Queues into road at one Harrogate petrol station amid shortage reports

Drivers queued into a main road in Harrogate to get into a petrol station amid reports of a fuel crisis across the UK.

At around 3pm today a reporter for the Stray Ferret counted up to seven cars at any one time waiting on Dragon Road to get into the petrol station at ASDA.

The Government has urged motorists not to panic buy fuel and has insisted that there is no shortage of fuel.

However, that message does not seem to be getting through to everyone as pictures and videos emerge of queues at petrol stations across the country.

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While there were no queues into the petrol stations on Ripon Road or Skipton Road, drivers had flocked to the forecourt at ASDA in Harrogate.

The queue at a petrol station in Harrogate today.

Barry Thornton, who was part of the queue, told the Stray Ferret:

“I don’t think there is a shortage. It has just been on the news. As I was coming past ASDA I just thought I would fill up.

“There is a big queue but I don’t mind that, you know, everyone is going to be doing the same.

“It is kind of like petrol is the new toilet paper.”

While another driver, who did not want to be named, also said quite simply:

“Yes there is no shortage of fuel. People are just panicking after reading the news and creating these ridiculous queues.”

Fundraising appeal for 50th Stray bonfire

Organisers behind the Bonfire and Fireworks on the Stray have appealed for fundraising help to put on the 50th anniversary event this year.

The Harrogate District Round Table, which was forced to cancel the display last year due to coronavirus restrictions, is hoping to raise £10,000.

Rather than relying solely on bucket shaking on Saturday, November 6, the organisers have set up a gofundme page for the event.

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Volunteers for the group try to keep costs low but they have to spend money on fireworks, transportation of pallets and road traffic management.

If the event does not go ahead or raises more money than needed then the Round Table will donate that money to a local charity.

This year the group has chosen to support the Friends of Harrogate Hospital, which raises money to benefit patients at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The bonfire display is quite eyecatching.

John Carter, who is in charge of organising the bonfire for Harrogate District Round Table this year, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are hopeful that we will get the green light from Harrogate Borough Council in early October.

“Last year was going to be our 50th anniversary bonfire so it was disappointing to have to cancel it, but we did understand why it could not go ahead.

“We are in a very different position compared to last year with the vaccination programme, but we will still encourage people to keep a safe distance.

“After the past 18 months we hope that the Harrogate public will be keen to support the event on our local charity.”

The Round Table is also on the lookout for new members. The group is for young men to make friends and help the local community. Interested? Click here.

Arrest warrant issued for man over Starbeck property closure

An arrest warrant has been issued after a man allegedly breached a closure order at a house in Starbeck.

Harrogate Magistrates Court has issued the warrant for Paul Nelson, 55, who is charged with entering 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck, in contravention of a closure notice.

Leeds Magistrates Court approved an order to close the property back in July.

Mr Nelson is accused of breaching the closure notice by entering the property without reasonable excuse on September 3. But he failed to appear before court yesterday to answer to the charge.

Magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest without bail.

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In July, Leeds Magistrates Court approved a closure notice on both 19 and 31 Avenue Grove.

Simon Mallett, a barrister acting for North Yorkshire Police, told the court there had been “a considerable amount of disorder in Avenue Grove”.

The court granted three-month partial closure orders on the properties, let by landlord John Willis, which means only Mr Willis and one person at each property can enter the premises until midnight on October 12.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, another property let by Mr Willis, in March. This order expired in June.

Tesco launches plans for major Skipton Road supermarket

Tesco has today launched a public consultation on plans to build a major new supermarket on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret revealed this month that the company had revived plans to open a supermarket on the former gasworks site close to the New Park Roundabout.

Further details of the proposals have now been published on the consultation website.

The new store, which is yet to be granted planning permission, would be 38,795 square feet and include a petrol filling station, 200 car parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and 24 cycle spaces. Tesco says 100 new jobs would be created.

For access, a new roundabout would be created on Skipton Road.

The supermarket would be built here on Skipton Road

The website says:

“The proposals for this store are significantly different to the previous planning consent.

“A new planning application will be submitted and if granted, Tesco will start construction as soon as possible.”

Reduce car journeys

There has been an unprecedented level of housebuilding on Skipton Road and Killinghall in recent years and Tesco said the new supermarket would help reduce car journeys across Harrogate.

Andy Boucher, development executive at Tesco, said:

“We are delighted to share our plans with the public for our new store and we look forward to hearing the views of local residents.

“We know there is demand for a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate and this store will meet the needs of the local community.

“This will be fantastic new store which will provide a wide-range of high-quality food and non-food goods, cater for all budgets and deliver benefits for the local community.”

The public can comment on the proposals here until October 10.

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A 20-year history

Tesco has harboured ambitions to build a supermarket on the site for almost 20 years.

The Stray Ferret obtained Land Registry documents that reveal Tesco bought the site for £2.8m in 2003.

It submitted a proposal to build a supermarket there in 2009, which was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2012.

However, Tesco pulled out in 2016 following a changing retail landscape and years of opposition from retailers, which said the supermarket would damage local trade. An Aldi supermarket opened on the retail park just off Skipton Road in 2016.

In 2021, Tesco has signalled its intention to return to opening new large-scale supermarkets in the UK.

This year, it opened its first new superstore in six years in Penwortham, Lancashire. Four more supermarkets are scheduled to open this year.

Your chance to be a DJ at Harrogate Hospital Radio

Harrogate Hospital Radio is inviting people to tour the station and even try being a DJ on air.

The charity broadcaster, which is run by volunteers and based in Harrogate District Hospital, will host an open day from 9am to 6pm on Saturday, October 2,

Visitors will be given a tour of the studios, have the opportunity to watch a show being broadcast live and have the chance to get behind a microphone and take on the role of a presenter.

At the beginning of September, Harrogate Hospital Radio became one of the first hospital radio stations to broadcast on FM.

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Harrogate Hospital Radio chairman Mark Oldfield said:

“This open day is aimed at informing the public of the role we provide to patients within the hospital, as well as hopefully recruiting new members.

“They will be able to find out about our broadcasting journey today, which has taken us from broadcasting from a single room with one turntable, one reel-to-reel tape player and one microphone, to the state-of-the-art studios we have now.

“For those interested in a broadcasting career, Hospital Radio is a great place to start. Some of the country’s best-known presenters, including Chris Evans, began their career this way.

“For those who aren’t looking for a presenting role, we have plenty of opportunities to help behind the scenes. Request collecting is one of the most important and rewarding roles there is.”

You can book a time slot to attend by contacting events@harrogatehospitalradio.org.uk.

Live: Harrogate District Traffic and Travel

Good morning and welcome back to the traffic and travel blog. It’s Leah with you on this cold Friday morning, hoping to help you avoid any problems by road or rail.

Give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media if you spot anything on the roads or are waiting for a delayed bus or train.

The morning blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, I will be back with you on Monday with regular updates from 06:30. Have a lovely weekend.

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8.30am – Full Update 

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Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Ripon Centres.

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8am – Full Update 

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Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Ripon Centres.

Traffic is building here:

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7.30am – Full Update 

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Traffic is starting to build in the Harrogate and Ripon Centres.

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7am – Full Update 

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Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.

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6:30am – Full Update 

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Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.

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Harrogate church opens free wellbeing cafe

A free wellbeing cafe has opened in Harrogate to help people with their mental health by offering a place where it is ‘okay not to be okay’.

The cafe, called Renew HG1, opens weekly at Harrogate Baptist Church on Victoria Avenue to give people a space to help with anxiety or loneliness.

Launched this month, the scheme is part of a wider initiative run by Nottingham-based Renew Wellbeing, which helps churches open welcoming and inclusive spaces in partnership with mental health teams to improve mental and emotional wellbeing.

The scheme has seen more than 100 cafes open across the country, with 22 centres opening in the north of England.

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The cafes offer tea, coffee, games and newspapers to read.

Harrogate’s centre is open every Monday from 10.30am until 12pm and is free.

For more information on the Renew centres, visit the Renew Wellbeing website.

At more than 14 feet, is this Harrogate’s tallest sunflower?

A seven-year-old Harrogate girl has grown what could be the town’s tallest sunflower.

Eirwen Phoenix started nurturing the 14-foot plant when it was only a few inches tall, as part of a school project with the Kumon Centre in Harrogate.

She kept it on a sunny windowsill at first, tending to the plant every day. Soon it was strong enough to go outside.

After around two months the sunflower shot up and is now in full bloom with multiple heads.

It has grown so tall that Eirwen’s parents are concerned it might become a health and safety hazard.

It just kept growing and growing!

Harrogate experienced quite high winds last night and throughout today. So much so that the sunflower has started to lean quite considerably.

So there may just be a couple of days left to see the sunflower spectacle on East Parade near The Hearing Suite.

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An excited and proud Eirwen told the Stray Ferret:

“This sunflower is big, big, big! So maybe the seeds it will produce might be just as tall, maybe even bigger than this one.

“Maybe if there is less wind next time we can keep it up forever. I am not going to go for double, I want to try to reach 100 feet next time.”

Eirwen had to go upstairs to pose for the photo.

Sarah Phoenix, Eirwen’s mother, added:

“At the end of the summer holidays when Eirwen had to submit the final height to her school we had to get the stepladders out.

“Even then we couldn’t reach the top of it. At that point it was just short of 14 feet and it has grown even more since then as it has flowered.”

New food director as Crimple Hall nears completion of £4m refurb

Crimple Hall in Harrogate has appointed a director of food and drink to oversee a new restaurant as part of a £4 million refurbishment.

The family-owned business run by Graham and Tori Watson is expected to re-open in November.

The 19,525 sq ft food hall, restaurant, bistro and event space will seat over 160 people and offer indoor and outdoor event spaces for weddings, parties and corporate events.

Zak Jones, the former owner of The Chancery and The Clerkenwell Dining Room in London, has been hired to head up the restaurant.

As well as experience of running his own restaurant, Mr Jones has also worked alongside Marco Pierre White as general manager at L’Escargot in Greek Street Soho.

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Alongside the restaurant will be a 7,500 square feet food hall and the existing garden centre. The investment has lead to the creation of 60 jobs.

Mr Jones said:

“This is an incredible opportunity to build a first class restaurant with access to the best produce in the region and beyond.

“We have some really exciting plans for this remarkable venue and, as such, I am now looking for excellent restaurant team members to join me.”

The food hall will be open from 8am to 7pm. The restaurant and garden centre will open between 8am and 5pm – with the bar open until 7pm.

Police: no rise in far right activity in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Police has said there is nothing to suggest an increase in far right activity in the Harrogate district despite several shocking incidents this year.

The Stray Ferret has reported three instances of swastikas and anti-semitic slogans appearing in Harrogate and Knaresborough in 2021, including one last weekend.

In addition, racist stickers appeared on the window of a disused shop on James Street in September.

A Freedom of Information request to the police revealed it had logged just five incidents of anti-Jewish hate crime in total in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

So far this year swastikas have appeared on Trefoil Drive and Bilton Lane in January, on the iron bridge in Bilton in August and on Knaresborough castle last weekend.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“These incidents are clearly abhorrent and disturbing. We can assure the local community that the police take such matters extremely seriously.

“It is unclear what the motivation was behind the recent incidents in Knaresborough, and it is not yet known if they are linked or have any connection with the previous incidents of this nature at Harrogate.

“However, there is nothing to suggest an increase in extreme right-wing ideologies or activity in the local area.”

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The constabulary urged residents to report hate-related incidents, such as graffiti and criminal damage, by dialling 101.

The Stray Ferret approached the Harrogate Hebrew congregation to ask if it had noticed any increase in ant-semitic activity but it declined to comment.

The swastikas and a vile anti-semitic message sprayed on Knaresborough castle last weekend have now been removed.

Police said a 49-year-old man was arrested in connection with the attacks in January and remains under investigation.