Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to [email protected].
The following two letters are in response to a story published by the Stray Ferret last weekend, which looked into plans for 5G masts in Harrogate.
Living on Jennyfields Drive, I was surprised to see this enormous mast appear almost overnight plus junction boxes.
Local residents were not informed of its imminent appearance and it‘s only thanks to your excellent daily news that we now know the details and purpose of this monstrosity.
My plea to our councillors and MP, Andrew Jones, is for some sort of camouflage to soften its appearance and fit into its environment.
Jennyfields Drive is an attractive road with its trees and grass verges – surely a lick of paint in brown or black would soften its appearance?
Anne Boodt, Jennyfields
5G mast has not improved my signal ‘a jot’
Three have erected a new 5G mast on Forest Avenue, Starbeck. Its location is very obtrusive and I’m sure planning permission would have been rejected in a more affluent area of the town (as has already been seen).
There has been no attempt to blend in either the mast or the associated large cabinet (which by the way now blocks sight of the street name sign), with the environment. Added to which the contractors have left the grassed area surrounding it in a total mess.
I live within direct line of sight of the mast and my mobile signal has not improved a jot, yet operates on the Three network. I don’t get any 5G signal and I suspect although the mast has been up for a few months, it’s still not operational.
There has also been a planning notice on a street light outside 80 Hight Street, suggesting Three have sought planning for a mast there also.
The two locations are so close together its ridiculous. The proposed site on the High Street has a higher elevation and is not so densely surrounded by housing, so you would think that was the best place to locate a mast in the area. Are we going to need 5G masts every half mile?
Whilst on my soap box, the saga regarding the burnt-out old McColl building! We occasionally read encouraging words about its redevelopment but see no action. Again, I doubt this would have been allowed to drag on elsewhere in Harrogate and the authorities would have taken some robust action long before now. How many more years are local residents going to have to live with this eyesore?
We need the likes of the Stray Ferret to keep the pressure on the authorities please. Seems to be the only way things get done!
Andrew, Harrogate
Fears for future of Harrogate theatrical services
This letter is in response to our articles about the possible sale of the Harrogate Convention Centre and changes to programming arrangements at the convention centre and Royal Hall.
The news that North Yorkshire Council is going to take the organisation of events away from Harrogate Theatre for sourcing entertainment events at Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall needs to be linked to the news that the council is now considering selling the convention centre.
Harrogate Theatre took over the organisation of the events a number of years ago because Harrogate Borough Council did such a poor job. Since then, the venues have overall been successful, and this is because of two key factors:
- Harrogate Theatre really knew and worked with the whole entertainment world, so could deal with and attract the best.
- The three Harrogate venues are all very different in size, acoustics and character, so mixing and matching them for different types of entertainment has been a massive attraction for both the entertainment market and Harrogate audiences.
In order to justify selling the convention centre, it would enormously help the council if it could show that it was financially unviable.
The council taking over the events will help ensure that it becomes financially unviable. How handy for the council, but how tragic for the Harrogate audiences, the reputation of Harrogate in the world of entertainment and not to mention the financial viability of Harrogate Theatre.
Andrew Walker, Green Hammerton
Read more:
- Readers’ Letters: Slippery Harrogate footpaths ‘unsafe’ for elderly
- Stray Views: New Harrogate Starbucks will increase roadside litter
Knaresborough needs more mini roundabouts
I would like to address the situation of Knaresborough’s Briggate crossroads that is High Street, York Place, Gracious Street and Park Row.
I am suggesting that this junction be made into a mini roundabout with zebra crossings for pedestrians, i.e. no traffic lights for vehicles or pedestrians.
The queues of traffic at this junction are probably caused by the new housing estates near Aldi, with a knock-on effect from the new housing estate near Piccadilly Motors on Boroughbridge Road.
This would help to make this junction run more smoothly.
Bond End, on the other side of the High Street in Knaresborough, with its two mini roundabouts and zebra crossings for pedestrians was a very successful operation and has been in place for several years now. As far as I know, there has not been any major incidents.
Let’s have both ends of Knaresborough running more smoothly, please.
I also would like to see the junction at the top of Forest Lane Head Starbeck — that is Knaresborough Road, Bogs Lane and Forest Lane — also made into a mini roundabout with zebra crossings for pedestrians. Again no traffic lights for vehicles or pedestrians.
I have been in very long queues on Knaresborough Road both ways, only to see one car coming out of Bogs Lane and maybe two cars coming out of Forest Lane.
I hope both my suggestions would help traffic flow much smoother and quicker for the people of Knaresborough and Harrogate if North Yorkshire Council carry this out.
Maybe you could think up a way of petitioning on the Stray Ferret, as I am sure other like-minded people would agree with my suggestion. Then it could be submitted to North Yorkshire Council.
John Robinson, Knaresborough
A mystery at Stonefall Cemetery
This letter was sent in by a reader who is appealing for information about a nun, whose grave is at Stonefall Cemetery. He is hoping a Stray Ferret reader may be able to help.
Your readers might be able to help a mystery at Stonefall Cemetary.
On the left of the entrance, fronting the cemetery, is a group of nuns’ graves, with a paratrooper incongruously in their midst.
On one of my tours, a couple told me they had read the obituary of one of the nuns who had served in the Special Operations Executive in the war. If it’s true, I would love to know and then she can be included in any future tour, especially International Women’s Day.
John Larder.
If you have any information about the nun, please email [email protected] to contact Mr Larder.
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at [email protected]. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
