Harrogate Borough Council has announced it will trial the use of wheelie bins for recycling, just days after appearing to pour cold water on the idea.

Recent articles by the Stray Ferret have highlighted concerns by residents about the amount of recycling left out for collection blown across streets.

They prompted many people to call on the council to introduce wheelie bins with lids.

However, a spokesperson for the council suggested this month it might not be possible. They said wheelie bins could lead to “higher contamination rates”, adding:

“Another challenge we would need to overcome is the wagons used for collection. At the moment they cater for black boxes so any change would require adaptation of the fleet.”

Last week, The Stray Ferret published a video that appeared to contradict the council’s claim.

The video showed council workers emptying recycling from black boxes into garden waste wheelie bins and then into the refuse trucks.

After showing the footage to the council, a spokesperson said it had 10 bin lorries and only two could operate wheelie bins.

This photo posted on Facebook by Christina Clarkson highlighted the problem.

Following this article, a source contacted the Stray Ferret to say the council was introducing 7,000 recycling wheelie bins in unspecified pilot areas across the district and was unsure why the council was not being upfront about this.

This was confirmed yesterday by David Houlgate, branch secretary of the public sector trade union Unison, who said the move was “long overdue”.

Read more:

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Mr Houlgate said wheelie bins would be introduced for tins, cans, glass and plastic. Paper and card would still be collected in blue bags.

The Stray Ferret asked the council about this yesterday. The council did not reply but instead released a statement on social media today saying “we will be launching a trial scheme to replace black recycling boxes with wheelie bins” this year. It said:

“For some time we’ve been looking at how we could improve our kerbside scheme. We’ll be trialling the wheelie bins in certain areas with different types of properties, areas of high recycling rates, and will use the data to influence an approach later in the year.pilots are underway.”

The full statement is below.

We know you are increasingly conscious of the environment and have been recycling more year on year.

Later in the year (date to be confirmed) we will be launching a trial scheme to replace black recycling boxes with wheelie bins.

Find out more below… ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qGBxAjcLnI

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) February 23, 2022

The stars of BBC show Top Gear were in Harrogate this afternoon filming.

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris visited used car dealership Classic Marques on Ripon Road while filming the 31st series of the motoring programme.

Sales manager Dom Sibbles told the Stray Ferret they were told they’d have some extra special customers a few days ago.

The Top Gear fan said the trio brought with them a couple of used cars that they’d been using for stunts in Scotland to value.

He said:

“They were really, really nice guys and we had a good laugh with them.”

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The visit surprised 18-year-old Joe Gosling and his mum, who both live over the road.

Joe got a selfie with the former England cricketer Flintoff who he described as a “really cool guy”.

He said:

“We had a chat about cricket. All of the crew were friendly and he was happy to have his photo taken.”

Knaresborough will host a series of events to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee in June, including a light beacon at the castle, an artisan market, a tea dance, a thanksgiving service and street parties.

Under the auspices of Knaresborough Town Council, a working group, chaired by Councillor Hannah Gostlow and including representatives from the Rotary, the Lions, chamber of trade, Christians Together, Civic Society, Knaresborough Business Collective, the Royal British Legion and Knaresborough in Bloom is preparing a programme of events.

It’s hoped the town will be decked out in flags and bunting over the weekend of June 2-5 to mark the royal milestone.

What’s on

Starting on Thursday June 2, Knaresborough will light a beacon on the top of the castle, along with 1,500 locations across the UK.

On Saturday June 4 at Knaresborough House, there will be an artisan market in the morning followed in the afternoon by a community garden party and performances event. There will also be a tea dance at St Mary’s Church Hall.

On Sunday June 5  organisers hope to hold a thanksgiving service at a yet-to-be-confirmed location. Sunday is also set aside for street parties.

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Throughout the weekend the new Knaresborough Museum will open in the former Castle Girls’ School with a special community history event to mark the jubilee.

The organisers are appealing for memorabilia connected with the Queen’s reign. Email info@knaresboroughtownmuseum.org if you can help.

Entertainers wanted

The working group also wants to hear from individuals and organisations about their plans and offers of help for the celebrations. Musicians and entertainers are needed for a garden party event. Email office@knaresboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk for more.

The Mayor of Knaresborough, Cllr Christine Willoughby, said

“I am delighted that Knaresborough will be joining in the national celebrations of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

I will be assisting with the beacon lighting, and I thank all the organisations in the town who are working together to create a truly memorable jubilee holiday for everyone in Knaresborough”.

About 550 Harrogate Town fans will watch their team face Bradford City tonight in a Yorkshire derby at Valley Parade.

It’s one of the most hotly anticipated games in Harrogate Town history, especially after last season’s fixture was played behind closed doors due to covid restrictions. It’s the most away tickets sold for a Harrogate Town game in their 103-year history.

Bradford’s ground has a capacity of 25,000. Despite languishing in League Two of the English Football League, the 1911 FA Cup winners average crowds of 15,700 this year.

Over 222 fans will travel by coaches arranged by Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Club.

It’s a chance for Simon Weaver’s men to do the double over their rivals, after beating them 2-0 at the EnviroVent Stadium on February 5.

The Bantams sacked manager Derek Adams following the fixture and are yet to appoint a replacement.

Speaking yesterday, Weaver said:

“[This season has been] our first experience as a football league club with big crowds so there’s none bigger than tomorrow. It’s a big ground, great set up and a fantastic football club that we’re visiting so hopefully we will come out on top for the fans.”

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Town have not played since last Tuesday’s 4-3 heartbreak away at Exeter City — a match Town led 3-1.

A home game against Leyton Orient was postponed on Saturday due to the snow. It’s been rescheduled for Tuesday March 22.

Tickets for tonight’s game are still available, with Harrogate Town fans able to pay at the gate by scanning a QR code.

https://twitter.com/officialbantams/status/1496077312344956934?s=20&t=dxsc-aD4mGVH0CMS8WHiKg

On Knox Lane in the summer and you’ll probably see families walking or on bicycles heading down towards Spruisty Bridge that runs over Oak Beck.

It’s a green corner of Bilton that residents cherish but a group in Knox believes a controversial housing application would destroy the idyllic scene.

North East property developer Jomast wants to build 53 homes on a field on Knox Lane, in an application that has been reduced from 73 homes from when it was first submitted in 2020.

Since the 1980s, different developers have eyed the field for development without success, thanks in part to campaigns by dogged residents.

This time, as the site is allocated in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which maps out where new housing developments can take place in Harrogate, it could be their biggest fight yet.

A map of where the homes would be built

Abundance of wildlife

Tom Cox has lived in the area for 50 years. A keen nature watcher, he says he’s seen an abundance of wildlife in the field, including protected species. He’s concerned their habitat will be destroyed.

He said:

“I’ve seen deer, foxes, otters and 60 types of birds. It’s extremely good habitat”.

Sue Wrightson added:

“It will be decimated”.

Jomast commissioned an ecological impact assessment by environmental consultants Naturally Wild.

To the residents’ dismay, its report said the site had “moderate ecological value” and any development would “not have a significant impact on protected species or habitat.”

At the time of writing, the application has had 308 objections with none in support. They cite a range of perceived problems with the site, from the electricity pylons that run over the field to potential flooding issues.

But many of the objections make emotional appeals to the council calling on them to reject the plans due to what they believe is its harmful impact on wildlife.

The walk at the bottom of Knox Lane is popular with families.

With the residents smarting about the Naturally Wild report, they paid ecological consultants Smeedem Foreman to write another one, which painted a different picture.

It said the Naturally Wild report was undertaken between January and April, which it called “sub-optimal” months for surveying wildlife.

It added:

“The report lacks sufficient detail with respect to the mapping of habitats present and with no detailed species lists available, the botanical value of these areas has the potential to be underestimated.”

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Gridlock

As with almost every application for new housing in Harrogate, concerns have been raised about traffic.

With the busy Skipton Road nearby, and Knox Lane itself a narrow thoroughfare, Bob Wrightson said the roads surrounding the development will soon be “gridlock”.

Mr Wrightson said:

“52 houses, a lot of people have cars, its not been addressed. There might be another 100 cars using these roads and it will be gridlock.”

Jomast’s traffic assessment disputes this and says the homes will not lead to additional congestion.

Alison Hayward said the application is car-dependent and does nothing to encourage people to use sustainable travel.

“There are no EV charging points, no cycle paths, no cycle storage. The development is stuck in the 1980s, it looks back rather than looking forward.”

The community

Perhaps most of all, the residents are unhappy that there has been no attempt by Jomast to form a dialogue with them. They say their voice has been left out of the planning process entirely.

Ms Hayward said:

“It’s bothered a lot of people. They’ve not made an effort and we’ve beem ignored. We emailed the developer for a meeting but we’ve had no response.

Anda Mesaros added:

“It’s disrespectful to the community.”

The developer’s response

Jomast and planning consultants Spawforths issued the following joint statement to the Stray Ferret:

“Jomast recognises the concerns of the local residents in respect to the potential impacts of the proposed housing development.  However they would like to stress that the Application Site is allocated for housing within Harrogate’s Local Plan.  Therefore, it has already been deemed as suitable for residential development by Harrogate Council.  The planning application is providing a significant amount of affordable housing, above what is required by planning policy, which will help address the significant shortfall of this type of housing within the town.

“The planning application is supported by a number of specialist technical reports, including a Transport Assessment, which demonstrates the Proposed Development would not lead to any additional congestion of the local roads.  Jomast has also commissioned a series of ecological reports, which show that the Proposed Development would deliver a net benefit to biodiversity and the environment through the creation of new wildlife habitats and significant tree and hedgerow planting.

“Two public exhibitions have been carried out in respect to the development of the Site.   In addition, Harrogate Council consulted local residents on the allocation of the site for housing during the preparation of their Local Plan.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee is set to consider the plans next month

Harrogate district music lovers from the 1990s and 2000s have fond memories of independent record shop Mix Music.

From Britpop to the indie boom to metal, dance music and hip-hop, the small shop on Oxford Street stocked a deceptively comprehensive selection of CDs and vinyl.

Award-winning comic book artist and cartoonist Tim Bird grew up in Harrogate and went to St John Fisher Catholic High School.

The 39-year-old specialises in drawing scenes that conjure up the history and memories of place.

Mix Music was a haven for teenagers that were into alternative music in Harrogate, which Mr Bird said made it the perfect place to draw.

“I used to go there in my school lunch hour, me and my friends. We didn’t necessarily buy music, we’d just hang out there.

“I remember buying the White Stripes there on vinyl, and Radiohead’s Kid A when that came out. It was that era of indie rock. There was lots of really obscure stuff too.”

The name Mix Music was a pun on the owner’s name, Mick, who was always knowledgeable and generous with customers.

Mr Bird said:

“I was a big fan of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and the owner would give me promotional posters cos he knew i was into them.”

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Mr Bird said he was surprised there was no trace of Mix Music ever existing online, which made it difficult to remember how the shop looked in its heyday. It closed around 15 years ago.

Now living down south, Mr Bird used Google Street View to help him with the cartoon. Part of the shop is now home to the cafe Baltzersens.

He added:

“Now everything has a record online forever, so it’s strange how this has just disappeared.”

Mr Bird has also done a drawing of Our Price, a chain of record shops owned by Virgin that was on Station Parade near the Victoria Centre. Although his first purchase there in the mid-1990s was not quite as cool as the White Stripes.

He said:

“I have a fondness for Our Price as it’s where I bought my first CD. It was the PJ and Duncan album. That’s really embarrassing!”

Our Price on Station Parade. Credit – Tim Bird

If the UK is going to seriously have a go at meeting its net-zero emissions target by 2050, the government says air source heat pumps in our homes will need to become a necessity.

SolarPlus Yorkshire is a Boroughbridge-based business owned by Mark Houldsworth, a renewable energy engineer who has been installing solar panels and air source heat pumps since 2010.

Mr Houldsworth said since the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, he has seen a sharp increase in calls from customers in the Harrogate district looking to replace their gas boilers with heat pumps.

According to innovation charity, Nesta, greenhouse gases emitted by a typical gas boiler in the UK are equivalent to 2.2 tonnes of CO2 per year, roughly the same as taking seven flights between London and New York.

Everyone is talking about rising energy prices too, which is not helped by the UK’s reliance on imported gas from Europe.

Heat pumps are still powered by electricity but are seen as a way for homeowners to reduce their exposure to price fluctuations seen with gas.

Mr Houldsworth said:

“Lots of people are calling about wanting to reduce their bills but since COP26 more people are ringing about the environment, they want do their bit. That’s really positive.”

How do heat pumps work?

A heat pump is a machine that is fitted to your home and absorbs heat from the air, ground or water around a building.

They suck in air from outdoors and pass it over tubes containing refrigerant fluids that produce heat.

They are not cheap to install and can cost up to £18,000.

In November, the government announced a new £5,000 grant to help pay for one.

The government has announced it will ban new homes from being fitted with gas boilers from 2025.

But green campaigners in the district have regularly voiced their dismay at Harrogate Borough Council who are still waving through planning applications with homes that are reliant on gas.

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Maintaining heat

Mr Houldsworth says air source heat pumps are particularly useful for people who work from home as they are good at maintaining the same temperature throughout the day.

But critics say they are not suitable for drafty, older homes.

Mr Houldsworth said there are other factors to take into account when getting one installed, such as your radiators that may need to be replaced.

He said it’s a misconception that heat pumps don’t work well in the winter.

“Tell that to people in Sweden and Germany where heat pumps are popular and the temperature goes to -20.”

An environmental obsession

Mr Holdsworth said he launched his business after becoming interested in the technology of solar panels, rather for than for environmental reasons.

But he says the cultural shift in recent years towards the environment has inspired him.

The grandad said doing his bit for the environment is now “an obsession”.

“The gamechanger for me was that BBC David Attenborough documentary. I was shellshocked.

“Greta Thunberg, too, who’d have thought she’d be seen all over the world on her school’s steps”

“I also saw the images of the Koala bear going into the flames in Australia. The fires killed billions of animals. How can that be possible?

“I live eat and breathe this now, I’ve become obsessed with it. Installing solar panels and heat pumps, it does feel like you’re doing your bit.”

Knaresborough High Street is closed in both directions following a car accident.

A car overturned opposite Knaresborough House and near the Bond End roundabout. It is not known at this stage if anyone was hurt.

There are reports of long queues in both directions.

Updates to follow.

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Taxi fares are set to rise in the Harrogate district after the council-backed drivers’ calls for an increase to help cover soaring fuel costs which this month hit another record high.

The 5% fare rise will come into force from May 1 if no objections are raised.

It will make the Harrogate district the 14th most expensive council area for fares in the UK, according to a council report.

The rise was approved by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, on Tuesday after requests from several drivers.

This included Richard Fieldman, owner of A1 Cars Ripon, who said fuel prices have been “crippling” for the trade and that while he welcomed the decision, it should have been made sooner.

He said:

“I’m very pleased to see this passed because it is exactly what we asked for, even though the fare formula showed we needed a 11% rise to cover our costs.

“One thing that has really disgruntled me though is the length of time it is taking to implement this.

“I made the request in November and by the time it is introduced, it will be nearly a year and a half since our last increase in December 2020.

“In this current time when drivers are shouldering rising expenses and some are leaving the trade because they can’t make it pay, it is appalling for the council to show no urgency.”

Kevin O’Boyle, owner of Central Taxis and the longest holder of a taxi license in the Harrogate district, also welcomed the 5% increase which he said struck a balance between the needs of customers and drivers.

He said: 

“We realise the fare formula said we needed a 11.4% rise, but times are not normal and everyone is having to bite the bullet.

“We as drivers felt 11.4% would be too great for the public – and while we would have gained more money in fares, we would have had people stopping using taxis because they would be too dear.”

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Fuel is the biggest expense for taxi drivers and petrol prices at the pumps reached 148.02p a litre at the weekend, while diesel hit a new record high of 151.57p a litre last Thursday.

This comes after a big drop in taxi earnings during the Covid lockdowns when some drivers abandoned the trade for other work.

Last November it was estimated that as many as 60 drivers in the Harrogate district quit with many now in new jobs and little desire to return.

Mr Fieldman said the 5% rise would go “some way” to keep drivers in their jobs as he also expressed hopes that trade will pick up after winter.

He said:

“We are still struggling and I just hope as we get into spring things improve for the trade and that drivers will be able to carry on and make it profitable.”

The 5% rise will be on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, and there will also be an increase in starting prices from £3.40 to £3.60.

It means customers will pay a maximum of £5.37 for a one mile journey, or £24.27 for 10 miles.

A council spokesperson said:

“We are required to strike a balance between setting a fare that is acceptable to the customer and the taxi driver.

“These proposed fares are currently out for public comment, and should there be no objections, the changes will be implemented on 1 May.”