A plan to renovate a golf and country club at Rudding Park estate could generate an economic benefit of £14 million a year to Harrogate, its owners have said.

The hotel and spa has formally submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council for the project.

It includes proposals to replace the current golf club, upgrade the family hub and create outdoor tennis courts and a pavilion.

It would also see the county’s first five-star country club created and restore the estate’s walled garden.

In documents submitted to the council, estate agents Carter Jonas, which is representing the hotel, said the move would contribute an additional economic impact of £14.3 million a year through employment, suppliers and tourism spend.

Masterplan of the renovations as proposed by Rudding Park.

It would also create 75 new jobs.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park, said in a statement to the council:

“This application is an integral part of Rudding Park’s continuing programme for improvement and investment in the facilities so we can continue to fulfil our role as a responsible steward of the estate.

“To remain the jewel in the crown for Harrogate tourism, Rudding Park must develop these high-quality fitness, sports, leisure and recreational spaces to complement the hotel, spa and house and the legacy of the last 50 years development.”

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

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A centenary concert is being held on Friday to celebrate the life of a remarkable composer buried in Hampsthwaite.

Amy Woodforde-Finden’s music was much sought-after at the turn of the last century but her reputation fell into obscurity following her death in 1919.

Her Kashmiri Love Song inspired films, novels and even perfumes. Rudolph Valentino recorded the song in 1923.

A white marble recumbent memorial to Amy was unveiled in St Thomas a Becket Church on April 15, 1923. On the same day, the vicar’s daughter Geraldine Peck sang White Sentinels.

Amy’s marble memorial in Hampsthwaite

Thomas Flessenkaemper, the former director of music for the benefice of Hampsthwaite, Killinghall and Birstwith, returned to Hampsthwaite on Saturday for a re-enactment of the unveiling exactly 100 years on.

The German composer and pianist, who started the Amy Woodforde-Finden Music Festival last year before suddenly leaving his post, and soprano Tilly Eustace-Forrest performed while a wreath of white irises was placed on the tomb.

Saturday’s memorial event

Mr Flessenkaemper and the mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond will join local musicians to perform Amy’s songs in a concert at Hampsthwaite’s Memorial Hall on Friday.

The Kashmiri Love Song is among the songs on the programme.

The event will have the informal feel of an Edwardian soirée type event with wine and canapés at candle-lit tables. Tickets cost £8 and can be booked here.

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Councillor Michael Harrison was appointed the first charter mayor of Harrogate at the Civic Centre this morning.

Cllr Harrison is a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on North Yorkshire Council.

The non-political role will involve promoting the historic and ceremonial traditions of the Harrogate area during events and occasions such as Remembrance Sunday.

It will differ from the former Harrogate Borough Council mayoral role, which covered the whole of the former borough and undertook a wider range of engagements.

Cllr Harrison described the position as “mayor-lite“. He said:

“We’re doing that deliberately but there needs to be the element of civic duty that will continue. I can assure you I will be doing that.”

The mayor was elected by the Harrogate charter trustees, which are 10 councillors who represent divisions covering the unparished parts of Harrogate town.

Harrogate’s 10 charter trustees

It was a more low-key occasion than previous Harrogate Borough Council mayor-making ceremonies, which were traditionally held each year at Harrogate’s Royal Hall.

Cllr Harrison was nominated for the role by Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, Chris Aldred, who was also appointed charter deputy mayor during the meeting.

Cllr Aldred said:

“Some observers may expect us to nominate one of our own but it’s also equally important to prove that charter trustees are actually non-political in order to continue the civic traditions and heritage of Harrogate. I’m sure Michael will do that and be a great ambassador for the town.”

Cllrs Michael Harrison and Chris Aldred

Cllr Harrison’s first engagement as charter mayor will be at the unveiling of new sculptures at the New Zealand garden in Valley Gardens this month.

He will also attend ANZAC memorial day at Stonefall Cemetery.

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Ceremonial robes and chains most recently used by the last Harrogate borough mayor, Victoria Oldham, will be used by the charter mayor.

But he won’t be entitled to perks enjoyed by previous council mayors such as having a chauffeur-driven car to get to events.

The new council has allocated an annual budget of £12,100 for Harrogate charter trustee business.

However if a Harrogate Town Council is created, it will assume responsibility for the mayoral position from North Yorkshire Council should it want it.

The charter trustees will meet again in October. Cllr Harrison said at the next meeting the charter trustees will make a suggestion to North Yorkshire Council on what the council tax precept for the town council might be.

Consultation documents for the town council state Harrogate households would be asked to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year if a Harrogate Town Council were created.

The budget would be spent on accommodation, employment costs, office and IT equipment, insurance, professional fees, the mayor and delivering services.

What those services might be are still to be decided but it would likely involve taking control of assets once held by the abolished Harrogate Borough Council.

New signs have appeared at Knapping Mount in Harrogate to mark this month’s momentous change in local government.

Harrogate Borough Council was abolished at the end of last month and replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

North Yorkshire Council also replaced six other district councils and North Yorkshire County Council to become the unitary local authority in the county.

Signs marking the change have gone up at the Civic Centre at Knapping Mount in Harrogate.

The Civic Centre used to be the centre of local government in the Harrogate district but it now one of many offices controlled by North Yorkshire Council, whose headquarters are at County Hall in Northallerton.

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A developer has reaffirmed that a site mooted for 53 homes in Harrogate has been thoroughly tested for ground contamination — but this has been disputed by a local toxicology expert.

North-east developer Jomast‘s plans to build at Knox Lane in Bilton have been met with opposition from local residents who have raised concerns about the proposals with contamination proving to be particularly contentious.

The application has been before Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee twice in the last six months.

It was deferred on both occasions as councillors were not not satisfied the land had been thoroughly investigated for toxic materials.

This is because some of the site was previously part of a railway that pulled hoppers and tankers for the gas works in Bilton.

Asbestos was used for installation on steam trains and there are also concerns that tar from coal could still be toxic, posing a threat to future residents.

Knox Lane

However, the developer’s agent, Stephen Courcier, told councillors at a meeting in February that testing for contamination took place across the whole site, including the proximity of the former railway tracks, and showed no “significant levels” of contamination.

But councillors weren’t convinced and ordered the developer to undergo more testing before a decision was made.

After the meeting, Mr Courcier sent an email to the council that has been published on the local authority’s planning portal. It says there would be “no benefit” to further sampling.

He wrote:

“The railway line and its immediate locality were subject to seven exploratory excavations. Therefore, the consultants have advised that the former railway line has been comprehensively assessed.

“Nevertheless, the consultants have produced the attached note that clearly highlights the extent of the testing carried out in proximity to the former railway line and their findings.”

Mr Courcier confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday the developer’s position on the contamination report had not changed since the email was sent on March 31.

Railway lines

However, a local toxicology expert who lives in the area said he was not satisfied with where the samples were taken from on the former tracks.

Dr Damian Bowen said:

“The land contamination report advises that the proposed development site, including the former railway has been comprehensively tested. Samples taken for contamination analysis however do not target the area of the former railway lines.

“Instead, testing was conducted either side of the embankment, across the open field. Furthermore, analysis was not conducted for all samples taken. The developer has provided no justification as to the inadequacies of the testing strategy. You certainly can’t find anything if you’re looking in the wrong places.“

The email from Mr Courcier to the council also asked if a quick decision could be made on the plans.

He suggested North Yorkshire Council’s first Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee this month was a potential option.

However, this request was made too late in the day to be considered for the meeting on April 25, according to the council.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson, said:

“We can confirm that a submission was made on behalf of the applicant on March 31.

“This was received too late to be considered at April’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee meeting.

“Once the submission has been assessed by officers, a report will be prepared and presented to the planning committee at a later date.“

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

T&R Theakston is to launch a special edition beer, brewed in honour of King Charles III.

Crowning Glory is a 4.2% ABV speciality regal gold beer and continues the brewery’s tradition of creating limited edition ales to celebrate royal occasions.

It joins a distinguished lineage including Celebration Ale, which marked Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee in 1977 and most recently, Royal Salute which commemorated the diamond and platinum Jubilees in 2012 and 2022.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director at Theakston Brewery, said:

“As a brewery we’re immensely proud of our almost 200-year heritage and it’s fascinating to consider that as a business we have been witness to nine monarchs and seven coronations. It’s only right we continue the honourable tradition of celebrating these key historic moments for our country by creating a special beer to mark the coronation of King Charles III on 6th May.”

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Chamber holds business safari event

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is to hold its regular Business Safari this evening.

The event at the Pavilions of Harrogate is a “speed business networking” session with gives members an opportunity to showcase their business to others and make new contacts.

The session starts at 5.30pm.  Admission is free to book a place click here. 

Three months of nighttime roadworks are scheduled to begin tomorrow on the main road between Ripon and Harrogate.

The A61 will be dug up as part of fibre optics company City Fibre‘s £46 million digital infrastructure upgrade in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Traffic lights are scheduled to be in place until July 13.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at City Fibre said:

“Works will take place 7pm to 6.30am, Monday to Friday, with the road returned to two-way traffic every morning.”

A City Fibre spokesperson added “there may be a small amount of weekend work, subject to confirmation with highways”, adding:

“If this is the case, City Fibre will actively avoid any weekend with a major local event like Harrogate Flower Show.”

The entire length of the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate will be affected, including some residential areas.

Asked whether people could expect drilling and other noise at nights, a CityFibre spokesperson said it “working closely with the council and managing disruption as best they can”.

City Fibre is installing next generation full fibre connectivity to almost every home and business in the area.

Ms Johnston added:

“This is a major undertaking, which is why we work closely with our build partner, local authorities and the council’s highways team to manage disruption as best we can and ensure works are delivered quickly, and always to our high standards.”

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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.

When Harrogate Borough Council published the local plan, it gave the house building industry 35 Christmas presents at once as they massively over-provisioned for the housing needs of Harrogate and turned over vast swathes of previously protected countryside to be turned into building sites.

Yet it seems the developers are not satisfied with that. This site is outside the local plan land dedicated to new houses and is designated as Special Landscape Area.

There is absolutely no requirement for this development and no justification for allowing it.

I believe that people here who value nature and the countryside are sick of the constant bulldozing of green space and just view this as money grabbing greed – selling the soul of the town just so that someone can see a big number on their bank statement.

This is a completely insane place to build. These houses will be so disconnected to any other infrastructure close by — the main exit being the new junction at the base of Almsford Bank.

Anyone who has ever tried to cross the road at this point will recognise just how intimidating it is – cars going north taking a run up round the corner to get up the hill, cars going south with the foot of the brake accelerating downhill. Even if you lowered the speed limit few people would stick to it. It’s an accident blackspot in the making.

The environmental impact of this small estate would be considerable. Few people would be prepared to walk or cycle out of that junction with the footpath being on the opposite side of the A61, so every journey is likely to be by car. I understand there is provision to plant trees to replace those removed, but it will take 50 years for these new trees to sequester the carbon released by those that are to be taken out.

Ian Murdle, Harrogate

Boating lake madness

We’ll fight to keep Starbeck Baths

Starbeck Residents’ Association has already talked to the council and is in ongoing discussion to ensure our local pool is reopened as soon as possible. We’ve been assured that Starbeck Baths are important to North Yorkshire Council as we know they are to our local community.

The SRA successfully campaigned to save the pool when they were threatened a few years ago and I did the same to get it reopened when it was kept unnecessarily closed long after lockdown.

So the SRA will do everything we can to support our swimming pool.

Chris Watt 

Chair, Starbeck Residents’ Association

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Harrogate woman has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Para Powerlifting World Cup.

Charlotte McGuinness will compete in the women’s 55kg category against some of the best para powerlifters from around the world.

Ms McGuinness, who is a student at Leeds Trinity University, found her love for the sport at The National Dwarf Games in 2019.

During her second competition, she was spotted lifting by Paralympics GB. The organisation invited her to train with it and placed her on the national development squad soon after.

The 22-year-old has since been awarded various international accolades, including ranking second and third in two divisions at the Manchester Para Powerlifting World Cup in 2021.

The 2023 World Cup selection process is based on “outstanding” performances, and the “ability to defend or attain Paris qualification rankings”, according to British Weightlifting.

Ms McGuinness told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m super excited to be selected. The competition will give me the chance to achieve a top eight position in the world.”

A good ranking in the competition later this month will bode well for her ahead of the World Championships in August.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 29, in Tbilisi, Georgia and will be streamed on the Paralympics Youtube Page.

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A ceremony to honour service personnel from Australia and New Zealand who are buried at Stonefall Cemetery will be held next weekend.

The Anzac Day Ceremony will be hosted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on Sunday, April 23. The ceremony is to honour second world war casualties from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Stonefall Cemetery has more than a thousand Commonwealth war graves. There are 97 Royal Australian Air Force and 23 Royal New Zealand Air Force servicemen buried at the site, the majority of whom died while bomber command bases were established across Yorkshire.

The event has been organised by Kate Spencer, who looks after the twinning between Harrogate and Wellington for Harrogate International Partnerships.

Kate said:

“As a New Zealander, our day of commemoration for those who fell in both World Wars is on April 25 each year. The history of Anzac Day stems from the landings of 16,000 Australian and New Zealand forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, now referred to as Anzac Cove, on April 25, 1915. Together with allied forces, more than 100,000 lives were lost in that campaign.

“A year ago I organised our first Anzac Day commemoration and I feel so privileged to be preparing once again to honour not only my New Zealand countrymen buried in Stonefall, but also 97 Australians who gave their young lives in the service of their countries.”

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Harrogate has been twinned with the New Zealand capital of Wellington since 1953, with the New Zealand Garden that lies within Valley Gardens forming a tribute to those Kiwi airmen buried at Stonefall.

Kate, who in March this year presented gifts to the new Mayor of Wellington Tory Whanau, said:

“Not only the RNZAF but Wellington City Council are enormously grateful for everything being done to honour their men in this way. We look forward to welcoming you at the event and we are grateful to the CWGC for hosting the commemoration.”

The ceremony will see representation from both the Australian and New Zealand High Commission, as well as the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate and Andrew Jones MP. The music will be provided by Harrogate Band and a pupil from Harrogate Grammar School will sing the New Zealand national anthem in both Maori and English.

Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony which will take place in the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane.

The public are invited to gather from 12.30pm. The ceremony will start at 1pm.