A new theatre company is to give its first performances this month with an all-female cast.

Actor Tony Kirkland set up HG1 Productions last year after he moved to the area and wanted to get involved with the local arts community.

The company aims to produce lesser-known plays about topical issues.

The first shows, called Doris Day and Fatal Light, are two short plays performed by an eight-person cast depicting the realities women face in the criminal justice system.

Doris Day, written by E V Crowe and directed by company member Fiona Hunt, follows the lives of two new female police officers as they negotiate the subtle misogyny they encounter every day.

Fatal Light, written by Chloe Moss and directed by Tony Kirkland, looks at the life of a struggling single mother who falls through the cracks of social services and the justice system.

Both plays last around 45 minutes and will be performed at St Wilfrid’s Church in Harrogate on January 21 and 22.

Ms Hunt said:

“The aim was to create something unique and I think we’ve done that. It’s really exciting for me — similar to Tony I moved to Harrogate last year and wanted to get involved in the arts community.

“I’ve found HG1 Productions to be a really good way to do that, there’s already a lot of great arts groups here but we’re hoping to do something a little different.”

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The female cast ranges in age from 12 to 50s. It is hoped the company’s debut performances will generate an eagerness for further productions.

Mr Kirkland said he is always looking for more people to get involved in future shows, both backstage and on stage. He can be contacted at kirklandanthony@hotmail.com.

To find out more about the forthcoming shows, click here.

An investigation by the Stray Ferret has revealed that Harrogate’s Royal Baths have massively under-performed as a commercial investment since they were bought by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018.

The council bought the Grade II listed building for £9 million in 2018 as part of a wider strategy to become more entrepreneurial to plug its declining budget from central government.

But the Baths have only generated about a third of the income expected, raising questions about the wisdom of the decision to buy it, as well as whether the council has the necessary business acumen to invest taxpayers’ money in such schemes.

The council was accused of making a “trophy investment” last month when one councillor said he was “absolutely’ speechless” by the £9 million sum paid for the Baths.

It has now emerged that rental income is way down on what was predicted in a confidential report to councillors before they agreed to buy it.

Prepared to pay £10m

The report, which has now been made public, reveals the council was prepared to pay up to £10 million for the Baths, which included four commercial units.

At the time, they were J D Wetherspoon, The Potting Shed bar, the Viper Rooms nightclub and Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant. The Potting Shed subsequently closed.

The report forecast the Baths would generate annual income of £500,940.

But gross income received in the three years since then was just £613,000 — way down on the £1.5 million expected. The council has also incurred maintenance and other costs of £222,000 on the Baths to the end of March 2021, further reducing the income figure to £391,000.

Read more:

• Council accused of ‘trophy investment’ for £9m purchase of Harrogate’s Royal Baths
• Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant reveals plans to re-open
• Council warns of ‘ financial pressures’ despite government funding

Philip Broadbank

Councillor Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck on the county council, said

“The price for the Royal Baths investment seems to be high and the rate of return has been very disappointing and needs to improve.

“The Royal Baths complex is in a central position in Harrogate town centre but margins need to improve quickly for council taxpayers to see some financial benefits. It is vital that all the units are let and fully operational and officers need to ensure that happens soon to help the local economy.

“The periods of closure have been significant and challenging and the poor rates of return need to be substantially improved if taxpayers are to have confidence that the investment policies are to work satisfactorily financially.”

‘It will end in tears’

The council has not been helped by lockdowns, which have affected all three surviving businesses. The Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant remains closed but plans to re-open this year.

Stuart Parsons

Nevertheless, Councillor Stuart Parsons, who represents Richmond and is the Independents group leader at the county council, said the financial performance of the Baths was worrying and predicted the council’s attempts to generate income in new ways would “end in tears”. He said:

“There’s always that belief in local government that they have expertise and can deliver anything but they are experts at delivering services rather than property projects.”

He said the council had been “absolutely strapped for cash by central government for 11 years” and was being encouraged by ministers to find new sources of income to “shore up shortfalls”. But he added:

“We have seen a number of councils fail because they have taken on projects like renewable energy and are unable to deliver them.

“They will try their hardest in North Yorkshire but they don’t have the necessary expertise to drive things forward. This will be one of the black marks against the Conservative government. It will end in tears.

“Councils should not be trading. They should be providing services, not building houses or power plants. If they had kept the £9m it could have been used to help people in desperate need in social care.”

Cllr Parsons added it was concerning that major spending decisions involving taxpayers’ money were being made on the basis of such inaccurate forecasts.

“If they are basing their finances on estimates that are unsound then something seriously needs to change.”

North Yorkshire County Council offices in Northallerton.

Councillor Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of the Conservatives on the county council, has been one of the key supporters of the Baths investment.

The Stray Ferret sent him some questions but he did not reply.

‘Better than treasury returns’

A council spokesman said it received legal advice and a surveyor’s report and undertook comparative market analysis to support the business case and necessary due diligence before buying the lease on the Baths from M&G Property Portfolio.

He added the investment “continues to stand up against the alternative investment opportunities where cash returns amounted to an average return of 0.19% p.a. at Quarter 2 21/22”.

Gross income received to the end of 20/21 was £613,000 and standard treasury returns would have generated £152,000, the spokesman added, and therefore the investment “has realised £461,000 of additional benefit to the council and its taxpayer when compared to our standard treasury returns”.

He added covid and lockdowns had had a significant impact since the Baths were bought in 2018.

“Our tenants, in the hospitality sector, have been significantly impacted by the pandemic with extended periods of enforced closure during 2020 and 2021. We are working with them to reach reasonable terms on recovery of arrears where possible.

“National regulations in force until late March 2022 prevent us from evicting tenants that have fallen into arrears as a result of covid.

“All retail and hospitality suffered significant periods of closure and financial challenge throughout the pandemic. The Harrogate Royal Baths is a local asset and we remain confident that Harrogate and the Royal Baths itself will recover from the pandemic and continue to contribute to the Harrogate and North Yorkshire local economy.

Besides the four commercial units, the purchase of the Baths also included two further units held on long-leases by Harrogate Borough Council at a peppercorn rent occupied by the tourist information centre and the Turkish Baths, as well as two car parks similarly let on long leases at nominal rents.

The council set up the Brierley Group of firms, ranging from house builders to lawyers, in 2017 to bring together council-owned companies and find new ways of making money. However, last year it reported a loss of £639,000.

Further losses are forecast for the current financial year.

The council warned last month it faces “enormous financial pressures” and needed to find £19 million in savings.

The vaccination centres at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and Ripon Races reopen today for the first time since Christmas.

The two sites are run by Yorkshire Health Network, which represents the 17 GP practices in the Harrogate district.

The Yorkshire Event Centre at the showground will open for booked appointments from 11am until 8pm. Appointments are still available.

The site will also accept walk-ins from 11.30am today but people choosing this option may have to wait because bookings take priority.

The showground will be open at the weekend from 8.30am to 5pm for booked appointments and from 9am to 4pm for walk-ins.

All the clinics are for first, second or booster jabs for over-18s. Special clinics for 12 to 17-year-olds are put on separately.

Ripon Races will be open tomorrow and on Saturday at the usual times of 8:30am to 5pm for booked appointments and 9am to 4pm for walk-ins.

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Staff and volunteers at the Yorkshire Event Centre are due to relocate to another building at the showground on Thursday and Friday, ready for the Saturday clinic.

The new site is currently contracted for use until March. A decision on fourth vaccinations has yet to be taken.

The funeral of Harrogate singer-songwriter Aaron Bertenshaw will take place at St John’s Church in Bilton tomorrow.

Aaron, a former pupil at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died suddenly aged 26 last month. He had struggled with diabetes and mental health issues.

Everyone is welcome to attend the service, which begins at 11am. A wake will be held afterwards at The Empress on the Stray.

For those unable to attend, the service will be broadcast live on the church’s Facebook page.

Sammy Oates, Aaron’s mother, has said the service will be an upbeat celebration of Aaron’s life and asked people not to wear black suits.

Donations will go to Diabetes UK and CALM, the campaign against living miserably.

A fundraising page set up by Sammy to help people with diabetes overcome mental health problems has so far raised almost £6,000. You can donate here.

Sammy is campaigning to make it easier for people who suffer from mental health issues and diabetes to receive treatment that addresses the two issues together.

Read more:

• Fund set up in memory of Harrogate musician Aaron Bertenshaw
• Jam session at Blues Bar tonight in memory of Aaron Bertenshaw

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 third of three articles. Malcolm fully understands that his “visions” may not appeal to everyone, and he submits them as purely private dreams.

Vision 7: Royal Baths

With my unlimited budget and full planning control, my next vision involves the Royal Baths, and let me explain immediately that contrary to what some might guess, my vision does not consist of restoring the building as a working Spa, as I am not convinced the market for such an amenity exists in Harrogate today outside small, private luxury hotels.

The Royal Baths should remain at the heart of Harrogate’s leisure and entertainment area.

Instead, I see the Royal Baths building as being at the heart of Harrogate’s leisure and entertainment area, and consequently, I would leave the bars and restaurants in the 1897 building intact. As for the former Lounge Hall, I would restore this as Harrogate’s ‘town’s hall’, or an assembly space for use by local groups, Mayor makings, school prize days, fashion shows, or simply as a place of assembly with refreshments still being available, but on a far reduced scale to the present situation.

It was, in my opinion, very wrong of Harrogate Borough Council to have disposed of the lease of this complex for such a long period when the place was built using public money for the whole community. But let that pass, as the centre-piece of my vision for the Royal Baths is outside the former Lounge Hall.

When the council allowed the block of flats known as “Royal Baths 2” to be built, it ensured it had an underground car park, yet for the adjoining site between the former Fountain Court and the road at Montpellier Gardens, it approved its conversion into a surface car park! This was a gross waste of one of the most valuable building sites in Harrogate. And to add to the bad decision, it allowed the lovely Fountain Court to be torn down in an act that provided for a mere nine cars. I would construct an underground car park here, and restore the Fountain Court, but giving it a glazed roof, so that it could be used throughout the year.

Fountain Court 2001: Walker-Neesam Archive

But my most ambitious work would be between the restored Fountain Court and Montpellier Gardens, where on the site of the long demolished New Montpellier Pump Room I would build a four-storeyed replica of an old Harrogate coaching inn, complete with galleried courtyard, which would be filled with whatever catering, accommodation and entertainment facilities the market was judged to require. It would need to be attractive and picturesque, to draw as many visitors as possible, and would be a major enhancement for the Montpellier and Royal Parade Quarters.

Vision 8: Prospect Square

The large urban space bounded by Cambridge and Prospect Crescents, St. Peter’s Church, the Yorkshire Hotel, and – across the busy road – the old Pier Head, certainly has as good a claim as any to be regarded as the heart of Harrogate.

Pier head lavatories and terrace: Pic: Walker-Neesam Archive

As its last makeover came from the experimental pedestrian zones of the 1970s and 1980s, with little subsequent change, it makes a good candidate for the last of my series of visions for the future.

The first thing I would do, if I had unlimited funding and full planning control, would be to re-open the suites of underground lavatories at what is facetiously called Pier Head, which the council built on the Stray after the passing of the 1893 Harrogate Corporation Act. The location, opposite the junction of Prospect Place, James Street, Cambridge Street, Parliament Street and Montpellier Hill was perhaps the best site in the town for such an amenity. As this location was within 75 yards of Hopewell House (now Bettys) the 1893 Act required that it be built underground.

To comply with this requirement, the corporation removed soil from the crown of Montpellier Hill, built the lavatories, and covered them with the excavated soil, thus giving the impression of subterranean construction. Work does not seem to have begun until 1896, and progressed slowly, in that the brick structure was not ready to receive its disguising “ornamental rockery” until January 1897, when the council discussed tenders. On June 2, an advertisement appeared for male and female applicants who would be required to work from 9.00am to 9.00pm each day, including Sundays, at a wage of twenty shillings a week for the man and fifteen shillings a week for the woman.

These wonderfully constructed public lavatories remained in use for nearly a century, until the council, still reeling from the lamentable mishandling of the Conference Centre affair, took the frankly stupid decision to close them to “save money”. The power and water were disconnected, and the entrances filled in with soil. I am sure that 95% of the present council has no idea they are there. Given the wonderfully convenient location of the Pier Head lavatories, it would be sensible to restore and properly staff them, and this would be my first goal for this location.

Prospect Square

Read more:

• Council accused of ‘trophy investment’ for £9m purchase of Harrogate’s Royal Baths
• Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant reveals plans to re-open

For the rest, I would close the short length of road in front of Cambridge Crescent, to link the central war memorial to the Crescent, and I would pay for a facsimile of Samson Fox’s sensational Water Gas candelabra. This was built by Fox as a demonstration piece for his water gas plant. It consisted of a “gigantic lamp of four tiers of branches, each branch have 12 double branch light, making a total of 48 brilliant lights”.

The Water Gas experiment was a great success, with Parliament Street lit to great effect, so much so that by autumn, the press reported visitors were coming from far and wide to see how the Mayor of Harrogate “had bottled the sun”. Despite the overwhelming brilliance of the Fox Water Gas candelabra, its energy consumption was enormous, so its modern use would have to be minimal. I would also floodlight the whole of Prospect Square and the War Memorial as – hopefully – an attraction for residents and visitors alike.

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.\

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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.

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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.