A car was turned into a fireball on the A59 near Flaxby today.

Knaresborough firefighters were summoned at 8.55am to the main road, which is close to the A1.

Knaresborough Fire Station said in a Facebook post:

“The police were already on scene providing scene safety. The fire was extinguished by two breathing apparatus wearers using two hose reel Jets.”

No further details are available.

Firefighters tackle the blaze. Pic: Knaresborough Fire Station

The car afterwards, Pic Knaresborough Fire Station

It was the first of two serious incidents in the Harrogate district today.

At 3.58pm, firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough responded to reports of a kitchen fire at a home on Rowan Close, Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:

“The female occupant was out of the property on arrival of crews.

“Two hose reel jets and four breathing apparatus were used to extinguish the fire and a positive pressure ventilation fan was used to ventilate the property.”

Read more:

• Harrogate firefighters tackle car fire and three-vehicle collision
• Flaxby Park appeals decision to refuse 350 ‘eco lodges’ near A1

Claro Marine model boating club has called on the public to help stop a fountain being installed in the Valley Gardens’ boating pond.

Harrogate Borough Council plans to put the fountain in the pool next year at a cost of £6,000.  The boaters have argued it will stop their hobby as water from the fountain will damage the engines of their model boats.

The club’s secretary, Dave Finnegan, wrote to the council outlining its concerns and earlier this month received a response.

Head of parks and environment services, Alison Wilson, wrote:

“As the body [of the fountain] consists of a base and jets there is little infrastructure involved. Once in place, we will consider any protection required to ensure there is no damage to the jets from boats and vice versa.

“We do not wish to curtail your clubs activities, simply make the area more attractive and usable at other times of the week”.

Mr Finnegan told the Stray Ferret he was unhappy with Ms Wilson’s reply.

“You can’t use a model boat where there is a fountain. If your boat goes wrong or there is some interference with the remote control you can find the boat in the fountain area which damages the boat.

“If there is a fender cutting off the fountain, then you’re cutting off a huge area for the boats to go. It is a small pond really not a lake. The boats need the deeper water which is where they’ll put the fountain. “

Read More:

• Fountain will end model boating in Valley Gardens, says club
• Model boating must continue, says Friends of Valley Gardens

The council has also said it was working on a scheme where the club could disable the fountain but Mr Finnegan said it had additional concerns that in hot weather the fountain water could pose a public health risk. As a result it doesn’t want responsibility for operating it

“The pond is shallow and we’re concerned that if the water temperature rises above 20 degrees celsius the fountain could create the risk of spreading legionnaires disease.”

The council has rejected this, saying the pond will be monitored and tested in hot weather.

The boating pond in Valley Gardens, which is currently drained

The club though has its supporters — retired lawyer, Dr Trevor Dale, wrote to Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones, outlining concerns for the boaters and raising the legionnaires disease issue.

Mr Jones then contacted Alison Wilson and sent Dr Dale a letter with her response in it.

So the club felt it had got no further and it has left the boaters feeling frustrated and powerless.

Mr Finnegan said:

“We’ve no idea how to change their minds. When you consider it has been used as a boating pool for 98 years, it’s very sad.

“Nobody is helping us so I’d like the public to get involved and write to the council or to Andrew Jones and call for the fountain plan to be cancelled.”

Controversial plans to build 21 homes in Markington will be discussed by the village’s parish council tonight.

Leeds firm KCS Developments Ltd has applied to build a combination of two- to four-bedroom houses with gardens and car parking spaces at High Mill Farm on High Street. Eight of the 21 homes would be classed as affordable.

Markington, which is situated between Harrogate and Ripon, has a population of just over 600 people.

Some residents have expressed concerns on social media about the impact of the development on the landscape and infrastructure in the historic settlement.

The proposed site

But a design and access statement submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Ilkley architects Halliday Clark on behalf of the applicant, says there is an “identified need” for new housing in Markington. It says:

“The proposal sits centrally in Markington and is in walking distance of all the village amenities such as the primary school, shops and community spaces.

“Developing in a small village such as Markington will protect the continuation of these vital services, allowing the village to stay sustainable. There is an identified need within Markington to provide affordable family housing to enable young families and people to stay living in the village.”

The statement adds the development would be “concealed and therefore will have no visual impact on Markington’s high street”.

Markington with Wallerthwaite Parish Council will discuss the development at tonight’s monthly meeting, which is open at everyone, at 7.30pm at the Yorkshire Hussar Inn in the village.

Read more:

• Plan to convert former Markington pub into house
• Chris Bartle: the Markington man who led Team GB to Olympic gold

Marks & Spencer is to award ‘golden tickets’ to the first 200 customers at its Harrogate Oatlands foodhall tomorrow to mark the store’s official re-opening.

The foodhall on Leeds Road has undergone a major refurbishment and extension. It is now 60% bigger, and includes a bakery and wine shop — but the customer cafe is much smaller.

Although it is currently trading, tomorrow’s official reopening will see Percy Pig award golden tickets to the first shoppers at 9am. Each ticket guarantees a prize ranging from a free bag of sweets or cookies to a £200 voucher.

Store manager David Anderson said:

“We can’t wait until Tuesday morning when we can welcome customers through our doors.

“It’s been a busy few weeks behind the scenes working hard to put things together and we’re excited for everyone to see what the new store has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch on the go or doing your big weekly shop – we’ve got you covered.”

The store, which employs 125 staff on Oatlands Retail Park, is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9pm and on Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

Read more:

• M&S café in Harrogate saved after U-turn
• Ferris wheel goes up as Harrogate Christmas countdown begins

People waiting up to an hour for 101 calls to be answered, says North Yorkshire Police

People are waiting for up to an hour for a 101 call to be answered, a senior North Yorkshire Police officer has said.

Mike Walker, assistant chief constable at the force, told a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner public accountability meeting that the figure was “not acceptable”.

He said that the force had an average answer time of eight minutes and 47 seconds for October 2022 – four times the national standard.

The target for police force’s across the country is to answer 80% of non-emergency calls within two minutes.

ACC Walker said the long waiting times for 101 was the reason why the force’s abandonment rate was so high. This refers to the number of people giving up.

He said:

“On a daily basis we look at that from a chief officer team and I know there have been people waiting between half an hour and an hour on 101 on some days.

“It’s just not acceptable and this is why we have an abandonment rate of 20%. We should not be having more than 5% on 101.”

Read more:

• Police commissioner: 101 line deluged by ‘neighbours complaining about each other’
• Harrogate district people asked for views on police 101 and 999 calls

ACC Walker told the meeting that Humberside Police had agreed to carry out a peer review of the force’s call handling and help them improve.

He added that the police were keen to improve the call times and return the control room to an “outstanding” rating.

Zoe Metcalfe, Mike Walker and Mabs Hussain, deputy chief constable, at the public accountability meeting.

He said:

“We know how we need to achieve that.

“It’s a question of putting the right plans in place and having the relevant discussions and then, over the next 12 months, it’s a question of getting back to where we need to be by serving the public of North Yorkshire with an outstanding control room.

“That needs to be the aim.”

Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the aim needed to be “a lot quicker than 12 months”, but added she accepted that “these things take time”.

The move comes as concerns over the length of time it takes to answer 101 calls has been a long-running concern across the county.

Ms Metcalfe’s predecessor, Philip Allott, was told by North Yorkshire county councillors last year that the non-emergency line was “not fit for purpose and it hasn’t been fit for purpose for the last eight years” and that “the phone just doesn’t get answered”.

A Ferris wheel has started to be installed in Harrogate as the countdown to the town’s Christmas activities begins.

The 32-metre wheel, which is being assembled alongside the war memorial, will be one of the highlights of Harrogate’s Christmas offering.

Other highlights include an ice rink in Crescent Gardens, a Christmas market featuring about 50 stalls, the Candy Cane Express road train and a carousel.

The wheel, also known as an observation wheel, previously stood in York.

Harrogate’s seasonal festivities are due to get underway on Friday. The market will operate until December 11 but the other activities will continue into the New Year.

Harrogate Borough Council is organising the festivities with a range of partners.

John McGivern, destination events manager at the council’s tourism body Destination Harrogate, told Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce this month the ambition was to “position Harrogate district as a first choice Christmas destination” and to attract high spending visitors on day trips and overnight breaks.

The view from Bettys this morning.

Read more:

• York Ferris wheel coming to Harrogate for Christmas
• Judges cast their votes on Ripon’s Christmas windows

The owners of Flaxby Park Golf Club have withdrawn an appeal over a decision to refuse plans for 350 eco lodges and a hotel on the site.

In March, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would cause an “unacceptable” impact on the environment. The site is close to junction 47 on the A1(M).

Last month, Flaxby Park Ltd took the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate – which deals with planning disputes.

In documents submitted to the inspectorate, planning consultants Lichfields, which lodged the appeal on behalf of the developer, said the reasons for refusal were “unfounded”.

It said:

“The appellant will show that the council’s reasons for refusal are unfounded and that there are no technical issues arising from the proposed development, which cannot be addressed by appropriately worded conditions or Section 106 planning obligations.

“The appellant will therefore submit that planning permission should be granted for the development proposed by the appeal without delay.”

However, Flaxby Park Ltd has now withdrawn the appeal. A public inquiry into the case scheduled for January 31, 2023, has been cancelled.

An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1(M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.

The Stray Ferret approached both Flaxby Park Ltd and its agent Lichfields to ask why the company made the decision and if it still intends to propose a new scheme for the site.

But we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The move raises questions over the future of the former Flaxby Golf Course site, which has been closed since 2014.

History of the site

In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.

But the plans never materialised and in 2016 the company went out of business.

Flaxby Park Ltd, a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner, bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.

Read more:

• Flaxby parish council calls for government to reject eco-homes
• Business park near Flaxby that could support 2,000 jobs approved

Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Cattal and Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district instead.

In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.

A plan by Harrogate hospital to introduce a home care service in a bid to free up bed space could “distort the market”, says a councillor.

Cllr Michael Harrison, who is cabinet member for adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, said the authority had already had to prevent one social care provider from folding this week.

It comes as officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust revealed in September that they want to trial the service as the hospital was unable to discharge medically fit patients because of a lack of private care services.

However, Cllr Harrison told the county council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee last week that there was a risk the move could cause problems because the health service would be competing for staff with other providers.

Cllr Harrison said:

“I do think there is a real risk of distorting the market.

“Already this week, the county council have stepped in to prevent one domiciliary care provider from folding and I know that we are working on over 30 packages of care that have been handed back this week.

“The pressures out there are very tangible.”

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, speaking at Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the hospital trust, said it was not the intention for the hospital to take work away from private care providers.

He added that he was aware the move could look critical of the care sector, particularly because the health service has been “well funded for some years”.

He said:

“We are absolutely not trying to be critical or trying to take any work away.

“We are just trying to find a solution. We are working well with the team at the county council to work this through rather than doing anything that would upset that.

“We are really aware of the issues, but we are just trying to collectively make it better.”

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital plans new £14m operating theatres
• Harrogate hospital trust plans home care service to tackle bed blocking

Mr Coulter added the hospital was already carrying out interviews for the service, but stressed that it would still be a pilot at this stage.

He said:

“I know there is some concern that we could distort the market because the NHS pays a bit more than other areas, that is an issue.

“But, at the moment, we have said this is a six-month pilot and we will see how it goes.”

The trust’s home care service will initially run as a six-month trial and cost around £146,000 to provide care for 36 patients.

If the trial is a success, it is estimated around 15 patients who otherwise would be stuck in hospital could be moved back into their own homes each day.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.

A free Harrogate business networking event is to be held at Cold Bath Brewery this Sunday, December 4.

Normally the Harrogate Social meets on the first friday of every month. It’s a space where around 50 local business owners get together  for a drink at a local independent bar and share news.

The Christmas event though is on a Sunday afternoon and this year the venue is Cold Bath Brewing on Kings Road.

The organisers, Liz Wild or Wild and Co Chartered Accountants and Martin Mann of Martin Mann- I.T. are asking participants to support the Harrogate Homeless Project.

For more information click here.

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Prosperis to be main sponsor of Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023
• Guide to Christmas markets in the Harrogate district

Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors in Harrogate are to sponsor the Inclusivity Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023.

The Inclusivity Award recognises a company that has demonstrated working practices with a proactive approach to inclusivity.

In total there are 10 Award categories for the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023 which will be held on March 9 at the Pavilions of Harrogate.  The main event sponsor is Knaresborough based financial advisers and consultants, Prosperis. 

Andrew from Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors said:

“Harrogate has many legends…..  Betty’s, Valley Gardens, The Blue’s Bar…. But, there is a new kid on the block, The Stray Ferret and we are proud to be working as a partner with them.

“The Stray Ferret has quickly become known as the place to find impartial, honest, local news, at Kempston-Parkes Chartered Surveyors we are pleased to be partnering with the Stray Ferret, after all our clients want impartial honest advice on their property purchase”

The event promises to be great occasion which recognises best practice and business excellence.

If your business has a good story to tell enter now . Entries close on January 13.

North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that a missing man has been found following an appeal.

Officers said they were “extremely concerned” for the welfare of the 36-year-old.

A police statement said the man was found safe and well.

Read more:

• Owners of Harrogate trophy store retire after 40 years
• Panto legend Tim Stedman brings Christmas magic to Harrogate again