Planning permission to convert a Bishop Monkton pub to residential use has finally been granted on appeal – just days after one of the applicants died. 

Landlords Trevor and Carol Pawson had spent three years trying to get permission to create five new homes from the Lamb & Flag Inn, but Mr Pawson died on March 25. The couple’s appeal was approved on April 5, the day before his funeral. 

Mrs Pawson told The Stray Ferret she intended to press ahead with development work, but did not yet know when it might start. She said:  

“We won, so I’ll carry on, but for the time being I’m just taking one day at a time.”

Mr and Ms Pawson bought the Lamb & Flag Inn 30 years ago and ran it as a village pub until declining trade and ill-health forced them to close it permanently at the start of the covid pandemic in 2020. 

In the autumn of that year, they applied for planning permission to create five new dwellings – two from the conversion of the pub, one from the conversion of some holiday lets in an outbuilding, and two to be built in the pub car-park.  

They withdrew that application a few months later, but reapplied in April 2021, only to be turned down. Harrogate Borough Council planning officers refused the application on the grounds that “insufficient marketing” had been done to demonstrate that the pub could not be used for community use. 

The Pawsons appealed, providing evidence of marketing, leading planning officer Paul Cooper to conclude that there was “no compelling evidence that operation of the facility would be financially viable”. 

In his decision, Mr Cooper added: 

“The proposed dwellings would have a neutral effect on the conservation area and not […] be harmful by their design or impact on the landscape or settlement as a whole.” 

The Lamb & Flag dates back at least to the 1830s and was at one time one of seven pubs in the Bishop Monkton parish. Only one now remains – the Masons Arms, which still opens five days a week. 

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An 18th-century corn mill in Nidderdale is to be converted into housing after complaints that the historic building once used as a shop and restaurant has deteriorated into a “mess”.

The proposals for Darley Mill include the conversion of nine homes and the construction of 11 new properties at the Grade-II listed site.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee approved the plans at a meeting on Tuesday when a local councillor said many villagers wanted to see the site redeveloped “as soon as possible”.

Cllr Sue Welch, chair of Darley and Menwith Parish Council, said:

“The current mill building is a mess – it spoils the whole look of the village and that part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“We need to bring it back into use and good repair.”

Cllr Welch said although the parish council viewed the mill conversion as “essential,” it could not support the construction of new homes at the site.

In response, Richard Irving, an agent for the developers YorPlace said the new builds were needed in order to make the development financially feasible – a view which was supported by an independent valuer.

Mr Irving also said the development would be carried out to the “highest quality”.

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The approval comes after previous plans for a smaller development of 13 homes were given the go-ahead in 2018. However, these plans never came forward.

The site closed as a corn mill in the 1960s and was most recently run by Yorkshire Linen Company as a restaurant and shop until 2016 when the company ran into financial problems.

Prior to this, the mill was converted into a store selling crafts and clothing in the mid-1980s.

The latest proposals include a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties across the site.

The mill’s water wheel will also be kept under the plans.

Councillors cast five votes for and two against to approve the plans at Tuesday’s meeting.

Harrogate Borough Council has refused a bid to convert a former working men’s club in Harrogate into two flats.

The National Reserve Club, East Parade, formally closed in July following a unanimous resolution from its members last year. It was also known as ‘The Nash’.

The organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.

ID Planning, which submitted the plan on behalf of Ashleigh and Caroline Wells, said in its application that the scheme would provide a viable use for the building.

But as the building is a community facility, the council said in its refusal that the owner had not been able to prove that it was no longer viable before submitting planning permission.

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Working men’s clubs were once the heart of the community across the country but many have faced dwindling membership numbers with some forced to close.

The Nash never reopened after the first covid lockdown two years ago.

It had 28 members at the time of closing and donated its remaining cash to charity.

However, other Harrogate clubs such as The Londesborough Club and Bilton WMC are still going strong.

Read Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam’s history of the town’s working men’s clubs here.

Plans to convert a historic mill in Darley into 20 homes look set for approval.

Darley Mill on the B6451 is Grade II Listed and includes a former corn mill that dates back to the 18th century.

A Harrogate Borough Council officer has recommended councillors next week approve an application to redevelop the Nidderdale mill by its Leeds-based owner YorPlace.

It comes four years after the council granted permission to build a smaller development of 13 homes. However, building work never began and a council report states the applicant would now like to build a larger development to make the project viable.

A mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties would be created.

A distinctive water wheel will be kept under the plans.

Darley & Menwith Parish Council said in planning documents it would welcome the landmark being brought back into use.

Chair Martin Pearson said:

“In respect of the current application, the parish council confirmed that it is still keen to see the mill building redeveloped as soon as possible, noting that its current condition is spoiling the local landscape.”

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History of the mill

Darley Mill was one of eight mills in the village and was built in the 18th century on the banks of Darley Beck.

It was used as a working mill until the 1950s when it became a tourist attraction.

In the mid-1980s, the mill was converted into a store selling linens, crafts and clothing.

In 2009, it was bought by the Yorkshire Linen Company, which ran a restaurant and shop at the mill until 2016 when it closed due to financial problems.

A decision on the future of Harrogate Borough Council’s former Crescent Gardens offices is set to be made this month, according to site owner Impala Estates.

The Harrogate-based property investment company bought the building in January 2020 for £4m.

It submitted a planning application in March 2021 to transform the site into offices, a gym and a rooftop restaurant.

Under the plans, the empty building, which was built in the 1890s, would be extended by adding two floors.

James Hartley, director at Impala Estates, told the Stray Ferret in an email today that it expected the proposal to be considered by councillors on the planning committee on April 21.

‘Much-needed’ office space

Documents submitted by the developer in November said the conversion would add “much-needed” office space into the town centre.

It said:

“It has been noted that there is a significant lack of high quality office space within the centre of Harrogate along with more office buildings being approved for conversion to residential within the town centre, this being exacerbated by changes in permitted development rules”.

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In December, the public body Historic England said it objected to the two-storey roof-top extension and would prefer a “suitably designed” single-storey extension instead.

It said:

“Whilst we remain supportive of the proposals to sustainability reuse the former council offices, the revised scheme does not address our previous concerns and our position remains unchanged. Unfortunately, the two storey upward extension is still being pursued.”

The Stray Ferret asked the council to confirm whether Crescent Gardens will be on the agenda at the next planning committee meeting but we had not yet received a response by the time of publication.

The saga of the former council site

The future of Crescent Gardens, which has been empty for five years since the council relocated to Knapping Mount in 2017, has become a long-running saga.

Harrogate Borough Council announced when it moved into its new offices that local developer Adam Thorpe would buy the site for £6.31 million.

Mr Thorpe said he would spend £75 million on a refurbishment, which would include an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool, restaurant and luxury apartments.

Two years later he said he had agreed the sale of 10 of the 12 properties but Mr Thorpe’s company, ATP Ltd, then collapsed with debts of almost £11million, including £24,394 to the council.

The site then went back on the market and was eventually sold to Impala Estates.

It set up a website outlining its vision for the building. The ‘project updates’ section has not been updated since April 1 last year.

Plans to convert the former Turks Head pub in Ripon into a house have been approved.

The pub on Low Skellgate closed in 2007 and will be converted into a five-bedroom home. The building is listed and dates back to the 18th century.

Since the pub closed, planning documents state there have been several attempts to reopen it without success.

The documents add that in the years before the pub’s closure there were numerous complaints from residents living nearby. They add there are 14 other pubs within a short walk away.

The building is currently on Harrogate Borough Council’s Listed Buildings at Risk Register due to its deteriorating condition.

Although the building is watertight, planning documents say few of the original internal features remain intact.

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The planning application includes statements from nearby residents who said they would be against any attempts to bring the building back into use as a pub.

One unnamed person called the building “a blot on the architectural landscape”.

The resident added:

“Something desperately needs to happen with it and converting it into a private residence sounds like the very best option to me. Having spoken to various neighbours they all agree.

“If there was ever an attempt to reopen the pub, I, along with many neighbours, would be petitioning against that course of action.”

A recent picture of the pub. Credit – David & Lund

Building work to convert the former Harrogate Arms pub on Crag Lane into a cafe has moved a step closer.

The horticultural charity RHS bought the building in 2014 and received planning permission in 2019 to create a ground floor cafe and kitchen facilities to serve visitors of neighbouring RHS Harlow Carr.

It has now submitted a construction management plan to Harrogate Borough Council that gives details about how contractors will go about the conversion.

It says work will include the demolition of extensions, partitions, a boundary wall and low wall.

It will also involve the erection of three single-storey extensions and a boundary wall; reduction of floor levels; widening of entrance; removal of fire escape; installation of replacement doors, windows and fanlights; alterations to fenestration; formation and restoration of hard and soft landscaping.

Work on site will take place from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 1pm on Saturday. There will be no work on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

The council will now consider the plan.

Hotel, nightclub, restaurant and pub

The Harlow Car Hotel and Bath House was built in 1844 by two businessmen following the discovery of an ‘especially efficacious’ sulphur spring in the area.

The hotel was sold to Harrogate Corporation in 1915 and has gone through a number of incarnations since then, as a nightclub, restaurant and latterly a pub.

The building in 1930. Credit – Archant

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Sustainable menu

When the cafe opens in 2023, hospitality students from Harrogate College will devise the menu.

The students have been asked to use their culinary and creative skills to come up with a concept for a sustainable menu.

Fresh produce grown at the RHS gardens will feature prominently in the dishes.

Plans have been submitted to convert the disused Church of St Mary on Harlow Terrace in Harrogate into seven homes and office space.

The homes would have either two or three bedrooms and 9 car parking spaces would be added.

The grade II* listed Gothic building was built in 1916 but has structural problems.

Mineral felt in the roof is leaking and the stone is deteriorating. It was designed by renowned architect Sir Walter Tapper.

In October 2020 it was placed on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ register.

Previous plans

A different application to convert the church into office space was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017 but it never materialised.

Shaw and Jagger Architects bought the church in November 2018 with the intention of turning part of the church into its offices with a business partner. 

These plans were approved in 2020 but building work did not start.

The latest proposals for the church still include office space intended for the architect firm, but most of the building would now be turned into housing.

The council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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Owners of a historic Ripon site, which fell into a state of disrepair, have apologised to neighbours as the area is prepared for residential redevelopment.

Leeds-based Graycliffe Homes bought the former Girls’ High School Old Lecture Building, on College Road, as a development opportunity ten years ago.

Over the past decade, the two storey red brick Edwardian building has had windows broken and slates stolen while its grounds became overgrown.

Graycliffe’s managing director, Wayne Butterfield, who has been involved in a major tidy up of the area, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has become something of an eyesore and for that I would like to apologise to our neighbours.

“The new homes development here will see a transformation, that I hope is to the liking of people who live nearby.”

Planning permission was granted by Harrogate Borough Council for the former high school to be refurbished and converted to create eight townhouses.

An architect’s drawing showing how the refurbished building will look. Picture: Graycliffe Homes

There will also be five new-build homes on the site, which will be landscaped, with green spaces retained.

Graycliffe will not carry out the conversion and new build, but it is in discussions with developers who will carry forward the scheme.

Christopher Hughes, chair of Ripon Civic Society, welcomed the activity on site.

He said:

“This is an historically important building dating back to 1908 and we are pleased to see that is is being retained for conversion within the overall redevelopment plans.

“The society has taken a great interest in this site over the years and, at long last and many hold ups and frustrations, we are pleased to see it being tidied up in readiness for disposal to a developer, who will convert the former school building and carry out the other works.”

The building as it currently looks

The former school provided secondary education for girls, until its amalgamation with Ripon Grammar School in the early 1960’s.

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Afterwards, the building was used as part of the Ripon Teacher Training College and later the College of Ripon & York St John.

Following the closure of the training college, it was let to Leeds Metropolitan University whose lease on the building ended in 2012.