New Harrogate homes could trigger more pollution, warns conservationist

A conservationist has warned that Harrogate’s “creaking sewerage infrastructure” needs investment to cope with all the new homes.

Keith Wilkinson, who is chairman of Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership and honorary secretary of Bilton Conservation Group, said more pollution was likely without improvements.

His comments come as investigations into last weekend’s pollution of Oak Beck are ongoing.

The Environment Agency, which previously said it was unable to comment during the Queen’s mourning period, gave a brief update today in which it said it had investigated “several” reports of dead fish and pollution and it was “identifying the source of what caused the fish deaths”.

Oak Beck, which rises at Haverah Park and empties into the River Nidd at Nidd Gorge, is classed as a main river by the Environment Agency even though it is narrow.

Oak Beck

Oak Beck looking discoloured this week.

Mr Wilkinson said long-recognised problems with broken and wrongly connected Victorian pipes near The Hydro remained unresolved.

This, along with new housing developments in the area, would exacerbate the issue further, he said.

Mr Wilkinson said:

“North Harrogate’s sewerage system has been operating on optimum-to-overload capacity for at least a decade — before we see the aggravating grey water outputs of the excessive housing expansion on the A59 and Penny Pot Lane.

“In other words ‘we ain’t seen nothing yet’.”

Mr Wilkinson, who was awarded an MBE for services to conservation, also said he wasn’t aware of any plans to develop the northern outfall sewage works at Bilton to cope with the anticipated increase of sewage caused by new homes. He added:

“Their site has many spare acres of unused land — it occupies 56 acres in total — but I detect no suggestion that there will be significant investment in new infrastructure to increase its capacity to receive and process more inputs.”

Oak Beck fish deaths still a mystery

Contaminated water on Oak Beck stretched from The Hydro to Bilton this week. Mr Wilkinson said the watercourse would take three years to recover.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said yesterday it was “still on site, trying to investigate possible sources” of the contamination. He added initial tests had shown the cause was not sewage.

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Northern Gas Networks said the pollution is unconnected to work it is carrying out on the site earmarked for a new Tesco.

Mark Johnson, senior project manager at NGN, said:

“We’re currently undertaking work to safely dismantle the gas holder on Skipton Road and all of our discharge takes place into the main sewerage system, as is required.

“Following reports of a possible contamination at Oak Beck, we’ve been liaising closely with the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water, both of whom have confirmed that there is no connection with our work. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

 

 

More Harrogate district covid booster clinics in coming weeks

People in the Harrogate district are urged to book their covid booster vaccines as more clinics are set to open.

Currently, appointments are being offered at the Yorkshire Events Centre and Chain Lane vaccination centre in Knaresborough as well as some local surgeries.

The autumn booster campaign began across most of the UK last week, with care home residents being vaccinated first.

Those aged 65 and over are now being invited to have their booster vaccine.

In Harrogate, some appointments will be available at the Great Yorkshire Showground’s Event Centre, although booking is advised via the NHS website or by calling 119.

A clinic was held from Monday to Thursday this week and another will take place in three weeks’ time.

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In Knaresborough, Homecare Pharmacy Services are offering a clinic at Chain Lane on Wednesday (September 21) and Saturday (September 24). Both clinics will be held from 9am until 4pm.

Other sites delivering autumn vaccinations in the Harrogate district include Ripon Spa Surgery, Kingswood Medical Centre and East Parade Surgery.

Appointments at the site must be booked through the NHS. Patients are urged not to call surgeries to book their vaccines.

Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said: 

“There is no room for complacency in keeping covid-19 on the backfoot, and this autumn booster will help protect those most at risk.”

Harrogate’s Archie Gray signs scholarship with Leeds United

Archie Gray has signed a two-year scholarship with Leeds United.

The 16-year-old footballer is one of the club’s most highly-rated youngsters and joins nine other prospects in signing new deals.

The academy, which is based at Thorp Arch near Wetherby, offers players a variety of educational programmes including the BTEC diploma and A Levels that they can learn alongside developing their football skills.

Gray recently completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate.

The midfielder is yet to make his full debut for the club but has been named as an unused substitute in the Premier League.

On the final day of last season, he celebrated the club surviving relegation in the dressing room before going to sit his exams the next day.

Leeds United said:

“Everyone at the club wishes our new scholars well as they begin, or continue with, their Leeds United journey within our academy.”

Archie Gray (4th from right)

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Changes to Harrogate district bin collections for Queen’s funeral

Changes to bin collections across the Harrogate district have been confirmed for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that all collections will take place a day later than usual from the day of the funeral which is being marked with a bank holiday on Monday 19 September.

This will affect garden waste, refuse and recycling collections, and all household waste recycling centres will also close on Monday.

The date changes for bin collections are as follows:

Normal collections will then resume on Monday 26 September.

Meanwhile, all council-run leisure centres in the Harrogate district will also close on Monday “to allow the team to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the council said.

Customer services for both the borough council and North Yorkshire County Council will also be unavailable on this day when Harrogate’s Civic Centre will close.

Anyone who needs to get in touch with the borough council in an emergency should call 01423 556300.

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New Harrogate craft beer bar set to open next month

A new town centre craft beer run by the owners of Husk Beer Emporium could be open by the end of October.

Friends Danny Duckworth and Tom Gill have had a shop on King’s Road for the last couple of years.

It’s become a haven for craft beer lovers, selling a wide range of beers with idiosyncratic branding and flavours.

They will soon be creating their first bar in a former restaurant on Station Square and will keep the Husk name.

The friends received the keys from the landlord this week and are now busy refurbishing the premises ahead of opening, which Mr Gill said is likely to be late October or early November.

The bar will be in a unit previously home to Souvlaki restaurant on Station Square

The ground floor bar will have 10 craft beer lines as well as a selection of bottles and cans. It will also serve tea and coffee as well as cakes and cheeseboards.

The shop will move from King’s Road to downstairs below the bar.

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Mr Gill said it was “exciting but also nerve-wracking” to be opening.

Rising energy bills are on the mind of every business owner at the moment and he hopes the new Chancellor will cap bills for businesses in next week’s emergency budget.

He said:

“Some bars in Leeds have seen 200% to 400% increases on their energy bills. That’s pretty scary.”

Over the last decade, Harrogate has welcomed many new craft beer bars including North Bar, the Disappearing Chin and the Harrogate Tap.

Handily, the bars all follow a trail for drinkers, which Husk will be part of.

They also hope to apply for a pavement licence so drinkers can sit outside. Mr Gill said he believed his business will benefit from the proposed Station Gateway scheme that is set to transform the area and pedestrianise James Street.

He added:

“I can quite easily see the negatives [of the Station Gateway] but for us it will help increase footfall and help to create a ‘cafe culture’ around Station Square.”

To find out more about Husk Beer Emporium visit its website.

Road clear after lorry sheds milk load on Hookstone Chase

Traffic is moving as normal on Hookstone Chase after a lorry shed its load of milk.

The incident happened near to the retail park in the area this morning and police had warned of delays.

North Yorkshire Police officers were on the scene to assist in clearing the lorry.

A police statement added:

“Please be patient whilst we deal with this incident.”

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Most Harrogate hospital operations to go ahead on Monday

The majority of planned operations at Harrogate District Hospital are set to go ahead on Monday.

Staff at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have been contacting patients after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was made an official bank holiday.

The trust said that of 35 operations due to go ahead on Monday, 33 were still due to proceed.

Two non-urgent operations have been cancelled. The hospital said one was rescheduled on request of the patient.

The trust said in a statement:

“We are working hard to deliver as many of the appointments and operations that have been booked to take place on Monday, September 19, as possible.

“By the end of this week, we will contact anyone who has an appointment, endoscopy or operation on that date to let them know if it is going ahead as planned or not.

“We would ask anyone who might be affected to please wait for the call from out teams.”

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It comes as hospitals across the country have been told to contact patients ahead of the bank holiday to inform them of whether their appointments are going ahead.

In a letter to all English hospital trusts, Dr Ursula Montgomery, director of primary care at NHS England, said:

“For patients with planned appointments that are affected by the bank holiday, please ensure they are informed in advance of any changes by utilising direct patient communications. 

“Where planned appointments are going ahead it is important this is also confirmed with patients.”

No bonfire on the Stray in Harrogate this year

Harrogate’s main fireworks night event on the Stray will take place this year without a bonfire.

Last year Harrogate and District Round Table celebrated the 50th anniversary of organising the free-to-attend charity fundraising event

It will return this year on Saturday, November 5 and although there will be fireworks there won’t be a bonfire.

Andy Rickard, who is responsible for planning this year’s event, said:

““I know some people will miss the bonfire, and we certainly haven’t ruled out having a bonfire in future years, but we thought it was time to try something different.

“I’m incredibly excited about this year’s event and can’t wait to see everyone there.”

Mr Rickard said feedback from last year indicated most people attended for the fireworks and were ambivalent about the bonfire.

The cost and logistics required to source and move suitable wood were also factors for what aspires to be an environmentally sustainable event.

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However, the event will start earlier, include fairground rides and see local groups perform on the stage, which will be moved to a more prominent position.

Besides the usual firework finale, visitors can expect to see fire performers as well as local entertainers on the stage.

Stray bonfire 2021 Pic by Tyler Parker

The fireworks will be back. Pic by Tyler Parker

The district Scouts and commercial vendors will sell food.

Craig Stephenson, chair of the Round Table, said:

““It’s great to see new ideas and innovation in this community event and I know that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to put together a fantastic programme, which we look forward to announcing in the forthcoming weeks.”

The event will open at 4pm on the Saturday afternoon and culminate with the firework display at about 7.30pm.

It will be free to attend with net proceeds from donations going to a local charity.

The Round Table charity raises funds for local good causes through events such as Harrogate Beer Festival.

It also provides community service events, such as The Old Peoples Lunch and The Stray Charity Fireworks.

Generating over half a million pounds in the last 15 years, it has awarded grants to individuals and organisations supporting the young, old, sick or vulnerable and anyone in need.

Decision due on cuts to Harrogate’s night-time fire crews this month

A controversial plan to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one is set to be decided by the county’s police, fire and crime commissioner this month.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe is assessing feedback from a consultation and is expected to meet with her executive board for a decision in September.

She has continually insisted that the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service would “continue to provide an immediate emergency response” under the plan as emergencies are less likely to occur during the night.

Yet union officials and councillors remain concerned about the proposal which has been described as “putting money before lives”.

The plan is part of the fire service’s new risk and resource model, and a three-month public consultation ended in August.

According to the commissioner’s website, a consultation summary report will be presented to the executive board for a decision before the final risk and resource model is published.

If approved, it will pave the way for a new strategy on how the fire service will deploy its staff and equipment over the next three years.

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There are similar proposals for fire stations in Scarborough and Huntington which commissioner Metcalfe said along with the Harrogate plans would save over £1.5 million a year to allow for investment in fire prevention

She also insisted the proposals are not cost-cutting measures and have been based on “extensive risk assessment”.

However, concerns remain over public safety and the amount of government funding that the fire service receives.

The North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union previously said the fire service’s finances have left it “struggling to buy the basics” and that around £25 million is needed to replace out-of-date buildings, vehicles and equipment.

Union secretary Steve Howley also said the risk and resource model plans would leave the county with a “second-rate emergency response service that will put lives at risk”.

He said:

“A decade of under investment in the fire and rescue service has dovetailed with an increase in response times both locally and nationally,

“The police, fire and crime commissioner needs to fight for the correct funding from government, not simply mask underfunding by slashing services.”

Harrogate man stole £24,000 watch from Rudding Park Hotel

A Harrogate man has been given a community order after stealing a £24,000 Rolex watch from Rudding Park Hotel.

Jake Perks, 32, of Jennyfield Drive, pleaded guilty to theft when he appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The court heard how Perks had visited the hotel on a spa day with his girlfriend on April 22 this year.

The named victim, who owned the Rolex GMT Master II watch, had left it in the changing rooms to go in the shower.

On his way out of the hotel sometime later, he realised he did not have his watch on and could not find it in the hotel.

The Rolex was reported stolen to police and Perks later made a full admission to taking it after noticing it in the changing rooms.

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The prosecution said he handed the watch into police after it was in his possession “for a number of weeks”.

His defence lawyer said it was “an offence committed on impulse” and that he had no previous criminal history.

“He accepts that he has taken the watch and it was out of character.”

The defence added that Perks had been going through a long divorce with his ex-wife and had personal issues.

The magistrates said they accepted that the matter was “an unfortunate lapse in judgement”.

However, the court issued Perks with a community order and ordered him to carry out 60 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and £85 court costs.