Keeping in mind the importance of a vision for Harrogate’s future, the Stray Ferret asked Malcolm Neesam to come up with suggestions for making Harrogate more attractive to visitors and residents alike, regardless of cost or planning requirements. This is the second of three articles. Malcolm fully understands that his “visions” may not appeal to everyone, and he submits them as purely private dreams.

Vision 4: A radical blueprint for Station Square

If I had unlimited financial resources and full planning powers, plus the power for compulsory acquisition, I would buy the tower block next to the railway station and demolish it. I would also demolish the single storey shoe box that passes for a railway station, and realise David Cullearn’s vision that the architect of the Victoria Centre once outlined to me. David Cullearn of Cullearn and Phillips, Architects, was the author of the design for the Victoria Centre that won the maximum public support when the designs were exhibited in the Lounge Hall around 1989.

He once told me that his dream would be to repeat the curved frontage of the Victoria Centre on the other side of Station Parade, where the Palladian design would be continued as far as Station Bridge. This would provide the eastern boundary of Station Square with a magnificent stone-faced architectural framework, that would surely overwhelm all visitors arriving by rail and bus.

The Victoria Centre when it opened in 1992. Photo copyright: Walker-Neesam Archive

At the Victoria Centre, I would reverse the alterations of 1999, and restore the surrounding walk way, the top floor’s open air balcony, and the original set of atria which allowed sunlight to flood down to all floor levels. The arid plaza outside would be re-integrated into the Station Square gardens and filled with flower beds, grass and trees, so that visitors could see that Harrogate was indeed a town of flowers, grass and trees.

As for the former railway goods station, hidden away behind the ugly brick wall of the 1938 bus station, a feature of old Harrogate that I suspect is known only to a few people, I would convert this already roofed structure into a permanent market, whose location next to the bus and railway stations could not be improved. The Victorian brickwork would be revealed, and the repaired building would become a valuable amenity.

Oh yes – I nearly forgot. I would restore Station Square’s underground public lavatories!

Queen Victoria monument. Pic: Walker Neesam archive

Vision 5: Cambridge Street

Cambridge Street could do with smartening up and were I to be given unlimited financial resources and total planning control, I would smarten it up in the following manner.

Cambridge Street today — in need of smartening up.

First, I would set up a Cambridge Street retailers group charged with co-operating over such things as improving paving, lighting, planting, seating and above all, signage. I would introduce an element of uniformity by re-erecting the Victorian lamp posts so cavalierly removed and use them as a base for floral columns of flower baskets. The ugly and over-sized plate glass windows would be replaced by windows more in harmony with the buildings in which they are located, with well designed signage.\

Read more:

• Gallery: Eye-catching mural brings joy to Harrogate street
• Strayside Sunday: ‘tarting up’ Station Parade misses the real problem of Harrogate town centre

More could be made of the little garden at St. Peter’s Church, which would be improved by a set of steps from the pavement, and several benches – all of which would be subject to strict no-alcohol rules!

When the first market went up in flames in 1937, the lovely clock tower survived, but alas, it fell victim to the demolition mania of the age, and the intact structure was torn down. It was one of Speyhawk’s proposals to rebuild the clock tower as part of its Victoria Gardens project, which unfortunately was never realised, so I would rebuild the clock tower at the eastern extremity of Cambridge Street to provide it with a “point de view” that would not only hide the ugly and jarring brick wall of the old Bus Station, but would add once again a very useful time-piece to Cambridge Street.

Cambridge Street, 1998, with the old clock tower

And as I’m at it, I would repeat some of the above processes in Oxford Street, Parliament Street and James Street, the last of which would have all the disfiguring coats of paint removed from its stone frontages, with both sides provided with ornamental metal and glass canopies over the pavements, so that shoppers would have all-weather protection throughout the year.

Vision 6: Library Gardens and Princes Square

With my mythical unlimited financial resources and total planning control, my next vision would probably be contentious, but nevertheless remains my vision. I would swap Library Gardens for Princes Square, as was the original intention of the Victoria Park Company. Until 1929, Princes Square was a pleasant and largely residential square filled with gardens and ringed with mature trees. Then, in 1929, the council decided to try to encourage more motorists into the town centre by making it “car friendly”, so to the fury of many of the residents they chopped down the trees, dug out the gardens and turned the central area into a car park.

Princes Square

Today, Princes Square cries out for pedestrianisation, which would still permit traffic to flow along both Raglan and Albert Streets. The square could be provided with grass, flower beds, trees and benches, and would be a great boost for the cafes and restaurants already established there, some of which already set out tables and chairs on the broad pavement. But it could be made so much better, and become a pleasant green oasis only a few yards from James Street.

As for Library Gardens, which were sold to the council in 1885, when it accepted a generous offer from the Carter brothers to convey 4,532 square yards of land at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Station Parade, on the strict understanding that the land would only ever be used to build a Town Hall for Harrogate. This obligation has never been honoured by successive councils, although a start was made in 1907 with the opening of the public library, the first part of Henry Hare’s magnificent plans for a Municipal Palace in full Edwardian baroque, complete with clock tower. Alas, the rest of the superb monumental building was never finished, and its completion is something I would love to do.

Library Gardens

I am appalled by the reduction of democratic control of their own affairs that the people of Harrogate have suffered over the last 70-odd years, and hope that one day the administration of such things as education, highway planning and many more matters will be returned to local people to administer. When that time comes, maybe in 50 or 100 years time, Harrogate’s Municipal Palace will be completed to house them.

In the final part of the series tomorrow, Malcolm looks at ways to improve the Royal Baths and Prospect Square.

When it comes to fitness, it’s time to ditch those over-ambitious New Year’s resolutions, because at the end of the day it’s all about doing what you enjoy and staying consistent if you want to hit those goals.

However, there will always be fads – remember those trainers that claimed to give you Kim Kardashian glutes and those belts that gave you an electric shock?

But what have we got in store for 2022?

Two Harrogate personal trainers give their views on what fitness trends we will see in the New Year.

Lauren Randall 

PT Lauren Randall

Home training

You can see great results from callisthenic (body weight) training and using simple exercise kit at home. To see good results, you want to follow a plan that progressively overloads you. Doing random High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts will help your cardio to a certain level, but if your aim is long-term home training and progression, get yourself a structured plan.

3 Simple Home Kit Essentials:

• • Resistance bands
  • Kettlebell or dumbbells
  • Suspension trainer

Fitbit fanatic

Wearable fitness trackers have been huge for a while and they are great for getting people moving and increasing that daily step count. Incredible upgrades can now help track heart rates, split times, sleep, health markers and recovery like never before!

However, focusing on how many calories are burnt in a session is an ineffective method of progressing your strength and fitness. Not only can these trackers be inaccurate, exercise is about so much more than a number on a watch.

Mental and physical health, energy, confidence, performance and getting out of a chair at 99-years-old are all far more motivating long-term.

The great outdoors

Research shows that fresh air, sunlight and being surrounded by green nature has incredible benefits to our health such as lowered blood pressure, reduced stress, improved mood and healthier nervous systems. Working out in the fresh air leaves you feeling invigorated and energised. Yes even in the rain! Cold water exposure is extremely popular, with outdoor swimming and paddle boarding groups popping up in every town. Check out Wim Hof if you want to learn the crazy effects cold water can have on us.

Now more than ever people are conscious of their health and fitness. There is incredible access to all types of gyms, outdoor training centres, great home kit and technology that can help anyone, anywhere.

My top tip for anyone looking to improve their health this year: Do what you enjoy! It is the best way to remain consistent and have a good time while exercising – even if it is weighted hula hooping, which by the way won’t give you toned abs.

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Louise Roberts 

PT Louise Roberts

What does fitness have in store for us in 2022?

Much as I would love an aerobics revival (who didn’t love that in the 90s?!), I doubt that will happen any time soon.

2020 and 2021 were both equally bleak, yet innovative, years for the fitness industry.

I’ve lost clients to Peleton and other app-based classes and trainers, yet gained Zoom clients elsewhere in the country.

The best thing going forward is that people are now prioritising their health.

In my opinion fitness is not something you can churn out in an app like a sausage factory, people appreciate the personalised customised face-to-face approach.

I’m hoping for no more lockdowns or outdoor workouts. It’s too damned cold.

The main trend for 2022 should be finding the thing you love doing the most, as well as the person to train you that you trust and who motivates you. The stronger you can make yourself by training the right way, the better you can fight and recover from illness.

Work will begin in January to build three ponds for Great Crested Newts at Long Lands Common in Harrogate.

The team behind the community-funded nature reserve and woodland between Bogs Lane and Bilton Lane hopes the ponds will become a flagship for biodiversity in the area.

The ponds will be built in places that already have seasonal flooding and semi-wetland communities.

Surveys have found the common toad, common frog, smooth newt and Great Crested Newts all within 2km of the site. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will carry out the works.

The animals will use the ponds to breed between March and June and will use the habitat that Long Lands Common will provide for the rest of the year.

Read more:

• Newts delay junction 47 A1(M) upgrade near Knaresborough
• Long Lands Common set to open to members for the first time

The Long Lands Common December newsletter says:

“Given the situation of the site close to an existing pond, and with the landscape corridors provided by the railway cutting and Bilton beck, once habitats on-site start to become more natural, it is very likely that this baseline will increase in both diversity and absolute numbers as well as the additional benefits for species diversity and human enjoyment of the site that the presence of the ponds will bring.”

In 2020, around 3,000 people bought shares in the land. The appeal raised £375,000 to purchase 30 acres of land near the Nidderdale Greenway and protect it from development.

An official open day was held on the land for people who pledged money in July.

A detailed plan for the site is set to be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in February. Thousands of trees will eventually be planted there.

Keeping in mind the importance of a vision for Harrogate’s future, the Stray Ferret asked Malcolm Neesam to come up with suggestions for making Harrogate more attractive to visitors and residents alike, regardless of cost or planning requirements. This is the first of three articles. Malcolm fully understands that his “visions” may not appeal to everyone, and he submits them as purely private dreams.

Vision 1: Unlocking the potential of Crescent Gardens

Here, I am referring to the gardens themselves, rather that the building that was until recently the home of Harrogate’s administration.

Crescent Gardens consists of the detached portion of Stray outside the Hotel St. George, and the rest of the gardens to the west of the slip road, which so awkwardly divides the council-owned gardens from the Stray. Although this rat-run is popular with motorists trying to avoid the traffic lights, it really should have been grassed over years ago, to create a single civic space at the heart of the spa area.

The centrepiece of my vision for Crescent Gardens is to complete the architectural frame-work of the unfinished building ensemble, which has the Grosvenor Buildings and the Royal Baths to the south, the Royal Hall and Exhibition Hall “M” to the east, the Hotel St. George and the former council offices to the north, and on the western edge – a small block of public lavatories and the disused Shelter of 1910.

Despite several attempts in the Victorian and post-Great War eras to build something handsome and useful on the gardens’ western edge, nothing was ever achieved. The site has tremendous potential, and the loss of a small strip of the gardens for a new building could easily be compensated by grassing over that awkward slip road and adding it to the main gardens.

Crescent Gardens

Although this land is owned by the council, it lacks the vision and business sense to grasp the development potential. I would commission an eminent, classically-based architect, to design a three or four-storey building on the western edge of Crescent Gardens to contain either offices or apartments in the upper floors and very high quality shops and restaurants on the ground floor.

Built of solid stone, and with elevations to harmonise with the other buildings around the gardens, the development would breathe new life into the heart of the spa area, and complete the architectural framework of this most important locality. The ground level would be fronted with a classical colonnade to protect pedestrians, and the first floor would have as its centre piece a large restaurant with a spacious terrace overlooking the gardens.

I would erect a splendid fountain at the centre of the gardens, consisting of a series of circular bowls of diminishing size to create an attractive water feature symbolic of the town whose old motto was Arx Celebris Fontibus (a citadel famous for its springs).

As for the pretty but under-used Shelter, I would move it 180 degrees on to the grassed area to the north of the Mercer Gallery for use by the gallery to display sculpture or the Park Drag.

Perhaps the new North Yorkshire Council will see the sense in doing something creative with the under-used asset that is the western edge of Crescent Gardens.

Vision 2: Replace the ‘piecemeal bungling’ of the Island site

This is the site bounded by Ripon Road, King’s Road and Springfield Avenue, excluding the land and buildings of the Hotel Majestic.

An aerial view of the Island site. Pic courtesy of Simon Kent.

The development of this key site for the economic prosperity of Harrogate was undertaken with a series of coherent master plans, until 1958, when these were junked in favour of amateurish, piece-meal bungling, which was so incompetent that the subsequent buildings had neither adequate road access nor a single floor level.

My vision for the island site is that I would demolish everything apart from the Royal Hall and the Convention Centre, and rebuild in the following manner to a master plan that ensured vehicular deliveries occurred away from the public highways and footpaths; that all ground floor areas other than that of the Royal Hall were of the same level; with an external architecture that harmonised and enhanced Harrogate’s historic monumental buildings; and, with green open space at its heart as an amenity for visitors and residents and to serve as the centre piece of a leisure and retail complex.

Malcolm would keep the Royal Hall but suggests a complete rethink for much of the land behind it. Photograph: Flickr, Tony Hisgett

Before embarking on my expenditure, I would undertake or commission fastidious research to establish the economic future on which the conference and exhibition business is based, possibly by such a reliable company as Mintel. If such research showed that these activities were likely to continue into the post-covid world, I would include the appropriate facilities in the development specification. If not, I would drop them.

Whatever the result, I would ensure that the new development was targeted at residents and general visitors, with an emphasis on leisure, entertainment, and retailing. After all, this is the heart of the town, and if I could change history, I would have shifted the whole damn development to the Great Yorkshire Showground and kept intact the old railway link that once crossed the site.

As for the new buildings, they would be built over a large underground vehicle park, above which several new structures would frame an open garden accessible to them all. Some of these new buildings would be dedicated to exhibition use, if the demand for this can be demonstrated. Others would contain such leisure amenities as bowling alleys, a trampoline facility, shops, cafes, and office space.

On the important site at the junction of Ripon and King’s Roads, I would reconstruct the most important monumental building ever erected in Harrogate, the Spa Rooms, with a stone facade including the main entrance of six Doric columns with a proper entablature, and the great Georgian internal saloon with its vaulted ceiling, musicians gallery and chandeliers. This would be used to contain a luxury restaurant, and also through its link, a break-out space for the neighbouring Royal Hall. I would also restore the little garden in front of the Royal Hall, long lost under a sea of tar, and replant the chopped down beech trees at the pavement junction of King’s and Ripon Roads.

Vision 3: Create stunning fountains on Prospect Place

Perhaps the most important entrance to the heart of the town is Prospect Place, as it is flanked by an imposing architectural backdrop and also by that wonderful symbol of Harrogate, the Stray.

Culminating at the War Memorial, from which Harrogate’s principal shopping streets radiate, it might be thought that the locality was beyond improvement, but given unlimited funding, I would add something so spectacular as to make visitors arriving at the town’s centre gasp with wonderment.

Prospect Place. Pic: Walker-Neesam Archive

Prospect Place between James Street and Victoria Avenue was at one time fronted by the individual gardens of the private or commercial properties to the east, all of which were converted into the present gardens after the Second World War, Harrogate Borough Council being responsible for their maintenance – a task they perform with great skill.

Here, I would introduce at least four multi-bowled cascade fountains to advertise Harrogate as the original Spadacrene Anglica — the English spa fountain, which would be illuminated at night, and of such a design as to ensure the minimum side effects from wind. Along the low row of boundary stones, which separate the gardens from the footpath, I would add a long ornamental railing, which would be attractive to the eye and useful in emphasising that pedestrians should remain on the path.

Why should earlier attempts to provide Harrogate with handsome water features always be doomed to failure? When a fountain was placed in Station Square after the Second World War, as part of the council’s plan to improve the town’s appearance, an order came from Emmanuel Shinwell’s Department of Power to turn it off, to save energy. A few years later, the council re-introduced a water feature as part of its reconstruction of Station Square, which was eventually filled in.

When Speyhawk remodelled the area outside the Victoria Quarter in 1992, it incorporated pools and fountains, which a subsequent owner was allowed to remove. The time is well overdue to provide Harrogate with some magnificent water features to celebrate its Spa past.

Tomorrow Malcolm gives his visions for the future of Station Square, Cambridge Street, Library Gardens and Princes Square

The New Year Honours list has been published tonight and a number of residents in the Harrogate district have been recognised for their services to charity and the community.

OBE

Donald Parker, from Knaresborough, has been made an OBE for services to education in North Yorkshire.

Mr Parker is chief executive of the Yorkshire Collaborative Academy Trust. The trust runs five primary schools in Yorkshire including Bilton Grange Primary School.

Mr Parker has years of experience working as a headteacher in Yorkshire’s schools.

BEM

Ian Macpherson, from Harrogate, has been made a BEM for services to education.

Mr Macpherson is a percussion tutor who runs Percussive Edge in Harrogate. He said he began playing the drums at 13 and has pursued his hobby ever since.

He has played in numerous bands, as well as several military bands. He joined the army aged 16 and after completing basic training went to Edinburgh and London to train in music.

His military career led him to perform in the 1st Battalion Band of the Royal Scots and he became one of the youngest service personnel to be awarded the coveted Bandmaster qualification at the age of 27.

He now works in Harrogate as a percussion tutor and says over the years he has really enjoyed teaching hundreds of local students. He said some continue to play, including George Farrah who was a finalist in the Young Drummer of the Year 2015. Another student, James Cassells, also from Harrogate, has gone onto perform as part of Asking Alexandra, a rock band now based in Texas made up of men from North Yorkshire.

Speaking about the award Mr Macpherson said:

“I keep pinching myself. When I first received the letter I thought it was some kind of scam but then I saw the royal seal. I keep saying to my wife there are so many more deserving than me, there’s so many frontline workers doing so much amazing work. I am very grateful.”

Mr Macpherson said he owes much of his success to well-known drummer Ronny Bottomley. The former Leeds College of Music teacher has worked with the likes of Cilla Black, Kenny Baker and Dick Morrissey and was the first person to tutor Mr MacPherson at 13 years old.

Mr Macpherson said he hopes to never stop playing but chronic illness and osteoporosis in his upper spine has forced him to reduce teaching to just two days a week.

Read more:

• Starbeck Mums founder urges more parents to join in 2022
• Working on Christmas Day: a Harrogate chef

Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal 

Dr Julian Mark, from Ripon, has been honoured by the Queen for distinguished service.

Dr Mark is the executive medical director for Yorkshire Ambulance Service. He has previously worked at Harrogate District Hospital as senior staff anaesthetist, until 2014.

He chairs the National Ambulance Services’ Medical Directors group and sits on the Clinical Advisory Board for the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (RCSEd) and on the Clinical Advisory Forum for NHS Improvement.

Nothing generated more debate on the Stray Ferret’s social media this year than schemes to promote cycling in and around Harrogate.

There was the Otley Road cycle path, Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood, plans to make Oatlands Drive one-way to vehicles and funding for cycle schemes on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

But the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme proved the most controversial of all.

Gateway: petitions and legal threats 

The scheme aims to transform the gateway to the town near the bus and train stations by reducing traffic on part of Station Parade to single lane and part pedestrianising James Street while encouraging cycling and walking.

How James Street would look.

With funding for the initiative secured from national government, North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, which both support the scheme, ran two public consultations this year.

Both revealed a deeply divided town: some welcomed the opportunity to create a greener town by encouraging cycling and reducing car use; others felt the scheme would merely move traffic off the A61 Cheltenham Crescent and onto nearby residential streets, cause delays on Station Parade and damage town centre businesses.

Matters came to a head at a feisty Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting in February when pro-gateway representatives, led by Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, gave a presentation to a sceptical audience.

Don Mackenzie speaking at the chamber meeting.

It ended with businesses threatening to mount a judicial review to halt the process.

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

A consultation event in Victoria Shopping Centre.

The chamber has called for the scheme to be halted and two residents groups have filed petitions opposing the project in its current form.

The county council is expected to decide next month whether to proceed with the scheme but the early indications are it will press ahead with final designs in the hope that work will start in spring.

Read more:

• New data reveals dramatic impact of Beech Grove closure on nearby roads
• Majority are negative towards Harrogate Station Gateway, consultation reveals
• ‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate
• Victoria Road one-way scheme will stop ‘rat run’, says cycle group

Beech Grove: barriers and cuts across the Stray

North Yorkshire County Council’s decision to ban through traffic on Beech Grove caught many people by surprise in February.

The move aimed to link Beech Grove with the forthcoming Otley Road cycle path and the proposed Victoria Avenue cycling improvements, creating a more connected cycling route around Harrogate.

Tyre tracks on the Stray next to the planters on Beech Grove.

Planters blocking traffic were initially introduced on a six-month trial basis in February but this was extended to 18 months, meaning a decision on whether to extend the scheme will be due after August 2022.

Some vehicles on Beech Grove initially flouted the law by driving on Stray land to bypass the planters.

Data obtained by the Stray Ferret this month following a freedom of information request to the council revealed the move has so far had little impact on cycling journeys on Beech Grove.

It has, however, had a considerable impact on traffic on nearby streets Victoria Road and Queens Road. But the council claims the data reveals there is “no evidence” to support claims that traffic has increased on Cold Bath Road.

Malcolm Margolis on Beech Grove

Harrogate cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis conducted his own survey, which produced higher figures for cyclists. He claimed it proved the initiative was working well.

The issue looks set to rumble on throughout the year until a decision is made on whether to continue the experiment after August.

Otley Road: work finally begins

Work finally began on the much-delayed cycle path in winter when phase one of the project, from Harlow Moor Road to Arthur’s Avenue, got underway.

North Yorkshire County Council hopes the path will improve safety and alleviate congestion along the Otley Road corridor.

Phase one work gets underway.

Phase one was due to finish before Christmas but the council blamed ‘severe weather’ for another delay and said work should now finish in January.

Phase two, from Harlow Moor Road to Beech Grove, is due to start in March.

It is unclear when phase three, from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, will start. That stretch of the cycle lane relies on developer funding from housing built in the west of Harrogate.

The county council is currently working on various plans, including a feasibility study, for phase three.

Oatlands Drive plans scrapped

North Yorkshire County Council announced in February it had received £1m from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund for four schemes to improve the infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

Three of the schemes were for the Harrogate district. They were: the A59 Harrogate Road, Knaresborough, between Badger Mount and Maple Close; Oatlands Drive, Harrogate between Hookstone Road and Knaresborough Road and Victoria Avenue, between the A61 and Station Parade.

The projects for Knaresborough and Victoria Avenue are still due to proceed.

But plans to make Oatlands one-way to traffic and improve the narrow cycle lanes were shelved after 57% of consultation respondents opposed the proposal. They cited the impact on school buses and the creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

Oatlands Drive, Harrogate.

Subsequent traffic proposals for the saints area were also dropped after opposition.

The council said it would commission an Oatlands constituency feasibility study’ to “re-assess opportunities” for infrastructure improvements but so far nothing has been forthcoming.

Traffic continues to park in the cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive. Harrogate Borough Council introduced signs urging motorists not to do it but they appear to have had little impact.

One of the signs on the Stray alongside Oatlands Drive.

A proposal to fast-track the demolition of the former McColl’s supermarket in Starbeck has been put on hold by Harrogate Borough Council.

Fire ripped through the supermarket in July 2018 and more than three years later, the Victorian-era building is still a burned-out shell with much of its roof missing.

Bates & Hemingborough, which owns the building, submitted an application in November to demolish the building under permitted development rules, which allows the demolition of a building without the prior approval of the council if it is deemed a safety risk.

The owner hopes to build new retail and housing units on the site.

However, planning documents reveal the council has written to the owner to say that the council must have the final say on the demolition.

It has requested the owner submits further documents, including a construction and safety plan, details of how the demolition would affect the public footpath and St Andrew’s Church and details of where construction vehicles would park on the site.

Read more:

• Harrogate social distancing planters find a happy home in Starbeck
• Plans submitted to demolish burned-out Starbeck building

Andrew Hart, founder of Starbeck Community Group and the owner of Starbeck Post Office, said he agreed with the council asking for conditions around the demolition but wanted to see quicker progress.

He added:

“The Starbeck Community Group have been in constant correspondence with our councillor, Harrogate Borough Council and the two owners of this property for months now.

“We have been promised real progress by all concerned but in reality we are again facing delaying tactics.”

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the controversy surrounding Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans.

January saw one of the most controversial planning applications in Harrogate for years.

Harrogate Spring Water applied to expand its bottling plant from 0.77 hectares to 0.94 hectares, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, the company offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on private land behind RHS Harlow Carr.

But the idea of felling trees to create more plastic bottles generated anger and triggered a wider debate around how businesses should operate in the age of climate change.

Articles appeared in the national press and there was high-profile intervention from TV presenter Julia Bradbury, who urged the company to think again.

Harrogate Spring Water’s headquarters.

Hundreds of people watched a livestream of Harrogate Borough Council planning committee when it voted on the application on January 26 — considerably more than the usual 20 or 30 viewers for a council meeting.

They heard passionate interjections from councillors and residents opposing the plans, as well as representatives of Harrogate Spring Water saying the expansion was needed to grow a thriving local business and that felled trees would be replaced on a 2-to-1 basis.

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water to submit fresh plan for Pinewoods bottling plant
• Harrogate Spring Water blames pandemic as profits fall sharply

‘Not just any wood’

Sam Gibbs, the Conservative councillor for Valley Gardens, called Rotary Wood “not just any wood” and said he had spoken to many local residents who were “confused, upset, or angry” about the application.

Neil Hind, chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that preserves the Pinewoods, said the “world has changed” since covid, which “has shown the importance of our green spaces”.

In the end, eight councillors on the council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the plans, and four abstained.

After the meeting, Conservative councillor Jim Clark said he hoped the debate around the bottling plant had shown that local issues can be “at the forefront of climate change”.

What happened next?

Campaigners, such as Harrogate woman Sarah Gibbs, who had dressed as a tree outside the council offices each week to protest against the plans, were jubilant. But the vote wasn’t the end of the matter.

Harrogate Spring Water signalled its intention to submit fresh expansion plans.

James Cain, managing director, said in July.

“Our vision is to create a sustainable future for our business as one that supports high quality jobs, drives prosperity in the town and looks after nature.”

The company already has outline permission dating back to 2016 to expand its bottling plant, but the company said it was working on a completely new application and the old application would be disregarded.

But several months on, no new planning application has been submitted.

Organisations such as Pinewoods Conservation Group and the Rotary Club, which planted the trees in Rotary Wood, are still awaiting Harrogate Spring Water’s next move.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is still in the process of talking to all relevant parties. We will communicate any update as and when it happens.”

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the shake-up of local leisure facilities – and ongoing concerns about safety at the new Ripon pool.

Throughout 2021, Harrogate Borough Council has spoken about its ‘multi-million pound investment’ in leisure developments across the district.

The council certainly has ambitious plans: it has built a new six-lane pool in Ripon, drawn up designs for a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and is also planning a two-storey extension to The Hydro in Harrogate.

It set up a new company, Brimhams Active, this year to run its health and wellbeing facilities.

However, the actual cost of delivering the entire package of projects remains unclear.

Ripon £4m over budget

The new Ripon facility, at Dallamires Lane, will be called the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, in honour of the local Olympic hero. It is scheduled to open next month.

A Freedom of Information request submitted to the council by Ripon resident and chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh showed that it is currently more than £4 million over budget at £14,590,665.

The opening is now due to take place more than seven months later than originally planned. Ripon Spa Baths closed in November, leaving the city without a public swimming pool until the new site opens.

The council also still has to deal with ongoing ground stability concerns affecting the leisure centre adjacent to the Ripon pool.

Following the discovery of a ‘void’ near the entrance to the 26-year-old building, further investigation and remedial works will be carried out in the New Year. The centre’s ground floor will remain closed while the work takes place.

The discovery prompted two sinkhole experts to urge councillors to consider finding an alternative site for the new Ripon leisure centre and pool.

Their comments followed a report by engineering company Stantec, which revealed the site could be permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.

When asked about the cost of the remedial work, the council said:

“The costs for the investigation works are not as yet known. Following the investigation works, there will then be assessment of the proposed remediation strategies, together with an assessment of the estimated cost.

“The council would not be able to disclose details of costs until the agreed remedial works are contracted as we view that providing this information may prejudice future commercial negotiations with supply partners.”

The proposed new Knaresborough leisure centre.

New leisure centre in Knaresborough 

The council will consider its own planning application for a new leisure and wellness centre in Knaresborough in 2022, to replace the town’s existing leisure facility.

The proposed new centre will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, a learner pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, cafe, electric car charging points, bicycle storage and play area.

Construction could start as early as spring next year and last for 18 months.

Under the plans, the new building would be built on the playground to the rear of the existing pool, which would remain open during the work.

However, local resident David Hull, who launched the ‘Not On Fysche Field’ campaign has criticised the plans over the loss of the existing play park. The council has said it will create a new play park on the site.

Hydro changes

The council is proposing to demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance at The Hydro and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400-square metre fitness suite on the first floor.

Plans also include refurbishing the changing rooms and pool hall. Five electric vehicle charging points will be added.

The Stray Ferret asked the council how much the works will cost, but did not receive a response.

Those championing the schemes have been quick to hail the benefits.

After the headache of the last few months of 2021, I’m sure we could all use a strong drink when the clock strikes midnight.

Whether you’re isolating and planning to live it up at a virtual zoom party or you’re just chilling out on the sofa watching Jools Holland, we rounded up three simple cocktail recipes from Harrogate bartenders that will help you enter 2022 in style.

So get dressed up (or don’t) and raise a glass to better days ahead.

Pink 75 – Banyan 

Jack Whiting, bar supervisor, said:

“This is a nice one for New Year as it includes prosecco and you serve it in a champagne flute. You can garnish it with orange or put a flower in it, so it looks quite nice. I make it at home with my family all the time. It’s quite easy so anyone can make it.”

Pink 75

Ingredients

15ml Tanqueray gin

15ml Chambord liqueur 

15ml lemon juice 

15ml sugar syrup

Prosecco to top it up

Method

Add all the ingredients, apart from the prosecco, to a cocktail shaker with ice (about half the shaker) and shake. If you don’t have sugar syrup, you can make this by mixing sugar with boiling water and cooling it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pour through a strainer into a champagne flute and top up with prosecco.

Garnish with a slice of orange or a flower.

Espresso martini – Foundry Project

Jody Shearer, bookings manager, said:

“It’s perfect for New Year’s Eve as it is easy to make and the caffeine kick keeps you going through the night!”

Espresso martini

Ingredients

25ml Kahlua 

25ml Absolut vodka 

12.5 ml vanilla syrup or vanilla vodka for an extra kick

50ml freshly ground coffee

Method

Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake.

Pour through a strainer into a coupe cocktail glass and serve with a coffee bean garnish.

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White Stray – Three’s a Crowd

Francesco Deleo, bartender, said:

“This is a good one for New Year’s Eve as it’s a nice looking cocktail and it’s easy to make. People love Kahlua and Frangelico. Your friends will be jealous when you make it. You also don’t need a cocktail shaker.”

White Stray

Ingredients

20ml Jack Daniels 

20ml Frangelico hazelnut liqueur 

20ml Kahlua

50ml (approx) double or squirty cream

Large marshmallow to garnish

Method

Pour the ingredients, apart from the cream, into a whisky tumbler, top with ice and stir.

Top-up with the double or squirty cream

If you have a chef’s blowtorch, use this to toast the marshmallow, if not use gas or a lighter, then serve it on top of the cream.

Francesco Deleo, bartender at Three’s a Crowd, makes a White Stray cocktail.