Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 454 of 1043

Harrogate council refuses James Street aparthotel plan

Harrogate Borough Council has refused plans to convert the upper floors of a Harrogate town centre building into an aparthotel.

Leeds-based Countrylarge tabled the proposal to create the 17-bedroom scheme on the floors above the new Oliver Bonas store on James Street.

Aparthotels are serviced apartments with a hotel-style booking system. London-based operator, Beyond, was brought in to run to the aparthotel, if the plans were approved.

However, the council has rejected the plan on the grounds that the scheme would “not enhance or preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area”.

It added that it would also “result in poor standards of residential amenity” for future occupiers.

The council said in a decision notice:

“The host building has historic interest and makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

“The cumulative effect of the proposed third floor, roof extension, glazed balustrade and paint work, by virtue of their form, scale, siting and appearance would erode the character of the building and create an alienated development.”

The developers had previously said the proposal would help to “fully utilise” the building.

Business Breakfast: Loungewear brand founder gets national recognition

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

The Harrogate founder of a loungewear brand aimed at pregnant women and mums has won silver in a national awards scheme.

Sophie Baldwin, who set up The Mum Collective earlier this year, was runner-up for the title of young business woman of the year at the National Business Women’s Awards in London.

She set up her business to offer the luxury yet comfortable clothing she felt was missing from her wardrobe while she was pregnant and breastfeeding.

Sophie said:

“To be awarded silver at such a high level is incredible.

“Having met some amazing female owned and led businesses at the awards night, it’s safe to say the community of women who are taking the business world by storm is a powerful one.”

New owner for holiday park near Harrogate

A holiday park near Harrogate has changed hands for an undisclosed sum.

Cardale Estate, on the edge of Beckwithshaw, has been bought by Cardale Escapes, owned by John Brooksbank.

The park has 50 static caravans, with a licence for a further 27, and a four-bedroom detached home within its 85 acres of woodland. It had been listed for sale at £3.75m.

Mr Brooksbank was advised by a team from law firm Gordons, led by commercial real estate partner Joanne Fearnley. She said:

“Cardale Escapes has exciting plans for the holiday park and being so close to Harrogate offers residents the best of both town and country.”

Mr Brooksbank added:

“Cardale Estate is a premium holiday park with huge potential in beautiful rural surroundings just three miles from the centre of Harrogate.

“Joanne and her team at Gordons were instrumental in enabling this complex deal to complete with practical and effective advice.”

Staff remember former manager as M&S Food in Harrogate relaunches

The reopening of the expanded M&S Food in Harrogate was carried out today in memory of a former colleague.

Team support manager Catherine Deakin was chosen to cut the ribbon after a three-month refurbishment and extension of the Leeds Road store.

She and colleagues wore t-shirts in memory of former store manager Dan Tonks, who took his own life last year. She said:

“I was Dan’s best friend. He’d moved on and was working at a different store, but we always kept in touch.

“Our current store manager wanted to do the opening today for Dan.”

Store manager David Anderson added:

“It was really important for everyone at the store to use the moment to remember our dearly missed colleague, Dan, who was such a big part of the team.”

While there was some sadness as staff remembered a former colleague, there was also an air of celebration in the shop.

Its floorspace has been extended by 60%, taking in the former sofa shop next door, and the layout has been altered to give a market hall feel to the fruit and vegetables, bakery and cheese sections.

The café, which was at one point under threat of closure as part of the plans, has been retained, though is now smaller than it was previously. A petition had been set up by locals to keep it open.

With 17,000sq ft to cover, a further 30 staff have been hired in recent weeks ready for the run-up to Christmas, bringing the total number of staff to 125.

Shoppers queued outside this morning ready for the official opening at 9am. The first 200 customers were given golden tickets, each containing a prize – and Dawn King scooped £200 in M&S vouchers.

Inside, the Harrogate Band provided festive music as people explored the shop.

Mr Anderson said:

“The last few weeks have been spent putting the finishing touches to our new store and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make sure everything is ready for our big opening day.

“We’re really proud of this amazing new M&S Foodhall. It’s an exciting investment in Harrogate and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all of the new in-store features and fantastic M&S Food products that we have to offer.”

Questions raised as Harrogate Royal Baths loses £2.5m in value

The value of Harrogate Royal Baths has fallen by £2.5m since it was acquired as a commercial investment by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018.

A council report reveals the Grade II listed building, built in the 1890s, was valued at £7m in March this year, compared with £9.5m when the local authority bought it. The council paid £9m but was prepared to pay £10m.

The report also reveals the Baths had only generated a 1.82% return on investment by September 30, which marked the end of the second quarter of the financial year.

The depreciation of the asset, along with the low rate of return on investment, has sparked fresh questions about the council’s decision to buy the Baths and its ability to manage commercial assets.

Last year Conservative county councillor Richard Musgrave said he was “absolutely speechless” to learn the council had paid £9m, adding “the performance looks very, very poor” and describing it as a “trophy investment”.

Speaking about the latest figures, Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the council’s Independent group, said local authorities should aim for investment returns of between five and 10 per cent and although times were hard the 1.82% figure was not acceptable. He added:

“The main problem is local authorities should not really own these properties because they don’t know what they are doing.

“I just don’t think there’s enough commercial nouse in the local authority to be running these sites.”

Figures contained on p134 of the council report.

Cllr Parsons said the new North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence in April, should “hire proper commercial people” to run key assets like the Baths and the loss-making Harrogate Convention Centre, which he said had been “a millstone around Harrogate Borough Council‘s neck for a long time” and in danger of becoming a “white elephant”.

He added:

“This should be the last chance. Give commercial people a couple of years to turn them around and if they can’t, the council should think about disposal. There has to be a proper policy.”

‘Severely impacted by covid’

Asked about the latest figures, North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate director for strategic resources, Gary Fielding, said:

“This particular investment was an opportunity to invest not only for a direct financial return but also in our locality. To the end of the last financial year, returns have been in excess of our standard treasury investments. The issues experienced have been the result of a global pandemic and more recently other issues beyond UK borders.

“Investments are made for the longer term — balancing risks that can reasonably be foreseen and having sufficient cash flow and reserves to deal with shorter term shocks.

“As we move towards a new unitary council from April 1, 2023, we will see the freehold of Harrogate baths pass to the new council. Whilst the investment from North Yorkshire County Council will cease at this point, the ongoing relationships with tenants will continue.”

Mr Fielding indicated the council would take a tougher line on commercial tenants to maximise income.

“The hospitality sector has been severely impacted by the covid pandemic and the council has done all it reasonably can to support its tenants through these difficult times for the benefit of the local economy and taxpayers generally.

“We work with our tenants to understand their circumstances in order to maximise the income into the council. However, it is not the council’s responsibility to support tenants indefinitely, and if businesses are not sustainable then we work with tenants to bring tenancies to a close.

“We have seen improvement over the last six months which is encouraging. However, with the ongoing cost of living crisis, the hospitality sector may unfortunately experience further pressures.”

Masterchef winner ranks Bettys mince pies as top festive treat

The winner of Masterchef 2022 has visited Bettys in Harrogate to give his verdict on the brand’s traditional mince pies.

Eddie Scott has been reviewing the festive favourites from numerous outlets since late October — and this week was the turn of Harrogate’s famous café and retailer.

Scoring Bettys’ classic mince pies 9.2 out of 10 on his Instagram account, he said:

“This mince pie is jammed full of mincemeat, absolutely. The pastry has a beautiful texture. This is Eddie’s standard.

“Mincemeat is ample, rich, delicious. It’s spiced, full of booze, the pastry is crumbly. It’s like a home-made pastry.”

Eddie praised the presentation of the mince pies and the design of the box, which he described as “like a 1930s cocktail glass”.

After winning Masterchef this year, Eddie quit his job as a marine pilot based in Hull to pursue a career in food. He has worked for Gordon Ramsay and at the popular Pipe and Glass in Beverley this year, and has almost 50,000 followers on Instagram

Each week, he posts a new mince pie review, and has so far covered brands including the Co-op, Aldi, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s.

Bettys is currently the highest-rated, ahead of M&S at 8.6, Sainsbury’s at 8.4, Greggs at 8.2 and Iceland at 8.1.

At £18 for 12, the Bettys box is among the more expensive Eddie has reviewed, but scored higher than some of the other luxury brands. Fortnum and Mason’s box of six for £12.95 was described as “underwhelming”, while boutique bakery Gails was given just 3.1 for its “awful” box of six for £14.

Concluding his Bettys review, Eddie added:

“This is in a different league. This is knocking my socks off. It just tastes like such a home-made product.

“If you want to buy some mince pies for a special occasion, these are the ones to get, because these are luxury.

“Yorkshire have done it again, because everything in Yorkshire is better.”

Eddie isn’t the first to rate Bettys’ mince pies as among the best: they came out top in a Good Housekeeping poll earlier this year.

Bettys said the time taken to craft the mince pies with passion was behind their success, along with many of its other festive products which also frequently rank highly in taste tests.

Ruth Burke-Kennedy from Bettys said:

“We were thrilled when Eddie got in touch to ask to review our classic mince pies, having rooted for him on Masterchef.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with his Instagram review. It certainly drew attention to us when he posted it yesterday, and they were our second best-selling product online, after our Night Before Christmas gift box.”

Jennyfields closure order: warrant issued for arrest of man

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Harrogate man who allegedly breached a closure order on a house in Jennyfields.

The closure order, granted by Harrogate Magistrates Court on November 3, banned anyone except an authorised council officer and one other named person from entering the property for three months.

Harrogate Borough Council said in a statement after the hearing it applied for the order “following concerns about drug use and anti-social behaviour”.

Aaron John Herbert, 49, of Deane Place, Harrogate, was due to appear in court on Thursday charged with entering the premises in contravention of the order.

But he did not appear, prompting magistrates at Harrogate to issue a warrant for his arrest.

North Yorkshire Police said this morning:

“The court warrant is still in place and enquiries are ongoing to locate him.”

Harrogate man jailed for three years for ‘savage’ attack

A Harrogate man has been jailed for three years for a “savage”, unprovoked attack on a neighbour who was left with a fractured eye socket, broken nose and cracked ribs.

Richard Banks, 45, sidled up to the victim in the street and asked him for a cigarette, York Crown Court heard.

The victim, a professional man who was out walking his dog, invited him into his flat in St Mary’s Avenue, Harrogate, but soon felt “uncomfortable” because Banks, whom he barely knew, was “overfamiliar” with him, said prosecutor Rachel Landin.

He asked Banks to leave which he did but returned later that day. When the victim opened the door, Banks, a long-time drug user, “barged in and began shouting”, said Ms Landin, adding:

“He attacked (the victim), knocking him to the floor and repeatedly kicking and punching him to the torso and head.”

Banks took hold of a knife in the kitchen and threatened to kill the named victim, who ran to the front of the house and shouted for help from a window. Ms Landin said:

“He wasn’t sure where (Banks) had gone, so he picked up a bread knife and went into the street.

“He encountered (Banks) again who renewed his attack, punching (the victim) repeatedly to the face.”

Fractured eye socket

Passers-by witnessed the horrific attack and called police who arrived to find Banks standing over the “confused” victim, who was lying helpless after being knocked to the ground and banging his head on the pavement.

The victim, who was concussed, still had the knife in his hand, but police said there was no threat posed by him and the blade was confiscated without a struggle.

York Crown Court

He was taken to Harrogate District Hospital where he woke up “not knowing what was going on and in a lot of pain”.

He was transferred to York Hospital for surgery and specialist treatment to a fractured eye socket and broken ribs and nose, as well as cuts, bruises and scratches all over his body.

Banks, who bizarrely appeared “more focused” on the victim’s dog, was arrested in the street and charged with wounding.

He denied the offence, falsely claiming self-defence, but was found guilty following a trial at the Crown Court in July.

He appeared for sentence yesterday after being remanded in custody.

Ms Landing said the victim had to have surgery to rebuild his shattered eye socket by inserting titanium plates.

He had continued to suffer from impaired and blurred vision since the attack on December 28, 2020, and been receiving optical treatment.

He had been working in IT but had had to change his job due to the computers exacerbating migraines brought on by the attack. His vision impairment would be permanent.

The victim described the attack as “random and unprovoked”. He had become “very paranoid (and) extremely nervous” when out in public.

He had been prescribed anti-depressants and sleeping tablets and didn’t feel safe at home, which was close to where Banks lived. He added:

“I find it really hard to leave my flat, even to walk the dog or go to the shop.

“I have uncontrollable panic attacks.”

The side of his face was “numb for the best part of a year, causing problems eating”.

11 previous convictions

Banks, of St Mary’s Avenue, had 11 previous convictions for 21 offences including public disorder, damaging property and drug-related offences including cultivating cannabis in 2013, possessing cocaine in 2014 and possession of crack and heroin in 2018. He recently received a suspended prison sentence for dealing heroin and cocaine.

His barrister Nick Cartmell said Banks was “hysterical, crying (and) wasn’t in his right mind” when he was arrested for the attack in St Mary’s Avenue.

But judge Simon Hickey said Banks had shown no remorse and described the attack as “savage, nasty and persistent”. He told Banks:

“The victim is…frightened to go out; he’s frightened to shop; he has to rely on people. (There is) permanent disruption to his sight and he’s very conscious about the (titanium) plate in his face.”

He said although Banks had mental-health issues, a three-year jail term was “the least” sentence he could impose for “this savage beating of this man in his own home and outside in the street”.

Banks will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Rail replacement services to operate between Harrogate and York over Christmas

Train passengers between Harrogate and York will face disruption over Christmas as Network Rail carries out track and signalling work.

The organisation will undertake £6 million improvements at York Station from Christmas Eve until January 2, 2023.

It will see 2.7km of track renewed, as well as nine sets of points – the specialist piece of equipment which allows trains to move from one section of track to another.

The work means that passengers from Harrogate and Knaresborough will have to change at Poppleton and board a rail replacement bus to get to York.

Network Rail has urged people to check services before they travel and have warned that services will take longer than normal.

Sam MacDougall, operations director for Network Rail’s East Coast route said:

“Our teams will be out working hard this Christmas to provide an improved railway for passengers.

“The work at York is crucial to keep trains running reliably and smoothly for years to come. Our engineering work and the impact of planned industrial action will mean changes to some services, so passengers are urged to plan ahead and check before travelling.”

A spokesperson on behalf of train operators on the route said:

“These key upgrades at York will mean changes to services over the festive period and passengers should check their journey before travelling via National Rail Enquires or their train operator.

“We are working hard to keep people moving this Christmas, with rail replacement services and diversion routes, but this means your journey will take longer and may be busier than usual.”

The move comes as LNER cancelled two trains from Harrogate to London King’s Cross today due to a shortage of train crew.

The 9.36am and 5.36pm services have been affected.

Meanwhile, passengers on the 3.36pm service have been asked to travel to Leeds to board the train as a shortage of crew means it will no longer call at Harrogate and Horsforth.

Free Christmas parking returns this week at Harrogate’s Victoria Car Park

Free weekday parking is being introduced in Harrogate’s Victoria Car Park this week until early January to attract Christmas shoppers.

Harrogate Business Improvement District is funding the initiative as part of its mission to drive town centre footfall.

From this week until Thursday, January 5 — free parking will be available between 3pm and 7.30pm in the Victoria Car Park on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The ‘free after three’ campaign encourages town centre visitors on quieter days of the week, helping Harrogate’s retail, hospitality and entertainment sectors.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Once again, we are delivering on our pledge to retailers to provide free parking in the town centre during the run up to Christmas, which is traditionally one of the busiest periods in their calendar.

“And whereas in the two previous years ‘free after three’ has ended just before Christmas, I’m delighted to say that this time we are extending it right through to Thursday, January 5, which we know will be beneficial to both visitors and businesses.

“‘Free after Three’ is only available in Victoria Car Park, which has ample space. It links directly to Victoria Shopping Centre, giving easy access to the heart of the town centre and the wonderful shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues Harrogate is home to.”

The BID’s 2022 Christmas campaign also includes sponsoring the North Pole Post Office, the Candy Cane Express road train, the Father Christmas Experience, the Christmas Shop Window Competition, and the Christmas lights.

Business Breakfast: New partnership for Masham’s Theakston brewery

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

Masham based brewery, T&R Theakston has partnered with Newcastle’s Blackrose Pubs as the brewery seeks to broaden the appeal of cask beer to a new generation.

The partnership will make Theakston Best Bitter available in the group’s 27 cask-serving pubs.

Alongside supplying the group’s venues, the brewery has also provided training at its brewery on conditioning, tapping the casks, cellar maintenance and achieving the perfect pour.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director of T&R Theakston, said:

“As a brewery we’re passionate about our product and about championing the wider cask market, so it’s fantastic to be working with Blackrose Pubs who appreciate the craftmanship that goes not just into creating the beer, but also ensuring it’s delivered in prime condition to customers.

“With almost two centuries of brewing expertise behind us, we know how important it is to pass on the skills of conditioning, tapping casks and cellar maintenance to the next generation of pub leaders. We’re very excited to see where our journey together takes us.”

Harrogate legal firm, Raworths is to sponsor the Business Growth category of the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023.

The Awards on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate will celebrate business excellence across the district with 10 prestigious awards.

The judging panel is made up of four of the most influential leaders in the area.

Simon Morris, Managing Partner at Raworths said:

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Business Growth category at the inaugural Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023. This category offers businesses who have experienced unprecedented growth and expansion, in a challenging economic climate, a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate their achievements.

“Here at Raworths, we are extremely proud of our Harrogate roots, having been based in the town for more than 125 years, and we are excited to have this opportunity to champion the incredible business community we have in the district.”

Entries are open so if you have a positive business story to tell apply now.

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