More than six weeks have passed since Beech Grove in Harrogate reopened to through traffic.

But the planters that blocked the highway remain by the side of the road — prompting speculation that they might be brought back.

Beech Grove was closed to through traffic for 18 months from February last year to encourage cycling and walking in the area.

When the experimental order implementing the measure expired in August, the planters were moved to the side and traffic could once again use the route to travel between Otley Road and West Park.

A no-through road sign also remains in place, prompting questions about whether measures to restrict traffic on Beech Grove could be brought back.

Beech Grove is regarded as a key part of wider plans to create a traffic-free route for cyclists between Harrogate train station and Cardale Park on Otley Road.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, why the planters and sign had not been removed and whether there were any plans to once again prohibit traffic on Beech Grove.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, said the council was still considering what to do. She said:

“The planters are safely placed at the side of the road but will not be removed until we have considered the potential links from Otley Road to the town centre further.

“The sign was missed in error and we will remove it as soon as possible.”

Last month Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said it would “bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together”.

How Beech Grove figures in these plans remains to be seen.

Firefighters and councillors have called on Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative police, fire and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, to tackle the long-running issue of Starbeck crossing holding up emergency vehicles.

As many as nine trains an hour can pass through Starbeck Station heading to Leeds or York.

It means when the barriers are down there are waits of several minutes for all vehicles, including fire engines, police cars and ambulances.

At a Harrogate Borough Council meeting last night, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hookstone, Pat Marsh, asked Ms Metcalfe if she’d had feedback from firefighters about the problem as she believes delays could potentially be costing lives.

Cllr Marsh said:

“It worries me, that a five minute wait can be the difference between doing something and not.”

In response, Ms Metcalfe said the problem has been raised to her by both firefighters at Harrogate and Knaresborough fire stations.

However, she said firefighters “know exactly what times trains come and go” and can also use other routes to avoid the crossing.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“I went back to the fire service and they quite rightly said that out of Knaresborough fire station you can also turn left out of the fire station and go into Harrogate via Morrisons. They can also go into Starbeck and can turn right into Bogs Lane.

“There’s not just one way into Harrogate. Even if they did get to a crossing they can call ahead (to Network Rail) to let them know they are coming down.”

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Her response didn’t please fellow Conservative and councillor for Old Bilton, Paul Haslam, who also chairs Transport for the North‘s scrutiny committee.

Cllr Haslam told Ms Metcalfe he was “a little disappointed that you weren’t upset about the crossing at Starbeck”, particularly as it’s an issue that was raised to her by the firefighters themselves.

He added:

“I’ve tried for five or six years to get Network Rail to improve technology that would reduce waiting time to two minutes but they’ve refused to do it at the moment.

“I feel if your firemen had been upset that could have been leverage. I’m concerned about it for lots of reasons. The cars are just idling.

“Network Rail have told me all the reasons they can’t do it but they’ve also told me what technology they need.”

Ms Metcalfe promised Cllr Haslam that she would raise the issue with Network Rail.

Harrogate’s high care costs are being compounded by the cost of living crisis as bosses warn that they have no choice but to pass on some of the “colossal” price rises to residents.

With care homes being hit by huge increases in energy and food prices, the average weekly cost of a residential care home in the district is now £1,029.

That figure remains the highest in North Yorkshire and is equivalent to almost £54,000 a year.

The climbing costs come at a time of significant workforce pressures as care homes continue to rely upon agency staff and constantly recruit to try to fill vacancies.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of care charity Harrogate Neighbours, described the price rises as “colossal” and said further increases in insurance costs and workers’ wages were adding to the pressures of keeping care services running.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours

She added that the only way for care homes to be able to keep their costs down was for the government to provide more funding and support for services.

Ms Cawthray said:

“There is a serious shortage of funding in health and social care.

“This has been going on year after year and the situation is only getting worse as more people get older and need to go into care.”

After years of funding cuts and promises to fix the broken care system, the government earlier this year announced a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone will have to spend on care over their lifetime.

This was due to be funded by a 1.25% rise in National Insurance, however, the tax rise was reversed by prime minister Liz Truss and funding will now come from general taxation.

The price cap and other measures are to be tested out as part of a “trailblazer” scheme which has seen North Yorkshire County Council chosen as one of six local authorities to introduce the reforms several months ahead of elsewhere.

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There are, however, questions over when this will begin next year and if it will entail a huge bill for the county council.

Aside from the trial, Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services at the authority, said it was doing “everything possible” to support the care sector, although he added these efforts were being made “within the constraints of the funding allocated by central government”.

He said:

“We continue to make the case to the government for comprehensive reform and funding of social care.

“The council is implementing a three-year deal to address the actual cost of care provided by care homes, ahead of many other local authorities.

“We are now working with the sector on a similar long-term plan for home care.”

Meanwhile, the county council has further plans to build an extra care facility after purchasing a £1.8 million plot of land at Harrogate’s Cardale Park, and there are also proposals to introduce “micro-providers” in more rural areas.

Cllr Harrison added: 

“In the Harrogate area, we are pursuing several projects to try to improve market conditions, including identifying potential new opportunities to provide care directly.

“We are also hoping to see the introduction of micro-providers in rural areas and are working with care providers to pilot new workforce models, attracting people to the sector with the prospect of the rewarding careers which can result from caring for others.”

A plan to introduce parking charge machines at Swinsty Reservoir has been approved.

Yorkshire Water tabled proposals to Harrogate Borough Council to introduce the machines and automatic number plate recognition cameras at the car park.

The company has also proposed introducing charges at Thruscross and Fewston reservoirs.

Washburn Parish Council and local residents previously raised “serious concerns” about the impact of parking charges on local roads.

However, the borough council has now given the go-ahead for the proposal.

Car park users will be able to pay via card payment on site, by using the RingGo app or telephone.

Emergency services and blue badge holders will be exempt from the charges.

The proposed tariffs will be one hour at £1, two hours at £2, six hours at £3, an all day pass for £5 and an annual pass for £30.

Yorkshire Water said previously that the revenue generated will help to pay for an in-house rangers team, which would undertake maintenance jobs and tackle anti-social behaviour at its sites.

The company said in documents submitted to the authority:

“The car parking itself provides an important functional element to ensure the management of parking to Swinsty Reservoir and the wider area.

“The site is a long-established car park, and it is not anticipated that the introduction of pay and display facilities would generate a greater use of or cause any greater impact than that arising from the current usage of the site by visitors.”

Concerns over impact on residents

But the plans have been met with concern by local residents.

Washburn Parish Council objected to the proposal and said the move would impact on traffic, character of the area and amenities in the area.

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In a letter to the borough council, Dr Jason Knowles, clerk at the parish council, said there was particular concern around parking.

He said:

“There are concerns that the scheme will lead to unsafe conditions on local rural lanes which will result in traffic being unable to move freely and negatively impact on transport connectivity.

“There has been evidence of cars parking on the roadside, on grass verges, residents drives and field entrances during the lockdowns which has led to traffic congestion and making it difficult for emergency vehicles and farmers to access the area.”

Bransby Wilson Parking Solutions, based in York, has been appointed to operate the parking meters. 

The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water when the parking machines will be installed, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has appointed Mat Walker as the new deputy chief fire officer of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Walker, a 43-year-old father-of-three who has been in the role on an interim basis since June, will receive a salary of £95,294 plus an operational allowance.

He joined the fire and rescue service in 2003 in South Yorkshire before moving to a national role where he was involved in the response to major incidents including east coast flooding and the Salisbury Novichok attacks.

He has since worked in the West Yorkshire service, most recently as an area manager responsible for service assurance and improvement.

Mr Walker was appointed after three candidates were interviewed by an independent panel.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said:

“I am delighted to be able to appoint Mat into this permanent role. He faced a strong challenge from an excellent field of candidates but I’m confident he’s the right person to help lead North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service on its continuing transformation.

“This is also an exciting time to be joining the service as we begin to put in place our refreshed plans on how to keep the people of North Yorkshire safe, and feeling safe over the next two years.”

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Mr Walker takes up the role at a time when unions have raised concerns over cuts worth around £8m a year.

At Harrogate fire station, it means the number of night-time fire engines will be reduced to just one.

At a meeting this month, it was revealed North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire engine availability was classed as being at a “critical” level for 10% of the time during May this year.

This level refers to the service having fewer than 32 staffed engines and other appliances available across North Yorkshire. Commissioner Metcalfe described availability as “incredibly concerning”.

A holiday operator has announced new flights to Turkey and Croatia from Leeds Bradford Airport following the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

TUI said it would now operate flights to Antalya and Dalaman, both in Turkey, and Dubrovnik in Croatia from Leeds-Bradford.

The airport, which is used by people across the Harrogate district, described the announcement as “exciting news”.

https://twitter.com/LBIAirport/status/1574427245481005057

TUI added the destinations from LBA after it was announced that Doncaster Sheffield Airport would close.

The last flights are due in November and the new Leeds Bradford destinations are expected to start in summer next year.

The holiday operator has also increased flights at Manchester and East Midlands airports following the decision.

Peel Group, which owns DSA, announced the closure after it said the airport was “not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs”.

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Springwater School in Starbeck has been rated ‘good’ in a newly published report by Ofsted.

Government inspectors visited the school, which has 97 pupils aged two to 19, in June.

Their report rates the school as ‘outstanding’ in four of the five areas assessed but the overall assessment is ‘good’.

It says leaders at the school, which has pupils with severe or profound learning difficulties, “have very high expectations of how well staff look after the pupils in their care” and that “pupils are given highly personalised support by a team of very caring staff”.

Personal development was described as exceptionally strong and arrangements for safeguarding effective.

The report adds:

“Staff ensure that pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life.

“The learning atmosphere in school is positive. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, try hard when in class. They are keen to join in and eager to learn new things.

“Pupils demonstrate how much they appreciate learning by laughing and smiling.”

Inspectors say pupils receive ‘highly personalised support’.

Sixth form ‘excellent’

Sixth form provision is described as “excellent”. The inspectors said:

“The sixth form curriculum is very well planned. It prepares students for adulthood very effectively. The curriculum includes life skills such as shopping and cooking, as well as important knowledge about how society works. Students also take courses that lead to accreditation. Students in the sixth form are incredibly positive about their experiences of school.”

Staff and leaders’ “holistic approach to managing behaviour” is described as “extremely effective”.

Headteacher Sarah Edwards said:

“The governors and I are delighted with the outcome of the two-day inspection which was rigorous and professionally challenging, as I am sure you would expect.

“I am so pleased that they captured what we as a team already identified as the strengths of the school and its pupils.”

Ms Edwards said the school had worked hard on “developing and implementing a suitable curriculum designed to meet the very diverse needs of all of our learners” since its last inspection in 2019, which raised “some concerns that standards may be declining”.

Ms Edwards thanked staff and added:

“I remain extremely proud of what Springwater delivers. There are four out of five of the judgements at an outstanding level, and the inspection team identified that ‘the quality of education has improved’.

“I am confident that the report and inspection experience captured our strengths brilliantly.

“Springwater is a brilliant place where children thrive and in turn the dedicated staff team have an enormous satisfaction in seeing children and young people flourish regardless of the special educational needs.”

Ms Edwards added there was “an extremely high demand for pupil places at this popular and over subscribed special school”, adding:

“As a result, there continue to be vacancies in support roles and the school would love to hear from any member of the community who would be willing to volunteer, to support pupils to access learning activities and community visits.”

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Mrs Smith’s Cafe in Jennyfields, which has been closed since April, has gone into liquidation.

The family-friendly community cafe was situated in a unit on Jennyfields Shopping Centre next door to the Co-op.

It offered food and drink and had a play area for children.

However, a post on the cafe’s Facebook page from April 26 said it was closed “until further notice” and it’s remained empty since.

It appears the cafe will not be reopening as Wigan-based Focus Insolvency Group was appointed to liquidate the business last week.

Two of the four units on Jennyfield Drive are now empty. The Rainbow Room library and St Michael’s Hospice charity shop remain open.

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Train services between Harrogate and Leeds look set be affected by three days of strikes in the next two weeks.

Both the RMT union and Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen have announced industrial action this Saturday (October 1), Wednesday (October 5) and next Saturday (October 8).

Northern, which operates services between Harrogate and Knaresborough towards Leeds and York, has urged passengers not to travel on days when strike action is being held.

A statement from the company said:

“As a result of ASLEF and RMT strike action, Northern customers are advised not to travel on Saturday 1, Wednesday 5 or Saturday 8 October.

“Services are also expected to be affected on Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 October, especially in the morning, so please check before you travel.”

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The strike action comes as rail passengers have also been warned to expect disruption on Harrogate’s LNER services from October 1.

Major engineering works in the Newcastle area by Network Rail will affect many services on the LNER route during this period.

The company operates six daily direct trains from Harrogate to London.

The disruption is set to last until October 9.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate-based branding agency has created a website and provided digital services for a flagship London apartment scheme.

Impression Studio created the brand for property firm Greystar’s Bloom development at Nine Elms in the city.

As part of the project, Impression created a visual design and focused on devising bold typography, bespoke illustrations and 3D imagery.

The design team was given 10 weeks to deliver the project.

Jordan Donnelly, head of design at Impression Studio, said:

“The visual design was key to the project, focussing on large typography, unconventional grid systems and utilising bespoke illustrations to communicate the energy of the brand with a contemporary aesthetic.

“The creative was brought to life with on page interactions and elegant animations to elevate the brand experience, whilst not neglecting the site performance and taking away from the user experience.”

Running retailer announces heart charity partnership

A Harrogate-based specialist running retailer has announced a three-year partnership with the charity Heart Research UK.

Up & Running, which has a store on Station Parade, is set to launch a fundraising challenge in aid of the charity, which will include a 1,992 mile relay involving staff across its 29 stores.

The retailer will also host 5k training sessions aimed at getting people active.

Gillian Macfarlane, founder of Up & Running, said:

“We’re excited to embark on the partnership with Heart Research UK.  We have a lot of shared values with the charity when it comes to encouraging people of all fitness levels to exercise regularly and enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle.”

Helen Wilson, head of research at Heart Research UK, said: 

“Sadly, 7.6 million people in the UK are living with cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers.

“More research is needed to prevent people developing and dying from heart disease, and the partnership with Up & Running will raise vital funds to help us fund more medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.”

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