Pret A Manger set to arrive in Harrogate

The Harrogate district’s first Pret A Manger looks set to open.

The Stray Ferret understands the sandwich shop franchise will open on Harrogate’s James Street in the unit currently occupied by Messums Yorkshire, a gallery curated by artist Johnny Messum.

It is not yet known precisely when Pret will open but it is believed to be some time in March.

Besides sandwiches, Pret is also known for coffee so its arrival will add to the wide range of options available for caffeine fans.

The landlord of the unit was not available for comment but a well placed source told the Stray Ferret that Pret would be arriving soon.

Photograph: @messumsyorkshire, Instagram

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In the last six months, James Street has seen numerous retail units open and close; Hotel Chocolat opened a cafe in October; this was followed by a new yoga studio Ebru Evrim arriving in the former Laura Ashley building. Harrogate Discount Store is due to close this week.

Pret currently has over 450 cafes in England, with 310 of those in London. Currently, the closest to Harrogate is in Leeds.

Housing developer can ‘no longer afford’ to pay for Leeds Road cycle path

One of the UK’s biggest housing developers, which is building 128 homes in Pannal, has said it can no longer afford to pay for a cycle route on Leeds Road, despite being legally obliged to do so.

Bellway Homes was granted planning permission for its Jubilee Park development on the site of the former Dunlopillo factory in 2017. Homes are being sold there for upwards of £316,000.

Bellway Homes committed to paying for a cycle route on the A61 from the bridge over the River Crimple in Pannal to the Fulwith Mill Lane junction. This was done by a section 106 agreement, which housebuilders pay to mitigate for the cost of development.

However, more than four years after being granted permission to build the homes, the developer today asked Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee to remove the agreement, which it called “unreasonable” due to a change in government cycle scheme standards.

‘No longer viable’

Speaking at the planning committee this afternoon, Paul Thornton, planning manager at Bellway Homes, said the initial plans for the scheme were to widen the footpath to provide shared access with cyclists.

But a recent change in government standards meant the developer would now be obliged to create a cycle route segregated from motor vehicles to protect the safety of cyclists. Mr Thornton said this change had made the route “no longer viable” due to the increase in cost.

Bellway instead offered to pay £189,000 to the council to go towards the route or unspecified “wider improvements” along the A61.

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Mr Thornton said:

“It will help fund winder improvements along the A61 which will benefit Pannal and the wider district.

“We believe the funding will be far more beneficial than a standalone scheme.”

Harrogate Borough Council housing officer Kate Broadbank, who wrote a report to councillors recommending they approve the removal of the section 106 agreement, said the cycle route would now cost £980,000 due to the new government standards.

Ms Broadbank wrote in the report that “it would not be reasonable” to expect the developer to pay for it all.

Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Gostlow, who represents Knaresborough Scriven Park, asked if this meant the taxpayer would now foot the rest of the bill if the cycle route ever gets built.

Harrogate Borough Council’s chief planner John Worthington said this was an “impossible question to answer”.

Councillors agreed to remove the section 106 agreement and accept the £189,000 offer by 7 votes to none, with three councillors abstaining.

Harrogate set for ‘greatest investment in town centre in decades’

County councillors have today voted to give the green light to Harrogate’s £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme.

The project, along with similar schemes in Selby and Skipton, will now move onto the detailed design stage.

The decision comes despite widespread opposition to the initiative from businesses and residents.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive today that the schemes were the “greatest investment into three of our town centres in decades”.

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He added that the council had “a mandate” to carry out the gateway scheme after residents responded to its 2019 Harrogate Congestion Study.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“They [residents] gave a clear message to us. In order to combat congestion they did not want new highways, they wanted better measures for walking and cycling.

“The gateway schemes do exactly that.”

Business and residents criticism

However, the scheme has long been criticised by Harrogate business groups and residents.

A joint letter signed by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Independent Harrogate warned that work on the scheme would create ‘another 12 months of major disruption and misery’ for businesses already struggling to get over covid.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, told councillors today:

“Sadly, the views of the business community have been continually ignored. As have those of other key organisations, in particular Harrogate Civic Society and residents’ organisations who believe what is being proposed will not bring the benefits being espoused.”

In response, Cllr Mackenzie said he and the authority had spent “a great deal of time” listening to businesses in the town.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Residents Association called on senior county councillors to “look long and hard” at the objections made against the project.

The county council’s executive voted unanimously to approve the scheme.

What happens now?

The gateway project will now move onto the detailed design stage before being submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority as a final business case.

From there, the combined authority will draw on government funding to begin implementing the Harrogate scheme and others, including Skipton and Selby.

County council officials said in a report that they expect to submit a business case for the Harrogate project by May 2022.

A press release issued by North Yorkshire County Council after today’s meeting said work was likely to start ‘later this year’. It added:

“Although the Department for Transport set an initial completion date of March 2023, the department has advised that completion could extend into 2024.”

 

Three teens arrested after missiles thrown from Harrogate Theatre roof

Police have arrested three youths after reports that building materials were thrown off the roof of Harrogate Theatre.

The incident happened at around 4am this morning. A resident who lives nearby sent a video to the Stray Ferret of what appears to be broken tiles littering Cheltenham Parade.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue sent a crew from the Harrogate station to the scene. They managed to get the youths down from the six-storey building before leaving them with the police.

A £1 million refurbishment of the 120-year-old roof of the theatre is due to be completed in March. It is unclear whether this incident will affect the timescale.

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“Shortly before 4am Tuesday 25 January 2022, police were called to reports of young people on the roof of Harrogate Theatre on Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate.

“The group were believed to be throwing projectiles from the roof.

“Officers attended with colleagues from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and the young people were brought safely to the ground.

“Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with this incident.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:

“A crew from Harrogate were mobilised to assist police with searching a six-storey property following reports of youths on the roof possibly stealing roof materials.

“Crews set up the aerial ladder platform to be used as a lighting platform to assist with the search. The youths were left in the care of the police.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: Heavy traffic in Killinghall near roadworks

There is already heavy traffic in Killinghall this morning near the construction works on Ripon Road.

Work started yesterday and is due to finish on February 4. Northern Powergrid is laying cable for an electric vehicle charger outside the new Tesco Express.

Three-way traffic lights have been installed at the junction with Otley Road. Buses and lorries are unable to turn in and out of Otley Road from Ripon Road.

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

Harrogate Tap and Taco bar closes pop-up with sights set on permanent home

Paradise Tap and Taco Bar is to close — but the owners have said they are determined to find a permanent home for the pop-up shop in Harrogate.

The Mexican-themed bar initially opened as a three-month pop-up next door to Cold Bath Brewery Co in October 2020. It has survived 16 months but the tenancy is now coming to an end.

Co-owners Ellie Stott and Josh Molloy said Paradise would now go “on tour” as they hatched plans for kitchen pop-ups over the coming months. Paradise is taking over Rooster’s kitchen from Tuesdays to Thursdays until easter.

Ms Stott said:

“After 10 years each in hospitality we’ve made the bar we would want to drink in and I think that’s why we love it here so much. It was a bit of weird timing but we’ve learnt so much doing it through this period, we’re just winging it everyday but it’s going well so far.”

The bar’s current home on King’s Road.

End of a “golden era”

The Harrogate-born entrepreneurs said the pop-up was a “golden era” for them but they are now focusing on finding a permanent home in the town.

The pair say they hope to open a new venue by summer and will spend the time until then developing their menu and hosting pop-ups. Ms Stott said:

“We’re going for a big, long lease, 10 years ideally. We definitely will open this year, ideally summer, it’s just finding the right space. We have regulars that have become friends.”

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The bar serves a variety of Mexican foods such as tacos, burritos and enchiladas as well as craft beers and spirits.

Ms Stott added:

“This is just the beginning. It’s been a really good way to see if this plan works, and it really does. People do like what we’re doing, it can be really overwhelming hearing people’s compliments.”

The bar will close for good on Sunday, February 6 and will hold a closing party the night before.

Infrastructure plan for 4,000 homes in west Harrogate ‘a missed opportunity’

A long-awaited plan to solve how the west of Harrogate’s roads, schools, and health services will cope with 4,000 extra homes has been branded a “missed opportunity”.

The comments have come from The Western Arc Coordination Group and Zero Carbon Harrogate, which had a meeting with council officers on Thursday to discuss  a draft version of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The Western Arc Coordination Group includes Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association (Hapara), Duchy Residents’ Association, Hampsthwaite Action Group, North Rigton Parish Council and Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council.

Proposed housing schemes in the area include the 1,000-home Windmill Farm development on Otley Road and 560 homes at Blue Coat Wood. The plan was written with input from developers, including Homes England and Gladman Developments.

It includes proposals for two new primary schools and a possible new GP surgery — which have been previously announced. The plan has yet to be released to the general public.

‘Almost as if no problems exist’

Rene Dziabas, chair of Hapara, told the Stray Ferret the plan “totally avoids the heart of the problem”.

At over 100 pages long, he said it lacked a summary at the start clearly explaining its purpose to address the area’s current “weak infrastructure”, such as roads.

He said:

“The purpose of this document is not made clear and totally avoids the heart of the problem in that an urban expansion is being proposed in a part of Harrogate with a weak infrastructure.

“There is no attempt at clearly stating what the problems are, and no attempt at associated analysis. HAPARA, as well as Pannal and Burn Bridge, North Rigton and Beckwithshaw Parish councils have been arguing this case for many years and there is no recognition within this document of their concerns. It is almost as if no problems exist. There needs to be a far clearer `entire West of Harrogate` context for this report.”

Mr Dziabas said that the WACG was disappointed the plan does not address how key arteries into the town, such as Otley Road, as well as country lanes around Pannal, Beckwithshaw and North Rigton, will cope with the inevitable increase in traffic.

Over 1,000 homes are set to be built on both sides of this section of Otley Road.

Mr Dziabas added:

“[Over the last eight years] there has been no improvement to the road system, many of which are country lanes, no real betterment of public transport, and little has happened on the active travel front which will only ever be a very small part of any overall solution”.

He added there needed to be “far more” in the plan about improvements to bus services.

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Secondary school places

The Stray Ferret reported this month that nearly 700 secondary school places will be needed in Harrogate and Knaresborough by 2025/26 to keep up with demand caused by new housing.

Mr Dziabas said the new homes would put further pressure on Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School in particular.

He said:

“Whilst primary schools are covered in this document, little mention is made of secondary school places. The west of Harrogate has two busy secondary schools, and both are at or above capacity.”

Car culture

Jemima Parker, chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret the plan contained a “major omission” around energy for new homes, with no mention of onsite renewable energy, solar panels, small wind turbines or ground source heat pumps.

With spiralling energy costs, Ms Parker said greener homes would make people more resilient to the volatile market.

She said:

“There are pages and pages about design, but not a single mention of building design for energy-efficient homes, like passive houses. This ignores the council’s own planning policy guidance as set out in the Local Plan. We want residents’ homes to be built to zero-carbon standards now, not needing to be retrofitted later, and for low-carbon construction materials to be used.”

A passive house on Bogs Lane in Harrogate

Ms Parker believes the plan focuses too heavily on car-friendly developments.

“We are saddened to see that the plan still has a car culture, reliant on private ownership rather than shared transport and active travel. Given the location on the West of Harrogate we would like to see an imaginative ‘work from home’ settlement, picking up on the 15-minute neighbourhoods seen in other UK towns with plenty of access to car clubs.

“Overall it is disappointing the west of Harrogate may miss out on the opportunity to be designed appropriately both to reduce its carbon footprint and to be resilient to our changing climate.”

Council’s response

The draft plan is still to be ratified by the council.

A council spokesperson said:

“The development of west Harrogate provides an exciting opportunity to deliver quality place-making, a wide-range of private and affordable homes to meet the current housing demand, while also ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure to support these future communities.

“Once approved, the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan will create clear goals and objectives by identifying what infrastructure is required. For example, first-class community facilities, school provision, green infrastructure and sustainable travel opportunities.

“A number of suggestions have already helped shaped the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and I’d like to thank those local residents groups and parish councils for their valuable feedback.”

Police case on missing Harrogate woman ‘remains open’

North Yorkshire Police issued a statement today saying its investigation into missing Harrogate woman Marsha Wray remains open, 25 years to the day since her disappearance.

Marsha, 38, went missing after dropping off her two children at Hookstone Chase primary school on Friday, January 24 1997.

A few days after her disappearance, her red Metro Quest car was seen parked at Nidd Gorge. It was later recovered in Headingley, although who moved it there remains a mystery.

There have been no sightings since and no body has ever been found.

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Adam Harland, of North Yorkshire Police’s cold case review team, said:

“The case surrounding the death of Marsha Wray has been reviewed on previous occasions.

“Despite extensive investigations and appeals, the case remains open.

“We are open to any new information leading to evidence in relation to the case.”

Marsha worked as a nurse at Harrogate District Hospital. Her husband of 17 years, Colin, said she had told him she was going away for a few days.

Harrogate district businesses urged to apply for £6,000 covid grants

Harrogate district businesses most impacted by the Omicron variant are being urged to apply for one-off grants of up to £6,000.

Firms in the district’s key hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors – many of which have been hit by cancellations and a drop in footfall during the latest Covid wave – can apply to Harrogate Borough Council for the cash support until February 14.

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is for eligible businesses that are registered and is based on the rateable value of premises.

Those with a rateable value of up to £15,000 will receive £2,667, while those with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 will get £4,000.

Businesses with a rateable value above £51,000 will get the maximum amount of £6,000.

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There has also been extra funding announced through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme to support covid-hit businesses, including those that are not eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.

This funding requires local councils to design and adopt their own scheme – and Harrogate Borough Council said applications will open by January 27 and close on February 14.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at the council, said: 

“To date, we’ve distributed more than £94 million to some 1,500 businesses to support them throughout the covid-19 pandemic. Often at a time when the funds provide an important relief during a very stressful period.

“I’d urge eligible businesses to apply for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant before the closing date of February 14.

“Applications for the Additional Restrictions Grant – to support other businesses most impacted by the Omicron variant – will also open by the end of the week and again will close on February 14.

“We will be working hard to process each application as quickly as possible and will make every effort within the government guidance to support as many businesses as possible.”

For more information on how to apply go to the Harrogate Borough Council website.

Crunch vote tomorrow on £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway

A key decision on progressing the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme in Harrogate is set to be made tomorrow.

Senior North Yorkshire county councillors have been recommended to approve the plans and move them on to the detailed design stage at a meeting at 11am.

The move could mean that work on the project starts in the spring or summer.

The decision comes despite widespread opposition to the scheme from businesses and residents.

The results of the second phase of consultation, published last month, revealed that of 1,320 people who replied to an online survey, 55% feel negatively, 39% positively and five per cent neutral towards the scheme. One per cent said they didn’t know.

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Nevertheless the scheme is expected to proceed with only minor amendments.

However, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, said last week that the project represented a major investment in Harrogate town centre. Similar schemes are in the pipeline for Selby and Skipton.

He said:

“These proposals represent the biggest investment in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton town centres in decades and aim to increase productivity by making it quicker, easier and safer for people to travel around and connect with economic opportunities.”

Calls for a delay

Despite the recommendation, business groups in Harrogate criticised the project and called for a delay to the vote.

In a joint letter to members of the county council’s executive, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Independent Harrogate warned that work on the scheme would create ‘another 12 months of major disruption and misery’ for businesses already struggling to get over covid.

The letter added:

“Sadly, the views of the business community have been continually ignored. As have those of other key organisations, in particular Harrogate Civic Society and residents’ organisations who believe what is being proposed will not bring the benefits being espoused.

“The Conservative Party, of which you are a member, prided itself on being the party of business. Sadly, this doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.”

The groups also criticised the county council for publishing an economic case for the project just days before the vote.

They said they have had no opportunity to comment on the paper and called for a vote on the scheme to be delayed until they have had chance to scrutinise it.

The executive meeting can be watched tomorrow on the North Yorkshire County Council website.