‘New normal’ will be good for Harrogate, says new BID manager

The new manager of Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) says he is confident the town centre will survive the covid crisis and that the ‘new normal’ will be favourable to the high street.

Matthew Chapman, who joined the organisation from Huddersfield BID, is set to take up the role officially from May.

He said the biggest concern was the “different levels of appetite” for people to get back out onto the high street and how to manage that demand.

As the economy continues to reopen under the government’s “roadmap”, Mr Chapman said it would be a challenge for businesses to adapt to the lockdown easing.

He said:

“On the small conversations that I have had with people, I think the biggest concern is different peoples’ level of appetite to get back out and about.

“A lot of people will still want to keep two metres apart, a lot of people will still want to wear masks, whereas other people are just ready to get back to normal.

“I think managing that as a business is probably going to be one of the challenging subjects over the next couple of months as we get to the magical date in June.”

Ahead of the anticipated demand, Mr Chapman will launch a new app to help businesses advertise their deals.

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The app will be a place for local traders in the town centre to advertise their own deals, competitions and different “interactive trails”, such as a craft beer trail.

Mr Chapman said the app could help people to discover different parts of the town centre.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate town centre.

When asked how it would help businesses after the pandemic and what the thinking behind it was, Mr Chapman said:

“I think the thinking behind it is to showcase the best of the town so that it is all in one place, the deals, the competitions and the interactive trails.

“It’s one place that people can find and showcase the best of the town. As well as that, it’s another vehicle for businesses to promote themselves in an interactive and digital way.”

‘The new normal is really favourable to the high street’

The pandemic has taken its toll on retail and hospitality alike, with one Harrogate hotel boss admitting that hospitality had “lost its sexiness” due to covid.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, has warned that footfall will continue to decline in the town centre without change after covid.

However, it was revealed on Friday that the percentage of vacant shops in the district had fallen to 6.8% in March compared with 8.6% on the same time last year.

But, Mr Chapman said he was confident that the town centre will survive the past 12 months of the pandemic.

He said:

“We’ve talked about the changes that are needed, but I think there is a huge appetite for people to come out and support the town centre.

“I know before there was concerns about whether people would want to come back to the high street and would people want to come back out. 

“But, in all honesty, I think the concerns are more around how we manage the demand. I think there is going to be lots of people coming back out.

“I think the ‘new normal’ is really favourable towards the high street.”

Stray Views: one-way proposals spark safety concerns in the Saints

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.

One-way traffic safety concerns

I fully support the changes specific to Oatlands Road, including the 20mph speed limit, double yellow lines along the Stray and additional safety crossings that will improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. But I am really not sure if speed bumps help. Experience in St Winifred’s Road shows that people tend to accelerate between them.

However, I do not support the introduction of one-way controls at St Winifred’s Road and St Hilda’s Road.

Under this proposal, all traffic from Oatlands wishing to enter St Hilda’s Road, St Catherine’s Road and St Ronan’s Road (about 180 properties) must travel down St Winifred’s Road or approach along St Catherine’s, St Hilda’s or St Leonard’s roads from Hookstone or from Wetherby Road at St Winifred’s Avenue where there is already a real pinch point.

Traffic will still be allowed to enter St Winifred’s Road from St Winifred’s Avenue but not allowed to exit onto Oatlands. This means any delivery drivers and visitors will have to do a three-point turn. Refuse collections will need to be re-routed.

From 8.30am every morning there is only single file traffic for the full length of St Winifred’s Road due to parking on both sides of the road by Harrogate hospital workers.

Cyclists most certainly will not have a safe passage from St Winifred’s Avenue to Oatlands, having to cycle against one-way traffic and three-point turns.

I have tried to envisage what will happen at school drop-off and pick-up time. Many driveways at the Oatlands end of St Winifred’s Road are already blocked by cars waiting to pick up children. Imagine delivery and other drivers having to turn around in these circumstances with many schoolchildren passing on the pavements.

There are real safety and environmental concerns raised by the one-way proposal and surely an in-depth and professional study should be undertaken before this proposal progresses further.

David Leah, St Winifred’s Road, Harrogate

Bilton’s iron bridge was once wooden

I just have to write a small note for those of us who are now quite elderly and who lived in Bilton in their youth. What you now call the iron bridge was known as the wooden bridge as it was, of course, made of wood. It was not dark and gloomy but light and airy and a wonderful place to stand and spot trains!

On another note, thank you for the Stray Ferret. I live in the United States and miss my dear Yorkshire and Harrogate in particular very much so my daily dose of local news brings me great comfort.

Bridgett Parrette, United States

Harrogate needs wardens

As a resident of Harrogate I would love to see some wardens dedicated to keeping the town and park areas free of unsociable behaviour, unsuitable clothing for town wear and littering.
What are the chances of you taking up the cause?

Linda Shackleton, 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.
Marilyn Stowe: They’ve made a dog’s breakfast of cycle lanes in Leeds

This opinion column is written by Marilyn Stowe. Marilyn built the largest family law firm in the UK, which she ran from Harrogate. She sold her firm in 2017 to private equity left the law and is now a writer and speaker.

Moving my law firm to The Old Courthouse on Raglan Street Harrogate in 2004,  I ventured into new territory. It happened as a result of being thrown onto the pavement and robbed by three masked men on a dark evening in December as I was leaving my East Leeds office. One was screaming ‘kick her head in’ as he held an iron bar over my head. Traumatised and concerned it could happen to clients and staff, the decision was made overnight to close and reopen elsewhere.

What a godsend the Old Courthouse proved to be. Within a few years, we were unusually mentioned in a court report about the increase in work we had introduced to the Harrogate County Court, situated in the next street.

Our beautiful Victorian building was a draw in itself, but so was the parking it provided. We could comfortably park 14 cars, and for several of our clients who required absolute privacy, they could park and enter by a back door, no-one the wiser. For others, as our firm grew, on street parking was a boon. It was so convenient.

Visitors to the office could easily slip in and out. And as we grew, many of our competitors also decided Harrogate was the place to be. It’s no coincidence there are so many family law firms in Harrogate. But I thought, if our model worked in Leeds and in Harrogate, it might work elsewhere – and thus, staying ahead of the competition, I grew a local family law firm to the largest in the country, which I sold in 2017.

Thanks Harrogate.

But let me repay the favour, as I still remain ‘the landlady’ at The Old Courthouse. Rumour has it that bicycles, not cars, are now ‘de rigeur’ and the days of cars, even green and electric as they soon will be, are numbered in Harrogate. ‘Don’t bring your car into Harrogate, or car share if you must’ we are told. ‘Catch the bus, or cycle in.’

It’s woke madness.

In Leeds the local council, having spent millions on empty cycle lanes, recently turned Leeds centre into a dog’s breakfast. Full speed ahead if you happen to be a cyclist. It’s a nightmare to manoeuvre. Are there really that many cyclists around? How many out of town shoppers or workers are going to voluntarily struggle with flimsy bikes, punctures, cycle baskets, risk terrible accidents, or park/ride in a bus with our relentless weather? Or pay for daily expensive parking? Why on earth would they?

Leeds has unwittingly created the perfect opportunity for the entire Harrogate economy to take advantage and boom. It’s as easy to turn towards Harrogate than Leeds Centre and still be welcomed with open arms.

If not, it will happen to Harrogate too. People going to shop, seek professional advice, eat out, don’t do it en masse by bus, or worse, by bike. Bikes are for those lucky to live nearby and/or hardy enough to relish the distance, the hills and cold wind into Harrogate.

So let’s take advantage of the clueless elsewhere, who have never had their own skin in the game, and run their own businesses.

Let’s support the motorist and support the entire Harrogate economy.

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Decision delayed on Turkish Baths nude bathing ban

A decision on whether to ban nude bathing at Harrogate Turkish Baths has been delayed while a planned move to mixed-sex sessions only has been reversed.

The 124-year-old spa and health club – which is run by Harrogate Borough Council – has previously had swimwear-free options at single-sex sessions.

However, covering up could be made compulsory under changes which the council said would reflect greater “equality” in the modern world and address concerns for customers of “varying gender categories including transgender, gender dysphoria and transsexual”.

A decision from the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, councillor Stanley Lumley, was due this week but he has now asked for more time to mull it over.

He did, however, decide that plans to change the current timetable of single-sex sessions and to mixed-sex sessions only would be scrapped following big response from bathers.

Confirming the decision, a council spokesperson said:

“The decision regarding changes to the timetable, has been approved.

“The decision regarding compulsory swimwear at the Turkish Baths Harrogate has been deferred. This matter will be given further consideration, and will include our wider equality obligations.”

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After the now-abandoned timetable changes were revealed last year, customers criticised the move and said people would stop visiting if it went ahead.

Baths manager Chris Mason previously said the changes would “promote inclusivity” but 92% of 325 respondents to a survey said they felt mixed-sex sessions only would stop customers attending.

The majority of respondents also agreed that a “safe space” was needed for men and women separately at the baths.

The Grade II-listed building on Parliament Street has been described as “the most fully-restored” Turkish baths in Britain.

It first opened in 1897 and has been managed by the council since the late 1990s.

Drop in vacant shops boosts hope for high streets

The deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council has said he is “extremely optimistic” about high streets recovering from the covid crisis as he revealed positive economic data boosted by the reopening.

Cllr Graham Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said the percentage of vacant shops across the district had fallen to 6.8% in March – a “significant improvement” from 8.6% around this time last year.

He added data on people’s movements showed the number of visitors to rural areas had returned to pre-pandemic levels, although Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon had not yet reached this point.

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Swift said:

“I’m extremely optimistic. The rural areas are already seeing traffic flow of people movements, as measured by Google, back to pre-pandemic levels.

“The three major conurbations are not back to pre-pandemic levels yet but the fact is retail is looking extremely positive and I’m very hopeful we will see a strong bounce back in the economy.”

Shops classed as vacant are those not paying business rates to the council.

Cllr Swift said the strongest performing areas for this currently are Boroughbridge, which has just one vacant shop, and Pateley Bridge, which has a vacancy rate of 2.5%.

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His comments followed a question from Boroughbridge councillor Robert Windass, who said members of the public were “curious” over the current state of high streets during the pandemic.

Cllr Swift responded:

“We are now seeing considerable extension of the opening up and unlocking of the country. Last week we saw the opening up of non-essential retail on April 12.

“I went into Harrogate on that morning and was overwhelmed by the innovation and creativity that is going on, particularly around the bar and hospitality sector who have used limited spaces to create exciting opportunities to open up.

“I was very, very impressed by the sector but most important to this question is what is going to be happening in the near future.”

He added:

“There has been a lot of talk over the last few months about Harrogate as a district and how its towns and city have responded to retail sector closures.

“A lot of people count the stores to see which ones are open or closed. In a case where we are in lockdown, it’s obvious that people will see things closed and think they have withdrawn from the site.

“But in actual fact, what we record are the business rate activities of these retail sectors and I’m extremely heartened by the fact that as of March 2021 our retail sector has improved.”

The latest unemployment figures for the district show a slight increase with 3,625 people claiming out-of-work benefits in February, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This equates to 3.8% of the population aged 16 to 64 and is up from 3,460 in January.

Meanwhile, the number of people in the district who were furloughed from their jobs was 12,300 in February, according to the latest HM Revenue & Customs figures.

This was an increase from 9,100 in December, before the third national lockdown began.

King’s Cross weekend closure causes disruption for Harrogate trains

No trains will run to or from London King’s Cross today, tomorrow or Sunday April 25 due to upgrade works.

If you have any trains booked for the weekend it may be best to check before leaving the house. The weekend upgrade to the signalling system is expected to cause changes or cancellations to a number of trains.

For today, any LNER trains to and from the north of England and Scotland will now start and end at Peterborough or Stevenage, where passengers can go on to the Thameslink train service or St Pancras.

Any Hull trains have been cancelled today.

Tomorrow and Sunday changes have been made so any LNER trains to and from the North of England and Scotland will start and end at Peterborough or St Neots.

A replacement bus service is in place between St Neots ad Bedford to get to the Thameslink train services and St Pancras.

Any Grand Central and Hull trains will not run.

Railway company Network Rail is asking passengers to check with their train operator before they travel.

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Harrogate cowboy builder James Moss ordered to repay deposit by courts

Harrogate builder James Moss has been ordered by a judge to repay a man from Knaresborough £1,275, after he took a deposit but failed to show up on a job.

The Harrogate Justice Centre held a virtual hearing yesterday with claimant David King. Mr Moss failed to attend.

District Judge William Josling read out an email sent by Mr Moss to the court on April 16. It said the business that he claimed provided the work, DBL Yorkshire, has now ceased trading and he has no association with it any longer.

The judge said he had also submitted a defence of bad weather and supply.

However, this was not accepted by Judge Josling who proceeded to hear the case in the builder’s absence.

Mr King, of Beech Grove in Knaresborough, told the court that he had paid £1,275 in a deposit in June 2020 for building work that was never started.

He said a date was set to begin the work in August 2020 “which came and went”.

He added:

“The excuses came in, he said there was problems with the weather and the scaffolding. Then he ceased communications.”

Judge Josling ordered Mr Moss to pay Mr King the full £1,275 plus costs.

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Three different claimants have now won cases in the county court against Mr Moss in 2021 alone.

In January, he was told to pay £11,495 to a woman who was unhappy about the quality of his work.

In February, he was ordered to repay money after a £30,000 garage conversion was so poor it had to be partly demolished.

Last year, the Stray Ferret heard how two other women also won cases against Mr Moss in the civil court for poor workmanship.

None of them have received any money from James Moss.

North Yorkshire County Council’s trading standards department has been criticised for its response to the builder.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone, traffic is getting busier on the district’s roads now so make sure to keep and eye on our morning blogs.

It’s Leah here with you bright and early this morning, please get in touch with me via social media or email me at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This blog, brought to you by The HACS Group, brings you updates every 15 minutes on the road and rail links near you.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning! I will be back with you on Monday morning bright and early with updates every 15 minutes from 6.30am. Have a lovely weekend.

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7am – Full Update 

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6.45am – Full Update 

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6.30am – Full Update 

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The roads look to be clear so far this morning. No Traffic Hotspots to report yet.

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Harrogate indoor play centre aims to raise £3,500 before reopening

A Harrogate indoor play centre is hoping to raise £3,500 with a raffle before it opens its doors on May 17 as lockdown restrictions ease.

World of their Own, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has been hit particularly hard over the past year: since March 2020 it has only been able to open for 10 weeks.

Although its owners have no intention of closing down and are determined to find the cash somehow, they hope the raffle will cover the costs.

Both Winkies Harrogate, which was based in Starbeck, and Goose, which was based at Hornbeam Park, have permanently closed as a result of the pandemic.

It means that Harrogate now only has two indoor play centres in World of their Own and Little Bees Harrogate, formerly Kidzplay.

Christa and Lee Webber, of World of their Own, have said that while they have made full use of government grants and have a supportive landlord, they still have a funding gap.

To plug that gap they are raffling off a year’s unlimited play pass, afternoon tea in the fairytale parlour for four and a wild west birthday party for 20 children.

There are 700 tickets available at £5.50 per ticket. So far they have sold 185 tickets and the deadline to buy a ticket is at 5pm on May 1. Raffall, the platform they are using, takes a 10% cut.

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Crista Webber told the Stray Ferret how this funding gap is their final hurdle:

“Every ticket sold is a massive help. We have been very frugal over the last year. When we needed to develop more space upstairs Lee built it by hand.

“We will reopen no matter what happens. If we cannot reach the £3,500 then we will need to find the money another way.

“We opened a World of their Own and it was just two months before the pandemic hit. Since then it has been an incredible struggle, which we hope we are coming to the end of.”

Meet Coco: Harrogate’s tea drinking, Only Fools quoting parrot

Donna Greig from Harrogate has wanted a parrot since she was a child and said it was “love at first sight” when she first saw 13-year-old Coco.

After taking the Congo African Grey parrot home from Knaresborough Exotic Pet Rescue in December, it’s been a whirlwind few months for Coco and her new owner.

Some studies suggest that parrots are one of the most intelligent species of bird on the planet. Donna said Coco needs a lot of stimulation and needs to be out of her cage for up to six hours a day.

She said:

“When she wont get the attention she thinks she deserves, she creates absolute havoc.

“They are mini destructor weapons. You don’t need a paper shredder when you have a parrot.”

But Coco has a favourite drink that helps get her head right.

“She likes a nice cup of chamomile tea to help calm her down.”

Donna says she feeds Coco vegetables and fruit but she can be particular.

“I get a dirty look if I don’t give her pine nuts and pomegranates. It’s like being ruled by a mini-dictator!”

What a plonker

Parrots are famous for mimicking human speech which they learn through repetition.

Coco is no different, and when Donna comes home from work she sings away to the radio “having a whale of a time.”

She said she also “has the beep of my washing machine down to a tee”.

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Donna said:

“Coco likes pop music and is a massive fan of Disney. She absolutely loves the song Let It Go and also gets quite excited at Prince and Miley Cyrus.”

“But I’ve have been good not to teach her swear words. I’ve gone into mummy mode”.

Coco has even picked up on a phrase from Donna’s favourite TV show.

“I watch Only Fools and Horses all the time so she calls me a plonker.”

Perfect companion

Donna lives on her own and says Coco has been the perfect companion during lockdown.

She said the bird makes her laugh every day, but bathtime can be difficult.

“Coco is a water dodger and when I take her into the bathroom she says, ‘no, I’m not having this’, and flies into the bedroom.”

Despite the occasional temper tantrums, Donna said she has no regrets and has recently created a Facebook page for fellow parrot owners in Harrogate to discuss their feathered pets.

She added:

“Getting Coco was the best decision I ever made”.