Harrogate Christmas Market 2020 waiting for green light

Organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market are planning to go ahead with the event this year with social distancing measures in place.

Currently, the event is still on for November 12 to 15, 2020 on St Mary’s Walk and Montpellier Hill.

They will ask all traders and visitors to bring a mask or face covering in all parts of the market and to observe the rules of the day.

There will be hand sanitiser stations at every entrance, a one way system around the craft and gift marquee and no food and drink marquee.

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Around 180 stalls have already signed up for the event but the organisers will not take any fees until they get the green light – something they hope to get in the next month.

One of the concerns for the organisers is the coach travel industry. They fear for the 9000 people that use coaches to get to the event if coaches cannot carry more people.

Brian Dunsby OBE, Harrogate Christmas Market, told The Stray Ferret:

“We are hopeful that we will get the approval from the authorities. We normally get around 80,000 people but we are not expecting anything like that this time. I think that Harrogate needs this market to go ahead, the retailers would definitely miss it.”

Unlike other Christmas markets around the country, the Harrogate Christmas Market focuses on Yorkshire traders. It bucks the trend of French and German markets elsewhere in the UK.

Great Yorkshire Virtual Show announces line-up

The line-up for this year’s Great Yorkshire Show has been announced ahead of the first day today.

For the first time in history the show will be broadcast online from the Great Yorkshire Show website and will feature a packed schedule which celebrates farming, food and the countryside.

Some top attractions include a behind the scenes tour with Olympic show jumper Graham Fletcher, a Q&A with stars of The Yorkshire Vet and a performance from East Yorkshire based TV stunt performers Atkinson Action Horses.

Read more: 

Charles Mills, the show’s director, said:

“Never before has the Great Yorkshire Show been celebrated as a virtual event and so we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to bringing the show to life in this way. There will be something for everyone to enjoy online over the show’s three days and we dearly hope that you will join us for what promises to be a very special showcase…”

Charles Mills, Show Director.

The show, which normally welcomes more than 130,000 visitors and 8,500 animals was cancelled in March due to the pandemic. In previous years the show has generated large amounts of traffic through Harrogate.

The organisers were determined that “the show must go on” and instead encourage people to enjoy the event from the comfort of their own home.

To view the full schedule visit – https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk 

Lightwater Valley set to reopen this weekend

North Yorkshire theme park Lightwater Valley will be welcoming visitors back as it reopens this weekend.

The theme park will be operating with reduced capacity and all visitors will need to pre-book tickets online. The park will have an increased cleaning regime along with floor markings and hand sanitiser stations.

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The general manager at Light Water Valley, Colin Bowes, said:

“We are delighted to be able to start welcoming visitors back but we also know how crucial it is that they feel safe. For this summer, to help us manage visitor numbers and keep everyone safe, we are focussing on running the rides and parts of the park which are more suited to a younger family audience.”

people on a ride

Lightwater Valley has been closed for over 3 months.

Most of the rides will be open but The Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo remain closed. Indoor play areas will also be closed and food will be take out only.

180-home plans submitted for former Police training centre

Fresh plans have been submitted for housing at the former Police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.

The site is now owned by the government’s housing agency, Homes England, who wants to build 164 new build homes on the land whilst converting North Lodge, Headmasters House, Kensington House and Library into an additional 16 homes.

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission for 161 homes to be built on the site. However, since then, the land has been transferred from the Home Office to Homes England who now wants to add an extra 19 homes to the development, which is also above the 160 allocated for the site in HBC’s Local Plan.

The development would keep some playing fields which Homes England says could be used by local football teams and potentially adopted and managed by HBC.

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Homes England said the extra homes would “better suit the profile of local housing needs emerging from the recently adopted Local Plan evidence base.”

A consultation of residents found that 73% of respondents either strongly disagreed or disagreed that an increase of 19 homes with a broader mix of house sizes will help to meet local housing needs, with just 13% agreeing and 13% neutral.

Homes England is now inviting expressions of interest from developers.

For decades police recruits from all over the UK came to Harrogate to train, however the site was closed in 2011 due to cost-cutting. In 2006, HBC gave the green light for the site to be turned into housing but these plans never materialised.

No coronavirus deaths reported in Harrogate for six days

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any new coronavirus deaths for the last six days.

The last time the hospital recorded a death was on July 7. That came after more than two weeks without any deaths.

It means that Harrogate District Hospital remains on 81 deaths and 139 patient discharges after treatment for coronavirus.

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England’s hospitals reported that a further 11 people had died with coronavirus in today’s NHS figures.

Patients were aged between 72 and 95 years old. All patients had known underlying health conditions.

Stray exchange land identified for cycle route

Harrogate Borough Council is set to consult on three plots of land to be designated the Stray as part of a land swap to make way for the Otley Road Cycle Route.

The building of the cycle route means that verges classed as Stray land have to be removed. As part of the Stray Act, a suitable plot of land must be offered in exchange.

The council will now consult on the three areas of land before settling on one to exchange.

The three areas identified are:

Senior councillors on the borough council’s cabinet are expected to approve the public consultation on Wednesday.

It comes as North Yorkshire County Council’s looks to press ahead with a multi-million cycle route on the stretch of road between Harlow Moor Road and Beech Grove.

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The scheme has been marred by delays and, with less than a mile of the route being built, the county council has been criticised over a “lack of ambition”.

Now, highways bosses will hope that the consultation will lead to a solution to its latest stumbling block and prevent any further setbacks.

The preferred area of land outlined in Harrogate Borough Council documents earmarked to be exchanged as part of the Otley Road cycle route.

Lengthy negotiations with the Duchy of Lancaster over the use of Stray land on the footpaths and verges between Cold Bath Road and Beech Grove delayed the second phase of the project from going ahead.

The borough council’s preferred option would see a plot of land behind Harrogate District Hospital which adjoins the end of Willaston Road offered in exchange.

While the land has a covenant which states that it is intended for recreational and open space, the council said it would not prevent it from being used as exchange land.

However, the Stray Defence Association (SDA) raised concern over the amenity value of the second and third options outlined by the council.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson from the SDA said:

“Land taken from the Stray to build roads, footpaths etc remains forever Stray land, belonging ultimately to the Crown.

“However, as everything on the surface of the Stray belongs to the people of Harrogate, any land utilised for any purpose must be given back to Harrogate’s people as ‘payback land and be of the same amenity value to them as their original Stray.

“What concerns us about the latest proposals from HBC and NYCC is just that. Of what ‘amenity value’ are the verges along Arthurs Avenue and St James Drive going to be for local people?

“Are people going to picnic there, sit and read a book there, play football, cricket, or any other game there? We think not. Therefore, what actual ‘amenity value’ does the land being offered have?”

New manager for top Harrogate hotel faces ‘very tough’ year

Andy Barnsdale has taken over the helm of The DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa.

He is the top hotel’s new general manager and said that the hospitality sector is facing a “very tough” next 12 months.

The Majestic was just a week away from officially opening its new £2 million spa and wellness centre, called The Harrogate Spa before the coronavirus lockdown.

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That new project has still not been given the go ahead to open but, in the meantime, they have opened a new dining concept called Majestic Weekends.

It had remained open throughout the pandemic for key workers before it reopened to the general public on July 4.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa

The DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa.

When Mr Barnsdale started his role 90% of the staff were on furlough but now they are bringing them back. He said:

“Thanks to the Cairn Group’s significant investment, The Majestic has regained its place as one of the finest hotels in the Harrogate District. Coronavirus has had a major impact on the hospitality sector, and we are facing a very tough 12 months. However, I believe we are well placed to pull through; we have a fantastic product and the Hilton brand is recognised and respected worldwide. Events and conferences are rebooking, and guests are coming back.”

Andy Barnsdale started his career in hospitality 25 years ago with Haven Holidays and over the next 11 years, he worked at six different holiday parks at general manager level before he moved onto hotels – namely Nidd Hall for six years.

EXCLUSIVE: True cost of civic centre was £17m

The new civic centre constructed by Harrogate Borough Council cost the taxpayer at least £17m, The Stray Ferret can reveal. 

From its choice of an expensive round building to opting to use a highly valuable piece of land, the council wasted millions of pounds of public money. 

The council argued at the time that it offered value for money. Our investigation shows that, because the potential value of the land at Knapping Mount was never fully revealed, taxpayers were not given a true picture of the overall costs involved. 

Over the next few days, we will investigate: 

Harrogate Borough Council's Civic Centre

The new civic centre at Knapping Mount

It is our belief that the council chose Knapping Mount because it wanted to create a landmark building in the town centre.  

Now, with a true picture of the costs, the taxpayer can decide: was the new civic centre worth it? 

How did it cost £17m?

The contract awarded to builder Harry Fairclough Ltd for the construction was worth £11.5m.  

The final bill has not been settled: the contractor – now in administration – believes the council should pay more, but HBC views £11.5m as the fixed cost. 

The Stray Ferret has conducted an investigation into the value of the land on which it was built. We believe that value is at least £4.5m.   

On top of that, almost £400,000 was spent on furniture. Total costs for flooring, IT infrastructure and other essential fittings have never been confirmed and could add even more to the cost.

A total spend of £865,000 was approved in 2013 for appointing a professional design team and for design, pre-planning and project costs. 

The unique round design of the new civic centre would have added a significant amount to the cost of the project. Experts have told The Stray Ferret that a curved design can add an average of 20% to the build cost. 

That all means that the total cost of the project was more than £17.2m. 

Read more on our investigation: 

Why was Knapping Mount so valuable?

Historically Knapping Mount was designated employment land because it had council offices on it.  

In 2014, though, the site had been earmarked for 52 homes in documents being prepared for the council’s Local Plan. That meant the land would have got planning permission for housing, and its value would have shot up. 

Yet, as it worked out the costs for its new civic centre, HBC chose not to explore this. It could have applied for formal planning permission and then had the land valued. Without this information it could move to Knapping Mount without having to be clear about capital it could have raised from the sale of the land.   

An aerial photo of Knapping Mount before the new civic centre was built

The Knapping Mount site, off Kings Road, before the new civic centre was built

A letter from Harrogate Civic Society to HBC in 2013 clearly shows the potential value was raised before any decision was made: 

“We have obviously had no access to confidential property reports but have concerns that only a boutique hotel use is mentioned for Crescent Gardens, no apparent appreciation of Scotsdale as apartments or Springfield House as a budget hotel in cooperation with Holiday Inn or appraisal of the fact that Knapping Mount and Brandreth House form the most valuable residential site in the Council portfolio.” 

In its own documents assessing the site, HBC said that building on Knapping Mount meant the loss of a “significant capital receipt” – but never went into detail about just how much that could have been.  

In a request under the Freedom of Information Act, The Stray Ferret discovered that the council last had the land valued at the end of 2017. That valuation was £1.83m – but it was no longer earmarked as housing land and the civic centre had already been built.  

Our question is: why didn’t the council properly value the land for housing before the move and make that value public? 

How did we get a figure of £4.5m for the land?

After talking to experts and making comparisons with sites nearby we have put a figure of £4.5m on the land. Throughout our investigation, we have sought expert opinion and always opted for a conservative estimate.  

The nearby Springfield Court, at the junction of Kings Road and Springfield Avenue, was sold in 2017 for £4.835m with permission to convert its offices into 35 two-bedroom apartments. That development now has an extra 26 flats being built taking the total number of apartments there to 61. 

Knapping Mount, which is twice that size, was earmarked for 52 dwellings in 2014. Those properties could have been either apartments or houses and a developer could have chosen, like Springfield Court, to build higher and apply for permission to add more flats. Of those, 40% would have been designated affordable housing, and the site is in a conservation area, both of which affect its value.  

With advice from local experts, we have conservatively put a figure of £4.5m on the land.  

While the council could argue this was not a cost because it already owned the land, the fact remains that they could have sold it and banked the cash. 

But that’s not all we have found. In the next of our series of reports, we show how an expensive design bumped up the cost – and how they could have done it all for millions less.

Next:

 

Circular design pushed civic centre price up

The bespoke circular design of Harrogate Borough Council’s new civic centre could have cost taxpayers an extra £2m. 

Speaking to The Stray Ferret, several local architects and quantity surveyors have estimated that curved design adds anywhere between 15 and 35% to the cost of building. Conservatively, we have estimated 20% for the additional cost at Knapping Mount.

The contract with builders Harry Fairclough Ltd was awarded for £11.5m. Using the 20% uplift indicated by experts, a more conventional design for the same square footage could have come in closer to £9.5m. 

Not only that, but the unique design of the building has made it very difficult to extend compared to a rectangular building. 

What were the reasons for that choice? In its planning application, HBC rather grandly said: 

“The circular plan form derives from a number of influences including the desire to express the nature of democracy and local government through a circular debating room which is located at the centre of the building.” 

It talked about creating a ‘one council’ culture through working in one place, serving as a main civic hub for the district, and said the design was influenced by a need to offer “good value and careful use of public money”. 

Read more on this investigation:

Why are round buildings so expensive?

Architects who spoke to The Stray Ferret said there are several reasons why curved construction is a more expensive choice. 

Each aspect of the build becomes more complex, from inserting square objects such as doors into rounded walls, to joining walls together and ensuring a watertight finish. 

Then the furnishings come into play. Flooring for a circular room is more expensive because there is more waste, while specialist furniture is needed to make the most of the space – otherwise, standard furniture leaves awkward, unusable areas.

At Harrogate’s civic centre, an astonishing 27 CCTV cameras are in place to monitor all the building’s facets, compared to just three in the district’s public parks. 

An architect's drawing of Harrogate's new civic centre

An architect’s drawing of Harrogate’s new civic centre

Local specialists who spoke to The Stray Ferret said it is much harder to use space efficiently in a room with curved walls, leading to a larger square footage being required to accommodate the same number of staff as a rectangular building.

One expert described the civic centre’s design as “ludicrous”. He told The Stray Ferret that the new civic centre is so bespoke that it would be hard to adapt for another purpose, leaving question marks over its potential resale value if it is no longer needed.

In the third part of our investigation, we look at what other options were available to the council – and how much less it could have cost the taxpayer.

Next:

Council rejected site that could have saved £7m

In the third part of our investigation into the cost of Harrogate Borough Council’s civic centre, we examine how the council has publicly justified the decisions it made – and that cheaper options were set aside in favour of a town centre location.  

HBC has always framed the new civic centre as offering good value to taxpayers. In this report, we will explore the way the council has justified the money it spent and reveal that another option it dismissed would have come in at around £7m less.  

How the council justified Knapping Mount

In 2014, before the decision to move was made, a Conservative campaign leaflet stated that £9m was the gross figure and, following sales, the council expected the project to cost £5m.  

Screen shot of Conservative leaflet about the new civic centre costs

Taken from a Conservative leaflet distributed to local households in 2014

The final sentence of Cllr Cooper’s quote is particularly interesting:

“This consultation takes the politics out of the argument and gives the full facts.”

It later emerged £11.5m was the value of the contract awarded to the builder.  

HBC said that was always the ‘gross’ cost. The ‘net’ cost was £11.5m minus the income it made from selling its other buildings.

The leaflet distributed by the ruling Conservative party says otherwise.

What did the council sell to fund the move?

In moving to Knapping Mount, Harrogate Borough Council sold the following properties: 

The total receipts for those came to £7.1m.  So according to the council’s argument, Knapping Mount actually only cost £4.4m to the taxpayer.   

Yet the cost of any commercial project is always the cost of the build plus the value of the land. Regardless of what was sold, how it was funded or what they offset to make it look cheaper, HBC spent £11.5m on the build and used a site worth £4.5m. 

Using their own logic, the council could have sold Knapping Mount with planning permission for housing and added that money to the pot, giving an income of £11.6m.

The alternatives

At the outset of the project, HBC commissioned a report into the options available. As well as staying in its existing offices, it considered buildings and sites around Harrogate. 

However, the full details of those sites have never been released. A summary document was presented to the cabinet for consideration, referring to a number of sites and costs including: 

How these figures were calculated – and which specific sites or buildings they referred to – has never been revealed.  

What is evident from the report, however, is that, alongside its aim of bringing all staff onto one site, HBC was determined to maintain a town centre presence.  

The same report also recognised the high potential value of Knapping Mount, but HBC opted not to realise this. In recommending to build on the site, with an indicated cost of £13 to £13.7m, it says: 

“Retaining the site does mean the loss of a significant capital receipt.” 

Read more on this investigation:

£7m to stay in the town centre

Another site at Hornbeam Park was offered to the council in August 2014 – more than a year before work began at Knapping Mount – at a total cost in the region of £10.5m. Two hectares of land would have cost around £1.5m and a rectangular build of the same square footage as the civic centre would have been no more than £9m, even for a high-spec finish. 

We would like to make it clear that Chris Bentley, from Hornbeam Park Developments Ltd, is a supporter of The Stray Ferret but has no involvement in any editorial decisions taken by this publication. For more information, click here. All information given to us for this report was assessed and included on its own merits.

Costed up by the council at the time, the Hornbeam Park option was put at £11.9m. Though the details of this total cost have never been made public, the higher value could include an allowance for retaining and refurbishing one of the council’s town centre buildings. The report on the investigation into this option says it “prevents a single site solution” and, being out of the town centre, “results in requirement for additional town centre customer service centre”.  

The Hornbeam Park option only prevented a single-site solution because the council was absolutely determined that it needed to be in the town centre.  Although high quality, the simple rectangular design would have been cheaper. 

Architect drawings of Hornbeam Park's proposed council headquarters

The council headquarters put forward at Hornbeam Park were rejected

An office on the business park could have placed HBC adjacent to a railway station, giving ease of access for anyone using public transport. A bus route had previously existed between Hornbeam Park and the town centre, which HBC could have reinstated.  

The proposal suggested up to 177 parking spaces – 82 more than the civic centre now has – for anyone travelling in a car. And the growing trend for working online means most residents will never have cause to visit the civic centre anyway, on foot or otherwise. 

Harrogate Borough Council itself said in a 2014 report that visitor numbers were expected to decline: 

“Visitor allocation is included within the proposals for the Knapping Mount site; this is currently shown as five spaces but could be increased by the redesignation of six of employee spaces at the side of the building. This allocation is being carefully monitored and visitor surveys will continue to take place as the council moves towards the new accommodation, this will be necessary as the visitor numbers could decrease due to the channel shift effect of more services being deliverable online or via telephone.” 

Was being so central really necessary? Serving a district of more than 500 square miles, was it essential for HBC to be located in Harrogate town centre?  

Using their logic and offsetting the income from the sale of all the sites, the council could have had £11.6m to put towards the new civic centre. At a cost of £10.5m, this would have left £1.1m in the bank.  

Tomorrow:

Read The Stray Ferret on Tuesday morning for the full story.