Plans to install 12 electric vehicle charging points at Wetherby Services

Plans have been submitted to install 12 electric vehicle charging points at Wetherby Services.

Gridserve, a sustainable energy firm in Kirk Deighton, has applied to North Yorkshire Council for the scheme just off junction 46 of the A1(M).

Gridserve was granted planning permission in November 2021 to alter the service station car park to create an electric vehicle charging hub for 24 vehicles. The application also included the creation of 17 additional car parking spaces in a new parking area.

The hub was completed in July 2022 but is not yet in use.

The new proposal, which appeared on the council website this week, has downsized the scheme to 12 charging spaces — half as many as the previous application — and no longer includes a new parking area.

Gridserve is also seeking permission to install electrical equipment that would enable the charging bays to be activated.

The company said in a letter to the council:

“The development is similar to that previously granted permission at the site, but at a smaller scale and with the addition of detailed specification of supporting electrical infrastructure to allow operation of existing and future chargers.”

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The letter adds:

“Gridserve is implementing and building a network of high-power chargers across the country that will provide UK motorists with fast, easy and low carbon charging solutions.

“Many will be located at existing destinations such retail parks and garden centres and will allow customers to use those amenities whilst being able to access dependable charging infrastructure.”

It added the government had a target to deliver at least six high powered EV chargers at every motorway service area across England by 2023.

The charging bays will be situated at the most northerly area of the car park, next to to the Days Inn hotel.

 

People on council house waiting list in Harrogate district set to bid for homes

North Yorkshire Council is set to extend its system of “choice-based” social housing into the Harrogate district.

The initiative, which allows tenants to bid for homes advertised through the authority by housing associations, aims to give those on the waiting list more choice over where they live.

The authority set up its choice-based scheme, called North Yorkshire Home Choice, in 2011.

However, it currently does not operate in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Council replaced Harrogate Borough Council on April 1 and as part of its move to a single social housing policy, the council is set to consult on extending the scheme into the district.

It would see the council offer choice-based social housing through its partners such as Broadacres Housing Association, Yorkshire Housing and Beyond Housing.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why it had decided to extend the North Yorkshire Home Choice scheme to Harrogate instead of sticking with the district’s current social housing policy.

A spokesperson said:

“At present the council operates two allocation schemes, North Yorkshire Home Choice which covers all localities except for Harrogate, and a standalone allocation scheme covering the former Harrogate Borough Council area.

“Local Government (Structural Changes) (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 provides a period of two years for the housing allocation schemes inherited from predecessor councils to be revised and harmonised across the new unitary authority.

“The new draft policy has been drawn together from the two existing allocations policies of the predecessor councils.

“North Yorkshire Council would operate one social housing allocations scheme across the county.

“Support will be provided to all applicants where the changes affect them, for example if they are required to re-register a housing application.”

The move would see 2,084 people who are currently on the Harrogate housing list re-registered as part of the move to a single policy.

The local authority said it plans to hold face-to-face events and additional communications in Harrogate to “support applicants through the process”.

The council also plans to hold a 12-week consultation on the initiative between August and November this year.

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for culture, arts and housing, will be recommended to approve the consultation at meeting today.

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Business Breakfast: Ripon engineering firm appoints operations director

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Ripon-based Econ Engineering has appointed a new operations director.

Gareth Legg, who was most recently managing director at Crossroads Truck & Bus Ltd, will take up the role.

Mr Legg will be tasked with overseeing all four of the company’s depots and ensure the smooth running of departmental activities.

He said:

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Econ which has a fantastic history, reputation, and product offering. 

“When I first visited it was the attention to detail and obvious pride in everything they do which stood out to me and why this opportunity is so exciting.”

Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Econ Engineering, said: 

“We’re excited to welcome Gareth and look forward to making the most of his skills and experience.

“He has a fantastic CV and is extremely knowledgeable in our field of expertise. He will bring insight and fresh ideas from the outside world, which will ensure we retain our position as the market leader.”

Small business networking session to be held in Harrogate

A networking event aimed at small and medium businesses will be held at Harrogate Convention Centre this month.

Connect Over a Cuppa aims to offer advice, funding opportunities and business ideas to SMEs.

The event is organised by North Yorkshire Council and will be held on August 17 at Co-Lab Harrogate in the convention centre.

More sessions are available on September 21, October 19 and November 16. All start from 9.30am and last for 90 minutes.

For more information on the networking events, visit the Eventbrite page here.

Harrogate woman to swim English Channel distance for charity

A Harrogate woman is set to swim the equivalent distance of the English Channel for the 11th time in aid of charity.

Angie Russell, who lives in Bilton, will take on the challenge to raise money for Aspire.

The charity, which was founded in 1982, provides practical support those who have been paralysed by a spinal cord injury.

Angie was inspired to help after reading an article about how the organisation helped a man who broke his spine in a car accident.

She will take on the Aspire channel swim on September 18, which tasks participants with swimming 22 miles over the course of 12 weeks.

Those taking part can swim the distance in their own time and at a place of their choice, such as a local swimming pool.

Speaking ahead of the swim, Angie said:

“I love swimming because I love the water and the freedom it offers, the meditative state it brings and the relaxing and stress-relieving benefits, as well as general fitness and toning.  

“I enjoy the Aspire channel swim because it gives me the focus of swimming a certain distance within a certain time. 

“I have a busy life and it gives me an ‘excuse’ to take time for myself to go swimming and to help a good cause.”

The Aspire channel swim has so far seen 381 swimmers sign up and raised £6,144.

For more information on the challenge and to donate, visit the Aspire website here.

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Mint Velvet plans to open in former Harrogate Joules store

A high street women’s fashion chain looks set to open in the former Joules store on Harrogate’s James Street.

Mint Velvet has applied to North Yorkshire Council to refurbish and display signage at the unit.

The outlet has been empty since Joules closed its store on May 20.

It followed the company falling into administration in November 2022 until Next rescued it by paying £34 million for the business, plus £7 million for the head office site.

Now, Mint Velvet has tabled plans to refurbish and rebrand the former Joules store.

In documents submitted to the council, the company said:

“The building is an existing retail unit, which will be refurnished and re-branded to trade as Mint Velvet.

“The proposal comprises a number of alterations to the facade and the internal retail space, the works are intended to achieve a store environment reflective of Mint Velvet’s brand design language.”

The current Mint Velvet store on Harrogate's James Street.

The current Mint Velvet store on Harrogate’s James Street.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

The move comes as the fashion chain has already opened new outlets in former Joules stores in Solihull and Chelmsford.

The Stray Ferret approached Mint Velvet to clarify the future of its current store at 36A James Street, but did not receive a response.

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Royal Mail massively reduces opening times at Harrogate delivery office

The Royal Mail has massively reduced the opening times at its Harrogate delivery office on Claro Road.

The site, where people collect mail they missed when it was delivered to their homes, is now open for just 14 hours a week.

It previously served customers for 42 hours a week, which means the service has been cut by two-thirds.

It is now open from 8am to 10am Monday to Friday and from 8am to noon on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.

It was previously open from 8am to 4pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8am to noon on Monday and from 8am to 6pm on Thursday. It opened from 8am to noon on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

The Royal Mail is reducing its opening times to two hours a day at half of its delivery offices.

Local people have expressed anger on social media about the changes, with many saying the times are inconvenient for people who work. One said:

“Why bother opening, most people are at work between them times. Saturday mornings are going to be busy.”

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‘Reduced need’

The Royal Mail said there was reduced need for customer service points, such as those provided at Claro Road in Harrogate.

A spokesperson said:

“We understand the importance that some customers attach to customer service points as one of a number of ways in which they can access our services. An increase in doorstep services such as Parcel Collect and Safeplace are helping us to enhance customer convenience and deliver more parcels first time.

“In May this year, we also introduced automatic redelivery of parcels the next working day across the UK for customers who are not at home when posties attempt to deliver the first time. Over 99% of parcels are now successfully delivered to customers on the first or second delivery attempt. This is reducing the need for customers to collect parcels from customer service points.

“To keep pace with the changing behaviour of our customers, we have amended the opening hours of customer service points. We have a range of options free-of-charge for customers who want to arrange for an item to be redelivered. Details of how to arrange this can be found on our website.

“Approximately half of customer service point opening hours have remained at their current times.”

Golf clubs stolen from car in central Harrogate

Police are appealing for information after a set of golf clubs was stolen from a 4×4 in a Harrogate street in the early hours of the morning.

North Yorkshire Police is seeking witnesses and information after the incident in the Chelmsford Road area.

It happened on Wednesday, August 2 around 5.25am, when the black 4×4 had its rear window smashed.

A police spokesperson said:

“The suspect left the area along Arthington Avenue on foot with a black Ping golf bag containing 14 Calloway clubs and a Cobra driver.

“Officers are appealing for witness, dashcam and private doorbell or other CCTV footage that may have captured the suspect on camera to get in touch.

“They are also appealing to anyone who may have been approached by someone selling similar items since August 2 to get in touch.”

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Ben Robinson-Brockhill, or send him an email.

Alternatively, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting North Yorkshire Police reference 12230147463.

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Don’t let children and dogs play in polluted Oak Beck, says Harrogate conservationist

A Harrogate conservationist has called for signs to be put up urging children and dogs to avoid entering Oak Beck.

Keith Wilkinson described the situation as “desperate” after a series of incidents over the last fortnight have seen the beck turn brown.

The Environment Agency said last week it was “investigating the possible source of the pollution” after receiving “a number of reports of discoloured water”.

But after a brief recovery, the beck was heavily discoloured again today.

Oak Beck in Jennyfields this morning

Mr Wilkinson, who is honorary secretary of Bilton Conservation Group and chairman of the Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership, said:

“The Oak Beck situation is desperate with daily pollution events for two weeks now — sand and silt from construction work, solids escaping from the open storm drain near The Hydro and a constant stream of what looks like detergent foam from high up near Birk Crag.

“It is totally unacceptable. Signs are needed urgently to warn children and dogs to keep out of the water.”

Oak Beck, which is classed as a main river by the Environment Agency, rises at Haverah Park and empties into the River Nidd at Nidd Gorge. It contains brown trout, minnows, bullhead, stone loach and sticklebacks.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

“At the moment as investigations are currently ongoing so we are unable to comment further in order not to prejudice our enquiries.”

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Killinghall Cricket Club resubmits plan for new pavilion

Killinghall Cricket Club has applied to demolish its current “dilapidated” clubhouse and build a new two-storey pavilion that it says will be fit for the sport in the 21st century.

According to planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the current 1970s-era structure was made with single-skin brickwork and has poorly insulated single-glazed windows.

It has led to expensive running costs for the club, which plays in the Nidderdale league.

There are two small changing areas with communal showers, which offers little privacy and has discouraged players from using them.

Female cricketers and umpires have nowhere designated to get changed, so have to use communal areas, the toilets or come already changed.

The current pavilion in Killinghall.

The current pavilion in Killinghall.

The club submitted plans to build a larger pavilion in January but following feedback from a planning officer that it would be too large and overbearing, they have decided to submit a new application for a smaller building.

The latest plans, designed by KPP Architects, include a main function room that is connected to the kitchen, toilets and bar. A disabled toilet and shower will also be built on the ground floor.

The first floor will have two large changing rooms as well as a scorer’s board.

The previous designs for the pavilion at Killinghall.

The previous design for the pavilion at Killinghall.

The current facilities for the scorers on match days are currently inside a wooden hut, which the club says is neither attractive nor very comfortable to sit in.

A players’ balcony will also be created for teams to watch the match.

Planning documents state the new pavilion will help grow the sport in Killinghall and offer a social space for villagers.

It says:

“The proposal brings improvements to the existing facilities beyond the applicant’s vision. The current clubhouse was built in the early 1970s, which is very evident when visiting. The proposal will provide exceptional changing and hosting facilities for visiting teams, which would be of the best in the current Killinghall teams leagues.

“There is a hope to introduce junior cricket back to the cricket club, that used to be a vibrant and engaging part of the local community. The introduction of these new facilities will help facilitate the introduction of this and hopefully attract them to the club.”

The council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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Concern over North Yorkshire Police’s decision not to attend all mental health call-outs

North Yorkshire Council has said it will ensure “suitable provision” is in place for authority-run services amid concern over police no longer attending all mental health call outs.

The government published an agreement with police and NHS this past week, which said forces would no longer attend callouts unless there was a “risk to life”.

The new approach aims to free up force time in order that those experiencing a mental health crisis are “treated by the most appropriate agency”.

However, the initiative has been met by concern with some council officials pointing out that some mental health services are already under pressure.

Richard Webb, North Yorkshire Council’s adult care director, said that while the scheme, called Right Care Right Person, had “good elements” to it, it seemed to ignore the challenges that NHS services face.

In a post on his social media, he said:

“It seems to ignore the unprecedented challenges that many NHS mental health services are facing to deliver current services, let alone absorb more crisis work.”

2/3 local implementation. However, 3 key points for me: 1) it seems to ignore the unprecedentes challenges that many NHS #mentalhealth services are facing to deliver current services, let alone to absorb more crisis work, 2) it needs to engage with councils as a whole, not just https://t.co/RGC5oJTixv

— Richard Webb (@RichardWebbNY) July 28, 2023

He added that the scheme needed to “engage with councils as a whole” as there were implications for young people, housing and public health.

The Stray Ferret asked the council how this agreement would affect services run by the local authority.

In response, Abigail Barron, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of prevention and service development, said:

“We are working closely with the police and health service partners to ensure that suitable provision is in place to support anyone experiencing a mental health issue.”

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North Yorkshire Police said it had been operating the Right Care Right Person approach since January.

The initiative itself was first devised by Humberside Police in 2019 and was later adopted by other forces across the country.

At the time, Mike Walker, assistant chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Our commitment to protect the most vulnerable in our communities is not changing and we will still attend where there is an immediate risk to life or a risk of serious harm.

“However, when agencies call us about issues which do not meet the threshold for police intervention under the Right Care, Right Person model, we will signpost them to the most appropriate service to take primacy.

“This puts the individual at the very heart of our decision making and means that a police officer is often not the right person to be providing this care.

“In some cases, we may need to deploy alongside medical or mental health workers where those agencies need to take primacy but there is still a risk to those involved.

“We realise this will mean some big changes for some of our partners, who have become used to calling us to help in these situations.

“That is why we have been working with mental health care providers, NHS representatives, local authorities and the ambulance service to let them know about our plans and give them plenty of time to make changes to the way they work.”