Councillors have deferred a decision on plans to erect bollards and planters outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens, leading to the eventual closure of the road.

Impala Estates, which bought the building from the council for £4m in 2020, wants to block traffic from entering to the front of the building, running between Swan Road to the west and Montpellier Road to the east.

The developer already has planning permission to convert Crescent Gardens into office and restaurant space.

However, to close the road in front of the building would also require a separate ‘stopping up order’ from the Department for Transport, requiring a public consultation.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee considered the application to erect the planters and bollards this afternoon in Harrogate but were uneasy at the potential ramifications of their decision.

The road would be closed to the public.

Local resident Patrick Turner urged councillors to refuse the scheme and said he and other residents use the road to get to their homes.

He said:

“It’s a useful road providing access to and from the Duchy estate and beyond. It also takes some traffic away from busy roads nearby. It’s a quiet road, so why is there a need to stop it up?”

Planning agent Hamish Robertshaw spoke on behalf of Impala and described how measures would be put in place to stop vehicles from entering.

He added:

“[The application] conforms to relevant policy, causes no harm or impact and provides benefits to town centre and Crescent Gardens development.”

But Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge and Claro, said he didn’t understand why the application had been recommended for approval by a council officer in a report.

He said:

“Are we going to be anti-car totally so we don’t let cars down roads? There have been numerous objections to this. A lot of people feel very strongly. It’s absolutely bizarre.”

Cllr Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Fairfax and Starbeck, added his concerns and said a public right of way that has existed for almost a century could be lost.

Councillors heard that a deal had been agreed between Harrogate Borough Council and Impala Estates to sell the road but Cllr Paul Haslam (Independent, Bilton and Nidd Gorge) said he wanted the plans to be deferred so more information could be received about the deal and whether the restrictions would be limited to vehicles.

He added:

“We will make a small decision with potentially enormous consequences.”

Councillors unanimously voted to defer the application to a future planning committee pending another report.

Meanwhile, at the same meeting councillors were due to consider a plan for 8 apartments at Stockwell Road in Knaresborough but the developer withdrew the application before the meeting.

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A bid to close Crescent Gardens road in Harrogate to the public looks set to clear its first hurdle next week.

North Yorkshire Council has recommended councillors approve an application to install bollards and planters at either end of the road to prevent public access.

The move would involve the loss of 35 public car parking bays and could also eventually lead to the closure of the pedestrian footpath on Crescent Gardens.

Impala Estates, which bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters for £4 million in 2020, submitted plans to close the road to the public last year.

The firm was granted planning permission to convert the building into offices, a gym and a restaurant / bar, and to construct a two-storey roof-top extension in May 2022. However, work has yet to begin.

The public parking bays lost would be retained for the private use of businesses using the building.

A 12-page report by case officer Gerard Walsh to councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee recommends they approve the scheme when they meet on Tuesday, May 7.

The planning application would see the road running between Swan Road to the west and Montpellier Road to the east closed. Block paving would be installed on the road in front of the building to “form a clear pedestrian connection between the building and the Crescent Gardens park opposite”, the report said.

If approved, the Secretary of State for Transport could then issue a stopping up order extinguishing the public right of way.

The report said:

“Officers consider that the proposed development will have a minor positive impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area and no significant impact on the setting of nearby listed buildings.”

It added:

“The council’s highways team have no objection to the proposed development subject to proposed conditions requiring the submission of a bollard and access management plan, a construction phase management plan, and provision of a tactile pedestrian crossing at the junction of Crescent Gardens / Swan Road to improve the pedestrian facilities on the remaining highway.”

The view from the Swan Road junction.

The report said the loss of parking bays “is not a significant concern and would not warrant refusal, as there are sufficient alternative on-street parking facilities nearby, in addition to an abundance of available off-street parking options in the town centre”.

But Harrogate Civic Society, which lodged one of seven objections, said:

“Loss of public access to the parking spaces on the road would compound the previous loss of parking beside the Royal Hall.

“Crescent Gardens is important as a highway for two-way traffic to ease the passage of vehicles to Ripon Road and to and from Swan Road and the Duchy estate etc. The fact that a route other than Crescent Gardens exists is not a reason for stopping up this right of way.”

The planning committee will vote whether to accept Mr Walsh’s recommendation.

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Fencing put up in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens six months ago shows no sign of being removed.

Fences were erected to block a group of rough sleepers last October, who set up an encampment in the pavilion.

It came after nearby residents complained of anti-social behaviour from the rough sleepers, who were removed from the site after two weeks.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely at the time – and in the months following – and has repeatedly tried to find out what long-term measures would be put in place to prevent similar encampments and help those needing accommodation.

However, six months on, the fencing look set to remain indefinitely.

When we approached North Yorkshire Council for an update, Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said:

“The temporary fencing will remain up for the foreseeable future until a further solution can be found.

“We are working with Harrogate Business Improvement District with a view to wrapping it with images of the town/area in the short term.”

Matthew Chapman, chief executive of Harrogate BID, said the organisation held talks with the council along these lines before Christmas, and it was willing to “re-open that conversation”.

Rough sleepers offered ‘support and accommodation daily’

The Stray Ferret also asked what provisions are in place to help homeless people in Harrogate.

Kim Robertshaw, the council’s head of housing needs, said:

“We have a proactive rough sleeper team that engages with people at risk of rough sleeping on a daily basis, offering support and accommodation.

“We hope this consistent approach continues to reduce the number of instances where encampments are created in Harrogate. Where incidents do occur we work with partners to resolve issues as quickly as we can.”

The news comes just weeks after the Stray Ferret’s Trading Hell series, which investigated the anti-social behaviour faced by business owners in Harrogate.

Some traders did not feel confident that such offences would be dealt with by authorities, and some even pointed the finger at rough sleepers as the root cause.

You can read our Trading Hell feature on homeless charity, Harrogate Homeless Project, here.

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The company operating the Harrogate Ice Rink has revealed it won’t be returning to the town this year.

York-based Events by Cynosure is running the rink in collaboration with Destination Harrogate, North Yorkshire Council’s tourism body, in Crescent Gardens.

The venture is in the second of a three-year deal between the two organisations.

However, John Lowery, chief operating officer at Events by Cynosure, told the Stray Ferret the ice rink will not be returning for the next festive season. He said:

“We have no plans to return for 2024 due to the losses sustained this year from the weather and lack of footfall in the area.”

The news comes after the company faced criticism from customers about the condition of the ice and poor customer service.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday on complaints from some unhappy customers, one of whom described the surface as “extremely dangerous” and said the “rusty blades” had not been maintained.

One customer described the rink as “wet and rippled”.

Mr Lowery said the company had “suffered like all outdoor ice rinks” following adverse weather conditions throughout December, which led it to close eight times in just over a month.

The rink opened on December 1 and will run until Sunday, January 7.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council to respond to the complaints made by readers and also whether it would comment on Events by Cynosure’s announcement that its deal would end a year early. But it declined to comment.

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Plans have been submitted to close Crescent Gardens in Harrogate to public traffic.

Harrogate-based property developer Impala Estates bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters alongside the road for £4 million in 2020.

It received planning permission in May last year to turn the building into offices, a roof garden restaurant and gym, and to create a two-storey extension. Work has yet to begin.

The company has now applied for permission to install bollards and planters to convert the public highway into a private road.

If approved, the road would be maintained by Impala Estates for access to the Crescent Gardens development and associated car parking bays.

The area affected would include the Crescent Gardens road and footpath from its intersection with Swan Road to its intersection with Montpellier Road.

According to planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the application site “excludes the off-carriageway parking bays to the south of the Crescent Gardens roadway with the exception of a small section (essentially two parking bays) located directly between the Crescent Gardens building main entrance and the path opposite into the Crescent Gardens park”.

Planters and retractable bollards, similar to those temporarily installed on Beech Grove in Harrogate, would be installed at either end of Crescent Gardens to prevent public vehicles passing.

The documents add:

“The former Harrogate Borough Council agreed to dispose of the land underlying the Crescent Gardens roadway on the basis that it would be stopped up, with the roadway becoming privately owned and associated with the Crescent Gardens development.

“It is also understood that the local highway authority has no objection in principle to the Crescent Gardens roadway being stopped up.”

An impression of how the redeveloped site would look.

James Hartley, director of Impala, told the Stray Ferret,

“The road was discussed at the time of the sale and has been approved by the council at committee.  As part of the process, we have been working with the Department for Transport on the stopping up order and North Yorkshire Council on the submitted planning application.

“The changes to the road will assist in the construction of Crescent Gardens along with providing the building with a well-managed and enhanced setting once the works have been undertaken. This will link the building better with the gardens opposite, achieving a clear public benefit.”

Asked if the company’s plans for the redevelopment of Crescent Gardens had changed, or if a starting date was known, Mr Hartley said:

“Nothing has changed with the broader redevelopment, we are working hard with our design team to develop out the design allowing it to go out to tender.”

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Work to install the Harrogate Ice Rink in Crescent Gardens is underway ahead of its return for the festive period.

Crescent Gardens has been fenced off to prepare the site for its opening in 10 days.

The rink, which debuted last year, was set up by Events by Cynosure in collaboration with Destination Harrogate – the North Yorkshire Council tourism organisation.

Events by Cynosure has a three-year deal to operate the rink as part of the Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which will also be returning next week.

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This year, there will also be an outdoor bar, food stalls and a tipi with an indoor seating area.

A carousel, bungee trampolines, a frozen swing and game stalls will also be on offer for children to enjoy.

The ice rink will run daily from Friday December 1, to Sunday, January 7 2024.

Skating costs £10 per person for a one-hour session and bookings can be made now.