Man arrested for attempted murder of two children in Beckwithshaw

A 40-year-old man has been arrested for the attempted murder of an 11-year-old child and a 10-year-old child, following an incident in Beckwithshaw on Monday.

The man has also been arrested for an assault on an emergency worker.

A 13-year-old child also sustained minor injuries during the incident.

North Yorkshire Police said this morning the man has been released from hospital and is now in police custody for questioning by officers from the major investigation team.

Detective Inspector Steve Menzies, senior investigating officer, said:

“The incident took place around 8:10am both inside and outside a property in Beckwithshaw which is situated on the main road, the B6161 Otley Road, and is very close to the local primary school.

“I reiterate that this incident is not connected to the school, however I am appealing to anyone who may have been dropping off children at the school, or commuters passing by, to check their vehicle dashcam and report any footage that may have captured any part of the incident prior to the attendance of the emergency services”.

The police appealed to anyone with information to contact them by calling 101, then pressing option two and asking to speak to the major investigation team.

Quote reference number 12220105995 when passing on any information.

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No update from police following blade incident in Beckwithshaw

A man and young boy were left with serious injuries following an incident with a “bladed article” on Monday in Beckwithshaw but the police are yet to give any further updates.

North Yorkshire Police was called to a house on Church Row at 8.20am on Monday morning. It later said an 11-year-old and a 40-year-old man had been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Later in the day, police confirmed the 11-year-old had undergone emergency surgery and was now in a “stable condition in hospital”.

The 40-year-old man, however, was still in a serious condition and remained under police guard. The police added two children aged 10 and 13 had escaped the house and were now under the care of relatives and specialist officers.

Since this update at 3.15pm on Monda,y the police have given no more information.

The Stray Ferret asked today about both the man and child’s current condition, whether anyone has been charged and if the man was still under guard. The police said:

“No update at the moment – enquiries ongoing.”

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On the day, the Stray Ferret received reports of numerous emergency services vehicles and an air ambulance attending the scene.

Boy ‘stable’ and man under police guard in hospital after Beckwithshaw incident

An 11-year-old boy who suffered serious injuries in an incident in Beckwithshaw today is now in a stable condition in hospital following emergency surgery.

A man aged 40, who was also taken injured from the scene, remains in hospital in a serious condition and is under police guard, North Yorkshire Police confirmed this afternoon.

Both are believed to have been injured with what police are describing as “a bladed article” around 8.20am today.

Senior Investigating Officer DI Steve Menzies, of the North Yorkshire Police major investigation team, said:

“Two other children aged 10 and 13, who were also in the house at the time of the incident, are being cared for by relatives and supported by specialist police officers.

“I can reassure the public that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and an investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances of exactly what happened this morning.

“I also want to thank ambulance staff, paramedic teams and police officers who quickly arrived at the scene and administered emergency aid to the injured males.”

The B6161 through Beckwithshaw was closed for several hours this morning as police entered the home in Church Row, close to Beckwithshaw Primary School, which police said was not linked to the incident.

An air ambulance landed in the field behind Beckwithshaw Village Hall, while numerous police cars and vans, as well as road ambulances, were on the scene.

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Boy, 11, and man seriously injured after blade incident in Beckwithshaw

A boy and a man have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a major incident in Beckwithshaw this morning.

Armed officers and a police helicopter were deployed at about 8.20am to a house on Church Row in the village.

North Yorkshire Police released a statement minutes ago saying an 11-year-old boy and 40-year-old man had suffered “serious injuries believed to be sustained by a bladed article”.

Both males have been taken to hospital and police remain on the scene.

The statement said:

“Officers were called to a property in Church Row, Otley Road, at 8.20am today and on arrival found an 11-year-old boy and 40-year-old man with serious injuries believed to be sustained by a bladed article.

“Both males have been taken to hospital.

“The incident is not connected to the nearby school.”

This morning, the Stray Ferret received reports of numerous emergency services vehicles and an air ambulance attending the scene.

A police cordon is in place and the road from the roundabout near the cricket club to the junction with Shaw Lane was closed.

One villager told the Stray Ferret the road had reopened.

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Road closure in Beckwithshaw as emergency services respond to incident

A road closure is in place between the cricket club and the junction of Shaw Lane in Beckwithshaw as emergency services and the air ambulance respond to an incident.

The details of the incident are unknown but reports suggest there are multiple police cars, ambulances and an air ambulance near the village hall, opposite the Smiths Arms pub in the village.

Reports suggest the main scene of the incident is near the mini roundabout close to the cricket club, at the northern end of the village. Police at the scene confirmed there was not believed to be any risk to the wider public or the nearby primary school.

Drivers should avoid the area if possible. Officers said they expected the closure to be in place for some time.

We will update you when we get more information. Anyone with further details can email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Plans submitted for 770 homes and primary school on Harrogate’s Otley Road

Plans have been submitted to build 770 homes and a new primary school at Otley Road in Harrogate.

The development also includes a sports centre, a convenience store and community hub.

Land promoters Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes are behind the Windmill Farm development, which would be the biggest housing scheme to be built in Harrogate for decades.

It would dwarf the nearby village of Beckwithshaw, which has a population of 400.

The homes would be built on green fields on the opposite side of the road from the charity-run nursery Horticap and behind RHS Harlow Carr. Part of the land is currently used by Beaver Horse Shop.

Parameters Plan

A design and access statement, submitted to support the application, says the application has been informed by the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The parameters plan, which has been prepared by Harrogate Borough Council, will be used to identify what infrastructure is required to meet the needs associated with future developments in the area.

It also offers guidance on design, open space and landscaping.

The application says 40% of the homes will be classed as “affordable”, with the remaining 60% sold at market rate and being between two and five-bedroom properties.

The homes would look like these

Forty of the homes would be self-build, which are plots reserved for people who want to build their own home.

Bus stops and three access points would be created on Otley Road to leave and enter the site and a new cycle route would also be installed, which the developers hope will eventually connect to the Otley Road cycle path.

The existing Otley Road/Howhill Road junction would be reworked to include one of the entrance points to Windmill Farm and will have traffic lights.

An energy statement says the homes would not have any low carbon or renewable energy technologies.

They would be fitted with “high-efficiency” combi gas boilers to heat the homes. The government will be ban gas boilers from new homes in 2025.

It says to reduce emissions, the homes would be well insulated and be positioned to make the most of the sun.

There are no firm details included about the primary school and the number of children it can accommodate, but it would be built on the side of the development facing RHS Harlow Carr.

It says the size of the school and its surroundings would be 5.19 acres.

The new primary school would be built near RHS Harlow Carr

Local Plan

The site is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which is a document that lays out where development can take place in the district until 2035. It says 776 homes can be built there.

If the Windmill Farm development is granted full planning approval, it would mean over 1,200 homes could be built on that section of Otley Road.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, has plans to build 480 homes on Bluecoat Park, near Harrogate police station.

The majority of homes at the 125-home Harlow Hill Grange development are now completed.

Environment concerns

Whilst the development is likely to be granted planning permission in some form due to the fact the site is included in the Local Plan, a spokesperson for Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association told the Stray Ferret in September it was “very concerned” about the scale of the development and its impact on the environment.

Planning documents submitted on behalf of the developer say the scheme is a “high-quality proposal”.

“The proposed layout seeks to meets the aspirations of the draft Parameter Plans for the West of Harrogate masterplan. The proposed scheme provides a residential development that fully integrates built form, landscaping and quality of place in order to provide a high-quality proposal that is where people are proud to live.”

The plans are open for comments on the council’s planning portal and the reference is 22/00089/EIAMAJ

Police appeal after dogs chase sheep near Beckwithshaw

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after two dogs chased three sheep during lambing season near Beckwithshaw last week.

It took place on Thursday afternoon at around 2.50pm below the ruins of John of Gaunt’s castle, which is near Beaver Dyke Reservoirs.

A Dalmation dog, believed to be called Mabel, chased the ewes close to the public footpath.

A second black dog, which was medium-sized and believed to be called Parker, also joined in the chase.

Being in charge of a dog that worries sheep is a criminal offence.

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At this time of year, ewes are often heavily pregnant. Being chased by a dog can result in injury, suffering and even death.

Officers are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time who could assist the investigation.

They’d especially like to speak to a woman who was seen to be exercising a number of dogs in the area and also the owner of a black van which was parked in the parking area at the side of Pennypot Lane where the footpath to the reservoirs starts.

If anyone has information contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 select option 2 and ask to speak to PC Bill Hickson. You can also email bill.hickson@northyorkshire.police.uk – quote reference NYP-25032022-0069.

Otley Road in Harrogate to face six weeks of roadworks

Two-way traffic lights will be installed on Otley Road, between Harrogate and Beckwithshaw, from Monday until Friday May 6.

North Yorkshire County Council will put the lights next to Persimmon Homes’ Harlow Hill Grange development whilst roadworks take place.

According to the council’s website, works include installing new street lights and signs, connecting gullies to a ditch and building a new footpath.

Motorists using the section of Otley Road closer to Harrogate have faced over a year of disruption due to the construction of the Otley Road cycle path. Phase two is set to start later this year.

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Thieves steal money and CDs from Beckwithshaw church

A Beckwithshaw church is appealing for help after a thief stole money and a CD player.

St Michael and All Angels’ Church, on Otley Road in the village, said the church had been targeted twice in about three weeks.

In a Facebook post, the church said someone had tried and failed to prise the cash box from the wall on the last weekend in February.

However, they returned between 11.30am and 6pm yesterday to cut the padlock locking the box and steal what was inside — which the church believes was around £6.

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The church said in its post that the thief had “come prepared” the second time round.

It said:

“The thief has also taken the CD player with two small speakers from the area near to the choir stalls which we used for Sunday music when we don’t have an organist.”

The church added that it believed the CD player was stolen by someone with a large Sainsbury’s carrier bag.

The church was built in the late nineteenth century in the Gothic revival style. According to its website, the building is open from 10am to 4pm daily for private prayer.

Beckwithshaw primary school rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted

Beckwithshaw Community Primary School has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

The 75-pupil village school on Church Row had been consistently rated ‘good’ by inspectors since 2002 but its latest Ofsted report means the school has now been placed in special measures.

Inspectors found pupils enjoy coming to school, show good levels of concentration and listen to instructions.

They praised the school for its phonics programme and said pupils read with confidence and understanding.

But the report, which was published on Friday, criticised the learning curriculum at the school as “not fit for purpose” and “poorly planned”.

It said this has led to pupils not doing well in a range of subjects.

‘Leadership vacuum’

An interim executive headteacher and interim head of school took up their posts at Beckwithshaw in October 2021.

But the report said a “leadership vacuum” over a period of time has had a negative impact on the quality of teaching at the school. It said staff have suffered from excessive workloads and low morale.

It said that new subject leaders are aware of the “deep-rooted problems” with the school’s curriculum.

However, they “lack the training they need” to make the required changes to raise standards.

Here is how the inspectors came to the overall ‘inadequate’ rating:

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Special measures

The inspection took place over two days in December last year when inspectors observed lessons, spoke to pupils informally and had meetings with school leaders.

The report said the inspection took into account the covid pandemic and how it impacted the school.

Beckwithshaw has now been placed into special measures to drive up standards.

Special measures schools are given details on how they must improve and are regularly monitored to check that they are on track. Another inspection will take place within 12 months.

The report says:

“In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.”

The school was rated ‘good’ at its last full inspection in 2012. A short inspection took place in 2016 that said the school “continues to be good”.

Beckwithshaw is currently part of a federation of three schools, along with Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School and Ripley Endowed C of E Primary School.

The school’s response

Robert Ling, chair of the interim executive board at Beckwithshaw Community Primary School, said:

“There are clear areas identified by Ofsted where Beckwithshaw Primary School can be improved and we do have a strong team around the school driving improvements at pace including the interim executive board.

“Inspectors acknowledged that the school has strengths: that pupil’s behaviour and attitude is good; that they happily play together; that they behave well in lessons and understand the importance of tolerance and respect and that children are well safeguarded.

“The phonics programme is planned well; it enables staff to support pupils to develop their phonic knowledge and skills effectively. Pupils learn how to match letters to sounds and blend them in words. The books given to pupils to practise their reading are well matched to their phonics knowledge. They read them with confidence and understanding.

“Pupils’ with an education, health and care plan are supported more effectively because they receive individual one-to-one assistance.

“We are now taking swift action to secure good leadership and improve curriculum planning across all areas of school life.

“We are proud of our pupils at Beckwithshaw and inspectors praised their good behaviour and willingness to learn. They deserve the highest standards of teaching and learning and good quality leadership and we are taking firm steps to put these in place.”