Year title could be turned into a five-bedroom home.

The Crown Inn pub in Great Ouseburn won the prize at the White Rose Awards in 2011 but plans have now been submitted to convert it into a family home.

The proposals include four first-floor bedrooms, two with en suites, as well as a guest room on the ground floor. There would also be a cinema room and a single garage, with the proposals including creating a two-storey extension.

The full details can be viewed on the planning section of the Harrogate Borough Council website, using reference 20/04342/FUL.

The pub has been vacant for several years, closing in June 2016. The village, which is five miles from Boroughbridge, is currently served by one pub, the Lime Tree on Branton Lane.

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In October plans were submitted to convert the Green Tree pub in nearby Little Ouseburn into housing. The pub, which is on the main B6265 from Green Hammerton to Boroughbridge, closed in late 2019.

Harrogate greengrocer predicts fruit shortages due to border chaos

An independent Harrogate greengrocer has warned there could be fruit shortages due to the ongoing chaos at the UK’s borders.

Last night France closed its border with the UK for 48 hours because of a new strain of coronavirus found in the south of England. This caused huge tailbacks and panic buying.

The end of the UK transition period to leave the EU on December 31 is set to cause further delays at ports.

The issue has caused concern among national and local retailers.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s warned today port restrictions could leave the UK without fruit and vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and citrus fruits, which are all imported at this time of year.

Its fears were echoed by James Sore, co-owner of greengrocer Roots & Fruits, on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate.

Mr Sore said the queues at Dover were already having an impact on his shop, which was recently without plums for two or three days.

He said the plums were “floating on a ship” because lorries were unable to bring them back to Harrogate.

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He added problems at ports were likely to affect the supply of tropical fruit, such as citrus fruits and bananas, which can only be grown in warmer climates:

“It’s a concern. People will have to change their buying habits. But nobody really knows what will happen. It’s a case of suck it and see.”

Despite predicting shortages on imported produce, Mr Sore said local farmers could receive a boost due to having a “captive market”.

Chris Herron, from Killinghall wholesaler J G Bellerby, which supplies produce to restaurants and shops across the district, said he wasn’t worried about food shortages, despite the long tailbacks of lorries in Kent.

He said the company will “ride it out” and see what happens. But he suggested the prices of some vegetables, such as cauliflowers, could rise.

Earlier this month, North Yorkshire County Council played down fears that frozen food is being stockpiled at schools and care homes to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period.

Vandals target Bilton primary school

Police are appealing for information after vandals damaged Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School in Bilton yesterday.

A classroom window was smashed and the roof of a wooden pavilion damaged.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for anyone who may have seen people on the school premises since it closed last week to come forward.

The force said in a statement:

“The school has recently suffered a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour, all of which has caused alarm to the school community.”

A member of staff at the school told the Stray Ferret it had found empty vodka bottles on the premises.

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Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Geeta Maharjan. You can also email geeta.maharjan2@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200241866.

Harrogate pub landlord calls £1,000 grant process an ‘absolute farce’

A pub landlord in Harrogate says the council should speed up paying a £1,000 grant to pubs that don’t serve food, calling the application process an “absolute farce”.

On December 1 prime minister Boris Johnson announced a £1,000 grant for “wet-led” pubs that do not serve substantial meals and have closed due to lockdown restrictions.

But almost three weeks later, pubs in Harrogate are still waiting for Harrogate Borough Council to accept applications for the fund.

Marik Scatchard, landlord of Christies Bar on King’s Road, told the Stray Ferret that despite being a relatively small amount the grant is “really needed at the moment”.

According to HBC’s website, applications for the grant will open “by the end of this month”, which Mr Scatchard says is not good enough:

“It’s an absolute farce that HBC is treating businesses like this, even with the grant being so little it’s still needed. Other councils have paid out or are paying out.”

Jack Woodruff runs the Disappearing Chin on Beulah Street with his wife Hannah. He said the council “really needs to speed up” the payment.

“We’ll be OK for a bit longer but there will be businesses that are desperate for the grant.”

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After being forced to close for over a month, Christies Bar is now open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and is selling pie and peas as a substantial meal. The Disappearing Chin has decided to remain closed until restrictions are eased.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“We anticipate applications will open before the end of December. We know that this is a difficult time for many businesses in the district and we are working hard to pay grants to eligible businesses as soon as possible.”

15 more covid cases as Christmas rules tightened

There were 15 more positive covid cases in the daily figures for the Harrogate district today.

So far, the Public Health England figures for the district total 3,954 since early March.

There were no new deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

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Prime minister Boris Johnson announced this afternoon that the planned relaxing of coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period have been scrapped.

Up to three households can meet indoors but only on Christmas Day, rather than during December 23-27 as previously announced.

Speaking alongside the prime minister, chief medical officer Chris Witty urged people travelling to take short journeys. He said: “Keep it small, keep it short, keep it local”.

A new tier 4 with stricter restrictions has been created for people living in London and areas of the south-east.

We would like to hear how the new coronavirus Christmas rules have impacted your plans? Email us contact@thestrayferret.co.uk