One of the Harrogate district’s biggest employers has completed a multi-million pound expansion.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its Boroughbridge site and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

It delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily.

The company has finished a 110,000 square foot expansion to one of its cold storage units at its 55-acre site in Boroughbridge, which will help it meet increased customer demand.

Prior to the pandemic, the company put plans in place to increase its storage capacity to 168,000 pallets. It started the 12-month project in March 2020 along with Leeds-based building contractors Marshall.

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Marcus Boardall, chief executive of the company, said:

“Despite intense pressure on the supply chain in 2020, we were able to undertake and complete the extension project on schedule.

“From the turmoil of the pandemic to uncertainties around Brexit, we and our customers have faced some real challenges over the last year, and this latest investment makes us well-placed to continue to swiftly and efficiently respond to our customers’ changing logistics requirements.”

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall cold storage division, said:

“Our customers’ ongoing organic growth has resulted in increased storage and distribution needs and we are happy to invest in the infrastructure which will enable us to continue to look after their best interests and to grow alongside them.”

Are you a train enthusiast wanting to get your career on track? Newby Hall is advertising for a new full-time driver for its miniature railway.

The stately home and gardens between Ripon and Boroughbridge is looking for a full-time driver and engineer to run its narrow-gauge railway.

The railway has 1.2km of track taking nearly 50,000 passengers each year through the estate’s gardens.

Newby Hall said in a statement the successful applicant needs to be enthusiastic about trains and engineering and have relevant experience. They will have to drive along the steam, battery and gas-powered track and be in charge of train, track and station maintenance.

If your childhood dream was to be a train driver then operations director, Stuart Gill, says this is the ideal job for you:

“This is a chance to perhaps turn your hobby or childhood dream into a career, particularly if you feel your job aspirations have been shunted into the sidings.

“We need someone who has a real passion for trains and engineering, preferably with previous relevant experience, and they also need to be great at managing our team of amazing railway volunteers.”

The successful applicant will also be responsible for the interactive Tarantella water fountain in the children’s play area.

To find out more about the job, click here.

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An inquiry has been launched after emails revealed a Harrogate council officer “massaged” a key report on now-approved plans for a controversial motorway service station on the A1(M) near Kirby Hill.

Emails seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show that Barrie Gannon, former principal landscape architect at Harrogate Borough Council, made changes to a landscape report in 2019 when the council’s planning department went against three previous refusals to recommend approval.

Mr Gannon said he hoped the changes would make the report “read better” – although it is not yet known what was amended.

What is clear though are the report’s conclusions. It said the landscape impact of the service station was “not substantive” in what campaigners have described as a “complete U-turn” from a previous council assessment, which warned it would cause “significant harm”.

The revelations have sparked questions over why a change of stance was taken, as well as concerns over impartiality within the planning department.

Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said:

“It is a mystery to us how officers made a complete U-turn on the landscape assessment. Landscape harm has been the main reason for refusal of a motorway service area at this site for 25 years.

“We do not understand how or why this position changed.”

The proposals put forward by Applegreen were most recently rejected by councillors in 2019.

However, that decision was overturned at an appeal this month as the developers won approval at the fourth time of asking.

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Mr Owens, who gave evidence during the appeal, said the landscape report played a key part in the planning inspector’s decision to grant approval, which made it even more important to understand why the council had changed its conclusions.

He said:

“The officer’s report was not only presented to the planning committee. It was relied on by Applegreen at the public inquiry, who told the inspector that he should accept the view of the council’s professional planning officers, which he duly did.

“The planning inspector went along with the planning officer’s conclusions on landscape, so we think it is important to understand how they were arrived at.”

In the email dated November 2019, Mr Gannon said to a colleague: “I’ve massaged the landscape section 9.56 – 9.69 which hopefully reads better.”

Robert Windass, the Conservative councillor for Boroughbridge and one of the planning committee members who previously rejected the service station, said he had “serious concerns” about the email after he made calls for the inquiry last week.

Speaking at a full council meeting, he asked the council’s cabinet member for planning councillor Tim Myatt:

“Will you undertake a full inquiry into this matter to ensure that all reports presented to the planning committee in future are factual, truthful and unbiased?”

In a statement, councillor Myatt later said he was “confident” that officers always made “fair and impartial” assessments of planning applications.

He said:

“Officer recommendations are formed based on their assessment of information available about the application, including information submitted by the applicant, internal and statutory consultees, and the public.

“I am confident that officer recommendations are based on a fair and impartial assessment of that information.

“Together with officers, I have met with councillor Windass to discuss his concerns regarding the landscape assessment included in the officer’s report to committee.

“I agree with councillor Windass that there is a need to provide residents with reassurance that our planning processes were followed correctly, and I have agreed with councillor Windass that we will look into the specific concerns he has raised before providing a report to councillors.”

An unsupervised candle is believed to have caused a fire that badly damaged a house in Minskip in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Harrogate using and aerial ladder platform and breathing apparatus rushed to the scene just after 1am.

Nobody was injured but the fire, which started in a bedroom, left the home in Roecliffe Drive uninhabitable.

The first floor suffered 100% fire damage and there is smoke damage throughout the building.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews used six breathing apparatus sets, two hose reel jets, door enforcer, 9 metre ladder, thermal imaging camera and small tools.

“They also gained access to a neighbouring property to check for fire spread.”

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service told the Stray Ferret the adjoining semi-detached was not damaged and it was fortunate nobody was hurt.

Minskip is about a mile from Boroughbridge.

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The deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council has said he is “extremely optimistic” about high streets recovering from the covid crisis as he revealed positive economic data boosted by the reopening.

Cllr Graham Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said the percentage of vacant shops across the district had fallen to 6.8% in March – a “significant improvement” from 8.6% around this time last year.

He added data on people’s movements showed the number of visitors to rural areas had returned to pre-pandemic levels, although Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon had not yet reached this point.

Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Swift said:

“I’m extremely optimistic. The rural areas are already seeing traffic flow of people movements, as measured by Google, back to pre-pandemic levels.

“The three major conurbations are not back to pre-pandemic levels yet but the fact is retail is looking extremely positive and I’m very hopeful we will see a strong bounce back in the economy.”

Shops classed as vacant are those not paying business rates to the council.

Cllr Swift said the strongest performing areas for this currently are Boroughbridge, which has just one vacant shop, and Pateley Bridge, which has a vacancy rate of 2.5%.

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His comments followed a question from Boroughbridge councillor Robert Windass, who said members of the public were “curious” over the current state of high streets during the pandemic.

Cllr Swift responded:

“We are now seeing considerable extension of the opening up and unlocking of the country. Last week we saw the opening up of non-essential retail on April 12.

“I went into Harrogate on that morning and was overwhelmed by the innovation and creativity that is going on, particularly around the bar and hospitality sector who have used limited spaces to create exciting opportunities to open up.

“I was very, very impressed by the sector but most important to this question is what is going to be happening in the near future.”

He added:

“There has been a lot of talk over the last few months about Harrogate as a district and how its towns and city have responded to retail sector closures.

“A lot of people count the stores to see which ones are open or closed. In a case where we are in lockdown, it’s obvious that people will see things closed and think they have withdrawn from the site.

“But in actual fact, what we record are the business rate activities of these retail sectors and I’m extremely heartened by the fact that as of March 2021 our retail sector has improved.”

The latest unemployment figures for the district show a slight increase with 3,625 people claiming out-of-work benefits in February, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This equates to 3.8% of the population aged 16 to 64 and is up from 3,460 in January.

Meanwhile, the number of people in the district who were furloughed from their jobs was 12,300 in February, according to the latest HM Revenue & Customs figures.

This was an increase from 9,100 in December, before the third national lockdown began.

Plans for a new community centre in Boroughbridge have been unveiled as the town looks to serve its growing population.

Boroughbridge Town Council is behind the proposals for near the car park on Back Lane. It has asked residents to fill in a survey before May 14 to determine demand.

Such a project has been debated for many years. The council has said that it is now starting to become more of a reality.

While there is no timescale or cost just yet, the council hopes that government will help to fund it.

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The plans include a small sports hall, community event room, kitchen, public toilets, a new home for the council and tourist information point.

Boroughbridge Town Council has promised to build it in an eco-friendly, energy efficient way and also to not lose car parking spaces.

Cllr Peter Phillips, who has been working on the plans for the past year, told the Stray Ferret:

“Boroughbridge is a rapidly expanding community due to the accelerated home building programme in our area.

“Our population is expected to almost double over the next few years and we have no central community facility to cater for this.

“We need to ensure that these proposals are indeed what our community wishes to have.

“There are some fears and concerns which are fully understandable, but overall the feedback so far looking at around 80% in favour.”

Campaigners in Kirby Hill have said a government decision to approve a motorway service station on the A1 “flies in the face of localism”.

Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said the approval by planning inspector David Rose reversed 25 years worth of rejection by central government.

The proposal was submitted by Dublin-based company Applegreen and went to its latest public inquiry in February, which lasted for two weeks.

Mr Rose gave approval to the plan yesterday, which will see the service station built on the A1 northbound between junctions 48 and 49.

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In a saga that has spanned a quarter of a century, the application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

Now, the plan has been given the go ahead after Mr Rose decided the benefits of the proposal outweighed the harm.

Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, speaking against the application at Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in 2019. Picture: Kirby Hill RAMS

Mr Owens described the decision as “disappointing” and added it had undone all the hard work by residents who have opposed the proposal over the years.

He said:

“We are disappointed as a community. 

“It flies in the face of localism that a man from central government can turn up and change the decision.

“The community has gone through a lot of effort to demonstrate that it is not an appropriate site for a motorway service station.”

In a decision notice yesterday, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.

He said:

“In summary, considerable weight attaches to the less than substantial harm relative to the identified designated heritage assets. 

“Loss of best and most versatile agricultural land is also a further negative factor of moderate weight. 

“However, individually, and cumulatively, the wider public benefit in meeting the demonstrable need for a motorway service area, for the safety and welfare of motorists, would outweigh that harm.”

The Kirby Hill RAMS group held a meeting last night to decide its response to the inspector’s decision.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret this month, Mr Owens said the group was prepared to continue to oppose the plan whatever the outcome of the appeal.

The government has approved a motorway service station on the A1 near Kirby Hill after 25 years of public inquiries and planning battles.

The proposal from Dublin-based company Applegreen will see the service station built between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

A filling station, hot and cold food outlets, a drive-through coffee shop will be built and 364 car parking spaces created.

However, a separate appeal from Moto Hospitality Ltd for a motorway service station on the A1 near Ripon has been rejected.

In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, Applegreen’s application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council initially rejected the latest plan in 2019, but Applegreen took the decision to an appeal hearing, which was held in February.

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The inquiry, which was held by planning inspector David Rose and streamed onto YouTube, lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies from residents, campaigners and developer Applegreen.

The proposed motorway service station site on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

In a decision notice today, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.

He said:

“In summary, considerable weight attaches to the less than substantial harm relative to the identified designated heritage assets. 

“Loss of best and most versatile agricultural land is also a further negative factor of moderate weight. 

“However, individually, and cumulatively, the wider public benefit in meeting the demonstrable need for a motorway service area, for the safety and welfare of motorists, would outweigh that harm.”

Speaking to the Stray Ferret earlier this month, Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, said the group was prepared to continue to oppose the plan whatever the outcome of the appeal.

There has been a rush to book tables at restaurants in the Harrogate district ahead of re-opening on Monday.

Restaurants can open their doors to eager customers as long as they have distanced outdoor seating.

Bookings have been overwhelming, with some places saying it’s busier than it was after previous lockdowns.

After months away restauranteurs and staff are eager to get back to work, even if the circumstances are a little different.

Chris Richardson, operations manager at Six Poor Folk in Knaresborough, said:

“We have almost full capacity on Monday which obviously filters down through the week but we’re pretty much fully booked on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After that, the bookings are similar every week throughout April and we just cannot wait to get back to it.”

Grantham Arms is preparing to reopen with space for 90 people to sit outdoors.

A similar number of bookings has been seen across the district.

“We’ve done really well with table bookings. We have extended the outdoor area [at the Grantham Arms] and now have seating for 90 people. Getting the green light from government to reopen like this is a massive help for our business.”

David Dresser, who owns Fashion House Bistro in Harrogate, said:

“We’ve had a lot of bookings come in for next week I think so far it’s only Tuesday that is looking quiet. We have 40-50 table outside. We didn’t really have any preconceived conceptions of how we’d be, we aren’t packed but we are looking busy. We are just going to have to pray for good weather.”

After April 12, the next big step of the government’s roadmap comes on May 17 when it is hoped restaurants and hotels can open fully to allow guests indoors.

Gyms and leisure centres in the Harrogate district are preparing to reopen next week after more than three months of lockdown.

But although thousands of people in the district are desperate to start lunging, pressing and punching their way back to fitness, gym life won’t be completely back to normal.

Ongoing social distancing restrictions mean many group training classes still won’t be available.

Ryan Tansley, owner of CrossFit Harrogate, at Hornbeam Park, said he was looking forward to reopening but because it couldn’t offer structured classes, it would operate more along the lines of an open gym.

CrossFit Harrogate has offered discounted rates to members during lockdown, and provided Zoom classes and various challenges, such as performing the most burpees.

Mr Tansley said:

“People have had to adapt but it will be so good to get back to seeing people.”

No sparring allowed

Contact won’t be allowed at Harrogate boxing and martial arts gym H Hour Boxing and Kao Loi, when it reopens next week, which means no sparring and pad work.

Owner Rob Smith said it will operate predominantly as a fitness gym rather than a combat gym until the situation changes. He said:

“We will do boxing training for fitness but our bread and butter is training people to compete and that’s on hold.”

The gym has produced many champion fighters, including Thai boxer Rachael Jones MacKenzie, but the impact of lockdown has left its future uncertain.

Rob Smith is the head coach at H Hour Amateur Boxing Gym.

Mr Smith plans to skydive to raise £5,000 to keep the gym afloat three days before his 50th birthday next month.

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Ripon refurbishment

As owner of Intrim in Ripon for the last 18 years, Phill McKay has been flying the flag for independent gyms at a time when big chains have been taking over. He said:

“We are as excited as our members are. We have air-con going in this week and a gym makeover so we will be ready to receive old and new members. We have also rebranded and have new equipment planned.”

Phill McKay of Intrim

Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge, run by former World’s Strongest Man competitor Darren Sadler, who now promotes the biggest strongman events on the planet, is also reopening on Monday.

Functional fitness in Knaresborough

“We are so excited to get back to some form of normality and finally have our fitness community back at Black Wolf HQ.

“They are what has kept us alive during this topsy-turvy time, and we can’t wait to welcome them back and celebrate what is hopefully set to be a fantastic summer.”

“We are pretty much going back to the same restrictions as before the January lockdown with the addition of twice weekly testing for all staff.

“We have been on restricted numbers since we were allowed to reopen last year so for use things are similar to before Christmas.”

Pure Gym in Harrogate will open on Monday. The gym will be open 24 hours but studio classes will not begin until May 17.

Leisure facilities managed by Harrogate Borough Council are also due to resume on Monday. But again, things aren’t totally back to normal. A council spokesman said:

“The pool at The Hydro in Harrogate and Nidderdale Pool will reopen on April 12 for lane swimming and family sessions.

“Brimhams fitness centres at The Hydro, Nidderdale Leisure Centre and Ripon Leisure Centre will also reopen to members only.

“Turkish Baths Harrogate will reopen from this date for treatments only.”