Council ‘exploring further support’ for Kex Gill businessesHarrogate residents react to road reopening

A week ago, traffic started flowing again on a road in Harrogate that had been blocked for 18 months.

Bogs Lane and Kingsley Road together form a horseshoe shape off the A59 Knaresborough Road. The bridge where they meet was closed to facilitate one of the many new housing developments in the area.

The route serves thousands of residents and is also used as a rat run or cut through to avoid the A59. Emergency vehicles travel along it when the barrier at Starbeck level crossing is down.

So are residents pleased to see the road fully back in use or did they prefer living in a quieter neighbourhood?

The Stray Ferret talked to residents this week and visited the site to speak to councillor Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire Council.

The road closure has ended.

Cllr Aldred said most residents he’d spoken to — particularly those in the new developments — appeared happy to have the full use of the road back.

When we met, a woman who lives in Barratt Homes’ Kingsley Meadows passed by and said she often drove to Knaresborough and unblocking the road had saved a lengthy detour.

Claire Mortimer, whose salon The Nail Garden is attached to her home in Kingsley, supported the re-opening. She said:

“The closure has been hard for my business as I have clients that travel far so it’s been annoying they’ve had to go the long way for so long.”

Kevin Francis agreed, saying he moved to the area in 2019 because of its “great links to other areas”, adding:

“Bogs Lane being closed has had a real impact on our day-to-day lives.

“Working to the east of Starbeck we had been shunted onto the High Street and spent many an hour clogging up the A59.”

Daniel Jefferson said the road “provides an important additional link around Starbeck”.

He added:

“Since the temporary closure of Bogs Lane I’ve felt like we’ve seen a significant increase in traffic congestion both exiting Kingsley Road and through Starbeck which I also believe has contributed in additional road traffic accidents occurring along these routes, significant increase emissions and congestion.”

‘More speeding cars’

But Nicola Woods is among those who have the opposite view. She said the reopening encouraged speeding motorists with little respect for the many cyclists and horse riders that used the road, adding:

“At times it is tricky getting in and out of my driveway which is again caused by the speed of some vehicles coming round the bend near Hillbank Road, I have had some near misses.

“The past few months whilst the road has been shut I have seen an increase in people walking and cycling down Bogs Lane. It will be interesting to see what affect the re-opening of the road has on this.”

Tim Redshaw said Bogs Lane was an unclassified road that could not sustain the increased volume of traffic. He said:

“Having lived in Starbeck most of my life l’ve seen how the traffic flows have changed, and the negative effects it’s creating. To keep building on the green belt land we till recently held so dear is a very big mistake.”

New footpath

The new footpath

The road re-opening is not the only change. New traffic lights have been installed near the entrance to Redrow’s Kingsley Manor development and a footpath has been created alongside it towards Bogs Lane to make walking safer.

Darren Long, whose family lives on Kingsley Road, said he didn’t understand why traffic from the Redrow site is now forced to turn right onto Kingsley Road.

“It’s a very odd decision. On a daily basis, we see residents turning around in the Barratts junction to go back over Bogs Lane way. It totally baffles me.”

Mr Long also called for traffic calming measures on Kingsley Road “as the speed of the traffic on here from some rat runners and residents is absolutely frightening”. He added:

“We’re regularly overlooked in this area and it’ll unfortunately take a fatality for the council to act on this I suspect.”

The road closed to allow Redrow to work on its Kingsley Manor development.

Cllr Aldred said the new footpath and road surface looked good but the old crumbling footpath across the bridge needed upgrading. He added:

“I’m going to ask for that to be done, as the new footpath makes it look terrible.  Highways also need to do something about the potholes on the approach from Kingsley Drive — they are awful.”

He added he suspected not everyone had realised yet the road had reopened, and the volume of traffic could increase in the weeks ahead.

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Council gives Kex Gill update

North Yorkshire Council has given an update on work to repair the A59 at Kex Gill.

The road, which is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton, closed suddenly on February 2 when a crack appeared on the verge.

Repair work costing £750,000 began on April 15.

Karl Battersby (pictured above), the council’s corporate director of environment, said in a 57-second video yesterday it was still hoped the road would re-open by the end of June.

He said:

“We know this has caused significant disruption and we acknowledge that in a different environment that we’d have got on site quicker to do these repairs.

“But we’ve had to do a number of survey works to make sure what we do doesn’t cause us a problem in terms of the current road but also doesn’t cause a problem in terms of the new road being constructed.”

Machinery on site

Mr Battersby said a piling rig was putting large metal poles into the side of the road to stabilise it. The road will then be resurfaced.

He added:

“We will be doing weekend working and extended day working to try to keep within that deadline.”

Irish construction firm Sisk, which is carrying out the nearby £68.8 million three-mile realignment, was appointed to oversee the repair work, with Ivor King carrying out the piling.

The crack was caused by a landslip which the council attributed to wet weather but some residents have claimed it is due to the impact of the realignment on the landscape.

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Mayoral candidate makes compensation pledge regarding A59 Kex Gill closure

Independent candidate Keith Tordoff has said he will aim to pay compensation to businesses affected by the A59 closure if he becomes mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The main route between Skipton and Harrogate has been shut since February due to a landslip. It’s led to a lengthy diversion through Ilkley and Otley with the road not likely to reopen until June.

Last month the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited Dalesway Cafe near Skipton. Owner Kate Bailey described the current period as “heartbreaking” for her business. The closure has led to a £2,000 decrease in earnings, forced her to cut the opening hours and led to four members of staff being let go.

Other businesses that have been affected include Mackenzie’s Farm Shop in Blubberhouses, The Outside Inn near Harrogate, Billy Bob’s Parlour near Halton East and The Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey.

However, this month North Yorkshire Council poured cold water on any hopes of businesses receiving compensation and instead said it would offer “general business advice” to those affected.

Mr Tordoff, who is a former police detective and previously owned The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World in Pateley Bridge, told the LDRS that he plans to create a mayoral fund which businesses could apply for compensation from.

He said wealthy people, businesses and charities would pay into this pot of money that would be used to invest in the region.

It would be separate from the £18 million a year the mayor will get from the government and he hoped to raise £5m for the fund in his first year.

Mr Tordoff said he has already emailed Ms Bailey about her plight. He said compensation would likely be a “nominal” one-off amount but would show “that somebody actually does care”.

He said:

“My heart goes out to the business affected. It’s been an absolute disgrace. There are huge detours and the signage is terrible. There are so many issues. If I am elected, I’ll be fighting on their behalf.

“I will access funding and try and support them. There’s no guarantee, but as a small business owner myself it’s appalling what they’ve put up with.”

Alternatively, Mr Tordoff said he could also launch a crowdfunding campaign where individuals could pledge money that would be redistributed to affected businesses.

He accused North Yorkshire Council of “incompetence” regarding the closure.

Regarding compensation, the council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby said earlier this month:

“We appreciate that the closure of the A59 is having a significant impact on businesses, commuters and residents, and we sincerely apologise for this disruption.

“There is no legal requirement under the Highways Act to pay compensation as a result of disruption caused by highways works, but we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.

“In the meantime, we are speaking to individual local businesses to see if they would like general business advice. We will keep the public updated as work progresses.”

The York and North Yorkshire mayoral election will take place on May 2. The candidates are as follows:

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Coffee shop on A59 calls for Kex Gill business support

A coffee shop owner has called on North Yorkshire Council to provide financial support for businesses affected by the ongoing A59 road closure at Kex Gill.

Mark Trickett, who owns the Outside Inn at Menwith Hill, said turnover had fallen to a third of its usual level due to the reduction in traffic.

The road is not due to reopen until at least the end of June, prompting Mr Trickett to call on the council to provide financial support to companies whose futures are at risk.

He and wife Teresa bought the site, which was previously the Millstones, in 2022. He said last year — its first full year of trading — went well.

But the sudden closure of the main route between Harrogate and Skipton on February 2, and subsequent appearance of ‘Road Closed’ signs, have massively reduced traffic and hammered trade at the time of year when it is usually taking off.

He said the Outside Inn was more vulnerable to the closure than some other nearby businesses because it relied heavily on daytime passing trade but he felt everyone affected deserved support. He said:

“We were going really well and this is absolutely murdering us.”

The business, which is situated along the A59, includes a 30-seat coffee shop and an 80-seat Sunday carvery restaurant that also caters for weddings. Mr Trickett also operates motorhome business Whittams from the site.

The couple employ 23 part-time staff and have had to let two go because of declining trade.

Mr Trickett outside the coffee shop.

Mr Trickett said:

“I understand the council is trying to resolve the situation. But if they know there is an issue and there is a likelihood businesses will close and people will be jobless, they should be looking at some sort of solution.

“If we only had the cafe and no reserves we would close tomorrow. Every day this lasts is costing us money.”

Mr Trickett, who has written to council chief executive Richard Flinton and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith about the matter, said if support were not forthcoming he would contact other local businesses with a view to commencing joint legal action.

But the council appears to have ruled out providing any funds.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We appreciate that the closure of the A59 is having a significant impact on businesses, commuters and residents, and we sincerely apologise for this disruption. There is no legal requirement under the Highways Act to pay compensation as a result of disruption caused by highways works, but we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.

“Our contractors have started preparatory work and will be working extended daylight hours and weekends to allow the road to be reopened before the end of June.

“In the meantime, we are speaking to individual local businesses to see if they would like general business advice. We will keep the public updated as work progresses.”

When the Stray Ferret visited the Outside Inn today (April 11) and showed Mr Trickett the council’s response, he said:

“What advice can they give? People are suffering, we are losing trade and have had to lay off staff. Their business advice means nothing.”

Mr Trickett echoed the claims of those who think the council-funded work on the £68.8 million road realignment at Kex Gill caused the landslip that led to the road closure at nearby Blubberhouses.

The council has denied this.

Mr Battersby previously said:

“We have no evidence to say the works that they’ve done have caused this.”

He added “very wet weather” in the landslip-prone area had “accelerated what has already been happening and caused us that problem”.

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‘Wet weather not tree felling caused A59 to crack’, council says

Highways bosses have issued assurances the extended closure of the A59 for a further three months was caused by one of the wettest winters in a century, rather than the felling of hundreds of trees beside the route.

North Yorkshire Council’s director of environmental services, Karl Battersby, said while the authority’s contractors had cut down medium height silver birches close to the road as part of the £68.9m project to change its route at landslip-hit Kex Gill, the authority did not believe the trees removal was linked to the road cracking.

Mr Battersby was responding to concerns raised by councillors, just two weeks after the authority caused dismay by announcing the key east-west route would not reopen before the end of June to complete £750,000 of repairs.

The road between Skipton and Blubberhouses has been closed since February 2, leading to heavy congestion on the diversion route through Otley and Ilkley and some businesses losing thousands of pounds of trade every week.

Glusburn, Cross Hills and Sutton-in-Craven division councillor, Philip Barratt, told a meeting of the council’s transport and environment scrutiny committee the road closure was causing major problems in Ilkley and Otley, creating mile-long queues of traffic at peak times.

He said:

“I can’t stress how important it is that this route is solved as soon as possible. It’s a real blight on these communities.”

The A59 at Kex Gill.

The A59 will not reopen before the end of June.

The meeting heard claims the felling of some 20,000 trees had destabilised the route, but it is understood council officials believe the figure contractors cut down to be closer to 850.

Mr Battersby said the council had employed environmental consultants to examine the site’s geology and the authority had concluded the removal of the trees had not had a “detrimental effect in terms of water tables”.

He told councillors removing the trees had been unavoidable due to the location of the road.

Mr Battersby said:

“We’ve put in a 1.3km haul road to support the construction of the new road from crushed stone and we actually think that’s had a positive effect in terms of stabilising the land in that location.

“We have no evidence to say the works that they’ve done have caused this. We have had ten-mile landslips over fairly recent periods, and we think it’s largely the very wet weather that has accelerated what has already been happening and caused us that problem.”

Mr Battersby said the council was aware the roadworks were causing significant disruption for businesses and residents, but it had taken longer than expected to start repairing the large crack.

He said:

“It’s unavoidable unfortunately. For safety issues we just could not allow the road to remain open. We looked at traffic lights.

“The continual wet weather and the continual worsening of the carriageway has meant we’ve had to do some further work to make sure we got the right engineering solution to fix this.”

He said the council was looking at extended day working and weekend working to limit the road closure, but said another crack had opened up on the A59 and engineers were examining whether they could secure the road there with metal rods to avert a further closure.

Mr Battersby said:

“What all this underlines is how important it is to relocate the road. It’s the right thing to do, but clearly it’s a major engineering project.”

Nevertheless, Cllr Melanie Davis said she believed felling the trees had affected “the whole landscape” and even with a scheme in place to replace the trees, regrowing them would take several decades.

She said:

“It will affect the air quality, it affects how the soil is held together by the roots.

“If somebody wants to cut down trees then they’ve got to have a really damn good excuse as to why they do, no matter where because they are all valuable.”

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Harrogate businesses ‘trying their best to survive’ Kex Gill closure

Harrogate businesses on the A59 say they are trying to navigate income loss due to a closure at Kex Gill.

The road is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton and closed on February 2 after a crack appeared in the verge. It is set to remain closed until at least July.

North Yorkshire Council said repair work costing £750,000 will begin on April 15. Irish construction firm Sisk, which is carrying out the nearby £68.8 million three-mile realignment, has been appointed to undertake the work. Ivor King will carry out specialist steel sheet piling.

But, businesses which are based on the route say the closure has had a significant impact on trade.

Kex Gill, A59

David Suttill, owner of Mackenzies Farm Shop and Café took over the business in November last year and said trade was high through until January and “then overnight things changed due to the road closure”.

Mr Suttill told the Stray Ferret his business takings had fallen by a quarter, around 20% of food is wasted and he has even had to lay off two members of staff. He added the business used to average 150 to 250 customers a day and now they average 50 customers a week.

He said:

“Now the road is closed the café gets no passing trade which it heavily relies on. We have resorted to clearance sales and bargains just to get people through the doors.

“We are trying to find a way to survive and I know other businesses are trying their best to survive too. We are digging deep and finding a way to pay the bills but I don’t know how much longer we can survive. I just want to say there is still a clear run from Harrogate we have loads of deals come and grab a bargain.”

Mr Suttill called on the council to help local businesses. He said:

“It is disgusting it has been closed for months. I wish I could tell the council just to sort it out and get a concrete plan. We have had no communication from them at all and we’ve been offered no help or compensation. I just want an explanation and an apology it is ridiculous.

“We are trying our best to stay open and to donate wasted food with no help from them.”

Fewston farm shop and café

Another farm shop and cafe affected by the Kex Gill closure is Fewston farm shop and café. Lee Abbott, owner of the business, runs the site alongside his wife and said sales have halved since the road closure.

Mr Abbott said:

“We rely on passing trade especially in the summer and while people can still get here from Harrogate, we have lost all of our trade in the other direction.

“Now you can’t get here from Skipton. People are not going to go on almost an hours drive or pay for that fuel. We are at a dead loss.”

He added the café is seeing food waste like Mackenzies and called on the council to make change. He said:

“We have had no correspondence with the council, if we knew when it was going to be closed we could’ve planned around it but we can’t do anything. I know other businesses around us are struggling.”

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A59 to be closed at Kex Gill until end of June

The A59 between Harrogate and Skipton is expected to be closed at Kex Gill until at least July.

North Yorkshire Council said in a press release this afternoon repair work costing £750,000 will begin on April 15.

Irish construction firm Sisk, which is carrying out the nearby £68.8 million three-mile realignment, has been appointed to undertake the work. Ivor King will carry out specialist steel sheet piling.

Today’s press release said there will be extended hours and night working to allow the road to be reopened before the end of June.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We have reached a point where we can appoint a contractor and decide on the most efficient and cost-effective repair scheme, with preparatory work now underway.

“The repairs will include driving long sheets of steel into the ground to create a structural wall. Once this has been completed, contractors will fill in the excavated area between the steel sheets and the road to provide strength and stability.

“Relocating communications cables and completing drainage and resurfacing works once the area is filled also forms part of the scheme.”

The road, which runs across a rural stretch of the county on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is deemed to be one of the most important strategic routes nationally as it provides a key link running across the country.

The damaged verge

It closed suddenly on February 2 after a crack appeared in the verge.

The council has attributed this to wet weather over the past few months but some residents have claimed it is due to the impact of the realignment on the landscape.

Mr Battersby said:

“There have been more than 10 landslips on the A59 at Kex Gill, between Church Hill and North Moor Road, so the ongoing re-alignment scheme is needed now more than ever.

“Until the road is reopened, we advise road users to follow the signed diversion route. We would again like to thank people for their patience and reiterate that we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.”

Further details of the diversion route are available on the council’s roadworks map here.

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Still no date when work will begin on closed road near Kex Gill

There is still no date for when work will begin to repair the landslip that led to the closure of the A59 at Blubberhouses.

The road, which is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton, closed suddenly on February 2 when a crack appeared on the verge.

The council has said wet weather caused the crack in the landslip-prone area.

However Alistair Young, whose house in Blubberhouses overlooks the closed section of road, has claimed previous landslips occurred about half a mile away at Kex Gill, where the council is working on a £68.8 million road realignment. Mr Young believes the council’s work on the Kex Gill realignment has caused the landslip.

The closed section of road at Blubberhouses.

Seven weeks on from the road being closed, repair work has yet to begin.

Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director highways and transportation, parking services, street scene, parks and grounds, gave an update in a video published on the council’s social media channels on Friday.

Mr Mason, who was filmed speaking on the closed road, said:

“We are working hard on a design solution involving sheet piles, which is where we put interlocking sheets of metal into the ground to stabilise the ground and stabilise the road.

“We are working hard to get that design finalised and programmed as soon as possible.

“As soon as possible we will be out on site and getting this road reopened.”

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Readers’ Letters: ‘Abusive beggars’ and intimidating teens in Harrogate

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 letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This letter is in response to the Trading Hell series we ran this week. It followed a three-month investigation into anti-social behaviour and crime in parts of Harrogate.

Congratulations to you for raising this issue.

I don’t have a specific situation or incident to report, but I have noticed a huge increase in what might be called passive aggressive behaviour in town.

The beggars are abusive, the teenagers look at you as if you have encroached on their patch and there is a general feeling that something is about to kick off”. I don’t think I have ever seen a police officer on foot in town over the past five years or so.

But why does it always have to be somebody’s fault other than the perpetrator of the misdemeanour? Sadly, this reflects a breakdown in society as us old timers (I’m in my 60s) comment upon time after time.

Unfortunately, I can only see the situation deteriorating further.

Punishments need to fit crimes and these pariahs of society need to learn that their anti-social behaviour is the road to nowhere.

John Chadwick, Huby

The Kex Gill saga is an ‘absolute farce’

This letter is in response to one man’s frustration over a lack of communication about the ongoing A59 at Kex Gill closure.

I 100% agree with Mr Young. This situation is an absolute farce, it is not a difficult situation to address, nor was it unforeseeable that it would happen.

Surely the project risk assessment should have identified the potential for this type of event and made suitable provision.

It is a huge inconvenience for residents and others who are having to suffer lengthy diversions.

That said, everything relating to this route has been so badly managed for years and, unfortunately, is no surprise to anyone affected.

Tony Sidwell, Ripon

Paul Haslam for mayor is a ‘breath of fresh air’

This letter follows news of former Tory whip councillor Paul Haslam standing for mayor of North Yorkshire. 

It came as a breath of fresh air to read that councillor Paul Haslam has resigned as the Conservative party whip to stand as an Independent candidate for Mayor of North Yorkshire.

It is a position which demands loyalty to all residents of North Yorkshire and not allegiance to a political party, which has gifted the incumbent their salary of £81,300.

It requires broad knowledge of commerce, as well the workings of public services and its politics. It requires the ability to identify and lead a network of talent and not one based on party hierarchy or other organisations..

This is not political party propaganda. I do not belong to a political party and I am a centrist.

I have seen Cllr Haslam at local community meetings and consider him an efficient operator with local interests at heart.

As a capable Independent candidate, who is challenging the existing hierarchy, Cllr Haslam will have my vote.

I hope the electorate fully realise importance of the Mayor of North Yorkshire and that usual voter apathy for local elections does not occur. The election turnout for the retiring Police Commissioner was less than 15%, which means that 85% didn’t care.

The outcome of this election will be more meaningful and it will affect everyone by influencing the many areas of our public services.

Brian Graham, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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