Crescent Gardens rough sleepers offered accommodation ‘daily’, council says

North Yorkshire Council has said it has provided a group of rough sleepers in Harrogate‘s Crescent Gardens with daily offers of accommodation.

The group, which it is claimed contains up to 10 people at various times, took over the pavilion near the public toilets a week ago.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday anti-social behaviour concerns among nearby residents.

One resident, Eileen Dockray, said she had reported the group to both the council and North Yorkshire Police on Tuesday but was passed between the two.

Andrew Rowe, the council’s assistant director for housing, yesterday said:

“We are aware of a group of people sleeping rough in this area and have been engaging with them daily with offers of accommodation made to them all.

“In the evening there is a larger congregation but those visiting the site are not homeless.

“A multi-agency meeting takes place weekly and this site is on the agenda for actions by everyone involved. Reports from the public of anti-social behaviour have been minimal, but it is important that we are notified to enable the police to pursue any appropriate actions needed.”

The pavilion has been used by rough sleepers for a week.

Mr Rowe added:

“The council is committed to its work with rough sleepers in the county and will continue to engage with this group, in an attempt to secure a suitable housing outcome.

“The area is monitored by our community safety team and any issues of an anti-social nature should be referred to the police.”

One resident from the nearby Grosvenor Buildings, who asked not to be named, said this morning the group were “talking, yelling and laughing” between 3am and 4am this morning.

The resident added:

“It has been like this for a few days. They are occupying a central public space, depriving residents of its use and causing day-to-day nuisances to the neighbourhood.

“I called the police and was told it is a council issue.

“A few residents in my building are also frustrated by the lack of action from any authority to remove the encampment.

“This Crescent Gardens pavilion attracted a few entrenched homeless people before and now even a large group — over 10 during certain times — so should be identified as a ‘vulnerable site’.”

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Celebrate this weekend as Jules B Harrogate turns one

This story is sponsored by Jules B

After opening its doors for the first time in September 2022, the team at Jules B Harrogate are all set to celebrate its first birthday. To mark the milestone, the designer womenswear store is planning a special event this coming weekend.

On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September, the Harrogate team are welcoming visitors to join in the celebrations with cake and refreshments in store. Those who make a purchase on full-price items can also expect another exclusive treat.

Jules B Harrogate is the youngest of five Jules B stores selling a handpicked selection of designer brands like Barbour, Holland Cooper and OSKA.

Located at 5 Cambridge Crescent, Harrogate, fashion enthusiasts can find luxury clothes, shoes and accessories covering two whole floors. And it’s fair to say it’s been a successful first year with an incredible response from all involved.

Founder Julian Blades said:

“It’s been an enjoyable first year in Harrogate getting to know our new customers and building a fantastic enthusiastic sales team here, and it has not disappointed! We are really excited about our new autumn/winter collections, introducing some amazing new brands to our portfolio. 

“It makes all the hard work worthwhile when you have such an appreciative audience, and we are looking forward to continuing the progress we have made so far.”

If you’re in the area this weekend, drop by to raise a glass and discover the new arrivals awaiting. To discover more about the first year, read this interview with store manager Lynne Markham.

Man dies suddenly in Harrogate town centre

A man died suddenly in Harrogate this morning, police have announced.

The Stray Ferret reported this morning North Yorkshire Police had put up a cordon around one of the cabman’s shelters on West Park Stray.

North Yorkshire Police has now confirmed a body was found.

A spokesperson said:

“Ambulance and police were called to the sudden death of a man on Prospect Place, Harrogate, at 7.15am.

“The area was cordoned off while police investigated the circumstances. The fire service assisted in providing a screen around the scene as the man was found in a public place.

“Following enquiries, the death is not believed to be suspicious. The man’s family have not yet been informed.”

Prospect Place is the short road parallel with West Park Stray that passes Hotel du Vin.

The spokesperson said the scene was clear by 8.40am, adding:

“Officers are compiling a report about the death on behalf of the coroner.

“Anyone with information that could assist should call 101, select option 4, and speak to the force control room. Please quote reference NYP-15092023-0075.”

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Police cordon off cabman’s shelter on Harrogate’s West Park

Police have cordoned off one of the cabman’s shelter on West Park Stray in Harrogate.

Police and ambulance workers were at the scene before 9am this morning.

Officers at the scene did not say why the area had been closed.

The Stray Ferret has contacted North Yorkshire Police for further information.

West Park is still open to traffic.

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Local streetlights could be switched off at night to save money

Streetlights on footways in North Yorkshire could be switched off between midnight and 5am as part of a new policy.

North Yorkshire County Council reduced the hours its roadway lighting was switched on between 2012 and 2016.

Now its successor authority, North Yorkshire Council, is looking to do the same with footway lights.

The Conservative council, which could be forced to use £105 million of reserves to cover deficits over the next three years, is expected to approve the measure on Tuesday when its ruling executive meets.

It is also expected to approve spending £2.5m on replacing thousands of footway lights before they fail.

The executive will consider a three-step plan to replace 900 decrepit concrete street lighting columns, introduce 4,000 energy efficient LED lanterns on existing steel columns and change sensors on about 2,000 existing LED lanterns to part-night photocells.

An officer’s report to the meeting states residents, parish and town councils will be consulted over the proposed part-night lighting.

The report adds much of the existing footway lighting, which transferred from the former district and borough councils to North Yorkshire Council in April, will be beyond repair within the next five years due to changes in EU legislation that made numerous lamp types obsolete.

The report states it had been estimated some 5,000 of the former district and borough councils’ footway and amenity lights used obsolete light sources such as high-pressure mercury and low-pressure sodium.

It states:

“Within the next three to five years these lanterns will fail, and we will be unable to repair them.

“If we replace the lanterns on an ad-hoc basis, as and when they fail, the process will be less efficient, more expensive and would place a strain on future revenue budgets as opposed to this capital Invest to Save proposal.”

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Switching footway lighting off between midnight and 5am will further reduce energy consumption and contribute towards the council’s carbon reduction targets, the meeting will hear.

Executive members will be told upgrading the lighting to LED would produce an energy saving of 1.3 million kw/h, cutting 340 tonnes of carbon dioxide and £440,000 in annual energy costs.

The meeting will hear the obsolete concrete columns are “most prone to structural failure” and their replacement will offer the opportunity to
provide multi-purpose lighting columns.

The new lighting columns could be used to support attachments such as sensors, CCTV cameras, ANPR cameras, flower baskets, Christmas displays and next generation BT mobile phone transmitters.

The council’s finance boss, Councillor Gareth Dadd, said concerns had been raised over community safety when the council first reduced the street lighting hours, but increased incidences of crime had not transpired.

He said:

”It was a success. We led the way where many other local authorities are now following.”

The authority’s Green Party spokesman and Ouseburn councillor Arnold Warneken said as the proposed programme was set to cut the council’s carbon footprint and save money it appeared to be a “win-win scenario”.

He said:

“It is just scratching the surface of the sort of things we should be doing. There is a definite relationship between trying to reduce carbon footprint and the economy.

“However, from a true green perspective, we should be waiting for these lights to fail because they have an energy inside them that has cost to create them in the first place.”

Business Breakfast: Harrogate digital agency embarks on US expansion

Zelst, a Harrogate-based search marketing agency, is expanding to the US after 17-years in business.

The new overseas firm will be based in Dover, Delaware.

The company hopes by the overseas expansion will allow US work and clients to integrate with the UK team more seamlessly.

Director, Peter Van Zelst, said:

“The US economy is a little hotter than ours at present, and it’s a challenge to find highly experienced search and PPC professionals in some areas of the States. We’ve seen a demand for our services, and the different approaches we bring to projects. Establishing a business in the US was the natural next step.

“As one of the north’s longest established and most experienced search marketing agencies, we’re adept at working collaboratively alongside clients and agencies alike, and the East Coast of the US, in particular, is fairly straightforward to service, with its connections and smaller time difference with the UK.”

Harrogate law firm to partner with Yorkshire Dales charity for second year running

 LCF Law has entered its second year of partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

The charity supports the people, landscapes, and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales.

Since the partnership began, the firm has donated £7,500 to the trust – contributing to 500 trees being planted.

Bridie Johnson-Power, from LCF Law, said:

“Our first volunteering project with the Trust involved us helping to maintain the woodland and clear redundant plastic tubes for recycling at Bargh Wood.

“Then more volunteers ventured out into the Dales to join a mixed group of corporate partners planting 400 trees to extend The Hawes woodland.

“Most recently a group of us volunteered for the woodland maintenance day at Swinesett Hill, and despite the torrential rain, we got a lot done!”

Development officer, Richard Hore, from the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust said:

“It’s been great getting to know some of the LCF Law team, all of whom have been so enthusiastic about volunteering and learning more about our work.

“We know they have enjoyed engaging with our partnership and connecting with nature to improve their wellbeing and that of our planet.”

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Review: The House with Chicken Legs is magic on stage

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com 

Based on Sophie Anderson’s children’s novel, The House with Chicken Legs has been enchantingly adapted for stage by award-winning theatre company Les Enfants Terribles. The production, currently at Leeds Playhouse as part of a tour across the country, brings the author’s imaginative, dreamy tale to dazzling life and is a resplendent feast for the eyes.

The story, rooted in Slavic folklore, follows 12-year-old Marinka, whose house has legs (specifically, chicken legs) and a mind of its own, taking off to far-flung corners of the universe at a moment’s notice. Marinka’s grandmother is a spirit guide who ushers the dead from this world to the next so that they may sit amongst the stars, and is teaching her granddaughter to one day do the same. The only problem is that Marinka, young and full of life, wants to forge her own destiny in the world of the living.

The production’s fast-paced narrative is at once energetic and emotionally charged, alive with the wonders of storytelling, seamlessly transporting its audience to other worlds entirely, with a compelling blend of stage action, set changes, music, puppetry and mesmerising animation. Creative and beautiful, this is true escapism.

Image © Rah Petherbridge

The play’s music is spellbinding, with a captivating score by Alexander Wolfe that journeys from New Orleans to Eastern Europe, to the stars and beyond. Every song serves a purpose (often not the case in a musical adaptation), all accompanied by instruments played by the actors themselves – everything from flute to accordion, saxophone to electric guitar – proving themselves truly multi-talented.

Ultimately, this is a tale of life and death, but one which deals with matters of the afterlife with wisdom and warmth. Anderson notes that in her novel she was eager to “help children see death in a more positive way, as the circle of life”. The stage version delivers on this brief, transforming the narrative of grief into a bright, happy and moving celebration of life.

It is worth stressing that this is not just a play for youngsters; whilst the piece treads delicately on the macabre and the darker questions, audience members of all ages will fall under its spell.  This is magic on stage; and yes, chicken legs do feature. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

The House with Chicken Legs is on at the Leeds Playhouse until September 16. 

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Harrogate’s Pitcher & Piano to change name and management

The well-known Harrogate pub and restaurant, Pitcher & Piano, is to be rebranded with a new name and management.

Love Your Pub, a company dedicated to advertising pubs for let or sale, recently posted about the search for a ‘self employed pub partner’ to take on the venue located on John Street.

The Pitcher and Piano is in a retail agreement with Marston’s Brewery and the rebrand comes as ‘part of the evolving pub strategy’ within the agreement.

The listing says the new pub partner can expect an annual salary of  £25,000 plus a 22% share of weekly sales, which it estimates to be £20,000.

It added the Harrogate site ‘has one of the highest guest satisfaction scores within the brand.’

A member of staff at Harrogate’s Pitcher & Piano told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re rebranding but Marston’s will still be our brewery.

“Other than that, I can’t divulge any information.”

According to the job advert, all stock, including food, is supplied for free by Marston’s and most bills other than council tax are covered.

The management role is subject to a five-year commitment.

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Harrogate Autumn Flower Show starts tomorrow at Newby Hall

Up to 30,000 visitors ate expected at Newby Hall over the next three days for the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show.

The spring and autumn shows, organised by the North of England Horticultural Society, are among the most highly anticipated events on the gardening calendar.

Visitors to Newby, which is between Ripon and Boroughbridge, will see Britain’s biggest display of autumnal blooms and fresh produce.

This year sees the return of the National Vegetable Society’s national championships, which includes a giant vegetable contest.

There will also be talks and demonstrations across three live stages

Show director Nick Smith said:

“We love having the autumn flower show here at Newby Hall, it truly is an inspiring and beautiful location to celebrate and promote the very best in horticulture.

“This year we have such an incredible line-up of exhibitors, installations, and an exciting programme of live stage action, that we can’t wait to get things underway.”

The first day of the show coincides with what would have been Agatha Christie’s 132nd birthday and to mark the occasion, floral displays inspired by the Queen of Crime have been created.

Talented florists including celebrity floral designer Jonathan Moseley and award-winning Harrogate florist Helen James have created floral installations depicting book titles inspired by crime writing greats as part of the Blooms of Deception display.

Admission to the show includes access to Newby’s gardens and children’s adventure playground.

For further details, and to buy tickets, click here.

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‘Save the Station Gateway!’: Harrogate cycling campaigner issues plea

Cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis has appealed to councillors to save Harrogate’s under-threat £11.2m Station Gateway.

It follows the publication of a report ahead of a meeting of North Yorkshire Council‘s Conservative-run executive on Tuesday, which says the council may now focus on the most popular aspects of the scheme to get it back on track.

However, the report does not mention active travel or cycling and the council could still decide to abandon the project altogether.

The original plans included reducing a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade to single-lane traffic to make space for cycle lanes, part-pedestrianising James Street and overhauling Station Square.

The council paused work on the project last month due to a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments.

Mr Margolis spoke on behalf of Harrogate District Cycle Action campaign group at a meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee today.

He said:

“We are asking you for the good of our town to save Harrogate Station Gateway. Along with many others, we think the plans are very beneficial.

“Some of you think the same, others don’t. You agree with some key elements but not others such as making Station Parade one-way or part-pedestrianising James Street.”

Mr Margolis said scrapping the scheme or removing the active travel elements risked damaging the council’s reputation with government “for years to come”. when it came to winning active travel funding.

Other failed bids

He referred to other failed bids, including for cycle lanes on Victoria Avenue and Knaresborough Road, the scrapping of cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive and Otley Road as well as the decision to discontinue the Beech Grove Low-Traffic Neighbourhood.

Mr Margolis warned the council would be doing a “massive disservice” to Harrogate’s residents if the Station Gateway funding is not used.

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The campaigner also read out a letter he received from Conservative MP Andrew Jones in June 2023 when he described the project a “big test” for North Yorkshire Council to show that it can deliver projects. Mr Jones said the scheme had been the subject of “often inaccurate and vociferous criticism”.

However, after the judicial review was submitted by Hornbeam Park Developments in August, Mr Jones called the Station Gateway a “timed-out dead scheme”.

North Yorkshire Council officer Mark Codman read out a statement in response to Mr Margolis.

He said:

“The committee notes the statement from Harrogate District Cycle Action.

“The project is being considered by the executive on September 19 and area constituency committee members will be able to consider the next steps as appropriate at the executive meeting.”