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01
Dec 2022
Harrogate council set to agree to buy land for new horticultural nursery
A new home for Harrogate Borough Council's nursery could be bought by the authority if a proposal is accepted next week.
The council's cabinet is set to approve plans to buy the land to relocate its Harlow Hill nursery — but the location remains under wraps.
Details of the proposed piece of land and its cost have not been revealed as the council argues they are commercially sensitive. However, documents published ahead of the meeting next Wednesday say the ward affected by the proposed purchase is Hampsthwaite and Killinghall.
The ward covers both villages, along with land to the south across Penny Pot Lane and down to the northern edge of Beckwithshaw.
The report by commercial and transformation officer Jennie Atherton said:
Harrogate Borough Council's current nursery was described in the report as "no longer fit for purpose". It was included in the local plan as a site for residential development and the council has agreed to invite expressions of interest in the site.
It has said any sale would be conditional on a new nursery site being available first.
Read more:
- Fears for trees over plans to build 62 houses at Harrogate plant nursery
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Next week's decision would allow officers to proceed with site searches and stage one of the Royal Institute of British Architects' eight-phase plan of work for delivering projects.
While the purchase of the site could complete before Harrogate Borough Council is replaced by the new unitary North Yorkshire Council in April, work to develop the new nursery is likely to take longer.
The report said:
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