Editor’s Pick of the Week: High Court hell to resolve Harrogate's future

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Few subjects raise readers’ heckles more than the £12.6 million Harrogate Station Gateway — but even the scheme’s most fervent supporter or critic would have found this week’s two-day High Court hearing hard going.

The outcome could determine whether the town centre’s biggest transformation for 30 years goes ahead, so it matters a great deal.

But our reporter muttered that he never wanted to hear the words ‘Traffic Regulation Orders’ again after sitting through two days of legal shenanigans in a soulless room in Leeds. 

How about a game of British bulldog between the two parties on Station Parade to sort the matter out instead, or armwrestling between Councillor Keane Duncan and Get Away campaigner Steven Baines on Station Square? Imagine selling tickets for that...

Harrogate Spring Flower Show was far more fun. The sun shone and everyone seemed happy on Thursday’s opening day. The four-day show is a big deal for gardeners and for Harrogate’s economy, as show director Nick Smith explained in this interview. Here is a gallery of photos from the event — including plenty of hostas.

Just as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of Matt Trevelyan, who had spent the Easter weekend walking 53 miles around Nidderdale dressed as a curlew to raise awareness of the threat to the species.

Matt, who works at Nidderdale National Landscape, was still in curlew character so he was impossible to miss. Greater fame awaited the following night when his eccentricity earned him an appearance on Have I Got News for You.

Less fleeting fame awaits Harry Gray, the latest member of the Gray family football dynasty, who at 16 years old made his debut for Leeds United in the team’s 6-0 win that clinched promotion on Easter Monday. His great uncle Eddie is the most famous Gray but Harry and brother Archie, 19, who plays for Tottenham, are serious prospects.

Finally, did you see our story about the new Starbeck micro hotel? It consists of seven small apartments above ChilliChick’s on High Street. Starbucks' name is said to have derived from Starbeck — but the similarity of the new venture's logo to that of the coffee shop may attract m'learned friends' attention once they have finished sorting out the future of Station Parade.