Plans have been approved for two new houses on a former pub site in Markington.

The proposal, which was submitted by Leeds-based Lotherton Property Services, would see the homes built behind what was the Cross Keys Inn on High Street in the village.

The pub closed in 2016 due to declining turnover and profitability.

It is currently being converted into a house after plans were approved in January.

Now, North Yorkshire Council has given approval for a further two four-bedroom homes built on the site

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said:

“The site seeks to accommodate two detached dwellings, which would generate less vehicular traffic than the previous use.”

Read more:

• Plan to convert former Markington pub into house approved
• Meet the Ripon artist who has turned her life around to achieve a £1m turnover

The move comes after the developer received permission to convert the Cross Keys Inn into a four-bedroom house.

It said in planning documents that the building had been extensively marketed for sale as a pub.

But it added potential buyers had shown little interest in reopening it for that purpose.

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is after-work drinks at Manahatta, on May 25th at 5:30.

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

Two Harrogate businesses have been recognised in the Sunday Times “best places to work” guide.

Cloud Nine and LCF Law made the list, which surveys the opinions of employees from hundreds of businesses operating in every industry sector across the UK.

Both firms were recognised in the medium-sized companies category, which looks at businesses who employ between 50 and 249 people.

Some 200 companies are listed in the Sunday Times guide, including Brewdog, Pizza Express and David Lloyd Leisure.

Martin Rae, chief executive at Cloud Nine.

Martin Rae, chief executive at Cloud Nine, said:

“We have an exceptional team who deserve a great place to work. This is why we have recently spent a lot of time focusing on and investing in the whole experience our employees have here at Cloud Nine.”

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said:

“These nationwide awards select the best places to work based solely on the results of an employee survey. Not only is the process incredibly insightful, but it’s also a great way of benchmarking our culture, our colleague engagement and how valued our team feel.”

Knaresborough car dealership signs insurance

A Knaresborough car dealership has agreed a major insurance deal with a national company.

Redline Specialist Cars, which is based at St James Business Park, has signed the deal with Provenance Insurance Brokers.

It will allow Redline clients to obtain private client motor insurance and associated insurance services through the Redline Specialist Insurance brand.

John Graeme, finance director at Redline, said:

“The team at Provenance went to great lengths to understand our business and culture, and we’re excited to build a long and successful partnership, bringing our clients market-leading protection for themselves and their prized possessions – from cars, houses, fine art, jewellery, commercial insurance and even extending to bespoke life insurance cover.”

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• Business Breakfast: Boroughbridge company celebrates long-service staff milestone
• Talks to buy Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery reported to be underway

Two major local leisure centre projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough have been delayed — and will cost more than expected.

The new North Yorkshire Council gave its first update on the refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro and the construction of Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre today.

It revealed the Hydro is now due to re-open in August following a £13.5 million refurbishment.

The facility, which will be renamed Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, was originally due to re-open in January this year and the project was due to cost £11.8 million.

But it now won’t be open for the start of the summer holidays.

A council statement today said:

“It had been hoped the new facility would be ready to open earlier in the summer but a number of unanticipated issues with the building were found during the construction process.”

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre is due to open in November at a cost of £17.6 million.

The project was initially due to re-open at the end of summer and cost £17 million.

The existing Knaresborough Pool was due to be demolished once the new facility was open.

But to keep construction costs as low as possible, the current pool will close and start to be demolished in early September following the opening of the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre.

It means Knaresborough is likely to be without a pool for two months.

Hydro overhaul

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre will include a 400 square metre fitness centre, a new sauna and steam suite, improved reception and café, as well an overhaul of the existing gym, spin, leisure and swimming facilities.

The diving structure is also being replaced.

Outside, the building is being remodelled to provide a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.

The existing gas boilers have already been replaced with air-source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.

Read more:

• Cost of delayed Harrogate Hydro refurbishment increases by £1m
• £28m contracts for new Knaresborough pool and Harrogate Hydro upgrades approved

The energy efficiency measures were made possible by a £1.8 million grant from the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy public sector decarbonisation scheme, and will halve the carbon footprint of the leisure centre.

The latest delay to the re-opening is to allow improvements to the fire protection of the steel frame, as well as the addition of new wall restraints, the replacement of corroded steelwork and fixing an issue that was causing an air leak and heat loss between the roof and the external walls.]

Today’s statement added:

“As a result of this additional work, the refurbishment project at Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre is now set to be completed by the end of July and will reopen in August, once staff from Brimhams Active have had a chance to familiarise themselves with the health and safety and operating procedures of the improved facility.

“Further details about the official opening will be announced in the coming months.”

Six-lane pool in Knaresborough

Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre, which is being built next to the current Knaresborough Pool, will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

It will incorporate high-efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint.

Today’s update said:

“Unfortunately, due to an unavoidable delay involving the new electrical supply to the building, the leisure and wellness centre will now open in November.

Once the existing pool has been demolished, a new play area in front of the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre will be installed.

Cllr Simon Myers, the council’s executive member for culture, arts and housing, said:

“We want to ensure a healthier, more active population that is living longer and more independently. By investing in leisure facilities, such as this, we can continue to make that happen.

“Unfortunately, refurbishment projects often uncover historic issues that need to be resolved. But by carrying out the work now, the building can conform to the latest legislation, be as energy-efficient as possible and allow people to keep fit and active for many years to come.”

An online petition has been set up against the planned £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway project.

The scheme would see the biggest change to the town centre for decades, including traffic on a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade being reduced to single lane so cycle lanes can be built and part of James Street pedestrianised.

Senior North Yorkshire councillors will meet to make a final decision on the project on May 30 after Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors voted to support it.

However, a petition against the scheme has attracted 191 signatures at the time of writing.

Rachael Inchboard, of the Granville Road Residents Group, set up the Change.org petition in objection to the gateway project.

The petition says the scheme would  “irreversibly damage Harrogate” and adds that the signatories have “no confidence” in officers or the executive at North Yorkshire Council, which is leading the proposals.

Ms Inchboard said:

“Reducing the main A61 road through the centre of the town to a single lane, together with other proposals such as the partial closure of James Street, will hamper access by emergency vehicles, increase congestion and pollution, force cars and all other vehicles onto other roads and have an extremely detrimental effect on both the residential and business areas.

“The whole premise of the scheme is nonsense and will irreversibly damage Harrogate.

“Those who live and work in the town centre are not being listened to. Our voices must be heard.”

Read more:

• Council in discussions with Harrogate Station Gateway contractor
• Station Gateway: Highways boss welcomes ‘positive’ backing from councillors
• As it happened: Councillors vote to SUPPORT Harrogate Station Gateway scheme

The move comes as Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at the council, welcomed the decision by Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors to support the proposals.

Following a three-hour meeting at Harrogate’s Civic Centre on May 5, councillors backed the scheme by 10 votes to 3.

Cllr Duncan, who has had responsibility for transport on the Conservative authority’s executive since Don Mackenzie retired last year, said he was pleased councillors from opposition parties came together to back the project.

He said:

“I welcome the positive, cross-party support expressed for the gateway project. The majority of councillors recognised the importance of securing this £11m investment and the transformative impact the project could have for Harrogate.

“Their support gives the executive the ability to proceed to the next stage. Input and oversight provided by local councillors will be incredibly valuable, now and into the future.”

The Stray in Harrogate has been chosen as one of three locations for a new UK fundraising walk.

Dementia research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK is staging five-kilometre Walk for a Cure events in Harrogate, London and Edinburgh in July.

The event on the Stray will take place on Sunday, July 23 and people are being encouraged to take part and raise £100 each.

Sara Hoxhaj, north of England and Yorkshire fundraising officer for Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Almost one million people are living with dementia in the UK today. Tragically, not one of them will survive. Alzheimer’s Research UK exists to change that.

“Come and join us on the Walk For A Cure.  Your support will help us fund pioneering dementia research, that will help us to save people from the heartbreak of dementia.”

Read more:

• New opening dates for Harrogate and Knaresborough leisure centres revealed
• Ramshackle phone box transformed into Stray information point

Besides the walk, there will be a host of activities to help people understand their brains and the things they can do to look after them in an area on the Stray that will include:

• A large wooden brain sculpture to capture visitors’ thoughts and reflections on dementia.
• A range of craft activities – colouring, making paper brain hats.
• A giant game of brain health Kerplunk.

Local supporter John Hirst will take part to raise money for dementia research in memory of his wife Pat, who died with frontotemporal dementia aged just 66.

Mr Hirst said:

“I know that one day there will be a cure for the diseases that cause dementia and I’m proud to be doing my bit to help us get there.”

More details of the walk are available here.

A second knife amnesty bins is being installed in Harrogate this week as part of a national police action week.

The town already has a permanent knife bin between Asda car park and Dragon Road car park to encourage people to safely get rid of potentially lethal weapons.

But a second amnesty bin is being put at Harrogate Police Station on Beckwith Head Road this week.

Bins are being installed in police stations in Harrogate, York, Scarborough, Malton, Northallerton and Skipton as part of the ‘save a life – bin a knife’ national police campaign running from today until Sunday.

Police will also be educating young people this week about the dangers of knife crime as well as carrying out high-visibility patrols, stop and searches and other enforcement activity in areas linked to possible knife crime.

A North Yorkshire Police press release today said:

“Simply wrap an unwanted knife in thick paper or cardboard as a safety precaution, and bring it directly to one of the locations.

“You do not have to give your name or any other details – just drop it in the clearly-marked bin.

“The aim of the bins is not only to reduce knife crime, but also give reassurance to people who simply want to dispose of unwanted knives and sharp objects – such as old kitchen knives, or unused work tools – safely and securely.”

Read more:

• Fifty knives dropped off in Harrogate’s ‘knife amnesty bin’ during first month
• Harrogate hails returning hero Rachel Daly

Detective Superintendent Andrea Kell, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Every knife placed in an amnesty bin is one less knife that could be used as a lethal weapon on the streets. That’s why I’m urging everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of them this week.”

Killinghall’s last remaining peacock looks set to be re-homed outside the village.

Roaming peacocks have been a common sight in Killinghall for about 50 years.

But about a dozen are believed to have been killed last winter by a disgruntled villager annoyed by their screeching.

It left just one peahen, which has prompted concerns she is lonely and would be happier elsewhere.

One of the missing Killinghall peacocks

Now a resident has contacted Lucie’s Animal Rescue in Thirsk about rehoming her.

The rescue centre has agreed to help and a group of villagers are trying to work out the best way to capture the peacock, which has its own Facebook page.

The resident leading the campaign, who asked not to be named, said:

“When I read there was only one female left I felt upset for her. It didn’t feel right that she was all alone.

“There is nothing Lucie won’t do for an animal so I know if our girl goes to her she will have the best care for the rest of her natural life.”

Read more:

• Have missing Killinghall peacocks been secretly killed?
• Bilton’s Peter the Peacock living his best life in Lancashire

The villager said the end of bird flu restrictions made it a good time to act before winter sets in.

Lucie has suggested somebody regularly feeds the peacock so she keeps going back, which would make her easier to capture.

But peacocks are big and strong and difficult to catch so some residents have found a large cage they hope to entice her into. The resident said:

“It would be good to avoid rugby tackling her if we can but I suspect that might be the only way.

“So far only a small group of ladies have come forward with offers of help and ideally we may need a couple of strong guys to help – if it comes down to rugby tackling her! Then the plan would be to drive her to Lucie at Thirsk.”

The village peacocks roosting in a tree before their disappearance.

Like many villagers, the resident was incensed by the peacocks’ mystery disappearance. That so many vanished overnight and no remains have been found suggests they were slaughtered.

The resident said:

“I was really angered by what happened to the others. They were doing nothing wrong, just living their lives as a family group.

“I used to love hearing the males calling across the village when I was in my garden.”

Peter the Peacock, who was regularly seen in Bilton, was re-homed in 2021 after getting injured.

Two Harrogate galleries have collaborated to launch a new exhibition.

Watermark Gallery will partner with Walker Galleries, which closed its doors on Montpellier Parade in December last year to move its operations online.

The two businesses have launched a new exhibition, A Brush With Colour, which opened on Saturday and will run until May 31.

Liz Hawkes, owner of Watermark Gallery, said she felt her business could learn from working with Walker Galleries.

She said:

“When we heard that Walker Galleries was closing, we were very disappointed to lose a quality gallery across the road. 

“Through our sister business, Artworks Conservation, we have worked with Ian and Shirley Walker for many years and have a mutual respect for the gallery business they built up. 

“We felt we had a lot to learn by joining forces and are only too pleased to be working with them on this exciting new programme of work.”

Lilies and Lemons – one of the exhibits by Caroline Bailey

Ian Walker, owner of Walker Galleries, said:

“We were delighted when Liz approached us with the offer of a venue so we could continue exhibiting the work of our artists.

“This current show with Caroline Bailey now promises to be even bigger and better than ever before as it combines our established way of working with the online and digital marketing focus of Watermark Gallery.”

Read more:

• Walker Galleries in Harrogate moves online
• Garden centre near Harrogate to reopen after eight years

A Brush With Colour is a solo exhibition by acclaimed artist and colourist Caroline Bailey RSW (Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour). 

It will be held at Watermark Gallery on Royal Parade.

The exhibition is the first in a series of three joint events, with future exhibitions by Mike Bernard RI and Katharine Holmes both planned for the Autumn/Winter 2023. 

A nursing home in Harrogate has said it is making improvements after it was given the lowest score in a food hygiene inspection.

Bilton Hall Nursing Home scored just one on the five-point rating system when environmental health officers visited its kitchen.

The inspectors’ report, released by North Yorkshire Council last week, said:

“Overall, a disappointing visit. I have little confidence in food safety management within the kitchen. My inspection revealed poor levels of cleanliness to all food areas and equipment. A deep clean and disinfection is required without delay.”

The inspector also said:

The report called on the care home, part of the We Care Group, to act on the findings “without delay”.

Read more:

• Former homeless hostel could be converted to social housing in Harrogate
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A return visit was held two days later, at the beginning of March, when the inspector confirmed the deep clean had been completed.

That report – also released by the council last week – said a food safety system needed to be implemented and all food handlers had to be trained.

Responding to the report on Friday, Bilton Hall Nursing Home manager Steve Edgar said:

“We had staffing issues at the time of the inspection and the agency staff were not following our home’s kitchen protocol, which led us to achieve a 1 in the inspection.

“The kitchen was also due to have the flooring changed which had been arranged but unfortunately did not happen prior to the inspection by [environmental health].

“The building is a listed building therefore has posed a few structural challenges with regards to refurbishment; however, we are making the appropriate changes necessary.

“We have since had another unannounced inspection from [environmental health] and, since making the changes, the inspector expects us to achieve a 4 when we are next scored.”

Bilton Hall Nursing Home is on Bilton Hall Drive, off Knaresborough Road. Photo: Geograph / habiloid

Mr Edgar said the revisit had found the “comprehensive” food safety management system was in place and available for inspection, with monitoring records “much improved”.

Vacancies in the catering department had been filled, he said, and additional training completed by members of the team.

The kitchen floor was expected to be replaced this month, he said, adding:

“We will need to request another official visit in which the published score will change for the public to see; as of this week we have applied to North Yorkshire Council for a rescoring [environmental health] visit.”

Health bosses in North Yorkshire have said more covid vaccine appointments will be available for Harrogate residents amid concern over a lack of clinics.

Officials at NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said three pharmacies in Harrogate have been holding appointments for those eligible for a spring booster vaccine.

However, residents have contacted the Stray Ferret over concerns that the NHS booking website only showed clinics in West Yorkshire.

Currently, those who are vulnerable and over-75 are eligible for an appointment.

Those who wish to book a vaccine have to do so through the NHS website or by calling 119.

Read more:

• Plaque recognises Harrogate Convention Centre’s ‘invaluable’ covid hospital role
• Covid vaccine banners stolen from Pateley Bridge

But, residents in Harrogate who have tried to book a booster vaccine have found appointments are only available in Bradford or Leeds.

NHS officials said much of the vaccine campaign has been focused on those in care homes or who are housebound.

However, they added more local appointments should become available “over the next two or three weeks” to those who are eligible and will mostly be in GPs and pharmacies.

In response to the concern over travel, a spokesperson for Humber and North Yorkshire ICB said:

“Three pharmacies in Harrogate have had appointments available through the NHS National Booking Service and have been actively delivering clinics.

“However, over the next two to three weeks, patients in Harrogate who are eligible for their COVID spring booster should have access to more local appointments when they visit the online NHS National Booking Service or contact NHS 119.

“With GP practices in the Harrogate district mainly concentrating their efforts on delivering vaccines to care home residents and patients who are housebound, clinics for over 75s and those who are immunosuppressed will mostly be delivered by community pharmacy teams, though some GP practices will be running clinics for their eligible patients and they will be contacted directly when it’s their turn.

“The Spring campaign commenced on 3 April for all care home residents, housebound and immunosuppressed patients in line with JCVI guidance. All other over 75s became eligible for vaccination w/c 17 April and we are confident everyone who’s eligible will be able to receive a vaccination prior to the end of June when this campaign ends.”

Those are eligible for a spring covid booster are advised to check the NHS booking service online or call 119, if travelling is an issue.

More information on covid vaccine appointments can be found on the NHS England website here.