Harrogate business organisations launch Station Gateway survey

Three Harrogate business organisations have set up a survey on the upcoming £10.9 million Station Gateway project in an effort to gather more views on the scheme.

Harrogate BID, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Independent Harrogate sent the survey out to around 800 of their members.

The aim is to gather opinions ahead of the second consultation of the gateway project, which is currently at design stage, in order to inform a response.

The scheme, which is being led by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, is designed to cut congestion in the town.

It could also see part of James Street pedestrianised in an effort to encourage more walking and cycling.

But, David Simister, chief executive of the chamber of commerce, told the Stray Ferret that more people needed to be consulted on the project.

He said:

“We are coming into the second round of consultation and we are trying to gauge the reaction of businesses.

“That is why we are doing it.”

Mr Simister pointed out that 1,100 people took part in the first round of consultation, but added that more needed to “feel a part” of the process.

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He said that the chamber was also looking at holding an in-person Q&A session between businesses and the county council at a later date.

Following the outcome of the next round of consultation, further detailed design plans are expected in September ahead of a final business case being complete.

A final proposal for the project is anticipated to go before the county council’s executive in December.

As the Stray Ferret previously reported, the county council has anticipated that work could start on the £10.9 million project in February next year.

It follows the recent publication of a 160-page document analysing responses to the first round of consultation to the scheme, which is a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Of 935 people who replied to a consultation question about traffic on Station Parade in an online survey, 49 per cent preferred the one-lane option, 27 per cent preferred the two-lane option and 24 per cent preferred neither.

Of the 934 who replied to a question about pedestrianising the northern section of James Street, between Princes Street and Station Parade, 54 per cent said they were either positive or very positive about it while 38 per cent were negative or very negative towards it.

Stray Views: For goodness sake, save Harrogate Christmas market!

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. See below for details on how to contribute.

Council negativity towards Christmas market is affecting traders

The benefits to the town of the Christmas market are enormous and the increased footfall and spend attests to this. The market is close enough to the town centre for everyone to benefit.

Unfortunately, Harrogate Borough Council this year has decided otherwise. It is saying that “the event plan did not take into account the risk of overcrowding and necessary evacuation procedures, counter terrorism measures and the ongoing risk of covid”.

However this is not the case — the site is open with easy access to the outside, the council closes the roads and there are big concrete blocks at the top of the hill. It doesn’t get overcrowded — it’s less busy than indoor shopping centres, football stadia, nightclubs etc where people are in close contact for more than the guidelines of 15 minutes.

That the council was not in touch with the organisers prior to making this decision reflects very badly on them.

Organising an event of this nature takes a great deal of time and planning and attractions have already been booked, such as the reindeers and Father Christmas! It is very late in the year for stall holders to make alternative arrangements.

I am a local craftsman and rely on events like this to stay in business, and I am only one of many in a similar situation. The government policy at the moment is to get the economy moving again as soon as possible.

Harrogate Borough Council’s negative attitude is hindering this process.

Lyn Grant, Harrogate

Labour’s politics of envy over Julian Smith’s advisory roles

Thank you for giving us details of Julian Smith’s lists of advisory roles. He is obviously highly regarded by these organisations who value his skills and expertise, why otherwise would they recruit him?

The comments of ex-Labour candidate Brian McDaid are wholly inappropriate. MPs on all sides of the House of Commons have similar advisory rolls and provided they are recorded on their register of interests they are quite normal.

Might I add that I have had occasion to seek Mr Smith’s assistance on three occasions since he was elected as the MP for Skipton and Ripon and he has on all occasions responded promptly and met me locally at his regular surgeries.

His re-election suggests he is doing the job by the electors. The politics of envy will never be a worthy news item.

Brian Hicks, Pateley Bridge

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Poor shopping, beggars… is it any wonder people are avoiding Harrogate?

Today I met with a friend from outside the area who was saying how much she used to enjoy coming in to Harrogate to shop but doesn’t come in any more.

The reasons given were so many empty shops, cheap discount stores on what was the upmarket street and beggars sitting and almost partying around the town.

I later walked up Parliament Street and in a doorway just before the old Debenhams store there were five people with drinks, sleeping bags etc and a mess on the pavement that appeared to be vomit.

Is it any surprise that people are becoming reluctant to come in to Harrogate? Do enough people care and if so what can be done about it?

Sandra Fielding, Harrogate

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.

 

Leading the Harrogate cancer charity fighting to save 2,000 lives a year

It’s a little known fact that 2,000 more people die of cancer each year in Yorkshire than the national average.

More smoking, less exercise, pockets of deprivation and variable screening rates are among the causes.

Dr Kathyrn Scott, chief executive of Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research, is leading the fightback:

“We currently have 14,000 deaths a year. It could be 12,000 if we just had better funding and infrastructure.

“”We’ve got this hidden tragedy happening in Yorkshire and we are determined to change it.”

Dr Scott, a scientist, joined Yorkshire Cancer Research in 2008 as an office junior and worked her way up to chief executive four years ago. She’s far from the archetypal scientist, laughing a lot and joking that “I actually like people”.

Yorkshire Cancer Research, which is the largest voluntary organisation in the Harrogate district, has had remarkable financial success in recent years: income has soared from £6.2 million in 2016 to £18.7 million in 2020 and is expected to increase again this year.

By contrast, covid has decimated many charities’ finances — cutting donations, cancelling fundraising events and closing charity shops.

New Harrogate headquarters with wellbeing centre

Yorkshire Cancer Research’s coffers are bearing the fruits of royalties from a drug called Lynparza that it funded Sheffield University to develop.

Royalty income alone increased from £6.7 million in 2019 to £12 million in 2020, which is enabling the charity to press ahead with plans to expand and tackle cancer.

It has opened more shops, employed more staff and is set to announce a move to new Harrogate headquarters, which will include a wellbeing centre where people with cancer can exercise as part of their recovery.

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Wellbeing has become a major focus of the charity’s work and it hopes to open similar exercise facilities across Yorkshire. Dr Scott says:

“For years people with cancer were told to rest, sit down and have a cup of tea and although there’s still a place for that you need to exercise. It can halve the chances of some some cancers coming back.”

The charity, which is currently based at Grove Park Court, expects to reveal its new headquarters in autumn. Dr Scott says:

“We’ve found the perfect site but it’s definitely a secret for now.”

Recruiting more staff and opening more shops

The number of staff has grown from about 40 when Dr Scott took charge to 53 now and is expected to rise to 65. From September, it will trial a hybrid system whereby employees work two-thirds of the week in the office and one-third from home.

The charity, which is the largest regional cancer research charity in England, opened its fourth charity shop in Ripon this year and hopes to have 20 shops within five years.

The charity’s strong financial position has also ensured it hasn’t had to cut funding to research programmes — unlike some other cancer charities during covid. It funds £10 million of cancer research each year.

But for all its success, Dr Scott admits Yorkshire Cancer Research’s overarching ambition to save 2,000 Yorkshire lives by 2025 might not happen on schedule because of the wider impact of covid on cancer services.

Hospital services have been scaled back and people who have discovered symptoms, such as blood in their poo, have felt less inclined to bother their GPs.

But she says people in the Harrogate district have been luckier than most in Yorkshire:

“Harrogate District Hospital has been one of the more resilient hospitals in the sense that it has got a lot of services up and running again quickly. It feels like it’s been an agile organisation.”

Dr Scott, who was born and bred in Bradford but has lived in Harrogate for about 20 years, is a keen cyclist who nominates Norwood Edge and Greenhow Hill as among her favourite rides.

They’re two of the most notorious climbs in the area — Dr Scott will be hoping the charity can continue to avoid such uphill struggles in the years ahead.

Gallery: Harrogate Town fans return for start of season

Harrogate Town fans flocked to Wetherby Road in numbers today for the return of league football.

Supporters packed inside the EnviroVent Stadium to welcome back Harrogate Town as they opened their 2020/21 League Two campaign against Rochdale.

Town fans were robbed of the experience of visiting Wembley stadium for the National League play-off final, which coincidentally was a year ago this weekend.

Fans were then left to follow the club through their laptop and mobile phone screens for most of last season as the covid pandemic saw football played behind closed doors.

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But, after a record number of season ticket sales, the Town faithful are back and hopefully for the entirety of the League Two campaign.

For many supporters, today was the first chance to watch Town play league football in the flesh.

Here’s a selection of pictures from the first EFL game back at Wetherby Road.

Harrogate Town fans returned to Wetherby Road for the start of the 2021/22 League Two season.

Secret Shopper: 7 reasons for men to head to the shops in Harrogate

A bit about me: I’m not a Stray Ferret staffer, I’m a consumer journalist who loves shopping and loves Harrogate. This month, I’ve been checking out menswear. Plus, the sales are on in lots of places, so get out there quick.

The items I have picked are my personal choices – I haven’t been paid to feature them.  

SUMMER SHIRT, OWL, Montpelier Gardens. £80 (reduced from £160)

Everything is half price in OWL: they’re moving so everything must go.  Come September they’ll be in their new premises at number 31 Montpelier Gardens, just round the corner.  Phew. This shirt   As well as plenty of mens’ clothes to choose from, they do some snazzy accessories – I also particularly liked the minimalist, black bags from the cult Tokyo label Indispensable.

Editor’s Choice: “My son loves this shop – it’s one of the best places to buy clothes and gifts for men in Harrogate. I wish them the best of luck in their new home.”

ORTIGIA GIFT SET, Hoopers, St James Street, £53.

Downstairs in the basement of Harrogate’s designer-led department store, there is a small but perfectly formed selection of men’s stuff – clothes, cufflinks, ties, Barbour bits and pieces and games.  This gift sets are not necessarily just for men – I suspect they may be strategically placed as a gift idea.  If you’re a man you could give them to someone else of course, or just enjoy them yourself.  Some of the packaging features manly animals and the scents are quite ‘masculine’ if you need the reassurance.  You get shower gel, soap, hand cream and a candle. And by the way, Ortigia products are vegan and aren’t tested on animals.

FJALLRAVN KANKEN KEB JACKET, Cotswold Outdoor, West Park. £275

No, I don’t know how to pronounce it either, but I like their gear.  You’ll recognize their backpacks, originally designed for Swedish schoolchildren to help prevent back problems, because they’re everywhere.  (For good reason: they’re probably the best backpacks ever).  Scandi design is their thing, and this jacket is made for hardy trekking in all weathers (it has a storm hood!).  So it’s extremely practical and very stylish too.   It’s got a bit of a parka / Liam Gallagher / swagger / vibe.  Tempting.

FRED PERRY GRIP BAG, G23, Cambridge Road £95

Staying with the swagger, you could do worse than rolling up at the gym or to a weekend away with this Fred Perry iconic grip bag.  G23 do lots of other classic casual labels – Levi’s, Carhartt, Hilfiger.  Smart.

 

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VINTAGE SWISS WATCH, Space Vintage, The Ginnel.  £145.

By Montine. I love vintage watches. Gorgeous.

Space vintage also sells old cameras, cufflinks, ties and cravats, leather luggage, clothes, and old Beanos and Superman comics for all your manly needs.

 

GOLF SHOES, Ecco, St James Street. £200

Golf?  Really?  I was quite taken with these as a trainer / fashion type item.

But of course feel free to wear them to play golf as well.

 

RRD JEANS, Lynx, West Park.  £208

Trousers are hard to photograph and without seeing them on you don’t get the full effect. But trust me these jeans are very well cut, flattering and the fabric is – just, well – revolutionary.   It’s a stretchy, super light lycra, which works really well on these clothes.  RRD stands for Roberto Ricci Designs and his background is water sports. He’s taken surfing fabrics and slim cut style into everyday wear.  He’s also Italian and knows what looks good. Lynx also stock RRD chinos (not the sort you see advertised in the back of the Telegraph – RRD chinos are actually attractive) and shorts. Fortunately RRD do women’s clothes too so I might give them a try myself.

 

Letter: Why I love Starbeck

 

In last weekend’s Stray Views Starbeck was described by one of its residents as “worse than Birmingham”. It prompted another resident, Chris Watt, to contact us and write a passionate defence of his community.

I love Starbeck! I’m not from the area. I’m a southerner and only moved here about a decade ago.

But ever since coming here, I’ve been welcomed by the wonderful community and been struck by the great spirit we have. So I was disappointed to see the letter comparing Starbeck unfavourably to other towns and cities.

Now let’s be honest. Starbeck has its challenges. Indeed, Harrogate more widely is a wonderful place to live, but despite its image as an idyllic spa town, it is not immune to the problems faced equally by others.

Across the town, there are areas of high deprivation, substance abuse, anti-social behaviour, crime and a lack of amenities.

These can all be addressed if we all work together as part of a wider community and promote all that is best about Starbeck.

And we have great resources to build on.

Our local schools are well regarded and involved in the community, inspiring pride in the area among our young people.

Starbeck in Bloom has won national awards and brightens our area.

Our church communities provide visible support to our area and work with residents to improve our area.

Harrogate Railway provide football teams and coaching for a range of age groups, provide facilities for community events and are partnering with our outstanding local hospital charity to raise funds for vital health services in our area. Similarly, Harrogate Pythons Rugby Club, also based at Station View, support a range of community initiatives.

Our sports and leisure facilities have also recently been boosted by the re-opening of our local swimming pool after its covid enforced closure.

The Starbeck Residents’ Association is now complemented by social media groups focused on improving our neighbourhood.

Our annual Christmas lights display is always a highlight of any seasonal visit to Harrogate.

We have a vibrant high street. In common with others around the country, this has been badly impacted by the covid lockdown and the rise of online shopping. Our high street clearly needs more care and attention. However, the fact that new and diverse enterprises continue to spring up shows its potential as a shopping hub for our town.

There are, of course, issues to address in Starbeck. But if our local community pulls together, then I strongly believe that the community spirit that I have experienced since moving to the area, can continue to make a real difference.

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Harrogate district records another 77 coronavirus cases

Public Health England figures show that the Harrogate district has recorded another 77 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.

The number of cases have remained steady in recent days. The district’s seven-day rate is now at 262 per 100,000 people.

Elsewhere, the North Yorkshire rate stands at 249 and the England average is 283.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported a covid-related death in nearly four months. The last time a death was recorded was on April 11.

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It means the covid death toll at the hospital since March 2020 remains at 179.

However, latest figures show that the hospital is treating seven covid patients.

Elsewhere, 123,238 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 106,664 have had a second dose.

Coronation Street actor’s pride at inspecting Harrogate’s graduating soldiers

Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton said yesterday was one of the “proudest days of his life” as he inspected graduating soldiers at the Army Foundation College.

The college on Pennypot Lane recruits about 1,500 men and women each year. It’s the only British Army establishment that delivers military training to junior soldiers aged 16 and 17.

Around 750 soldiers graduated yesterday and the accompanying parade, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, featured a flypast from an RAF Typhoon.

The actor, who is gay and a LGBT campaigner, was invited to the event by the British Army and tweeted his pride at being asked:

“To think that 20 years ago a man like me wasn’t even allowed to serve, let alone officially inspect a pass off on the parade square. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the British Army’s tribe.”

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It was the first graduation to take place where soldiers walked under a memorial walkway dedicated to Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Lieutenant Colonel Farebrother MC, commanding officer at the AFC, praised the graduating soldiers.

He said:

“They have had an extremely tough year, coping with long periods away from their families and loved ones whilst becoming the trained soldiers you see before you today.”

Park Parade to close for fire service exercise next week

North Yorkshire fire crews will be taking part in a training exercise next weekend at Park Parade tackling emergencies in high rise buildings.

On Sunday, August 15, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is asking people to avoid the area as they carry out simulated incidents.

Between 10am and 1pm the area will be coned off and the crews will use the new 45m aerial ladder platform from Harrogate fire station.

The training means fire crews can plan how they would react to a fire in a high rise building.

The crews may also use cosmetic smoke around the Park Place Apartments.

The fire service has asked people not to gather around the area, due to high numbers of covid cases.

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Leeds cocktail bar Roland’s set to open late night Harrogate venue

The owners of Leeds-based cocktail bar Roland’s look set to open a late night venue on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

An application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council for a licence to sell alcohol at the new bar, which it says will be open from Monday to Sunday from 10am until 2.30am.

The unit, at 23 Parliament Street, was most recently home to menswear store Moss Bros and is currently empty.

Roland’s website says it serves up “exceptional drinks, great music and a good time”. The Leeds bar opened in 2014 and is situated on 39 Call Lane, one of the most popular streets in the city for nightlife.

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The new bar would be the latest addition to Parliament Street’s nightlife scene, which includes the Harrogate Arms, Revolución de Cuba, Mojo, Wetherspoons and the Viper Rooms.

The Ginnel hosts bars Montey’s and Major Tom’s Social.

Some venues on Parliament Street have struggled to survive in recent years including Jamie’s Italian, Wagyu Bar and Grill and The Restaurant Bar and Grill, which all closed.