Plans have been approved to convert a building in Harrogate’s Montpellier Quarter into eight flats and two retail units.

Parliament House on Montpellier Street is currently home to Harrogate Wines shop and a vacant gym and is spread across three floors.

North Yorkshire Council approved an application to convert the building last week.

Developer ATC Properties said the flats will be aimed specifically at young professionals and key workers who are looking to get onto the property ladder.

Each flat will have an ensuite double bedroom with an open plan kitchen, dining and living area.

Documents attached to the application described the site as an “intrusive utilitarian building” at odds with one of Harrogate’s most architecturally-appealing areas.

They added the conversion provided an opportunity to “significantly refurbish a prominent building of poor architectural quality and detailing”.

Civic society objection

A third floor extension was removed following concerns from Harrogate Civic Society, which objected to the plans.

The conservation group said the remodelling of the building “does not reflect the local historic style of the conservation area.”

Other prominent town centre buildings, including the former post office on Cambridge Street, have seen applications to convert them into flats approved in recent months. However, the civic society’s objection letter raised concerns about the trend. It said:

“In principle we are keen to see sustainable town centre living but
are always concerned that local commercial uses will not make for a low standard of residential amenity.”

Concerns were also raised by local residents and business owners about parking.

However, the council wrote in its decision report that the site
was in an accessible town centre location, close to shops, facilities and public transport connections, and secure cycle storage would be provided within the building.

The plans were ultimately approved by the new council as one of its first acts as the new planning authority for Harrogate, replacing Harrogate Borough Council.

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Provenance Collection has appointed two new senior staff at the  Punch Bowl Inn in Marton-cum-Grafton.

Brian Furey is to be the new general manager and Ian Matfin has been appointed head chef.

Provenance Collection has nine sites across North Yorkshire and employs more than 150 people. Last year, The Punch Bowl Inn was awarded Best Food Offer in the Publican Awards.

Brian Furey commented:

“This is an exciting opportunity to work within a team so committed to offering the best in hospitality. Our chefs work with nature, creating seasonal menus, sourcing from local and regional suppliers, this is a family that has a set of values to deliver exceptional customer experience, which is something I live by, too.”

New head chef, Ian Matfin has worked at some of the UK’s leading restaurants including Le Manoir aux Quat’Saison, Claridge’s, and more recently at North Yorkshire’s Devonshire Arms.

Mr Matfin said:

“I have worked in kitchens large and small and with all manner of teams and have seen success at its best. Having the skillset in the kitchen is one thing but having the drive and the values of this group is something I am relishing. The field to fork mentality, the access to our own kitchen garden at Mount St. John, the incredible local artisans I get to work with make every day a new opportunity.”

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Fat Badger named county’s best pub

The Fat Badger in Harrogate been named as the best pub in North Yorkshire at the National Pub & Bar Awards.

A total of 94 pubs and bars were recognised as county winners in the awards which aim to highlight the positive and inspiring work being carried out across the UK’s hospitality sector.

“We’re delighted to have been considered for this amazing award, but to go on and win our county category is just wonderful and a real testament to the hard work all of my team put in to making the Fat Badger the friendly and welcoming place it is.

“The team are buzzing from the announcement and can’t wait until the overall national winner is announced as we really feel we deserve a shot at it!”

“I’m so proud that the Fat Badger has been recognised like this.  Whilst I’m probably biased, I do believe we deliver something special in our pub and have made the brand a well known one in recent years with people travelling from far and wide to experience the first class food, ales and of course service that we offer.

“We can’t wait to find out who will pick up the national pub of the year in June, but in the meantime, are delighted to be the overall North Yorkshire winner”.

A paramedic who lived in Pateley Bridge took his own life the day after he lost his job with the NHS, an inquest has heard.

Andrew Pickering was 57 when he was told he had committed gross misconduct at work, leading to his immediate dismissal from Yorkshire Ambulance Service on February 2 last year.

The inquest held today heard Mr Pickering had attempted to take his own life at home the same day, but was unsuccessful. He had gone to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance, where he was assessed by the mental health crisis team in the early hours of February 3.

Senior crisis clinician Glen Wilson, from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services in the Harrogate district, told the inquest:

“He openly engaged with us. He was happy to talk to us. He answered questions about himself.

“Although he had [tried to take his own life], he then alerted someone to his actions. He agreed to come to the [emergency] department to be checked over. He agreed to be seen. He agreed to talk about the events leading up to it.”

Mr Wilson said Mr Pickering, a former RAF serviceman, agreed to follow-up appointments over the next few days and went home at around 6am.

Today’s inquest heard the loss of his job followed a six-month investigation, during which he could have been placed on other duties that would not have involved dealing with the public.

However, the inquest heard Mr Pickering was “embarrassed” by this and was instead signed off work sick. He had not told his family about the problems he faced.

‘Desperate person’

It had also been a stressful period in his personal life, including the breakdown of his 27-year marriage, which saw him move out of the family home he shared with his wife and two teenage children.

His former wife questioned why someone who had attempted suicide was sent home alone. She added:

“A desperate person was left to go home on his own in a taxi in the early hours of the morning to an empty home.”

Mr Wilson said follow-up phone calls were due to be made that day, and Mr Pickering would have been visited daily for at least three days by someone from the crisis team. He said:

“He was saying to me he worked in this field, he can see the devastation on families when people end their lives. He said he would never do that to his family and he was happy to engage with us.”

Staff at the crisis service called Mr Pickering four times between 9.30am and 1.15pm on February 3. They received no answer but, knowing he had been in hospital through the night, thought he must be catching up on sleep.

A friend and colleague, Jonathan Mellor, who knew Mr Pickering had gone to hospital the previous night, called by his house at 10.30am. Seeing Mr Pickering was not yet dressed, he suggested the pair go for a walk later and said he would return in a couple of hours.

When Mr Mellor returned at 12.50pm, he found Mr Pickering had taken his own life. Coroner Jonathan Heath today concluded he had died by suicide.

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The inquest, held at the Coroner’s Court in Northallerton, heard Mr Pickering had been an “extremely popular and hard-working” paramedic but had struggled to deal with difficult family circumstances, leading to the situation that saw him put through the disciplinary process – which had lasted six months instead of the recommended four.

At one point, the inquest heard, comparisons were drawn between Mr Pickering and Wayne Couzens, the police officer who murdered Sarah Everard.

Prior to joining YAS in 2009, he had been in the RAF and served in Afghanistan soon after the birth of his son in 2007. His former wife said:

“He came back a very different person. Things were never quite the same.

“Over the years, I asked him to talk to someone, but he didn’t. He wasn’t abusive or violent, but he was more withdrawn.”

The inquest heard Yorkshire Ambulance Service had undertaken a ‘lessons learnt’ review following Mr Pickering’s death.

His brother Richard questioned the way the investigation following the death had been carried out. He said the family felt they had not been listened to and were not trusted to be part of the process.

YAS head of employee relations Alison Cockerill said:

“It was decided it should be internal. We were aware Andrew had deliberately kept some of what was happening from his family and we were still trying to navigate what that meant for us in terms of respecting Andrew’s wishes.”

Mr Heath said in future, the trust should consider adopting a policy of explaining the process to the family at the outset and showing them the findings at the end.

Mrs Cockerill said, following the review, YAS had put in place new measures to support people who were going through disciplinary processes, including assessing the impact on the individual alongside the risk to the public.

All managers and supervisors would now receive skills training to help them support people subject to disciplinary investigations, she added.

Residents on the south side of Harrogate are rallying against another application to build housing on the edge of a treasured stretch of countryside.

The Save Crimple Valley group is urging people to object to plans for 17 homes at the bottom of Almsford Bank, just off Leeds Road.

A message put out by the group said:

“If you have already commented on this application in the past, please reaffirm your objections to this development by commenting again.

“This site has already been turned down and applications withdrawn or refused on multiple occasions – but the developers are persistent and will get their way if not stopped. Because this is a new application all previous comments are disregarded.”

Residents say access to and from the site via the A61 would be dangerous, while the housing itself would spoil the area.

The application site includes an area that has been used as stables for many years, but it is not included in the local plan, which guides development across the Harrogate district.

The development boundary in red and housing areas in orange, with the owners’ land outlined in blue

Since plans were published at the end of March, 22 objections have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council. Nearby resident Penny Robinson said:

“It is sad that I find myself having to object to this building plan again. This area has been repeatedly refused planning permission to build on, so it is not clear why this application is even being considered.

“All the reasons stated in the last rejection in November 2022 have not changed… The local plan doesn’t need these houses, they are just a money making venture. The same objections stand as they did since the first application to build several years ago.”

Read more:

• Developers resubmit plan for new homes in Crimple Valley
• Controversial plan for 35 homes in Crimple Valley rejected

The current application by Antela Developments Ltd and Square Feet Ltd is significantly reduced compared to the first, submitted in 2018, for 65 homes. That plan was withdrawn by the applicants, along with an application for 35 homes submitted the following year.

In 2022, a proposal for 35 homes, including self-build plots, was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council.

‘High standard housing’

The latest application is for 10 self-build homes and seven affordable homes. In documents submitted as part of the application, the developers said:

“The form and massing of the new houses will be designed in response to the topography of the site, taking influence from the surrounding context.

“The introduction of self and custom build homes will allow each house to be individually designed but each plot will be set out in response to the natural landform.”

They added:

“The houses will be built to a high standard with quality natural local materials to help integrate within the landscape. It is proposed that traditional principles of rural design will be adopted within the design, with the addition of subtle contemporary details in order to distinguish the new development from earlier buildings within the surrounding context.

“This will ensure continuity of the local vernacular and harmonious integration into the existing setting.”

However, many of those objecting have said they would not accept any number of homes on the site, which they argue is unsuitable for development.

Another local resident, Victoria Draper, wrote:

“We do not want our beautiful, local countryside ripping up to make way for unnecessary, expensive, unsightly houses. We bought our house in the local vicinity so we could enjoy family walks and explore nature with our young daughter.

“The increase in traffic and subsequent danger with additional junctions, on an already extremely busy main road, cannot go ahead. We are such a depleted country in terms of wildlife, we should be trying to increase our natural areas, not reduce them. This cannot go ahead.”

To view or comment on the plans before the deadline of April 23, visit the planning pages of North Yorkshire Council’s website and use reference 23/01082/OUTMAJ.

This story is sponsored by Harrogate Family Law.

A Harrogate lawyer says the enthusiasm of his latest three recruits has transformed the working culture of his firm. 

Andrew Meehan, who is founder and director of Harrogate Family Law, has hired a solicitor apprentice and two paralegals over the last few months to help the firm service an expanding client list. He said: 

“The best thing about them is their enthusiasm. They’ve come straight from school and university and their keen interest in things we take for granted is infectious. They’ve really invigorated the rest of us.” 

At 19, Freddy Wharton is the youngest of the bunch. He was spotted by HFL director Laura Mounsey when she gave a careers talk at St Peter’s School in York, where he was a sixth-former. Recognising his potential, HFL offered him a contract as a solicitor apprentice, and he started the programme in January. 

Andrew said:

“Freddy works four days a week on the job, and does a mix of online and face-to-face learning one day a week at the University of Law in Leeds. He’s mature beyond his years and is doing very well. In six years’ time he’ll qualify as a solicitor with a law degree. It’s a great way to enter the profession.” 

Harrogate Family Law’s two new paralegals are Tija Purandere, who earned a first-class degree in law from the University of Liverpool and took a Masters degree at Durham University, and Charlie Main, who graduated from the University of Leeds last year with a first-class degree and a prize for excellence in European Union law. 

Both started at HFL in November and will complete two years of on-the-job training, passing their Solicitor Qualifying Examinations (SQE1 and SQE2) before being signed off as fully-qualified solicitors by Andrew. 

Andrew said: 

“We find it difficult to find good, trained solicitors who are still in their 20s and want to work in Harrogate. So, we identified fresh talent straight from education and train them the way we want to. 

“When we’re looking for someone new, we look for people who are very bright, personable and empathetic, and Freddy, Tija and Charlie all fulfil that brief very well. 

“Taking them on makes good business sense too. From an internal perspective, it’s reinvigorated the team, and from a client’s perspective, it’s cheaper to have the more routine work done by paralegals rather than by me. Everybody wins.” 

Andrew Meehan founded Harrogate Family Law in 2010. The firm has grown significantly over the last couple of years, almost doubling in size to cope with client demand. The firm is consistently ranked as a leading law firm for divorce and family law in Yorkshire by prestigious legal guides Chambers UK and Legal 500. An office move to bigger premises to accommodate the growing team is planned for the summer. 

Find out more:

When going through divorce, getting the very best legal advice can make a huge difference to your future.

If you think you may benefit from a free telephone consultation with acknowledged experts, call Harrogate Family Law on 01423 594 680. 

Harrogate Borough Council charged North Yorkshire County Council £28,000 last year to view CCTV related to parking fines, according to a report.

The report, which will go before councillors on the new North Yorkshire Council tomorrow, outlines the financial performance of parking enforcement in the county.

It includes details of how much money the now-abolished North Yorkshire County Council spent on traffic management and on-street parking in 2022/23.

Harrogate Borough Council, which was also abolished last week, manned its own CCTV centre which had control over a network of 212 cameras across the district.

However, if another organisation wanted access to its video they had to pay an hourly fee. This included North Yorkshire County Council, which had responsibility for on-street parking in Harrogate.

The council also charged North Yorkshire Police to obtain footage to support prosecutions in court. This led to comments from some councillors and members of the public who felt public bodies should share footage free of charge.

Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the issue of who pays for the CCTV control centre in Harrogate has been “a bit of an historic running sore”.

He said:

“My understanding is that North Yorkshire County Council used to contribute to the CCTV provision across Harrogate district until a few years back, then they rather unceremoniously and at the last minute in one particular round of budget cutbacks, took the decision to pull out of an annual commitment to assist with their funding.

“It’s quite expensive to provide, not the actual kit, although that’s not cheap, but the officers who have to do the monitoring and then provide the footage for court — and they only pay for what they actually use.”

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But the debate over which council should pay for CCTV in Harrogate is now over with the introduction of the new unitary council that launched on April 1 and now owns the control centre.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for local engagement, Rachel Joyce, said:

“North Yorkshire County Council was previously charged to access open space cameras in the Harrogate district in order to assist its highways team with day-to-day operations such as traffic monitoring. This made best use of an extensive CCTV infrastructure.

“In the new council, we have the opportunity to look at our CCTV network across the county. Our aim is to maximise the existing CCTV infrastructures, explore opportunities for enhanced partnership working including how CCTV control rooms are funded.”

Councillors will elect a mayor for the town of Harrogate at a meeting this month.

Called a ‘charter mayor’, the non-political role will involve promoting the historic and ceremonial traditions of the Harrogate area during events and occasions such as Remembrance Sunday.

The mayor will be chosen by the Harrogate ‘charter trustees’, which are 10 councillors who represent divisions covering the unparished parts of Harrogate town.

This differs from the former Harrogate Borough Council mayor who covered the whole of the former borough and undertook a much wider range of engagements.

Like the Harrogate Borough Council mayor, the charter mayor will also serve a term of 12 months.

If a Harrogate Town Council is created, it will assume responsibility for the mayoral position from North Yorkshire Council.

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

The mayor and deputy mayor will be elected at a meeting of the Harrogate charter trustees on April 17 at the Civic Centre in Harrogate.

Ceremonial robes and chains most recently used by the last HBC mayor, Victoria Oldham, will be used by the new mayor.

On the final day of the council’s existence last week, Ms Oldham tweeted:

“Thank you everyone who has made my 10 months as the last mayor of the borough of Harrogate so special.

“I have enjoyed meeting so many caring, marvellous people. Also, special thanks to my deputy mayor Cllr Robert Windass for his help, and being my consort.”

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North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services, Barry Khan, said:

“The charter trustees are non-political. Nominations for mayor and deputy mayor will be made at the first annual meeting on Monday, April 17, where they will be voted on.

“The mayor will wear the chains of office when acting as mayor. The robes are usually reserved for ceremonial occasions at which the mayor feels they are appropriate.“

The chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has given assurances that patients will be safe during an upcoming junior doctors strike.

Doctors union the British Medical Association announced that its members will take part in industrial action from today until 7am on Saturday, April 15.

The strike will be longer than the 72-hour action by junior doctors that took place at Harrogate District Hospital last month and follows other strikes this year by nurses and ambulance workers.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the hospital trust, told a meeting of the trust’s board members that the hospital has a “robust plan” in place to deal with any disruption should the junior doctors strike goes ahead as planned.

He said:

“Lots of work went into preparing for the last junior doctor’s strike. The biggest learning we found was the role of other professionals to cover roles.

“The strike is obviously concerning but I’m confident we’ll have safe services. There’s a cost of people covering the work and planning it and the cost to the patients who have work delayed. Services will be safe and let’s hope theres a solution relatively quickly.”

It’s estimated that more than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures had to be cancelled in England during the last junior doctors strike.

The BMA is asking for a pay-rise of 35%, which it says will reverse 15 years of real-term cuts. However, the government says this demand is unaffordable.

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The trust says outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected at Harrogate hospital but patients will be contacted if appointments need to be rearranged.

It has asked people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting A&E to contact 111 first unless it’s life-threatening or a severe injury.

Why are the junior doctors striking?

Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.

The British Medical Association says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.

A BMA spokesperson said:

“If junior doctors are forced out of the NHS because of poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to look after our loved ones will suffer.”

A NHS spokesperson said:

“Our door remains open to constructive conversations, as we have had with other health unions, to find a realistic way forward.”

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.

A new investor has joined an IT hardware company in Harrogate.

Ryan McCarry has made the investment in Intelligent Servers and acquired a minority shareholding in the business amounting to a 14% shareholding with follow-on funding.

Mr McCarry, who founded Sleek Networks and was chairman of Concepta Capital, will also join the firm as a director and chairman of the board.

Andy Hughes, founder and chief executive of Intelligent Servers, said:

“Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge to our business and board. His appointment comes at a time when we plan to expand our services and reach to achieve our revenue target of £22 million in the next three years. 

“We are delighted to welcome him to our team and look forward to working closer together.”

Mr McCarry said:

“I am thrilled to be joining Intelligent Servers as a shareholder and chairman. Having worked with Andy over the last year or two I know the company has a great culture, solid foundations, fast growth and huge potential. 

“Intelligent Servers is very much a sustainable technology business with strong ESG credentials and significant growth potential in the UK, Europe and globally. The team have a fantastic reputation for delivering high quality services to their clients and we plan to achieve our targets through organic growth and selective acquisitions.”

Knaresborough company sets up employee ownership trust

A Knaresborough company has set up an employee ownership trust.

Consultancy service The Whole Systems Partnership, which is based on York Place, announced the move last week.

Peter Lacey, owner of The Whole System Partnership, and James Wright sign the trust papers.

An employee ownership trust sees staff at a company take shares in the business.

The move will see James Wright, Mark Gregson and Dr Pauline Milne MBE become initial directors of the trust at WSP.

Mr Wright said:

“I have always enjoyed being part of the WSP team and to be part of the management team only makes me more excited for the future.”

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A chocolate and coffee cafe has opened in Harrogate town centre.

The Chocolate Works is situated on Station Parade between the Everyman cinema and restaurant Farmhouse.

It is the third venture of its kind launched by owner Guy Middleton.

Mr Middleton opened his first Chocolate Works cafe in Clitheroe in 2017 followed by a second in Skipton in 2020.

The cafes serve predominantly Belgian chocolate dishes, including hot chocolate, as well as loose chocolate that can be taken away.

They also stock a wide range of coffees and speciality teas plus waffles, ice cream and milkshakes.

The premises was intended to house the vegan restaurant Vertigo, which went out of business a year ago before its Harrogate eatery opened.

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