Harrogate streets closed for hours due to man on roof

Police closed several Harrogate town centre streets last night for several hours when a distressed man climbed on to a roof.

The man was on top of the Linley and Simpson building at the junction of Princes Square and Albert Street fro about 6.30pm until midnight.

Both streets were cordoned off, as were some other nearby routes, including James Street.

Police in Princes Square.

Crowds gathered in Princes Square and elsewhere last night.

North Yorkshire Police eventually published a social media post saying “our officers are currently speaking to a person in distress in Harrogate town centre” and urged people to avoid the area.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said it responded at 6.32pm. It added:

“Harrogate crew assisted police with a male who had climbed on the roof of a property and refused to come down.”

Albert Street was among the streets blocked off.

The police cordons prevented people from visiting numerous hospitality businesses on a busy Friday night.

Some people were allowed to cross the cordons at certain point to enter restaurants but others closer to the incident were not.

In a social media post this morning, North Yorkshire Police said:

“Thank you for your patience while we dealt with a man on the roof of Harrogate town centre buildings overnight.
“He came down at around midnight and was taken into custody.”

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Plan for flat above Harrogate estate agents approved

Plans have been approved to convert a part of a town centre estate agents into a two-bedroom flat.

The premises on Albert Street is occupied by North Residential, previously Knight Frank, but under the proposals part of the first floor and all of the second floor will be changed to residential.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved the proposal.

The application states:

“The upper floors of the premises were ceased to be part of the commercial use following the refurbishment of the building at the rear 18 months ago.

“The ground floor floorspace was considered more convenient and offered a high quality meeting room. Since that time, the first and second floors have remained vacant in excess of the three month requirement.”

North Residential began trading last year after a management buy-out of the Harrogate branch of Knight Frank, having been operating it in Harrogate for 15 years.

The business will continue in the ground floor of the Albert Street building, along with a first-floor meeting room to the rear.

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63rd+1st cocktail bar and restaurant in Harrogate to close

The 63rd+1st cocktail bar and restaurant in Harrogate is to close, less than a year after opening.

The venue opened in the former Ask Italian restaurant on Albert Street on November 26 last year.

But the company confirmed today it would cease trading in Harrogate on November 13.

A spokesperson for 63rd+1st said:

“We have made the difficult decision to close our 63rd+1st location in Harrogate.

“Whilst it has been popular with guests, the current economic climate has impacted trading – as it has done across the wider hospitality industry.

“We would like to sincerely thank our team for their hard work, and loyal guests for their support.”

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63rd+1st was set up by TGI Fridays UK. Named after the street in New York that was home to the original TGI Fridays, its Harrogate venue joined the likes of Yo Sushi! and Estabulo on Albert Street last year.

The restaurant area

The company said at the time it would generate 30 part-time and full-time jobs. Those affected were told the news today.

The restaurant, lounge and bar was built to seat 101 people and to serve Manhattan street food.

The company said it wanted to attract customers ranging from early morning coffee drinkers to late evening drinkers.

Residential conversion plan submitted for upper floors of Harrogate estate agency

Plans have been put forward to convert part of a town centre estate agent’s office in Harrogate into a two-bedroom flat.

The premises on Albert Street is occupied by North Residential, previously Knight Frank, but under the proposals part of the first floor and all of the second floor would be changed to residential use.

The prior notification documents submitted to change the use of the premises state that other than a meeting room to the rear, the upper floors have been out of use for some time.

The application states:

“The upper floors of the premises were ceased to be part of the commercial use following the refurbishment of the building at the rear 18 months ago.

“The ground floor floorspace was considered more convenient and offered a high quality meeting room. Since that time, the first and second floors have remained vacant in excess of the three month requirement.”

Access to the upper floors is through the estate agency office on the ground floor. However, the proposals state that a separate application will be made to alter the access and provide a self-contained staircase to the flat.

The plans show it would have a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, with a second bedroom on the top floor.

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Supporting information submitted with the plans states:

“The proposed scheme looks to preserve and enhance the character of the conservation area through conversion of its first and loft floor, improving the amenity of the building and bringing the upper floors of the building back into use.”

North Residential began trading last month after a management buy-out of the Harrogate branch of Knight Frank, having been operating it in Harrogate for 15 years.

The business will continue in the ground floor of the Albert Street building, along with a first-floor meeting room to the rear.

To view or comment on the application, visit the planning section of Harrogate Borough Council’s website and use reference 22/03448/PCBSR.

63rd+1st: A taste of Manhattan in Harrogate town centre

This story is sponsored by 63rd+1st.

Harrogate’s answer to a Manhattan cocktail bar, 63rd+1st, launched in November last year and has continued to grow in popularity on the town’s dining scene.

We visited after work on a Monday evening and it was a perfect way to start a busy week.

Decked out in trendy dark blue and gold, and featuring lots of greenery, the restaurant, lounge and bar on Albert Street gives off a relaxed and welcoming vibe.

The menu is inspired by Manhattan street food and features small plates to enjoy with a cocktail or mocktail.

The restaurant area.

It includes a signature burger, steaks and seafood, as well as plant-based and vegetarian dishes and loaded fries.

The idea is you choose a few dishes each and order more if you fancy it – like an American-style tapas.

To start, I had seared king scallops, black pudding and pea puree (£12). The scallops were cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth like butter. The pea puree provided a refreshing accompaniment to the saltiness of the black pudding. My partner went for the Maryland crab bon bons and crab mayo (£10), which had a light, crispy coating and were perfect for sharing.

Scallops.

We followed this up with a mozzarella corn dog on a stick – just like you have in New York – and a sirloin steak. I’ll admit, I’ve never had a steak sharing dish before, so I was delighted to be able to pinch a bit of my partner’s sirloin (£14). It was perfectly cooked and came with a tangy chimichurri sauce. You can also choose a topper to add to your steak from options including garlic and chilli prawns, seared scallops and short rib croquettes.

Sirloin steak.

We decided to order loaded fries with chipotle mayo and crispy onions to accompany our dishes (£5). We could have kept going, but decided to save room for a dessert instead.

If there’s one thing Americans know how to do, it’s dessert. And it did not disappoint. We chose a banana taco, which was served with salted candied pecans, caramel and vanilla ice cream . It was essentially like a banana pancake and the salty pecans added the perfect crunchy texture to the dish. Ridiculously good. Other desserts include peanut butter and jelly donuts (£6) and an NYC baked cheesecake (£7).

We also had some fabulous cocktails to accompany our meal from the (very) extensive cocktail menu, including an old fashioned woodford rye (£15).

If you fancy a drink and a few nibbles after work, this is a great place to visit as you can order as much or as little as you want.

There is also a bottomless brunch available on a weekend for just £20 per person down from £35 with a special Stray Ferret voucher offer. Get your voucher now!

Harrogate restaurant to do takeaways only due to staffing issues

Yo Sushi in Harrogate has closed its dining area and will only be open for takeaways ‘until further notice’.

The Albert Street chain sells Japanese food on a conveyor belt, opening in 2016 along with the Everyman Cinema.

But a notice has gone up in its window that says the restaurant will be trading takeaway food for the time being.

The Stray Ferret asked a Yo Sushi team member who said the move is likely to last until the end of the month and was due to staffing problems.

Harrogate’s hospitality businesses have faced well-documented problems hiring staff over the past couple of years, with Brexit, high living costs and low pay all previously blamed for the crisis.

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Harrogate town centre shop closes as business continues to trade

A shop in the centre of Harrogate has closed suddenly this week.

The former Dizzy Duck shop in Albert Street is now being advertised to let by FSS at £22,000 per annum.

A sign in the window says the estate agency re-entered the premises on Monday, on behalf of the landlord. It adds:

“As a consequence of the re-entry, the lease is forfeited and the premises have been secured.”

However, Dizzy Duck continues to trade online and owner Louise Chesters has been posting on its Facebook page frequently this week.

The business had a stall at Ripon market today, and has posted about plans to attend markets in Masham and Thirsk next week.

It changed its business address and phone number before 9am on Monday to remove the Albert Street details.

The Stray Ferret contacted Dizzy Duck about its departure from the shop. The owner declined to comment, but said there would be news coming soon about the business.

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Knaresborough ecommerce firm acquired by Leeds agency

A specialist e-commerce firm in Knaresborough has been acquired by a digital marketing agency in Leeds.

Three members of staff from Audere Commerce have joined Ascensor as part of the deal, including managing director James Withers.

He said:

“The Audere Commerce team and I are very much looking forward to joining a larger, more established digital agency.

“Ascensor share our values of delivering advanced digital technology to clients looking to grow through conversion.”

It is the third acquisition for Ascensor in the last 12 months. Managing director Andrew Firth said:

“This is a very exciting deal for Ascensor, and presents an opportunity to build further our ecommerce client base. We will be able to extend the range of services offered to the new clients.

“The skills base represented by this acquisition complements our existing strengths.

“Audere Commerce are ecommerce software specialists, they’ve developed a specialism in B2B ecommerce.

“We will be able to provide the new clients with marketing services, and they’ll benefit from our focus on conversion rate optimisation, that helps website owners to generate the maximum possible value from their digital assets and grow through return on investment.”

Soaring energy bills a ‘kick in the teeth’, say Harrogate business owners

Harrogate business owners say soaring energy bills are a “kick in the teeth” in the wake of the pandemic.

They are calling for more government support, however they say they “are not holding their breath”, after receiving little help over the last two years.

And there are fears that it will be the final nail in the coffin for some, with the price hike affecting every business – from big to small.

Bills have doubled

Andy Preston, co-owner of F45 Harrogate gym on Albert Street, said it had just received its electricity bill and the amount had doubled.

He said:

“At the end of the day it adds an extra financial burden on the business that we have no control over realistically. It’s an extra overhead that we don’t really need.

“There’s nothing we can do, because it’s the world as it is right now. However, we are getting stung by it.

“It’s just another kick in the teeth after everything we have had to deal with over the last two years. We didn’t get much financial help during the pandemic. The government needs to step up and help businesses now.”

F45 Harrogate owners Andy Preston, left, and Matt Goodall.

Across the road at Thug Sandwich Co, owner Daniel Bell said he was waiting to find out just how much it was going to impact his business.

He said:

“I’ll have to tighten up in other areas. I’ll have to make sacrifices in my personal life – not pay myself as much. I’ve just put my prices up at the beginning of the year anyway, which is something I fought for three years.

“I can’t do that again because then I’m not competitive anymore. So it’s just going to affect my personal life more than anything.

“It’s just another thing to deal with after covid. I definitely wouldn’t hold my breath for any government support. Especially with the amount we got over the covid period. It just seems we are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. It has got to come from somewhere.”

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Extra blow for hospitality

Brett Lee, director and executive chef at Italian restaurant Stuzzi Harrogate, on King’s Road, agrees that it is an extra blow for the hospitality industry.

He said many restaurants have had to put up their prices already due to a large increase in food and import costs caused by a combination of Brexit and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Mr Lee, who also owns Stuzzi Leeds, said:

“It feels like another big obstacle on the road to recovery.

“Every household in the country will now be reviewing how they are spending money due to the rise in energy costs. This may push people to only visit their favourite restaurants once a month instead of a more frequent affair.

“It also means people have less disposal cash to spend in different sectors like retail. This doesn’t help our struggling high streets either and could also have a dangerous effect on restaurant lunch trade across the country.

“But we can’t take a negative approach, we must continue to adapt to the circumstances given to us, work hard, be creative and use our initiative.”

Brett Lee, director of Stuzzi Harrogate.

An ‘unwelcome burden’

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group, described the situation as “worrying”.

She said:

“Whilst many of our shops may be small on Commercial Street, the financial impact of the energy crisis will undoubtedly affect every business – from the smallest up.

“The worrying part is that we have little control over what is going to happen, and basically have to accept whatever is thrown at us. Clearly having endured the uncertainty of covid for the last two years, this is an extra and most unwelcome burden.”

Sue Kramer, owner of Crown Jewellers and head of the Commercial Street Retailers Group.

The price hike comes after the energy regulator, Ofgem, lifted the maximum rate that suppliers can charge for an average duel-fuel energy tariff by £693 — an increase of 54 per cent.

This is to reflect the fourfold increase in energy market prices over the last year.

‘Sneak peek’: Harrogate’s new Manhattan-style cocktail bar

Harrogate’s answer to a Manhattan cocktail bar will open it’s doors on Friday, with the launch of 63rd+1st.

Decked out in trendy dark blue and gold, and featuring lots of greenery, the restaurant, lounge and bar on Albert Street is aimed at customers who might just want a nibble and a drink after work or a meal out with friends.

The restaurant area.

The extensive selection of cocktails, priced at around £10, include the likes of a New York Hangover and a Fuhgeddaboudit, as well as a more traditional selection. There is also a good choice of low alcohol or alcohol-free options.

With plenty of other restaurants in the area, as well as bars on nearby John Street, the venue will need to stand out from the crowd.

And general manager Eva Souza, from Harrogate, who has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years, believes it will.

She said:

“The location is really great in the town centre. I believe we are the right cocktail bar and restaurant for this particular place.

“People love to go out here and enjoy nice surroundings and I believe this is the right place for Harrogate people.

“There are a lot of Italian restaurants in this area and this is something unique. I believe it is something new for the town.

“Our bartenders are really well-trained and the bar itself is beautiful. You can sit around it and watch them prepare the cocktails.

“It’s like a home away from home and we want to be a nice, cosy place for everyone. The place is very stylish and I hope guests will be very happy here.”

General manager Eva Souza enjoying a cocktail in the lounge area.

The new 3,380 sq ft venue, which was formerly Ask Italian, seats 101, as well as another 12 outside.

The menu is inspired by Manhattan street food and features small plates to enjoy with a cocktail, as well as larger dishes.

It includes a ‘signature burger’ steaks and seafood, as well as savoury donuts, a crayfish roll and a corndog. Small plates include arancini and calamari.

Head chef Nick Chappelow, who is also from Harrogate, said:

“I’m excited to cook all of it. The menu is great.

“I like the fact that there are sharing plates on the menu. It’s more relaxed and you get to just graze, so it’s somewhere in between tapas and a main meal starter size.

“The jammy chicken lollipops are insane.

“There’s a really good team here. I’ve been a head chef for 20 plus years, so I’ve seen a lot and it’s nice to go into this going forward.

“It’s fresh and funky and we are going to hit the ground running.”

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Brunch will be served from 9am on a Friday and over the weekend and there will also be a Sunday lunch option. Diners can also choose table service or they can order and pay using a tablet.

American-style booths in the restaurant area.

The venue, which will generate 30 part-time and full-time jobs, is being developed by Hostmore PLC, which also includes TGI Fridays as part of its portfolio. It is named after the street in New York that was home to the original TGI Fridays and where Tom Cruise filmed Cocktail.

Harrogate’s branch is the third to open in the UK behind Surrey in May and Glasgow in September.

Harrogate town centre social distancing planters removed

Planters in Harrogate town centre, which were put in place for social distancing, have been removed this morning.

Workers were seen removing the planters early this morning on Albert Street, with those on James Street expected to follow.

The measures were implemented at the height of lockdown for shoppers to distance from each other in the town centre.

However, the planters are now being removed in line with the lifting of covid restrictions nationally.

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The move proved unpopular with some town centre businesses which said the loss of parking spaces affected trade.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive councillor for access at North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret yesterday that all social distancing measures and parking suspensions would be removed this week.

The move would include social distancing cones in Knaresborough.

However, the Ginnel in Harrogate is to remain closed to traffic for an unspecified period of time to support outdoor hospitality.