Child suffers suspected broken leg in Parliament Street collision

A nine-year-old girl suffered a suspected broken leg after a collision on Parliament Street in Harrogate on Saturday afternoon.

Police attended the scene at around 1pm after a Volva V70 collided with several parked cars, one of which struck the girl. She was taken to hospital for treatment.

Diversions were set up around Parliament Street as police closed the main A61 road through Harrogate whilst they arranged recovery for four damaged vehicles, including the Volvo.

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Police appeal after woman dies falling from campervan near Ripley

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a 40-year-old woman died falling out of a white Fiat camper van as it was travelling near Ripley.

The incident occurred on the B6165 at around 7.10pm on Sunday, shortly before the roundabout with the A61. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police officers are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the vehicle prior to or at the time of the collision.

Anyone with any information and/or dash camera footage that they believe could assist police with their enquiries should contact Traffic Constable 771 Steven James on 101 option 2, or email steven.james771@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

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Fire damages Pateley Bridge art shop

A fire damaged HSC Fine Arts and Antiques in Pateley Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Nobody was in the building at the time of the fire and firefighters safely extinguished it by the evening. The holiday flat above the shop was also empty.

According to owner David Hinchcliffe, who also owns Artful Arts in Pateley Bridge, the fire was started by a light fitting which failed.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“These things happen. We’ve spent the whole of lockdown renovating our other shop so thank goodness it wasn’t that one.

“At least we didn’t lose much and nobody was hurt.”

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The shop specialises in 18th-century antique prints and Mr Hinchcliffe said most of the artwork was covered which has protected it from smoke damage.

He added:

“We’ll have it up and running again before long.”

Ripon restaurant bookings picking up

Restaurants in Ripon are reporting lots of bookings for July 4 after being given the go-ahead by government to reopen, but the dining experience will be bittersweet due to social distancing restrictions.

Rick Jones, owner of Italian restaurant Valentinos, told the Stray Ferret they are “full steam ahead” and expecting a full house on July 4, albeit with a reduced seating capacity of around 30%.

It will be a different type of table service on July 4 and interaction between staff and customer will be minimised, which Mr Jones hopes won’t put too many customers off.

He said:

“We haven’t seen these customers for so long and you just want to hug them and embrace them. But we will almost have a sterile environment and you can’t interact as much as before.

“We know about all our customer’s lives and stories, but we literally have to serve them and walk away to eliminate contamination time.”

“It’s not going to be the grand reopening we expected with parties and celebrations but something is better than nothing. Even just a smile on someone’s face will be worth it.”

Richard Hughes and his partner Magdalena Torres are the owners of Spanish Tapas bar and restaurant Manchega. As a self-declared “party person” Mr Hughes told the Stray Ferret he’s missed the social aspect of running a busy restaurant.

Magdelena Torres, Jose Simo, Isabel Rodrigues – Manchega.

He said:

“I can’t wait. I’m a party sort of person anyway and a Tapas bar is all about the good times. The atmosphere is a big part of it so I can’t wait to get the buzz going again. That’s what it’s all about.”

But Manchega won’t be opening until July 14 as the owners are allowing their Spanish head chef return to his home country to visit family. Mr Hughes also wants to see how busy other restaurants are in Ripon from July 4.

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Mario Fantino has been serving up traditional Italian food at Prima Pizzeria for over 30 years. He told the Stray Ferret it was “heartbreaking” to see it stand empty for many months.

He said they are almost fully booked for next weekend and the early signs are positive for the rest of the summer.

He also believes people in Ripon “can’t wait” to go out for a slice of Pepperoni or Margherita in his restaurant.

He said:

“People have been paid their furlough money but have not had the time to spend it, so there’s a bit of money around. We’ve got lots of bookings and I imagine everyone else has.”

“It will be great to see people sitting down again in the restaurant. It will be wonderful.”

Police appeal for witnesses after child injured in Parliament Street collision

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for witnesses to a collision on Parliament Street where a child was injured by a car.

The incident happened on Saturday lunchtime and diversions were set up around Parliament Street as police closed the main A61 road through Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police has released no further details of the incident at this time.

Anyone who may have seen the collision is asked to contact Mark Hutchings of the Major Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or email Mark.Hutchings@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

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Harrogate loses ‘feel good factor’ due to new housing

Harrogate has lost its “feel-good factor” due to poorly designed housing being built in the town, according to a key member of Harrogate’s Civic Society.

Speaking to The Stray Ferret, Stuart Holland, joint chairman of the group, warned that the housing is putting the town’s “unique ambience” under strain.

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However, he said it can still be protected through good design.

He said:

“We’ve got to encourage better design but we won’t change it overnight.”

Several major housing schemes have been built across the district in recent years, with more in the pipeline as part of Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Yet the design of many of the new homes are a familiar source of complaint for people living here.

Formed 40 years ago, the civic society published a new strategy earlier this month that hopes to influence better housing design.

Mr Holland hopes the strategy can help the group reinvent itself so it’s more relevant to a new generation of people who care about the town.

But what would the Victorian architects who designed heritage buildings like the Pump Rooms, Royal Hall and have to say about the new housing schemes?

According to Mr Holland, they would “be horrified”.

He added:

“They’d say they’re so small, they lack detail. But we’re spoilt in Harrogate with the architecture we’ve got. We can’t expect to be building the homes of the late 1880s.”

More homes added to major Ripon scheme

Harrogate councillors have recommended that more homes are added to a major housing scheme in Ripon.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Committee met virtually on Zoom and agreed to defer the building of 14 new homes at Bishops Glade to the chief planner for approval.

131 homes were approved by HBC in 2017 and building at the site is currently underway.

Developer Harron Homes sought to build an extra 14 homes and change the mix of housing to include more affordable housing and more four-bedroom homes.

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Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the developer, agent Mark Beevers said the new four-bedroom homes were needed as “demand has fluctuated.”

Speaking against the proposals, Cllr Robert Windass said the number of four-bedroom homes already being built on the site is “over the top” and “all about profit for the developer.”

He added:

“They are not concerned about the mix as long as they get a maximum yield for the site”.

Cllr Pat Marsh said she was concerned at the affordable housing mix on the site and felt there are “ghettos” being built.

She also criticised the sustainable credentials of a plastic slide in the children’s play-area.

She said:

“As a council that says we want to get rid of single-use plastic within two years, that slide has to be metal. We’re not addressing the issues that are paramount to our world and looking at sustainability.”

However, HBC housing officer John Worthington reminded committee members that they were not there to “look at the site afresh” and planning permission has already been granted for the majority of the site.

Committee members voted in favour of the motion to defer and recommend for approval to the chief planner by six votes to five, with one abstention.

Lightwater Valley to reopen next month

Lightwater Valley will re-open to visitors on Saturday July 18, but its most popular ride The Ultimate will remain closed.

To ensure social distancing, the theme park will initially operate with a reduced capacity and all visitors must pre-book tickets online.

To begin with, it will focus on running rides that are suited to a younger audience, so The Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo will be closed.

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Staff will introduce extra cleaning and hygiene measures on site and queue markers are being put in place to help visitors keep a safe distance apart. Some on-site cafes and the gift shop will also reopen.

General Manager Colin Bowes said:

“We’re delighted to be able to start welcoming visitors back but we also know how crucial it is that they feel safe.

“We’ve allowed ourselves a little extra time to ensure everything is fully in place for opening on the 18th and we’re confident we’ve been able to accommodate a range of protective measures without compromising the visitor experience”

Any visitor who shows symptoms of coronavirus will be asked to return home.

Harrogate district to go ‘staycation crazy’ from July 4

Campsites, caravan parks and holiday cottages in the Harrogate district are expecting people to go “staycation crazy” over the remaining summer months.

Toni Fernandes is the general manager of the Lido Leisure Park near Knaresborough. It has around 500 caravans that are used throughout the year as second homes. He told the Stray Ferret he was “very, very happy” with the announcement yesterday that they can finally reopen and he has already been inundated with owners who can’t wait to return to the site on July 4.

He said:

“I think there will be a queue! We’ve put a lot of measures in place for the café and the restaurant and the environment is safe for people to isolate themselves.”

He also said that a busy Lido will provide a much-needed boost to the Knaresborough and Harrogate high streets.

He added:

“We can have 2000 people here. The impact that it has on the high street in Knaresborough and Harrogate is massive. We hope opening will really help the local businesses and the economy. We’re very excited and I think staycations are going to go crazy.”

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In Summerbridge, Rosemary Helme owns several holiday cottages that will be open for guests from July 4. She still has vacancies for the rest of the summer and is hopeful that people will be taking advantage of their self-catering facilities.

She welcomed the announcement from the government yesterday on reopening but said guidance on what they are supposed to provide for guests remains “confusing”, especially around cleaning. She said they will be opting for a common-sense approach.

“We’re talking about taking out books, games and things people can move. But you can’t clean a pack of cards for instance, or not without difficulty!”

Nearby in Pateley Bridge, Trevor Brohier and his wife Jules are gearing up to welcome guests to Moorhouse Cottage, which includes both a B&B and self-catering facilities.

Moorhouse Cottage.

Mr Brohier told the Stray Ferret that they are excited to get their business going again.

To begin with, the B&B only be open on weekends to give them a chance to deep clean after guests leave.

He said:

“That will have a really negative effect on turnover but we’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Whilst Mr Brohier said the B&B experience will be as close to normal as possible, fans of familiar B&B staple, the full English breakfast, will have to wait a while longer — as all cooked breakfasts will be off the menu for the time being.

Councillors defer decision on 120-home Knaresborough scheme

A decision on 120 homes on the outskirts of Knaresborough has been deferred to the chief planner by Harrogate councillors.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Committee met yesterday on Zoom and cited concerns from residents over footpaths and a lack of trees facing Boroughbridge Road.

Castleford-based developers Galliford Try Partnerships Yorkshire has proposed a mix of 2,3 and 4-bedroom homes on the site in Scriven, which forms housing allocation K37 under HBC’s Local Plan.

48 of the homes will be classed as “affordable” and will contribute to the district’s need for building 208 additional affordable homes per year, HBC said.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Committee meets on Zoom.

After concerns over pressure on local infrastructure were raised following the submission of Outline Planning Permission, the developers reduced the number of homes from 146 to 120.

The development faced an objection from Scriven Parish Council who said it will result in “saturation” for Knaresborough town and its facilities.

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.

“Currently, there appears to be no provision for additional educational facilities or doctors surgeries to cater for this major influx of population.”

Parish councillor Miranda Armitage spoke to the Committee and said the proposals should be revised to add a mini-roundabout which would make access to the site safer.

She said:

“The entrance/exit is totally inadequate and downright dangerous.”

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A report from HBC said overall the benefits of the development “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh any harm for the area.

Speaking to the Committee on behalf of the developer, Stephen Hughes, said they are happy to look at the changes suggested by the Committee.

He added:

“It’s a key scheme for us, representing an investment of £25million. Despite an unprecedented economic backdrop we see this as a significant scheme.”