Harrogate Convention Centre: £46.8m renovation moves a step closer

A £46.8 million renovation of Harrogate’s Convention Centre moved a step closer this evening.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, told the meeting the investment was necessary for the success of the district.

A full council meeting next week will now have the final say on whether to spend £1.1 million on detailed designs, a feasibility study and full economic impact assessment of the benefits of renovation.

Ms Lorimer said:

“We need this redevelopment not only to drive more conferences, but for the district and the community.

“We run school events, remembrance events, entertainment, orchestras and community groups.

“We do a great deal to support the community and the revenue we provide goes back into the council.

“What comes into us ripples out into the district. We need a successful HCC.”

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned the centre “will not survive” unless councillors approved the project.

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While the move to invest in the centre has been welcomed by local businesses and borough councillors, others have criticised the decision.

Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon, said the investment would not benefit people in the city and twas a waste of money.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, Phil Willis, former MP for Harrogate, called on “amateur councillors” to step back from involvement in the centre.

 

No coronavirus deaths at Harrogate hospital for two weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for the last two weeks.

It is the second-longest time the hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, highlighting how the number of deaths has slowed in recent weeks.

The hospital has so far reported 82 coronavirus deaths and released 141 people after treatment for covid.

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Care homes figures for the Harrogate district, released yesterday, showed the number of deaths since the start of the pandemic remains at 104.

NHS England figures today showed that a further 14 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died, including three in the North East and Yorkshire. They were aged between 55 and 90, and all but two had known underlying health conditions.

HCC upgrade : ‘£46.8m is enough to regain a strong place in the market’

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet is due to meet at 5.30pm tonight with just one item on the agenda: the renovation of the town’s conference centre.

The council is likely to vote to proceed with plans to invest £46.8m on a major overhaul of the 40-year-old centre.

A full renovation would be one of the council’s biggest ever financial decisions. The proposal has been welcomed by the town’s business community but criticised by politicians and business representatives in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, where the benefits would be felt less.

John Gallery is a former Harrogate hotelier. He is chairman of the Business Visits & Events Partnership’s research and business intelligence group, a former chair of VisitYork and a former vice-chairman of the Meetings Industry Association, He currently works as a business tourism consultant.  

We put a series of questions to Mr Gallery: 

How does Harrogate rank as an events venue?
Harrogate’s conference centre does need to raise its game as it has lost out to a number of destinations with newer facilities. The sums seem huge, but in the market it is in, it will continue to decline if it does not keep pace with, or indeed, get ahead of these shiny new competitors.

What difference would a £46.8m renovation make?
As has been seen in other locations, investment makes a difference, not only to the fortunes of the venue but also to the wider local and regional economy. The value must be judged in that wider context and not just on the profit and loss of the centre. If the centre were simply to break even then it would be doing its job as a lever for all the other benefits. Better of course, that it also makes profit so that investment can continue over the long term.

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Is the council best placed to provide investment?
A private sector operator would probably be better. Ownership could remain in the public sector but hand operations to a private operator with a dynamic profit motive and things would change quickly. Having said this, Harrogate has probably relied too heavily on the conference market for the 40 years since the centre was developed. Too often there is feast or famine in terms of demand for hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants etc. It was like this when I first worked in the hotel business in Harrogate in the 1980s. So Harrogate Borough Council should also focus on stimulating demand with a stronger, more broad-based appeal that would attract visitors throughout the year.

£46.8m is a huge sum but is it enough to revive the centre?
It’s a large sum but in terms of the market the centre operates in, it needs it. It was controversial when it opened but some of the new plans do seem to make sense in terms of linking directly to the Royal Hall and re-imagining the space outside the main building. I don’t think it is a lost cause but £46.8m will probably be just enough to regain a strong place in the market. It needs to be a co-ordinated effort with the hotels and other accommodation providers, local travel companies and so on to make the best impact.

What should the long-term strategy be?
The centre should be the focus for events but be part of a bigger picture. The centre should work together with the Yorkshire Event Centre to attract bigger, international co-located events. Harrogate should up its game. The competition is overseas as well as Brighton, Bournemouth, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh etc. Think of Barcelona, Geneva, Frankfurt, Las Vegas, New York, Sydney, etc. Some of the money announced recently by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to improve transport in the north should be chased by Harrogate. Improve the direct rail link to York and Leeds for example. With the canny Yorkshire approach I am sure they can do it.

How badly has covid affected the events sector?
The £70bn per year UK events sector has been one the worst affected and it is likely that demand will not return quickly in the short-term. Harrogate can look this year at the loss of so many events at both the convention centre and the Yorkshire Event Centre due to covid but the impact this has had on the other parts of the economy in these businesses is also severe.

How should the town respond?
Counter-intuitively this may be the opportunity to pivot the centre to be part of a broader tourism offer that still attracts conferences but with greater emphasis on the leisure and pleasure offerings in the district. For example, introduce delegate incentives to bring partners and families. Be more adventurous about what can be done. It’s a spa town so it should be attracting people for this purpose as it did when it was first invented as that. The convention centre could be the hub of the town’s tourism sector and business done at the centre might steer more towards the family market at weekends and holidays and business events midweek. There are a lot of possibilities. It needs a broad vision for both business and leisure.

 

Bilton library set to reopen

Bilton and Woodfield Community Library will reopen with new coronavirus safety measures in place on Monday.

The library will be open on Mondays from 2pm to 4pm and on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to noon. Customers do not need to pre-book but the library will only be allowed to admit about four people to browse.

Safety measures include a one-way system, a book quarantine and a time limit for people browsing the book collection.

The library has been operating a ‘select and collect’ service, which allows people to collect pre-ordered books.

The library is busy putting in social distancing measures.

Although people will be allowed back inside the building, they will not be permitted to use the shared computers yet.

Also, the library will not yet be able to hold community events, much to the volunteers’ sadness.

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Greta Knight, who helps to run the library, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are looking forward to Monday. But we can only do a fraction of what we normally do. Our tagline is ‘not just books’ but now we are just books.

It’s heartbreaking not to be able to open as a community space. That’s what we have established ourselves as and I think it has really worked. It is great to bring all of the kids in.”

When the boiler leaked and flooded the library in 2017.

The library has had a lot to contend with in recent years.

It could have closed permanently due to North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) cuts in 2011 but the local community rallied round to save it by running the library entirely with volunteers.

Not long after that, the council sold the library’s former home at the old vicarage in Bilton so it moved to a vacant site at Woodfield School.

The volunteers had hoped a major flood caused by a faulty boiler in 2017 was the last of their troubles.

But coronavirus could have been catastrophic for the library, which needs funding of £9,000 a year. It was, however, saved by a government grant.

County council bids for £2bn spending in devolution deal

New transport powers, a carbon negative economy and £2 billion worth of spending are among the proposals agreed by North Yorkshire County Council to put to the government as part of a county-wide devolution bid.

The authority’s executive voted through the list of requests, known as “asks”, which outline what the county wants from devolved powers. 

It comes as council leaders across the county are pressing ahead with plans for a York and North Yorkshire devolution deal with a directly elected mayor.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy are included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

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Further funding proposals include a five-year transport settlement worth £250 million, £520 million of devolved funding for fibre connectivity and a £230 million fund for the new mayor to share between the county’s towns.

Each authority across the region has to agree to the proposals before they can be submitted. North Yorkshire’s seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, are each expected to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the plan put forward by NYCC.

Once all councils have agreed, the requests are tabled to government and ministers will produce a formal devolution deal for authorities to vote on.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said he was pleased to get the submission on the table.

He said:

“This seems to have been on the go for a long time and has had many false starts.

“We have finally got to where we are today with a set of requests that we want to agree so that we can put them on the table with government.”

Ministers and council leaders have set a target of May 2022 for any devolution plan to coincide with the mayoral elections.

Local government shake-up

Following a meeting between Simon Clark, local government minister, and the county’s council leaders, any devolution bid is expected to come with a reorganisation of councils in the county.

This could mean that the county’s seven district councils are scrapped and replaced with a unitary authority for the county.

Councils have until September to submit proposals to the government for a reorganisation of local authorities.

A further report on a proposal for a new authority as part of the reorganisation is expected to come to the county council executive at a later date.

No further Covid deaths in district’s care homes or hospital

For the second week running, there have been no further Covid-related deaths in care homes across the Harrogate district.

Figures released today, which cover the weekly period up to July 17, show the number of deaths in the district’s care homes since the start of the pandemic remains at 104.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust has also not recorded any deaths in patients with covid for the 13th consecutive day. The total number of deaths at the hospital since the outbreak began is 82.

Data released today by NHS England shows that a further 12 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus have died, including one in the North East and Yorkshire. They were aged between 45 and 99, and all had known underlying health conditions.

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Harrogate businesses back £47m conference centre renovation

Harrogate business leaders have urged the local authority to press ahead tomorrow with plans for a £46.8m renovation of the town’s convention centre.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will recommend spending £1.1m on a detailed feasibility study and a full economic impact assessment, according to confidential cabinet documents seen by The Stray Ferret.

The prospect of this leading to such a huge investment in the centre of Harrogate has alarmed some people in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, who fear their locations won’t reap the benefits.

But businesses in Harrogate have said investment is necessary for the survival of the town’s hotels, restaurants and bars.

Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, whose properties include the Yorkshire Hotel, the White Hart Hotel and the Fat Badger pub, said the visitor economy was “massively driven” by the centre, which is currently being used as a Nightingale hospital. He added:

“The hotels are really feeling the effects of it being closed. Some are asking whether they can afford to stay open.

“I absolutely support investment. I don’t see an alternative.”

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A spokesperson for Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Association said redevelopment “will help Harrogate attract new events and drive even more business to the town, which is great for local restaurants, retailers and the hotel and accommodation sector”.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the “backbone of the town” would change if Harrogate lost the centre.

But Ms Doherty said the centre was “far behind its rivals, which offer more adaptive space to include breakout rooms, the ability to offer smaller conference space and the technology to support it”. She added:

“The need to invest should be part of a rolling programme rather than years of little to no investment, which results in the big ticket option we are faced with today.”

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:

“It’s vital we have a modern facility, one that will continue to attract major clients from not just within the UK, but from abroad too.”

270 homes and primary school proposed for Whinney Lane

Plans have been submitted for 270 homes and a new primary school on Whinney Lane.

Durham-based developer Banks Group is behind the proposals for the site, which is designated for development within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Whinney Lane in Pannal Ash is one of Harrogate’s main pressure points for new housing and the site is located directly opposite the Castle Hill Farm development where work has already begun on 130 homes.

With 2,500 new homes in various stages of development on the south side of Harrogate, HBC would like to see new schools built in the area to ease pressure on local primary schools in Pannal, Rossett Acre and Beckwithshaw.

The primary school would be built at the top of Whinney Lane opposite Castle Hill Drive and documents say it would employ 40 full-time staff. No details about the number of pupils are available.

Banks Group is proposing a mix of 1 bedroom (29%), 2 bedroom (38%), 3 bedroom (28%) and 4 bedroom (4%) homes. 40% will be affordable.

The developer suggests the development could generate HBC about £3m over six years as a result of the government’s New Homes Bonus scheme in addition to £500,000 per year in council tax payments.

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Notices were placed on Whinney Lane about the plans on July 16. However, Whinney Lane closed this week for seven months for highways improvements related to the new housing.

Residents say people will now not see the notices or be able to raise any objections before the deadline of August 16.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, resident Ian Watson questioned why the green planning notification signs were put up on a road that is now closed.

He said:

“Very few people will know about the green signs. And, with a partial lockdown still with the pandemic very few people are out. The footpath will be closed. The road is not used by cars.”

In response, a spokesperson for Banks Group said it had posted nine notices at locations on Whinney Lane, Castle Hill Drive and Lady Lane.

The spokesperson added:

“They have been placed in nine different locations around the area, which will hopefully provide local people with plenty of opportunity to see what’s being proposed.”

The plans will go before HBC’s planning committee later this year.

YEC Flooring Show moves to new Harrogate venue

A trade show usually held at Harrogate Convention Centre in September has announced it will stay in Harrogate, with new dates released.

With the future of the NHS Nightingale still unconfirmed, The Flooring Show has struck at deal with Yorkshire Event Centre to use its halls from February 28 to March 2 next year.

It is good news for the town’s economy, keeping visitors in the area to use hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, bars and more during the event. Organisers said they will put on a free shuttle bus for delegates to access the town’s “unique charm and plentiful amenities”.

Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre Ltd said:

“We are delighted to be able to host The Flooring Show at the Yorkshire Event Centre and ensure that the UK’s biggest national flooring event remains here in Harrogate.

“Harrogate continues to be an ideal destination to hold events, in keeping with the latest government advice on social gatherings. We are pleased to play our part in supporting the local economy.”

Event director Alex Butler said:

“We have been in discussions with our exhibitors and visitors to find a new date for The Flooring Show that will work for the whole industry. After listening to key stakeholders, it’s clear that moving to the early part of 2021 is the preferred option for the sector to meet and do business.

“As well as sourcing the latest products, we know that networking and making valuable new connections is a hugely important part of The Flooring Show. There is no substitute for those face-to-face interactions, and they will be much easier to facilitate next year.”

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The show also plans to keep its usual September dates in 2021, meaning there will be two events next year, though the venue has yet to be confirmed.

Pool and gym opens at Harrogate Hydro with safety measures

The Hydro in Harrogate will reopen tomorrow with new safety measures in place for the pool and gym.

All sessions will need to be pre-booked to help the centre control numbers and allow for cleaning.

The safety measures mean that people will only be able to swim for up to 45 minutes and use the gym for up to an hour. Anyone who turns up early will need to queue outside or wait in their cars.

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Harrogate Borough Council has not yet given a date for the reopening of its other leisure facilities.

This comes after the council gave its backing to an overhaul of its leisure services. It will mean that the council will hand over control to its new company.

Heading to the pool?

Those heading to the pool will be allocated their own changing cubicle and locker to ensure social distancing.

However, the current guidelines mean that the showers will need to remain off-limits.

The council has limited the number of people who can swim to a maximum of five per lane. Family sessions will be in the activity pool.

At the end of the session, the staff will ask people to leave as soon as possible.

Heading to the gym?

There are no lockers or changing cubicles available for those visiting Brimhams Fitness Centre so people will need to turn up ready for their sessions.

Staff have widened the space between equipment and limited the number of members in each zone, so there may be a wait.

The council has also provided cleaning equipment for gym users to apply before and after their workouts.