Ferret Unlocked: what you missed in news last week

This past week, battle lines were drawn between the two camps at war over the £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

Depending on your view, the project represents either the biggest investment in Harrogate in decades or a step which will harm business.

As first reported by the Stray Ferret, a legal challenge launched by the Get Away group could be heard in London’s High Court of Justice.

But, this past week the temperature over the dispute went up a few notches when Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways, issued a statement saying the council will robustly defend the challenge.

Away from politics, a Grewelthorpe pub is set to reopen its doors under new ownership after a two-year closure.

Charlotte and Sean Boyce bought the site from Admiral Taverns last year but have spent the last few months renovating the upstairs area of the building, where they now live.

The couple spoke to the Stray Ferret about their plans for the pub, which subscribers can read here.

Meanwhile, potholes and roadworks also dominated the news agenda last week.

The Stray Ferret published a roundup over the weekend of some of the 212 highways schemes totalling £7 million which are set to be carried out in the Harrogate district over the coming year.

The works, which range from “patching” potholes to total resurfacing, are all included in the council’s 2025-26 Highways Capital Annual Programme.

In current roadworks news, a move to close Ripon Road for six weeks for electricity upgrades got underway over the weekend.

But, the closure has come under fire due to a “farcical” diversion which has been put in place.

The move to close Ripon Road also came just hours after two other sets of works on York Place and Copthall Bridge came to an end. You can read about the disruption in full here.

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