The Hydro in Harrogate will close for nine months on April 8 to undergo an £11.8m refurbishment.

The leisure centre and pool is to get a two-storey extension as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.

There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.

Members will be offered reduced rates to use other council-run leisure facilities in the district, as well as the opportunity to participate in group exercise sessions at the nearby Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.

The current £38.95 monthly charge will go down to £32.

A computer generated image of how the Hydro will look.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, which Harrogate Borough Council set up last year to run its leisure facilities, said the plan was to reopen the pool first in nine months time.

The other facilities, including the new fitness suite, are expected to be ready three months later.

Extend opening hours

Mr Tweedie said the refurbishment would give Brimhams Active the opportunity to redeploy staff at its other sites, which could enable some to extend their opening hours.

However, it will leave Harrogate without a council-run swimming pool for the rest of the year.

Brimhams also operates the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon, Knaresborough Pool, Starbeck Baths and Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge.

It also operates the Turkish Baths in Harrogate, Fairfax Wellbeing and Community Hub in Harrogate, Jennyfield Styan Community Centre and Little Explorers Day Nursery at Harrogate Hydro.

Look for a full interview with Mark Tweedie about leisure services in the Harrogate district on the Stray Ferret this weekend.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s conservation officer has objected to the demolition of the former Debenhams building on Parliament Street.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient is behind a proposal to demolish the three buildings that Debenhams was situated in and replace them with 50 flats and two commercial units.

The site on Parliament Street has been home to different retailers for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

But the developer has said there is no market for the building to be reoccupied as a department store, and the 1902 and 1920-era buildings should be torn down.

‘Harmful to the streetscene’

The council’s objection was submitted last month by Emma Gibbens, principal conservation officer.

Ms Gibbens wrote:

“The loss of the traditional building form and architectural detail would be harmful to the streetscene and character and special interest of the conservation area, the building forming part of the designated heritage asset in a manner that contributes positively to its character.”

Ms Gibbens added that the developer needed to prove that the demolition was justified.

She wrote that redevelopment of the site was possible in a way that did not involve the demolition of historic buildings.

She added:

“If demolition can be proven to be required, then a revised scheme would be required for a replacement building; otherwise, the historic buildings should be retained and the later parts replaced with buildings that enhance the conservation area.”

The council’s planning committee will decide on the proposal but the objection by a senior council official is a blow to the developers.

Read more:

• Heritage groups say ‘no justification’ for Harrogate Debenhams demolition
• Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams

The council joins two influential heritage groups in submitting objections to the plans.

In January, Save Britain’s Heritage said the developer had failed to provide “clear or adequate justification” for demolishing the buildings.

The public body Historic England has also submitted an objection to the plans. Whilst welcoming the regeneration of the site, it said there should be a “sensitive conversion” of the two older department store buildings.

But the demolition has been supported by Harrogate Civic Society, which said it accepted the building was “very difficult to convert in a logical and practical way”.

However, the group objected to the height of the replacement building, which it said was “overpowering.”

Strengthen the town

A CGI view of the new apartments on Parliament Street.

The developer Stirling Prescient said in planning documents that there was no scope to convert the building into smaller units “due to its internal layout and the age of the building”.

Stirling Prescient said:

“The proposals as a whole will strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.

“The proposal represents a sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning planning permission should be granted without delay.”

Ripon Arcade signs contract on final two units

Ripon Arcade is now fully occupied after Yorkshire Physio and Gladrags Ripon signed contracts on the final two units.

The arcade, in the heart of the city, recently underwent a £100,000 refurbishment. The 16,484 sq ft arcade was bought by Bradford-based property development and investment company Frank Marshall Estates off a guide price of £2.2m from the Westcourt Group in 2019.

St John Fisher Catholic High School student and Leeds United player Archie Gray scored a wonder goal at Elland Road last night in front of almost 10,000 supporters.

The 16-year-old midfielder scored the third goal as the club’s under-23 team beat rivals Manchester United.

Gray is the great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.

Highly rated by the club, he’s already featured as an unused substitute twice for the first team in the Premier League aged just 15.

Leeds director of football Victor Orta has compared Gray to a young Sergio Aguero and former manager Marcelo Bielsa said he will eventually achieve elite status in the game.

Take a look at his goal last night, which was struck from 35 yards.

🤯 "You beauty! Archie Gray take a bow!" pic.twitter.com/MOOdhg9VdU

— Leeds United (@LUFC) March 15, 2022

St John Fisher has also sent its congratulations to the young player:

Huge congratulations to Year 11 student Archie Gray who scored for the @LUFC under 23 team last night. https://t.co/6HaRJ3bwnU

— St John Fisher Catholic High School, Harrogate (@sjfchs) March 16, 2022

Read more:

• Harrogate man’s 40-year love affair with Leeds United
• Harrogate student busking for Ukraine

Parcel delivery firm DPD has been charged £374 plus VAT for one of its vans damaging the Stray in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported last month that a DPD van had got stuck in the mud when it attempted a shortcut over the public parkland

Tyre tracks indicated the driver had tried to bypass the recent road closure on Beech Grove by mounting the snow-covered Stray but was unable to complete the manoeuvre in the wintry conditions.

The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 made Harrogate Borough Council protector of the 200 acres of land.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the damage caused in February, DPD have been charged £374 plus VAT to cover the costs of repairing The Stray.

“The ruts will be levelled and area seeded. Bulbs will also be planted to replace any that have been damaged.”

Read more:

• Delivery van gets stuck on Harrogate’s Stray after attempting shortcut
• Flooding reveals ‘major unresolved problem on West Park Stray’
• Ghosthunting with a paranormal investigator on the Stray

Beech Grove closed to through traffic just over a year ago on an 18-month trial basis.A DPD spokesperson said:

“I understand from the local depot that the team have been in contact with the council and that arrangements are being made to pay for repair work.”

The Stray Ferret asked the spokesperson if DPD had taken any action against the van driver, but has yet to receive a response.

A Twitter user called Helen was among those who uploaded photos of the beached van.

https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201?s=20&t=6_0_UnvruN9Y_DdG8wRA9w

Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to safeguard the Stray from encroachment, said she hoped the van driver had not lost their job.

She added:

“However, it was a very daft thing to do.

“Taking short cuts in bad weather almost inevitably ends in disaster of some sort. Taking one in snow across the Stray was foolish in the extreme and also caused a great deal of damage, plus being illegal.

“Let’s hope that others take note and a lesson has been learned.”

North Yorkshire County Council has agreed to resurface the whole of Bogs Lane.

Previously, the council said it would only lay fresh tarmac on the stretch of road from the Forest Lane junction of Knaresborough Road to Henshaw’s College. Work began last week.

The road, just off the main A59 Knaresborough Road, is in a busy residential area that has been affected by numerous new housing schemes.

However, following requests from resident Malcolm Binks and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank, the county council has now agreed to resurface the whole stretch of road.

Cllr Broadbank said that this will now include the section from Henshaw’s College to the low bridge that connects Bogs Lane to Kingsley Road.

He said:

“The road’s been in a very poor condition for a long time. It beggared belief the county council didn’t decide to do it until now.”

The councillor said the resurfacing work should be completed by the end of this week.

Read more:

• 18-month road closure order begins on Starbeck’s Bogs Lane
• Bogs Lane to be resurfaced next month

Upsetting TV images of the war in Ukraine inspired Harrogate Grammar School sixth form student Sarah Castillo to go busking to raise money for the British Red Cross.

The 18-year-old is a regular busker in Harrogate and performs with her microphone and speaker at a spot outside Holland & Barrett on Cambridge Street.

Sarah raised an impressive £285 in a couple of hours last Saturday and is well on her way to raising her target of £500. All of the money will be donated to the Red Cross Ukraine humanitarian appeal.

She said:

“I just felt really upset watching the TV and seeing all the people suffer, they are not supposed to be experiencing things like this, especially the children, I felt like i had do something”.

Sarah likes to sing songs by Adele, The Beatles and Billie Eilish and will be back singing in Harrogate town centre from around 11am this Saturday.

Read more:

• Harrogate school fundraiser raises over £500 for Ukraine
• Ukraine crisis: Guide to how you can help locally

Businesses are being surveyed on what kind of Christmas market they would like to see in Harrogate this year.

The organisers of Harrogate Christmas Market, which attracted almost 200 stallholders to Montpellier Hill annually until 2019, is conducting the survey.

Brian Dunsby, co-organiser and founder of Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, handed out questionnaires at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly meeting this week.

He told the meeting his company was “in discussions with Harrogate Borough Council about bringing back the Christmas market in 2022″.

As part of this, it has been asked to find out what businesses think.

Read more:

• No. 5: A new era for Harrogate’s Christmas markets
• Three teens on Harrogate Theatre roof plead guilty to causing £800 damage

Speaking to the Stray Ferret after the meeting, Mr Dunsby said:

“The council said ‘find out what the business community thinks’. So that’s what we intend to do.

“The council have said they only want one market. We were thinking two or three would be better. So we are asking businesses what they think and will then look at the results and talk to the council.”

Andy Pidgen, operations manager at Marketplace Europe, at the start of last year’s fayre.

The questionnaire gives businesses four options to select from. Options A, B and C are for Harrogate Christmas Fayre, Harrogate Christmas Market and the artisan market in Valley Garden.

The fourth option is for all three “in a planned programme of Christmas events through November and December”.

All change last year

Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd was in advanced planning stages when the council declined to accept its event management plan.

It had 170 traders and 53 coaches booked to attend the annual event on Montpellier Hill in November when their plans were scuppered in July.

Harrogate Christmas Market was held on Montpellier Hill until 2019.

Instead, the council staged an alternative 10-day Harrogate Christmas Fayre in the town centre in partnership with Market Place, a specialist market company from Greater Manchester. It included about 40 stalls, a free road train, a carousel, helter skelter and ferris wheel.

There was also a two-day artisan market in Valley Gardens, organised by the company Little Bird Made.

Beckwithshaw Community Primary School has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

The 75-pupil village school on Church Row had been consistently rated ‘good’ by inspectors since 2002 but its latest Ofsted report means the school has now been placed in special measures.

Inspectors found pupils enjoy coming to school, show good levels of concentration and listen to instructions.

They praised the school for its phonics programme and said pupils read with confidence and understanding.

But the report, which was published on Friday, criticised the learning curriculum at the school as “not fit for purpose” and “poorly planned”.

It said this has led to pupils not doing well in a range of subjects.

‘Leadership vacuum’

An interim executive headteacher and interim head of school took up their posts at Beckwithshaw in October 2021.

But the report said a “leadership vacuum” over a period of time has had a negative impact on the quality of teaching at the school. It said staff have suffered from excessive workloads and low morale.

It said that new subject leaders are aware of the “deep-rooted problems” with the school’s curriculum.

However, they “lack the training they need” to make the required changes to raise standards.

Here is how the inspectors came to the overall ‘inadequate’ rating:

• The quality of education: Inadequate
• Behaviour and attitudes: Good
• Personal development: Requires improvement
• Leadership and management: Inadequate
• Early years provision: Requires improvement

Read more:

• Ofsted rates Ripley primary school as ‘inadequate’
• Ofsted indicates Boroughbridge High School’s ‘good’ grade under threat

Special measures

The inspection took place over two days in December last year when inspectors observed lessons, spoke to pupils informally and had meetings with school leaders.

The report said the inspection took into account the covid pandemic and how it impacted the school.

Beckwithshaw has now been placed into special measures to drive up standards.

Special measures schools are given details on how they must improve and are regularly monitored to check that they are on track. Another inspection will take place within 12 months.

The report says:

“In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.”

The school was rated ‘good’ at its last full inspection in 2012. A short inspection took place in 2016 that said the school “continues to be good”.

Beckwithshaw is currently part of a federation of three schools, along with Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School and Ripley Endowed C of E Primary School.

The school’s response

Robert Ling, chair of the interim executive board at Beckwithshaw Community Primary School, said:

“There are clear areas identified by Ofsted where Beckwithshaw Primary School can be improved and we do have a strong team around the school driving improvements at pace including the interim executive board.

“Inspectors acknowledged that the school has strengths: that pupil’s behaviour and attitude is good; that they happily play together; that they behave well in lessons and understand the importance of tolerance and respect and that children are well safeguarded.

“The phonics programme is planned well; it enables staff to support pupils to develop their phonic knowledge and skills effectively. Pupils learn how to match letters to sounds and blend them in words. The books given to pupils to practise their reading are well matched to their phonics knowledge. They read them with confidence and understanding.

“Pupils’ with an education, health and care plan are supported more effectively because they receive individual one-to-one assistance.

“We are now taking swift action to secure good leadership and improve curriculum planning across all areas of school life.

“We are proud of our pupils at Beckwithshaw and inspectors praised their good behaviour and willingness to learn. They deserve the highest standards of teaching and learning and good quality leadership and we are taking firm steps to put these in place.”

Harrogate will remain a top priority for bus service improvements, a council official has said despite warnings the region could be left with little or no funding from the government’s Bus Back Better scheme.

Michael Leah, assistant director for transport and environment at North Yorkshire County Council, told an executive meeting today it was “unlikely” the authority would receive all of the £116million it bid and there was a possibility it could get no funding at all.

This comes after the government wrote to councils in January highlighting how its £3billion budget to “transform” bus services had more than halved to £1.4billion.

Mr Leah told today’s meeting:

“The overall availability of funding has reduced and therefore expectation has dampened across the county.

“If we are to get a number, it will unlikely be £116million.”

Mr Leah explained that any funding received would be prioritised to areas where the county council believes it is needed the most, including Harrogate which has the worst traffic congestion in North Yorkshire.

Ripon and Masham also ‘high on list’ for support

He said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track journeys in Ripon and Masham, would also be high on the list for financial support. He added:

“If we were to not get any funding, there are still parts of our enhanced partnerships scheme which we could see through, such as better bus timetable information and more coordinated work with operators.

“It’s not just about the money.”

The county council unveiled its Bus Service Improvement Plan in October with proposals for more bus lanes, cash support for existing and new services and a simpler ticketing system.

Crucially, the aim is for services to cover the whole of North Yorkshire – something which has been described as an “enormous challenge” for England’s largest county.

It is hoped these targets will be also met through so-called enhanced partnerships where the county council will agree to infrastructure improvements in return for better services from bus companies.

Electric buses

Separately, the county council has also bid for £8million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.

If successful, the company’s parent firm Transdev would contribute £11.5million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.

Read more:

• Free school cycling lessons to be ended in North Yorkshire
• Otley Road cycle route progress ‘appalling’, says cycle group

The different plans are all part of the overall aim to solve Harrogate’s congestion woes by encouraging people out of their cars and onto public transport.

But the scale of the challenge can be seen in figures which show just 6% of short commuting trips within Harrogate before the pandemic were on a bus – and that this was decreasing year-on-year.

And while Harrogate is the most populated area in North Yorkshire and is being seen as a priority for investment, the county council has been urged not to forget other parts of the county, particularly rural communities.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, responded to say improvements to rural bus services have formed the “backbone” of the Bus Service Improvement Plan:

“There are huge challenges in providing affordable transport to a county as large as our own.

“But without question, one of the priorities we have is to improve bus services in rural areas, whether by traditional or more modern means as has been the case with YorBus.”