Members of the Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) hope the discovery of badgers will thwart a proposed housing development on Kingsley Road.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build 133 homes on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

A reserved matters application that gives a final rubber-stamp to development is yet to be signed off.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies.

These found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used by the animal.

Members of KWAG bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside and captures the movement of animals.

They claim their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, 6 of which it says are still active.

Mr Tremble said:

“How can complete amateurs spot this much badger activity so easily when so-called professionals failed completely?”.

KWAG has sent the results of their investigation to HBC councillors.

How the proposed development will look

Badgers and their setts are protected by law.

Developers must have a licence from Natural England to remove or modify a badger sett.

John Hansard from KWAG said the planning application must now be put on hold until the licence is approved, which could take months.

He said:

“There is proof of badgers on site. It’s the breeding season now so they can’t apply for a licence until the end of June. Nothing can happen until then.”

Redrow’s response

Traci Moore, land and planning director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:

“We are committed to protecting wildlife in and around the proposed development. We have undertaken surveys of local wildlife and submitted ecological reports in line with the outline planning permission, including a detailed badger survey in 2021.

“We have also submitted proposals to reduce the impact of the development on the native badger population. These proposals are subject to ongoing discussion and agreement with the council’s ecologist.”

A transport assessment that suggests Persimmon Homes’ 181-home development on Kingsley Drive will not significantly increase traffic in the area has been called ‘fundamentally flawed’ by a Harrogate building surveyor.

The housebuilder submitted its latest proposal for the site this month after a larger development for 217 homes was rejected by councillors last year.

Persimmon commissioned transport consultant Bryan G Hall to undertake a transport assessment to assess how the homes would impact nearby roads.

At over 500 pages long, his report includes measurements, surveys and conclusions about traffic in the area.

It found the impact of the extra homes on local roads would not be ‘severe’.

The report concluded:

“The residual cumulative impact of the proposed residential development on the road network cannot be considered to be ‘severe’ and there are therefore no traffic or highways related reasons why planning permission should not be granted for this site.”

Visuals of the Persimmon Homes plan for Kingsley Drive.

However, Steve Marshall, owner of surveyors Airedale Surveys and a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, spent five days reviewing the document, which he called on the council to reject.

Mr Marshall said this was because one of the traffic surveys took place when part of Kingsley Drive was closed due to roadworks.

He also said the report ignored how the extra homes will impact the nearby Empress roundabout.

Disputed surveys

Mr Marshall disputed a claim in the report that Rydal Road, Birstwith Road and Leyland Road, which all have junctions with Kingsley Drive and Knaresborough Road, were not being used as ‘rat runs’.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is in charge of roads in the district, had specifically asked Persimmon to look at the rat run issue in the transport assessment, as well as how fast vehicles were travelling on the three roads.

Persimmon undertook traffic surveys on the roads from July 31 to August 6 2020 but Mr Marshall said this took place when part of Kingsley Drive was closed.

“The bottom half of Kingsley Drive was shut due to road works during the whole period of the survey. This means no one had access to the three surveyed roads along the rat run route.”

Read more:

• Plea for ‘moratorium’ on controversial 181-home Kingsley development
• Starbeck residents pledge to fight 181-home Kingsley Drive plans ‘tooth and nail’

Mr Marshall criticised the report for not taking into account trips generated at two nearby housing developments of 165 homes.

He also said the surveys did not factor in how the homes would impact the Empress roundabout and the Granby Road/Skipton Road junction during rush hour.

Mr Marshall wrote:

“This roundabout causes massive queues at rush hour despite Harrogate Borough Council’s Transport Background Paper of August 2018 saying it is not a problem junction.

“There cannot be any justification for allowing this development as it stands if one of the key assessments and the subject uppermost in the minds of local residents, ie the traffic assessment, is fundamentally flawed.”

Persimmon’s response

In February, representatives from Persimmon, as well as highways consultant Geoff Bowman from Bryan G Hall, fielded questions from residents in Starbeck about the plans, which included the transport assessment.

Residents queried Mr Bowman about the traffic surveys and suggested they did not give an accurate picture of how many cars use the area.

Mr Bowman said:

“There has been very extensive surveys of traffic in the area. There is a perception that we are nasty developers and it’s dead easy to get through planning, but the highways authority are rigorous.”

The Stray Ferret asked Persimmon Homes for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.

Harrogate Borough Council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring Water, as the company looks to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The move was revealed in an email sent by Trevor Watson, the council’s director of economy and culture, to HSW in October 2021. It was obtained via a freedom of information request.

HSW leases the land where it is based, on Harlow Moor Road, from the council. The company pays the council ground rent of £13,000 a year plus turnover rent revenue, but this figure has never been publicly revealed.

The council is also the planning authority and in January last year councillors rejected a bid by HSW to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

The woodland was planted by the Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren and is part of the council-owned Pinewoods.

In July 2021, Harrogate Spring Water said it would table new proposals to expand the bottling plant ‘within weeks’ but eight months on it has yet to do so.

Asset of Community Value

Pinewoods Conservation Group successfully registered the Pinewoods as an Asset of Community Value in 2015.

This means if the council decided to sell any of it, it must pause any sale for six months whilst it gives local community groups the chance to make an offer to buy it.

The email from the HSW employee, whose name is redacted, to Mr Watson reveals that representatives from HSW had a ‘helpful’ meeting with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper and deputy leader Graham Swift in September 2021. The ACV status of the woodland was discussed.

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In the email to Mr Watson, the HSW employee asked about the process for “releasing the land of this status”.

The email says as HSW decided to ‘do right by the town’ by not appealing last January’s refusal to grant planning permission, it asks the council to ‘lend your assistance’ around the ACV status of the wood, which it would like removed to speed up its planning application. It adds:

“A key element of the new application would be to try to expediate the process of releasing this land of its status, in order to avoid an unnecessarily protracted period of consultation and media scrutiny. I firmly believe this would be in the best interest of both parties.”

Open to offers

Mr Watson’s reply said that any sale of land with ACV status must follow due process but the authority would be open to offers.

Mr Watson added:

“The timing of all this therefore largely rests with HSW, in terms of how soon you wish to commence negotiations for the land and ultimately whether an in-principle agreement can be reached on potential disposal terms.”

He said informal discussions between the council and the business about buying the land took place “a number of years ago” but terms could not be reached.

Harrogate Spring Water’s head office on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Mr Watson said if a bid came in from HSW for the land, it would be subject to the usual six-month consultation period.

“We would therefore see the ball being in the HSW court in terms of formally approaching the council with a new, meaningful proposal for our consideration.

“If and when disposal terms are agreed in principle, the ACV process would then be formally triggered and we would carefully follow all the legal processes required, including public consultation as appropriate.”

Planning process ‘needs to be followed’

A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is evaluating its plans for the site and will communicate any update as and when that occurs. We are committed to working with the public and we will continue to keep people engaged and informed as part of the process”.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokeswoman said:

“This matter remains entirely in the hands of Harrogate Spring Water.  We wrote to them back in Autumn 2021 setting out a factual response to questions that they asked us about our decision-making processes.  We made very clear that there are distinct, statutory processes that we need to follow and that planning and land disposal processes are, quite rightly, dealt with as very separate matters. We have not had a response or any further discussions with the company on either the planning or land ownership situation”.

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said

“With each year that passes the Rotary Wood area of The Pinewoods becomes a more mature woodland with increasing bird and plant life, improving the biodiversity of the area and improving air quality.

“We are aware that Cllr Swift has been vocal in his support of this planned development but would be very concerned if any promises had been made to expedite any part of this complicated process and avoid full transparency and consultation. We also note that Cllr Cooper has recently been attending planning committee meeting and would hope he would now excuse himself from any future planning committee that considered these planning matters.

“However, we are somewhat comforted by comments from council officers restating the legal and planning processes that needs to be followed with respect to disposal of public land, and land that is protected as an ‘asset of community value’.

“Our lawyers will continue to monitor progress with interest.”

Concerns over additional traffic, the environment and construction have been raised over a planned £1 billion upgrade of one of England’s busiest roads.

National Highways, formerly Highways England, today published a summary report of its consultation into the project to dual the remaining parts of the A66 between the M6 at Penrith and A1 at Scotch Corner.

The road is used by thousands of drivers in the north of England each day to travel between the north east and Cumbria and on to Scotland. Many experience delays due to the regular changes from single to dual carriageways.

A total of 645 said they were in favour of dualling the remaining single carriageway, whereas 68 opposed the move and 87 said they were neutral.

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In its summary report, National Highways said the most common concerns raised were over construction, traffic and the environment.

It said:

“Some people raised issues about an insufficient reduction in traffic when the project was finished, with a concern that dualling could attract additional traffic from other routes.”

Others had concerns that the project could disrupt wildlife and increase congestion during construction.

Appleby Fair could move

The report also reveals National Highways is considering an alternative to the proposed replacement of the travelling community’s Brough Hill Fair site on the section between Appleby and Brough. It says:

“In the autumn ​2021 statutory consultation, a site to the east of Warcop was earmarked on land belonging to the Ministry of Defence — ​known as the “bivvy” site.

“An alternative location, approximately 1.6 miles east from the current site, is now also being considered ​​in response to feedback from the statutory consultation.”

The responses are helping to shape the final design and inform National Highways’ application for a Development Consent Order in May 2022 which, if successful, will pave the way for the project to dual the entire road to go ahead.

Lee Hillyard, National Highways’ A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project director, said:

“We’re delighted so many people have taken such a keen interest in our proposals.

“Today we’ve published our statutory consultation summary report and spring 2022 project update, which is the perfect opportunity to provide the latest information and show how we are acting on the feedback we’ve received.”

North Yorkshire County Council has said it will review the design of the second phase of the Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate.

It follows criticism of the first phase from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue/Cold Bath Road, which was completed in January.

Some businesses, pedestrians and cycle groups, including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Hedgehog Cycling, have expressed concerns over the design of the cycle path, particularly that some parts are unsegregated and shared with pedestrians.

Safety concerns for cyclists have also been raised about the Harlow Moor Road junction.

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two, which will extend the path to Beech Grove, in April.

But a news release yesterday was more vague, saying work was due to begin at some point in “the next financial year” whilst it takes another look at the designs.

A contractor to build phase two is yet to be appointed.

New guidance

New government guidance on cycle lanes in July 2020 said any new infrastructure should be “high quality, with a strong preference for segregated lanes”.

It warned against councils building routes that require a lot of stopping and starting from cyclists.

The guidance was introduced after the designs for phase one and phase two were published in November 2019.

Read more:

• Cycling group to meet council to raise concerns about Otley Road cycle path
• Harrogate residents group raises concerns over ‘dangerous’ cycle path

Council officers met with members of Harrogate District Cycle Action for a “walk-through” of the route last month to listen to their concerns and take on board feedback for phase two.

Creating a safe route

Melissa Burnham, area highways manager at the council, said it recognised there may be parts of the route where the 2020 government guidance “cannot be fully applied”.

Ms Burnham said officers would meet local groups again to review the designs of phase two “in light of this new guidance”.

Work on phase one finished in January.

A council spokesperson stressed that this review would not put the project in doubt, but they did not give further details of what changes might be made, or if they would involve more trees being felled on Otley Road to make room for segregated lanes.

Ms Burnham added:

“We recognise the new cycling guidance and the benefits this brings to users. Where there are such constraints along Otley Road we use the guidance as a starting point to create a safe route.”

The third and final phase, connecting Cardale Park, relies on developer funding and will require detailed planning, including a feasibility study.

Leeds Bradford Airport has abandoned plans to build a new £150m terminal, blaming “excessive delays” around a decision on whether it could go ahead.

In February 2021, the airport was granted planning permission by Leeds City Council to build the facility that would have replaced its current terminal.

The airport said it would help increase annual passenger numbers from four million to seven million and extend flight hours.

The company claimed the proposals would “deliver one of the UK’s most environmentally efficient airport buildings” but the plans faced criticism from environmental groups, including Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Following the council’s approval, the government decided to “call-in” the plans, which meant it would have had the final say on whether it would go ahead.

A public inquiry was announced by the government’s Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, in January, but no dates had been set.

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LBA said “excessive delays” around the government’s decision to call in the plans led them to withdraw its plans.

Instead, the airport will focus on refurbishing its existing terminal.

Vincent Hodder, chief executive of LBA, said:

New business opens in Ripon

A new environmentally and ecologically-focused business will open in Ripon next week 

The Green House, at 11 North Street, is being opened on Tuesday by Patricio Maglio, one of Ripon’s hornlblowers, and his partner Rebecca Crallan.

With a planet-friendly ethos, the store will sell home and garden supplies designed to have minimal impact on the environment. 

Patricio Maglio

Ms Crallan said:  

“Our aim is to make it easier for people in the city and surrounding villages to make greener choices without compromising on aesthetics or function,

“We have done our research on refillables that do the job, along with plastic-free sponges that don’t disintegrate and compostable cloths that have a luxury feel.”

Harrogate start-up launches sustainable skincare range

Anna Daniels

Harrogate firm Josie Rose has launched a luxury overnight face mask.

Anna Daniels founded skincare brand Josie Rose in 2019 and has now entered the emerging ‘skin minimalism’ market with its first product: a hydrating retinol overnight face mask.

The new product has already appealed to local retailers, such as Hoopers in Harrogate, and sells direct to the consumer via its website.

Anna Daniels, managing director and founder said:

“Multifunctional products such as our overnight face mask deliver great results due to the concentrated formulas, this enables a simpler skincare and beauty routine, saving customers time and money and of course meaning less products, which is a more sustainable option.

Harrogate firm wins major NHS contract

A Harrogate-based company has won an NHS contract to scale up remote patient monitoring across Scotland.

Under the three-year contract, Inhealthcare will provide technology to enable people to record relevant information in the comfort of their own homes and relay readings to NHS teams for analysis.

inhealthcare CEO Bryn Sage

The technology is being rolled out across Scotland’s health boards. The service can be used to manage illnesses including hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, depression, malnutrition, cancer and Covid.

Georgia Nelson, senior business development manager at Inhealthcare, said:

“Winning this contract represents another major validation of technology-enabled care and provides the foundations for many more citizens to benefit from improved health and wellbeing at home and better quality of life.”

Send your business news to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Over 2,000 trees have been planted on the edge of Nidd Gorge to form a new woodland for people to enjoy.

Bilton Conservation Group was helped by employees from Belzona Polymerics as well as members of Knox Valley Residents’ Association and the Scout movement to plant the trees at Bilton Fields during February.

Sixteen native broadleaf species were planted, including a specimen of the rare wild service tree.

The woodland is sponsored and paid for by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, a Catholic congregation of women that was founded in 1846.

Scout volunteers planting a tree

Four nuns, representing the order, came from Oxford and France to help on the second day.

Read more:

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Bilton Conservation Group has planted over 20,000 trees in Bilton Fields since 1985.

Keith Wilkinson, of Bilton Conservation Group, said:

“We had hoped to plant them last year but the weather and covid got in the way.

“Fringed with blossom species such as wild cherry, crab apple, dog rose, hawthorn, blackthorn and rowan it will be magnificent in years to come, providing food and shelter for birds, butterflies and bees. It will look fantastic.”

Harrogate College will turn green in March for a series of environmentally-focused events and activities.

For its first Green Month, the college on Hornbeam Park will offer wildflower planting, an art exhibition, a climate café and educational webinars.

The activities will kick off with a business presentation on sustainable technology, plus a litter pick, on March 8.

Last year the college hosted the launch event for the Harrogate district’s’s first climate action festival.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development manager at the college, said:

“The festival proved to be a real catalyst for environmental action both for ourselves and the wider community, and our Green Month is the latest example of that.

“We have worked hard to put together a schedule that includes something for everyone and a number of events that are open to residents as well as our students and staff.

“We hope to see lot of people taking part, both to make a difference and to find out more about how we can all work together to secure a more sustainable future.”

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The college has also teamed up with several local businesses and organisations for Green Month.

They include Techbuyer and Ortial, who will be holding a discussion on sustainable technology.

Social impact company Too Good To Go, will explain how they connect businesses with people in need so they can put their surplus food to good use, instead of going to waste.

Harrogate District schools, colleges and sixth forms will also be involved as pupils and students are being invited to design a poster, or piece of art, that will inspire positive environmental action.

For dates, times and more details on all of Harrogate College’s Green Month activities visit harrogate-college.ac.uk/partners/green-agenda/.

More than 100 people with passionate but different views about the future of Hell Wath Nature Reserve attended a meeting in Ripon last night.

The meeting, at Ripon Bowling Club, was organised by Keep Hell Wath Natural, a group concerned about clearance and other work at the reserve, including removal of a large area of hawthorn and blackthorn, the felling of trees and draining/de-silting of a pond.

The work is being done as part of the National Lottery-funded £2.5m Skell Valley Project, which involves work on a 12-mile stretch of the River Skell between Dallowgill Moor and Hell Wath.

Members of Keep Hell Wath Natural, along with local residents, dog walkers and people who have been visiting the area for up to 55 years joined representatives from the Friends of Hell Wath, the Skell Valley Project, and Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper at the meeting. It was chaired by independent city councillor Peter Horton.

Meeting organisers Janet Anderson (centre) and Brian Don, pictured in January in an area of Hell Wath where clearance works have taken place

Project partners include the National Trust, Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Harrogate Borough Council, which has a 99 year lease on Hell Wath negotiated at a peppercorn rent with landowner Tarmac.

Objectors say ‘brutal’ clearance has gone too far

Speaker after speaker said they wanted Hell Wath to remain as they have known it for decades — as a natural and largely un-touched area with trees, shrubs, grassland, riverside paths and pond.

They were critical of the clearance activities that have already taken place as part of the Skell Valley Project.

Fears were also expressed about possible longer-term plans to create a cycle path, which they believe would be hazardous for owners who take their dogs to exercise at Hell Wath and let them off the lead.

They believe that the clearance ‘went too far’ removing areas of bushes, trees and water that sustain wildlife ranging from frogs and newts to birds, rabbits and hedgehogs.

The removal of trees and scrub, was described by two speakers as ‘brutal’ and ‘creating a mess.’

Sheila Boyd summed up the feelings of many present, when she said:

“We are talking about an area that has been completely cleared and destroyed, taking away the habitat for hedgehogs, butterflies, birds and other creatures.

“There are four large and open fields at Hell Wath, with barely a tree in sight, so why couldn’t these pockets of bushes and woodland be left as they were?”

What was the response from the Skell Valley Project?

Project manager Nabil Abbas explained the reason for the clearance works. He said

“Historically, in a wild landscape like this, there would have been large herbivores like wild boar, wild cattle, elk, beavers etc living and naturally managing the land.

“Regular catastrophic events such as flooding or wildfires would also take place, all of which remove trees and shrubs and help to maintain a mosaic of open habitats suitable for a broad range of different species.”

Nabil Abbas

He added:

“Cattle did graze at Hell Wath for a long period, however it is not appropriate to reintroduce them given the way the community now use and enjoy the space.

“Due to the absence of these natural processes which would keep them in check, trees and shrubs are spreading through these precious open areas.

“As a result, we risk losing the diversity of species such as rare orchids and wildflowers, bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and the birds and animals that feed on them, if we do not actively manage these remaining habitats.

“In summary, our landscape is no longer ‘natural’ since key ecological processes are no longer operating, and therefore human intervention is needed to conserve the diversity of habitats and species which depend on them.”

Council leader ‘shocked’

Cllr Cooper, said he was ‘shocked’ by the hostile reaction to some of the points made by Mr Abbas and claimed there had been an attempt to ‘shout him down and heckle’ him.

In response, a member of the audience, said:

“You should understand the strength of feeling in this room and that is why people are getting heated about what is happening at Hell Wath.”

‘Shocked’ Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper. Picture: Tyler Parker Photography

‘No plans for a cycle path’ – Friends of Hell Wath

Both the secretary of the Friends of Hell Wath, Jeremy Dunford and committee member Carol Leo, were categoric in saying that a cycle path is not planned as part of their work or that of the Skell Valley Project.

Mr Dunford, who is also chair of the Ripon Disability Forum, confirmed there are plans to improve paths and access for people who, like himself, are wheelchair users, or families with children in pushchairs. He said:

“There will be no cycle paths, no tarmac, no concrete, but we want to ensure that Hell Wath is accessible to everybody. We all have a right to visit this area.”

Jeremy Dunford, spoke about improving accessibility

Ms Leo, added:

“There will also be no bridleways and there will be signage on all entrances saying ‘no cycling’.”

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Invitation to join the friends

At the end of the meeting, Ms Leo, said:

“It is clear that people here are passionate about Hell Wath and I hope that we can all work together.

“I ask those of you who are not already members of the Friends of Hell Wath to come and join us.”