The largest weir removal project ever in the UK has begun on the River Nidd at Scotton.
The scheme, which costs about 80,000 euros, will open up another 18km of river to migratory fish such as salmon, sea trout and European eel.
If Nidd tributaries are also included then 35km of rivers will be made available for salmon and sea trout spawning.
The project is being led by river conservation charity the Wild Trout Trust and funded by the European Open Rivers Programme – a grant-giving organisation dedicated to restoring rivers.
It started last week with the creation of an access ramp down to the weir and is expected to get underway properly this week. Work removing the dam is expected to last up to two weeks before further work restoring the bank takes place.
Scotton Weir is at the entrance to Nidd Gorge, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
It was built at the end of the 18th century to power the nearby mill. At 75m wide and 4m high, it is thought to be the largest weir removal project ever in the UK.
The weir breached in the floods of 2019 so is already partly demolished. Leaving it to disintegrate gradually over time would have reduced the risk of bankside damage.
Removing Scotton Weir will benefit more than just migratory fish. All fish move up and downstream to some extent as part of their life cycles and the weir removal will help to restore natural processes to the river.
Currently only 16% of rivers are rated as being in ‘good’ condition by the EU Water Framework Directive. A significant cause of failure is man-made barriers interrupting a river’s flow, such as Scotton Weir on the Nidd.
Jonathan Grey, a part-time professor in practice at Lancaster University who is project managing the Scotton Weir removal for the Wild Trout Trust, said:
“The weir has been impounding about 800m of channel for over 100 years, creating deep, sluggish water in a section of the Nidd gorge where the flow should be swift and shallow.
“Think of a river as a conveyor belt of sediment as well as water. Boulder, cobble and gravel that is vital to the health of the bed of the river has been trapped upstream of the weir, unable to resupply that which has been transported away downstream. So the physical habitat downstream has become simplified, dominated by large boulders.
“Then there is fish passage to consider. All fish have to move up and downstream during different stages of their life for a variety of reasons. The weir has made it nigh on impossible to move upstream, and much more difficult to move downstream, and then only under specific flow conditions, so populations have become fragmented or isolated.”
The weir is already damaged.
Prof Grey said although it was not certain that salmon or sea trout got as far as Scotton Weir, nearby surveys suggested it was “very likely”.
He added:
“There are still more barriers further upstream, the next being at Birstwith 11km away, so there is still work to be done to restore the natural heritage of the river.
“We are aiming to reinstate the natural flow regime to the river by removing the barrier.”
Dr Marie Taylor, operations director for the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, said:
“This project is a great example of partnership working between landowners, experts from the Wild Trout Trust and government bodies, which will deliver benefits to angling groups along the River Nidd as well as wider benefits to nature gained from improving the connectivity of one of Yorkshire’s iconic rivers.”
Spofforth after-school club praised by Ofsted
Ofsted has given Spofforth Childcare a glowing report following an inspection.
The education inspectors visited the club, which operates at Spofforth Church of England Primary School on School Lane, in June.
The setting provides before and after-school care for 47 children in term times and during the summer holidays.
Ofsted found that children who attended the setting “behave well and show respect for others” and staff “set clear expectations for children’s behaviour and are good role models”.
It added:
“They offer children plenty of praise and encouragement. This supports children’s confidence and self-esteem.”
“Children thoroughly enjoy their time in this before- and after-school club. They are happy and settled.”
Inspectors also found that the club had effective safeguarding measures in place and have a good understanding of how to identify possible signs of abuse.
They also said the management team is keen to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs or disabilities, have their individual needs met.
Responding to the report, Sharon Hoskin, owner, said:
“When Ofsted visit you know every area of your practice will be scrutinised and the inspection was fairly rigorous, but it was fair. We’re delighted with the final outcome because we realise all our hard work and effort is worth it. This isn’t only a positive for staff morale, it’s for the parents and children too.”
After-school and holiday clubs can now only receive a ‘met’ or ‘not met’ rating from Ofsted.
Ms Hoskin added:
Harrogate College in line for sustainable education award“We would prefer the old way of doing it because if you do one thing considered ‘not met’ then the whole thing is graded ‘not met’.
“Not just for us, but for other settings, we always strive to try and get an ‘outstanding’ but we can’t do that now. It doesn’t alter our practice, but it would be nice to be able to achieve that. Quite a few settings who have had ‘outstanding’ can’t get that now.”
Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Harrogate College has been shortlisted for a Green Gown Award, recognising the best efforts to build sustainability through education.
The college is nominated in the Tomorrow’s Employees category for “feedback driven curriculums brought to life through collaboration: embedding sustainability and excelling in retrofit provision”.
It faces competition from six other institutions, including the University of Aberdeen, Nottingham Trent University and York St John.
The category called for entries which demonstrated students were leaving education “future-fit” with an understanding of a sustainable industry and economy.
Harrogate College’s cultural, contemporary and heritage studies programme manager, Jason Parry, said:
“Taking college-wide steps to reduce our carbon footprint while supplying the green skills that our local economy needs is a key part of what we do.
“An important aspect of that over the past year has been our work, with Zero Carbon Harrogate, to promote eco-renovation through hosting special courses and information events.
“We are proud to be shortlisted, for a second year running, for a Green Gown award. It is a sign that the college’s work to become a centre of green excellence, by working with and supporting our many local partners, is being recognised.”
The awards are organised by the EAUC, an alliance for sustainability leadership in education, and sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Professor Sir Duncan Wingham, executive chair of the Natural Environment Research Council, said:
“Congratulate all the finalists. Their work is helping us to meet the challenge of ensuring environmental sustainability is an inherent part of research and innovation excellence.”
The awards will be presented in a ceremony at Loughborough University on November 8.
An employee of pest control specialist Pelsis Group is cycling 550 miles from the Netherlands to the company’s Knaresborough headquarters to fundraise in memory of a former colleague.
Sales manager Chris Rodgers is undertaking the challenge to help raise funds for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which former Pelsis employee Derek Hurst died from in 2019 aged 49.
Named the “Tour de Derek”, the 13-day challenge will see Chris cycle from Pelsis’s office in Barneveld, the Netherlands, via its office in Bornem, Belgium, all the way to the company’s headquarters in Knaresborough.
All funds raised from the challenge will be split equally between the Cure CJD Campaign and St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington, where Derek was cared for following his diagnosis.
Chris Rodgers from Pelsis with his bike
Chris said:
“Not only was Derek my colleague, but he was also my mentor and my friend. To be able to undertake this sporting challenge in memory of him is truly an honour.”
“Since Derek’s passing, it’s always been my intention to raise vital funds for the Cure CJD Campaign to help develop a treatment for cure for CDJ and increase awareness and understanding of the disease.”
For more information on how to donate to Chris’s Tour de Derek cycling challenge, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/raising-funds-in-memory-of-derek-hurst.
Blaze at derelict house in Knaresborough was started deliberately“One of the hardest things to do is getting our children to listen when we need to have those difficult conversations, especially as they grow older towards adulthood. However, when they are at such an impressionable age, these talks need to be had.
“After the devastating blazes the country saw last week, and all the media coverage that ensued, we’d encourage you to have a serious conversation about fire risks.By lighting a deliberate fire they’re not just putting their life in immediate danger, but they are potentially damaging it in other ways too.Arson is an offence and one that comes with a criminal record if convicted. Criminal records are horrible things – they can restrict job prospects, your travel plans and eligibility for financial products, including mortgages.What may seem like a ‘joke’ or a ‘laugh’ when they are young may not be so funny a few years later when they want to travel to America, buy a house or apply for their dream job.
“Just don’t do it and certainly don’t encourage anyone else to do it either.”
Paranormal investigators are to visit Harrogate’s Odeon cinema next month to try to find out if the building is haunted.
There have been rumours of ghostly apparitions at the cavernous Grade II listed building, which dates back to 1936.
Now a company called Spiritus Paranormal has hired the venue on August 6. People who buy tickets costing £40 can go along and be part of the investigation.
Wayne Williams, who founded the company, said:
“We will try to find out if it is haunted. We have a lot of equipment that can help to identify paranormal activity.”
The company’s equipment includes items such as electromagnetic field detectors, infrared cameras and Ouija boards.
Participants will split into groups with investigators and carry out paranormal checks in different parts of the building.
Asked if he genuinely believed in paranormal activity, Mr Williams said:
“I’ve seen too much not to. But I also err on the side of caution. If nothing happens so be it. We will not make things happen just to put bums on seats.
The company’s website says of the Odeon:
“This place has never been investigated, staff have reported paranormal activity, this venue has so much history.”
Stray Views: Station Gateway ‘will degrade things’
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
Having read the latest on this project I see that the council admit that pedestrianising James Street will reduce business by 2% and that by reducing Station Parade to one lane a journey round town would increase by 73 seconds.
From day one of this ludicrous scheme we have been told how it will improve everything and be a big benefit to Harrogate.
It would appear that so far the only thing guaranteed is that it will degrade things. It would seem that the maths I was taught in school in the 50s do not conform to modern teaching if these figures are now considered an improvement.
Malcolm Hodgekinson, Harrogate
I must strongly object to what can only be described as the Satanic imagery featured in the posters in the streets and website for the “Harrogate Carnival”.
A “person” in a fetish leather clad red dress featuring devil horns and scary red makeup is not what I would call “family friendly”.
If this is representative of what this Carnival is about then I don’t think it is appropriate for young children to attend, I certainly won’t be bringing my family to it.
I would like to know if my hard earned council tax money is being spent on this outrage to good taste and decency?
Ian Hardcastle, Harrogate
Harrogate Lib Dems are very angry at North Yorkshire County Council for ignoring our plea, made at the last Harrogate Borough Council meeting, to stop the closure of Woodfield School, which was agreed by all councillors.
The North Yorkshire Conservative Executive Member responsible for Education has not stopped the closure of the school and declined to ask the Secretary of State for Education to remove the academisation order leaving the children of Woodfield in difficult circumstances, long walks to schools and in one case, so far, siblings being potentially sent to different schools.
We need more schools in Harrogate not less with thousands of houses still to be built in Kingsley where will all these young people go for their schooling? This is a disgrace and the young people of Woodfield are being let down so, so badly.
Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
Four traditional pubs to visit in the Harrogate districtA new generation of drinkers are being drawn to craft beer and cocktail bars, sparking a decline in traditional pubs.
And while many of us love a good Negroni or an IPA, you can’t beat a good old fashioned British boozer.
Fortunately we are still blessed’ with some excellent ones in the Harrogate district.
We asked our readers for their favourites. Here are four of them:
Reputedly, the oldest pub in Harrogate has a history going back to the earliest days of the town’s emergence as a leading spa resort.
Originating as one of the first inns for spa visitors after sulphur wells were first established in the mid-18th century, sulphur springs still flow beneath the cellar and the distinctive odours occasionally percolate up to the bar area.
The premises were rebuilt circa 1827 and known as The Promenade Inn. At this time it was said to be a most successful coaching inn. It was enlarged in 1856 and known as Hodgson’s until 1882, when William Hales became the landlord.
The interior decor is reflective of the pub’s long history, with mirrors and fittings from the Victorian era, including traditional gas lighting and cigar lighters.
Stray Ferret reader Richard Dunston Brady said:
“Hales, is the best traditional pub for charm, atmosphere, friendly staff and a well pulled pint.”
Hales Bar, 1-3 Crescent Road, Harrogate, HG1 2RS
The One-Eyed Rat is a traditional pub, famous for its old fashioned charm.
It can be found on Allhallowgate, one of the oldest parts of Ripon.
A real ale destination over many decades, the One Eyed Rat was refurbished and re-opened under new management in the summer of 2020.
A Grade II listed building set within a terrace of 200-year-old houses, its narrow frontage leads to a warm and welcoming hostelry.
The pub has a long, narrow interior with traditional seating and an open fire, and there is a large garden at the rear, including a covered area.
You can also enjoy a traditional pie and a pint.
The historic building dates back to 1340 and goes back several centuries as an inn.
It was almost certainly known as the Ship in the 17th century, as there is a token copper coin in existence, dated 1671, which shows a ship in full sale with the inscription “John Briggs in Aldborough his half penny”.
Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, the owners of The Ship Inn, have been restoring the pub since January following a fire. They have served many high-profile guests, including Prince William and Harry.
The traditional country pub in the Roman town of Aldborough is well-known for Brian’s Yorkshire puddings and ‘real gravy’.
Low Rd, Aldborough, YO51 9ER
A newly discovered photo of a Harrogate cricket team from 100 years ago has sparked a quest to identify the players.
Eric Wainwright was clearing out his late elder brother’s house in Starbeck when he found a picture of the first ever winners of the Addison Cup.
The Addison Cup, which is contested by the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, is one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world, dating back to 1922.
The 100th final will be contested between Knaresborough and Burnt Yates at 6.15pm on Monday night at Follifoot Cricket Club.
The inaugural winners, seen here displaying the trophy, were a Harrogate team known as The Gas Company.
Mr Wainwright’s father William is the tall man in the middle of the back row.
Keen to find out the names of the others players, Mr Wainwright contacted Peter Horsman, secretary and treasurer of the league, for help.
Mr Horsman has now asked if Stray Ferret readers can identify any of the men.
He added:
“Eric and myself would be very interested in hearing from anybody who has any old memorabilia associated with the Harrogate evening league and the associated cup competitions.
“Pictures, league handbooks before 1980, individual winner’s medal etc.”
The winners of the cup on Monday night will be presented the trophy by the grandchildren of Harry Addison, who donated the trophy in 1922.
Harrogate Cricket Club, after winning last year’s Addison Cup.
Mr Horsman has invited Mr Wainwright, who lives in York, to the final to present the runners-up trophy.
Harrogate Cricket Club beat Wetherby Carr Manor by 32 runs in last year’s final.
Burnt Yates defeated Harrogate in the quarter-finals this year.
If you have information about the photo you can call Mr Horsman on 07798 582792 or email him at peter_horsman@hotmail.co.uk.
‘Let’s make the best of it’: Hopes and fears for 3000-home Maltkiln settlement
Heated public meetings, protests outside council offices and legal challenges in the high court couldn’t stop Harrogate Borough Council from deciding that 3,000 homes should be built around the villages of Cattal, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.
The decision was mired with suspicion and ill feeling but now residents are trying to look ahead to how the project can work for them and the people who will eventually live there.
The cold-sounding “new settlement” has been given the more homely title of Maltkiln and a draft document has been published that outlines how the the 3,000 homes along with roads, schools, shops and public spaces will develop over the next few decades.
Since 2016 the name Green Hammerton became synonymous with the new settlement, usually in debates that pitted the merits of developing land there versus Flaxby, which is closer to Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The council’s preferred option for the settlement is now centred around Cattal railway station, on the other side of A59 from Green Hammerton.
Chris Hay and James Veitch are shareholders of Green Hammerton’s Post Office, which also serves as a shop, newsagent and soon-to-be cafe.
The two have a grudging acceptance that the homes will be built but are concerned that Maltkiln will erode the village’s identity, which stretches back to Domesday times.
Green Hammerton
They have already seen Green Hammerton, population 675, swell with three new build housing schemes in recent years.
Mr Veitch said:
“The word inevitable comes to mind but you have to be grown up and make the best of it”.
A development plan document (DPD) drawn up by Harrogate Borough Council includes a vision for what Maltkiln will eventually become, which is a “garden village with a distinctive identity where people want to live, work and spend time”.
It conjures up a pastoral scene but with an eventual population larger than Boroughbridge, calling Maltkiln a village is misleading to some.
Mr Veitch said:
“They call it a village don’t they? How on earth can you call a 3,000 development a village? It’s a town, not an insignificant one at that. It will be big enough to create traffic jams on the A59”.
3,000 new homes is likely to result in at least 6,000 cars. Mr Veitch fears that much more investment in Cattal Station is required if commuters are going to leave their cars at home.
Cattal Station
He added:
“There will be a lot of commuting, that’s the bottom line. The A59 will be busy and the railway will not increase its capacity much more than what it is. I don’t buy the argument that it’s a hub where you can transport 10,000 people to anywhere.
“People will still use their cars, anyone who suggests otherwise is naive.”
Keith Welton and his wife Val have lived in Cattal for 16 years, close to the railway station that the developer Oakgate Group hopes will be one of the unique selling points of Maltkiln.
With homes set to be built in green fields that currently surround the family home, Mr Welton might be forgiven for feeling negative or even bitter about the development.
However, he’s taking a pragmatic approach and sees several benefits that it could bring to the area and the people who live in the villages.
Serious infrastructure investment is promised in the DPD, including improvements to the dangerous Whixley crossing on the A59. Cattal Station already saw £10m of investment in 2020 to increase the number of trains to Harrogate and York.
Kirk Hammerton will also be impacted by Maltkiln
Mr Welton has seen his children and their friends priced out from living locally and he hopes affordable housing can inject some younger blood into the area.
He also hopes the new North Yorkshire Council will be firm with the developers and ensure that affordable housing genuinely is affordable.
Mr Welton said:
“There’s an acute need for affordable housing. Many of our young people come out of university and want to go to Leeds, Manchester or London. They settle down, and they want to come back. We need to capitalise on that talent and make housing available for them.”
“I’m 74 and you can’t have a village full of 74 year olds!”
A criticism of HBC for choosing Green Hammerton over Flaxby was a perception that its residents will be heading in one direction towards York for work and leisure.
But Mr Welton said the majority of his family’s trips are to Harrogate to visit restaurants or the theatre.
He believes Flaxby is “one of the most desirable commercial sites in the whole of North Yorkshire” and that homes built next to a noisy motorway would have made it a poor choice for housing.
He added:
“I do think the location for Maltkiln makes sense. It’s now up to people to make the best fist of it. It’s easy to be negative. We should turn those energies around to get the sort of development that will be an exemplar and people think, wow”.
The DPD for Maltkiln is 88 pages long and the words ‘climate change’ are mentioned on 36 of them.
It’s clear that HBC hopes the settlement will differ from every other large housing scheme in the district it has approved in recent years that have done little to tackle the climate emergency or help the council reach its emission reduction goals.
The government is set to ban gas boilers in new build homes from 2025. It means the homes in Maltkiln should be powered by renewable energy sources such as heat pumps or solar panels.
The document also claims the development will offer a “biodiversity net gain”, which is a planning phrase that means it will leave the environment in a better state than it was before the homes were built.
But when Maltkiln will involve concreting over vast swathes of green fields, it’s an ambition that could appear impossible.
Land in Cattal earmarked for development
Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, said he hopes the developer can be influenced to ensure go further than government regulations around the environment.
He said:
“It’s really, really important we don’t get into lip service and tokenism around biodiversity but it’s going to happen so let’s make sure it happens for best of our community, not just stand back and say I don’t agree with it.”
He added:
“The solution is not to concrete over it, but then the scenario is where do you build the houses? Some people say brownfield but people underestimate the biodiversity of brownfield sites, nature gets everywhere”.
Harrogate Borough Council will cease to exist in less than a year’s time but arguably the biggest decision it made during its existence was deciding to change the face of Green Hammerton, Kirk Hammerton and Cattal forever with the new settlement.
How successful Maltkiln will turn out could be HBC’s ultimate legacy.
Woman bids farewell to pub industry to open Harrogate tanning salonA Harrogate woman has swapped the bar for beds after leaving the pub industry and opening her own tanning salon.
Jade Lacey, 27, launched Be Bronze & Beauty…Ful, on Skipton Road, this week.
The new salon, which is above McCanns barbers, has three sunbeds and offers a range of beauty treatments, including lashes, brows and spray tans.
It has been completely refurbished, thanks to her “handy” dad, and she hopes to employ a nail technician in the coming weeks.
Ms Lacey decided to take the leap and open her own business after working in hospitality for many years.
She was a familiar face at So! Bar and Eats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as the Devonshire Tap House, on Devonshire Place, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Scotton.
But after completing a number of beauty courses during the pandemic, she decided to launch the salon after her dad’s friend offered her the premises.
Inside the salon, which has been refurbished.
Ms Lacey said:
“This came up and I thought why wouldn’t you want to be your own boss? It was a bit daunting completely changing careers, but now I’m up and running, I’m really loving it.”
The irony of opening a sunbed shop on the hottest day of the year was not lost on her.
She laughed:
“I had to close the sunbeds on Monday and Tuesday as it was too hot!”