Controversial Knox Lane housing plans recommended for approval

A Harrogate Borough Council officer has recommended that councillors next week approve plans to build 53 homes in Bilton.

North East property developer Jomast wants to build the homes on a field off Knox Lane in what has been a controversial and long-running planning application.

The council’s planning committee will decide next Tuesday whether the scheme can go ahead.

Council officer Andy Hough has published a 30-page report for councillors that says the development should be given the green light once certain conditions are met and there being no objection from the local flood authority.

The majority of the site is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which says where homes can be built.

However, the development will also include land outside of the local plan area for trees and open space.

Obstacles

The developer has faced a number of obstacles getting to this stage.

Its initial plans were for 73 homes but the number was reduced following concerns about over-development.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said GP practices in Harrogate are already over-saturated and have “very limited capacity” to accept another 123 patients that the new homes could bring.

Jomast has agreed to pay £63,974, which will be spent by GP practices.

This year, North Yorkshire County Council, who is in charge of roads in the district, said the layout of the development was ‘not acceptable’. The developer has since agreed to pay to widen Knox Lane in a move that has satisfied the county council.

‘Sustainable location’

Residents in the area have also long said the site is unsuitable due to the overhead electricity pylons that run through the fields and because of its impact on wildlife and a historic part of Harrogate.

Jomast has said it will not build homes directly beneath the pylons. Mr Hough, from Harrogate Borough Council, said the developer has “positively utilised” the pylons to create a “strong green infrastructure” and a “significant area” of public open space.

The National Grid has backed the development.

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In his conclusion Mr Hough said:

“The site is located within a sustainable location for housing and has been designed in such a way that the layout takes into account the constraints of the site, whilst ensuring that it retains and builds upon the natural features of the site.”

‘We will be saddened’ 

The proposed site off Knox Lane.

At the time of publication, there have been 311 objections to the plans from residents and zero submissions of support.

To many living in that corner of Bilton, the fields on Knox Lane represent one of the last green spaces in the area.

They believe the houses would destroy an idyllic scene that is home to wildlife and is a gateway to Spruisty Bridge and Oak Beck.

Sue Wrightson, who lives in the area, gave the following reasons why she and other residents believe councillors should refuse the plans next week.

She said:

“The proposal will have a major adverse visual impact and cause harm to the landscape and character of Knox Lane.

“We have had a total lack of communication from Jomast’s representatives and HBC when information has been sort.

“Wildlife and birds will be totally displaced. Pylons and contamination serious issues have been raised and not addressed.

“It is a beautiful area and enjoyed by many it should be left as is for wildlife and birds, a small little hamlet down Knox lane to the pack horse bridge will be ruined.

“We will be saddened if this is approved for everyone that enjoys it.”

The Stray Ferret asked Jomast to comment but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Jomast and planning consultants Spawforths previously issued the following joint statement to the Stray Ferret:

“Jomast recognises the concerns of the local residents in respect to the potential impacts of the proposed housing development.  However they would like to stress that the application site is allocated for housing within Harrogate’s Local Plan.

“Therefore, it has already been deemed as suitable for residential development by Harrogate council.  The planning application is providing a significant amount of affordable housing, above what is required by planning policy, which will help address the significant shortfall of this type of housing within the town.

“The planning application is supported by a number of specialist technical reports, including a transport assessment, which demonstrates the proposed development would not lead to any additional congestion of the local roads.

“Jomast has also commissioned a series of ecological reports, which show that the proposed development would deliver a net benefit to biodiversity and the environment through the creation of new wildlife habitats and significant tree and hedgerow planting.

“Two public exhibitions have been carried out in respect to the development of the Site. In addition, Harrogate council consulted local residents on the allocation of the site for housing during the preparation of their Local Plan.”

Concerns over exploitation in North Yorkshire as number of young carers rises

Children’s services bosses say a “significantly higher” number of children are coming forward as young carers, partly due to physical and mental health conditions not being treated during the pandemic.

A North Yorkshire County Council meeting heard precise numbers of people aged 18 and under who care for a friend or family member who cannot cope without their support had not been established since the pandemic as the 2021 census data was still being analysed.

However, the meeting was told it was believed the number of young carers had risen sharply since the 2011 census, when 1,107 young carers aged 15 and under were identified in the county, 70 of whom were providing 50 or more hours of care a week.

Some councillors expressed surprise after hearing the 2011 census also identified 2,436 unpaid carers aged 16 to 24, 203 of whom provided 50 or more hours of care a week.

Councillors heard the council’s annual Growing Up In North Yorkshire survey of children would also help establish accurate figures of the rise.

The young people’s scrutiny committee meeting heard to meet its legal duty to provide all carers with an assessment of their needs and put in services to protect their health and wellbeing, the authority was working with numerous bodies, and in particular schools, to identify as many young carers as possible.

Officers said the authority had strengthened a drive to identify young carers, some of whom are reluctant to ask for help for fear of being perceived as weak or facing bullying.

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They said the council’s successful awareness-raising campaign may have contributed to the increase in young carers by removing stigma and instilling a greater willingness among young people to come forward and seek help.

An officer added:

“Coming out of the pandemic we know that some people’s health issues haven’t been addressed or have deteriorated, and particularly we are yet to see the impact on mental health, both for adults and young people.

“We are certainly seeing some impact already on children’s services. I think we will see an increase in the number of carers as a result of the pandemic.”

In response, councillors said children were providing a free service that the authority should be providing instead.

Conservative councillor for Bilton & Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam, said the young carers were “providing care on the cheap”.

Conservative councillor for Thorp Willoughby, Cliff Lunn added:

“It could be seen that we are merely training them to do the job properly rather than addressing the problem. In the bigger picture we could be seen to be exploiting childhood.”

A senior officer replied that any service could not completely fill the gaps that families, and in some cases young children, provide.

She added:

“I think that’s a really valid point. One of the aspects of the services provided is to make sure the adults who need the care are aware of all the sources of support that they can access, including financial benefits that may help them to pay for care to relieve the carer responsibilities for the child.”

Travellers expected to move on from Stray this week

Harrogate Borough Council says it expects a group of Travellers will move on from the Stray “in the next couple of days” after it obtained a court order.

An encampment appeared on a section of the parkland between Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein towards the end of August.

Several vehicles are there and the council has provided bins for them to use.

Many Gypsies and Travellers travel the country staying at different places in order to earn a living. In most cases, it has been a way of life for generations.

But the law states that if they camp on private land, the landowner can obtain an order through a county court to remove them. The Stray is managed by Harrogate Borough Council.

A HBC spokesperson said:

“We had a court hearing [yesterday] for a possession order so anticipate they will move on in the next couple of days.”

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New zip-wire opens in Knaresborough

A new zip-wire on Fysche Field in Knaresborough is now open.

The zip-wire will be part of a new play area to be built next to Harrogate Borough Council‘s £17m new fitness centre and swimming pool.

The facility is due to be finished by the end of summer 2023 and will have a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

The council said in a statement today it will be built to high environmental standards and include air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint.

Once complete, the current pool will be demolished and be replaced by a bigger and better play area with swings, slides and a roundabout.

Conservative councillor Phil Ireland, who represents Knaresborough Aspin and Calcutt ward, said:

“This is a great new addition for Knaresborough and the start of a much wider play area and leisure facility for the town.

“I’m delighted it is now available for young people to use and look forward to the scheme being completed next year.”

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£49m Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment plans move to final design stage

The redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre has moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the £49 million plans is still a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The convention centre is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council which will hand over ownership of the venue after warning it “may fail to survive” without investment.

It said the convention centre – which is a key driver of business to the district’s hospitality and tourism trades – could lose up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

That warning was put to members of the borough council’s cabinet on Wednesday when they approved spending £3.3 million to progress final designs.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at the borough council, told a meeting that the redevelopment would enhance the appearance of the 40-year-old building and improve access to its auditorium.

He said:

“But absolutely critically, it would replace the ageing and failing mechanical and electrical facilities which we will have to do regardless of whether this scheme goes ahead.”

“The reality is we can’t do nothing as we would still require many millions of pounds of investment just to keep the venue ticking over”.

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The convention centre competes with venues in Manchester, Birmingham, London and other major cities for events. And now there is a new threat much closer to home after plans for a Leeds conference venue were revealed.

Those proposals for the site of the former Yorkshire Bank HQ were set for approval by Leeds City Council last week until a wave of objections from Harrogate Convention Centre and the town’s business leaders delayed the decision.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, criticised the city council for an “absence of dialogue” on the plans which she fears will have a big impact on Harrogate’s place in the “very competitive” events industry.

She also told Wednesday’s meeting:

“The convention centre’s role is to protect and create jobs for Harrogate, and to ensure it does not become a seasonal town and shut in the winter.

“Although the venue has retained many loyal clients over the years, increasing competition and growing operating costs have resulted in us having a major rethink of what our offer actually is.

“We need to innovate to recapture our position in the market and I very much believe this is achievable.”

The next stages of the proposed development will see designs produced by next May, before final costs are revealed the following month.

If approved, construction works would start later in the year with completion in November 2024.

Transport chiefs urged not to lose focus on improving Harrogate bus services

Transport chiefs have been urged not to lose focus on improving buses in Harrogate after warnings that services are facing a “potential cliff-edge” due to more funding cuts.

North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for £116 million from the high-profile Bus Back Better scheme was rejected in April when the government claimed the plans to upgrade buses and infrastructure across the county lacked “sufficient ambition”.

And now there are warnings that bus services could be at risk of being axed when other government funding comes to an end in October.

Conservative councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for transport at the county council, said in a report that services are already facing “significant pressures” ahead of the cuts which “presents a potential cliff-edge in terms of the future profitability of routes our residents rely upon”.

He added a review was underway to identify the risks and “keep as many of our vital services running as possible”.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday, Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Aldred said the loss of services was all too familiar following years of austerity cutbacks.

He said:

“We have got this deregulated system where as soon as a service isn’t making a profit in the eyes of the provider, it gets lost.

“In our urban communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough, we have suffered from this in recent years.”

Councillor Aldred – who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley – also made a political dig at the Bus Back Better scheme as he urged the council to keep pushing for improvements, particularly in urban areas.

He said:

“I would be worried – appalled even – if I was presenting a scheme for funding from a Conservative government to a Conservative council and the comeback was that the plan was unambitious.

“However, we are where we are and I note that we are assessing the support the council can provide at the moment.

“I would just plead that as well as looking at rural buses – which we all agree are a problem to provide regular and reliable services – we don’t forget urban services as well.”

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The council’s Bus Back Better bid included £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for services.

However, North Yorkshire was one of many areas across the country which did not receive any funding.

In total, just 34 of 79 areas which applied were successful.

The council previously said some of its plans could still go ahead without government support, including an expansion of its on-demand bus service, YorBus, which is being trialled in Ripon, Bedale and Masham.

The possibility of a Harrogate park and ride scheme is also still being assessed, although progress has been slow and questions remain about how this would be funded.

Meanwhile, there has been success in a separate council bid for £7.8 million to make Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses

The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with more than £12 million being invested by the company’s parent firm Transdev.

At Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Duncan repeated disappointment over the Bus Back Better bid, but added the council would not be deterred from applying for future funding.

He said:

“Unfortunately our bid wasn’t successful and we didn’t receive the funding.

“That was an immense disappointment to the team that worked on the bid and we are trying to ascertain from government how we can ensure bids in the future are successful.”

Councillor Duncan also said he was keen to see the YorBus scheme rolled out across other parts of North Yorkshire following the trial.

He said:

“The feedback we have received has been very popular… but we do need more time to consider how we can roll out what I believe is an innovative scheme across other parts of the county.”

Harrogate’s Turkish Baths celebrates 125th birthday

Harrogate’s Turkish Baths will celebrate its 125th birthday this weekend.

The Harrogate Borough Council-run leisure facility was opened on July 23, 1897 by Duke of Cambridge Prince George and cost £120,000 to build.

In its early days, water was pumped to the baths from several different springs, with treatments for conditions such as rheumatism, arthritis and sciatica being offered.

Facilities available during the baths’ Victorian heyday included dispensing of medicinal waters, hydrotherapy departments, mud baths and steam rooms as well as consulting doctors.

The baths were popular with members of royal families from around the world and a particular favourite of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters – Princess Alix and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.

Although Turkish baths were common in Victorian times, only seven remain that date back to the 19th century.

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To help celebrate the baths’ 125th birthday, heritage experts will be at Victoria Shopping Centre all this week from 10am until 3pm.

They will be sharing archive images and fascinating details about the original Victorian relaxation and health treatments, as well as information about the baths experience and treatments available today.

Conservative councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at council-owned leisure company Brimhams Active, said:

“In a year of celebration, it’s fantastic that Turkish Baths Harrogate has reached such a significant milestone.

“It truly is a jewel in Harrogate’s crown, and each year tens of thousands of people visit us to enjoy a unique journey of heating, cooling and cleansing treatments, just as our Victorian ancestors did.

“And following our investment in 2018 and our ongoing commitment to the baths, customers can continue to enjoy both traditional and modern wellness experiences in such a historic setting.

“Here’s to another 125 years perfecting the art of relaxation in Britain’s most fully restored Victorian Turkish baths.”

Free summer parties to be held in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon

Harrogate Borough Council is organising three summer events in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon for the whole family to enjoy.

The events are all free and are a chance for young people to enjoy juggling and circus shows, magicians, character meet and greets, and mini discos.

Details about each event are available below:

Valley Gardens, Harrogate on Thursday August 11 and Friday August 12 between 11am and 4pm

Knaresborough Castle on Friday August 26 between 11am and 4pm

Ripon Spa Gardens on Saturday August 27 between 11am and 3pm

Conservative councillor Sam Gibbs, HBC’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Following the success of our free events to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we’re back with four events across the summer for all the family to enjoy.

“We know it can be difficult, and sometimes costly, to entertain the family during the six-week holidays, that’s why we’ve decided to provide free events once again to help keep children entertained. And what better setting than Valley Gardens, Knaresborough Castle and Ripon Spa Gardens?

“So why not bring a picnic and enjoy our parks this summer?”

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Bus services ‘facing potential cliff-edge’

Bus services in a county that failed to secure any money to improve services in the government’s high-profile Bus Back Better scheme are now facing “a potential cliff-edge”, North Yorkshire’s transport boss has warned.

In a statement to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council next Wednesday, Cllr Keane Duncan said the authority was aware several of the county’s commercial routes were facing “significant pressures”, due to the loss of government subsidies in three months.

The warning from the Conservative-led council’s executive member for highways and transportation comes ahead of bus services across the country having to introduce a £2 price cap on local and regional journeys from October.

It also comes just three months after it emerged the authority’s £116 million Bus Back Better bid had been rejected in its entirety by the government, which claimed the bid had lacked “sufficient ambition”.

As winning the grant had been crucial for elements of the county’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, the authority expressed dismay at the decision.

Even ahead of the decision in March, members of the authority’s executive had underlined the need for bus services for the county’s rural communities, which dwindled following significant austerity cutbacks.

Cllr Duncan said the council had launched a review of the passenger service network across the county to understand which could become threatened in the coming months.

He said:

“The end of the Commercial Bus Services Support Grant provided by central government in October presents a potential cliff-edge in terms of the future profitability of routes our residents rely upon.”

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He said the review would enable him to assess potential support the council could provide “to keep as many of our vital services running as possible”.

The authority’s opposition leader, Councillor Bryn Griffiths, said concerns had been mounting for the viability of some bus services as they appeared to have reached a tipping point.

Coun Griffiths said by giving one-off grants for specific projects limited to certain places the government was failing to provide the resources needed to improve access to public transport across England’s largest county.

He said:

“It’s an appalling situation. We lose out in the north of England in rural areas because the government doesn’t recognise the issues.

“Places like Bilsdale have no bus services on Sundays because the county council cannot afford to subsidise them, so people can’t get to hospitals to visit their loved ones. Cutting services even further is just ridiculous.

“It’s a vicious circle. You get fewer services, so it gets less and less attractive for people to use.”

 

New plans to convert Harrogate’s former post office

Plans have been submitted to convert Harrogate’s former post office on Cambridge Street into 11 apartments and retail space.

The Post Office controversially relocated to WH Smith in 2019 amid claims by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones the service was being “downgraded”. The building has stood empty since.

In November 2020, Harrogate-based developer One Acre Group submitted plans for 25 apartments and offices in the building but withdrew the application last year.

The former plans were welcomed by conservation group Harrogate Civic Society although it was concerned about a proposal to build an additional floor.

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The new scheme, which was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council this week, will keep part of the ground floor that faces Cambridge Street as a retail or commercial space.

The apartments would have either one or two bedrooms.

The building is still owned by the Post Office but this time the application has been submitted by Leeds-based property firm Priestley Group.

A planning statement attached to the application says:

“The proposed development will secure the active re-use of this longstanding vacant building with an entirely appropriate mix of uses within a town centre location that will enhance the general appearance of the building with resultant benefits for the wider streetscene and conservation area as a whole.”