Harlow Hill residents suffering from ‘constant’ road closures

Harlow Hill locals are suffering from a “constant and continuing” succession of road closures, says a local residents group.

It follows the confirmation that Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate will be closed until April 21, including for pedestrians. A series of roadworks on nearby Otley Road began on January 5.

Whinney Lane has been closed since July 2020.

Northern Power Grid needs Harlow Moor Road closed to relocate underground utilities. This is so NYCC can upgrade the Harlow Moor Road/Otley Road junction as part of the Otley Road cycle scheme.

David Siddans, spokesman for the Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association (HAPARA), said locals now expect “years of disruption” due to the various new housing developments on the Western arc of Harrogate.

NYCC has an order to close Harlow Moor Road at any time between January 18 2021 and January 17 2022 but a spokesperson said no further closures are currently planned on the road.

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Mr Siddans said:

“Whilst we accept that temporary closure works are necessary for works to improve the junction layout, we know that residents in this area are suffering from a constant and continuing succession of road closures and disruption from utilities diversions and construction activities relating to the extensive housing developments, on top of which we fear the prospect of further lengthy delays on Otley Road once works on the cycleway begin later this year.

“It seems that residents will be facing the prospect of continuing disruption from infrastructure works relating to a succession of housing developments on the west side of Harrogate for many years to come.”

When the Otley Road works began in January, Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said those involved would try to keep disruption to a minimum.

She said:

“The traffic management will be continuously monitored and manually controlled during peak times each day. We are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum.”

Harrogate venues double down on outdoor dining

Hotels, restaurants and bars in Harrogate are doubling down on their outdoor dining offering in time for reopening on April 12.

Although hospitality businesses are praying for a great British summer, they are also preparing for rain.

Venues in the Harrogate district had to adapt quickly to covid last year but this year’s roadmap has enabled them to plan to increase their outdoor covered areas based on what they have learned works.

Read more:

The West Park Hotel is one of those trying to take full advantage of space, both at the front and back.

As well as using its back courtyard, it is also working with neighbouring shops to bring the pavement in front of the building into use after hours.

In total West Park will have 160 outdoor seats, with many under awnings and marquees.

Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate is bringing back an updated version of its Tipi on the Stray, which will now has removable sides, making it compliant as an outdoor space. It will be able to serve lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

It’s here and we’re taking bookings #Harrogate #Yorkshire … #Podville by ⁦@fatbadgerpub⁩ is taking bookings on a first come first served basis so be quick to secure your spot by calling 01423 505681 now! Full food & drink outdoor #hospitality offering in a unique setting pic.twitter.com/4OjtJJZMyn

— simon cotton (@simoncotton69) March 31, 2021

Instead of last year’s beach, the Fat Badger has now built what it calls “podville” in its rear car park.

Six people are able to book one of 15 pods for £5 an hour Monday to Thursday and £10 an hour Friday to Sunday.

Bodybuilding barber David Steca to stage Mr Harrogate

Bodybuilding barber David Steca is to stage a Mr Harrogate competition this summer to showcase the area’s finest physiques.

Mr Steca, who owns Steca No6 in Harrogate and another salon in Leeds, is one of the most experienced and successful bodybuilders in the north of England, with a string of titles to his name.

He has won numerous British and international trophies and continues to compete at the age of 61 as well as train clients.

He plans to stage the event on August 1 in a marquee with seating for up to 200 people near his home in Menwith Hill. He said:

“The aim is to inspire and give local physique and fitness enthusiasts a goal coming out of covid.

“I want to give something back and provide a local platform to enthusiasts.”

Read more:

There will be a wide range of male and female categories catering for the toned beach body look through to hardcore bodybuilding.

Mr Steca added there will be British and world champion judges, along with food, nutrition and clothing stalls.

There will be HG postcode classes and open classes. Entry fee is £20 and spectator tickets are £20 and £10 for under-12s.

The event will also be a qualifying competition for the IBFA British Championships.

Mr Steca added:

“We already have prizes from local business for class winners. We look forward to an exciting day of muscle and fitness!”

 

 

Locations of 34 electric vehicle charge points revealed

The locations of up to 34 new electric vehicle charge points in the Harrogate district have been revealed.

The district has seen the largest increase in North Yorkshire of motorists switching to electric vehicles and Harrogate Borough Council aims to get 10,000 on the roads by 2023.

To help hit this target, the authority plans to install charge points at several council-owned locations to encourage motorists to make the switch ahead of the government’s ban on the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in 2030.

Tom O’Donovan, economy and transport officer at the council, told a meeting on Wednesday the 34 charge points were being rolled out as part of a phased scheme, with more to come later.

The locations include up to four charge points at the council’s Claro Road office, as well as up to five at its civic centre headquarters at Knapping Mount.

There will also be up to four at Harrogate’s multi-storey Victoria Shopping Centre car park and the same amount at Ripon Cathedral car park, plus a hub of charge points at Knaresborough Chapel Street car park.

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There are three options for Pateley Bridge, including the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty office, Nidderdale Leisure Centre and south car park.

The car park at Hornbeam Park railway station could also get up to 10 charge points, while no proposals have yet been put forward for Boroughbridge because infrastructure works would be “too costly”.

Up to 160 charge sites planned

Harrogate Borough Council approved its Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Strategy two years ago with an aim to provide 61 public charge points by 2024, although this could be increased up to 160 if required.

North Yorkshire County Council is also developing a county-wide strategy but has said it currently has no plans to roll out on-street charging infrastructure on a large scale or in response to individual requests for charge points.

It said this is because of “difficulties” with electricity tariffs and setting out the terms on the maximum time a vehicle can charge in shared on-street spaces.

The council said:

“We will continue to review the overall situation, taking into account demand from residents and funding availability, including external grant funding.”

Newby Hall and Gardens open today

Newby Hall and Gardens are set to reopen today after months of closure due to covid restrictions.

The gardens and adventure gardens will reopen alongside a new attraction – the enchanted wood trail.

Described as a “beautiful woodland walk”, the trail is for children and families to enjoy. Children can meet a number of woodland characters and even Titus the Troll along the way.

Unlike last year when Newby Hall missed out on the Easter holiday, this year it can take advantage of the easing of lockdown rules and reopen to the public.

However, the miniature train and the river boat cannot open until April 12. The restaurant is also only open for takeaways.

From May, it is hoped the house itself, the dollhouse and the teddy bears can be fully opened.

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Commercial director, Stuart Gill said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to open on time this year. We were so disappointed to not open as usual at Easter last year; we all look forward to opening and to not have that or even a prospective opening date was a huge blow.

“We hope to welcome visitors back with the stunning gardens and our enchanted wood trail, which should keep the children entertained!”

The enchanted wood trail runs from today until April 11 and tickets must be booked in advance here.

MPs watch: we’re off to Wembley?

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

By the end of March, we’d partially emerged from lockdown and more than 80,000 people had been vaccinated in the district.

We asked the district’s Conservative MPs- Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Conservative Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back to our traffic and travel service. It’s Leah here giving you updates every 15 minutes.

Brought to you by The HACS Group, this blog will let you know how the road and rail links are near you.

Make sure to keep in touch via social media or email us on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9am – Full update

Thanks again for getting involved with our traffic and travel service. Suzannah will be back with you on Tuesday from 6.30am with more updates. Do get in touch if you think we have missed something. It really does help to keep the Harrogate district moving. Happy Easter and enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Traffic is heavy in these hotspots:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

8:45am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Traffic is heavy in these hotspots:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

8:30am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Traffic is heavy in these hotspots:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

8:15am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Traffic is heavy in these hotspots:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Traffic is heavy in these hotspots:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

7:45am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

7:30am – Full update

Roads

Traffic is starting to build in the district this morning, especially in the Harrogate and Knaresborough town centres.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

7:15am – Full update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full update

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember road repairs will mean that Leeds Road in Harrogate will be closed from 6.30pm.

That means the roads from Beech Avenue, Harrogate, through to Princess Royal Way in Pannal will be closed in the evenings.

The Franklin Road area of Harrogate is also closed for road repairs.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

Plans in to transform Crescent Gardens into offices

Plans have been submitted to transform Harrogate Borough Council‘s former headquarters into offices and a roof garden restaurant.

Impala Estates, a property investment company in Harrogate, bought the Crescent Gardens site in January last year for £4 million.

It has been empty for four years since the council relocated to Knapping Mount in 2017.

Impala’s proposals include creating a gym as well as turning the former council chamber and mayor’s parlour into meeting rooms.

James Hartley, director of Impala Estates, said:

“I am hugely excited to submit a planning application after what has been a tough year for everybody.

“Our plans will ensure that this high-quality local asset is brought back to use and regenerated to deliver a building that provides not only employment space in the town centre but contributes to a community benefit that keeps Crescent Gardens as a vibrant part of Harrogate.”

Mr Hartley said Impala did not yet have a figure on how much the development would cost.

Asked whether he was concerned about letting offices now so many people were working from home, he said:

“The office market continues to change and develop and we would aim to react to these changes as necessary.”

Read more:

The council’s planning committee will decide whether to accept the application.

Graham Swift, cabinet member for economic development at the council, spoke highly of the scheme. He said:

“When Harrogate Borough Council sold Crescent Gardens to Impala Estates we were impressed by their commitment to bring much-needed office space into the centre of town to support the growing and changing economic needs of Harrogate.

“They blended this plan with the use of public space that will make Crescent Gardens and its locality a thriving, community area that boasts flexible, modern offices with functional and attractive public spaces.”

Concerns about design, parking and noise

Impala opened a public consultation on its plans in October, which according to Impala attracted 19 comments.

Four were positive; others attracted comments about design, parking, solar shading, access, noise and over visibility from the rook terrace.

A chequered history

The council’s sale of Crescent Gardens had a chequered recent history.

In March 2017, it was announced local developer Adam Thorpe was buying the site for £6.31 million. Mr Thorpe had lavish plans for a £75million pound refurbishment, including an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool, restaurant and luxury apartments.

Two years later, in February 2019 Mr Thorpe said he had agreed sales on 10 of the 12 apartments including one “comfortably above” £10 million. Mr Thorpe’s company, ATP Ltd, then collapsed with debts of almost £11million, including £24,394.52 to the council.

The site then went back on the market and was eventually sold to Impala Estates.

Twitter backlash against police social media changes

North Yorkshire Police has faced a Twitter backlash after it announced restrictions on officers’ social media accounts.

The move will see people encourage to follow centralised accounts rather than those of individual officers.

As part of the changes, Harrogate traffic sergeant Paul Cording and Harrogate traffic constable David Minto, who between them have more than 20,000 Twitter followers, expect to be asked to close their accounts and post on one of eight area accounts run by North Yorkshire Police.

The area accounts will post updates on appeals, safety information and court results rather than the current blend of personal and professional updates from life on the frontline.

A police question and answer session today about the changes under the hashtag #AskNYorksPolice saw criticism of the move.

Some said tweets from a corporate account would be less personal while others asked whether officers would require approval to share posts.

Read more:

One poster, Gary Silvester, said:

“I’m sorry I just don’t see how it can be as personal as individual accounts as that’s what I and many others enjoy. I’m a big supporter of the police. 

“Will individuals tweets have to be approved? This whole policy strikes me that you don’t trust the officers completely.”

Social media posts will not need to be approved, the accts will still be run by local teams. We absolutely trust our officers, this is about improving service & responsiveness to the public through social media & giving people a place to find content more easily #AskNYorksPolice https://t.co/veJTO3yFqX

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) March 31, 2021

Another person, Jacqui Stephenson tweeted:

“Given the amount of stations being closed, surely it’s better that individual officers build up the rapport with their local communities using social media. 

“A lot of your officers use social media responsibly and engage with the public.

“I’ve often learned a lot from reading the Twitter feed of individual officers. It gives a real insight as to what they are facing as well as showing that they are human beings as well. Using the bland corporate accounts takes that away.”

But police defended the decision and said officers would continue to build a rapport with the public.

The force added officers’ social media content would not require approval and that the move was about “improving the service and responsiveness” to the public.

Sergeant Cording shared two videos explaining his views on the change.

He said while personal accounts have not been asked to be deleted yet, they will be “sometime in the future”.

Morning everyone, on leave at the moment but just wanted to give you my take on the changes to the @NYorksPolice social media policy 1/2 pic.twitter.com/lFXPqinmb1

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) March 31, 2021

Sergeant Cording added that he understood the decision the police had made, but was “disappointed”.

The new measures have also been met with concern from candidates to be North Yorkshire’s next police, fire and crime commissioner.

James Barker, Liberal Democrat candidate for the role, said the police needed to “rethink” its decision. He said:

“Residents value the localised information that is made available via these social media channels and I really can’t understand the thinking that has led to these being scrapped.”

He also expressed concerns about North Yorkshire Police’s recent introduction of a service-level statement setting out how it responds to media requests.

The statement says it will not respond to media requests for information relating to incidents on which an article has been posted on its website.

Mr Barker said:

“The local media plays a crucial role in sharing trusted information of genuine interest to residents. They could be a real asset to the police in getting important information to local communities who already get their news through established print, online, radio and TV channels. It seems like an own goal by the police that could see them distance themselves from local communities.

“If elected, I will review the operation of the current ‘service-level statement’ and will start by engaging with the local media to explore how we can work together better for the benefit of our communities.”

Independent candidate Keith Tordoff said:

“The closure of individual police officers’ official social media accounts is, I believe, bad for public relations.

“The new accounts until we see how they operate at this point sound rather corporate. I also recognise that the officers’ accounts as they had operated could lead to security breaches, Officer safety and possible promotion of businesses which had needed addressing.

“The officers’ official accounts with directives and supervision of them would have continued to be great for police, public relations and community engagement. The accounts were clearly very popular with the public going by the people commenting against the closure of them.
“If elected, I would look to review the decision.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the Conservative and Labour candidates for comment.

North Yorkshire’s Police Fire and Crime Commissioner election will take place on May 6.

Sneak peek: Reptile shop to open in Starbeck tomorrow

A reptile shop is set to open its doors in Starbeck and the owner is “frilled” to get started.

Yorkshire Reptile, at 67d High Street, will be the only shop of its kind in Harrogate.

Owner Tom Whittaker believes his emphasis on animal welfare will set his shop apart from other reptile businesses.

The shop will open its doors tomorrow, on April 1 – no joke – with snakes, bearded dragons, chameleons, tortoises and more.

One of the shop’s chameleons.

It also sells food for the animals, vivariums and decorations for the tanks. None of the animals that the shop stocks are venomous or dangerous in anyway.

Read more:

What started off as a hobby for owner Mr Whittaker has now become a full business venture.

Vivariums in the shop.

Mr Whittaker, whose background is in cyber-security, only decided to open the shop eight weeks ago.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“My dad took me to a reptile show in Doncaster when I was 12-years-old. Ever since then I have been fascinated by it.

“It’s just how they move, how they eat, how they shed, their temperament. There are so many different kinds.

“I don’t want to compare them to Pokemon but you feel like you have to get all of them. I am obsessed and so are a lot of people.”

Prices start at £50 for a corn snake up to a green tree python, which can set you back as much as £700.