A new 80-seat independent restaurant with a cocktail bar and terrace will open in Harrogate on Friday.

The Stray Ferret revealed last week HG1 Grill and World Bar was to open in the building formerly occupied by Samsons and Le Bistrot Pierre on Cheltenham Crescent.

New owner Jas Gill has confirmed the venue will open in two days time.

Ms Gill, who is from a property background, has assembled a team including head chef Javier Oitana, general manager Jerome Lacheure and bar manager Joe Oliver.

Customers are able to visit for drinks or to sample the menu.

The grill will provide a wide range of international options and the bar will offer live music and DJ sets as well as cocktails.

Ms Gill said:

“We’ve assembled a team that is passionate about food and what we are trying to achieve.”

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New tree avenue to be planted on Harrogate’s Stray

An avenue of apple and maple trees will be planted on Harrogate’s Stray this month.

They will be among 800 trees planted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of National Tree Week.

The council will also be planting native trees, including oak, lime and sycamore, at Hay a Park in Knaresborough and at Paddies Park and Gallows Hill in Ripon.

About 500 of the trees have been nurtured at the council’s Harlow Hill nursery.

National Tree Week, which begins on November 26, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration.

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

“Planting more trees is a priority for us and this project supports a number of schemes – the White Rose Forest, for example – that will help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.

“We couldn’t do it without the help of volunteers so I’d like to thank everyone who has either provided a sapling or will be planting a tree.”

More information about National Tree Week is available on the Tree Council website.

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• Call for council to oppose fracking in North Yorkshire

Calls have been made for North Yorkshire County Council to oppose fracking in the county.

Two motions will be submitted to the authority’s full council next week urging officials to recognise the practice is “inappropriate” for the area.

North Yorkshire is regarded as a potential rich source of shale gas.

But councillors have claimed that supporting fracking would contradict the council’s own carbon reduction policies as well the council’s declaration of a climate emergency in July.

A motion submitted by Green Party Cllr Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, calls on the local authority to oppose fracking across the county.

The motion will say:

“This council believes that there is firm scientific evidence that fracking for oil and gas is incompatible with the need to achieve net zero carbon emissions sufficiently rapidly to avoid climate breakdown.

“Furthermore it is in direct conflict with the council’s carbon reduction plan and the emerging climate change strategy, therefore North Yorkshire County Council in line with the current government’s policy is opposed to fracking in North Yorkshire.”

Read more:

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A separate Liberal Democrat motion will also call on the council to make Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and ministers “fully aware” that it will not support fracking in the county.

The government recently declared that it would only support the practice in areas where there is support for it.

However, Mr Sunak has pledged that a ban on fracking would be reinstated after it was lifted by former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Harrogate Business Improvement District has started a town centre clean up ahead of Christmas celebrations.

Crews have been steam cleaning and power washing ‘grot spots’ across the town.

The targeted areas include Parliament Street, Cambridge Crescent, Oxford Street, James Street, John Street, Albert Street and Station Square.

Christmas will see an ice rink in Crescent Gardens, the return of the Candy Cane Express, Harrogate Christmas Fayre, a shop window competition, an observation wheel and free parking.

The BID charges town centre businesses a levy, which it uses to improve the town centre and increase footfall.

Sara Ferguson, Harrogate BID chair, said: 

“With the countdown to Christmas well underway, we want Harrogate to be looking at its best, hence deploying our cleaning team.

“Using low water volume, high pressure steam cleaning, they are working evenings this week tackling high footfall areas. And with Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday just days away, the team are also cleaning paths and street furniture around the town centre war memorial.”

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The work of the cleaning team, from UK Nationwide Cleaning, compliments the efforts of street ranger Chris Ashby, whose daily regime includes power-washing, weeding, painting and litter-picking.

Harrogate’s multi-storey car parks are generating considerably less income than expected this year.

Off-street parking revenue is £293,000 below budget, a Harrogate Borough Council meeting heard on Monday.

Gillian Morland, service finance manager at the council, told the overview and scrutiny committee meeting the  Jubilee and Victoria multi-storey car parks were “particularly down on income”.

Ms Morland said the looming abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and the creation of a single unitary authority for North Yorkshire presented the chance to improve matters. She said:

“There is a good opportunity as we merge into the new authority to look at a joined-up approach and the whole issue of traffic management, bring on and off-street parking together.”

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate Borough Council is forecasting to spend £2.5m more than budgeted in its final year of existence.

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• Harrogate council facing ‘sizeable overspend’ of £2.5m

This is mainly because utility bills are £1.7m above budget and staff pay is £1.1m higher than expected following the 2022/23 pay award of 6.7% rather than the predicted 2.5% .

But the report to councillors also revealed several other areas of shortfalls.

Besides car parking, planning application income is £320,000 less than expected due to a reduction in applications.

Ms Morland said:

“I understand planning income has been down for some time now and it’s not returned to the pre pandemic levels. The big issue is we are not getting the big planning applications, the high value ones, but I don’t know any more of the detail.”

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, said he understood there had been “a lot fewer applications” for house extensions because of the economic climate over the last three or four months.

A school in Nidderdale has been praised by inspectors for its education – including an ‘outstanding’ rating for its nursery.

Belmont Grosvenor School in Birstwith, which caters for children up to 11 years old, was visited by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which regulates private schools across England.

It was found to meet all eight requirements in its preparatory school, including pupil welfare, quality of education, and its leadership and management. The ISI does not give a rating to schools it inspects in this way.

Meanwhile, its Magic Tree Nursery was given a full inspection and rated ‘outstanding’. In their report, inspectors said:

“Staff demonstrate a deep knowledge of how children of this age learn and develop. All children under the age of three make at least good and often rapid progress from their starting points and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

“Children’s personal and emotional development is clearly well supported, and the children consistently demonstrate that they feel safe, secure and happy, willing to engage not only with familiar staff but also with visitors.

“Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding and welfare requirements, and they fulfil their responsibility for protecting children diligently. Leaders and managers demonstrate strong commitment to continuous improvement through detailed cohesive self-evaluation and a clear vision for future developments.

“This ensures that all children receive the best possible support and care.”

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• Praise for ‘lovely’ attitudes at Harrogate nursery after Ofsted visit

The report also praised the clear direction given to staff by the leadership, strong links with parents, and the opportunities offered to children at the nursery.

The inspectors added:

“Extremely effective care practices support children’s emotional security and the development of their character.

“The exceptional relationships that children have with the adults around them are built on strong, secure attachments. Each key person’s excellent knowledge of their children’s unique needs ensure they know how to respond effectively.”

The report said there could be more use of natural resources to enhance children’s play, and that the governors could be more involved in providing vision and oversight to the nursery to ensure it continued to perform well.

Headmaster Mr Nathan Sadler, who joined Belmont Grosvenor School at the start of the academic year, said”

“Our school community is very pleased with the outcome of the inspection. Most pleasingly, the inspection team could not sing the praises of our pupils enough, describing them as an absolute delight.

“The inspection process is a great validation tool and will also help us determine what will come next at BGS.”

Two houses which have been empty and in a state of disrepair could be brought back into use with compulsory purchase orders.

Harrogate Borough Council is considering the unusual move after extensive efforts to encourage the owners to improve the homes have failed.

A report due to be considered by the council’s committee tomorrow recommends beginning the CPO process for 16 Greenfields Drive in Harrogate and 4a Beech Lane in Spofforth.

It said:

“Compulsory purchase is usually a last resort, as the preference is to acquire by voluntary agreement wherever practicable. This is in accordance with the council’s empty homes strategy.

“It is considered, however, that the council has made every effort to secure the return to use of these properties and CPO is now the only realistic option. Although the offer of voluntary acquisition will remain open to the landowners throughout this process.”

Housing growth officer James Tuck said the “massive shortage of housing stock within the Harrogate district” justified the CPO for the two homes.

His report said there were 2,006 households on the council’s waiting list for rented housing, with a rented affordable housing shortfall of 208 homes and affordable sale housing of around half that number, according to the council’s housing and economic development needs assessment.

Regarding the Spofforth home, the report said:

“A letter was sent to the property in March 2019 as part of a complaint that it was empty. Initially it was very difficult to make contact with the owner despite numerous letters being sent.

“Once contact was made the owner agreed to resolve the external issues and plan to get the property occupied again. Despite occasional correspondence since, deadlines have frequently been missed and little progress has been made.

“The property was scored as part of the empty homes database and was observed at the time to be in a poor state of repair with overgrowth and looking generally rundown.

“Concerns have been raised by a local councillor and attempts have been made to establish a timeline with the owner but deadlines are regularly missed and the property remains empty.”

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The home in Harrogate was brought to the housing department’s attention by the environmental health team, while the owner was being pursued for council tax payments.

The council’s empty homes officer began trying to make contact in July 2021 but received no response, the report said. It added:

“The property was scored as part of the empty homes database and was observed at the time to be in a very bad way with an overgrown garden, disused car in the drive, windows needing paintwork, a board covering the back garden, and in a very rundown state of repair.

“In August 2021 the cabinet member for housing and safer communities approved the empty homes officer to make an offer to purchase the property and a letter was sent to the owner requesting a meeting to arrange a formal, independent RICS valuation of the property.

“No response was received so a second letter was sent advising enforcement action would now be pursued.”

Any CPO would need to be approved by the government’s secretary of state for communities and local government.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Boroughbridge firm Reed Boardall has achieved top ranking for its product safety and best practice.

The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard audit awarded the company an AA+ rating.

The certification entails an annual audit covering compliance in hazard and risk analysis, vehicle operating standards, product quality and safety management.

Vicki Rushworth, site quality manager at Reed Boardall, said: 

“This industry-leading accreditation provides another layer of reassurance for our customers, adding the benefit of visibility of food safety and integrity in the supply chain. 

“It also reduces some of the audit burden on customers as the BRCGS seal of approval assures them of Reed Boardall’s compliance.

“To elect for a 20-hour unannounced audit as we did, is a demonstration of total confidence in the robust systems we have in place and that the site operates to the BRCGS’s rigorous standards of product safety 24/7.”

Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, added: 

“Over the last 30 years, Reed Boardall has played an active role in driving up standards within the food industry.

“Our latest BRCGS AA+ rating gives customers the additional peace of mind of knowing that the most rigorous procedures for ensuring product safety are embedded in our business and that we are committed to continuous quality improvement.”

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Harrogate law firm founder to retire

The founder of Harrogate law firm Jones Myers is set to retire after a 42-year career.

Peter Jones founded the company back in 1992 as the sole practitioner specialising in marital difficulties.

He soon attracted fellow family lawyers, who shared his ethos in resolving relationship breakdowns in a non-confrontational and constructive way.

Peter Jones, founder of Jones Myers Family Law.

The law firm now has offices on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate, as well as in Leeds and York.

Mr Jones was also a founder member and former national chair of Resolution, the national association of family lawyers which now has over 6,500 members.

He also chaired its accreditation committee, which remains at the forefront of developing high academic standards and promoting excellence in family law.

Appointed a Deputy District Judge, Mr Jones served in that judicial capacity for 15 years, during which time he also lectured nationally in family law. He qualified in 2012 as one of the country’s first Family Law Arbitrators.

Mr Jones said:

“It has been a privilege to play a part in the evolution of family law since qualifying in 1980 and to have made a real difference to the lives of the valued clients.

“I am immensely proud of the development and expansion of Jones Myers and the consistently high quality of its constructive guidance and client support. The firm has a reputation for attracting the best family lawyers in its field and I am confident of the practice’s continued success as it goes from strength to strength.”

Trial 20mph speed limits are to be investigated in residential areas in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire County Council‘s executive agreed to look into running pilot schemes at a meeting today.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which advises the executive, requested the measure last month.

The committee asked for the limit to be tested in towns and villages “where a need has been identified”.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said at today’s executive meeting:

“It’s fair to say that a default 20mph limit is controversial. While it has some support, it also attracts strong opposition.

“The pilot being called for by the constituency committee represents a radical departure from our existing approach, which is based on national guidelines. It could also cost several million pounds.

“I am very keen that we investigate options to be able to provide an evidence-based assessment of the request. This will require information on factors such as road safety, environment, value for money, enforcement and lessons from other local authorities.”

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He added:

“It would also be useful to learn lessons from our own authority. It was only nine months ago that the executive agreed a new 20mph policy, so it is important we assess how that is working and any changes needed.

“I welcome the opportunity to investigate these factors thoroughly in order to be able to give an informed and comprehensive response to the constituency committee’s request in due course.”

The council’s current 20mph policy, which can be viewed here, says any 20mph limits must be self-enforcing and operate without a reliance on police intervention.

20’s Plenty

Today’s decision is a boost for local supporters of the 20’s Plenty campaign, which is pushing for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres

Yesterday, pensioner Pam Fawcett, 79, delivered a card to County Hall in Northallerton on behalf of the 20’s Plenty initiative in North Yorkshire.

The card calls for the forthcoming North Yorkshire Council to invest £1m into introducing 20mph limits in the county.

Malcolm Margolis, who supports the campaign in Harrogate, said:

“Default 20mph is gradually being adopted across the country and will come to Harrogate district and North Yorkshire.

“It needs to, to save lives, reduce road casualties, encourage people to walk and cycle more benefitting our health and environment, and make our towns and villages better places to live in.”