If you’ve let your hair down in a Harrogate nightclub over the past 25 years, chances are you’ve danced to music played by Trevor “DJ Trev” Broadbank.

He’s spun tunes at them all — from dance nights at Jimmy’s, Bar Med and Carringtons to rock and metal nights at Cardinal Sins and the Viper Rooms.

But despite lockdown forcing him to down his DJ tools, he’s been busier than ever after partner Hannah gave birth to twins Louie and Laya 17 weeks ago. He said having more time at home has been a “silver lining” for not being able to DJ.

He said:

“My career might be over but I’m getting to spend 24 hours a day with Hannah and my kids, and that’s amazing.”

Whilst mums are legally entitled to 39 weeks paid maternity leave, dads are entitled to just two, which the DJ said has been a wake-up call.

“It’s underlined how poor the paternity system is for dads and for parents of twins. It would have been awful if I had to go out to work. In the scope of having a baby, two weeks feels like six seconds. That’s brought a lot of unfairness home to me.”

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Like nearly all nocturnal workers, DJ Trev has had to take a financial hit and has even sold some of his old records online.

He said:

“I’ve battened down the hatches, stripped down my expenses, sold things I might not need again. I just need to get through this.”

But he said he’s focusing on the positives, and is looking forward to the buzz of being able to play music to crowds again.

“I miss listening to music as much as I used to because that’s not the sound of twins screaming!

“I also miss being out and watching people dancing. You play a tune you want to stick on and it really works, you’d be mental not to miss that.”

Nightclubs and bars in Harrogate have come and gone and DJ Trev expects the town’s night scene to bounce back from covid, and he thinks there will be a big party when it does happen.

“I’m curious to see what the parties will be like after this – it could be pandemonium!”

Do you have a lockdown story to tell? Get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk as we’d love to hear from you.

Developers have made changes to a 72-home scheme in Spofforth, as they look to get final plans approved by Harrogate Borough Council next week.

The development by Vistry Partnerships and housing association Yorkshire Housing was granted outline planning permission by HBC in March, despite over 250 local objections on issues including the design of the homes, flooding and congestion.

The developers have since amended the layout of the houses and say the site is now more reflective of the character of the village.

However, Shirley Fawcett, chair of Spofforth Parish Council, wrote to HBC about the new plans, saying the layout remained “crowded, urban and completely out of keeping with the village”.

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She added:

“One of the greatest concerns is the visual intrusion caused by the proposed artificial site elevation by 1.5 metres, which will visually impair the view into this conservation area at the key gateway to this historic village.”

A report published by HBC case officer Andy Hough recommends the plans be approved.

The council’s planning committee will meet on November 18 to decide whether it should get the final green light.

BBC cameras will be in Harrogate tonight as part of its coverage of the FA Cup second round draw.

Presenter Mark Chapman will speak to Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver and chairman Irving Weaver live from the EnviroVent Stadium to get their reaction to the draw as well as discussing their meteoric rise into the English Football League.

Harrogate’s story has captured the imagination of the football world in what has been a bleak year for the sport.

Town beat semi-professional Skelmersdale United 4-1 on Friday night to book their place in the second round and earn £25,500 in prize money.

Harrogate are ball number 21 and another victory would put them into the third round for the first time in their history.

The draw itself will take place in a studio in London from 7pm on BBC2.

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The third round would potentially pit them against Premier League opposition, such as Manchester City, Liverpool or even local favourites Leeds United.

For a more straightforward route to the third round, Town could hope to draw one of the non-league sides that are left in the competition, such as Canvey Island, Marine and Boreham Wood.

But tough fixtures against former Premier League clubs Hull City, Bradford City and Portsmouth could also await.

Town have reached the second round once before. In 2012/13, they agonisingly lost to Hastings on penalties in a second round replay.

Homes England wants to scrap plans for a community football pitch at the former Police Training Centre on Yew Tree Lane, in order to increase the total number of homes on the site from 180 to 200.

It was originally planned that the football pitch would be used by local sports teams, and potentially adopted and managed by Harrogate Borough Council.

However, according to planning documents, Sport England and the Football Foundation have said they consider it “unlikely” that the pitch would be actively used, instead advising Homes England to consider using the pitch for more housing.

Homes England is the government’s housing agency and the owner of the site.

The new plans also reduce the size of a green space for residents called Central Parkland from 0.81 hectares to 0.41 hectares.

Homes England has instead agreed to pay £595,000 to improve facilities at Pannal Sports Ground. This includes a £100,000 contribution as compensation for the loss of the playing pitch.

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The site will now have 200 homes

It is the second time this year that Homes England has asked HBC to increase the number of homes at the development.

In 2018, the council granted planning permission for 161 homes to be built on the site. However, since then, the land was transferred from the Home Office to Homes England which, in June, submitted fresh plans to add an extra 19 homes to the development.

In HBC’s Local Plan, the site is allocated for 160 homes.

For decades, police recruits from all over the UK came to the site in Harrogate to train. It was closed in 2011 due to cost-cutting.

The new lockdown has delivered a fresh blow to Horticap’s dedicated team of students, who have been unable to work at the popular garden centre on Otley Road since March.

The charity was established 37 years ago to offer adults with learning difficulties the chance to learn practical, personal and teamwork skills through gardening.

However, because many of their students have underlying health conditions, it’s been decided that it would be safer for them to stay at home until the pandemic ends. Now, the charity’s leaders fear the latest lockdown will have an even greater impact on mental health.

Phillip Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“They are getting so down with it all really, as they are usually so active here. They want to be working. They are absolutely gutted and they keep asking us why they can’t come back.

“They do understand there’s a virus but it’s been really, really difficult for their mental health. When they are here, it’s great for them. As soon as we can get them back the better, really, for their own wellbeing.”

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With Christmas approaching, the students would be normally be helping prepare for one of Horticap’s busiest times of year, making holly wreaths and helping out in the new shop. Phillip said the staff are just about managing to keep the place ticking over until they come back, as normally, “the students basically do everything”.

There have been dissenting voices on social media who have questioned why garden centres have been allowed to stay open, whereas other sectors have not. But Phillip said gardening has been crucial to people in Harrogate during this difficult year.

He added:

“Gardening is therapeutic. It’s the best thing you can do. We all believe that. We use horticulture as a therapeutic aid for our students. It does them, and me, no end of good.

“The customers get so much out of gardening, especially knowing that our students have grown the plants.”

Councillors will meet in December to consider Harrogate Spring Water’s proposals to extend its bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

The water company, which was bought out last year by multinational firm Danone, has had outline planning permission since 2016 to expand to the west of its existing site.

Harrogate Borough Council confirmed to the Stray Ferret that the planning committee will meet next month to consider an application to change the footprint of the new building, which the company wants to increase from 0.77 hectares to 0.94 hectares.

The plans would also remove public woodland in Rotary Wood, planted by local families to celebrate the organisation’s centenary.

A report from the council’s arboricultural manager, Paul Casey, said the loss of 2.8 acres of woodland floor would remove the “green corridor” link between the north and south of the site. He said:

“There are no proposals put forward that would mitigate for the loss of this woodland.

“In essence an area equal in size and appropriateness for woodland planting would need to be identified and allocated, preferably currently attached in some way to the Pinewoods, so as to meet any on-going objectives in terms of the following non-exhaustive list: biodiversity; woodland potential; carbon capture/sequestration potential; climate change and climate emergency objectives; flood alleviation benefits to match what is being lost; public use and benefits.”

More than 300 letters of objection have been sent to the council since the plans were submitted, including from the Rotary Club of Harrogate, the Pinewoods Conservation Group and Harrogate Civic Society.

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If the planning committee gives the plans the green light in December, another hearing at a future date will consider a separate application to confirm details of the new building, including its appearance and landscaping. The plans include planting some new trees near the bottling plant as well as a “living wall” to the north of the new extension.

In August, Nicky Cain, brand manager at Harrogate Spring Water, told the Stray Ferret the company planned to consult with local groups on the proposals but said the process had been delayed due to coronavirus. However, the Harrogate and District Green Party said the consultation had still not taken place.

Harrogate Spring Water has been contacted for a comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

To view the full details of the planning application, visit the planning pages of Harrogate Borough Council’s website and use reference 19/05245/DVCMAJ.

Fresh plans have been submitted for 170 homes at Water Lane in Knaresborough after a previous application was refused last year.

Landowner Geoffrey Holland’s application would see homes built on the north-eastern edge of Knaresborough, 2km from the town centre.

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’.

The new application has reduced the number of homes by 48 to 170, with 40% classed as affordable.

This is still more than the 148 homes allocated for the site in the Local Plan, which was adopted in March this year.

The application proposes 19 x 1-bedroom, 70 x 2-bedroom, 55 x 3-bedroom, 24 x 4-bedroom and 2 X 5-bedroom properties and 170 car parking spaces.

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Other housing developments have been granted planning permission to the north of Knaresborough over the past couple of years. These include 78 homes by Persimmon off Orchard Close and 78 homes by Avant Homes off Bar Lane.

In September last year, the council overturned its own decision to allow Gladman Developments to build 175 homes on Bar Lane.

The public has until November 22 to comment on the Water Lane development before the plans go before the council’s planning committee.

Discarded fireworks found this morning at a local beauty spot have highlighted the dangers of fireworks to livestock and wildlife.

Twitter user YorkshireRelic photographed this image of the fireworks, which appear to have been discarded at the rural location between Beckwithshaw and Fewston last night.

The forest is home to wildlife, including deer and several bird species. Sheep graze in nearby fields. It is also popular with walkers and mountain bikers.

YorkshireRelic, who described themselves to the Stray Ferret as a local resident and dog-walker, tweeted:

“Bet the poor sheep just hated their evening. Someone could have cleaned up at least. Quite shameful.”

Conservative Washburn councillor Victoria Oldham, who is also a farmer, said the fireworks posed a risk to animals.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Fireworks are a potential danger to livestock and although the ground is sodden at the moment and the chances of fire are unlikely, it’s always something to be born in mind.”

According to a 2019 survey carried out by the British Veterinary Association, around 1 in 14 vets reported seeing animals with firework-related injuries over the course of a year.

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Tonight is bonfire night and although all public celebrations have been cancelled due to the lockdown, Harrogate Borough Council advised people to recycle discarded fireworks.

The council tweeted:

“Please do not put fireworks in the bin. All used and unused fireworks should be taken to your local household waste recycling centre where they will be disposed of safely.”

German supermarket chain Lidl has unveiled plans to open a new store on the site of the former Lookers car showroom on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate.

The company has yet to submit a formal planning application but has opened a public consultation for the store, which they say will create about 40 jobs.

The 1,263 sq metre supermarket would have an in-store bakery and 94 car parking spaces.

It would open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

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Lidl entered the UK market in 1994 and now has over 800 stores across the country, including one in Knaresborough.

Christies Bar on Kings Road, Harrogate is selling pints of cask ale for £1 today to shift the last of its beer before lockdown begins tomorrow.

Landlord Marik Scatchard told the Stray Ferret it had around 200 pints of Black Sheep and Roosters beer to sell this afternoon — and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Mr Scatchard said business this week had not been as busy as expected and the offer would save the beer from a probable fate down the plug-hole.

He was disappointed the pub has been forced to close due to the month-long lockdown, and is waiting for news on financial support from the government. He said:

“There really hasn’t been any [financial] help this time. We still had to pay full rent last time for three months, which was a bit of a nightmare.

“We’re covid-secure and have had no issues since reopening.”

Mr Scatchard said he was unsure if there would be a melancholic atmosphere at Christies this evening, as drinkers sup their final pints for several weeks.

He hopes the pub will be able to welcome its regulars back on December 2.

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