Harrogate district charities receive £200,000 boost

Local charities received a £200,000 boost last night from Harrogate Borough Council.

The council agreed to make a one-off payment for the sum to the Local Fund for the Harrogate District, which was set up in 2018 to encourage long-term, sustainable income for voluntary organisations.

The council currently allocates £30,000 a year to the fund, which it set up in collaboration with Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.

But at last night’s cabinet meeting, the council agreed to give a one-off lump sum of £200,000, which will be placed into an endowment.

This will replace its £30,000 annual contribution.

Interest from the endowment, along with private donations and contributions from the Local Lotto and dormant trust funds, will be awarded to charities.

The Local Fund’s latest funding round allowed not-for-profit organisations to apply for grants of up to £5,000.

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The council’s £200,000 will be used to attract match funding, with council leader Richard Cooper suggesting this could potentially double its value.

In 2018/19, the Local Fund distributed £70,000 to 23 different projects.

At last night’s meeting, council leader Richard Cooper called the fund a “brilliant initiative”.

He said:

“This is an opportunity to establish a permanent fund for good causes in the Harrogate district.

“We expect to double our money from match funding, so our investment could potentially grow to be £400,000.”

Northern Antiques Fair leaves Harrogate in latest economic blow

The Northern Antiques Fair is to leave Harrogate Convention Centre next year, in another blow to the town’s economy.

The organisers announced yesterday the event would be held at Tennants Auctioneers’ salesroom in Leyburn, North Yorkshire from September 30 to October 3.

The event, which has been staged since the 1980s, was previously known as Harrogate Art and Antique Fair.

Ingrid Nilson, the fair director for organisers Northern Antique Dealers Fair Limited, said: “For reasons of clarity we felt it was sensible to relocate as the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber has a contract with Harrogate Convention Centre until the end of March, which is too far into 2021 to plan securely for an event there in the autumn.”

The fair has been a major four-day event in Harrogate, with exhibitors and specialist dealers selling a wide range of items including paintings, furniture and jewellery.

The 2020 event was due to take place in Harrogate from October 1-4 but was cancelled due to covid.

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The NHS is set to continue using the Convention Centre as a Nightingale Hospital until March.

According to the convention centre’s website, the first event due to take place there in 2021 is the Assemblies of God Conference from May 6-8.

Hospitality businesses that rely on trade from the Convention Centre have suffered this year from its closure.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that the Kimberley Hotel on King’s Road has permanently closed due to the impact of covid.

Bid to create 90-resident Harrogate care home

Plans have been submitted to demolish Tate House care home on Wetherby Road and replace it with a much larger care facility.

The sight-loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People sold the building for £1,650,000 in June.

It is now run as a joint venture by private care home providers Angela Swift Developments, which is based in Harrogate, and Burlington Care, which operates 31 care comes in Lincolnshire and northern England.

The home, which received a ‘good’ rating in its most recent Care Quality Commission report in 2018, currently accommodates up to 39 older residents.

The proposed new building would be three storeys tall and accommodate up to 90 people.

The building, opposite Harrogate Town’s football stadium, was built in 1930 and has had several extensions.

The planning application claims the proposed development will bring up to 70 new jobs to the local community, including nurses, support workers, management and admin staff.

An artist’s impression of the proposed new care home.

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Wetherby Road has another care home, Berwick Grange, which is designed for people living with dementia.

Earlier this year, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission to demolish the Greenfield Court care home on Wetherby Road, to eventually make way for 52 retirement apartments.

Harrogate Borough Council will consider the application in due course.

Harrogate’s Kimberley Hotel permanently closes

The Kimberley Hotel in Harrogate has announced it has permanently closed due to the impact of covid.

The 70-bedroom, four-star hotel, close to Harrogate Convention Centre on King’s Road, has been welcoming guests for over 50 years.

But posts on the hotel’s Twitter and Facebook pages yesterday confirmed it would not reopen.

The post said:

“It comes with a heavy heart that we have to tell all our loyal guests and friends that due to the financial position caused by covid, we unfortunately have to close the hotel.

“We sincerely thank everyone, customers and staff alike, that have supported us over the years and regret deeply that covid placed us in a situation that we cannot recover from.”

The post adds enquiries should be directed to Wakefield insolvency company Booth & Co.

The Kimberley Hotel opened in the 1960s when five townhouses dating back to the turn of the 20th century were converted.

It benefitted from the opening of what was then called the Harrogate Conference Centre in 1982, which is a short walk away.

The properties were originally built as homes for some of the wealthier families in Harrogate during its Victorian expansion.

In 2018, the owners of the Kimberley were granted planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council to partly demolish and convert the hotel into five townhouses and nine apartments.

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Hospitality businesses that rely on trade from the convention centre have endured a tough year as it continues to be used as a Nightingale hospital.

In September, Alexa Guest House on Ripon Road submitted proposals to convert the hotel into seven apartments.

Flaxby and Green Hammerton saga could be concluded next week

A report evaluating the environmental implications of building 3,000 homes in either Green Hammerton or Flaxby will be considered by councillors next week.

It follows a High Court ruling last week in the long-running saga about Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to choose Green Hammerton over Flaxby as the site for a major new settlement in the district.

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

But he said the full council did have to consider the report, known as a strategic environmental assessment, before it could proceed.

The council has wasted no time preparing the document: its cabinet will meet on Wednesday to decide whether to adopt the report as part of its Local Plan. The full council will then vote on it later that day.

If councillors are satisfied the report would not have affected their decision to choose Green Hammerton over Flaxby, it would correct the “legal error” that Mr Justice Holgate identified in the judicial review and finally put to bed the question of where the new settlement will be built.

Legal costs

The judge did, however, order Harrogate Borough Council to pay 15% of the legal costs of Flaxby Park Ltd, which brought the case against the council, as well as its own.

A spokesperson from Flaxby Park Ltd told the Stray Ferret it expected the council would have to pay it a “significant five-figure sum”.

The Stray Ferret has asked the council how much it estimated its legal costs to be. The council replied it did not yet have a final figure.

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Public consultation

Meanwhile, a public consultation on the Green Hammerton/Cattal settlement proposals is running until January 22.

Following the judicial review judgement last week, campaign group Keep Green Hammerton Green released a statement urging the council to pause the consultation due to impending local government reorganisation and government planning reforms.

A council spokesman said:

“There are no plans to stop the current consultation on the development plan document.

“We urge residents and community groups to continue to share their views on what specific requirements are needed to deliver these much needed new homes for existing and future residents of the district.”

170 Knaresborough homes ‘catastrophic’ for Hay-a-Park wildlife

Plans for 170 homes on Water Lane in Knaresborough will have a ‘catastrophic’ impact on wildlife at nearby beauty spot Hay-a-Park, according to local people.

Landowner Geoffrey Holland’s application would see homes built on the north-eastern edge of the town, next to the Hay-a-Park lake and three smaller ponds.

The site, which is on a flooded former quarry, was designated as a site of special scientific interest in 1995 because it supports a number of rare birds, including the goosander and reed warbler.

The planning application has provoked a passionate response from residents, with about 60 objections at the time of publication. Several raised concerns about the impact of the housing on hedgerows within the SSSI where birds nest.

David Bunting, who lives next to the lake, told the Stray Ferret he has concerns about flooding and the impact on the birds’ habitat:

“This housing would go right up to the lake and risks huge environmental damage to the site. Birds have come from across the world to nest here over winter for thousands of years.”

Goosander fears

Another local resident, James McKay, highlighted a report from 2012 which stated numbers of goosander have been decreasing. He told the Stray Ferret:

“It will have a catastrophic impact on Hay-a-Park gravel pit, which is already under pressure from increased urbanisation.”

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Harrogate Borough Council refused an application from Mr Holland for 218 homes in October last year, despite the site being allocated for development in what was then the council’s draft Local Plan.

The council said the proposal did not include enough affordable housing and was ‘of poor quality and out of character with its surroundings’. It also said it did not include a proper assessment that explored the impact of housing on the SSSI.

A planning statement submitted for the new application said the proposals included “a wide range of ecological enhancement measures”.

It added:

“The design-led approach, informed by consultation with the local planning authority and Natural England, responds sensitively to the site setting, respecting the urban grain and ecology features present in the surrounding landscape, both built and undeveloped.”

Minimise impact on birds

Following the refusal last year, ecological consultancy Baker Consultants produced a Hay-a-Park SSSI impact assessment on behalf of the developer. It recommends that Harrogate Borough Council and Natural England manage the SSSI’s grassland and woodland to improve biodiversity.

A separate ecological appraisal recommended the impact on birds is minimised through the creation of green space within the development and with nest boxes.

It also says construction that might directly impact breeding birds should be limited to September to February when they do not breed.

The Stray Ferret asked the agent for the application, Cunnard Town Planning, for a statement but we had not received a response at the time of publication.

The application will be considered by HBC’s planning committee at a later date.

MPs watch: November – a month of lockdown

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.

On November 4, our three MPs voted in favour of a month-long lockdown for England, which has dominated life in the district ever since.

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.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

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

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

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

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

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

The owners of the former Flaxby golf course could attempt to create a 400-lodge eco-resort on the site after their hopes of building 3,000 homes there were dashed last week.

A High Court judge ruled last week that Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to choose Green Hammerton over Flaxby as the site of a new 3,000-home settlement does not have to be made again.

This decision could prompt Flaxby Park to instigate alternative plans to transform the site into a tourism resort.

A report published by planning consultants Lichfields on behalf of Flaxby Park this year outlines a vision to transform the golf course, which closed in 2015, into a “sustainable eco-resort”.

The report claims the resort could generate £35m a year of visitor spending and employ 600 full-time staff.

As well as the 400 eco-lodges, the proposals include an indoor sports area, paddle boarding and boating, a swimming pool, a spa, shops and restaurants.

An aerial view of the Flaxby site.

According to the report, the “driving principle” of the resort is to allow families to “reconnect with nature, providing an ecologically rich environment” using renewable energy.

It says:

“The development of this unique, environmentally conscious eco-lodge holiday complex would generate significant benefits for the local economy and that of the wider region.”

Plans for the eco-resort have not yet been submitted to the council, but they would be a major addition to district tourism if they came to fruition.

A spokesperson from Flaxby Park confirmed to the Stray Ferret the eco-resort was a potential option for the golf course.

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Flaxby Park Ltd has owned the site since April 2016. Previous owner the Skelworth Group had planning permission to build a 300-bedroom, five-star hotel but the company went out of business before the plans materialised.

In separate plans, Harrogate company Forward Investment already has outline planning permission for an eco-friendly business park immediately south of the golf course at the junction of the A59 and A1M.

 

 

Housing Investigation: the politicians defend their records

All week the Stray Ferret has published articles investigating new housing developments in the Harrogate district. We focused on the years between 2014 and 2020 when the borough council did not have an adopted Local Plan.

Following the series, we interviewed Conservative county councillor Don Mackenzie and the leader of Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats Pat Marsh about their role in the formation of the Local Plan, as well as representatives from Labour and the Green Party to get their thoughts on housing in the district.

On Tuesday, we requested an interview with the chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, Wallace Sampson who has been in the position since 2008. This was declined.

On Tuesday we also asked for an interview with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper, who has held the position since 2014, but were told he was on annual leave. We then requested to speak to a senior councillor as a substitute for Cllr Cooper but this request was also declined.

Cllr Don Mackenzie: Conservative Party executive member for highways and public transport, North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Don Mackenzie

You were the leader of Harrogate Borough Council in 2011/12 and before that was its cabinet member for planning and transport for several years. Do you take any responsibility for the failure of the 2013 Local Plan?

I take no responsibility for the delay in the Local Plan. But it took many years adopt it, far longer than I thought it would.

As the years went by, government and the inspectors said we need more houses. The housing requirement increased from 390 to over 600 which has lead to the sorts of pressures that we find now. Attitudes changed and the government found that Britain needed more homes. The population was increasing and the needs for housing increased.

We spoke to Phil I’Anson, a Harrogate gas engineer who said he might move his business out of the town due to congestion caused by new housing. Do you feel sympathy for him?

Of course. I read the article and his experiences was one reason we wanted to do the Harrogate congestion study. The last thing we want is for Harrogate and Knaresborough to become areas where businesses feel is not suitable for them because they are getting stuck in traffic. Congestion scares people away.

NYCC asks developers to provide a minimum number of car parking spaces in developments. Does this encourage car ownership?

There was a time 20 years when the government set maximum limits for car parking spaces. But houses were being built and people didn’t have places to park their cars, so people ended up parking them on the public highway. That is not a satisfactory situation.

NYCC’s minimum requirement was the right way to go. Car ownership has continued to rise and I don’t want all of these cars parking on the public highway.

Now that the relief road idea is dead, can you be specific on will come next to tackle congestion?

We’ll be guided by the findings of the congestion study and we are looking at various options that will come ahead of building any new roads.

These will include dedicated cycle paths, better walking infrastructure, park and ride and improving public transport. We are going to be investing in many of those.

Harrogate Borough Council has responsibility for planning whereas NYCC has responsibility for schools, roads, health and public transport. Is this two-tier system a hindrance when formulating a Local Plan and has Harrogate suffered because of it?

No, HBC has full responsibility for their Local Plan. NYCC is a statutory consultee. When you do any development you have to consider highways, school places, adult social care and doctor’s surgeries, but we are just a consultee.

What we cannot do at NYCC is control the housing numbers. That’s outside of our brief. HBC’s Local Plan calls for 600 homes a year and clearly, that presents challenges. In unitary local government, things become much more simplified, but I don’t think the two-tier system in any way affected Harrogate’s ability with the local plan.

Cllr Pat Marsh: leader of the Liberal Democrats on HBC and planning committee member.

Cllr Pat Marsh

Have the Lib Dems been a weak opposition against housing development in the district?

Our hands were totally tied. If you look at my record on planning I voted against nearly every single one. I am not one who gets bowled over easily. I came to Harrogate when I was 2. I’ve been here 70 years. I want to protect the place I was brought up in and where my grandchildren now live.

I’m furious that these developers have been allowed to get away with it. The blame goes back to not being able to secure the Local Plan in 2014.

As much as I’d like to knock the Tories on this like crazy, we all fought continuously, but I didn’t roll over as easy as others.

You have received your own share of criticism for voting in favour of the Local Plan that was finally adopted earlier this year. How do you feel about this?

If I didn’t vote through the Local Plan I would say I’d be willing to go through another six years where developers could ride roughshod over us. I had gone through enough trauma of having no Local Plan.

I voted for the Local Plan as a protection because we went through a horrendous six years as a planning committee. We needed a Local Plan so we could enforce policies on for example, the amount of bedrooms in a home.

I do get upset when they say I rolled over. I supported protection so we could fight developers with our own policies.

HBC’s planning committee has refused several sites this year after they have already been included in the adopted Local Plan. Are these refusals risking more legal challenges and cost for the council?

Absolutely but from my perspective, the local plan wasn’t done properly from a councillor perspective. I was involved in two previous Local Plans and back then we physically visited all the sites. This time we weren’t. We had lots of briefings, but we didn’t debate the sites in the same kind of the way we did before. We voted for the plan as a whole but not once did we vote on individual sites. We hadn’t pulled it together as councillors.

Read the series in full:

Hannah Corlett: press officer, Harrogate & District Green Party.

Hannah Corlett

How do you rate the environmental credentials of the new housing developments?

None of the new housing developments fit what we want to see in regards to sustainability. There’s been a lack of action for years.

All we’re asking is there to be thought for the future in these developments, before they are built and not after. Once they are built you don’t see the developers for dust. We want HBC to hold these developers to account.

They should ensure things like solar panels are built on them. We’re not idealists, we’re holding people to account so everyone has a better future in Harrogate.

Chris Watt: vice chair, Harrogate & Knaresborough Labour Party

Chris Watt

What is the Labour Party’s perspective on housing in Harrogate?

There’s clearly not enough social housing in the borough. Unfortunately, HBC has been prioritising home ownership but these homes are neither affordable or sustainable.

This is a very desirable area to live in, but it feels like developers are taking advantage of that. Families are being forced out because they can’t afford to buy homes in our area.

Harrogate council defends planning department after accusations

Harrogate Borough Council has defended its planning department after a former planner told the Stray Ferret it ‘has been in a state of disarray’ for two decades.

David Howarth, who was employed by the council for five years in the 1980s and then worked for it as a private consultant for 30 years, spoke to the Stray Ferret to give us his views after reading our series of planning and housing articles this week.

In statement released to the Stray Ferret, a council spokesman robustly defended the performance of the planning department:

“To suggest our planning department has been in a ‘state of disarray for two decades’ is simply not true. The department is made up of highly qualified and experienced officers who work hard to ensure planning and development across the district adheres to national planning guidance that has changed significantly over the last few years, as well locally developed policies.

Mr Howarth said the council’s “weak resistance” to builders contrasted with its “heavy-handed” approach to residents seeking planning permission — an accusation that the council denied.

The spokesman said:

“To suggest we have a ‘weak resistance’ to builders is also not true. All planning applications, whether large-scale developments or single dwellings, are considered against this policy framework and determined accordingly.”

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Our series this week has investigated the impact of the years that followed a rejected Local Plan in 2014 -before the formation of HBC’s current Local Plan, which was adopted in March 2020.

The spokesman added:

“The development of our Local Plan has been a mammoth task, as it is for all local authorities. The latest Local Plan has been judged as sound by the independent planning inspector.”