Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 542 of 1043

Fears for Harrogate Convention Centre if new Leeds venue goes ahead

Senior figures in Harrogate are angry with plans to build a multi-use conference centre in Leeds, as they fear it could drive business away from the North Yorkshire town.

Provisional plans to build an events space on the doorstep of Leeds Arena were discussed at a meeting by the city’s councillors on Thursday.

But Harrogate Convention Centre, Destination Harrogate and the town’s Crown Hotel have all come out against the scheme.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) are also objecting.

An independent study commissioned by Leeds City Council suggested the impact on Harrogate Convention Centre would be minimal.

That is hotly disputed by the objectors.

Speaking to Leeds councillors at Thursday’s meeting, Paula Lorimer, centre director at the convention centre, said the study was “flawed, inaccurate, out-of-date and in some areas totally wrong”.

She claimed it had under-estimated the adverse impact on the centre itself by around “50 per cent” and relied on out of date figures.

Ms Lorimer also said there was upset in Harrogate over an “absence of dialogue” from Leeds City Council about the scheme. She claimed she’d only found out about the plans at the end of last week – just four days before they were due to potentially be approved in principle.

She told councillors:

“We would have expected to be consulted in advance of this application.

“We are hoping this is an inadvertent oversight (that we weren’t).

“If this had taken place we may have avoided having to take the route we have done today by objecting. Unfortunately we were left with no choice.”

The meeting was told that Harrogate Borough Council‘s chief executive and Ms Lorimer had been made aware of the original plans last year, but that no response had been forthcoming.

But Ms Lorimer said that the proposed centre was now a third bigger in size than had been originally touted last year.

If approved, the venue would be built on land vacated by the planned demolition of the old Yorkshire Bank HQ on Clay Pit Lane, which is now redundant.

Two blocks of student flats would also flank the venue on either side. That aspect of the development is less controversial with the Harrogate objectors having stated they’re not opposed to that.

Councillors voted to defer the application until next month before making a decision.

Hot Seat: The Harrogate man leading the way in luxury care

When Graeme Lee was in his mid-20s, he organised a holiday for 24 people in two chalets in France. Tragically, two of them died on the trip.

Devastated, he took a year off from his job as a senior manager at Marks & Spencer. His sabbatical drifted into a second year until it ended abruptly when his mother fell ill and he rushed home to be with her. Within four weeks she was dead.

Thirty years on, Mr Lee is one of Harrogate’s most successful businessmen. His company Springfield Healthcare has six care homes, a £30m turnover and 1,500 staff, including domiciliary care. It wasn’t university or education that forged him, but those early losses.

He says:

“They were two of the most traumatic things that have ever happened to me.

“I can’t tell you how responsible I felt for what happened on the holiday. One of the girls wasn’t going to go and I lent her the money.

“Those two years away transformed me. I learned a lot about the meaning of life.”

It has been some journey. Mr Lee grew up in a small care home his mum and dad owned in Garforth, West Yorkshire, regularly moving bedrooms to accommodate residents and watching TV with them at night.

He then struck out on his own at M&S until his mother’s death proved a turning point. He says:

“Shortly before she died, Mum asked if I would look after Dad and the business and my two sisters. I’ve tried to do that ever since.”

Care homes are light years away from what they were when Mr Lee was young. He says:

“Care homes in the 1970s had bad reputations. Your grandma would say ‘don’t ever put me into a care home’. That’s driven me over the years. I want to change how older people perceive care homes.”

Harcourt Gardens in Harrogate

Today Springfield Healthcare, which has six homes providing 500 beds, is at the forefront of luxury care. Think cinema days, rooftop terraces and gin bars.

Harcourt Gardens, which opened close to Harrogate town centre in December, is registered for 115 residents. Its facilities include a cinema room, gym, hairdressing salon and spa, and landscaped gardens. He adds:

“The most important thing for me is that it’s in the heart of the community. Older people want to live in their community.”

Naturally it isn’t cheap — prices in Harrogate start at £1,250 a week. Mr Lee says his company creates an option for people able to afford the choice and provides value for money.

Harcourt Gardens, which employs 50 staff, took more than seven years to go from vision to completion. Covid and a flooded basement added to the delays.

How does he top that? Another site in Harrogate could raise the bar even higher.

‘Holy grail of care’

Outside Grove House

Three years ago, Mr Lee bought Grove House, a grade two listed building off Skipton Road that was once the home of Victorian inventor, philanthropist and mayor Samson Fox.

Grove House belonged at the time to the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, a fraternal movement. A flag showing the initials GLE hung outside, indicating it was the organisation’s grand lodge of England.

So when Mr Lee, whose car number plate bears the initials GLE after his name, turned up to check out the site, there was a sense of fate. That there is a plaque about Samson Fox near his Harrogate home added to this.

He bought the site for £3 million and now plans to transform it into “the holy grail of care”.

He wants to convert Grove House to accommodate 23 independent living apartments and build a 70-bed care home and eight houses providing supported living for over-65s on land alongside it.

Schoolchildren from nearby Grove Road Community Primary School will be invited to participate in activities alongside residents and use the gardens for study and play. The site will also host an annual garden party for the community.

The vision for Grove House.

He says:

“I want to bring Grove House back to life and make it part of the community.

“All of my 28 years in care have led me to this. We are giving back to the community and school. It’s not just about making money; it’s about doing the right things.”

‘Strong regional provider’

Mr Lee, who will be an energetic 57 next month, is eyeing other projects.

He’s bought the former Summer Cross pub in Otley and hopes to get planning permission to convert it into a care home. He’s also looking at a site in Wetherby. But his empire is unlikely to swell much more.

“I don’t want to be the biggest, I want to be the best. I want to be a good, strong regional provider.”

Times, however, are tough. Brexit, he says, has “not had a significant impact” besides the fact that he now employs fewer European staff, but he describes the impact of the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills as “massive”.

“I’ve never known it as challenging in my 28 years. We have increased pay rates by 11% for domcare and fuel allowance by 33% and it hasn’t even touched the sides.”

By contrast, he says some local authorities have only increased the rates they pay private providers by 3%, which he describes as “absolutely unacceptable”.

The company is also focusing on staff wellbeing and provides a hardship fund for those in need.

The rise in agency staff is another big change in the care sector, which he attributes largely to evolving work patterns.

“Ten years ago, I didn’t have any agency staff. Now people want to work for four to six weeks and then have a month off.”

Care homes are a major part of the Harrogate district economy but most people, says Mr Lee, make the mistake of not thinking about them until there’s a family crisis. Then they are suddenly forced to make rushed decisions. He says:

“There are so many good care homes on your doorstep here in Harrogate. Go and start looking.”

Mr Lee has two grow-up children from his previous relationship. Son Hugo runs a recruitment company and daughter Rafaela is at university. He now lives with partner Heidi and her three boys.

Away from work, he “plays golf, badly” off a 13 handicap, and is a member of Alwoodley golf club in Leeds. He also enjoys mini-breaks.

He’s come a long way but the 1990s are never far from his mind.

He is close friends with the parents of one of the girls who died and he’s still driven by the promise he made to his mum to look after the business and to keep raising the bar on care homes.

“I’m totally committed to providing the holy grail of care. I want it to feel like a hotel when people walk in.”

Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

Watering of public flower displays in the Harrogate district could be reduced over the coming weeks after the announcement of a hosepipe ban later this month.

Harrogate Borough Council said it will be working to reduce its water use in line with Yorkshire Water’s decision, which comes into force on Friday, August 26.

However, the authority said its three public paddling pools will remain open in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens, and Borrage Green in Ripon.

A spokesperson said:

“Following the Yorkshire Water announcement about the hosepipe ban, we are looking at what measures we can and should implement to conserve water supplies.

“Unfortunately, this may result in our baskets and floral displays looking a bit the worse for wear but we hope people will understand the reasons why.

“Our paddling pools are currently filled until after the August bank holiday, and we welcome residents and visitors using ours across the Harrogate district rather than their own.”

Harrogate’s famous floral displays could go un-watered.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council said it would be following the rules when the hosepipe ban comes into force.

Council leader Carl Les, whose portfolio includes emergency planning, said:

“We are looking at our services and where exemptions may apply, and we will be conforming with the rules. We would urge all residents to follow the advice already given out nationally and regionally on how they can conserve water usage, as we will be.

“Let’s also take care in these tinder dry conditions to avoid starting fires, which not only use large amounts of water to extinguish, but can also threaten property and in some cases lives.”

The hosepipe ban is the first to be introduced in Yorkshire since 1995.

People are asked not to use hosepipes for domestic activities including watering plants or grass, washing cars, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning outdoor surfaces.

The activities are still permitted if they are carried out without a hosepipe, such as with a bucket or watering can, or if a water butt is used, for example.

Blue Badge holders, people on Yorkshire Water priority services register and those on the WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.

The restrictions do not apply to commercial premises using a hosepipe for essential activities.

Planters moved as Harrogate’s Beech Grove reopens

Harrogate’s Beech Grove has re-opened to through traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council introduced an experimental order in February last year closing the road at the junction with Lancaster Road.

The move was initially brought in as a one-year trial but was later extended to 18 months.

It aimed to encourage cycling and walking and there were suggestions the closure could become permanent.

But the council announced this month the order would end.

The decision proved popular with some residents and motorists, who said it merely increased traffic on neighbouring streets, but upset some cyclists, who had been told Beech Grove would be a central part of plans to create an integrated cycle route between Cardale Park and Harrogate train station.

Today the planters enforcing the closure were removed, two days before the experimental order was due to expire.

A council spokesman said this afternoon:

“Beech Grove and Lancaster Road are now open to vehicles.”

But what happens next is unclear.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said it will review the situation and then “bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together”.

A61 reopens between Ripley and Ripon after Land Rover fire

The A61 has reopened between Ripley and Ripon after a Land Rover caught fire.

Harrogate fire station tweeted about the incident just before 4pm today.

It added:

“The fire has been extinguished but road remains closed due to fuel spillage.”

North Yorkshire Police tweeted shortly after 5pm that the road had reopened.

Thank you for your patience – the A61 south of Ripon has now re-opened in both directions. https://t.co/xdaLIyE7Dg

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2022

It had earlier warned that the surface was unsafe.

Anyone travelling north on the A61 towards Ripon is asked to come off on Moor Road into Bishop Monkton, then follow Knaresborough Road into Ripon.

The A61 is closed in both directions and is likely to remain so for some time, so please plan your journeys accordingly.

(2/2)

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2022

Buses were also affected.

⚠️Due to an accident, #The36 is being diverted after Bishop Monkton

ℹ️Stop missed: Quarry Moor Park

Our apologies for any inconvenience caused

📱Stay updated in the #TransdevGo app

@northyorkscc @MetroTravelNews pic.twitter.com/ImDxucWL6H

— The Harrogate Bus Company (@harrogatebus) August 12, 2022

Witness appeal after collision on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road

Police have issued an appeal for a witness to a serious collision in Harrogate this afternoon to come forward.

Cold Bath Road closed following an incident at the junction with West Cliffe Grove.

The air ambulance landed on West Park Stray following the crash, involving a car and a bicycle at 1.41pm.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted:

Update: we're looking to trace a witness, the driver of a small, dark-coloured hatchback car travelling up the hill on Cold Bath Road when the collision occurred.

We believe they stopped at the scene but left prior to our attendance.

They're asked to please call us on 101 ASAP. https://t.co/9CUIDaW8nw

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2022

The road closed from Queen’s Road to Valley Drive, with traffic being diverted away from the scene in both directions.

North Yorkshire Police has asked motorists to avoid the area.

Prologue opens ‘luxury showroom’ for bikes in Harrogate

Performance cycling business Prologue is to open the bike equivalent of a “luxury car showroom” in Harrogate tomorrow.

The showroom will display some of the finest quality bikes on the market, ranging in price from £3,000 to £15,000.

The showroom is based in Wellington House, the former hotel on Cold Bath Road.

John and Rachael Reid opened Prologue in another unit in Wellington House in 2014 — the year the Tour de France came to the Harrogate district.

Since then Prologue’s distinctive yellow branding has become a feature of Cold Bath Road. It has a shop selling cycling gear and clothing, a workshop, a bike fitting area and a café open to everyone.

But it doesn’t sell many bikes simply because there isn’t space.

The new showroom, in the former White Stone Ski and Sports Store, will address that by stocking up to 40 bikes.

The white lines of a road have been painted in the middle of the showroom and bikes will be displayed there, as well as hung from the walls to create a high end feel.

Mr Reid said:

“It will provide that same level of experience you get in a luxury car showroom.

“If you’re buying a high quality bike you want to enjoy the experience of going through that process of looking at it and trying it and getting that personal service.”

Prologue is expanding on Cold Bath Road.

Harrogate’s cycling hub

Scottish-born Mr Reid, who previously worked in software sales, opened Prologue eight years ago when he was looking for a change of career and lifestyle.

A keen cyclist, he and his wife, who used to work in the same building on Cold Bath Road when it was home to Harrogate Interiors, funded the business themselves.

They now employ eight full-time staff and several part-time and the shop only closes three days a year.

The business has benefitted from a surge of interest in performance cycling and British success in the Tour de France but the couple have worked hard to create a social hub as well as a business.

They quickly forged links with local clubs Harrogate Nova and Cappuccino Cycling Club, whose members often converge outside. They also host talks on subjects such as nutrition and training and have even hold film screenings.

A launch event for the new showroom at Prologue tomorrow will feature a bike belonging to Tom Pidcock, the Leeds cyclist who represented Team Ineos, the leading British cycling team, at this year’s Tour de France.

Prestigious building on Harrogate’s James Street put on the market

A landmark building on Harrogate’s prestigious James Street has been put on the market for offers over £3.85m.

The freehold of the property — home to the Harrogate branch of department store Hoopers — is being marketed by Green & Partners.

The particulars say the retail business has a remaining lease of two years and eight months, due to expire or be renewed in March 2025.

The description says:

“The property comprises a retail store arranged on ground, basement and three upper floors. Sales accommodation is offered over ground, basement and two upper floors with ancillary accommodation at third floor level.

“There is a main staircase and customer lift to the rear of the property which connects all five levels. The property is serviced to the rear with deliveries taken into the basement level via Market Place. The property lies within a conservation area and is not listed.”

The building, at 28-32 James Street, extends to 1,904m sq and currently generates an annual rental income of £350,000 on a full repairing and insuring lease.

It was previously sold in 2010 for £5.95m, according to the Land Registry. If the guide price is achieved, it would represent a drop in value of more than 35% in the last 12 years.

The sales particulars state that James Street is viewed as “the prime retailing thoroughfare” and cite brands including Oliver Bonas, Joules, Hotel Chocolat and Whistles as examples of its “higher end boutique” shops.

The information also advises that options for the building include negotiating a new lease to Hoopers, or securing vacant possession in order to redevelop the site. The description says:

“Neighbouring properties have achieved planning permission to convert and extend upper parts into residential flats and we believe the subject property lends itself to a full redevelopment (STPP [subject to planning permission]). The property benefits from large and regular floor plates with good natural light.

“The property is also well situated in the town centre for residential occupiers as in close proximity to the train station, which would suit commuters to Leeds and York extremely well. Harrogate house prices are some of the most expensive in Yorkshire highlighting the popularity to live in the area.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Hoopers for a comment but has not yet received a response.

The building was previously home to Marshall & Snelgrove. The late historian Malcolm Neesam wrote about its history for the Stray Ferret’s history walks, available by clicking here.

Firefighters deal with blaze in planter outside shopping centre

Harrogate firefighters were called out last night to deal with a fire in a planter.

A planter on Station Parade, outside Victoria Shopping Centre, caught fire at about 10.45pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said the fire was smouldering when Harrogate firefighters arrived.

It added:

“Crews used buckets of water and gave advice to on site security staff.”

Harrogate firefighters also dealt with a fire in the open on Jenny Field Drive yesterday morning at 10.22am.

The incident log said:

“This was a fire to a downed tree. Crews extinguished this using a bucket of water and small hand tools.”

The Harrogate district, like much of the country, is currently rated ‘very high risk’ in the Met Office’s fire severity index.

Plans submitted to add more bedrooms to Harrogate mental health hospital

A two-storey extension could provide additional bedrooms at the Cygnet Hospital on Ripon Road in Harrogate.

Plans have been submitted to add four en suite bedrooms along with two offices to the rear of the building, in addition to the existing 36 beds .

As a result, the mental health hospital would increase its overall floor space by 115.5m sq, bringing the total size of the four-storey building to 1692m sq.

Supporting information submitted with the plans said:

“The Cygnet Hospital Harrogate is a well managed establishment and provides an important function for the community.

“It is essential that this critical piece of healthcare infrastructure can continue to provide the bedspaces required to support the demands of the community and help reduce the national shortage of bedspaces.”

The hospital has two wards – one mixed gender and one female – which both provide 24-hour care for people with acute mental health needs. Patients are referred to Cygnet from both the NHS and private practices.

The plans propose installing a temporary fire escape from the first floor while the work is carried out, which would be removed on completion.

One extra car park space would be created in the grounds as a result of landscaping under the plans for the former hotel.

To view or comment on the application, visit Harrogate Borough Council’s planning website and use reference 22/02799/FUL.

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‘Holy grail of care’

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Harrogate’s cycling hub

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