Huge backlash against ‘cheap and tacky’ fake grass

Harrogate Borough Council has defended its decision to install fake grass in the town centre despite an overwhelmingly negative response.

The Stray Ferret’s article that broke the news yesterday received well over 150 replies on Facebook and nearly all of them criticised the move.

Comments ranged from “it looks cheap and tacky” to “wasting council tax money yet again” to “who actually sat there thinking this was a cracking idea?”.

Some people felt artificial grass undermined Harrogate’s reputation as an upmarket, floral town.

Organisations also spoke out against the move.

Henry Pankhurst, who represents Harrogate Civic Society on planning issues, said:

“I agree with those who dislike the unnecessary production of plastic that damages the environment. We may unfortunately find it displaced and strewn on the ground.

“I would like to see it taken away, it is not an enhancement for the street scene and the conservation area.”

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Harrogate Business Improvement District, which attempts to increase footfall to the town centre, distanced itself from the council’s decision.

Sara Ferguson, the BID chair, said:

“We want to make it clear that the fake grass being ‘planted’ around town centre trees is nothing to do with Harrogate BID.

“We have spent a considerable amount of money installing barrier baskets, placing planters outside town centre businesses, and arranging for hanging baskets to be displayed outside many shops – all done to help build on Harrogate’s reputation as a floral town, and to make the town centre as attractive as possible.”

The Stray Defence Association was concerned about the environmental impact, tweeting:

“Real grass or plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. False turf is a reservoir for not only fungus and bacteria, but also contaminated organic matter.

“It kills healthy soil bacteria, worms and root systems underneath it. Water is not absorbed and runs off.”

The council has so far declined to reveal the cost of the scheme. But a spokeswoman said the move had received “lots of positive feedback”. She added:

“We are testing ways of brightening up Harrogate town centre.

“The trees mean any plants in the beds struggle for light and moisture, so we’re looking at potential ways of keeping the beds neat and tidy without plants in them.

“When summer bedding plants become available, we will place additional planters and hanging baskets in the town centre to add a splash of vibrant colour.”

 

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Friday – one more day to go until the weekend! I am back this morning with updates every 15 minutes and a list of all the temporary traffic lights that could delay you today.

It’s Leah here today. If you see anything, and it is safe to do so, please give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, are keeping you updated as the district’s roads get busier.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, I will be back with you on Monday with updates every 15 minutes starting at 6:30 am. Have a nice weekend.

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district.

Traffic Hot spots:

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district.

Traffic Hot spots:

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district.

Traffic Hot spots:

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district.

Traffic Hot spots:

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district.

Traffic Hot spots:

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in Knaresborough and Wormald Green, no traffic hotspots to report.

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in Knaresborough and Wormald Green, no traffic hotspots to report.

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in Knaresborough and Wormald Green, no traffic hotspots to report.

Traffic is building

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Delays are expected later in the day between York and Leeds

Buses

 

Calls for action on ‘eyesore’ Starbeck building

A Starbeck business owner has called for urgent action on a derelict high street building that he says is damaging the image of the area.

A fire ripped through the former McColl’s supermarket in July 2018, but almost three years later, the Victorian-era building is still a burned-out shell with much of its roof missing.

Andrew Hart is the owner of Starbeck’s Post Office which stands opposite the building. He said he has grown frustrated with progress to refurbish it and said it’s holding the wider area back from redevelopment.

He said:

“Anyone driving to Knaresborough or visiting Starbeck are looking at this great eyesore. It’s a shambles.”

“We are being rejuvenated in Starbeck with new shops and bars opening but this is putting off investment.”

Mr Hart said the building reminds him of a World War II bomb site and has become “the disgrace of Starbeck”.

He added:

“We have customers coming to the post office who say the building looks disgusting. It’s having a detrimental impact on my business.”

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Mr Hart called on Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, Philip Broadbank, to push the landlord of the building to submit redevelopment plans.

Cllr Broadbank told the Stray Ferret that pre-application talks between the landlord and Harrogate Borough Council took place last week.

He said architect drawings involve creating new retail space on the ground floor and flats above it.

He said:

“I’ve been in discussions with planning enforcement at Harrogate Borough Council if the plans don’t progress. This would involve tidying the site up so it looks better.”

Cllr Broadbank expects a formal planning application to be submitted by the landlord imminently.

Police treat Harrogate hotel deaths as murder-suicide

Police investigating the deaths of two people at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel have said tonight they think it was a murder-suicide.

North Yorkshire Police has now named the deceased as Chenise Gregory and Michael McGibbon, who were both 29 and from the London area.

They were found with stab wounds in a hotel room. Paramedics certified them dead at the scene.

Enquiries into the circumstances around the deaths are ongoing but detectives are treating the death of Ms Gregory as murder. They do not believe anyone else is involved.

Temporary detective chief inspector Jonathan Sygrove of North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team said:

“An investigation into the circumstances around the deaths is ongoing, but the evidence we have gathered at this stage suggests it as a suspected murder-suicide.

“A post-mortem has taken place that has confirmed the couple died from stab wounds. We are treating Ms Gregory’s death as murder and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

“This is a very sad case and our thoughts are with their families and friends and this difficult time. We have specialist officers from North Yorkshire Police, supported by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police supporting the family, and we will work with them as we investigate the circumstances leading to these tragic deaths.”

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£200,000 bid to make busy Harrogate junctions safer

Two of Harrogate’s busiest junctions could undergo improvement work worth £200,000 to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

North Yorkshire County Council agreed today to bid for funding to improve the traffic lights at the junction of Wetherby Road and Railway Road, next to Sainsbury’s, and at the junction of Leeds Road, Pannal Bank and Follifoot Road.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, approved the bid at a meeting this morning.

He said there were no designs for the junctions at this stage but the idea was to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

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The authority will bid to the Department for Transport, which has made £15 million funding available to councils for the maintenance of traffic lights.

Cllr Mackenzie said the bid was not a reflection of a lack of highways funding in the council’s budget.

He said:

“We get opportunities to bid for certain types of funding.

“We make a bid and we hope to receive that funding and that is the nature of some highways funding these days.”

A report before Cllr Mackenzie this morning said that the two junctions were key to the town and could “be improved significantly”.

It said the lights were running on “aged equipment” and needed to be modernised.

The report said:

“Both junctions are operating with aged equipment and technology that requires full refurbishment and upgrade improvements. As key junctions, the current performance is of some constraint to network performance and efficiency.

“Each site can be improved significantly not only in terms of traffic flow but also for pedestrian and cyclist facilities, particularly Railway Road that is one of the largest signalised junctions and does not have pedestrian crossing facilities.”

The county council expects to learn about the outcome of the bid at a later date.

It comes as the county council is pressing ahead with plans to improve cycling and walking in the town.

The authority has unveiled four proposals as part of its active travel scheme, including cycle lanes on Victoria Avenue and a 20 mile per hour zone on Oatlands Drive.

Other measures include the £7.9 million Station Gateway project, which could see James Street pedestrianised and one-lane traffic on Station Parade.

The joint plan by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority seeks to encourage sustainable transport in the town centre.

Harrogate care supplies shop closes to move online

After being forced to move online during lockdown, one Harrogate business has now decided to permanently close its store and move fully online.

Change Mobility operated on King’s Road for five years before closing for good last week. The pandemic accelerated its move online.

The company decided on the move after listening to customer feedback and assessing sales during lockdown.

Change Mobility is the sister company of Beaucare another Harrogate-based business that supplies products to care homes, hospitals and individuals.

Change Mobility sells a range of care supplies from living aids such as grab rails to wheelchairs.

It will still provide home visits and a click and collect service from its office on Hornbeam Park.

Heather Mawray, managing director of Beaucare, said:

“The retail market has been difficult over the last 12 months. This has accelerated our move to a different operating model. During the pandemic many customers have required home deliveries, this will continue as a key feature for Change Mobility going forward.

“Advice and assessments will be available in person at home visits arranged at times to suit the customer, this has been welcomed by many of our customers who would have previously found it difficult to travel to the store.

“We are really looking forward to continuing to support our Change Mobility customers and ensure they receive outstanding service.”

The company told the Stray Ferret no jobs had been lost due to the move.

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Harrogate’s new green look has residents seeing red

First there were the planters… now artificial grass is causing anger in Harrogate.

Fake grass first appeared on raised flower beds on Cambridge Street a few days ago. Today workers were tearing out plants and laying more artificial grass on Oxford Street.

It has led to passionate debate on social media about not only the aesthetics of the hyper-green look but also whether it conforms with modern thinking on the use of plastics.

A post by Lizzie Brewster drew almost universal condemnation.

https://twitter.com/HgCatherine/status/1390176171233628160

Andy Dennis replied on Twitter:

“Plastic is not the way forward and normalising this very abnormal product is misguided. This needs to be removed.”

The Little Ale House, which is based nearby, added:

“It’s also visually depressing.”

The Pinewoods Harrogate twitter account noted wryly the bright new look might be part of Harrogate Borough Council’s commitment to be the greenest council ever.

Cartoonist Graeme Bandeira was somewhat blunter:

“What the hell is that?”

Nina Jolly commented that astro turf belonged on sports pitches and nowhere else.

The Stray Ferret has asked Harrogate Borough Council about the artificial grass and will publish its response when received.

Read more:

 

Harrogate disability swimming squad jump back in

A disability swimming squad in Harrogate jumped straight back in this week after finally getting back to club sessions following the easing of restrictions.

The swimming team, Hotshots, returned to the water last night after months away with the members just as eager as the coaches.

Run by Harrogate District Swimming Club at Harrogate Hydro the group encourages disabled people into the water offering them training and the chance to compete in local competitions.

An arrangement with Harrogate Borough Council to add extra pool time means the club’s disability swimming squad can return.

The team’s first session back was on Tuesday night with their coach Lisa Gill. She was very excited to see all the swimmers back again, some haven’t been in the pool for over a year.

Club representative, Brian Charlton, said:

“It’s something we’ve been pushing for for a long time so it was great to see the swimmers back in the water last night. To see the smile on their faces was just amazing. I was speaking to one of the members’ mums who said this was her happy place and that is why we do it.”

Last night five swimmers came to the practice but Mr Charlton has high hopes to return to the team to its previous size of 20 members.

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Currently, group sessions can only include under 18’s but due to different rules Hotshots can invite people of all ages to its practices.

With the return of the Hotshots squad the club now have 60 swimmers under the club squad scheme.

The club has said it is working with the borough council and the new arms-length company running leisure services, Brimham’s Active.

Pensioner with bladder issues ‘fined in Harrogate after parking to pee’

A parking warden fined a pensioner with a bladder problem who says he parked in Harrogate for four minutes to use the toilet.

Lee Chadwick, 78, has medication for an overactive bladder so when he feels the urge to use the toilet he has to act quickly.

Mr Chadwick, who lives in Markington, parked at the back of the taxi rank on Station Parade to use the public toilet, leaving his wife in the passenger seat.

When he returned his wife was explaining the situation to the parking warden. Mr Chadwick also talked to the warden but he still issued a fine.

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The pensioner then contacted Harrogate Borough Council to appeal. However, the council replied today to say it cannot uphold his appeal without more evidence.

A council parking administrator wrote to Mr Chadwick saying he could either settle in the next 14 days at the discounted rate of £35 or pay £70 if he waited longer. Alternatively, Mr Chadwick could ask his doctor to send a letter about his condition.

But he told the Stray Ferret he did not wish to bother his doctor about such a request. He added:

“It was our first trip out to Harrogate in a long time but we will not be going back again after this incident.

“I do think it is unreasonable. I have tried to appeal and I will continue to fight it. If I need to I will take it to the magistrates’ court. I have faith in the magistrates.

“If the council continues to insist on this fine then I think it is quite cruel and unjust.”

A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“Mr Chadwick is appealing the ticket and we are awaiting further information from him to confirm the circumstances and his medical condition.”

Tories and Lib Dems in leaflet row as Bilton by-election hots up

A political row has broken out after a Liberal Democrat campaign leaflet accused the Conservatives of “hypocrisy” and “tricking” voters ahead of the Bilton by-election.

Voters will go the polls tomorrow to elect a new county councillor in the marginal Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, the Liberal Democrat candidate, has distributed two leaflets to residents that make several claims about the proposed Knox Lane housing development.

Housing developer Jomast is behind the proposals, which would see 73 homes built on a green field in Bilton.

The development is still to go before Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee, when 12 councillors will vote on the plans.

However, the site is allocated for 52 potential homes in Harrogate district Local Plan, which sets out where development will occur in the district until 2035.

Cllr Matt Scott, who is standing for the Conservatives in Bilton and is a current HBC councillor, voted for the Local Plan before it was adopted in March 2020.

In the leaflet, Mr Kempston-Parkes claims the “Conservatives pretend to oppose the Knox Lane development while secretly voting for it”.

In another leaflet, he alleges the Conservative-run council proposed the development.

The Liberal Democrat leaflet

 

The second Liberal Democrat leaflet

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In response, Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones MP intervened with a leaflet of his own.

It called the Liberal Democrat literature “grossly misleading” and said he was “disturbed” by some of the claims made.

He said:

“I like to see positive and constructive campaigns based on a record of local action. I don’t approve of US-style attack-ad politics.”

Andrew Jones’ leaflet

Cllr Matt Scott told the Stray Ferret he was a long-term critic of the Knox Lane development.

He said:

“To imply that I support the planning application for this site is wrong. My objection is on Harrogate council’s website. I am the only candidate in this election to have submitted an objection. 

“I work with Cllr Paul Haslam who, as the borough councillor for Old Bilton, has with residents raised over £3,000 to commission reports opposing this application as well as submitting his own 10,000 word objection which I support.  This has been our long-term position. The application has not come to committee yet so it is incorrect to claim that anyone has voted for or against it”.

In response, Andrew Kempston-Parkes said: “We stand by the leaflet”.

He added:

“Matt Scott had the opportunity to vote against the Local Plan but decided to vote for it anyway.”

The Bilton and Nidd Gorge election follows the death of Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber.

It is the only local council election taking place in the Harrogate district tomorrow.