Commercial waste could be banned at council tips in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Council is considering whether to ban people depositing commercial waste at all of its household waste recycling centres.

It is one of a range of options being considered as part of cost-saving measures.

Other ideas include restricting the number of trips vans can make to the centres and banning people who don’t live in North Yorkshire from using them.

The options, which would affect sites at Penny Pot Lane and Wetherby Road in Harrogate, Dallamires Crescent in Ripon and mobile sites in Pateley Bridge and Boroughbridge, are due to go out to consultation.

Penny Pot Household Waste Recycling Centre

The Penny Pot Lane tip.

A council decision notice last week announced plans to consult on changes, which it said would “avoid the need to reduce the service but do impact certain site users”.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why it was proposing changes, what the options were and the likely cost associated with them.

In a statement, it replied:

“To help make savings and improve the service they provide, North Yorkshire Council is looking at various changes at household waste recycling centres.

“This includes limiting the use of HWRCs to North Yorkshire residents only, limiting the access for commercial-like vehicles as well as changes to commercial waste.

“Around 15 per cent of visits are not made by North Yorkshire residents. Limiting the use to the county’s residents could generate savings of about £140,000 every year and would align with neighbouring authorities.

“The council is also proposing to limit access for commercial-like vehicles (including those in a van or pick-up). Figures show 93 per cent of visitors in a commercial-like vehicle make less than 12 visits per year. Limiting these vehicles to 12 visits could bring savings of about £370,000 and could reduce congestion at the sites.

“Before implementing these changes, people will be asked to share their views on the proposals, as well as whether they support commercial waste continuing to be accepted at HWRCs.”

Read more:

According to the council’s website, commercial waste is currently accepted at all of its centres except Wetherby Road in Harrogate.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow announced in June that households would no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres.

DIY waste is now treated the same as household waste, saving tip visitors up to £10 per sack of rubble or sheet of plasterboard. 

North Yorkshire Council said this would cost £889,000 and force it to look for new ways of saving money. 

Last month, the Local Government Association, which is a membership body for councils, warned the change could mean tip closures and reduced hours in some council areas.

 

Harrogate hospital £20m RAAC repairs a ‘critical building safety issue’, says MP

Repairs work at Harrogate District Hospital to fix crumbling concrete are a “critical building safety issue” which should be funded, a Labour MP has said.

The hospital on Lancaster Park Road requires essential work to repair panels made of RAAC.

RAAC – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – made headlines nationally recently after it was found to be a substandard component of many schools and hospitals built between the 1950s and 1990s.

Health officials estimated in September it will cost £20 million to eradicate “crumbly concrete” from Harrogate District Hospital, which was built in the 1970s.

As a result, the hospital trust has bid for funding for the work.

Read more:

During a debate in the House of Commons on Monday, Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, said hospitals in his constituency were also built with the same material.

Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson, made an intervention during Mr Amesbury’s speech to raise the issue at Harrogate.

He said:

“I was interested to hear the hon. Member mention RAAC in his speech. 

“I have heard that there is a hospital in Harrogate that needs £20 million of repairs because of RAAC, but the government are requiring that hospital to bid for the funding, rather than just giving it the funding. Does the hon. Member think that is right?”

In response, Mr Amesbury, who is also shadow minister for building safety and homelessness, said:

“I certainly do not. It is a critical building safety issue, and funding should be given according to need, so that is a very well-made point.”

The comments come as Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, called on the government to foot the bill for the repairs.

This month, Mr Gordon wrote to the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, to highlight his concerns about the construction panels at the hospital made of RAAC.

Business Breakfast: Theakston Old Peculier returns to the US after ten-year gap 

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Masham-based brewer T&R Theakston is to make its Old Peculier ale available in the United States for the first time in ten years. 

The ale has a strong following in the US after first being shipped there in 1976, and at one point was the third most imported British beer, with around 40 pallets exported every month. But the company stopped shipping to the States in 2013 due to the massive growth of foreign imported beers and the domestic craft scene.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director of T&R Theakston, said:

“With the market now settling down and the tried-and-tested imported beer brands coming once again to the fore, now is exactly the right time to return to a much admired and very enthusiastic consumer market once again.”  

Believed to have been first brewed in the early 19th century, Theakston Old Peculier is the most recognisable brand of the family-run company which has been brewing in Masham for almost 200 years.

The brewery is working with New York importer and wholesaler Iron Horse Beverages to reintroduce Old Peculier to the US market with a view to expanding its footprint in the coming years. Exports are to restart this month when the first consignment of kegs, 440ml cans and bottles arrive in New York State to be distributed throughout the Eastern Seaboard. 

Mr Theakston added:

“We are looking forward to reconnecting with loyal Old Peculier fans throughout the US, whilst introducing our rich brewing heritage to a new audience of ale lovers.”

New finance director at Northern 

Train operator Northern has appointed Richard Hinds as its finance director. 

A former CFO of global tech distributor Exertis, Mr Hinds has also held senior roles with Flogas Britain Plc and Speedy Hire Plc. In his new role, he will oversee a broad range of corporate services. 

Northern, the UK’s second largest train operator, runs Harrogate and Knaresborough stations and provides local passenger train services. 

Mr Hinds said:

“I’m looking forward to working with the team at Northern and contributing to our vision to make a positive impact for the North, getting our customers where they need to be, safely, affordably and on time.”

Read more:

 

Woman in 70s dies after Harrogate collision

A woman in her 70s has died after a collision in Harrogate.

The collision happened on North Park Road yesterday (November 13) at around 4.10pm.

It involved a pedestrian and a car. The driver of the car, a grey BMW 3-series, is helping officers with their enquiries.

A North Yorkshire Police statement issued this evening said:

“The pedestrian who was involved in a collision on North Park Road in Harrogate yesterday, a woman in her 70s, has very sadly died.

“The woman’s family have been informed of the news and are being supported by specially trained officers.”

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for information and dash cam footage of the incident.

A statement from the force added:

“Officers are renewing the appeal for information and are asking anyone with information or footage who hasn’t already come forward to contact the police. Anyone who could help the investigation is asked to email MCIT@northyorkshire.police.uk  or phone 101.

“Please quote reference number 12230216084 when passing information.”

Read more:

 

Council to pay costs over Harrogate office block conversion appeal

A developer has been awarded costs after successfully appealing a decision to convert a former Harrogate office block into flats.

Bramhope Property and Investments Limited tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council to convert the former office block off Clarence Drive known as Simpson House into 12 two-bedroom flats.

It would have seen the ground, first and second floors converted.

However, the authority rejected the plan in May this year on the grounds that the flats would not have enough natural light.

The developer took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

As a result, government planning inspector, N Teasdale, approved the plans after finding “no substantive evidence to demonstrate that the rear of the building would be in near constant shade/stygian gloom”.

The inspector also awarded costs against the council in a decision notice published this month.

Mr Teasdale said:

“It is not unreasonable for the council to raise concerns about the management of the trees through the prior approval process and the impact of the trees on the proposed development which informed its decision given the close proximity of the trees.

“It is also not unreasonable for the council to raise concern regarding the contents of a technical study. However, the council’s officer report fails to provide justification for this particularly taking into account the overall methodology used and findings of the study. 

“No technical critique has been made of the submitted assessment to support their concerns and inaccurate assertions about the proposals impact were therefore made.”

The inspector found that “unreasonable behaviour resulting in unnecessary or wasted expense” was demonstrated and awarded costs against the council.

Read more:

 

Harrogate district charity receives King’s Award for Voluntary Services

A charity that supports visually impaired people across the Harrogate district has received the highest honour for voluntary groups in the UK.  

Vision Support Harrogate District has been given the King’s Award for Voluntary Services, the equivalent of an MBE that recognises the country’s most inspiring volunteer-led groups.  

Tanya Stimpson, the charity’s director of services, said everyone was “delighted and overwhelmed” to receive the award. 

She said:

“Such a prestigious award recognises the dedication of our charity’s volunteers and the positive impact they have on our community. Some have been with us for 20, 30 and even 40 years. They give so freely their skills and experience, time, friendship and support; without them our charity would not exist.”

Vision Support Harrogate District offers practical services as well as emotional support, friendship and kindness to help visually impaired people live a full and independent life.  

Among its long-serving volunteers is Ann Routledge, 85, who described the King’s Award as “wonderful news”. 

She said:

“It just means everything to us. We are the only charity in the district for visually impaired people and this award is about recognising how much work we do.” 

Vision Support Harrogate District receives Kings Award for Voluntary Services

Volunteer Jerry, third from left, with his bowling group members

Vision Support Harrogate District receives Kings Award for Voluntary Services

Ripon volunteer John with retired volunteers Doreen, right, and Joan.

Vision Support Harrogate District helps people develop new skills and take part in a range of social and wellbeing activities, both at a drop-in centre in Harrogate as well as satellite meetings in Ripon and Pateley Bridge. It also offers a helpline, telephone befriending service and home visits. 

Helen McGrath joined as a member when she lost her sight suddenly nine years ago at the age of 42. She now volunteers for the charity, using her experience to help others. She said:

“I’d be lost without this place. What they have done for me is immeasurable.

“It’s very hard to be told you’re losing your sight; you can feel like your life has come to an end. But coming here made me feel like my life had restarted on a much more positive path.” 

Val Pilkington, 75, worked at the charity before becoming a full-time volunteer along with her husband Steven when she retired around ten years ago. She said:

“Support is the big word; the members and the volunteers all support each other. It’s just like a family, everybody pulls together and it’s very rewarding indeed.” 

Read more

Tanya added:

“Throughout Vision Support Harrogate District’s 102 years of service, volunteers have led the charity and provide lifelong educational, social and wellbeing services and activities to those in our community who have sight loss. We will display this award with pride, remembering devoted volunteers past and present.” 

Sculptures made by members of Vision Support Harrogate District will form part of an art exhibition at St Peter’s Church from November 21 to 26.

Police warning amid treacherous driving conditions after Storm Debi

North Yorkshire Police have issued a warning after heavy rain has caused some flooding in areas of the Harrogate district and treacherous driving conditions.

Storm Debi caused strong winds and rain yesterday and overnight. A yellow weather warning was in place for much of the district.

Police were called to several incidents on the district’s roads, including flooding off York Road in Boroughbridge this morning and a car crashing into safety barriers on the A59 at Goldsborough at 11.12pm last night.

However, no serious injuries have been reported.

Meanwhile, this morning Dishforth Road and Sharow Lane near Ripon has been reported as flooded.

The force’s control room recorded almost 100 incidents between 8pm last night and midnight, and a further 100 between midnight and 8am today, many of which were weather-related.

Officers have urged drivers to take care on the district’s road amid unexpected flooding and obstructions as a result of heavy rain.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: 

“It’s been a busy night with a high number of weather-related calls. We’ve worked hard to keep people safe and keep traffic moving as best we can.

“Storm Debi has passed, but she’s left flooded roads, felled trees and other dangerous debris in her wake.

“So if you’re travelling by road today, be on your guard for unexpected flooding or obstructions, and please allow that little bit of extra time to arrive safely.”

Read more:

 

RAF Menwith Hill terror plot accused experimented with firework gunpowder, trial hears

A “lone-wolf terrorist” who plotted to blow up a hospital and a RAF base near Harrogate had been experimenting with firework gunpowder and fertiliser inside his garage, a jury was told.

Mohammad Farooq, 28, a clinical support worker, planned to carry out an Islamist terror attack with a homemade bomb at RAF Menwith Hill and St James’s Hospital in Leeds but was stopped in his tracks by hero patient Nathan Newby, Sheffield Crown Court heard. 

A subsequent police search of Farooq’s home in Leeds revealed a plethora of items which the prosecution claims were linked to his alleged plot to blow up the US spy and radar base near Harrogate and the hospital where he worked.

Among the items were a gun holster, a meat cleaver, a toiletries bag containing blank-firing ammunition and 250g of saltpetre, or Potassium Nitrate, which could be used as a rocket propellant or gunpowder.

Farooq, who denies plotting a terrorist attack at the two sites, admitted that “on a few occasions” he had taken the gun holster to work with him at the hospital.

In a transcript of one of his police interviews read out in court yesterday, he was asked why there appeared to be “screws and things” in the firework powder, to which he replied: “It was for the garage really.”

He said he had stripped the fireworks and placed the powder into plastic tubs which he then “poured into the bomb”.

He claimed he kept the meat cleaver under his bed to “make me feel more safe (sic), so I slept more peacefully” because he was “paranoid” and having nightmares. 

When asked what the 250g of Potassium Nitrate were doing at his home, Farooq claimed it was used as a fertiliser for a vegetable plot behind his garage as it was “supposed to be good for the soil”, and for “curing meat”.

Read more:

Farooq admitted he had been searching for “bomb manuals” on internet forums run by extremist Jihadi groups such as Al Qaeda but had not been looking for advice on how to carry out a terrorist attack.

Police seized documents such as ‘Safety and Security Guidelines for Lone Wolf Mujahideen and Small Cells” that he had downloaded from such forums. 

Other documents downloaded by Farooq included the Anarchist Cookbook and the Improvised Munition Handbook 1969 Department of the Army, which, despite chapters on how to manufacture explosives, grenades, ammunition, mortars, incendiary devices and detonators, Farooq claimed “didn’t suit me at all”. 

When asked if he had “any desire to be part of Al Qaeda” and carry out “Lone Wolf” attacks, he replied: “No, definitely not.” 

He said he was simply looking for a manual “to make a realistic-looking bomb” and wasn’t (on the Jihadi forums) to look at anything extremist.” 

He claimed he was simply trying to “get back” at his colleagues, specifically nurses, at the hospital against whom he had a grudge because he felt he had been “humiliated” by them, but “not to hurt them in any way, it was just to scare them”.

Other documents downloaded by Farooq included ‘How to make Semtex and other explosives, IEDs’, but he claimed that “wasn’t what I wanted”.

It’s alleged that Farooq’s initial plan was to target the US spy base near Harrogate, but he also planned to blow up part of the hospital and go on a terrorist spree with a firearm, a homemade bomb and a kitchen knife, with the aim of “killing as many people as possible”.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC added:

“By January 2023, we say that the defendant had a become self-radicalised lone-wolf terrorist who had made preparations to commit a murderous terrorist attack in Yorkshire.”

At about 5am on January 20, Farooq was arrested outside the Gledhow Wing of St James’s Hospital.

Mr Sandiford said:

“The defendant was in possession of a viable improvised explosive device assembled from a pressure cooker and containing 9.9 kilos of low explosive.

“He had with him…two knives, black tape and a blank-firing imitation firearm. The crown’s case is that he had gone to that hospital to commit a terrorist attack (and) seek his own martyrdom by detonating the explosive device and using bladed weapons to kill as many people as possible.”

Farooq sent a bomb threat from inside his car in the hospital car park, but it only reached an off-duty nurse who didn’t see it until over an hour later. He had intended to cause an evacuation while he waited outside to detonate the bomb and then “attack any survivors with the bladed weapons”.

However, because the bomb threat wasn’t seen for over an hour, the evacuation didn’t initially occur, and when it eventually did it was only a “part-evacuation”, with people being moved within the hospital, not to the car park where Farooq had been waiting.

Mr Sandiford said:

“When the evacuation happened, the defendant drove away.”

He returned to St James’s a short time later with a new plan of attack which was to carry the weapons including the homemade bomb into Costa Coffee inside the hospital wing, wait for a change of shift so that it would be full of nurses, “then detonate it, killing as many of them as possible”.

However, “luck intervened again” when patient Mr Newby, who was having a cigarette outside the entrance, bumped into Farooq and “noticed that something appeared to be amiss with the defendant”.

He persuaded Farooq to follow him away from the main hospital buildings to a bench where he “succeeded in talking him down” and called police, who turned up to arrest the alleged would-be terrorist.

Menwith Hill was ‘Plan A’

Using cell-site technology, police discovered that Farooq had made at least two visits to RAF Menwith Hill between January 10 and the day of his arrest on January 20. He had chosen the US spy base “because it was believed that the base had had been used to co-ordinate drone strikes against terrorists in Syria and Iraq”.

The RAF base had been his “Plan A” of attack, but when this didn’t come off, Farooq targeted the hospital in Leeds because it was seen as a “softer” target. 

Farooq later admitted that he had the bomb with him when he went to the air base but claimed he had just gone there “for a drive”. 

He had also “obtained instructions for the preparation and manufacture…of five deadly toxins as nerve agents”, namely Ricin, Sarin, VX, Tabun and Tetrodoxin. 

Farooq, of Hetton Road, Roundhay, has already admitted possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances, possessing an improvised explosive device and pyrotechnic fuses.

He has also pleaded guilty to possessing a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and having an imitation firearm with criminal intent, namely a Gediz 9mm PAK semi-automatic pistol, and possession of the same imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The trial continues. 

Daughter of man, 90, killed on A61 calls for ‘horrendous’ road to be made safer

The daughter of a 90-year-old man who was killed when he was knocked down by a car is calling for better safety measures to be urgently introduced on the stretch of the A61 Ripon Road where he was hit. 

Lucjan Wilk had just got off the number 36 bus when he was struck by a Ford Fiesta travelling towards Killinghall on Monday night (November 6). He sustained multiple serious injuries and died the following evening in Leeds General Infirmary. 

Polish-born Mr Wilk lived with his daughter, Paulina, and her husband in a house near the bus-stop.

She told the Stray Ferret: 

“This road is just horrendous. People come flying down that hill – I don’t think anyone does less than 50mph, and many go a lot faster than that. 

“There’s also no lighting between Harrogate and Killinghall, and not even any on Knox Mill Lane. It’s so dangerous. 

“I don’t think they put the bus-stop in the right place at all.” 

Paulina is now calling on North Yorkshire Council to reduce the speed limit to 30mph between Harrogate and Killinghall, to install proper lighting, and to introduce other traffic-calming measures, such as speed-indicator display signs. She said: 

“It’s a big problem, and I’ve asked the council for more lighting here before, but nobody’s listening. It’s like we don’t exist.” 

Mr Wilk, who came to England with his family in 1978, had lived with Paulina and her husband ever since his wife moved into a care home three months ago.

He had taken the bus into Harrogate every day since then to visit his wife, to whom friends say he was devoted. 

Paulina can see the spot where her father was struck from her kitchen window. She said: 

“I have to pass it every day on my way into town, too – there’s no escape.  

“My dad was a wonderful person, and unbelievably fit for 90 years old. It’s so unfair – he didn’t deserve to die like that.” 

In tragic twist of irony, Paulina used to live on Leeds Road, where she was very concerned about speeding cars “using it as a racetrack”.

She moved to her current address because she thought it would be quieter. She said: 

“I complained to the council about the speeding there, and they contacted me and sympathised, but that was the end of it. A police officer even told me that sometimes it takes a tragedy, like someone’s death, to make them do something. Well, that tragedy has happened now, so I hope something will be done.” 

Read more:

 

Business Breakfast: New outdoor shop opens in Ripon

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

A Trespass and Nevisport store is the latest addition to Ripon‘s high street.  

The outdoor clothing, footwear and accessories specialist, which sells brands including The North Face, Rab and Berghaus, opened its doors on Saturday morning in a prime retail location at Market Place East.  

The premises were previously occupied for many years by Barclays Bank, whose Ripon branch closed in August 2022. 

The Trespass brand was created in 1984 by long-established Glasgow firm Jacobs & Turner Ltd, which still owns it. The first Trespass store in mainland Europe opened in the Netherlands in 2014 and others have since opened in Poland, France, Germany and Austria. 

Nevisport was founded near Ben Nevis in Scotland in 1970 and was acquired by Jacobs & Turner Ltd in 2007. 

New Christmas market at Ripley

Real Markets, which runs markets across Yorkshire, has announced a new Christmas market at Ripley Castle.

Real Markets at Ripley Castle on Sunday, December 10 will feature a “special visitor from the North Pole” and carols from local schoolchildren. Visitors will also have free access to Ripley Castle’s grounds and gardens on market day.

Lucy Allen, director of Real Markets, said:

“We hope our special Christmas market brings a little magic in this fairytale setting. We’re thrilled that our specially curated local market will continue to be in the castle grounds once a month, every month next year too. It offers free access to Ripley castle’s grounds and gardens, so a fantastic day out for all ages.”

Picture of a market at Ripley Castle.

The monthly market at Ripley Castle. Photo: Real Markets.

Real Markets runs a number of long-standing Yorkshire markets, including monthly markets and farmers’ markets in Ilkley, Grassington, Otley and Harrogate, as well as at Ripley Castle on the last Sunday of each month excluding January. Its ethos is to support local, small, specialist and independent businesses to benefit the local community and help local producers thrive.

The Real Markets Christmas market at Ripley Castle will take place from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 10 December. Admission is free.

Read more: