Community groups in the dark about Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods plan

In July, Harrogate Spring Water promised to publish “within weeks” details of a new planning application to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods. But as the end of the year approaches, it looks no nearer to being made public.

The company’s pledge followed January’s high-profile refusal to expand the plant, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, Harrogate Spring Water offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind Harlow Carr Gardens.

But the loss of trees at Rotary Wood provoked a major backlash and councillors on Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject it.

Harrogate Spring Water already has outline permission dating back to 2016 to expand its bottling plant, but the company said in July it was working on a completely new application and the old application would be disregarded.

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The company pledged to consult with the community before pursuing a formal planning application to the council.

However, the Stray Ferret has been told that no meaningful talks with community groups have taken place since January’s refusal.

Groups that are still in the dark about what the new application will look like include the Rotary Club, which planted the trees in Rotary Wood, and Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that works to preserve the Pinewoods.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is still in the process of talking to all relevant parties. We will communicate any update as and when it happens.”

Woman ‘horrified’ at £100 parking fine outside Harrogate pharmacy

A woman in Harrogate said she was “horrified” to be hit with a £100 parking ticket whilst she was collecting an NHS prescription from Well Pharmacy on Wetherby Road.

Shirley Hopkinson collects a repeat prescription from the pharmacy, which is part of Kingswood Medical Centre, twice a month. She said she always phones ahead to check it is ready to collect.

When she came to pick it up on November 17, the pharmacy was busy so she waited for 33 minutes.

This is longer than the 15 minutes free parking allowed in the adjoining car park.

Ten days later, Ms Hopkinson received a parking fine for £100 from a private company called Civil Enforcement, which it said would be reduced to £60 if paid straight away. 

She queried the fine with the pharmacy, which told her customers regularly received fines for overstaying in the car park. It added she could appeal, although there was no guarantee this would be successful.

Ms Hopkinson said:

“I am horrified that an NHS doctor’s surgery and pharmacy have allowed a privately owned parking enforcement company to issue patients, family and friends with huge fines for simply collecting prescriptions.”

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Ms Hopkinson said the car park should be free to use for longer than 15 minutes, which she said is not long enough if there is a queue or you need advice.

She added:

“Wetherby Road is a very busy road with next to no on-street parking available for people to use. 

“When I was in the pharmacy an elderly lady that was collecting her husband’s prescriptions told me she had also been fined. Why should people who are ill, elderly or simply collecting medication be penalised? The car park has a few signs stating a waiting period of 15 minutes.”

A spokesman for Well Pharmacy told the Stray Ferret that it does not own the car park, so it does not control how long people can park there or whether motorists receive fines.

It said it was “deeply regrettable” that Ms Hopkinson had to wait 33 minutes, but said the pharmacy was under extra pressure due to covid.

Power cut leaves Harrogate businesses in the dark

A power cut on Beulah Street in Harrogate this morning has forced several businesses to close.

It is not known if the outage is related to Storm Arwen, which is still affecting electricity supply in the district.

Costa Coffee, British Red Cross, Aplifon Hearing Centre are all closed. At CEX the lights are not working but the tills and card reader are so they can still serve customers who must wait outside.

Power went off at about 8.30am and was still off at the time of publication. It is expected to return later today.

James Buckley, supervisor at CEX, said there are several different power lines on Beulah Street, so businesses on the other side of the road are open as normal.

He said:

“We are in darkness. It’s a health and safety issue, but we can still sell stuff but not let customers into the store.”

Connie Lancaster, assistant manager at the British Red Cross, decided to close completely until the power comes back on. She has been unable to get more information from Northern Powergrid due to telephone wait times of almost two hours.

She said:

“We’ve been very unlucky”.

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Many homes in the district are still without power following Friday night’s storm, according to a live map by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

One reader, who asked not to be named, said the rural area of Skelding, half a mile away from Grantley village, told us last night:

“We feel forgotten about. We were given a tiny bit of power on Saturday night at 7pm so 21 hours of nothing. However this wasn’t enough for most lights, boilers, washer or ovens. Then this afternoon came the good news that Grantley village and school are back on full power however the farms and houses in Skelding are now without anything

Another reader from Grantley said her family had booked into a hotel when temperatures in their house plunged to six degrees centigrade.

 

11 fly-tipping fines issued in Harrogate district despite almost 3,000 reports

Harrogate Borough Council has issued just 11 fines for fly-tipping in the last five years, despite receiving 2,845 reports from the public.

The figures were obtained through a freedom of information request and posted on the website What Do They Know.

The council has the power to fine fly-tippers £400, which is reduced to £240 if paid within 10 days.

A council spokesperson blamed the low number of fines on needing “substantial” evidence before it can take action.

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The figures also reveal that fly-tipping has cost the council £190,985 in clean-up costs since 2017.

The most commonly dumped items were household waste, construction waste and white goods.

The council spokesperson said:

“Fly-tipping is a selfish crime that blights the landscape and spoils everyone’s enjoyment of our towns and countryside.

“In order to prosecute we need to carry out thorough investigations and provide substantial evidence. This can be a challenge as not all fly-tipping contain personal or business details we can investigate.

“But we will not give up tackling fly-tippers and bringing them to justice.“

Harrogate Town director Garry Plant leaves club

Garry Plant’s role as a director of Harrogate Town has been terminated, and he has left the club.

Mr Plant was managing director from 2014 until the appointment of former Stray FM boss Sarah Barry as chief executive in October.

As part of the restructuring behind the scenes, Mr Plant moved to become the commercial director with Ms Barry overseeing the whole operation.

Mr Plant was in charge of business operations during the most successful period of Harrogate Town’s history. He oversaw improvements to the club’s Wetherby Road ground and was part of the club’s move to full-time professional football.

Mr Plant, who has also had a career in the chemical and coating sector, is no longer listed as a director on the club’s Companies House profile. According to Companies House, his directorship terminated on November 22.

A Harrogate Town spokesman confirmed the news and said “we wish him all the best for the future.”

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Ripon pool delay not linked to sinkhole issues, says council

Harrogate Borough Council has said “categorically” that a delay to the opening of Ripon’s new swimming pool is not linked to ground stability issues and the threat of sinkholes.

The six-lane pool on Dallamires Lane was due to open on December 8 but the council said on Friday this had been delayed because a fault with the lining of the pool had been found during testing. The pool is now due to open in January but no precise date has been confirmed.

A council spokesman said pool manufacturer Myrtha would be carrying out additional work to fix the problem, at no extra cost to the council.

A swimming pool liner is a vinyl surface that is attached to the walls and floor of a pool to help keep in the water.

There have been long-standing concerns about sinkholes on the land the pool has been built on. But a council spokesman said the two issues were not linked.

“We can categorically confirm that this issue is related to the lining of the pool and not a ground stability issue.”

Harrogate Borough Council closed Ripon Spa Baths last month in anticipation of the new pool opening. The delay to the Dallamires Lane pool means there is nowhere to go for a swim in Ripon until the new year.

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Concerns have again been raised recently that the site could be permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.

This month, a council-commissioned report by engineering company Stantec outlined measures to mitigate the effects of a void that was detected last year.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, called for the council to postpone a decision on the measures and give greater consideration to finding an alternative site.

Senior councillors voted to press ahead with plans to carry out further work while opening most of the site.

The Stray Ferret revealed last week that Ripon’s new leisure project is now more than £4m over budget.

Harrogate’s Geek Bar closes

The Geek Bar on Bower Road in Harrogate has closed for good.

The board game bar and restaurant was opened in March last year by Alan Evans, who wanted to combine his love of geek culture with his background in hospitality.

It offered geek-themed cocktails and food as well as a Dungeons and Dragons table and a wide range of board games to play.

However, the landlord of the building has decided he needs the building for other purposes, so Geek Bar has had to move out.

The site was previously home to LeD2 restaurant for 15 years.

Mr Evans told the Stray Ferret:

“[The landlord] is turning it into office space I believe but I don’t know too much.

 “We are on good terms with him and he has been super reasonable with everything.

 “We are continuing our D&D sessions at my offices on Hornbeam Park. We are currently looking for a new site here in Harrogate and talking to a few people on using their space for potential pop ups in the new year.

 “We are super proud of the community we started and we hope to keep it going in whatever form it takes in the future.”

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Harrogate Swedish-inspired cafe to expand into Knaresborough

Fi-K is set to open a Swedish cafe concept on Knaresborough Market Place.

Fi:K opened its first cafe in August at Montpellier Gardens in Harrogate. It sells Swedish-inspired open sandwiches, salads, artisan pastries and smoothie bowls.

It’s named after the Swedish term for cafe “Fi:K” and the Swedish ideal of “fika” which considers making time for family, friends and colleagues every day as essential.

Fi-K posted on its Facebook page that it will open next door to its sister business Reuben & Grey on 33 Market Place in Knaresborough, with an expected opening date to be announced in the next few weeks.

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It says it will offer an “exciting, unique concept” of selling coffee during the day and wine in the evening.

“Following the success of our Harrogate FI:K, we’ve decided to embark upon a new venture to the beautiful town of Knaresborough, only a stones throw away from the famous castle grounds.

“This comes with an exciting, unique concept; coffee by day and wine by night with our sister business Reuben & Grey located next door.

“Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for our opening announcement.”

Nicaragua ambassador visits Cold Bath Road tobacconist

The Ambassador of Nicaragua, Guisell Morales-Echaverry, was in Harrogate on Friday night to congratulate a tobacconist for its sales of Nicaraguan cigars.

James Barber Tobacconist on Cold Bath Road sells over 100 different types of cigars from Nicaragua, which is a major cigar exporter with an industry worth $255m a year.

The unusual visit came about because this year Nicaragua is marking 200 years since Central America gained independence from the Spanish empire, so the country rewarded one of its top UK importers with a visit from its ambassador.

James Barber, the shop owner, said he felt “very honoured” to welcome her.

“Nicaragua makes very good cigars that compete with Cuba. Their construction of the cigars is fantastic.”

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Mr Barber said there was a booming trade in Harrogate for expensive cigars, with a Nicaraguan effort costing around £20.

Many people say cigars are an unhealthy and bad habit, but Mr Barber said they are “different from cigarettes”.

“You always get that, but you don’t inhale cigars and people tend to only smoke them on special occasions.”

Ms Morales-Echaverry attended a charity cigar-smoking event at Three’s A Crowd, with all money raised going to a charity of her choosing.

BREAKING: Ripon pool opening delayed until January after fault found

Ripon’s new swimming pool will not open until January after a fault was found with the lining of the pool during testing.

The six-lane pool on Dallamires Lane was due to open to swimmers on December 8 but will now be delayed to an unconfirmed date in January 2022.

Harrogate Borough Council said pool manufacturer Myrtha will be carrying out additional work to fix the problem, at no extra cost to the council.

Conservative councillor Stanley Lumley, HBC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“New swimming pools go through a significant amount of testing to ensure they are safe to use for years to come and provide the best experience for the customer.

“During the testing period of the new six-lane 25metre swimming pool at the leisure centre on Dallamires Road in Ripon, an issue was identified with the lining of the pool.

“We understand this is disappointing but would like to reassure you we are working as quickly and as thoroughly as possible to open the pool as soon as we can.”

Harrogate Borough Council closed Ripon Spa Baths last month in anticipation of the new pool opening. It now means there is nowhere to have a swim in Ripon until the new year.

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The council has not released details of exactly what the fault is.  It’s not clear if it is related to the ground the pool has been built on.

However, concerns have again been raised recently that the site could be permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.

Earlier this month after a council-commissioned report by engineering company Stantec outlined measures to mitigate the effects of a void that was detected last year.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, called for the council to postpone a decision on the measures and give greater consideration to finding an alternative site.

Senior councillors voted to press ahead with its plan to carry out further work while opening most of the site.

The Stray Ferret revealed today that Ripon’s new leisure project is now more than £4m over budget.