Northern Gas Networks has submitted an objection on Tesco’s plans to build a new supermarket in Harrogate.
The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store on the former gasworks in the New Park area of town.
Northern Gas Networks, which sold the site to Tesco for £2.8 million in 2003, is concerned about the potential impact on Harrogate’s gas supply.
The site of the proposed Tesco.
In its formal objection on the council planning portal, NGN said it retained legal rights on a high pressure pipeline at the site that was “instrumental in supplying gas to the town”. It says the legal rights enable it to prevent any building on or near the length of the pipeline.
The pipe cuts across the north-eastern side of the site from Skipton Road to Oak Beck.
It is standard practice for NGN to object to any plans which are close or over a high pressure pipeline. Its objection aims to ensure the company, which distributes gas to 2.7 million homes in northern England, will be involved in the planning process.
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A spokesperson for Tesco said:
“We will consider all feedback received on our application. We will have further discussions with Harrogate Borough Council about the issues raised.”
Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.
Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.
Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about traffic plus access to the site.
However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.
Harrogate country sports shop Orvis is set to close as part of a major restructure of the business.
Orvis, which sells clothes for men and women, fly-fishing gear, dog accessories and walking items. has had a store in Harrogate for about 25 years. It was on Parliament Street before moving to its current site on West Park, which is currently operating a closing down sale.
The US-owned company confirmed that the Harrogate store, which has about eight members of staff, will remain open until the end of March.
Orvis has 18 shops in the UK and it is believed all but one, at Stockbridge near Reading, will close.
The company will re-focus on online sales, particularly fly-fishing equipment.
Orvis was founded in Vermont in 1856 by Charles F Orvis.
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Andrew Jones MP welcomes pause in smart motorway rollout
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has supported the government’s decision to pause the rollout of smart motorways.
Mr Jones was a key advocate of smart motorways during his time as a minister at the Department for Transport between 2015 and 2019.
The government this week shelved any further implementations of the scheme “until five years worth of safety data becomes available” for motorways built before 2020.
There have been mounting concerns about the technology after multiple deaths and near misses have been reported.
Government figures show 38 deaths on smart motorways were recorded between 2014 and 2019, including John Mercer, who died on a stretch of the M1 without a hard shoulder in 2019.
Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate on the issue yesterday, Mr Jones said:
“The pause that has been announced gives us the chance to retrofit, implement and review the stopped vehicle detection technology and perhaps improve it.
“The pace of the development is so fast that I am sure that developments will come into play sooner rather than later.
“We should expect all modes of transport to become busier as we emerge from the pandemic, and that will include our roads. As that happens, road safety must never be compromised, but enhanced.”
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During his time as a transport minister in May 2016, Mr Jones insisted that the rollout of smart motorways was not being done “on the cheap”, as opponents of the scheme had claimed. They said it compromised safety.
At a Transport Select Committee debate at the time, the Conservative MP said:
“Are these things being developed on the cheap? No, no they’re not. This is part of a comprehensive injection of capacity into our national strategic road network.
“This is a key ingredient in our first road investment strategy, that is a £15 billion budget.”
At the same debate, he later added that the government was monitoring the safety of the schemes and that he did not think it was “a question of having a back-up plan or pausing”.
The government has said pausing the rollout builds on its action plan for smart motorways, which includes adding emergency areas and upgrading cameras to detect red X offences.
A new ethical cafe in Harrogate, which provides jobs for people with disabilities, has opened.
Artizan International quietly opened its South-American themed cafe in the former Game unit on Cambridge Road at the start of the week — and it’s already drawing a crowd.
Demand is so high that the cafe is looking to accelerate the renovation of the first floor to make way for more seating.
The charity opened a shop around the corner on Oxford Street in 2020, which helps visually impaired people overseas earn a living by selling their craft work.
However, Artizan International founder Susie Hart discovered there were “countless” young people with other disabilities in North Yorkshire. As a result, she set the cafe on a different path by giving them the opportunity to find employment.
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The cafe serves a speciality Peruvian hot chocolate. All of its coffee, tea and sugar are from Fairtrade sources. It also stocks a range of soups, panninis and cakes.
It is open from 10am until 5pm Mondays to Saturdays. The cafe is closed for art workshops for children on Sundays.
Liz Cluderay, UK programmes officer at Artizan International, told the Stray Ferret:
“The long term aim of the project is very much about reaching local businesses. We want them to see young adults with learning disabilities and just how capable they are.
“Work like this is particularly important because of coronavirus. In the first lockdown they were sent home and, for the most part, their work opportunities have not returned.
“But people shouldn’t come here because they feel sorry for the people who work here. We want customers to come here simply because it’s a brilliant cafe with amazing coffee and food.”
More pictures from inside the cafe
There is plenty of food and drink on offer.
The cafe has been decorated beautifully.
Matthew is cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
Harrogate Town hopes to raise £1,500 tonight to fund a defibrillator on Commercial Street in central Harrogate by selling match-worn shirts.
Shirts signed by captain Josh Falkingham and long-serving midfielders Lloyd Kerry and George Thomson are among those on sale.
A club statement today said:
“The 2020/21 campaign was a historic one for Harrogate Town as it marked the club’s debut season in the English Football League.
“Now you have the chance to own a bit of Harrogate Town history.”
Shirts will be available online from 7pm today on the Harrogate Town club shop. They will be split into categories of £20, £50, £70, £100, and £150 and sold on a first come, first served basis.
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- Reformer Pilates and yoga studio opens in old Harrogate chapel
Reformer Pilates and yoga studio opens in old Harrogate chapel
A Pilates and yoga studio aimed at bringing “a London feel” to Harrogate has opened in an old chapel on Skipton Road.
Alicja Palutkiewicz, launched Empowered Movement Space, which specialises in Reformer Pilates, after spending years teaching in community centres, halls and gyms across district.
Ms Palutkiewicz, who is originally from Poland and has lived in Harrogate for 14 years, started instructing Pilates in 2015, before qualifying as a yoga teacher a few years later.
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She said:
“I decided to open this studio to create a relaxed environment for my students where they can come along, socialise, meet like-minded people, move their bodies and clear their mind.
“Also I wanted to be able to teach from one place, have all my equipment stored there and ready to use whenever needed.”
The studio, based at The Old Chapel, offers mat Pilates, Reformer Pilates and yoga classes, as well as private one-to-one sessions.
The new studio is based in The Old Chapel on Skipton Road, Harrogate.
Ms Palutkiewicz said:
“I am a big fan of Reformer Pilates. I have had one Reformer for numbers of years and was teaching private classes only.
“It’s an amazing piece of apparatus and having a space in a studio allows me to have four of them and make it more accessible for everyone to join and try it.
“Also, when I was looking for a Reformer class, I felt there wasn’t one in Harrogate so I had to travel to Leeds to attend one.
“The main difference between mat and Reformer is that you work with your body weight on a mat and against the spring tension on Reformer, so it is more suitable for people with injuries.”
The Reformer Pilates machines in action.
Ms Palutkiewicz said the old church in which the studio is based provided lots of space and a “really good atmosphere”.
She added:
“I hope my studio will bring a little bit of a ‘London feel’ to Harrogate, as nearly every Pilates studio in London is equipped with Reformers.”
The landlord of Charlie’s Place on Otley Road has described the new cycle path, which has sections shared with pedestrians, as a “disaster waiting to happen”.
Work has continued since November to build the first phase of the new cycle route between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road. It’s part of a package of sustainable transport measures in the west of Harrogate.
Over half of the route will be shared with pedestrians, with only a line of paint to separate them from cyclists, including the section directly outside Charlie’s Place, which has been owned and run by Charlie Tinker for 18 years.
Mr Tinker fears a speeding cyclist coming down the hill will strike a pub patron, who might be standing outside smoking or waiting for a taxi.
He said:
“Cyclists will be coming down the hill at speed, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“It wont be long and by the time we get to summer there will be an accident.”
Contractors have been resurfacing the path again this week, which Mr Tinker said has been an “absolute bloody nightmare” with grit, gravel and cones left outside his pub.
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Mr Tinker said the works, which were expected to have been finished before Christmas, have had a negative impact on trade and are putting customers off visiting.
He said he has complained to North Yorkshire County Council about the disruption but has been ignored.
Mr Tinker added:
“The council haven’t had the gall to come out and see us and to not reply absolutely stinks.”
Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council highways area manager, said:
Premier League appoints Harrogate solicitor as chair“Phase 1 of the Otley Road cycleway is ongoing. While safety audits have been undertaken as part of the design process, the scheme will be subject to a final safety audit and review upon completion.
“The project team is working with the contractors on implementing appropriate signage and lining.
“We apologise for any inconvenience the recent resurfacing has caused. All businesses and residents should have been informed in advance by the contractors.”
The Premier League has appointed a Harrogate-based solicitor as its interim chair for the second time.
Peter McCormick OBE will step into the role on February 1 when the current chair Gary Hoffman steps down.
Premier League clubs unanimously approved his temporary appointment. The clubs will now look for a permanent replacement.
The new role comes for Mr McCormick shortly after he stepped down as the temporary chair of the Football Association. He was succeeded Debbie Hewitt MBE.
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Mr McCormick will remain as chair of the Premier League’s Football Board and Legal Advisory Groups. He previously acted as the chair for the Premier League from 2014 to 2015. He said:
“I am delighted to receive the confidence and approval of the 20 Premier League clubs and the Board as they work to recruit the new chair.”
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said:
“On behalf of the Premier League and clubs, I would like to welcome Peter to this role. He is well known to us all and a trusted pair of hands who will see us through this transition period.
“The board’s aim is to have a new permanent chair in place before the start of next season.”
A Leeds United fan, Mr McCormick is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment lawyers.
Old Spring Well to be renamed Curious Cow in luxury revampA popular family pub on the outskirts of Harrogate is set to get a luxury makeover.
The Old Spring Well, at Killinghall, will be rebranded as the Curious Cow and will reopen as part of the Revere Pub Company, which is the premium arm of Marston’s.
Marston’s has yet to provide further details of the refurbishment, but a spokeswoman from the pub company confirmed the move.
She said:
“The Curious Cow will be reopening as part of Revere which is the premium arm of Marston’s Pubs.”
A recruitment drive for chefs and bar and waiting staff is currently taking place, with the job advert from Revere stating:
“Our premium food and drink offering is at the heart of each experience with Josper charcoal-cooked steaks, crisp wood fired pizzas and hearty Sunday roasts always being part of the delicious seasonally changing menu.”
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The Foundry Project, in Harrogate, is also part of the Revere group, however the spokeswoman said this obviously operated more like a city centre bar than a pub, despite falling under the same brand.
A licensing application has been submitted to change the operating hours of the pub, which is currently still open, including until 1am on a Friday and Saturday.
The Old Spring Well was built on the site of the Travellers Rest pub, which was demolished about 10 years ago.
Harrogate Fake Festival is set to return this summer after a two-year break due to coronavirus.
Tickets are now live for the Harrogate edition of the event, which will be held on the Stray on July 16. Gates will open at 11.45am and close at 11pm.
The event will feature tribute acts for artists such as The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, The Killers, Kasabian and Depeche Mode.
Although none of the acts feature the real artists, the organisers said they all “look, sound and move like the real rock-stars”.
The giant marquee will host the bands as well as a licensed bar. Outside revellers will find a variety of food traders as well as children’s activities.
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The event has been held on the Stray every summer since 2015, except for 2019 when it was moved to Killinghall Moor Country Park, and for the last two years, when it was cancelled.
The company Fake Festivals runs similar events across the country during the summer.
A spokesperson for Fake Festivals said:
After skipping two years, we’re chuffed to be back on the Stray for your annual Fake-Fest.
“We’ve rocked with you guys for many-a-year, so we know this’ll be a belter. We really can’t wait for your party-rocking.
“Round up your mates, get the voices ready and polish your dancing shoes – live music is back in town!”
Early-bird adult tickets cost £32.50 and a family of four ticket costs £95. Young people and those with a disability get a discounted rate.