A town centre shop in Harrogate is set to close in just over three weeks’ time.

River Island is holding a closing down sale as it prepares to close its doors on Cambridge Street for the last time on February 4.

A spokesperson for River Island said:

“The closure is due to change of use of the building by the landlord.”

Plans were approved in summer 2020 to refurbish the ground floor of the building and convert the first floor, as well as adding a roof extension, to create 14 apartments. Work would need to begin on the building by June this year to comply with the terms of the planning permission.

The building is owned by a Santander pension fund.

Read more:

• Plan approved to create five flats above Cambridge Street shops
• Sneak peek at Harrogate’s new Cosy Club

Last summer, Cosy Club opened in the same stretch of units, becoming the first bar along the street. Sainsbury’s Local and Skipton Building Society also opened branches earlier in the year.

Further east on the same street, plans were approved last February to convert the upper floors of some retail units into flats.

Today, York-based property company Grantside announced it had acquired the 10,000 sq ft building and was intending to use the flats as holiday lets.

Steve Davis, chief executive of Grantside, said:

“This is a great opportunity and a brilliant location – in the heart of Harrogate town centre.

“Our vision for the building is to bring it back into full use through the conversion of the upper floors into apartments, which will be used as holiday accommodation and help the town’s economy.”

A swimmer from Knaresborough is one of four locals warming up to represent their country at the world ice swimming championships this week.

Jacqui Hargrave – known as Open Water Woman – is part of a team of four from the Harrogate district competing in the event.

Millie Bell, Emily Smailes and Jonty Warneken will also be taking part in the contest from January 12 to 15 in the French Alps.

The team face water temperatures as low as 2C when they compete against 500 athletes from around the world.

Jacqui will be competing in the 50m and 100m categories and has been in training with the team in Doncaster. She said:

“There’s very strict rules. You can’t dive in head first because it’s so cold you could die.

“It can be dangerous.”

Her sprint race may only last a couple of minutes, but it is still important that Jacqui takes the cold seriously and warms back up gradually.

She uses a hot drink and hot water bottle to help her recover, before taking a warm shower about an hour later. She added:

“There is one person that is there for you, to put your clothes back on and take you inside to see the medical team.”

The team was given a major boost recently when adventurer and Chief Scout Bear Grylls, whose sister Lara is also in the squad, stopped by for a training session.

He posted about the experience on his Twitter account:

Great to swim today with some of the ice swimming GB team! What they’re doing takes courage and determination, and I’m so proud of my sister Lara who is swimming next month in the world ice championships – you’re going to smash it! pic.twitter.com/87K16vIc3E

— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) December 27, 2022

Always a keen athlete, Jacqui only began open water swimming 12 years ago after problems with her hips preventing her from running.

She first tried swimming with her friend Andrea and said:

“That was it, we fell in love with it.”

Read more:

• Starbeck woman, 67, takes on swimming charity challenge
• Harrogate channel swimmers reach the finish line

A Liberal Democrat activist has questioned the selection process that has resulted a shortlist of just two for the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate.

The party member, who asked not to be named, said he didn’t feel either was the right person to stand at the next general election.

He said choosing between the two by the end of the month was going to be very hard.

The two candidates in question are Matt Walker, who is a Liberal Democrat councillor representing West Knaresborough on North Yorkshire Council, and Wakefield-based Tom Gordon.

Speaking about Mr Walker, the activist said he feared he was not up to the task of debating policy and standing up to opponents, including the current MP and his constituency office manager and Harrogate Borough Council leader, Richard Cooper.

He said:

“I would not want to put him in the business community. He wouldn’t be able to stand up to questioning.

“If he was somewhere with Andrew Jones or Richard Cooper, he would be eaten alive. He wouldn’t know where to turn.

“It would be a blood bath, Matt Walker and Richard Cooper in the same hustings. He just isn’t capable of it.

“I wouldn’t want to send him to meet people on Duchy Road. He just doesn’t have the kerb appeal.

“As a candidate, he just doesn’t excite me.”

However, the party activist was no more inspired by the other candidate.

Read more:

• Race to be Lib Dem candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough down to final two
• Conservatives select candidate for crucial Masham and Fountains by-election

Tom Gordon is the Liberal Democrat group leader on Wakefield Council, representing the Knottingley Ward.

He previously stood in the Batley and Spen by-election in 2021, coming fourth with 1,254 votes. Labour’s Kim Leadbeater won 13,296 votes, the Conservatives had 12,973, and George Galloway, standing for the Workers Party, got 8,264.

The Liberal Democrat activist said he was not concerned about this result, because the party “wouldn’t have expected to do well”, or by Mr Gordon not being from the local area. However, he said it was hard to know whether to vote for him because he did not have a local track record.

He added:

“If you are good and you’ve got credibility, you can work on that. We’ve got probably a couple of years before an election. You need somebody that people will sit up and take notice.

“He is a bit of an unknown quantity.”

The activist said he compared the candidates to previous Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis – now Lord Willis of Knaresborough – and to the most recent PPC, Judith Rogerson, both of whom were willing and able to stand up to the opposition on local issues.

Previous Lib Dem PPC Judith Rogerson and former MP Phil Willis

Last year, the selection process was halted part-way through when Harrogate and Knaresborough was listed as a ‘target seat’ by the national party. At that point, a longer shortlist had been produced.

The activist said although he understood there was a shortlisting process before members were given the chance to vote, he wanted to know how the final two had been chosen in this case.

He added:

“There’s a question to ask about what has gone on. I would have hoped there would be more, with the publicity we had about it being a target seat.”

The Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have defended their selection process and both candidates following the criticism. A spokesperson said:

“After a routine and rigorous process which involved an application and approval round, local Liberal Democrat members will shortly be able to vote for their next prospective parliamentary candidate.

“Either of the current candidates will be a strong voice for Harrogate and Knaresborough, fighting for a fair deal against the Conservatives who’ve taken our area for granted for years.”

A free community class will be on offer at a Harrogate fitness studio every weekend this month.

CrossFit Harrogate is inviting anyone who can’t afford gym memberships or who doesn’t know where to begin with a more healthy lifestyle to try its weekly group session.

It will take place every Sunday at 12.15pm, lasting 45 minutes, at the gym’s base at The Zone on Hornbeam Park.

Head coach Anneka Thompson said:

“We want to invite people that are going through financial hardship, parents, grandparents, anyone that wants to exercise but doesn’t know where or how to begin to come into our gym for a free community class every Sunday for the month.

“This is our way of offering help to those that could use some friendly faces and some movement in their lives. If we get a good turn out, we would look to continue it.”

The sessions will run on Sundays, January 8, 15, 22 and 29. To book a place, call Anneka on 07471 697824 or email her by clicking here.

Read more:

• Delayed opening for temporary gym at Ripon leisure centre
• New gym set to open on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road

The Liberal Democrats have named the final two candidates in the running to stand for the party in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next election.

Local councillor Matt Walker and party campaigner Tom Gordon will be on the ballot paper when the final vote takes place, ending on January 30.

The winning candidate will be introduced as the prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) at the constituency’s annual dinner on February 4.

Mr Walker was elected to represent Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council last May. He works for the NHS and has managed A&E at Harrogate District Hospital, as well as the out-of-hours GP service for North Yorkshire. He grew up and went to school in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Mr Gordon has campaigned for the Liberal Democrats around the country, including supporting Judith Rogerson in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the last general election. He was born and raised in Yorkshire and previously stood for the Lib Dems in the Batley and Spen by-election in 2021.

The selection process has been long and drawn out for the party. It initially began last June, but was abandoned two months later when the constituency was made a ‘target seat’ by the national party.

Writing to local party members to reflect on the last year, Harrogate and Knaresborough party chairman David Goode said the North Yorkshire elections last May had been very successful for the Liberal Democrats.

He added:

Planners have refused to grant permission for a development in Boroughbridge to go ahead because the applicant has failed to provide sufficient information.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes were criticised by Harrogate Borough Council for not submitting the required documents for the southern half of the Stump Cross development, despite repeated requests.

Planning officer Kate Broadbank told the planning committee yesterday:

“Without information relating to scale, design and appearance of houses, which would be affordable and where the open spaces and landscaping would be, it’s not possible to assess the relationship between the buildings, routes and open spaces to confirm whether this layout would be acceptable.”

The site, which is east of the A168 and is included in the local plan, already has outline planning permission for 450 homes granted in 2019.

A condition of that outline permission was that full details would be submitted for approval within three years, which would have been last April.

Ms Broadbank added:

“We have had no applications for the remaining reserved matters and the applicant is out of time for the submission of these, therefore the outline permission can no longer be taken forward.”

Read more:

• Flats plan approved for Harrogate’s Wetherby Road despite traffic concerns
• Sharow pub owner appeals housing plan refusal

Details of the first phase of development on the northern half of the site have already been submitted and were approved last February, with 256 homes included.

If the second phase were to be approved with the proposed 214 homes, it would bring the total to 470.

Speaking at yesterday’s committee meeting, Conservative Cllr Robert Windass said the council had worked with the developer on the first half of the site. He added:

“I’m totally and utterly surprised that they haven’t engaged with us as they did last time, because we came to a very amicable conclusion on that one, but this beggars belief.”

Ms Broadbank agreed, saying:

“They have had plenty of opportunity to engage with us and to discuss everything with us that we’ve asked for.

“We have had various meetings and they’ve kept saying, ‘it will be coming, it will be coming’, but it’s got to the point where enough is enough.”

Thirty years of fundraising for Cancer Research UK will be celebrated on the Stray in Harrogate this summer.

The Race for Life will offer participants routes of 3km, 5km and 10km as the national event marks its 30th anniversary.

It has already raised more than £920 million for research into ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in Yorkshire, Michaela Robinson-Tate, said: 

“We’d love for as many people as possible across Harrogate to join us during our 30th year of Race for Life.

“Race for Life is a powerful way to celebrate and remember loved ones affected by cancer and to raise money for pioneering research.   

“Whether people are living with cancer, taking part in honour of or in memory of a loved one with cancer or signing up to protect their own children’s future, everyone has a reason to Race for Life.    

“Sadly 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime, but support through events like Race for Life funds groundbreaking work to see more people surviving cancer.  

“For some, the Race for Life is literally a walk in the park. Slow and steady still wins. For others, it’s a jog. Others may opt to push themselves harder and take part in the 10K distance. But what is for certain is we’re looking forward to welcoming people of all ages and abilities.”  

Taking place on Sunday, July 9, the event is open now for bookings. Anyone who signs up in January can get 50% off the entry fee by using code RFL23NY.

To find out more, visit the Race for Life website.

Read more:

• 1,400 runners set to take part in Harrogate Race for Life
• Charity pays for two cancer nurses at Harrogate hospital

A three-storey building of six apartments will be built on Wetherby Road despite concerns from residents over traffic problems.

The site, at the corner of Wayside Crescent, was previously a home with a large garden, where two detached homes have been built since 2020.

Meeting today, Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee followed officers’ recommendation to approve the plans to demolish the building and create the new flats.

They had heard from Martin Hughes, representing nearby residents on Wayside Crescent, who said the area was a “living hell” with cars regularly mounting the pavement to pass each other.

The situation had become worse, he said, during construction of the two detached homes in the former garden of the house in question.

Mr Hughes said:

“We had contractor vehicles parking on double yellow lines throughout — in fact they are still parking on double yellow lines.

“There’s no policing of that and I understand why, because there’s insufficient resources, but it doesn’t help matters on the ground.”

The location of the site, close to the football ground, hospital, and several schools, made it a busy “rat run”, said Mr Hughes.

As a result, he said, residents had undertaken their own survey on a weekday morning in November to assess the situation.

They found 151 pedestrians had crossed the end of Wayside Crescent between 8am and 9am, of which 26 were accompanied children and 72 were unaccompanied children.

Meanwhile, 162 cars were driven along Wayside Crescent, and 17 of those had to take evasive action, either pulling into a driveway or going onto the pavement, in the face of an oncoming vehicle.

He added:

“This is already a dangerous road and are we really, seriously going to add to this madness?”

Read more:

• Plan to convert former Markington pub into house approved
• Plan to convert former Harrogate Post Office into holiday flats rejected

While Cllr Pat Marsh, of the Liberal Democrats, said she could not support the proposal because of the impact on the nearby roads, Conservative Cllr John Mann disagreed.

He said although traffic was clearly a problem in the area, there had been no objections raised by North Yorkshire County Council‘s highways team to this plan. On those grounds, he said, he would support the application.

He added:

“I agree with the comments of colleagues and the objector. In relation to the rat-running and the amount of traffic on Wayside Crescent and the difficulty of crossing Wetherby Road apart from using the pedestrian crossing.

“I also agree with the amount of pedestrian traffic, the school children etc. But at the same time, I don’t think the addition of six flats is going to change that at all in terms of the quantity of traffic and the difficulties which people experience with that.

“I don’t think that will alter the situation one way or the other.”

Planning committee members voted by nine votes to one in favour of the plans. They also voted by the same margin to write to the highways department to ask for traffic on Wayside Crescent to be assessed with a view to making improvements, which could include making the road one way.

Harrogate District Hospital has apologised after cancelling patients’ planned surgeries with less than 24 hours’ notice during the Christmas break.

One patient, who asked not to be named, said she was due to have essential orthopaedic surgery last Friday, December 30.

However, she received a call at lunchtime on Thursday to say there had been a leak and the operating theatre was out of use.

Due to go into hospital at 7am the next day, she instead had her surgery cancelled and no new date provided.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“The not knowing is really uncomfortable. I understand that these things happen, but why can’t they reschedule the surgeries out to other hospitals or get us some more information?

“The problem was discovered last week. They’ve had a week to make arrangements and it’s still not sorted.”

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• 500 Harrogate hospital staff apply for cost-of-living hardship fund

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the last-minute cancellation was down to a water leak the basement, near the air handling units for the operating theatre.

A spokesperson said:

“Whilst the leak was quickly repaired and minimal damage occurred, the basement needed to be dried and the air handling units inspected by a specialist engineer to ensure they were safe to use.

“Unfortunately, as the air handling units provide ventilation and filter the air within our main operating theatres, it was necessary to cancel some, but not all, elective surgery that had been planned for that day.

“We are committed to providing the best possible healthcare for our community and as a priority we have now re-arranged the non-critical operations that were cancelled. We contacted all those affected, but we would like to reiterate our apologies for having to re-arrange their surgery.

“The air handling units have been inspected and passed checks, and planned activity in our operating theatres has been taking place this week.”

The patient, who is self-employed and works in the wedding industry, said she had been waiting for the last year to get a date for her surgery.

She had been offered a slot in the summer but, as it was at the height of the season, she had to turn it down or face losing all her business for the year.

She was then offered the December date around eight weeks ago. The new date had been ideal, she said, as it would give her the required time to recover before this year’s wedding season began in spring.

She said:

“It’s 12 weeks’ recovery – that’s why it has such a big impact when it’s postponed, because you have got to rearrange your whole life.

“Our season starts in April. I have a very physical job and I need to be able to move around.

“My husband had taken time off work. He’s a solicitor and hadn’t booked in any appointments this week so he could be at home to help me.

“Cancelling like this has massive implications for people’s lives.”

Strong leadership and a nurturing environment have earned praise from Ofsted for a Harrogate day nursery.

Busy Bees on South Drive was rated ‘good’ in all areas in a report published at the end of December.

In her report, inspector Jan Batchelor said:

“Children are greeted warmly by staff when they arrive at the nursery. They are keen to go and find their friends.

“There are plenty of cuddles and reassurance for children who are a little unsettled or new to the nursery. Throughout the day, children are treated with the utmost kindness, care and respect by the nurturing staff team.”

Ms Batchelor praised the many opportunities for learning on offer at the nursery. Both indoor and outdoor spaces were found to be supportive of development, with staff helping children to build on their knowledge and understanding in each age group.

She said there was a “good balance” between staff-led activities and time for independent play.

The inspection, which took place in November, found two areas for improvement, including giving more consistent messaging about healthy eating to ensure children understood it.

It also found children missed out on learning time when they had to wait for meals to be served or for others to take off their coats and wash their hands after being outside.

Read more:

• Praise for ‘lovely’ attitudes at Harrogate nursery after Ofsted visit
• Ofsted praises ‘true family feel’ at village school near Harrogate

Ms Batchelor added:

“Staff’s skilful interactions with children make learning fun and meaningful. They use their knowledge of individual children’s interests to set up effective learning opportunities.

“Staff introduce new vocabulary as children play. They question the children to help develop their thinking skills. Children are always given time to respond.

“Where children are not making as much progress as others, additional support is put in place. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are being met as effectively as possible.”

Busy Bees on South Drive – formerly known as Kindercare and still registered under that name with Ofsted – was previously rated ‘outstanding’ in its last inspection, in late 2018. However, Ofsted has since changed its inspection framework for childcare and education settings, meaning they have to meet much higher criteria in order to achieve the top rating.

Responding to the latest report, South Drive centre director Danni Catton said:

“Overall, we felt the inspection went very well and it was great to read that the report highlighted our commitment to the children’s learning and safety, and our effective partnerships with parents. Our team is committed to giving children the best start in life and we continuously strive to ensure the needs of children are being met at all times.

“We are pleased with our ‘good’ rating – we will take the inspectors’ improvements into consideration, and we will continue to work towards achieving an ‘outstanding’.”