Homes England ‘frustrated’ by delays to 200-home scheme at Police Training Centre

Homes England has expressed frustration at Harrogate councillors for stalling its bid to build 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre.

The government housing agency has permission to build 161 homes on the site on Yew Tree Lane but wants to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee voted in June against a recommendation to approve the application.

Instead it deferred the scheme pending publication of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, which will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The plan was expected last year but has been delayed.

In an email dated June 18 to Harrogate Borough Council, which the Stray Ferret obtained through a freedom of information request, Homes England described the planning committee’s decision as “extremely disappointing”.

It said it was made due to councillors’ “misconceptions” about the role of Homes England.

The email claims these misconceptions were because council officers did not properly brief the councillors who voted on the scheme about what the housing agency does.

It also warned it was considering taking legal action against the council over the decision.

Councillors influenced by ‘misconceptions’

In the email to the council, Homes England stressed its importance in buying stalled sites that have been “subject to market failure” and helping the council meet government housing targets.

The email said Homes England had approached the council about briefing councillors themselves on the role of the housing agency but said this offer was rejected. It says this led to “misconceptions” that influenced councillors’ decision-making.

“Concerns in respect of the Agency’s role in ‘accelerating housing delivery’ are particularly frustrating and in our view could have been satisfactorily addressed at an early stage of the process via stakeholder consultation or a briefing to members from Homes England.

“This approach was suggested to HBC at various stages, but we were advised against direct engagement with members and our understanding was that officers would manage this process on our behalf. It is therefore frustrating that HBC have not addressed these fundamental questions in their role of briefing members on the application.”

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Homes England also disputed that the Police Training Centre site should form part of the parameters plan.

“Homes England does not consider any policy basis exists to delay determination of the application until the completion of the WHPP. The WHPP does not form part of the development plan, and has not been consulted upon and is not sufficiently advanced to form a material consideration to any application at this time.

“The Police Training Centre is an allocated site with an extant consent and we were surprised to be in a position whereby the application has been deferred pending the approval of the WHPP, which is likely to take a number of months to complete.

“We’d be grateful if HBC can provide a response setting out their proposed strategy for successful navigating this application through planning committee as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are seeking legal advice regarding our planning strategy, including the merits of an Appeal against Non-Determination.”

What happens next?

The site from above is highlighted in red.

The email to HBC says Homes England has appointed Countryside Properties Ltd to build the homes pending a successful planning application.

A Homes England spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“Homes England continues to engage with Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and local resident groups regarding its outline planning application at the Police Training Centre, which is part of the borough council’s adopted Local Plan.”

A Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA) spokesperson said the council’s planning committee made the correct decision in deferring the application, pending the publication of the parameters plan.

“Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed during engagement sessions that the geographical extent of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan does include this site.

“Homes England is taking a deliberately narrow view of the planning framework when it is clear that the public interest is best served by the wider implications for the western arc area being considered, through the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The delivery of new homes and communities is a key corporate priority for us, and we work very closely with Homes England, and other partners, to deliver our housing delivery action plan.

“Councillors receive regular training sessions on all aspects of our housing delivery and strategic sites work to ensure we can all support this plan.”

Harrogate business group uninvites Philip Allott from meeting

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has withdrawn an invitation to Philip Allott to speak at its November meeting.

The group invites prominent figures from local government, charity and business to address members on topics related to Harrogate at its monthly meetings.

Mr Allott, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, was due to speak about his role, current policing and his priorities for the future.

However, the commissioner has received heavy criticism following comments on BBC Radio York on Friday about the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.

In the interview, Mr Allott said women “need to be streetwise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said the group had withdrawn its offer to Mr Allott.

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Mr Simister said:

“We had initially invited North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to speak at this meeting, but this offer was withdrawn on Monday morning.

“Instead, we have invited the team behind delivering the £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway project to present the next stage of the consultation process, which includes revised plans and detailed drawings.

“Due to the importance of this subject, we will be making this an open meeting to all town centre businesses, as we want them to fully appreciate the implications the scheme will have on them and their customers.

“During the open networking session, taking place between 5.30pm and 6.15pm, attendees will have an opportunity to examine the plans, give feedback, and submit questions to be put to the delivery team at the meeting following their presentation.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, London mayor Sadiq Khan and TV personality Piers Morgan have been among those condemning Mr Allott’s comments and calling for his resignation. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition calling on him to step down.

The Stray Ferret emailed Mr Allott’s office for a response. His office sent a link to an apology he made over the weekend, which said.

“I would like to reiterate my heartfelt apology for my comments on BBC Radio York on Friday October 1, which I realise were both misconceived and insensitive and have caused upset and distress. I have withdrawn the remarks.”

Harrogate IT firm buys York company for £9.5m

Harrogate-based IT services provider Redcentric has bought York IT company Piksel IS for £9.5m.

Redcentric’s headquarters are at Central House on Otley Road and said the acquisition will help it develop its cloud and security services.

Piksel IS employs 93 staff in York and London.

In July, Redcentric reported revenue of £91.4m for the year ending 31 March 2021, up from £87.5m in 2019/20.

Peter Brotherton, chief executive at Redcentric, said:

“This is an extremely exciting strategic acquisition for Redcentric and combines the secure, asset light, digital transformation capabilities of Piksel IS with the managed infrastructure, unified communications and connectivity solutions of Redcentric.

“We are delighted that the combined portfolio will accelerate the Redcentric group’s ability to deliver industry leading, transformative solutions to our customers and expands our capabilities in hyperscale public cloud and security.”

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Paul Mardling, managing director at Piksel IS, added:

“We are looking forward to being part of Redcentric.  The combined expertise of Redcentric and Piksel IS will bring benefits to both our customers and people.  We are now part of a successful larger group and that will help us capitalise on the growing and substantial market for advanced cloud services, networks and cyber security.”

Nigel Adams MP’s £33,000 donation from former Russian businessman back in spotlight

A former arms tycoon who has donated £33,800 to Harrogate district Conservative MP Nigel Adams is back under media scrutiny.

This morning The Guardian and the BBC published revelations from the “Pandora Papers” leaks all week.

The “Pandora Papers” as they have become known were a huge set of leaked tax documents revealing off-shore accounts and tax avoidance across the world.

Yesterday, The Guardian revealed that Russian millionaire and UK citizen, Viktor Fedotov, was the secret owner of a company that, it claimed, syphoned funds from a Russian pipeline and made at least £72m through offshore financial structures and tax havens. He has denied the allegations.

Mr Fedotov is now the majority owner of Aquind, an entirely separate company that is jointly owned by Alexander Temerko. There is no suggestion Mr Temerko had any knowledge of the possible origins of Mr Fedotov’s fortune.

Aquind is currently seeking UK government approval for a controversial electricity cable from France to England.

Between 2015 and 2017 Mr Temerko personally donated £33,800 to Nigel Adams MP, whose Selby constituency includes villages Follifoot, Spofforth, Weeton and Kirkby Overblow.

Mr Temerko and Aquind have donated at least £1.1m in total to the Conservatives. Mr Adams is one of eight MPs and ministers to have received donations.

The company has previously said all political donations had “complied with the relevant legislations”.

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Born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, Mr Temerko was an oil and arms executive in Russia and is now a UK citizen. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

Aquind’s lawyers told The Guardian that the accusations against the Russian company previously co-owned by Fedotov were “completely false” and came from a “wholly unreliable” report.

The Stray Ferret approached Mr Adams for comment but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Harrogate Spring Water blames pandemic as profits fall sharply

Harrogate Spring Water has reported a sharp fall in profits, blaming a decline in bottled drinking water in hotels, restaurants and on aircraft due to covid.

The company, which was bought by French multinational Danone in June last year, has published its latest annual financial report, which covers the nine months to December 31 2020.

Sales revenue decreased from £26.2m in the 12-month period ending March 31 2020 to £10.4m in the nine-month period ending December 31 2020.

Profit declined over the same period from £8.3m to £1.9m. After tax, the company made a £1.8m loss.

The number of staff fell from 83 to 80.

The report also lists current risks to profitability that includes the impact of Brexit which it says has resulted in “greater economic uncertainty”.

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Harrogate Spring Water marketing manager Nicky Cain told the Stray Ferret she expected to see improved results for 2021.

“We were one of the most hardest hit by the pandemic and people no longer being on the move.
“We are now seeing encouraging bounce-back with trade over the summer now back to pre-pandemic levels.
“During this massively challenging period, we’ve continued to support those sectors hardest hit. We have worked with the hospitality industry through supporting the Drinks Trust, and have supported the arts sector through our activation with The Royal Albert Hall and running our limited edition label competition.
“It’s also important to recognise that throughout this tough period we have continued to ringfence our guaranteed donation through our ethical water brand Thirsty Planet, to the charity Pump Aid, who have continued to deliver clean water projects in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Parent company Danone also experienced a fall in revenue and profits, which it blamed on the pandemic, in 2020.

The company, which also owns Actimel, Alpro and Evian, saw revenue fall from £25.3bn in 2019 to £23.6bn.

The Pinewoods expansion

Meanwhile, Harrogate Spring Water is preparing to submit a new planning application to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods.

The company was granted outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site in 2016, which meant the principle of development had been established but the details had not been agreed.

The reserved matters application provoked a major backlash due to the loss of trees at Rotary Wood. In January this year, councillors on the planning committee voted overwhelmingly to reject it— against the wishes of council officers who had recommended approval.

The company said in July it was working on a completely new application and the 2016 application would be disregarded.

It has pledged to consult with the community before pursuing a formal planning application to the council.

Why one woman’s roadside jam is Harrogate’s best kept secret

By the roadside on Brackenthwaite Lane near Burn Bridge, you might spot an umbrella and table outside a house with perhaps the best jam and marmalade in Harrogate for sale.

It’s all been homemade by former dairy farmer Elaine Church, who has lived there for 47 years.

If you leave £2 in her postbox, you can pick up a jar of orange, lemon, apricot, plum or pineapple jams or marmalades all made without preservatives. 

Ms Church said:

“I’ve always made it but I started selling it 12 years ago to see if I could, and I just kept going. 

“It’s seen me through lockdown. I think I’d have gone mad if I hadn’t had it.”

When Ms Church is in the garden she enjoys chatting to customers and said she meets people from all walks of life.

She said:

“Usually they tell me it’s alright, They go mad for the piccalilli, I can’t sell enough piccalilli! They say it’s lovely.”

‘Not out too fancy’

Ms Church also bakes cakes, which she describes as “not out too fancy”, on request. She had two delicious Bakewell tarts fresh out of the oven waiting for the Stray Ferret when we visited.

“Last week a lady said I made the best Bakewell tarts she’d had in her life. That was nice”

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Ms Church grows as much of her own produce as she can to make the preserves. However, a recent experiment growing raspberries failed to bear fruit after some cunning voles climbed the stalks to eat them. She is philosophical.

“You have to share these things with wildlife.”

At the end of the day, when she brings her table inside, she’s pleased to see an empty box and is even happier when people return their used jam jars.

“I hadn’t sold anything for three days this last weekend, for some reason nothing went. I thought I wonder why? But then on Monday the whole lot went.

“I want people to bring to bring jars back. I like to recycle.”

The secret to her recipes is nothing elaborate, just good old-fashioned Yorkshire cooking.

“Chuck some fruit in a pan, add sugar and Bob’s your uncle.”

Menwith Hill involved in ‘significant number’ of deadly US drone strikes

A new report has alleged RAF Menwith Hill on the outskirts of Harrogate has provided intelligence for American drone bombings campaigns in the Middle East, including the high-profile assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

The report, called “Menwith Hill in 3D, Domes, Data and Drone Strikes” has been written by journalist Barnaby Pace on behalf of Yorkshire CND and Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign.

It says the aim of the report is to encourage “wider political and public understanding” of what goes on at the secretive surveillance base.

Built in the 1950s, giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the site.

The Snowden leaks

Leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden identify Menwith Hill as providing the intelligence for “a significant number” of operations to “eliminate” targets in the Middle East.

These include operations to target terrorists in Yemen through controversial drone bombing campaigns that have also killed civilians.

The United States has defended its use of drone strikes against terrorist targets as “necessary, legal and just”.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved several planning applications in recent years to expand Menwith Hill, which the report says reflects the “increasingly wide-ranging and technologically sophisticated surveillance apparatus” built up at the base. 

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Qasem Soleimani

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was killed by an armed US drone in Baghdad in January 2020 and the report says it was “probable” that the facilities at Menwith Hill were used to target that drone strike.

President Trump, who authorised the strike, called Soleimani “a monster” and said his killing was “a good thing”. However, it ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran.

The report says:

“The involvement of the UK and Menwith Hill in an assassination that threatened to spark a war should be of great concern.”

Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds North-West, has asked the government whether Menwith Hill had a role in the killing of Soleimani.

A government minister said:

“In accordance with long-standing policy we do not comment on the details of the operations carried out at RAF Menwith Hill in providing intelligence support.”

An MOD Spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“RAF Menwith Hill is part of a worldwide US Defence communications network, with the base supporting a variety of communications activity. For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, neither the MOD nor the DoD publicly discuss specifics concerning military operations or classified communications regardless of unit, platform or asset.

“US Forces maintain robust civilian and military cooperation with the United Kingdom and manage all base activities in accordance with the agreements made between the United States and Her Majesty’s Government.”

Hot Seat: Harrogate Town’s new CEO aims to take club to new heights

Sarah Barry is Harrogate through and through.

She grew up in the town, attended Granby High School and worked for Stray FM from almost the start of its existence in 1994 until its closure last year.

In her first media interview since becoming the club’s new chief executive officer three weeks ago, she told the Stray Ferret there are some surprising similarities between running a local radio station and a football club.

“When I was running Stray FM, our unique selling point was ‘local’. Our stakeholders were our community, listeners, advertisers, regulators and owners. It’s exactly the same with the football industry.”

The jump to league football

On the pitch, Simon Weaver and his players have brought Harrogate Town into the English Football League for the first time in their existence and have captured the imagination of the footballing world for their team spirit and style of play.

However, in some respects it’s been a difficult summer off the field.

Multiple safety issues at the ground forced the council to ban fans from attending a friendly, their online ticket booking system went down on the day of a match and there has been a public row between two rival fan groups.

Ms Barry said suggestions that the club was not prepared for the off the field rigours of league football are “grossly unfair”:

“It’s easy to say that on the outside looking in but I’ve been with the club three weeks and I’ve picked it up really quickly. I’m really protective of my team now. We’ve made some errors but we had to prioritise and make sure the team was ready to play football. It’s like having 20 tennis balls thrown at you, you can only catch so many of those.”

Wetherby Road

Key to Ms Barry’s role will be growing the fanbase and attracting more fans to the EnviroVent Stadium. It’s often said that Harrogate is not a “football town” but she believes there is potential to double their regular attendance to 6,000 people.

“We’re not [a football town]. That’s a fact. But we have the Harrogate district. Nearly 150,000 people live here and we can can reach out to them.

“We have got football fanatics, the schools and community who we really want to work strongly with.

“Leeds United have done a lot of work around here, but most people have two teams. They’ll have a bigger team and they’ll have a local team. Not everyone can afford to go off to Manchester United or Liverpool.”

The stadium is in a residential area and flanked by the busy Wetherby Road. The ground has been transformed after some serious investment from the club but it’s hard to ignore some well-documented issues.

It’s difficult to park, they’ve had to close the 1919 bar on match days, and fans spill out onto the road at the end of games. So will the ground be able to cope with 6,000 fans?

Ms Barry said “there are no immediate short-term plans” to move the ground but conceded it has challenges which she believes they can overcome.

She said:

“There has been a lot of work in years gone by to potentially move the ground. There are so many challenges [at the EnviroVent], we won’t hide from that.

“A decision was taken and there’s been a lot of investment. If we can make it happen to stay where we are that will be the first choice at the moment. 

I’ve been to a stadium recently and the capacity was 20,000 but they had 5,500 fans in that. It looked empty, what would you rather have? A jam packed ground full of energy and atmosphere bouncing off every corner, like we had at Newport. I thought the atmosphere was electric. That’s what we’re after week-in week-out. I’d rather have that than a ground thats three quarters empty.”

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Communication

As part of the restructuring at Harrogate Town, Garry Plant will move from managing director to commercial director with Ms Barry overseeing the whole operation.

Mr Plant has been the public face of the business side of the club and has been the scapegoat for some issues fans have had with the club, particularly around communication.

Ms Barry strongly defended his work.

“I’ve known Garry since he started at the club. He’s a great guy and has done so much that is unseen. He’s come in for some stick. I’ll defend him. 90% of the stuff he does is unseen. You see what happens on the football field, but what goes on behind that and the hard work, nobody sees that. I’m here to support him and he’s doing a great job.”

Ms Barry also stressed the importance of the club’s supporter liaison officer (SLO) Phill Holdsworth, who like Mr Plant, has faced criticism from a section of the fanbase. She wants to improve communication between the club and fans.

She said:

“I’m new to this and don’t know whether [the criticism of the SLO] is warranted or not. Some of it is not defensible in any way shape or form. I want to help him as well improve those relationships. It’s fundamental to have an SLO. It will really help us as a club. We need to nip some of these things in the bud and understand if there’s any upset or hostility and try and prevent it. Everyone is in this for the same reason.”

The Weavers

Ms Barry said her role at the club came about through the friendship she forged with Simon during her time at Stray FM.

It’s clear the reverence she has for both him and his dad, the club chairman and owner Irving Weaver.

I almost daren’t broach the subject of what would happen if a club higher up the leagues approached them about Simon Weaver becoming their new manager. She said: “You’d have to ask Simon that question. I’d obviously like him to stay!”

She wants to help the club achieve further success and reward the Irving family for what they’ve put into the club over the past decade.

“Simon is amazing and inspirational full stop. He’s probably the reason I’m sat here. Listening to him speak, he’s eloquent and has this sincerity that is genuine. He’s got respect and there’s no spin.

“I want to see all the effort money, and time come to fruition over the past years for the owner.”

Speculation Harrogate council leader will not seek re-election in 2022

Sources have told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper will stand down as a councillor next year and leave local government.

Multiple senior political figures have reported to us that the Conservative, who has been council leader since 2014, will not seek re-election when the Harrogate district next goes to the polls in May 2022.

He is expected to continue in his role as office manager for the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones.

With Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council set to be abolished and replaced by a new single authority for North Yorkshire, the number of councillors in the Harrogate district is likely to be halved from 40 to 20.

Cllr Cooper, who represents Harrogate Central, has been on Harrogate Borough Council since 1999.

In 2013, he was also elected to represent Harrogate Central on North Yorkshire County Council.

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Cllr Cooper has been at the helm during the borough council’s move from Crescent Gardens to the Civic Centre, the development of the Harrogate district Local Plan, which outlines where development can take place in the district, the staging of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate and proposals for a £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Cooper if he would like to comment on the speculation but he asked us to direct the inquiry to the Harrogate Borough Council press office.

However, the press office said it would not comment because it was a political matter for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party.

New Harrogate Town CEO: ‘Ticketing system not fit for purpose’

The new chief executive of Harrogate Town has said the club’s online ticketing system, which led to some fans being unable to attend last weekend’s match, is “not fit for purpose” and is giving the club a bad reputation.

At about midday on Saturday, the club posted on social media that its online ticket booking system was down.

The club had already closed its box office at 11am to avoid long queues forming on Wetherby Road so disappointed fans yet to buy tickets were unable to attend.

One fan, who had hoped to attend but was unable to buy a ticket, told the Stray Ferret the situation was “a farce”.

‘We’ve got a problem’

Sarah Barry, who was appointed chief executive last month, was on a panel at a Harrogate Town fans forum at the Cedar Court Hotel last night.

The panel, which also included first-team manager Simon Weaver and managing director Garry Plant, answered questions submitted by fans.

Ms Barry said:

“The ticketing system is not fit for purpose. It’s one of the priorities I have to fix.

“It wasn’t tested during the pandemic. We’ve got a problem.”

Ms Barry defended some of the criticism levelled at the club and said many of the ticketing problems were outside its control. She said the club was working on a Plan B that could see it move to a new online ticket booking provider.

She said several other clubs in the English Football League had encountered similar problems with Town’s current provider. She did not say which ones.

Ms Barry added:

“It’s not an overnight fix. There have been different problems all outside of Harrogate Town.

“It’s a rotten experience and gives us a bad reputation. Give me a chance to find a solution.”

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‘Perfect storm’

Ms Barry said the ongoing closure of the 1919 bar at the ground meant some fans had been drinking in pubs away from Wetherby Road and coming to games nearer to kick off, causing long queues.

This contributed to the club’s decision to stop selling tickets in-person from 11am to encourage fans to buy online.

However, Ms Barry conceded that the 11am announcement “was not communicated enough” and led to a “perfect storm” due to the online system being down.

Ms Barry said from the next home game against Scunthorpe on October 9, the club will sell tickets from its shop on Commercial Street until 3pm to allow fans to purchase tickets in-person closer to kick off.