Boroughbridge news from the Boroughbridge district - Page 118 of 186

New Harrogate district housing plan should not be ‘tickbox exercise’, says councillor

A new plan for housing across the Harrogate district should not be treated as “a tickbox exercise”, says a local councillor.

Senior councillors are set to back drawing up a new county-wide Local Plan ahead of the creation of North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

The blueprint would look ahead for a minimum of 15 years, and at least 30 years in relation to any larger scale developments, such as new settlements or significant urban extensions. It would encompass all areas of the county outside the national parks.

Cllr Arnold Warneken, a Green Party councillor on North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that the document had to look at the “bigger picture”.

He said the county council was in a position to be able to use the plan as a means of promoting sustainable homes, solar panels and affordable housing which is energy efficient.

Cllr Warneken said:

“We are not ticking boxes with this.

“We have to think of this as a bigger picture. It’s not just a case of putting this plan in place, it needs to be at the forefront of it all.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the North Yorkshire Independent group on the county council, said the plan should also include a ban on fracking.

He added that the blueprint needs to take into account rural areas and health inequalities.

North Yorkshire County Council will be recommended to approve creating a new county-wide strategy at a meeting of its executive on December 13.

Cllr Matt Walker, Liberal Democrat councillor for Knaresborough West, said the move to create one plan was “common sense”.

He said:

“It is just common sense that we would think again about how and where we develop now we are part of the new North Yorkshire authority.

“Harrogate and Knaresborough has seen a huge amount of building in recent years. It has put too much strain on our roads and health services. We do need good affordable local housing, but we have to have the infrastructure to go with it. Now we are one authority, we need one local plan that addresses these issues.”

Harrogate Town Council should oversee planning

Chris Watt, vice-chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour party, said a Harrogate Town Council should be set up to oversee such planning matters.

He said:

“We need more genuinely affordable and sustainable homes, with proper provision of social housing and decent infrastructure.

“With more empty business premises due to the Tories crashing the economy, we should also be looking to see if any of those can be turned into affordable accommodation for people struggling with the cost of living crisis.

“We are concerned that without a new Harrogate Town Council in charge of these matters, decisions taken by the new North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton will ignore the needs of Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

ConservatIve Cllr Simon Myers, executive member for housing and growth on the council, said the plan would help towards the council’s “ambitious targets” on climate change.

He said:

“The plan will be vital to the new North Yorkshire Council’s ambitions to deliver sustainable economic growth, through good homes and jobs, as well as the best facilities and infrastructure for everyone who lives or works in the county.

“Planning guidance will also play a key role in meeting our ambitious targets to tackle climate change. In addition, it can support other services in meeting the needs of our many communities at a local level, taking into account everything from transport and education to housing, health and social care.”

Harrogate district Local Plan set to be scrapped

Harrogate Borough Council currently has its own Local Plan which outlines where development can take place across the district until 2035.

It is due to be reviewed by 2025 but this looks set to be scrapped because of the creation of a new unitary authority North Yorkshire Council and the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council on April 1.

However, a report to councillors who will decide whether to accept the recommendation says a review of the proposed Maltkiln development, which could see up to 4,000 homes built near Cattal, will continue as planned.

Retrospective plans refused after Harrogate district firm builds larger warehouse than agreed

Councillors have refused a retrospective planning application after a bathroom manufacturer in the Harrogate district built a warehouse larger than originally agreed.

Abacus Ltd was formed in 1989 and is a manufacturer and distributor of bathroom products to companies including Villeroy & Boch and Wickes.

It employs 85 people and is based at Jubilee Court on the outskirts of Copgrove, near Boroughbridge, alongside 10 other businesses.

In 2019, Abacus won permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build an extension that would see a steel warehouse erected to support the growing business.

However, the company ended up building a bigger structure than what was approved after securing two large commercial deals.

Abacus’ extension in Copgrove

The council’s planning committee met yesterday to consider a retrospective application for the larger extension as well as for a pallet store that had to be relocated elsewhere on the premises.

The application was recommended for approval by officers.

Speaking to councillors, Ian Patterson from Abacus conceded the company should have submitted new plans before starting construction but said the early months of the covid pandemic made this difficult. He said:

“We accept as bathroom manufacturers we are definitely not planning experts. We acknowledge that a material change should have been sought prior to works commencing, but timings due to the lockdown and the pressures of business didn’t enable this.”

High Court quashing

The application to retrospectively build the larger extension was originally approved by the council in October 2021 before being overturned in the High Court in February 2022 after Copgrove resident Justin Appleyard requested a judicial review of the decision.

The High Court overturned the decision because it found the council did not take into account the relocation of the pallet store in its approval.

A different retrospective permission had previously been sought for the pallet store, however, it was refused in January 2021 by the council because it said it was not adequately screened by trees.

Abacus’ plans received 51 objections with no submissions of support.

Nick Stringer, from Staveley & Copgrove Parish Council, told councillors that the company had on more than one occasion sought planning permission retrospectively after building work had already been done. He added:

“The site is in open countryside close to a beautiful medieval church and overlooks Staveley Nature Reserve which has an abundance of floral and fauna. I suggest the impact on the countryside is severe and unacceptable.”

‘Pimple on a pig’s backside’

Councillors were unconvinced by the application, in part, due to the relocation of the pallet store and its visual impact. Conservative member for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, Nigel Simms, described it as standing out like a “pimple on a pig’s backside.” He added:

“I have no objection to the storage building being built, what I’m objecting to is the pallet store being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The screening is not sufficient.”

The committee voted to refuse the application by 9 votes to 3. Abacus Ltd can appeal the decision.

North Yorkshire Police needs £12m to meet rising costs, says commissioner

North Yorkshire Police needs £12 million extra funding to tackle rising costs, says the county’s crime commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is currently consulting on her budget plans for police and fire services for 2023.

The commissioner’s office says the force has a budget of £191 million — 45% of which comes from council tax payers.

However, amid soaring inflation, the force requires an additional £12 million to meet salary increases and the rising cost of fuel and utilities.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government to allow her to increase the police’s share of council tax by £10 a year — a 3.6% rise for a band D property.

But she warned that this would only raise £3.1 million and “would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery unless savings could be delivered”.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“One of my roles is to set the precepts for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, something every commissioner has to do every year.

“It is never easy asking for more money, and I know that many individuals and families are facing financial pressures, but our emergency services are also dealing with rising costs as they continue their vital work to keep us all safe.

“This year is particularly challenging as I have to balance the burden on taxpayers and the growing demands for services from our police and fire and rescue services, so it’s vital that I hear your views.

“Please go online, take just a few minutes to have your say and I will ensure your views are reflected when decisions are made.”

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would require an additional £2 million for next year, the commissioner’s office estimates.

Ms Metcalfe said she expects the government will allow her to raise the fire precept by 3% – which would raise £700,000.

However, the commissioner’s office said this would be “significantly below inflation and would likely lead to reductions in current levels of service delivery”.

Ms Metcalfe is expected to outline her budget plans for fire and police services in February 2023.

The consultation into police and fire precepts closes on January 16, 2023. You can take part in the survey here.

Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘It’s our privilege to care for each other’

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, community grocery manager Carolyn Aitken tells us why working with people who rely on the groceries has been such an uplifting experience. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help.

When I took on the role of community grocery manager a year ago, I had never imagined what a privilege it would be.

That I would meet some of the most amazing people I’ve ever known, that this would be a role in which I would see such a broad spectrum of life and experience such a wide range of emotions, often all in one day.

From the heart-breaking revelation of a recently widowed wife or a bereaved parent, to the overwhelming kindness and generosity of a young couple who have given up their weekly takeaway to buy food to help others.

From the dad with a family to support, who lost everything including his home and business during the pandemic, or the beautiful young mother fighting long covid whilst caring for a newborn, to a group of elderly residents in shared accommodation giving a jar or packet or tin each week to help us to fill our shelves.

Volunteers who daily go above and beyond, collecting food from supermarkets late at night in all weathers or early mornings before most of us are awake, or who give up mornings or afternoons week after week to restock shelves and ensure everything’s displayed beautifully or to run the stores or cafes, always with a caring smile and a kind word for each customer.

We all wish we weren’t needed – everyone who plays a part in the life of Resurrected Bites agrees that there shouldn’t be the food waste that we collect each week – that we are a society that wilfully throws away perfectly good produce, because it’s not quite the right shape or size or has just passed its best, or there’s just been too much produced, and that such waste is wrong.

We agree that community groceries and foodbanks shouldn’t be needed in the UK in 2022, but we are moved by the needs of so many and so we try to make life just a little better for those in our community who are struggling.

Every day we wish we could do more – we can signpost our customers to other agencies and organisations who may also be able to help, with needs such as debt management, fuel vouchers, benefits advice or simply where to access clothes or furniture, but our hope is that one day, it won’t be like this.

That is the hope of our founder and director Michelle, who tirelessly works long hours, securing grants, arranging fundraisers, co-ordinating a plethora of supporters and volunteers, juggling a small team running the cafes, the community groceries, the pay-as-you-can tables and the warehouse. Resurrected Bites was her vision, one that was so inspirational that it has been caught by the communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough and grown into the amazing work it is today.

And it’s that word ‘community’ that shines out of all that we do and all that we’re a part of. Our tiny, beautiful corner of Yorkshire is incredibly community focused, people have told me that’s why they moved here to live.

As a community they care for one another, and as a community, it will be our privilege to continue to care for them, while we can.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas.

It costs £300 to run the community grocery for one day. Please help to keep it open for everyone who relies on it.

Click here to contribute now. Thank you.

Weather warning for Harrogate district as icy snap looms

A weather warning for ice has been issued for the Harrogate district as sub-zero temperatures loom.

The warning is in force from 6pm tomorrow until noon on Thursday.

The Met Office has warned “some disruption is likely due to icy surfaces” on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

The district has had remarkably little ice so far this winter.

Temperatures are expected to fall slightly below freezing tonight and then plunge to minus three degrees centigrade on the next few nights. They will struggle to rise much above freezing even during the day and light snow could fall on Friday and Saturday.

Temperatures could fall even lower in more rural areas, such as Greenhow Hill, which is the highest place in the Harrogate district.

Gritters, which operated last night, will be back out on key routes again tonight.

Another Harrogate district school looks set to close

North Yorkshire County Council looks set to open a consultation on whether to close a school between Ripon and Boroughbridge.

Under the plan, Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School would shut in August 2023. The council will recommend carrying out a consultation into the plans at a meeting on December 13.

A council report said numbers at the school has been “falling over the past few years” and there were concerns about the impact on pupils’ education.

As of this year, nine children and one nursery pupil were on roll at the school. It has capacity for 52.

The low number has meant key stage two teaching has been taking place at Sharow Church of England Primary School, which is federated with the school.

The report added:

“The governing body have been active in their collective efforts to raise numbers at the school through many initiatives over recent years including the introduction of nursery provision in September 2019, which has attracted some children to the school, although numbers have been small.

“Marketing of the school has been a collective effort by governors, staff and parents though this has not had a long-term result.”

The county council estimates pupil numbers “will not recover significantly in the longer term and may reduce still further”.

In autumn this year, the governing body of the school approached the county council to request a consultation on a closure.

The report added:

“This decision was not taken lightly by the governing body.

“The main issue was being able to provide such a small number of pupils with the rounded education that they deserve together with little prospect of future improvement in pupil numbers.”

The council has proposed that, should the school close, then the catchment area will be taken in by Kirby Hill Church of England Primary School.

A consultation into the closure will be held from January 2023, if approved. Senior county councillors will make a final decision whether to close the school next year.

Fourth school to close?

Skelton Newby Hall Church of England Primary School could become the fourth Harrogate district school to close in quick succession.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School in Masham closed after 200 years in summer last year.

Baldersby St James Church of England Primary School, near Thirsk, closed in summer this year and Woodfield Community Primary School will shut this month.

However, governors at Fountains Earth Primary School in Upper Nidderdale withdrew their request for a consultation on closure this year and the school remain open.

New housing plan to be created for Harrogate district

A new Local Plan guiding where land can be used for housing and employment for decades to come is to be drawn up for North Yorkshire.

Harrogate Borough Council currently has its own Local Plan which outlines where development can take place across the district until 2035.

North Yorkshire County Council will be recommended to approve creating a new county-wide strategy at a meeting of its executive next week.

The new Local Plan would look ahead for a minimum of 15 years, and at least 30 years in relation to any larger scale developments, such as new settlements or significant urban extensions. It would encompass all areas of the county outside the national parks.

Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the authority, said:

“A robust Local Plan that sets out an ambitious vision and a clear framework for growth will ensure that we keep control of how and where development takes place.

“By ensuring a local focus, we can protect and enhance the quality of the places in which we live, creating sustainable economic growth and prosperous communities while safeguarding the natural and heritage assets that are such an important aspect of our county.”

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for growth and housing, said

“The plan will be vital to the new North Yorkshire Council’s ambitions to deliver sustainable economic growth, through good homes and jobs, as well as the best facilities and infrastructure for everyone who lives or works in the county.

“Planning guidance will also play a key role in meeting our ambitious targets to tackle climate change. In addition, it can support other services in meeting the needs of our many communities at a local level, taking into account everything from transport and education to housing, health and social care.”

Hosepipe ban lifted after wet autumn across Harrogate district

The hosepipe ban covering the Harrogate district has been lifted with immediate effect.

Yorkshire Water said the public’s efforts to save water, combined with more wet weather than average during the autumn, meant the restrictions imposed on August 26 were no longer needed.

The company said an average of 28 million litres of water had been saved each day under the restrictions, taking pressure off its reservoirs. However, Yorkshire is still classified by the Environment Agency as being in drought conditions.

Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We’re really grateful to our customers for their efforts to save water whilst the weather was drier than usual.

“Thanks to a number of emergency drought schemes, drought permits, increased leakage activity, rainfall, and everyone’s efforts to save water, reservoirs are now looking much healthier – with the average level across the region now at 75%.”

Yorkshire Water said it had hired more technicians to deal with leaks and working seven days a week to carry out repairs. It said leakage had reduced by more than 9% this year, as it works towards a goal of a 15% reduction by 2025.

Mr Dewis added:

“As we’ve seen this year, climate change is making weather patterns more extreme.

We recently submitted our latest draft water resource management plan to the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The document predicts future water use, weather patterns, and sets out our action plan to reduce the likelihood of future restrictions and ensure we can continue to meet demand over the next 60 years.

“We’d welcome feedback from customers and other stakeholders on our draft plan, which can be viewed on our website.

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is no longer in place, it’s really important that we all continue to save water where we can. Adopting small habits like reusing grey water or installing a water butt will save water and energy, helping to reduce bills and protect the environment.”

To view the draft water resource management plan, click here.

Plan for community networks in North Yorkshire labelled ‘crackers’

Plans to create about 30 unelected community networks in North Yorkshire following the abolition of district councils have been criticised as “crackers” and “an academic exercise”.

Councillors from across the political spectrum have voiced a plethora of concerns about North Yorkshire County Council’s proposals to form forums based around market town areas.

The authority has pledged its successor unitary council would be committed to keeping services local and give communities a bigger say in services from April 1, 2023.

Under the proposals, local priorities will be decided by around 30 community networks, based around market town areas.

Made up of community and business groups, town and parish councils and representatives from other local groups and public services, including local councillors, the council claims community networks will act as local agents for economic and social change.

A meeting of the Tory-run council’s corporate scrutiny committee heard councillors brand the proposed forums as unnecessary, while others have said they would be toothless or poorly attended as they could not make financial decisions.

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who represents Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, said while elected members would be obliged to attend networks in the division to which they were elected, as the proposed 30 networks did not follow division boundaries, they would need to attend networks outside their division too.

He said elected community representatives needed more consideration in the proposals, which he described as “unpractical” and an “academic exercise”.

Cllr Brown said:

“We have a job to do and we’re not really mentioned. If I’m having to go to meetings in somebody else’s division it seems a nonsense to me.

“It’s bad enough with 16 parish councils in my division, but if you are having to go to further meetings in someone else’s area because it’s a community hub covering the whole of several divisions, it’s crackers.”

Hunmanby Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, an independent member, told the meeting there was a consensus among parish councils in her area that community networks would undermine their role in the community.

She added:

“They feel they allow individuals who don’t have or are not honestly representative of the wider community to pursue their own projects.

“One thing that really has annoyed people, and it annoys me as a parish councillor, is that we are expected to do all the work and take responsibility, yet someone can now waltz onto the community network and have more influence than the average parish councillor.”

After the meeting, the authority’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said he recognised there were a range of concerns being raised about the community network proposals, but they remained “very much a work in progress” and were being shaped by a range of views.

He said the idea was to bring people together to discuss services and priorities in their areas and would not downgrade parish councils’ influence.

Cllr Les said:

“In that respect I think it’s a worthy ambition to talk to people. In no way are they meant to negate the work or replace parish or town councils, or of the elected member. I appreciate the value of parish councils. I was a parish councillor for well over a decade.

“This is about working in clusters and the network might cover areas that are not covered by a parish council, but by a parish meeting, which only meet as and when they need to.”

He said such community networks had been in place across North Yorkshire for some time, with Community Engagement Forums in Selby district and Area Partnerships in Richmondshire.

Cllr Les added:

“I have got great hope for these networks.”

Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal hits £5,000 target in less than a week

There’s been an overwhelming response to the Stray Ferret’s Christmas Appeal for local food charity, Resurrected Bites.

Our target of £5,000 was reached over the weekend – less than a week after we launched the appeal. Public donations now stand at £7,638.

With Harrogate firm Techbuyer generously match funding the first £5,000 of public donations – it means our overall total is now £12,638.

Many of the donations have been given anonymously so whoever you are, we would like to thank you and everyone else who has generously given money in these difficult economic times.

THANK YOU!

But we keep going. As we have a few weeks to go before the appeal ends at midnight on Christmas Eve, we have now raised the overall target to £20,000.

This would give Resurrected Bites almost three months of operating costs, as each month costs the charity a minimum of £7,500 to run the cafes and grocery stores. If you want to know more about the charity please read the stories below.

Michelle Hayes of Resurrected Bites says to hit the target so quickly is amazing:

“I am blown away by the generosity of so many people who have got the total to £7,558 in under a week. This equates to a month’s basic operating costs and with Techbuyer’s amazing donation of 5k match funding on top, we are heading towards covering our costs for two months. We have a lot of anonymous donors and so I have not been able to thank them directly but please know that every penny means so much.

I know there was a significant amount of anxiety amongst some of our service users when they saw the headline that Res Bites might close and I said at the time, I was determined to ensure we wouldn’t close as we know so many rely on our services.

In the same way that we need to talk about mental health more, we also need to talk about food poverty more..I hope these articles [on the Stray Ferret] help to end the stigma and encourage more people to come forward for help as we don’t want anyone to go hungry.”

Please don’t let anyone go hungry this Christmas — Resurrected Bites needs your support.

The more money raised, the more people it can feed at a time of rising demand for its services.

Thank you again. To donate click here.

Read more:

Harrogate Town Council should oversee planning

Harrogate district Local Plan set to be scrapped

High Court quashing

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‘Pimple on a pig’s backside’

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Fourth school to close?

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