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19
Jan
‘A great thing for Starbeck’: Developers begin preliminary work at Harpers building
Progress is being made on plans to redevelop a burnt-out building in Starbeck in a scheme developers have hailed as a “great thing” for the area.
Hookstone Group, which is carrying out preliminary work at the site on behalf of Hexa Projects, has started work at the former Harpers building on High Street.
The Stray Ferret reported in October that the owner of the derelict building, Otley-based entrepreneur Graham Bates, had submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council to redevelop the site.
Under the proposal, the building will be demolished and nine flats created above a ground-floor retail unit.
George Johnson, managing director of Hookstone Group, told the Stray Ferret that the initial work at the site is expected to take six weeks.
It will include removing asbestos and hazardous material from the building and reconfiguring it for the project.
Mr Johnson said:
The project has been split into two phases. The first phase is essentially making the building safe.
It’s very complicated. It’s complex in terms of the logistics and the planning.
Mr Johnson added that Hookstone Group had five staff to carry out the preliminary work, including crane operators who were on site on Friday (January 16).
The Harpers building, next to St Andrew’s Church, was originally a grocery store. Its name is still carved in stone at the top of the building.
On top of the Harpers building in Starbeck. Picture: Hexa Projects.
It later became a McColl’s supermarket, but had been vacant for two years when youths set fire to it in 2018. It has remained a burnt-out shell behind hoardings ever since.
Mr Johnson said the move to refurbish the building will be a welcome change for local people.
He said:
I think it will be a huge thing for Starbeck. The residents have been looking at a burnt-out building for the last seven years. To look at a new refurbished apartment block is going to be great for them. There’s a shortage of housing as well around here and this will ease that burden. It’s going to be a great thing for the local community.
The proposals have yet to be approved by North Yorkshire Council.
Keith Storrs, site manager from Hexa Group, told the Stray Ferret that once planning consent has been granted, the project is expected to take 40 weeks to complete.
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