Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 535 of 1146

Looking ahead 2023: Major development in the Harrogate district

The Harrogate district is expanding with new homes and businesses.

Next year will be no different as both Harrogate Borough Council and the new North Yorkshire Council are set to decide on some major developments.

From 1,300 homes in Ripon to a new Tesco on Skipton Road in Harrogate, there are some key planning decisions to be made.

Here are some of the major developments on the cards for the district.

A new Harrogate Tesco?

In the pipeline for nearly 20 years, talk of a new Tesco in Harrogate could now potentially become a reality over the next 12 months.

The company has earmarked land at former gasworks site on Skipton Road for its new store.

Since pulling out of plans for the site in 2016, Tesco returned at the end of last year with fresh plans for a 38,795 square feet supermarket.

Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.

Throughout 2022, objections have been lodged against the plan from residents and retailers – including the Co-op, which argued the new store could damage takings at its Jennyfields shop.

The proposal represents a major scheme for Harrogate, which currently does not have a Tesco supermarket.

However, in 2023, that could change if councillors side with the retail giant.

West of Harrogate expansion

The west of Harrogate has been earmarked for major development for some time.

The scale of the housing planned for the area has led to the approval of a parameters plan by the borough council.

Among the schemes include 480 homes at Bluecoat Wood, 770 homes at Windmill Farm and 200 homes at the former police training centre off Yew Tree Lane.

Some of the developments are yet to be decided and could be heard this coming year.

More housebuilding in Kingsley

Another area of Harrogate that has seen extensive housebuilding is Kingsley.

Developers including Persimmon Homes have pursued schemes on Kingsley Drive for the past 18 months.

A revised proposal for 162 homes has just recently been tabled for the street this month.

Despite concern from residents that nearby Rydal Road, Birstwith Road and Leyland Road have been used as rat-runs due to housebuilding, the area looks set to be subject to further applications.

Knox Lane controversy

Perhaps one of the more controversial developments which could be decided this coming year is new houses off Knox Lane.

A decision on the 53-home proposal has been delayed since October after councillors raised concerns that the site is likely to be contaminated by coal and tar spillages from a former railway track.

The plans were first submitted in April 2020 and initially included 73 homes, but this was reduced to 53 after local complaints.

Despite further changes, residents have continued to strongly oppose the development with more than 300 objections and no letters of support being submitted to the council.

Campaigners dressed as woodland creatures also took to the Nidderdale Greenway to collect signatures against the proposal.

A computer generated image of the proposed Ripon Barracks site

New homes in Clotherholme?

One of Ripon’s longest running housing schemes is the planed 1,300 homes on the former Clotherholme barracks.

The plans were first submitted in 2020 by Homes England, the government’s housing agency.

However, since then, there has been a bitter debate over the scheme and its impact on health, transport and the site’s military history.

A consultation into the homes was extended in March following a request by Ripon City Council.

However, there has been little movement on the development since.

Honour for Killinghall resident after five decades of volunteering

A long-serving community volunteer has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s New Year Honours.

Anne Holdsworth has served on Killinghall Parish Council since 1973, including as its current chair.

It is just one of the roles she has held over many decades, giving her time and energy for the benefit of the village community and others.

After receiving a letter about the honour a few weeks ago, she told the Stray Ferret yesterday:

“It was a huge surprise and a great honour – totally unexpected. I’ve no idea who put me forward, but I’m very grateful for it.”

Her first public role came after she had her two daughters and attended a mobile clinic. A health visitor spotted a born organiser and signed Cllr Holdsworth up to help once a month.

She went on to help with a meals on wheels service and joined the village hall committee.

Among Cllr Holdsworth’s achievements was helping to set up a youth club in the village, as well as pushing through a project to raise money and extend the village hall.

She sat on the health authority and was a governor of Killinghall Primary School, also serving on the committee of the group of Harrogate primary schools.

She also represented the parish council at borough and county council level.

When the first community radio station launched in Harrogate, Cllr Holdsworth got involved, borrowing equipment from the BBC in Leeds to go out and interview people around the area.

At the same time, she was working full-time for the Forensic Science Society in Harrogate, from which she retired after a 25-year career.

Cllr Holdsworth said a willingness to get involved and help get things done came naturally to her generation. Although she has missed out on receiving her honour from the late Queen, she said she still feels a connection to her through it.

“I’ve grown up with her, as it were. I remember her father, and her wedding. I was a child when they got married. My mother was very keen on following it.

“We try to emulate her standard, the majority of people of my age. My mother used to be involved in her community and I went everywhere with her, so life has evolved in the same way.”

Now a grandmother of two and great-grandmother of one, Cllr Holdsworth only told her family about her honour yesterday.

She has seen a great deal of change in Killinghall over the years – “some good, some bad” – but continues to serve her community through both the parish council and the village hall committee.

As the village continues to evolve, she hopes more locals, including many of the residents moving into new housing in the parish, will consider giving up some of their time in future too.

Reflecting on why she has given so much time to so many roles over the years, Cllr Holdsworth said:

“I’m a meddler, as people might say!

“I enjoyed it. I’ve never been bored, even after I retired. I just wish I had more years to add.”

Car destroyed by fire on A1(M) in Harrogate district

Traffic was halted on the southbound A1(M) between junctions 46 and 47 last night when a Vauxhall Corsa caught fire.

The vehicle was completely destroyed by the blaze, which occurred at about 8.45pm between Flaxby and Wetherby Services.

The wreckage of the Corsa. Pic: Knaresborough Fire Station

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

“Knaresborough and Harrogate crews attended a Vauxhall Corsa well alight on the hard shoulder.

“The fire is believed to have been caused by a mechanical fault. Crews extinguished the fire using two hose reels. The car was destroyed by fire.”

Firefighters at the scene. Pic Knaresborough Fire Station

Last night National Highways alerted motorists to the incident and warned them to expect delays. Knaresborough Fire Station posted on social media this morning the road re-opened shortly afterwards.

Traffic is being held temporarily on the #A1M southbound between J47 and J46 near #Wetherby due to a vehicle fire. pic.twitter.com/Gpa4PvdDpZ

— National Highways: Yorkshire (@HighwaysYORKS) December 30, 2022

‘I hope we’ve made a difference’ says Harrogate charity founder awarded MBE

Founding and leading a specialist dementia charity has led a Harrogate woman to be made an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours.

Jill Quinn set up Burton Leonard-based Dementia Forward in spring 2012 and it has expanded rapidly in the intervening years.

She was notified of her award, made in recognition of services to people with dementia, three weeks ago. She said:

“I only told my children and my husband. It was tricky to keep it a secret at work.

“To be really honest, I thought it was a hoax. It came by email and there was a spelling mistake in it. My husband didn’t want me to get too excited.”

Ms Quinn said the last year has brought some significant achievements for Dementia Forward, which was given the Queen’s Award for Volunteering as well as The King’s Fund Impact Award.

She and the rest of the team have more plans for the coming year, too. She said:

“I’m trying to be a local charity but we’re punching above our weight. we want to share our success wider than where we deliver our services.

“I think we are on to something. We’re managing to make a difference.

“Dementia is complicated and far-reaching for families. We’ve got a lot to do still, but I hope we’ve made a difference in North Yorkshire.

“Our biggest push now is for young onset dementia – that’s people diagnosed under the age of 65. People are treated the same whether they are 40 or 90 and that isn’t right.

“For the first time, we’re sticking our heads outside North Yorkshire. We’re saying we think our model is working really well and joining up with other people to try and get these things noticed.”

While there are plans in place for the charity from the new year, the next few days will be for family celebrations.

Ms Quinn only told her father about her award two days ago, knowing how pleased and proud he would be. She added:

“It’s hard to explain how it feels. It’s lovely.”

Leading education pair in Harrogate now have matching royal honours

There cannot be many families in the UK with two members whose work has been recognised by the monarch.

There may be none, so far, with two certificates signed by two different monarchs.

That rare privilege will belong to Richard Sheriff and his wife Janet, who have both now been made OBEs in recognition of their services to education.

Mr Sheriff, CEO of the Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT) – a family of 13 schools including Harrogate Grammar School, where he was formerly head – has been included in the King’s first New Year Honours list.

He said:

“I was surprised and really delighted. I’m not one of those people that’s cynical about these things – it’s an absolute privilege.”

Though Mr Sheriff shared the news with his wife, he had not told their two sons until last night, as the list was about to be published.

A quiet toast at home with family was the planned celebration, before his schools reopen on Tuesday and normal work resumes.

However, he said, his new status has given him a change in attitude:

“You feel even more so you need to do something for it, make it look like you’re worth it. There’s a moral pressure there.

“There’s an element of embarrassment. I know so many people who are deserving of awards.

“Our chair of trustees Chris Tulley and all the trustees – they give up their time for nothing to help young people in our schools. The classroom teachers and teaching assistants, and the young people.

“The greatest thing in my job is bumping into kids I’ve taught and they tell you what they’ve been doing – and they’ve really done well. It’s just fantastic.”

Mr Sheriff, who is the first person to have been president of the Association of School and College Leaders twice, said being able to give his time to the organisation and to other groups he has been a part of was a reflection of the support of the team around him throughout his career.

He described leading the RKLT as a privilege, bringing together people with “the same ethics and professional generosity” to ensure they delivered the best possible education.

He said:

“I’m an advocate for teaching and our profession. Anything that can put a positive light on a service that’s often seen in a dim light – a positive story about education.

“Working with young people is just brilliant and I don’t regret for a second 30-odd years of service to education.”

Awaiting a date for his investiture, Mr Sheriff reflected on attending Windsor Castle with his wife as she was awarded her honour by Princess Anne.

Mrs Sheriff – a headteacher at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley who was made an OBE two years ago – now has her certificate on display at home.

Mr Sheriff said:

“I took in my wife’s certificate and at the top of it, it’s signed in her own hand, ‘Elizabeth’. I looked and thought, ‘that’s a piece of history’.

“It’s absolutely wonderful. I was a huge admirer of the public service of the Queen. To have that in her own hand is very special.

“Now, alongside it, might be one signed ‘Charles’. That’s something to pass down to our sons and then perhaps to our grandchildren. It’s quite special.

“I do appreciate it, I do feel very humbled by it, and I want to honour the honour by doing good with the time I’ve got to do it.”

Five Harrogate district recipients on King’s first honours list

Years of dedication in their fields have brought recognition for people from the Harrogate district.

The first New Year Honours List published in the reign of King Charles III features five residents from the area, each for different reasons.

Richard Sheriff, CEO of the Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT), has been made an OBE for services to education.

The former headteacher was made head of the trust in 2018 after 11 years at Harrogate Grammar School.

RKLT now comprises 13 primary and secondary schools, including the grammar school. It became one of the first teaching school hubs in the country, while Mr Sheriff was the first person to serve two terms as president of the Association of School and College Leaders.

He remains chairman of the ASCL’s trust leaders advisory board as well as a member of the national STEM advisory board and a trustee of the professional teaching institute.

There are three recipients of MBEs in the Harrogate district.

Cyclist Lizzie Deignan, who grew up in Otley and now calls Harrogate home, appears on the list after many years of achievements.

Photograph: Trek Segafredo

She represented Team GB at two Olympic Games, winning silver in the women’s road race in London in 2012. She has triumphed in the women’s Tour de France and the UCI Women’s Road World Cup on two occasions each, and in other races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de Yorkshire.

The 34-year-old is now back in training after having her second child in September, and is expected to be racing for Trek-Segafredo again in 2023.

Knaresborough resident Julia Skelton has been recognised for her services to charity and to the community in Bradford, through her role as executive director of Mind the Gap.

The theatre company offers training courses and live performance for people with learning disabilities and autism.

Dementia Forward CEO Jill Quinn has also been made an MBE, in recognition of her services to people with dementia across the Harrogate district.

She founded the charity in April 2012, supporting people with dementia and those caring for them. It has gone on to expand across North Yorkshire, offering an advice line, specialist dementia nursing services, and community events and groups for people with dementia and their families and carers.

The BEM has been awarded to Killinghall resident Anne Holdsworth, chair of the parish council and long-standing active volunteer in the community.

As well as almost 50 years on Killinghall Parish Council, Mrs Holdsworth has served on the village hall committee, as a governor at Killinghall Primary School, and as a member of the health authority. She has also represented the parish council at borough and county councils.

Want to know more about our local recipients of the King’s New Year Honours? Keep an eye on the Stray Ferret’s website and social media for in-depth stories and interviews tomorrow.

MPs Watch: River Nidd water quality and Northern Ireland

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In December, Harrogate’s MP met with ministers over the future of River Nidd’s water quality. Meanwhile, Ripon MP Julian Smith focused much of his tweets this month on matters in Northern Ireland.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

At the start of the month, Mr Jones urged pensioners to look at pension credit eligibility amid the cost of living crisis.
On December 7, Mr Jones announced he had raised matters of bathing quality status for the River Nidd in Knaresborough with environmental quality minister Rebecca Pow.
Following the meeting, Mr Jones said he was “confident” of achieving the status.
On December 22, he wrote on his Community News website that he intends to work with businesses and residents to submit a case to government for the status in 2023.
Mr Jones made four spoken contributions in the House of Commons on skills, planning decisions in West Cumbria, biodiversity and alcohol duty.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith visited Nidderdale Museum on December 13 for a guided tour around the volunteer-led facility.
On December 15, Mr Smith tweeted that he was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was visiting Northern Ireland.
On December 18, he tweeted that it was important that concerns in the Unionist community were addressed and that “here is full focus on ensuring that the EU & UK rework the post Brexit trading arrangements” in order to restore stability in Northern Ireland.
Mr Smith met with the chief executive of Airedale Hospital on December 22 to discuss “the challenges that the hospital is facing”.
Mr Smith made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons this month.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

Mr Adams tweeted just twice in December. One was to congratulate a Ukraine-related charity and another was about a beer brewed in Tadcaster.
On December 6, Mr Adams advertised a consultation on a devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York.
The following day he visited a new NHS diagnostics centre in Selby.
He made three news posts on his website throughout December.
Mr Adams made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons.

Man in custody after assault reported in Harrogate

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after an incident in Harrogate last night.

Officers were called to a property in Devonshire Place where they arrested the man, who remains in custody today, according to North Yorkshire Police.

An ambulance was also called and a witness reported seeing a man in handcuffs being led away from the scene around 9pm.

The Stray Ferret understands officers have today been back in the area speaking to residents about the incident.

No.12: End of an era as Harrogate’s last nightclub closes

In the last article of our series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look back at the story of the closure of Harrogate’s last night club – the Viper Rooms.

For generations of young people growing up in Harrogate, nightclubs have been an essential part of weekend life.

The likes of Carringtons, Jimmy’s and Josephines are still talked about fondly by people of a certain age. So it’s hard to believe not a single nightclub remains.

The last one, Viper Rooms, closed on December 9 — and the end was swift and brutal.

North Yorkshire County Council, which owns the site on Parliament Street, sent in bailiffs to repossess the building and change the locks just hours before the club was due to welcome Friday night revellers.

Repossession notices on door.

Viper Rooms, owned by Paul Kinsey, did not hold back in a social media post announcing the club’s demise after 15 years. It said:

“Having tried for nearly three years to negotiate a new lease with our landlord in good faith and after spending £350,000 refurbishing the club in 2019 they have taken possession of the site, hijacking the process and causing 30 team members to be laid off and causing the cancellation of all the pre-booked Christmas parties.”

Paul Kinsey

Gary Fielding, corporate director for strategic resources at the council, responded by saying it was “protecting the best interests of North Yorkshire’s taxpayers”.

Mr Fielding added:

“We have tried hard to understand the difficulties all our tenants have experienced as a result of the covid pandemic and to offer them our support. This has, in turn, had an impact on our own finances.

“Residents and businesses here rightly expect us to ensure that every effort is made to protect public money and we have a duty to do just that.

“While we do not want to comment on individual cases, we must be fair and consistent and act in the best interests of the public who we serve.”

Viper Rooms is no more.

The closure of the Viper Rooms means two of the four commercial units in the Royal Baths, which North Yorkshire County Council bought off Harrogate Borough Council for £9 million in 2018, are now empty.

The JD Wetherspoon pub and the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant continue to trade. Mr Fielding said the Viper Rooms site had already generated “significant interest from potential tenants” and a “new agreement for the final one is in the final stages of negotiations”.

So what about Harrogate’s nightclub scene? In its social media post announcing Viper Rooms’ closure, the owners said they would release a “new venue announcement soon”.

But with so many pubs and bars staying open late these says, nightclubs no longer mean as much to many young people.

Have they become an inevitable victim of social trends, or is Harrogate’s nightclub scene set for a revival? The next year should provide some answers.

Knaresborough Christmas tree fundraiser expands after huge demand

A charity project organised by young farmers in Knaresborough has proved so popular, it has been expanded before it has even started.

Knaresborough Young Farmers Club planned to visit villages around the area next Saturday, January 7, to pick up trees in exchange for a £5 donation to mental health charity Mind.

Demand for the collection has already been so high that the collection has been extended to include Knaresborough and Harrogate by arrangement.

A tractor and trailer will be taken through each village, with club members on foot. They will call at each house where a tree has been left out to organise the donation to the Just Giving page or by bank transfer.

Households also have the option of taking their tree to Manse Lane in Knaresborough between 9am and 3.30pm for a £3 donation.

Club chairman Katy Addyman said:

“Our club is well known for our annual tractor run, but since that was set up we’ve had an increase in junior members aged 10 to 16 and they now create the vast majority of the club.

“We wanted to arrange something where all of our members can get involved in some way and help raise money for a great cause.

“This wouldn’t be possible without Andway Healthcare, who are allowing us to use their car park on Manse lane, and Travis Perkins for providing us with a chipper, and our very generous club leaders who have put the time and effort in behind the scenes.”

The villages on the collection route are: Brearton, Coneythorpe, Farnham, Ferrensby, Flaxby, Follifoot, Goldsborough, Kirkby Overblow, Kirk Deighton, Lingerfield, Little Ribston, Nidd, North Deighton, Ripley, Scotton, and Spofforth.

Anyone in Knaresborough or Harrogate who wants to arrange a collection can complete the online formor call Katy on 07443 650033.

A new Harrogate Tesco?

West of Harrogate expansion

More housebuilding in Kingsley

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Knox Lane controversy

New homes in Clotherholme?

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