Civic society cautiously welcomes plan to redevelop former Debenhams building

Harrogate Civic Society has welcomed plans to demolish the former Debenhams building on Parliament Street so it can be replaced with a new six-storey structure, but said the proposals need to improved.

Last week, Wetherby-based property firm Stirling Prescient unveiled plans for a building on the site with retail, leisure and food and drink units on the ground floor and 1,2 and 3-bedroom apartments on the upper floors. There would also be a basement floor for car parking and bicycle storage.

The developer said the current building, which is empty after Debenhams moved out in January, is not suitable for conversion to smaller units due to its layout and age and risks becoming an “eyesore” unless it’s redeveloped.

Stuart Holland, chair of the Harrogate Civic Society, a group that comments on significant planning applications in the town, told the Stray Ferret that members recently met with the developer for a presentation on their plans.

He said due to the historical significance of the building, demolition will only be acceptable to the civic society if what replaces it is “of the highest quality”.

He added that the society welcomes the mix of retail and housing but said six storeys is “too high” so it is encouraging the developer to reduce it by one storey so it does not tower over the area.

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The society says the proposed roof level is “too dominant” and a substantially glazed structure would be preferred – similar to the proposed rooftop restaurant of the Crescent Gardens building.

It is also recommending that the building’s stained glass windows should be salvaged and re-purposed.

Mr Holland added:

“We understand that a full planning application will be made in the coming weeks and we hope the developer will take on board the Civic Society comments that aim to be constructive.”

Stirling Prescient has invited comments from the public about their plans at the following email address: planning@westminsterhouseharrogate.co.uk

Harrogate Town bars fans from stand due to lack of stewards

Harrogate Town’s EnviroVent Stand will be closed to home and away fans for their League 2 game against Exeter tomorrow due to a shortage of stewards.

The club tweeted this morning that they are facing “operational difficulties” around stewarding for the game which kicks off at 3pm tomorrow afternoon.

They added there is a national shortage of qualified stewards and other football clubs and events are having the same difficulties.

Fans who had booked tickets to watch the game in the stand, which is on the Wetherby Road side of the ground, have been offered spaces in the Black Sheep Brewery Stand.

A map of the ground. Credit – Harrogate Town.

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The club added:

“After Saturday we are confident that stewarding issues will be resolved and we can operate as normal. Please accept our sincere apologies for this inconvenience and we look forward to seeing you all at the game.”

Recent issues at the EnviroVent Stadium have led to a difficult summer for the club.

They were forced to play a pre-season friendly against Sunderland behind closed doors after North Yorkshire County Council found 17 “unacceptable risks” at the ground, including inadequate stewarding.

It threw the fan’s hopes of attending the opening game of the season against Rochdale into doubt, although the club were able to overcome the issues with the council in time.

Yesterday, the club appointed former Stray FM boss Sarah Barry as their new CEO. She will begin in the role next month.

CCTV to tackle anti-social behaviour on Bilton’s mural bridge

CCTV will be installed on Bilton’s Iron Bridge to tackle anti-social behaviour and vandalism on a recently painted mural.

Conservative HBC and NYCC councillors for Bilton, Matt Scott and Paul Haslam, are behind the initiative which will be trialled for a month beginning in early September.

In March, a colourful mural featuring flowers and foxes was painted by artist Emma Garness to become a beacon of positivity in the area.

The mural has been well received by local residents but has been the subject of vandalism, despite being daubed with anti-graffiti paint.

The CCTV camera was recently used in Ripon to tackle anti-social behaviour. It has a wide-angle lens so can also capture nearby areas such as the garage block on Woodfield Close.

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Cllr Scott said:

“I am grateful to Paul, Cllr Tim Myatt on the other side of the bridge, Julia and Helen in Community Safety and our fantastic local PCSOs for their support with this.

“Paul and I take antisocial behaviour seriously and we will not let a minority of individuals spoil our wonderful community and make people feel unsafe.

“We have seen recently how residents’ own CCTV can help tackle this issue. I hope this camera will provide reassurance and also act as a deterrent.”

89 more positive covid cases in Harrogate district

Another 89 covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

The district’s weekly covid rate now stands at 316 infections per 100,000 people. The North Yorkshire rate is 314 and the England average is 330.

Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 10 patients for covid.

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Harrogate hospital has recorded no covid deaths in the last 24 hours, according to NHS England statistics. However, two people have died at the hospital due to covid since last Wednesday.

It means the death toll at the hospital from covid since March 2020 stands at 181.

A total of 124,017 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 112,000 have had a second dose.

Eighty-seven per cent of adults have had a first jab and 78 per cent have had two jabs.

Hospitality jobs crisis: ‘We need to offer more than just money’

All week, the Stray Ferret has been reporting on the reasons behind the jobs crisis facing hospitality venues in Harrogate — from low pay, to high housing costs and Brexit.

Today we spoke to two business owners about how the sector can move forward and attract staff. Both said that it’s not as easy as just offering more money.

Kim Wilson owns guesthouses The Camberley and The Lodge on Kings Road and is the chair of guesthouse association,  Accommodation Harrogate.

She said it annoys her when people suggest hospitality venues should simply increase wages to attract staff when covid has significantly increased her business costs.

“Hospitality is under pressure to be cheaper and cheaper. My laundry has just gone up by 15%. Everything is going up and customers want to pay less and less.”

Kim Wilson of the Camberley Hotel on Kings Road

Kim Wilson

With a largely female team of housekeepers, Ms Wilson said the biggest thing the government could do to help her is provide childcare to mums.

“Short of providing free chlldcare here, it’s not worth me paying them £9 an hour for them to pay £8 on childcare. That’s the problem.”

She also said changing attitudes mean some young people no longer want to work.

“Students used to want work over summer whilst they were home from university but their attitude now is sad. It’s: ‘we’re so much in debt already, we’ve given up caring, another £2,000 doesn’t really matter when I owe £40,000’.”

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Paul Kinsey owns the Viper Rooms and said the nightclub has been relatively unscathed by the crisis, compared to hotels, pubs and restaurants.

He said he pays more money per hour to staff than bars and restaurants to give them an edge.

“We’ve always paid more than pubs and bars.

“We recognised fairly early on it was going to be a competitive market. People have choices.”

Hiring staff is one thing but retaining them can be another. Mr Kinsey said it’s not enough to simply offer more money.

“We’ve done research on a number of occasions that asks staff why they come to work and money has always been second or third.

“Top of list is the way they are treated by their boss. It’s as simple as that. That distinguishes us from some of the larger operators in town where it can be anonymous.”

Paul Kinsey

Harrogate BID recently organised a meeting with Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, HBC, Harrogate College, and figures in the town’s hospitality industry to discuss how to encourage more people to look at hospitality as a real career option.

Mr Kinsey added:

“We’ve got one member of staff who trained as a paramedic but he wants to work in hospitality because he enjoys it. It’s being clear to people that there’s a career to be had. You don’t have to have a qualification, you have to work hard and be honest.

“They can also rise to a position of management a lot younger than in a retail job. If you’re good enough you’re old enough.”

89-year-old man dies after three-vehicle Harrogate district crash

An 89-year-old man has died following a three-vehicle collision on the A59 near Moor Monkton yesterday.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage of the crash, which took place at about 5.10pm and led to lengthy tailbacks.

The 89-year-old man, who has not been named, was driving a red Audi A3 towards York. The man, who was from York, was taken to hospital and died.

A black Audi Q5 and a silver Mini, which were travelling in the opposite direction towards Harrogate, were also involved in the incident.

The driver of the Mini sustained minor injuries and the driver of the Audi Q5 was uninjured.

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North Yorkshire Police is appealing to anyone travelling along the A59 in both directions who has not already spoken to the police to contact them if they saw any of the vehicles prior to the collision or if they witnessed the incident.

Anyone with information, or dashcam footage, can contact Traffic Sergeant Mark Patterson via email at mark.patterson@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call 101, select option 2 and ask for Mark Patterson or Matthew Harvey.

Villagers in Burnt Yates put up scarecrows to tackle speeding

Families in Burnt Yates have built scarecrows, one of which depicts the grim reaper, to remind motorists driving through the village not to speed.

The idea came from Loraine and Sid Hines, who have lived in Burnt Yates for 30 years and worry that speeding cars and ‘boy racers’ will cause serious injury or death.

They have set up a Burnt Yates Speed Committee to tackle the problem.

The speed limit through Burnt Yates is 30mph, with a 20mph section near the school. However, the section of the B6165 leaving the village has a 50mph limit and Ms Hines said more vehicles were exceeding this in recent years.

The committee offered prizes of £30, £20 and £10 for the best scarecrow and every family who entered got a tub of sweets.

However, Ms Hines said two of the scarecrows have been vandalised and one has been stolen since they went up.

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Ms Hines has called on North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, to reduce the speed limit of the B6165 to 30mph.

She said:

“We want something done about the sheer volume of speed and blatant disregard for the rules”.

The council told the Stray Ferret it did not support a reduction in the speed limit.

Nigel Smith, head of highway operations, said:

“Given the accident history of this section of the B6165 and the guidance on which the police’s decisions have to be based, we cannot, at this time, support the request for a reduced speed limit.”

Is Brexit to blame for Harrogate’s hospitality jobs crisis?

Some people believe the equation is simple – the 2016 referendum led to Polish bartenders or Spanish housekeepers deciding to leave Harrogate and return to their home countries. But is it that simple?

The statistics appear to back up the theory.

According to latest ONS figures, the number of non-British residents living in the Harrogate district has halved from its peak of 14,000 in December 2014 to 7,000 in December 2019 — and the covid pandemic has undoubtedly hastened a further exodus since then.

Dan Siddle is the general manager of the Crown Hotel in Harrogate which has been employing chefs, housekeepers and waiters since the 19th century.

The hotel has a workforce of 50 and Mr Siddle said recruiting currently is “the hardest I’ve ever known it” due to a perfect storm of factors, including Brexit and covid.

He told the Stray Ferret the hotel lost several members of staff from the EU that have been difficult to replace.

“Those eastern Europeans had been here a long while. They were my supervisors but they chose not to come back to the UK. That’s three or four important roles. “

However, he thinks “we don’t have to rely on people from Europe” and can employ people locally if they offer an attractive package.

The hotel has raised the hourly wage for housekeeping staff to £10 an hour, has begun to offer roles that come with accommodation and is paying transport costs from Leeds.

He says hospitality is “a fantastic, great industry to work in” but the perception of tough working conditions needs to improve to attract UK workers.

“[The jobs crisis] has given the industry a kick up the behind. We need to change the way we work. The perception didn’t come out of nothing.”

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Lisa Headford is the branch manager of Travail Employment Group, an employment agency based on Princes Street that recruits front-of-house and catering positions across the district.

She told the Stray Ferret that the office is busier than ever and they are having to turn hospitality businesses away because they simply don’t have enough employees on their books to fill roles.

“Everyone is looking for staff. We get calls every day. We have learned to say, ‘we cant help you, we’ve exhausted our resources’.”

However, Ms Headford believes it’s overly simplistic to blame Brexit on the recruitment crisis in hospitality.

She said:

“It’s not definitive. We’ve had a number of people come back to Harrogate from Poland as during the lockdown they didn’t have a permanent job, and they wouldn’t have got furlough. They are now gravitating back.

She said the lockdowns have forced many people who worked in hospitality into jobs with more sociable hours — and they’ve liked the change.

“We had a lot of casual chefs but they’ve become a delivery driver and they haven’t gravitated back.”

Ms Headford said that despite Brexit, Harrogate is still a “very multicultural town” with working families from across the EU.

“These people have been established for a very a long time and are part of our town.”

Are you looking for a job or have a job vacancy you need to promote to as many people as possible? Take a look at the Stray Ferret jobs page to see the latest jobs or to submit a new one.  Every job is placed on our homepage and posted on our social media channels. 

Tomorrow we’ll be reporting on the views of hoteliers and bars owners in Harrogate on what they think should change to attract local talent. 

Harrogate council began talks with new Christmas market organiser in March

Harrogate Borough Council began talks with MarketPlace Europe about staging a new Christmas market in March — four months before it dropped the original organisers.

The council has said it refused a licence to Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, the previous organisers, because the emergency services had raised safety concerns about the site on Montpellier Hill.

However, Brian Dunsby, one of the previous organisers that set-up the market in 2012, has been suspicious of the reasons given and last week accused the council of “having their own agenda”.

The council, which promotes a ‘Buy Local’ message, said yesterday it began “low-level” talks with the Manchester-based events firm in March.

It said this was to ensure a contingency option was in place “in case the Montpellier Hill option was not able to proceed”.

Last week, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper said he expected the new company, which will operate a 10-day Christmas market in December, would bring a “first-class offering” to Harrogate.

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A council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret yesterday:

“Harrogate Borough Council departments speak to external organisations about various service provision matters day-in day-out. It is important to do so to ensure if events or services suffer delivery issues then a contingency option is in place.

“Therefore it should not surprise anyone that we have spoken to MarketPlace Europe, a nationally recognised market provider, as a contingency option in case the Montpellier Hill Christmas market option was not able to proceed.  This has been happening at a low level since March but has, following the refusal of the licence for the Montpellier Hill event, stepped up considerably in recent weeks.

“Bearing in mind the response from our partners to the application for the use of Montpellier Hill it is as well we do have these discussions.  Had we not done so there would be no chance to have a Christmas Market at all.  The fact that we had an open discussion with MarketPlace Europe gives us the chance to put in place an alternative now that the former organisers have decided not to proceed with this year’s Christmas market. The emphasis is on having a brilliant event that pulls people into our town.

“No officers, councillors or departments discussing the licence with the former Christmas Market organisers were involved in any early discussions about markets with MarketPlace Europe.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted MarketPlace Europe about its plans for the Harrogate Christmas market but has not received a response.

Housing developer dubbed ‘insensitive’ over Kingsley street names

Residents have called Barratt Homes “ignorant” and “insensitive” for its choice of names for two new roads on one of its housing developments. 

Barratt is building 100 homes on a former green field off Kingsley Drive near Knaresborough Road.

The development, which is called Kingsley Meadows, includes new roads Meadow Place and Wildflower Close, which has attracted the ire of Kingsley Ward Action Group who think the names are cruelly ironic.

Locals fought against the proposals and submitted 155 objections with many lamenting the loss of green space. The application was initially refused by Harrogate Borough Council in 2015 because councillors agreed it would “unduly harm the rural pastoral character” of the area.

However, the application came during the period when HBC had no Local Plan, and the developer succeeded in overturning the decision on appeal.

Credit – Bill Shaw

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John Hansard from Kingsley Ward Action Group told the Stray Ferret it was “ironic” that the developer had chosen to give the new roads these names, considering what was there before.

A field on Kingsley Drive, with a crane from the Kingsley Meadows development in the background. Bill Shaw.

Mr Hansard accused the developer of “crass insensitivity and commercialism”.

He added:

“Why not stop at this, why not have a Deer Avenue, a Fox Drive or a Badger Close, after the animals whose habitats they’re destroying?

“These people are ignorant, thoughtless and only interested in making a fast buck at the expense of communities and the environment.”

A spokesperson for Barratt Homes said:

“The road names at Kingsley Meadows have been chosen in consistency with the name of the development itself and to reflect the scenery of its surroundings. The names were certainly not intended to cause offence to local residents and were required to meet the approval of Harrogate Borough Council before being confirmed.

“We have always been fully committed to supporting the ecology and biodiversity at Kingsley Meadows and its surrounding areas. As well as planting a number of new trees and enhancing the nearby watercourse with wetland wildflowers, we have installed hedgehog highways across the development and a wildlife friendly garden at its show home.”