Washburn Valley tells story of Queen through creative flower festival

A creative festival of flowers in Blubberhouses tells the story of the Queen’s life and 70 years on the throne.

The display is available to visit at St Andrew’s Church in Blubberhouses, just past Fewston Reservoir off the A59, from 11am to 4pm every day over the four-day weekend.

It’s been organised by the Friends of St Andrew’s Church and displays have been arranged by talented florists that live in the Washburn Valley, which includes villages such as Norwood, Fewston and Farnley.

Displays pay tribute to major events in the Queen’s life, including her wedding to Prince Philip and the coronation.

There are also displays that highlight some of the Queen’s interests, such as horses, Balmoral and the girl guides.

The church’s top florist, Daphne Wilson, has been busy arranging several of the displays this week.

She said:

“We wanted to depict the major part of the Queen’s life. It’s our first proper outing since covid. We’re all volunteers and everyone has played their part.”

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Teas and some delicious homemade cakes are also available. Money raised will go towards paying for new disabled access at the church.

There are 12 displays in total. Some pictures are below:

‘The Commonwealth’ by Alison Bowers

‘Balmoral’ by Lorna Freegard and Bolton Priory Flower Team

‘The Coronation’ by Catriana Cleverley, Virginia Kay, Liz Furse, Connie Fenwick and Duncan Clayton

‘The Wedding’ by Daphne Wilson

‘Childhood’ by Steph Wilson

Watch First World War bomb detonated in Knaresborough

This is the moment that a First World War bomb was detonated in Knaresborough.

The unexploded bomb was found in the River Nidd during a weekly litter pick by Simon Briscombe, whose partner Rachel Wills owns the Watermill cafe.

The couple wrapped the bomb, which they initially thought to be a gas canister, in sandbags at their home and dialled 101. The bomb squad, police and firefighters rushed to their home at The Chase.

Their house, along with about 30 others on the estate, was immediately evacuated while the bomb was taken to a nearby field and a controlled explosion carried out. The A59 was closed for about two hours.

Local resident Piers Ballance shot the footage below of the detonation in his friend Sam Darnbook’s field off the A59, opposite the Toyota garage.

Mr Ballance said the road was closed from Goldsborough roundabout to Manse Lane while the controlled explosion was carried out.

He said:

“We saw several police officers and army personnel at the site of the detonation.

“The explosion surprised us all as we did not expect it to be as loud. We felt the shockwave go through us.”

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Meanwhile, Ms Wills said her and her partner were left in shock after finding the bomb.

She said:

“We’re still in shock. If Simon had known what it was he wouldn’t have moved it.

“The police were horrified because he brought it home in the car and there are a lot of speed bumps in Knaresborough. But we didn’t know what it was.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: A59 is blocked due to a car accident at the junction with White Wall Lane, between Harrogate and Menwith Hill

Emergency services are dealing with a road traffic collision on the A59 between Harrogate and Menwith Hill.

Police at the scene have asked drivers to avoid the area whilst they help those involved.

The collision happened at the junction with White Hall Lane near Menwith Hill.

@your_harrogate @HgateAdvertiser @thestrayferret @Harrogate_News @BBCYork @BBCYorkshire @itvcalendar

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) May 5, 2022

 

Six people injured in serious A59 crash

Six people including a six-year-old boy have been injured in a serious crash on the A59 near Hopperton.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the crash which happened shortly before 8pm on Saturday, April 16.

Officers said the incident involved a blue Vauxhall Zafira and a silver Seat Leon.

The six-year-old boy, who was in the Seat, was taken to hospital with serious injuries and his condition is described as stable.

Three other occupants of the car, all from Lancashire and aged between 16 and 25 years old, were also taken to hospital with minor injuries and were later discharged.

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The occupants of the Vauxhall Zafira, a man and woman in their thirties from the York area, were treated for minor injuries in hospital and later released.

A police statement added:

“The stretch of road was closed for around six hours while officers investigated the scene and to allow the vehicles to be recovered.

“We are appealing for witnesses to the collision or anyone who recalls seeing the vehicles prior to the collision, to get in touch as soon as possible to assist the investigation.

“In particular, we are appealing for dash camera or CCTV footage of road users on the A59 between 7.40pm and 7.50pm.”

Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Jack Dodsworth. Alternatively, email Jack.Dodsworth@northyorkshire.police.uk.

New Harrogate pub opens tomorrow

The Curious Cow of Harrogate will open to the public tomorrow after a £650,000 rebrand.

Revere Pub Company, which has transformed the former Old Spring Well pub, has held a series of soft launches and opening parties over the last week.

The pub, on the A59 in Killinghall, provides contemporary dishes alongside pub classics, plus pizza and steak.

General manager Michael Baravelli is well known on the local hospitality scene, having worked at venues such as the Gino D’Acampo restaurant in Harrogate, The Joiner’s Arms in Hampsthwaite and The Pine Marten in Harrogate.

Michael Baravelli

Michael Baravelli

He said:

“We are looking forward to creating a beautiful space where the community can escape, switch off and enjoy what we have to offer.”

The revamp has created 40 jobs at the site, which was known as the Travellers Rest before it became the Old Spring Well.

Revere Pub Company, which has 16 pubs in the UK, has replaced the children’s play area outside with a seating area.

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Trevor Chapman at Curious Cow

Mayor Trevor Chapman pulls a pint.

Harrogate’s Nelson Inn accepts takeover bid

The Nelson Inn in Killinghall is to reduce its opening hours after agreeing to a takeover bid.

The pub, which is situated on the A59 Skipton Road, posted on social media today that it will be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from next week but open as normal for the rest of the week.

It said:

“The reason for this change in opening hours is because we have been approached by an established company to take over The Nelson Inn and has made us an offer we can’t refuse.

“We believe they will continue with the values and beliefs we have founded into bringing The Nelson Inn back to its former glory.

“We’ve tried to put our very best energy and effort into creating a family friendly pub with good home cooked food. We are hopeful we have created a stepping stone for something special.”

The post thanked customers for their support, adding:

“Hopefully we can see everyone before we close the doors, we will be updating with more information as soon as we know our final date.”

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Plans for 350 ‘eco lodges’ and hotel in Flaxby refused

Harrogate Borough Council has refused a bid to build a luxury eco-resort with 350 lodges on the former Flaxby golf course.

The plans included a hotel, outdoor swimming pool, spa and sports area as well as a pub/cafe, farm shop, gift shop and activity hub.

The developer Flaxby Park Ltd had previously said the resort would attract “the most discerning visitors” and would have a focus on sustainability to allow families to “reconnect with nature”.

But council planning officer Kate Broadbank said the development would have a negative impact on the district’s natural environment as well as harming views from the nearby Temple of Victory, which is Grade II* listed.

The golf course, off the A59 and A1(M), closed in 2014 and has been derelict ever since.

Ms Broadbank wrote:

“The scale and layout are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact upon the district’s natural and historic environment.

“In addition, the application site is not considered to be accessible to local services nor is it demonstrated that an acceptable connection to public utilities can be achieved.”

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The application generated 31 objections, including one from Knaresborough Town Council which feared the hotel would never be built and the site would be re-marketed as a residential development.

An aerial computer generated image of the proposal. The A1 (M) is to the east and the A59 is to the south.

The council added:

“The applicants seem to have no experience of running a holiday park, have no proven business case and have not considered the constant traffic noise from the adjacent motorway.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Flaxby Park Ltd for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.

History of the site

In 2008 The Skelwith Group bought the site from farming family the Armstrongs for £7m. It published plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site that it touted as the future “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown”.

But in 2016 the company went out of business after these plans never materialised.

Flaxby Park Ltd is a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner.

It bought the 260-acre golf course site from administrators in 2016.

Its original proposal for the site was to build 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough. But these plans ended after the council chose the Green Hammerton area as the site for a new settlement in the district.

In October 2020, the developer challenged the council’s decision in the High Court but was unable to overturn it.

Man suffers serious head injuries in minibus collision in Knaresborough

A man in his 70s suffered a serious head injury this morning when he was involved in a collision with a minibus on the A59 in Knaresborough.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this afternoon that the pedestrian was taken to hospital. It added:

“He was conscious and breathing following the incident.”

The A59 remains closed between Bogs Lane in Harrogate and Long Walk in Knaresborough.

The incident occurred near Forest Lane Head at about 9.30am.

Diversions have been put in place while collision investigators examine the scene.

The police statement said:

“Witnesses or motorists with dash-cam footage are asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room. Please quote reference NYP-31032022-0111.

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Delayed A59 Kex Gill reroute now set to start next year and finish in 2025

The delayed £60 million reroute of the A59 at Kex Gill is now unlikely to start until next year, with work continuing until 2025.

North Yorkshire County Council previously said it hoped the reroute would start in autumn last year and take 15 months.

But the council is still negotiating on one remaining objection to compulsory purchase orders it issued for the scheme.

The A59 is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. A diversion is planned west of Blubberhouses on the A59 at Kex Gill, which has been blighted by a history of landslides and a recent “instability issue” that cost the council £1.4 million to resolve.

Richard Binks, head of major projects and infrastructure at the council, said:

“We remain committed to progressing the essential realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill as quickly as possible.

“Negotiations over the one remaining objection are now in an advanced position and we are confident of a positive resolution in the coming weeks.

“This would enable a contractor to be on site to carry out preparatory work by the end of the year, with main construction beginning early next year. Completion would be scheduled for early 2025.”

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If left unresolved, the objections could lead to a public inquiry – which would delay the start of the project further.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for access at the council, told a council meeting last year.

“The project programme without a public inquiry indicates that construction could start this autumn (2021). On the other hand, if a public inquiry is required, the start of works could be delayed by up to 15 months.”

Highways chief ‘confident’ Kex Gill scheme can still avoid inquiry

North Yorkshire’s highways chief has said he is hopeful that a £60 million project to realign Kex Gill will go ahead without a public inquiry.

A diversion is planned west of Blubberhouses on the A59 at Kex Gill, which has been blighted by a history of landslides and a recent “instability issue” that cost the council £1.4 million.

Following the publication of compulsory purchase orders, the council was faced with two objections which, if unresolved, could have led to a public inquiry.

However, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, told the Stray Ferret the authority had now resolved one of the complaints.

He said:

“I’m very confident it will avoid an inquiry.”

Cllr Mackenzie previously told the Stray Ferret that he did not see the objections as a “severe risk” to the project.

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He added that once construction started on the project, work could take up to 18 months to complete.

However, a start date for the scheme has yet to be confirmed.

Barrie Mason, assistant director of highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said the authority intended to progress the scheme “as soon as possible”.

He said:

“We remain committed to progressing the essential realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill as quickly as possible.

“The route is a vital east-west link within North Yorkshire, as well as into West Yorkshire, Lancashire and Humber ports, so we are pressing ahead with this scheme to provide a safe, reliable route for residents, businesses and visitors.

“However, there are statutory processes that must be completed before we can move to the next stage of the project. We are currently progressing through these processes. Subject to their satisfactory completion, we will move forward with the scheme as soon as possible.”