Local firm that employs 1,000 staff set to close

Ilke Homes has told staff not to return to work and is expected to announce its closure imminently.

Numerous members of staff at the Flaxby-based firm, which employs about 1,000 staff, have told the Stray Ferret they were informed of the decision today.

Chief executive Giles Carter is expected to hold a video conference tomorrow.

Senior management have been told to hand in laptops and IT equipment ahead of the meeting.

The Stray Ferret has approached Ilke Homes for comment.

The modular house-building manufacturer told staff 20 days ago not to come into work as it sought a buyer and further investment.

Staff were paid in full on Wednesday and were informed by an email from Mr Carter that the firm continued to “pursue all angles to secure a long-term future for the business”. But no deal has transpired.

Ilke Homes' factory at Flaxby near Knaresborough

The headquarters at Flaxby

Ilke Homes, which is based alongside junction 47 of the A1(M), filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators last week.

The company said the move was due to financial difficulties caused by “volatile macro-economic conditions and issues with the planning system”.

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Last week, the Stray Ferret reported the company had been offered to potential buyers for bids over £1, and some major housebuilders had been approached.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Ilke Homes told the Stray Ferret that “talks with potential investors remain ongoing”.

Officials at the firm said previously that it needed additional funding to fulfil a £1 billion order book and to protect jobs, adding that new investment was needed to build its pipeline of 4,200 new homes.

Ilke Homes was established in 2017 and opened its Flaxby factory the following year. Since then, it built up a client base that included major institutional investors, housing associations, developers and local councils.

Knaresborough luxury car dealer denies fraud and theft charges

The owner of a luxury car dealership has denied defrauding and stealing from customers in an alleged scam worth over £1 million.

Andrew Mearns, 54, who owned Gmund Cars in Knaresborough, appeared at York Crown Court today when he pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud and three theft allegations.

All the allegations relate to his car dealership at the Nidd Valley Trading Estate and involve 16 alleged victims.

The alleged offences are said to have occurred between September 2015 and December 2020.

One of the allegations is that Mr Mearns stole a £130,000 Porsche from a named man in January 2019.

Mr Mearns, now living in Conwy, Wales, is also alleged to have stolen a £60,000 Porsche Turbo from another named man in October 2018 and a £65,000 Porsche 911 Carrera in November of that year. 

Judge Simon Hickey adjourned the case for a trial on a date to be fixed. The trial is due to last between two and three weeks and may be held in a different court. 

Mr Mearns, of Colwyn Place, Llandudno, was granted bail until his next appearance. 

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Tories woo independents to maintain grip on North Yorkshire Council

The ruling Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council are attempting to woo independent councillors in a bid to maintain control.

The Stray Ferret understands meetings have taken place with a view to securing the support of three independents.

The Conservatives currently hold 45 of 90 council seats following this month’s defection of Cllr Mike Jordan — precisely half.

They still retain control by virtue of having the chair’s casting vote. But with the power balance on a knife-edge, and the next North Yorkshire elections not scheduled until 2028, the Tories are worried about losing control if further defections or by-election losses occur.

They held 47 of the 90 seats after last year’s election in May but the death of Margaret Atkinson, whose Masham and Fountains division was won by the Liberal Democrats in a by-election, eroded their majority and Cllr Jordan’s defection wiped it away.

Multiple sources from different parties have told the Stray Ferret discussions have taken place between the Conservatives and independents who are believed to be open to their advances.

It is not clear what form any alliance would take but the Liberal Democrats are believed to be concerned about any deals that may be struck as part of whatever arrangement is agreed.

Nine councillors currently belong to an Independent group on North Yorkshire Council. Another six are unaffiliated.

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Pannal’s controversial ‘skyscraper’ begins to take shape

An apartment block that will replace the now-demolished Dunlopillo offices in Pannal is beginning to take shape.

Plans submitted by Echo Green Developments to build 38 flats on the site at Station Road were approved by Harrogate Borough Council in February 2022.

However, it will be two-storeys taller than the previous structure which led to ill feeling in the village. Pannal historian Anne Smith said residents would be lumbered with a “skyscraper-type building”.

The decision to approve the scheme was made at officer level and without a vote from councillors.

The frame of the new building.

This provoked Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones to say the now-abolished council made a mistake with the process by not putting the application before the planning committee.

But the plans weren’t considered by councillors because the application was made under permitted development rights, which were brought in under the Conservative government and can be used by developers to fast track the redevelopment of disused offices.

Cllr Howard West, chairman of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council, said at the time that planning officers “made errors” and that the parish council had written to the government about it.

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How the building will eventually look.

It ultimately led Harrogate Borough Council to launch an internal review into how it handled the application.

The review found it should have acted quicker and a “longer period of time than ideal” was spent on parts of the process.

It also said residents should have been consulted sooner and this could have allowed time for a vote from councillors. Despite this, the council concluded the plans were still “appropriately considered”.

The former Dunlopillo building

Dunlopillo – which makes pillows and bedding – moved out of the site in 2008 when the company went into administration and its former office building fell into disrepair, with residents describing it as a “monstrosity”.

Other parts of the vast site have or currently are being redeveloped, including the construction of the Vida Hall Care Home which opened in 2013 and a residential development by Bellway Homes.

Heather Parry steps down from top job at Harrogate’s Yorkshire Events Centre

The managing director of Harrogate’s Yorkshire Events Centre has stepped down after 30 years in post.

Heather Parry was credited with creating Fodder shop and cafe at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 2009 and overseeing the multi-million pound refurbishment of the events centre in 2016.

She joined the events centre after working in London at Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

Ms Parry was soon promoted to managing director of the commercial arm of the showground, overseeing the Pavilions of Harrogate and the Yorkshire Event Centre.

She also led the transformation of a disused area on the showground into what is now the Harrogate Caravan Park, with 67 pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents.

On her decision to step down, she said:

“I am so proud of the things that have been achieved working with an amazing team.  When I arrived the income from activities outside the Great Yorkshire Show was £40,000 so we have come a long way to the current £7m.  There have been so many highs: from welcoming President Bill Clinton and Sir Elton John, among many others, to creating Fodder and building Hall 1.  

“My career here has been wonderfully diverse; with people at the heart of it all; I feel so lucky to have worked with a myriad of clients, dedicated suppliers and a phenomenal team who have been a joy to nurture and develop.  After 30 years it is now time to hand the baton on and seek new adventures.”

Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Yorkshire Events Centre, said: 

“Heather has had a huge impact on the business, being instrumental in shaping and forming what we are today with vision and sheer hard work. Heather will leave an amazing legacy to be proud of.

“She has been part of the fabric of the society for so many years and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Heather for her hard work, dedication and significant contributions and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.”

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Council investigates planning breach claims at 53-home Harrogate site

North Yorkshire Council is investigating an alleged breach of planning in a Harrogate field where 53 homes could be built.

North-east property developer Jomast has applied to build the homes off Knox Lane in Bilton. Councillors deferred the scheme for a third time this month amid concerns about land contamination.

Since then, the council has opened a probe into potential damage to trees within the tree preservation order.

The Stray Ferret has seen a letter from a council planning enforcement officer to a resident saying it is investigating and will provide a further update within 28 days.

When we approached the council about it, assistant director for planning Trevor Watson said:

“We can confirm that we are currently investigating a possible breach of planning regulations at that location.

“While that investigation is ongoing we will not be commenting further.”

The Knox scheme has received more than 300 objections amid concerns about its impact on a quiet corner of Bilton.

Sue Wrightson, of the Keep Knox Natural campaign group, which opposes the development, claimed field activity undertaken at the site this month did not conform with council guidelines on contaminated land.

Photos of the site

Dr Damian Bowen a toxicologist and local resident who has submitted a review of Jomast’s phase two contamination report, alleged the company had not addressed concerns raised about the reliability of its data.

In response to a request for comment on the council investigation, Stephen Courcier, planning consultant for the application at Jomast, said:

“We can confirm that the further site investigative works to the railway embankment took place over Thursday and Friday of last week.

“These further investigative works were specifically requested by the local planning authority.”

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Harrogate acting school student lands major role in CBBC series

A Ripon teenager who attends a Harrogate drama school has landed a major role in a a children’s TV series.

Evie Elgie, 17, who studies at Articulate Drama School, had only done two auditions before and said she was surprised to get the part on the CBBC series.

The show, A Kind of Spark, follows the story of an autistic girl, Addie, who wants to create a memorial for women put on trial for witchcraft in her village. Addie believes many of the women condemned as witches were also autistic.

Evie plays the role of Addie’s 11-year-old best friend Jenna, who struggles with how being friends with an autistic girl affects her image at school.

A Kind of Spark is based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Elle McNicoll.

Evie Elgin (left) playing Jenna. Pic: BBC/9 Story Media Group

Talking about her experience on set, Evie said:

“It was fantastic! I filmed in Manchester for 11 weeks between August and October 2022, just after completing my GCSE exams.”

“The cast and crew were all great and I loved working with them all. It was a very friendly welcoming atmosphere.”

Evie added:

“I’ve wanted to be an actress since I was 10 years old so this was such an amazing opportunity.”

Evie has been attending weekly acting classes at the drama school in Harrogate, which trains and finds filming opportunities for child actors in the area.

The school has helped secure roles for their performers on programmes such as Gentleman Jack, All Creatures Great and Small, Waterloo Road and A Gentleman in Moscow.

A Kind of Spark is available on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.

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MP and campaigners oppose registering Stray as common land

The debate over the Stray’s official designation has been rekindled following an intervention by Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough. 

He became involved in the controversy after the Open Spaces Society applied to register Harrogate’s 200-acre expanse as common land, a move which has been met with opposition by some in the town. 

Mr Jones wrote to the general secretary of the OSS seeking more information about the application. He said:

“After reading it carefully it was still difficult to see why the Open Spaces Society had made this application. I was unclear what it would achieve and why this designation was needed when we already have law – the Stray Act – giving the area protection.  

“The Stray Act has served us well. It limits large-scale use of the land; changes can only be made after Parliamentary scrutiny, and where the Stray is damaged it has to be restored by law.” 

Founded in 1865 as the Commons Preservation Society, the OSS is Britain’s oldest national conservation body. Its past victories include the preservation of Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon Common and Epping Forest. 

When the Commons Registration Act 1965 came into force, the Stray was exempted from inclusion in the common land register, but following the passing of the Commons Act 2006, the OSS has been trying to register such exempted land and wants to bring the Stray “back into the fold”. 

When the application was made in January 2023, OSS case officer Hugh Craddock said: 

“The decision in the 1960s to keep the Stray off the registers was understandable but misguided. Only a quarter of one per cent of registered common land was exempted from registration, and exemption proved to be both misleading and unhelpful. The Stray has always been common land, and ought to be registered as common land.” 

Frances Kerner, the OSS’ commons re-registration officer who made the application, added: 

“Registration can only reinforce the protection already afforded to the Stray under the Harrogate Stray Act 1985.  The land will also become protected under the Commons Act 2006. And registration will ensure that those who buy and sell land adjacent to the common are always notified of its protected status.”

‘Unnecessary and alarming’

But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association (SDA), said the application was unnecessary as the Stray already enjoyed three layers of protection: it is Crown land; it was granted in 1778 to the people of Harrogate “forever hereafter” under the Enclosures Act of 1770; and it is safeguarded by the Harrogate Stray Act 1985. 

Writing to the commons registration officer at North Yorkshire Council, she said: 

“The SDA has been contacted by many who are worried and would like to know what is going to happen. All are bewildered as they have always felt certain that their beloved Stray was already fully protected and they are alarmed in equal measure as to what might happen should the OSS application be approved.”

A drone image of West Park Stray taken today, July 31, by David Simister.

A drone image of West Park Stray. Picture: David Simister

Ms d’Arcy Thompson also pointed to the fact that some parts of the Stray are not connected with the main 200-acre expanse, such as land in the Woodlands area and the grass verges, or “slips”, along Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Knaresborough Road. She said if the Stray was designated common land, some people could theoretically be barred from crossing those verges, effectively denying them access to their own property.

She also feared that the OSS may be working from the wrong maps – a concern first raised by the late Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam. 

She said: 

“This kind of designation has happened elsewhere and has caused such legal machinations that in some cases it has ended up in the High Court and cost a lot of money. We don’t want that to happen here. 

“It might not turn out like that here, but knowing how careful people have to be with maps and boundaries, the OSS only need to get one small thing wrong to cause a lot of trouble. This may prove to be a legal minefield in the making.” 

‘It would strengthen protection’

In its reply to Mr Jones, the OSS said that, using a mechanism provided by Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, its policy is now to apply to register as common land all exempted land in North Yorkshire, including the Stray. It said:  

“Registration will ensure that the exempted land properly is recognised as registered common land and will be reported as such on a search conducted in relation to a purchase of land or house adjacent to the common (where for example access is required over the common).  

“It will also ensure that the land definitively is brought within the protection of Part 3 of the 2006 Act, which provides for controls on works on common land, with a régime for the Secretary of State to consent to such works.”

It added: 

“The controls in Part 3 of the 2006 Act will be in addition to those set out in the Harrogate Stray Act 1985. Far from weakening the 1985 Act regime, registration will strengthen the protection for the Stray.” 

But Mr Jones said: 

“In the response from the Open Spaces Society I could still see no positive reason to progress this application. They may think that the exemption in 1965 was misguided and they may have some blanket policy they are implementing from their Henley-on-Thames HQ. But the important thing is to ensure the Stray is protected rather than ticking some policy box.  

“The Stray Act is very powerful protection. That will not change, so the question remains about the purpose of this new common land application. I simply haven’t yet been given any meaningful reasons by the Open Spaces Society to support their proposal.” 

Ms d’Arcy Thompson also remains unswayed. She said: 

“We’re not being petty – we’re just foreseeing potential problems. Why open the Pandora’s box to possible litigation here, there and everywhere? 

“It’s all ifs and buts and maybes, but we don’t want to see something happen that could cause stress and expense when the status quo works very well.”

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Local disability charities work together on mosaic project

Two Harrogate based disability charities have worked together to create a mosaic that will displayed at a new training centre.

Artizan International and Harrogate Skills 4 Living (HS4L) both work to provide care and support to disabled people.

The mosaic was made by disabled artists from Artizan, a Harrogate-based charity that runs arts and crafts workshops and provides training to disabled people.

The ceramic-tile piece has been given to HS4L for it to display outside its new training centre.

HS4L bought the training centre in early April and has been using the space to run education programmes and internships for young people with learning disabilities.

Hadyn Moorby-Davies, HS4L’s chief executive said:

 “It’s wonderful to collaborate and work with people who share the same vision, values and aspirations as we do – to help disabled individuals overcome the barriers they face and lead fulfilled lives”

“The beautiful mosaic will look stunning on the bare brick walls of our new training centre.”

Mr Moorby-Davies added that the theme of the mosaic, ‘Many Hands’ encompassed the charities’ ethos of  “supporting each other to achieve the best possible outcomes for all.”

Artizan has become a local specialist in mosaics and in 2022 created the giant Harrogate letters displayed on the side of the Boots building in the town centre.

Liz Cluderay, Artizan’s UK director said:

“We have been delighted to create this beautiful mosaic for our friends at HS4L for them to display in their fantastic new training centre – North Barn.

“Working together on projects as organisations serving the needs of our disabled community will help us to reach more people that will benefit from our services.”

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Operations and appointments at Harrogate hospital to be cancelled amid consultants strike

Operations and appointments at Harrogate District Hospital look set to be cancelled after consultants announced strike action.

Members of the British Medical Association voted on Tuesday to walk out for 48 hours in a dispute over pay.

The strike by consultants will take place on July 20 and will follow a five-day demonstration by junior doctors.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said it will have to make changes to outpatient and theatre services on the days of industrial action.

Consultants will carry out what is described as Christmas Day cover, meaning most routine and elective services will be cancelled but full emergency cover will remain in place.

The move come as the BMA urged the government to come forward with a credible offer in order to avert strike action.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said:

“Consultants don’t want to have to take industrial action, but have been left with no option in the face of a Government that continues to cut our pay year after year.

“However, it is not too late to avert strike action and the Government simply needs come back to us with a credible offer that we can put to our members.”

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In response to the decision, a spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital will draw up plans to ensure “essential services can be maintained on strike days”.

However, they added that some outpatient appointments and operations will have to be rearranged.

The spokesperson said:

“To prioritise emergency care and to keep all our patients safe we will have to make changes to some of our outpatient and theatre services on the days of industrial action. 

“As we have during previous strikes we will have to cancel outpatient appointments and elective operations, however we will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority.”