Will the real Harrogate Residents Association please stand up?

Two rival Facebook groups with starkly contrasting opinions on cycling are locked in a dispute over the use of the name Harrogate Residents Association.

The original Harrogate Residents Association is a private Facebook group with 326 members and a website.

It was set up in February by Anna McIntee and Lucy Gardiner, who feel there has been a lack of consultation about the recent spate of transport schemes promoting cycling and walking, such as changes to Oatlands Drive and the £7.9 million Station Gateway project.

They are sceptical about the merits of the schemes and fear they could damage the town.

Last week a new Harrogate Residents Association group was formed by Mark Smith.

Its members are more favourable towards the pro-walking and cycling schemes, which also include the closure of Beech Grove to through traffic and the pedestrianisation of James Street.

The “clone” group

Lucy Gardiner

The duo behind the original page told the Stray Ferret the new “clone” group was an “obvious attempt” to discredit their opinions, and should be shut down by Facebook.

Ms McIntee said posts in her group questioning the merits of walking and cycling proposals had attracted “relentless” comments from pro-cycling accounts demanding that it “provides the facts”.

Ms Gardiner was even accused of being Tara Gunne, the now infamous ‘fake’ profile that used the image of Liverpool adult entertainer Hazel May to discredit the Station Gateway proposals.

Ms Mcintee said those behind the new group wanted to “confuse and undermine” the original group.

She added:

“It’s terrible. It’s frightening. It’s not fair for the people of Harrogate to be put through this.”

She also accused the pro-cycling voices in Harrogate of being aggressive and confrontational.

Ms Gardiner added:

“We’re the real Harrogate Residents Association.”

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Bagsied the name

Mark Smith

Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret he set up the new page because he was unhappy the original Harrogate Residents Association Facebook group had been set to private, with new members having to be approved before joining.

He said the group’s selective nature made it an untrue representation of the residents of Harrogate.

His group has flourished and has now overtaken the original group with 371 members. Discussion topics include which streets in Harrogate could become one-way and cycling in the snow.

Mr Smith said he wouldn’t be changing the name of the group:

“Just because they bagsied the name first? It doesn’t mean anything in the real world.”

He said he did not set up the new group to confuse people and wasn’t aware of any aggressive comments made by members. He said “polite discussion is the difference between the two groups”.

Mr Smith added:

“If people are bedded to ideas progress won’t happen.”

Entrenched views

Whilst the feud over the name Harrogate Residents Association may appear trivial, it has highlighted the entrenched views and polarising opinions that North Yorkshire County Council’s various active travel schemes have generated in Harrogate.

Both sides agreed it was important to listen to each other opinions — although sometimes it seems this is proving easier said than done.

Harrogate Nightingale dismantling begins

Work has begun to dismantle Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital – almost a year after it was built at a cost of more than £27m.

The temporary 500-bed site was set up at Harrogate Convention Centre in April last year to cope with a surge of coronavirus cases but it has not treated a single virus patient during the pandemic.

NHS England announced this month the emergency hospital would close at the start of April and a spokesperson has now confirmed contractors have started removing medical equipment from the venue.

“The phased dismantling of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber has begun.

“The removal of some larger pieces of equipment will require road closures which will be advertised through the appropriate channels in due course.”

The emergency hospital was one of seven built in England and although it did not treat a single coronavirus patient, it was used for non-virus diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments.

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Earlier this month, the NHS described the network of Nightingale hospitals as the “ultimate insurance policy” as it announced each of the sites, apart from those in London and Sunderland which will stay open for vaccinations, will close next month.

Health officials also said it was a “success” that the Harrogate site was not needed but there are questions over how it would have been staffed, with councillors on the West Yorkshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee this week launching an investigation into why the facility was not used for covid patients.

Councillor Jim Clark, the Conservative chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, said there are “questions to be answered” and “lessons we can learn” around the Nightingale.

He told the health committee on Monday:

“We need to know how we would have staffed it, what capacity it would have been able to provide, where the staff would have come from and what effect that would have had on services within the rest of Yorkshire.”

It remains unclear how long the dismantling of the hospital will take and how much it will cost.

However, Paula Lorimer, director of the council-owned convention centre, previously said she was “confident” it will be ready for events to return on 21 June when all restrictions on social distancing are due to be lifted.

 

Harrogate BID “urges caution” over Station Gateway project

Harrogate Business Improvement District has “urged caution” over plans for the town’s £7.9 million Station Gateway project.

In its consultation response, the BID said it “broadly welcomed” the investment but added the town centre economy is in a “fragile state” and needed to be confident the changes would help Harrogate “thrive”.

The BID said it supported a two-lane option for Station Parade but with one lane dedicated to buses and taxis only.

It did not agree with the proposed two-way cycle lanes as it “does not form part of a connected and segregated cycling route, and would result in reduced space for pedestrians”.

Meanwhile, the BID said it supported segregated cycling on both sides of East Parade and preferred minor public realm improvements outside Victoria Shopping Centre in order to focus on Cambridge Street.

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It also preferred for pavements to be widened on James Street, allowing a single carriageway for vehicles, with some short stay/blue badge/delivery bays. Other proposals being consulted on include pedestrianising the street.

A proposal for widened pavements and single lane of traffic on James Street, which the Harrogate BID supports in the Station Gateway plan.

A proposal for widened pavements and single lane of traffic on James Street, which the Harrogate BID supports in the Station Gateway plan.

The BID also raised concerns the current consultation process had not engaged the wider Harrogate community, and urged North Yorkshire County Council to consider sending details of the proposals via email and post to all Harrogate residents.

Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate BID, said the project would have a “major impact on our town centre”, adding:

“We are pleased the investment aims to create a step change in travel, and forms part of a much wider plan to tackle the climate crisis and deliver a more sustainable future for the town centre.

“We also hope this investment will help to support our journey to recovery, but urge that consideration is given to the consultation feedback to ensure that we capture the views and ideas of businesses, residents and visitors, to shape and influence the proposed plans.

“It is essential that we continue to invest in infrastructure for cars, particularly off-street car parking, park and ride, improved signage, and electric car charging to ensure that Harrogate can thrive and prosper for many more generations.”

The government’s Transforming Cities Fund has provided funding for the gateway project, to improve the design of the town and encourage more sustainable transport.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority are delivering the initiative.

Bilton by-election on May 6 after death of councillor

Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge is to elect a new county councillor after the death of Geoff Webber.

Mr Webber died this month at the age of 75 after a short illness.

He was involved in local government for 28 years, leading the Liberal Democrat group on North Yorkshire County Council and serving as leader and mayor of Harrogate Borough Council.

The election is scheduled to take place on May 6. Nominations must be submitted by April 8.

The Conservative-controlled county council currently has 53 Conservative councillors, four Labour councillors and four representing the Liberal Democrats. There are also eight North Yorkshire Independent and three independent councillors.

The by-election is being run on behalf of the county council by Harrogate Borough Council.

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Councillors will stand outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices on Crescent Road in Harrogate to pay their respects to Mr Webber on Monday at 11.45am.

More details of the notice of election can be found here.

Independent Harrogate fears Station Gateway could damage economy

A group representing 187 Harrogate businesses has expressed concern the proposed £7.9 million Station Gateway could damage the local economy.

In its submission to the gateway consultation, which ends tomorrow, Independent Harrogate said it was ‘broadly supportive’ of the scheme’s aim to promote sustainable transport.

But it added Harrogate’s hospitality and retail sector was in a ‘fragile and critical state’ and it had ‘serious concerns’ about the scheme’s economic impact.

Robert Ogden, writing on behalf of Independent Harrogate, said it therefore opposed plans to reduce traffic on Station Parade to one lane, or to pedestrianise James Street. He added the group believed East Parade to be the best location for cycling lanes.

The submission said the town needed an updated infrastructure masterplan rather than ‘pocket planning’. Such a plan should include park and ride schemes, numerous electric car charging points and extensive cycling routes, it added.

It said Harrogate Borough Council‘s current masterplan, devised in 2016, was out of date and doesn’t cater for outlying villages, which don’t have regular bus services and don’t benefit from the focus on cycling. The submission said:

“Both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council are effectively discriminating against village residents and creating a playground for Harrogate residents only, many of whom will happily get into their cars and drive to work in Leeds and other areas.”

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The submission said Independent Harrogate was not anti-cycling, adding it would support initiatives such as Cycling Sundays, whereby some central Harrogate streets were closed to traffic to encourage walking and cycling. It added:

“This cautious approach would help gauge the appetite for cycling in Harrogate without too much detrimental economic impact.”

But overall it said town centre visitors arriving by car ‘need easy access and somewhere convenient and close to the shops/cafes/restaurants to park’, adding:

“To ignore the considerable income that visitors bring will be hugely damaging and they should not be excluded from any surveys, which sadly appears to be the case at the moment.”

The government’s Transforming Cities Fund has provided funding for the gateway project, to improve the design of the town and encourage more sustainable transport.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority are delivering the initiative.

Read the full letter from Independent Harrogate here.

Harrogate to host three-week climate change festival

A three-week climate change festival will take place in Harrogate in October.

The Climate Action Festival (CAFé) is being set up by the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition  in the run-up to COP26, which is a major UN climate conference that will come to Glasgow in October.

HDCCC plans to organise three CAFé events during the festival and work with local groups, schools, businesses and organisations to inspire people into climate action.

The group has pencilled in a launch event on October 1 as well as separate events for businesses and families.

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Kirsty Hallett, communications lead for HDCCC, said she hopes the events will be fun and encourage people to act to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, help to limit climate change, and benefit nature and wildlife.

Ms Hallett added:

“We aim to involve the skills, energy and ideas of as many of our fabulous local people and organisations as possible.

“We hope the CAFé becomes an exciting period of climate focussed events which reach multiple audiences and inspire a wide range of climate actions.”

Contact email@hdccc.info if you’d like to support the festival.

Police close house in Harrogate after man dies

Police and council officers have closed a house on Mayfield Grove, Harrogate where a man died this month.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today it and Harrogate Borough Council had carried out a joint investigation following ‘concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour at the multi-occupancy address’.

Mark Wolsey, 48, died on Mayfield Grove this month. A suspect has been charged with murder and is remanded in custody pending trial.

A court approved the closure for an initial period of three months. Entry to the premises is now a criminal activity.

The police statement said the closure would give officers ‘an opportunity to work with the landlord and residents in the premises’.

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Inspector Nicola Colbourne, of North Yorkshire Police said:

“It’s really important that we support our communities who expect to be able to live in a safe environment.

“This approach demonstrates one way we can do that in a proportionate and effective manner.

“We’ve worked closely with Harrogate Borough Council, and this work continues to ensure we strengthen our communities for everyone and help the most vulnerable people.”

Dean Richardson, head of safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said in a statement:

“It is imperative that residents across the Harrogate district feel safe in their homes and their community.

“Anyone who doesn’t feel safe should report their concerns to us or North Yorkshire Police, giving as much detail as possible.

“Where there is sufficient evidence to support any reports, we will work with the police and partner agencies, to act accordingly.”

Plans in for 2,000-job business park near Knaresborough

The developers behind a new business park near Knaresborough that could create up to 2,000 jobs have formally submitted proposals.

Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have sent plans to Harrogate Borough Council to transform a 45-acre site into a mixed-use development designed to support offices, logistics operators and tech firms.

The site – to be called Harrogate 47 – is located at Flaxby near junction 47 of the A1(M) and was acquired by the developers in October last year.

It is allocated as the main strategic employment site in the council’s Local Plan and already has existing planning permission for more than half a million square feet of employment space.

The new plans include up to 130,000 sq ft of office accommodation, about 75,000 sq ft of tech starter units and approximately 430,000 sq ft for logistics and warehouses.

A spokesperson for the developers said the existing planning permission allows for the commencement of the site’s enabling works so it can be made “oven-ready” for the main construction to start as soon as the new consent is granted.

Guy Bowden, a partner at Bridges Fund Management, added:

“As Harrogate 47 is such an important site with immense potential to make a significant economic contribution to the local area, we are keen to maintain momentum and as such are commencing preparatory works.

“The work being undertaken will ensure that the plots are ready for construction to begin, which could be as early as summer 2021, and our appointed agents are already in detailed discussions with potential occupiers who have expressed an interest in the scheme.”

The appointed industrial agents for Harrogate 47 are CBRE and Gent Visick, with the office enquiries directed to the office agency teams at CBRE.

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Oliver Freer, from CBRE’s northern planning team, which prepared the planning application, said:

“The new masterplan for Junction 47 responds to the market demand for employment accommodation for office, hi-tech/hybrid and logistics uses in this location, and is in accordance with the land allocation of the site.

“A successful consent would allow much-needed commercial space to be delivered, enabling local companies to stay and attracting new inward investment into the district, whilst unlocking the potential for some 2,000 new local jobs.”

Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, added:

“We have been working hard with our appointed consultancy team and key stakeholders since we acquired the site to progress a masterplan that would maximise the job-creating potential of the site whilst addressing current and anticipated regional demand for sustainable office and industrial accommodation.

“We are confident that our application captures these aspects and look forward to seeing the initial works start on site to facilitate development.”

Harrogate Civic Society calls for Station Gateway to remain two lanes

Harrogate Civic Society said today that plans to reduce traffic to one lane on the town’s Station Parade could be detrimental without a clear traffic plan for the rest of town.

The society, which campaigns to protect the town’s character, issued its comments as part of the consultation into the proposed £7.9 million Station Gateway proposals.

Concerns over traffic, which the highways boss at North Yorkshire County Council seems to share, is one of the key aspects of the consultation, which closes on Wednesday.

The society’s planning and development sub-group says it has a ‘strong preference’ for the two-lane option on the £7.9 million Station Gateway Project.

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The society also called for a study on the impact of making West Park and Parliament Street two-way, something it said would mitigate for the problems created by changes on Station Parade.

Its response said:

“There is a problem with making comments on these specific options when there is no indication of these being part of a longer-term, integrated traffic policy for the wider area.

“As with previous proposals there is the very real possibility that, without a clear traffic policy for the whole of the town, these changes will in the future be seen as having been unnecessary or detrimental.

“The society would like to see a study of the impact of re-opening West Park and Parliament Street to two-way traffic. This could relieve many of the problems that have been identified as the reasons for these present proposals.”

The society also said the re-location of taxis away from Station Parade would be ‘seriously detrimental’. Taxis, it says, ideally should be accommodated in the station forecourt. The response says:

“Taxis need to be immediately available for those arriving at the station and bus station; they cannot sensibly be re-located to James Street.”

Ambitious bid to reinstate Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton trainline

Plans to reinstate a trainline Harrogate, Ripon and Northallerton are once again back on the table.

Dr Beeching axed the line in the late 1960s but it is a candidate in the government’s new ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund.’ The Department for Transport (DfT) launched the fund in January.

Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton is one of 195 bids. So far 25 have been successful. It means that those projects will be given money towards feasability studies.

The government announced on Friday that it will deliver on the first Restoring Your Railways scheme in Devon.

If the plans went ahead it could be one of the biggest ever investments in the Harrogate district. Some expert estimates put the potential cost as high as £500 million.

This is not the first time that these proposals have cropped up and it may prove to be problematic. Homes have been built on some parts of the track and on Ripon’s former train station.

Former Ripon mayor Dr Adrian Morgan is a keen supporter of the plans. He has been fighting for reinstatement for the last 34 years and told the Stray Ferret:

“I will keep slogging away at this but it probably will not happen in my lifetime. Back in 2006 it would have cost up to £46 million but that price has gone up since then.

“Now it costs around £20 million per mile of track so we are looking at around £500 million to reinstate the Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton line.

“This might sound like a lot but when you start rebuilding bridges, embankments and laying track the cost soon adds up.”

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The project has broad support from North Yorkshire County Council, Ripon City Council and Kevin Hollinrake MP.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, also told the Stray Ferret:

“There has been a campaign to restore the Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton line for many years, we would be supportive of that.

“It would not be a small job. It is a medium to long term project so it would take between five and 30 years.

“Any move to take traffic off of the busy roads would be good news. But we do need realistic, it would take a lot of work.”

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret how this line could be good news for Ripon in particular:

“This certainly has the broad support of the city council. It would be economically beneficial.

“The lack of a train line was cited as the main reason why Ripon lost the teacher training college in the 1990s.

“It would be also very important as a way to bring more tourists in the city. I say broad support because it would be unfair if it impacted those who had homes on the line.”

Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, also said:

“I am very supportive of the bid to re-open the Leeds to Northallerton Railway Line, a section of which would run through my constituency of Thirsk and Malton.

“Local transport connections are key to boosting regional economic activity by attracting new business and creating new jobs in the region.

“It would make the journey from Leeds to Northallerton 13 miles shorter and could also provide an emergency diversion between York and Northallerton.”