Stray Views: I can suggest only two solutions to Harrogate’s traffic congestion
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district.
It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Dear Editor,

I read repeatedly of North Yorkshire Council councillors and others stating that recent consultations on Harrogate’s traffic congestion have rejected any road building projects and instead have supported more active travel schemes as the preferred solution. [Council quashes hopes of west Harrogate bypass]

Whilst I do not have a copy of the consultations to refer back to, my memory is that there never was a question along the lines of  “Would you like to see further bypasses built? ”. The questions were more vague and designed to obtain the preferred council outcome. For example “Would you support the encouragement of more active travel?”. It is almost impossible to say “No” to such a question. The health benefits alone make “Yes” the only sensible answer.

But active travel will not remove Harrogate’s congestion at anytime in the near future, or even the medium term. The station gateway as originally proposed would not have improved the journey from, for example, Oatlands to Asda nor the journey back with a week’s shopping – wobbling up Leeds Road on a bicycle!

I can suggest only two solutions to Harrogate’s traffic congestion – one would be to complete the bypass around Harrogate, on a route that avoided sensitive areas of countryside. The other would be to ban all non-electric vehicles and all large cars from journeys into and within Harrogate. This second solution would need to be coupled with a scheme to provide small electric vehicles to all residents at a much subsidised cost (which would be demonstrably cheaper than building a bypass!), together with 2 or 3 Park and Ride schemes.

We could be pioneers! Think of Harrogate leading the way and being ahead of other towns in its innovative approach to reducing traffic congestion.

Yours

Andrew Dodd, Harrogate

I would like to add my support to the letter condemning the proposed removal of large numbers of mature trees in order to be able to increase production of Harrogate Spring Water. [Stray Views: Harrogate Spring Water plans a ‘total tree wash’]
Water in plastic bottles has a place in emergency situations such as the war in Gaza or Ukraine but there is no justification for it in this Country. Convenient it may be, but necessary it is not, and certainly not at the expense of the felling of mature trees.
Michael Pattinson, Harrogate

 

We’ve also had a number of emails from readers getting in touch with us after we ran a story about the new parking payment system at Harrogate District Hospital, run by private firm Parkingeye.  Harrogate hospital defends criticism of new parking payment system. We will be doing a follow up story including some of your experiences this week. Get in touch with your views contact@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

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Quad bike stuntman to take centre stage at Great Yorkshire Show 2024

Organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show have announced the a new addition to the 2024 programme.

The Paul Hannam Quad Bike Stunt Show will take to the main ring every day over the four-day event, which is run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

The Devon-based stuntman, who has raced at British Championship level, will perform jumps, trick riding and rolls at the 165th anniversary of the show.

Around 100 farmers representing the World Ayrshire Federation Annual Conference 2024 will also attend the show as part of an 18-day UK tour.

Farmers from Kenya, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and America will visit the show to see how UK farmers breed Ayrshire cattle.

The Ayrshire Australia conference.

Charles Mills, who announced this will be his last show before stepping down as director after nine years in post, said:

“It is always a delight to host a world conference but it will be particularly special for me to welcome the Ayrshire World Conference as I was Chief Steward for the Ayrshire breed in the 90s for the Great Yorkshire Show.

“This is looking set to be an exciting show with the best animals in the country competing as well as first class machinery and innovation and a brand new Main Ring performer with the Paul Hannam Quad Bike Stunt Show.

“We look forward to organising another terrific four days celebrating the very best of farming, food and countryside.”

Organisers have also confirmed the return of the agricultural fashion shows, sheep shearing demonstrations and live cooking events.

There will also be a new marquee in the countryside area with talks on river management, game keeping and moorland management.

The Great Yorkshire Show, in Harrogate, will be held on Tuesday, July 9 to Friday, July 12 2024.

Tickets are now sold in advance only with visitor numbers capped at 35,000 a day.

Adult tickets cost £35, children cost £13 and families cost £86. They are on sale now.

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Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery to hold candlelit remembrance service

A candlelit service will be held at Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery next weekend to remember those who died in wars .

Members of the public can attend the Candlelit Christmas Remembrance service, which is being held by the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.

At the event, people will be provided with battery-operated tealights to place on the graves of the fallen. This will be followed by a short service of Remembrance.

Harrogate woman Benji Walker, whose son serves in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, was inspired by images of other Commonwealth war graves cemeteries in Europe lit by candlelight.

She said:

“I feel it’s as important today as it was at the time to recognise the sacrifice of those who gave everything to serve this country.

“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance is a chance for the local community to gather to remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of CWGC casualties buried at Stonefall, many of them thousands of miles from home.”

Members of the public can also sponsor a candle, with profits being split between The Commonwealth War Foundation and Help for Heroes.

Elizabeth Smith, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission public engagement coordinator, said:

“This wonderful candlelit event has become an annual fixture, and it allows people to connect with their history whilst remembering those who fought and died in both world wars.”

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which oversees the foundation, was founded by Royal Charter in 1917.

It works on behalf of the governments of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK to commemorate more than 1.5 million people who lost their lives in the two world wars.

Stonefall Cemetery is one of the largest CWGC sites in the north of England, with more than 1,000 commonwealth graves.

More than 600 of the casualties buried there served with the Royal Canadian Air Force, including two 17-year-olds, during the Second World War.

Ms Smith added:

“The plot of war graves at Stonefall is unique in Yorkshire because of its resemblance to sites in France and Belgium. At the end of the Second World War local people were encouraged to adopt the war graves from overseas and lay wreaths on behalf of their families at Christmas.

“So, because of that connection, it’s a special time of year and we warmly invite everyone to come along.

“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance allows local people to reconnect with their history and pay their respects to the fallen.”

The service will take place on Sunday, December 17 at 3.30pm.

The meeting point is the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane and parking is available in the cemetery car park.

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Flood threat remains after wind fells trees in Harrogate

Flood warnings remain active across the Harrogate district this morning after a wild night of weather that saw several trees fall.

The entire length of the River Nidd and its tributaries and the Lower River Ure are subject to flood alerts by the Environment Agency.

More severe flood warnings are in place at Hunsingore on the Nidd and on at Boroughbridge camping and caravanning site on the Ure.

Last night saw several trees crash down, including one outside Valley Gardens in Harrogate at the bottom of Valley Drive.

Helen Bagnall, who witnessed the incident, said:

“The tree has fallen on top of a car and is completely blocking the road, I tried to ring the police but there is nobody answering unless it’s an emergency. It just kept going round in circles, asking me if I wanted to report dog fouling.”

Grayston Plain Lane at Hampsthwaite was blocked next to the Northern Energy site due to a fallen tree.

A tree also came down at the Oval in Harrogate.

Last night saw firefighters rescue two people trapped in a car that got stuck in floodwater in Ripon shortly before 7pm.

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Green Hammerton man jailed for historic sex offences in Harrogate

A 62-year-old man has been jailed for two years for child-sex offences committed more than 40 years ago.

Sean Harland, from Green Hammerton, appeared for sentence at York Crown Court on Friday after a jury convicted him of two counts of gross indecency with a young girl following a trial in September.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said the sexual abuse occurred in the Harrogate area in the mid-to-late 1970s, when Harland was a teenager.

He said that Harland made the girl perform sexual acts on him on “multiple” occasions.

Harland told her that if she ever told anyone about what he had done, she wouldn’t be believed. Mr Newcombe.said:

“She believed the threats.

“(Harland) clearly knew from a young age that what he was doing was wrong.”

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until the early 1990s when she told her psychologist following a mental breakdown.

Police launched an investigation after being contacted by one of the victim’s family members about six years ago.

The victim read out a statement in court outlining the impact Harland’s offences had on her.

She had suffered from anxiety, depression and “severe” panic attacks for which she had received professional help from her teenage years to adulthood. She added:

“I’m still having counselling sessions and expect to need them until the day I die.”

Defence barrister Alasdair Campbell said Harland had no previous convictions and had always been a working man.

He added that Harland also had serious mental health issues for which he was receiving therapy.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said that Harland’s offences had a “devastating” effect on the victim who had suffered “severe” psychological harm.

He said that despite Harland’s young age at the time, he would have still “known right from wrong” and that what he had done to the victim was a “disgrace”.

The judge said that the offences were so serious that only an immediate prison sentence could be justified.

He told Harland:

“The plea to suspend (the sentence) would have been more powerful if you had admitted (the offences), but you didn’t and you’re still in denial.”

Harland, of Meadow Vale, will serve half of the two-year sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

He was also made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order, which will run for an indefinite period.

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Trees down and flood alerts in Harrogate district

A number of trees have fallen blocking roads across the Harrogate district tonight as high winds and heavy rain continue to batter the region.

This evening, trees have fallen on Valley Drive and in the Oval in Harrogate and on Greyston Plain Lane next to Northern Energy in Hampswaithe.

Flood alerts continue to be in place for the Upper and Lower Nidd and Upper and Lower Ure areas.

The government’s flood alert, last updated at 5.30pm this evening, said river levels remain high on the Lower River Ure. Affected areas include low-lying land including agricultural land and local roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.

The alert said in the Upper Nidd area which covers Pateley Bridge and Summerbridge  rain is falling on an already wet catchment.

The Met Office has issued a yellow alert for wind for up to 11.45pm.

The weather though it set to ease tomorrow.

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Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal raises £5k – but there’s still a way to go

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise money for a minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.

The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal has raised £5,000.

We’re so thankful to everyone that has donated to the appeal, which is raising money to buy Dementia Forward a new minibus.

However, we’re still a long way off our target and, with time running out, we need your help more than ever.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and tired and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going.

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and bettering the lives of those living with dementia. It also provides much needed for carers and loved ones who are struggling to watch their loved one slip away.

Without it, so many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help they so desperately need.

There are currently 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040. It’s a disease that affects whole families.

We know times are hard, but please donate whatever you can to our appeal.

It’s a lifeline for hundreds of families in the Harrogate district. Let’s not forget those who need our help this Christmas.

Thank you.

Novelist Ruth Ware to curate Harrogate crime writing festival

Novelist Ruth Ware has been named as festival programming chair for next year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

The festival, organised by the charity Harrogate International Festivals, is hailed as the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction.

Held next year from July 18 to 21 at the Old Swan, the festival regularly attracts some of the world’s most popular crime and thriller writers to Harrogate.

Ms Ware, whose books have sold six million copies, follows in the footsteps of the likes of Ian Rankin, Elly Griffiths, Denise Mina, Lee Child, Val McDermid and Vaseem Khan.

Her 2015 debut thriller In a Dark, Dark Wood, about a bachelorette party gone disastrously wrong, was a Richard and Judy Choice, and a Sunday Times and New York Times top ten bestseller.

Since then, her novels have appeared on bestseller lists and been optioned for both film and TV, including her latest thriller Zero Days which was selected by Universal International Studios.

Ms Ware, who lives near Brighton, said:

“When I first began writing, one of my most cherished dreams was a panel at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

“To be invited to chair the festival is truly an honour I could never have imagined – and it’s been my privilege and delight to work alongside the phenomenal programming committee to create a programme that showcases the strength, diversity and sheer literary inventiveness of our brilliant and bloody craft.

“From writers I’ve admired for years to newcomers I’ve been thrilled to discover – I can’t wait to share it with you all.”

Simon Theakston, of Masham brewery T&R Theakston Ltd, which has been the festival title sponsor since 2005, added:

“I’m delighted that such a talented writer as Ruth Ware is taking on the role of festival programming chair.”

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Yemi’s Food Stories: My inexpensive kitchen gadget Christmas wish list

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

 

It’s that time of year again: our bellies are full, but our banks may be less so…

But Christmas presents don’t have to break the bank – even the ones we’d really like.

This week, I’m taking you through my Christmas wish list which will take your kitchen to a whole new level.

Latana 2-in-1 safety can and bottle opener

Christmas is the perfect excuse to stock up on all the kitchen gadgets you need. It’s something of a practical indulgence.

This year, the Latana 2-in-1 Safety Can and Bottle Opener is at the top of my wish list.

It’s safe – which is always handy with children running around – and, better yet, very easy to use.

It doesn’t require any force and the lid can be placed back on the can to keep leftovers fresh. To top it all off, it doesn’t have any sharp edges to worry about.

I first discovered this brand after I got fed up with can openers that weren’t user friendly. I was so pleased with it, I immediately got a spare one and even bought it for others!

It will make a great, affordable gift that every kitchen needs.

You can buy yours here.

A quality kitchen knife

 The right knife will make prepping so much easier – you will wonder why you waited so long to get one.

There’s plenty of great knives out there and, again, they don’t have to dent your bank account.

I’d recommend the Robert Welch Santoku and Chef knives. They’re great quality and make the whole cooking experience so much more enjoyable.

But be careful – with good knives come sharp edges!

Peelers

 I reach for a peeler nearly every day, so I will always happily receive a new one at Christmas.

However, there are different kinds of peelers for different uses. I have one with a serrated blade that is perfect for shredding vegetables, while the straight blades ones are better for peeling root vegetables.

With the fear of sounding like a real adult, they will serve as a great Christmas present and are a necessity in every kitchen.

Just think of all the beautifully carrots and parsnips you could dish up on Christmas Day thanks to a good quality peeler!

Of course, many of us would like a piece of jewellery, a new bag or a trip to Paris this Christmas – me included. But stocking up on kitchen staples goes a long way, and your tastebuds will thank you later for it.

This story contains sponsored content and links. 

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Taxpayers bear multi-million pound losses on Harrogate’s vacant Royal Baths

The long-term vacancy of two prime retail units in Harrogate’s Royal Baths has cost the taxpayer almost £1 million in lost rent and service charges, the Stray Ferret can reveal.

North Yorkshire County Council paid £9.5 million for the Grade II listed building in 2018. A current council report has valued it at £7 million and forecasts it to generate an investment return of just 1.64%.

But in addition to the £2.5 million decline in property value, the long-term vacancy of both buildings is haemorrhaging lost rental income each month.

A year ago today (December 9, 2022) the council evicted the owners of the Viper Rooms nightclub — one of four commercial units it lets in the Royal Baths.

The venue has stood empty since, despite repeated claims by the council of “significant interest”.

The former Potting Shed bar, which along with the JD Wetherspoon pub and Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant make up the other commercial units, has been empty since the council acquired the historic complex five years ago.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded North Yorkshire County Council in April this year, about the cost of the ongoing vacancies.

A council statement said rent for the Viper Rooms premises “would have been in the region of £90,000 since December last year”.

It added maintenance for the building is covered by a service charge which is approximately £75,000.

The council added no business rates are payable due to an exemption for the premises as a listed asset.

As for the Potting Shed space, the council said the original rent was £125,000 a year when the county council acquired the vacant unit in 2018. That figure represents a loss of £625,000 over five years.

The vacant former Potting Shed unit.

It did not give a figure for the loss of service charge income at the Potting Shed but said no business rates were payable on either premises due to an exemption for them being a listed asset.

The council said “no agent’s fees have been paid at this time” to Savils, which has been marketing the Viper Rooms, adding any fee “will be made when the unit has been let”.

Asked why it was taking so long to find a Viper Rooms tenant, despite the apparent interest, the council said:

“The leisure market continues to be highly variable. Savills has conducted a significant number of viewings, and we do now have offers for both vacant units.

“An offer for the Viper Rooms unit has been accepted while the offer for the Potting Shed is due to be considered shortly.

“The situation of having vacant units is by no means unique and is a widespread issue nationally following the impact of the covid pandemic and the cost of living situation.

“Harrogate’s Royal Baths do, however, cover their costs and the council has not had to use funds from alternative budgets to support the asset.”

Council urged to “get their act together”

Former Conservative councillor Richard Musgrave branded the Royal Baths an “under-performing trophy asset” in 2021 because of the sum paid and returns generated.

The continued loss of rental income since, the depreciation of the value of the asset and its low investment returns has again raised questions about the council’s business acumen.

The Royal Baths forecasted return of 1.64% is by far the lowest in the council’s portfolio.

Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the Independent group on Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council, said the situation was “extremely concerning”. He said:

“The council really ought to get their act together and get it sorted immediately.

“A 1.64% return on investment is very low. They could have put the money in the bank and got just under 5%.”

Cllr Parsons said the newly formed council was still going through its investment portfolio to decide which assets to keep.

The Royal Baths complex

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election, said:

“North Yorkshire Council’s approach to business and investment in Harrogate is disappointing, and we deserve better.

“The continued cuts to local government from the Conservative government have left local authorities scrambling to buy up investment properties as new revenue streams. Often they do not have the skills of expertise to make a success of such investments, and we can see how that plays out first hand with the Royal Baths as one example.

“Their approach has been shortsighted, resulted in the loss of local businesses, and decreased the value of the assets they purchased. Someone should be accountable for this decision.”

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Asked to respond to claims that it lacks the commercial acumen to run businesses, the council said:

“North Yorkshire Council has a wide range of skills among its own staff, but also recognises that external support is necessary for assets that are more complex. A number of external professionals assist the council in managing this asset is the best interests of local residents and taxpayers.”

Paul Kinsey, who owned the Viper Rooms, has been locked in protracted negotiations with the council over the fixtures and fittings, declined to comment.