Harrogate Borough Council is to offer to buy three long-term empty homes in Harrogate.

A report before the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Cllr Mike Chambers, proposes the local authority makes an offer on the properties in order to bring them back into use.

The homes are located in Rothbury Close, Osborne Road and Eleanor Road in Harrogate.

The report says the council intends to sell the properties on the open market, with any profits being spent on future empty home purchases.

The council can issue compulsory purchase orders which allow it to take ownership without the consent of the owner. However, the council’s first step is to make an offer.

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The price the council is likely to offer for the properties is not disclosed, although the report notes offers were made in 2019 for three empty properties at a combined sum of £625,000.

There are currently 749 properties across the district that have been empty for six months or longer.

Of these, 209 have been empty and unfurnished for over two years and consequently classified as long-term empty homes. A total of 28 have been empty for over 10 years.

The council prioritised the problem in its 2019 empty homes strategy although it said much of the responsibility was on homeowners themselves.

It has a budget of £2.5 million to spend on empty homes, which comes from its reserves.

There are numerous reasons properties can lie empty. Sometimes, landlords cannot afford to renovate their property to sell or rent. Properties may also have been inherited and the new owners don’t know what to do with them.

Rentals can also fall below safety standards, which means they sit vacant until the problems are fixed.

The report adds: 

“Empty homes represent a wasted housing resource; they also pose other problems for local authorities, owners, neighbours, emergency services and the environment. 

“They are often a blemish on an area and can be subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.”

North Yorkshire County Council is set to bid for £3.19 million from the government to help fund two cycling schemes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at the council, confirmed that the authority had approved a submission for the funding from tranche four of the Department for Transport’s active travel fund.

The county council has been allocated £1.08 million of funding, although it has been invited to bid for an additional £2.16 million.

It will see the funding go towards improvements to public spaces, pedestrian crossings and segregated cycleways on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate.

Segregated cycling lanes would be created on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate.

This would use the full £1.08 million of the tranche four funding already awarded and would require a further £492,000 from the remaining tranche two funds. The Victoria Avenue project is described by the council as its ‘priority scheme’.

A further scheme would see segregated cycle lanes created in Knaresborough at a cost of £1.65 million. They would be created on the A59 Forest Lane Head/Harrogate Road starting around Maple Close toward Knaresborough, ending close to Knaresborough High Bridge.

The council has said this would “deliver improved crossing facilities to link existing cycle routes, Knaresborough town centre and the railway station”.

Today’s announcement appears to amount to the council reviving previously announced plans to improve cycling on Victoria Avenue and the A59 at Knaresborough — if it can secure funding.

The council has also earmarked a scheme in Richmond as part of the bid.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We want to enable more people in North Yorkshire to have the option of safely and conveniently walking, wheeling and riding.

“Our latest bid, worth more than £3 million, is another significant milestone in our efforts to deliver a more balanced approach to travel in the county, which will reduce emissions, cut congestion and promote healthier lifestyles.

“The new infrastructure in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Richmond would significantly improve road safety and unlock an estimated 579 additional walking and cycling trips per day.

“The bid builds on our efforts to encourage more sustainable travel, which in recent years has seen us secure more than £55m of central government funding.”

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The move comes after the county council scrapped plans for the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route this month.

The council, which is the highways authority, also revealed it would not be bringing back restrictions for motorists on nearby Beech Grove.

Instead it will propose new measures to tackle speed in the streets surrounding Otley Road, improved crossings for cyclists, better signage for cycle routes and improvements to bus infrastructure.

A decision on bids submitted for the active travel fund is expected from the government on March 17. 

Construction must begin on successful projects before March 31, 2024.

A pet crematorium opened in Harrogate today.

The crematorium, run by Harrogate Borough Council, gives pet owners the chance to say farewell to their cats, dogs and small animals.

Prices start at £72 for small animals and from £85 for cats and from £115 for dogs.

The ashes will be placed in a scatter tube, which owners can collect, along with a memorial certificate.

The crematorium is located at Stonefall Cemetery and Crematorium on Wetherby Road.

The crematorium is at Stonefall on Wetherby Road.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Pets are like part of the family and they deserve an ending with dignity and respect, just like humans.

“The new pet crematorium will provide the most sympathetic setting for people to say goodbye to their pets.

“This service will also provide people, as well as veterinary surgeries, a local, trusted and reliable pet cremation service – operated by experts in bereavements.”

The Stray Ferret revealed last year the council was set to award a £40,000 contract to create a pet crematorium at Stonefall.

Further information on the facility is available here.

Inside the crematorium

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Clergy raced along Kirkgate today as part of Ripon Cathedral‘s annual Pancake Day event.

The event has become a traditional Shrove Tuesday event in the city, although it was halted during covid.

It sees cathedral clergy, vergers and staff join school children and local residents for races on Kirkgate.

It is one of many Pancake Day events taking place in the Harrogate district.

In Harrogate, the Fat Badger pub is giving people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.

The pub is providing pans and pancake mixes for anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm today and fancies trying to complete a short course in the beer garden as quickly as possible while tossing pancakes.

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The Dean of Ripon Cathedral, the Very Rev John Dobson (left), joins in the fun.

A 14-year-old Harrogate girl is to be electronically monitored after being found guilty of another assault.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to beating a female when she appeared before North Yorkshire Youth Court in Harrogate on Friday.

She was given a three-month curfew to stay at a named address between 8pm and 7am daily until May 16. The court ruled the curfew was to be electronically monitored.

Magistrates also ordered her not to contact two named individuals and to avoid a particular street, as well as given a £100 fine.

The youth rehabilitation order replaced a previous order issued by magistrates to the same girl on January 27 this year for four counts of assault, one of which was on a police officer, and two counts of arson.

The arson attacks involved setting fire to commercial-sized bins belonging to Primark on Oxford Street in Harrogate and Harrogate Borough Council on Oxford Place in Harrogate on May 23 and May 26 last year respectively.

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The body of a man in his 20s has been found at Hookstone Wood in Harrogate.

A dog walker is believed to have made the discovery in the nature reserve between the Great Yorkshire Showground and Hornbeam Park yesterday morning.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“North Yorkshire Police were called at around 8am on February 20 after a member of the public found the body of a man in woodland on the outskirts of Harrogate.

“The ambulance service also attended and provided assistance, but sadly the man, who is aged in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Officers do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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Bus companies in the Harrogate district have confirmed they will take part in an extension to the £2 fare cap.

The move comes in line with a government announcement that it had extended the cap until on single tickets until June this year.

The scheme was introduced at the start of January and was due to finish at the end of March. 

But the Department for Transport announced last Friday that it was providing £75 million to extend the initiative.

Paul Turner, commercial director at Transdev, said Harrogate Bus Company would take part in the extension.

He said:

“We’re delighted to see to see that the Department for Transport has announced that the £2 fare cap will be extended until the end of June.

“So far during the fare cap, we have seen 11% extra customers on some of our routes, compared to customer numbers in November, and we’ve also seen the busiest day in the history of our company.

“The three month extension to the cap is bound to be good news for our existing customers, and we hope it will continue to encourage new customers out of the car and onto the bus.”

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Meanwhile, Craig Temple, managing director at Connexions Buses, said the operator would also continue with a £2 cap on fares.

The £2 cap has reduced the cost of a 29-mile journey from Ripon to Leeds on the 36 bus by 73 per cent from £7.50 to £2, while the cost of a ticket from Harrogate to Bradford on the Flyer A2 has fallen by 63 per cent from £5.40 to £2.

Ministers hope the initiative will reinvigorate bus services amid fears many routes will be cut when funding runs out.

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club!

The second in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is an After Work Drinks event on February 23 from 5.30pm. Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district, get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.

Leeds-based law firm, Jones Myers, has appointed Brittany Dyer as a children law paralegal in its Harrogate office.

As part of the children’s department, Ms Dyer will deal with all aspects of private and public children law.

Jones Myers partner, Kate Banerjee, who leads the department of 13, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Brittany to our growing team as we continue to further develop and expand our bespoke services”.

Ms Dyer’s arrival follows the appointment of Neil Dring, who joined the Harrogate office in the role of senior solicitor and consultant.

Ms Dyer said:

“Jones Myers is a niche and highly respected family law firm which leads the way in areas including international child abduction and is at the forefront of new areas of law.”

Jones Myers launched in 1992 and has won the award for Family Law Firm of the Year North three years consecutively form 2020-2022.

The image shows (left to right) Brittany Dyer, Lisa Russell, Emma Weatherill, Neil Dring and Kate Banerjee

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Harrogate insurance company acquired

 PIB Group Limited has acquired Jigsaw Insurance Services Plc, which has its headquarters in Harrogate.

Jigsaw, formed in 2000 and now employing more than 130 employees, specialises in motor, breakdown and pet insurance.

Neil Richards-Smith will continue in his post as managing director.

Mr Richards-Smith said:

“The values that we hold dear to us for our customers and people are well aligned to those of PIB, so we already have a huge amount of synergy and similarities that we feel makes the perfect match”.

Nick Mountifield, chief executive for schemes and affinities division at PIB, said:

“Over the past 20 years, Neil and the team have built an excellent business and earned a loyal customer base. Their deep expertise in their specialist areas is an obvious draw for PIB as well as their genuine concern for their people, customers and integrity that is firmly engrained in their culture.”

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after an incident in Harrogate’s Claro Road at the weekend.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, is due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court tomorrow morning.

A man in his teens found at the scene with “significant injuries” remains in a critical condition in hospital tonight.

Police were called to the property in Claro Road at 12.15am on Sunday. Paramedics also attended and took the young man to hospital.

There was a heavy police presence around the area yesterday and North Yorkshire Police has urged people not to speculate on social media about the incident.

At the time, Detective Inspector Nichola Holden said:

“We know local residents are likely to be concerned by this incident and I hope the quick arrest of a suspect will go some way to reassure them.

“We believe this to be an isolated event with both teenagers known to each other and we are carrying out a full investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding it.”

“Several witnesses have been spoken to or interviewed by officers investigating this incident and we are confident we have spoken to everyone we need to. However, if you have any other information which you feel may be relevant, please contact police as soon as possible.”

A plan to convert the former Slug and Lettuce bar in Harrogate into four retail units and apartments has been approved.

Leeds-based developer Rushbond PLC lodged the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for the Herald Buildings on Montpellier Parade in September last year.

Built in the 1850s, the buildings were also the headquarters of the Harrogate Advertiser newspaper for much of the last century until it moved out in 1990.

The Slug and Lettuce chain then occupied part of the buildings for nearly 30 years before closing in May 2021

Now the council has approved plans to subdivide the ground floor into four mixed use units, including retail and food and drink.

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Meanwhile, the upper floors will be converted into five flats.

The plans have been designed by Harrogate-based SPX Architects. Documents say the development would “enhance the area’s reputation” as a destination for independent boutique-style shops.

It says:

“The proposals generate a sustainable, long-term use for the upper floors of this locally designated heritage asset and simultaneously improve its energy efficiency and visual contribution to the area.

“Moreover, the replacement of a large public house and its associated outdoor eating and drinking areas with a scheme providing a complementary mix of small high-quality ground floor retail units to those found on Montpellier Mews, Montpellier Parade and Montpellier Street only serves to enhance the areas reputation as a destination for independent boutique style shops.”

Rebecca Micallef, economy and transport officer at the council, said in a letter to the authority’s planners that the move would help to enhance the area.

She said:

“We are keen to see the opportunity for four new retail units to be developed within this vacant space, to improve the active frontage, attract new businesses into a key town centre location, enhance the quality of the retail offer of the Montpellier Quarter and support the high street economy. 

“The introduction of upper floor residential seems to be appropriate at this location and will add to the vibrancy of the town centre, supporting both its daytime and evening economy.”