The owner of Harrogate’s newest restaurant The Rooftop has said it has permanently closed — after trading for just two days.

Mason Elyas today told the Stray Ferret he had been involved in a dispute with business partners and planned to take legal action.

Mr Elyas said he had lost £20,000 on the venture but despite this he hoped to open another restaurant in Harrogate once this issue was resolved.

He said:

“Unfortunately we will not be able to reopen. I would like to thank all of the Harrogate people who joined us when we opened.

“There was a great amount of support from everyone.”

Mason Elyas

News of a Mexican tapas restaurant and late night cocktail bar generated a buzz when we reported its opening less than two weeks ago. Hundreds of comments were posted on our Facebook page.

Business was brisk on opening night on Friday, July 28 and also the following day but The Rooftop has remained shut since.

Inside the restaurant

Third restaurant to close quickly

The large upstairs premises above Sukhothai on the corner of Cheltenham Crescent and Cheltenham Parade was home to Le Bistrot Pierre for many years.

Since its demise, three restaurant have opened and closed in little more than a year.

Samsons, which offered fine dining with seasonal Yorkshire produce, welcomed its first customers in March last year.

It closed shortly afterwards in summer for what a spokesperson described as “essential works” but failed to re-open.

HG1 Grill and World Bar lasted even less time when it opened in November last year.

However, The Rooftop’s two-day tenure could well be the shortest-lived restaurant in Harrogate’s history.

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A Harrogate village bridge is to fully close tomorrow for five weeks of repair work costing £60,000.

North Yorkshire Council closed the grade two listed Hampsthwaite Bridge suddenly on June 2.

It quickly re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists but has remained closed to vehicles.

Now it is expected to be fully inaccessible until September.

The bridge, on Church Lane, has three arches spanning the River Nidd.

Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said:

“On inspection of Hampsthwaite Bridge, our engineers found that the parapet has been pushed out over the edge of the bridge deck and this has damaged several of the corbels that support from beneath.

“These need to be repaired and 15 metres of the parapet taken down and rebuilt using hot mixed lime mortar.”

The bridge, which links Hampsthwaite with Clint, is popular with pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists and runners.

Cllr Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Hampsthwaite on the council, said:

“We appreciate the disruption the closure is having on road users so please be assured that our engineers have been getting plans in motion to carry out the repairs as quickly as possible.

“We will keep the public updated on the works as they progress.”

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Starbeck Baths announced today it expects to re-open on May 15.

The Victorian swimming pool closed on April 6, just before the Easter weekend, due to an “unforeseen mechanical failure”.

Its closure was keenly felt by local swimmers because of the long-term closure of The Hydro in nearby Harrogate for a delayed £11.8 million upgrade.

But the baths posted on social media today:

“We are excited to let you know that we took a big step towards reopening today. The brand new filter has been installed and switched on for the first time. Stage one done.

“The second stage, our bit is underway, known as heat and treat which will take a week to 10 days, which is about the same time it will take for our water test results to arrive.

“If everything goes to plan, fingers and toes crossed we will be able to welcome you back to the pool from Monday 15th May.”

The pool is run by the North Yorkshire Council-controlled Brimhams Active, which manages leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.

The new filter system

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Starbeck Baths looks set to be closed for several weeks due to an “unforeseen mechanical failure”.

The Victorian swimming pool closed on Thursday last week. Its website says an air leak in the pool plant equipment caused poor water clarity.

The timing was unfortunate because of the ongoing Easter school holidays as well as the long-term closure of The Hydro in nearby Harrogate for a delayed £11.8 million upgrade.

Brimhams Active, which was set up by Harrogate Borough Council but is now run by North Yorkshire Council, manages leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for culture, arts and leisure, Jo Ireland, said:

“We are working with Brimhams Active to resolve an unforeseen mechanical failure.

“The situation requires the expertise of specialist contractors, and a work schedule has been set to address the issue.

“During the downtime, other important planned maintenance work will also be carried out to ensure the facilities are in top condition when the baths reopen.

“Although we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, we anticipate that Starbeck swimming baths will be back in operation by late May.”

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Cooplands has closed its bakery in Boroughbridge after little more than two years.

The company, which is the second largest bakery chain in the district, opened a shop on the town’s High Street in February 2021.

But a sign appeared in the window recently saying the shop had now closed permanently and the nearest branch was on Beulah Street in Harrogate.

The Harrogate shop

The Stray Ferret asked Cooplands why it had closed its Boroughbridge branch and how many staff were affected.

A spokesperson said:

“Following an in-depth review of the business, we have proposed to make some changes to both our retail and bakery operations, to help better position the business for the long-term and sustainable growth.

“This has been done to ensure that our store estate and broader business are fully aligned with our ‘modern bakery food-to-go retailer’ strategy.

“As a result, we have entered into a consultation process with a number of colleagues. We appreciate that this may be unsettling for colleagues and our priority is to support them fully throughout this process.”

The spokesperson declined to comment beyond the statement.

Cooplands started as a single shop in Scarborough in 1885 and now has more than 160 shops in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the North East.

It was bought in 2021 by the EG Group.

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Quarry Moor playground in Ripon has closed to the public after vandals damaged equipment and daubed graffiti.

Ripon City Council, which manages the site, said on social media it had taken the decision today “for safety reasons”.

It added:

“Unfortunately the site has been vandalised, we’ve been left with damaged equipment and really unpleasant graffiti written on site.

“We are seeking quotes for repair and will provide an update on when the repairs will be undertaken when we can.”

Signs have been put up announcing the closure.

The 24-acre Quarry Moor limestone grassland was donated by Alderman Thomas F Spence in 1945, and held in trust for the benefit of the people of Ripon.

It was designated a site of special scientific interest in 1986.

The playground previously closed for six months from September 2021 due to rats.

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One of the most iconic rides at Lightwater Valley has been closed for good after its owners found they could not bring it up to “acceptable standards”.

Brighton Pier Group, which bought the park in 2021, said it had tried to find ways of bringing The Ultimate back into use after it last operated in the 2019 season.

However, the 30-year-old rollercoaster will now be removed from the park, which has shifted its emphasis towards younger children in recent years.

Anne Ackord, chief executive of Brighton Pier Group, said:

“We have devoted much time and effort considering the future of The Ultimate. The ride has been out of service for some years now and the process of assessing the viability of bringing it back into use was a long one.

“We are mindful of its nostalgic status and that many of our visitors have fond memories of riding the Ultimate Coaster.

“Nevertheless, given both the investment required to bring it up to acceptable standards of safety and the re-imagining of Lightwater Valley as a family-orientated adventure park, we have decided to close The Ultimate permanently and remove it from the park.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone to the new-look Lightwater Valley as it develops and evolves into the north of England’s number one destination for family adventures.”

The Ultimate was opened in 1991 and at the time was the longest rollercoaster in the world. It has been at Lightwater Valley longer than any other remaining ride.

Along with the rest of the park, based in North Stainley, near Ripon, it was not opened in 2020 because of the covid pandemic, but unlike the other rides it has not been operational since.

When Brighton Pier Group bought the theme park, it indicated its commitment to keeping The Ultimate going. It also said it was aiming to develop and expand the whole park to create “the premier amusement destination across Yorkshire and the surrounding areas”.

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Scandinavian-inspired eatery Grön Kafe has announced that it has made the “difficult decision” to close its Harrogate branch after two years.

Launched by Masterchef finalist Matt Healy in December 2020, the café on Royal Parade has been shut for a number of weeks.

A sign on the door said it was closed due to electrical issues.

However, today the café announced on social media it would not be reopening.

The post says:

“Multiple factors outside of our control have made it increasingly more difficult to deliver the level of food and service that we expect from Grön and so sadly we are saying goodbye to this location for the foreseeable future.

“We have loved being a part of the wonderful community in Harrogate and it is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement. We wanted to say a huge thank you to our lovely friends and customers in Harrogate and we are sad to be saying goodbye.”

It goes on to remind customers that Grön can still be found at its flagship location in Oakwood, Leeds, as well as at Green Room in Leeds city centre.

Grön Kafe took over the site of Quantro restaurant on Royal Parade on December 4, 2020.

The café served up pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes.

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It launched as the nation came out of full lockdown and the Harrogate district moved into tier two restrictions.

Mr Healey had opened a pop-up at the Cold Bath Clubhouse in June earlier that year.

Following the success of that trial, Grön Kafe then opened its own dedicated site on Royal Parade.

Catch Seafood, which bought the former Graveley’s fish and chip restaurant in Harrogate, has closed.

A spokesman for the company confirmed today all five Catch restaurants had ceased trading and the company had gone into administration, with the loss of 60 jobs.

It is the third major blow for Harrogate’s hospitality sector in a matter of days, with Samsons restaurant and restaurant and cocktail bar 63rd+1st also closing.

Catch bought Graveley’s in 2019 and reopened the restaurant on Cheltenham Parade in April last year after a £250,000 refurbishment.

Changing such a well known name was controversial.

Many people made a beeline for Graveley’s on trips to Harrogate, with former chat show host Michael Parkinson once describing his perfect day as watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes Test at Headingley followed by a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s.

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A Catch spokeswoman said at the time the restaurant reopened.

“Graveley’s is an institution in Harrogate so we appreciate it is going to be a big thing to change the name.”

The new venue boasted a champagne and oyster bat as well as cocktails. But 18 months on it has served its last customer.

Catch also had fish and chip restaurants in Holmfirth, West Vale, Headingley and Street Lane.

The spokesman for the company said today he had been advised not to comment until the liquidation process was underway.

Police have this morning closed the viaduct over Nidd Gorge in Bilton while they deal with an incident.

There was a heavy police presence around 9am but officers did not say how long they had been on the scene.

The viaduct is closed in both directions and numerous vehicles are stationed at the southern side towards Bilton Lane, behind a police cordon.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is reported to be on the scene as well.

It is not known how long the area is likely to be closed.

The gorge is popular with dog walkers, cyclists and runners.

The Stray Ferret has requested information from North Yorkshire Police but had not received a response at the time of publication.

We will update this story when further details are available.

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