Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

The report compiled by the case officer for Harrogate Borough Council about the proposed Knox Lane housing development ignores many facts.

It appears the application submitted in April 2020 is a Stonewater Housing Association/Jomast joint venture.

In the application for 73 homes, only 10 were open market. Fifty homes, including 10 open market ,were proposed on the allocated site, 80% affordable, the remaining 23 affordable homes were on adjacent unallocated land. The number of affordable (86.3%) is more than double Harrogate Borough Council’s HS2 Policy, despite pre-application discussions having taken place with council officers in September 2019. The following statements were included in supporting documentation with the application:

It is important to note that it was the applicant’s aspiration to provide a full affordable housing scheme on the site. However, an element of market dwellings has been introduced at the request of the council based on their reasoning that it would provide a more balanced scheme.

Due to the uncertainty in respect to the length of any lockdown and the fact that the scheme has already been consulted upon and the site is now an allocation, it is considered appropriate to submit the application rather than delay until some form of meaningful consultant can be carried out at some undetermined point in the future. There is a clear and pressing need for the delivery of housing of all forms within Harrogate.

Despite the application not being compliant with Harrogate Borough Council Local Plan policies it remained on the planning portal with consultees being contacted.

The revised application submitted in December 2021 excluded the 23 affordable homes on the unallocated land but included 30 (56.6%) in the new plan, still in excess of Harrogate Borough Council affordable homes policy and contrary to NPPF 47.

Consultations with residents were held in February and March 2018 when the land agent advised a proposal for 100% affordable homes on behalf of Wakefield and District Housing Association. It is now almost five years since these consultations were held yet no further consultations have been.

The link to Knox Country Park was requested by the case officer. He apparently has not considered the impact this will have on the newly planted habitat for wildlife. The extract from the ecological report submitted on behalf of the developer suggests the increase in footfall would.

Knox Lane comprised a single-lane road and associated footpath. It was lined on both sides by tree lines (including that one the western site boundary) and grass verges, with managed agricultural land beyond to the west. The tree lines may offer some nesting habitat for birds and foraging and commuting habitat for bats, but Knox Lane itself offers negligible suitable habitat for wildlife, comprising impermeable, artificial surfaces that are disturbed by human activity on a regular basis. As such, this area was assessed to be of low ecological value.

Catherine Alderson, Harrogate

Pollution and the River Nidd

I have today received a newsletter from the Conservative Party promoting our local MP Andrew Jones. The lead story covering the front page concerns the River Nidd, highlighting the work he is doing to improve the quality of the water in the river.

More memories of Hotel St George

Further to Kathleen Mitchell’s letter last week. Bill Pritchard and Eddie  Jack were still working at the hotel when my husband John Abel and Peter Pointer bought the hotel in 1970.

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will make her Harrogate debut this month – three years after her cellist brother, Sheku, accompanied by sister Isata, performed in the town.

The 20-year-old will perform work by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev as part of the Harrogate International Sunday Series on February 26. She will also give  an exclusive performance of Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre.

Hosted by Harrogate International Festivals and staged in the Old Swan Hotel, the Sunday Series coffee concerts have been an annual fixture on Harrogate’s classical music calendar since 1991.

Ms Kanneh-Mason, the fifth of seven musically-gifted siblings and the third to establish herself as a soloist, is a former Classic FM rising star and a keyboard category finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018.

Read more:

• Harrogate district festival launches £7,000 search for classical singers
• New professional choir based in Ripon to give local concert

Discussing her Harrogate appearance, Ms Kanneh-Mason said:

“This programme has a large range of repertoire – from Prokofiev and Beethoven to Shostakovich.

“The individual pieces in the Romeo and Juliet and the Estampes show the importance of story-telling in music, which is something I am drawn to.”

Her brother and sister were the last performers to appear at Harrogate International Festivals in 2020 before lockdown devastated the arts world, and Jeneba admits it was not an easy time for her.

Jeneba’s programme comprises of Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue in D major; Prokofiev’s 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75; Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 in E major; Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, and Florence Price’s Fantasie Negre No.1 in E minor.

Roadworks that have caused lengthy delays near Harrogate for the last month are due to end tomorrow.

Four-way traffic lights were installed at the roundabout near the Curious Cow at Oaker Bank, Killinghall to allow Express Utilities to put in utility infrastructure for a nearby housing development.

The roadworks were due to continue until Friday but Matthew Ross, operations director at Express Utilities, said today:

“I am able to confirm that Express Utilities have progressed with our planned work at this location ahead of schedule.

“We are now due to complete and remove all of our traffic management set up by Monday 13th February.”

Read more:

• Temporary traffic lights near Killinghall set to last another four weeks
• Free Saturday parking to return in Harrogate after ‘technical error’

Over the last three years Harrogate Borough Council paid out £18,690 in compensation to tenants living in damp or mouldy council homes.

People who live in the council’s properties can request repairs for issues that arise due to mould or damp through its website or over the phone.

If the tenant is not satisfied with the repairs they can then complain to the Housing Ombudsman, which will look at what action was taken and potentially suggest compensation is paid to the resident.

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a freedom of information request reveal Harrogate Borough Council paid out on seven compensation claims where damp or mould was a factor since the start of 2020.

The total amount for each year is below:

• 2020: £3,750.00.
• 2021: £8,000.00.
• 2022: £6,940.31

The issue has received national attention in recent months following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould at his Rochdale home.

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Plans confirm football pitches will be lost in 200-home Harrogate scheme

Awaab Ishak’s father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.

In November, housing secretary Michael Gove ordered councils and other social housing providers to step up action to tackle mould and damp in the wake of the death.

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said it was “wholly unacceptable” for any tenant to be “stuck in an unfit home with damp or mould”.

She added:

“Social housing is rented by lots of people who may be more vulnerable to poor housing conditions: older people, people with disabilities and long-term health problems and families with children. Reports of disrepair should be dealt with swiftly, so no-one’s health is harmed by their home.”

Harrogate Borough Council said it undertakes an annual maintenance programme in its properties and advises residents to report issues as soon as possible.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“There are a number of reasons why damp and mould can occur in a property. These include everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning and bathing that, if satisfactory ventilation is not available or not used as intended, can add moisture to the inside of properties, resulting in the development of damp and mould in colder areas.

“Other potential reasons include rising damp, defects to a property or faulty plumbing, for example.

“To prevent our properties from experiencing these issues we have an annual maintenance programme, advise residents to report any issues as soon as possible and also share guidance on how damp can sometimes be prevented.

“Unfortunately, in some occasions, it can occur and where it has caused significant issues for our tenants then they have been eligible to claim compensation.”

The Conservatives in North Yorkshire suffered a blow this week after losing the Masham and Fountains by-election.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Countess of Swinton, took the North Yorkshire County Council seat which had previously been held by long-serving Conservative Margaret Atkinson.

It’s the latest defeat for the local Tories, who failed to win a majority in Harrogate and Knaresborough in last May’s local election.

That meant the Lib Dems seized control of the county council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee but the Conservatives retained overall control across the county.

But this week’s loss has reduced the Tories’ majority to just two and raised the prospect of the party losing overall control of the county for the first time in over 20 years.

A further dent in the Tories’ majority

In just eight weeks time, the upcoming North Yorkshire Council will take over local government in the county. Councillors will transfer from North Yorkshire County Council and serve for four more years.

The swing in power has been dramatic since May last year.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, the Liberal Democrats now hold 11 seats compared to two just nine months ago following this week’s election in Masham.

How the make-up of North Yorkshire County Council looked prior to the by-election.

The Masham result was particularly pertinent given that the Conservatives had won the seat in the May 2022 elections with 1,076 votes.

This week’s by-election was a two-horse race after the opposition Green Party pulled out of the contest in an effort to bolster the Lib Dems’ chances.

Overall, the Conservatives are the largest party with 46 seats on the council with opposition parties taking up 44.

Read more:

• Green Party steps aside for upcoming Masham by-election
• Liberal Democrats win Masham and Fountains by-election

The dent in the majority means the party are just one by-election away from losing overall power.

The loss of overall control would have implications for major decisions. Should the council be required to pass a tough budget with far reaching cuts or hike in council tax, it could result in a tight vote.

The make-up of the council could also lead to close votes on politically difficult topics, such as fracking.

However, such a controversial topics may also see other councillors from different political parties vote against their own party line.

‘You can promise the earth in opposition’

While the defeat may leave the Conservatives in a tough position on paper, local councillors are upbeat about the situation.

Cllr Nick Brown, who sits as a Conservative in the Wathvale and Bishop Monkton division, told the Stray Ferret that the party respected the electorate’s decision and that Tory councillors would continue to work for constituents.

He said the Liberal Democrats would find it “difficult” to put words into action.

Cllr Brown said:

“The opposition spoke a lot and talked a lot. But putting things into action would be very difficult.

“When you are in opposition, you can promise the earth.”

He added that he hoped the result was a “blip” for the local party.

He said:

“We live in a democracy and people can put their names forward.

“The electorate has spoken, sadly not in our favour. I hope this is a little blip on the horizon.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have taken the result in their stride.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough parliamentary constituency, said the result “put the Tories on notice”.

He said:

“A fantastic result and win in what once was true blue North Yorkshire.

“It’s clear that the public, and the Lib Dems, are well and truly putting the Conservatives on notice in what issupposed to be their heartlands.”

Meanwhile, Green party Cllr Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn division, said it was not straight forward in opposing the Conservatives despite their slim majority.

He said:

“It’s not clear cut. We have to get all the opposition on the same side and get one Conservative.

“We have also got to make sure that everyone is there.”

Cllr Warneken added that he was prepared to work with any party and was not bound by “political dogma”.

“As an opposition councillor, I will work with everybody.”

The Stray Ferret Business Award for Best Digital Marketing Campaign is sponsored by Next Chapter.

Next Chapter not only leads brands to exponential growth and success, but brands itself as “the agency for disruptors and challengers”.

The Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Campaign Award recognises campaigns run solely on digital channels.

The Finalists:

Coach Gyms

Coach Gyms, located on Hornbeam Park, opened just a little over a year ago.

Coach Gyms dazzled the judges with its submission. To kick start the opening, they designed a promotion to attract gym members before they opened the doors.

Its digital pre-launch offer, that ran on Facebook and Instagram, earned the gym 1,500 sign ups before the gym even opened. The ad had a 35% conversion rate (lead to sign up) and surpassed all forecasts.

Stuart Perrin, chief executive and founder of Coach Gyms said:

“We’re over the moon to be finalists in the Digital Marketing Award!

“To say Coach Gyms Harrogate has only been open for one year, it’s great to see how far we have come as a team. Winning this award would mean the world to us”.

Ogden of Harrogate

Ogden of Harrogate’s submission for the award was a digital campaign that was designed to engage its loyal customers .

The campaign was an interactive, virtual advent calendar that enabled the jeweller to bring its annual Christmas catalogue online.

Each day, a personalised email was sent to subscribers, with an animated image featuring the corresponding door, opening onto a wonderful collection of jewellery.

Customers could register for the catalogue and join a prize draw to win £1000 to spend at Ogdens.

Robert Ogden, Director of Ogden of Harrogate, said:

“The main impetus behind the campaign was to engage with our longstanding clients in a digital way, but one that was reminiscent of the traditional Christmas Catalogue style that we have used for many years.

“The total number of pieces we were able to showcase through the 24 daily collections was around the same as for a printed catalogue, but the digital format allowed for deeper descriptions and the ability to connect with adjacent collections.  It is certainly something that we will consider doing again.”

Mumbler

Mumbler was founded by a Harrogate mum and has grown into an award-winning network of local parenting websites .

Mumbler partnered with Cry Babies interactive dolls that are designed to engage children’s emotions and empathy.

The dolls were sent to Mumbler parents who took videos and photos of their children playing with them.

The parents then wrote honest and knowledgeable reviews, that were collated into blogs.

Sally Haslewood, founder of Mumbler, said:

“The timing of the Cry Babies campaign was perfect; it gave us the opportunity to really help make life easier for our followers in the run up to Christmas.

“We knew that we’d done a great job on the campaign- the results spoke for themselves. Being recognised for this award is the cherry on top! It’s wonderful to be a finalist and I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity”.

The Stray Ferret Business Award event sponsor is Prosperis. To find more and to purchase tickets for the big night, click here.

A Harrogate bar has applied to extend its operating hours until 6.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Best Bar opened a year ago next to Santorini Express on Parliament Street and already describes itself as a bar and night club.

It is a wine and cocktail bar in the evenings and on Fridays and Saturdays also offers music and DJs from 9.30pm.

In March last year, it successfully applied to Harrogate Borough Council to extend its operating hours from 11.30pm to 4am.

It has now applied to the council to further extend the hours on Fridays and Saturdays until 6.30am.

A spokesman at Best Bars told the Stray Ferret the recent demise of nearby Viper Rooms meant it was the “only bar in Harrogate with proper nightclub music and DJs” and many people did not want to go home at 4am.

He said the club had already successfully trialled some temporary extensions until 6.30am and they proved successful because people were able to party longer and there were fewer problems caused by everyone having to leave at a time when many weren’t ready to do so. He added:

“It made a huge difference and was a great success all round.”

Last month Mojo in Harrogate applied to extend its opening hours until 6.30am as the Harrogate late night scene continues to evolve following the closure of Viper Rooms.

Read more:

• Harrogate Mojo applies to extend opening hours until 6.30am
• Harrogate nightclub Viper Rooms closes suddenly

The company behind plans to transform Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens with a two-storey extension has said it still plans to go ahead with the scheme.

Harrogate-based property developers Impala Estates plans to turn the building into offices, a rooftop restaurant and a gym. But there is still no timeframe on when it will happen.

Impala bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters for £4 million in 2020.

The council, which vacated the building in 2016, approved Impala’s plans in May last year. But since then work has not started and there has been no further update.

The Stray Ferret asked Impala why the redevelopment had been delayed and what the latest timeframe was, and also whether its plans had been revised.

James Hartley, a director of Impala, said:

“Planning was granted with conditions attached in which myself and my design team are working through with the council.

“The plans for the development have not been revised since planning.”

David Hartley, a director of Impala, told a council meeting last year the plans would bring “significant public benefits” to the town, “which include bringing an empty building back into use and creating quality office space”.

Crescent Gardens was vacated by the council when it moved into its Knapping Mount headquarters in 2017.

Read more:

• Plans in to transform Crescent Gardens into offices
• Harrogate’s Otley Road to be dug up again

North Yorkshire County Council has been urged to press on with its devolution plan amid claims it had received widespread public support, despite almost half of respondents to its consultation over the proposed governance change declining to support it.

The council’s Conservative-run executive will next Tuesday be asked to consider pressing ahead with plans to create a devolved government for the county and York, which it claims will bring “a host of benefits”, including new jobs, more affordable housing and measures to tackle climate change.

The council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: 

“To have so many people taking part in the public engagement is very welcome, as it shows the interest that is there on the proposed devolution deal.

“The responses will be carefully considered by the county council before a decision is taken to submit the results of the engagement to the government.”

Ahead of the meeting the authority issued a press release highlighting “widespread support” for its proposals, however a council report to the executive underlines some 46% cent of respondents to the consultation did not support the planned governance arrangements.

Leader of the opposition Independents group on the authority, Cllr Stuart Parsons, said: 

“I find it astounding that the council believes the support for its devolution proposals is widespread. 

“I would have thought if they had got 60 to 70% support they could claim that is widespread, but at the moment it sounds like it is thinly spread.”

An officer’s report to the executive recommends it endorses sending the consultation’s results to ministers to open the way for a combined authority, overseen by an elected mayor, which is scheduled to be established later this year.

Organisations ranging from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the York to the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network said they recognised the proposed combined authority was a tried and tested way of building strong local leadership with new powers.

Of the 583 people who provided comments that supported the proposed governance arrangements, numerous people raised concerns over increased bureaucracy.

Read more:

• North Yorkshire Council has reserves to ride out inflation, says senior official
• Explained: North Yorkshire Council’s plan for council tax
• Campaigners call for North Yorkshire Council to embrace proportional representation

However, others said the proposal would result in an increase in democratic accountability, decentralising decision-making in York and North Yorkshire, enabling councils to “work together as one instead of piecemeal” and magnify the area’s voice on the national stage.

Supporters of the proposed deal said York and North Yorkshire could not compete for government funding with big cities in isolation and the proposed mayoral combined authority would offer both a stronger voice and routes to new and enhanced funding.

Nevertheless, of the 501 people who opposed the proposals, many raised concerns about increased bureaucracy, while others said there were too many politicians in the area without having the expense of a mayor and associated staff.

Opponents of the proposed devolution deal said it would introduce an additional layer of local government almost immediately after combining district, borough and county councils into a singular North Yorkshire Council.

Opponents also said the proposed system would erode democratic accountability, increasing distances between residents and decision-makers, taking power away into the large centres of population.

There were concerns expressed over the proportionality of representation between York and North Yorkshire, with many arguing that it would be fairer for the number of decision-making representatives on the proposed combined authority to be based on the two area’s populations.

The beeping sound of lorries and diggers reversing fills the air. Mud covers the street. Planning application notices hang like baubles from lamp posts.

Welcome to Kingsley Road, a once quiet rural area on the edge of Harrogate that has become a permanent building site.

Some 600 homes are at various stages of construction in the nearby area. Work started years ago and shows no sign of ending.

On Tuesday, Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee is expected to approve a sixth development – Persimmon’s application for 162 homes in a field on Kingsley Drive. Some locals plan to demonstrate at the council offices in the hope of persuading the Conservative-controlled planning committee to reject the scheme.

Gary Tremble, pictured where more development is due to take place.

Gary Tremble, who lives on Kingsley Road, is at the forefront of local resistance. He is a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, which was set up in 2019 because “we soon realised we needed to work together”.

By his own admission, Mr Tremble is a “pain in the arse campaigner” who bombards councillors of all political colours with emails complaining about uncovered lorries, the state of the roads, road safety and anything else that concerns people who live in the area. He says some Greens and Liberal Democrats “have been helpful” but the bulldozers keep coming. He says:

“There’s a lot of anger on this street and it will get worse if people keep ignoring us.

“I have to take time off otherwise I get angry all the time. But then you walk out the door and see another truck going past at 40mph.”

The proposed road closure leading to Bogs Lane

The homes are being built in a residential area off the already-congested Knaresborough Road. North Yorkshire County Council has now applied to block the through-route on to Bogs Lane, which some welcome on the grounds it will reduce local traffic. Others say it will just drive more vehicles on to Knaresborough Road.

All you can see in the Kingsley area is houses.

Mr Tremble says:

“The main issue is there is no infrastructure. You can’t build several hundred homes with no community centre, dentist or shop.”

He says if the Persimmon development is approved and more green land between Starbeck and Bilton is concreted over, many people will have had enough and look to move.

Read more:

• Kingsley residents call for halt to new housing decisions
• Council recommends controversial Kingsley Farm homes be approved

Other local people feel equally strongly. Darren Long says:

“It literally feels like we’re given more bad news on a daily basis. It’s now seven years since construction started on the first Barratt’s development and it shows no signs of stopping. It’s so sad that this has been allowed to happen.

“We were so excited to move here in 2017. It’s miserable living here now. Living with the constant construction traffic, proposed road closures, one way systems and the horrific traffic.”

Peter Nolan, who has lived in the Kingsley area for 49 years, says Harrogate Borough Council “should be ashamed of the state they have let this once quiet area get into”. He adds:

“I’ve never ever in all my years had to queue half way along Kingsley Road in a morning but now I quite often spend 20 minutes trying to get out onto Knaresborough Road.”

Resident Dee Downton added:

“I am more concerned about the effect of the normal day-to-day basics that impact the everyday person getting to their destinations or commute to work, the impact on air quality because it’s just one constant traffic jam, the impact when ambulances can’t get through, the danger to pedestrians crossing because a gap in the traffic is seen and a vehicle acts quickly but fails to see someone crossing the road.”

Developers have targeted Kingsley because the land is allocated for development on the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place,

They say the schemes bring much-needed housing to Harrogate.

But those living in the area are less enthusiastic. Anonymous posters appeared on the street recently urging locals to legally double park on the pavement to prevent developers’ lorries from passing.

Mr Tremble says such anger is understandable because feelings are reaching “boiling point”.

Andrew Hart, a postmaster in nearby Starbeck, sympathises and says the action group is “doing their best to right a massive wrong”, adding:

“I am appalled with the never ending chaos created by the developments and road closures along Kingsley. The whole infrastructure was never designed for this number of houses.

“We have ended up with serious health and safety issues, lack of local resources and a gridlocked Knaresborough Road and Starbeck.”

Tuesday’s planning committee can be watched live on Harrogate Borough Council’s YouTube page here.