‘Disgraceful’ state of properties on Ripon street prompts call for compulsory purchaseDemolition of long-standing Ripon eyesore finally approvedPolice give crime update on derelict Harrogate hotelDerelict Ripon petrol station finally set to be redevelopedA decades-long wait to build flats on a former petrol station at Skellbank in Ripon could finally end soon.
The site has been derelict for more than 20 years and has been described as an “eyesore” by local residents.
In 2003, Harrogate Borough Council approved a plan to demolish it in order to build eight flats but it never came to fruition with the permission now lapsed.
A similar plan was submitted in 2016 but was then withdrawn three years later.
However, Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams revealed at a recent meeting that he’s had confirmation from the site’s owner that it will submit a new planning application for eight flats in the next few weeks.
The former petrol station is in a residential area on the edge of the city centre and is on the route from Ripon towards popular tourist landmark Fountains Abbey.
Cllr Williams said:
“I’m hopeful that an application will be lodged in next few weeks that will hopefully, after decades of this land being derelict and an eyesore, mean it’s brought back into constructive use.
“Members of this council have repeatedly expressed concerns about this site and I’ve used what influence I have to get it this far. I’ve also had indication that the owner would consider screening the site in the interim.
“Residents in that area have for years had to look out onto that piece of land. I hope in the next 12 months that piece of land will be transformed into something much more appropriate.”
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Long-standing Ripon eyesore finally tidied
The site of a former Ripon petrol station and convenience store that has been derelict for decades, has been tidied up 11 months after city councillors called for enforcement action.
The defunct Express petrol station on Skellbank, which has been empty for more than 20 years, is located on the tourist route to Fountains Abbey and diagonally across the road from Hugh Ripley Hall — named in honour of Ripon’s first mayor.
In early 2021 Harrogate Borough Council planning enforcement officers instructed the owner to tidy the site, cut back vegetation and leave it in an acceptable manner prior to any further development.
Last November, Ripon councillors called for further action to smarten up the area, which remained in an overgrown state.
The overgrown site pictured in November 2022.
At a full city council meeting last November, Cllr Stuart Flatley’s request for the now abolished Harrogate Borough Council to serve a Section 215 enforcement notice on the site owner was unanimously supported, after he said:
“This area is on the route to the Fountains Abbey world heritage site and has been in this unacceptable condition for many years and we can’t let this continue.”
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Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives local planning authorities the power to take steps requiring land be tidied up when its condition adversely affects the amenity of the area.
If it appears that the amenity of part of their area is being adversely affected by the condition of neighbouring land and buildings, they may serve a notice on the owner requiring the situation be remedied.
Harrogate council approves £650,000 refurbishment of ‘eyesore’ Ripon flatsHarrogate Borough Council will spend £650,000 on long-awaited plans to bring 11 one-bedroom flats in Ripon back into use.
Plans to refurbish the council homes at Allhallowgate date back seven years but have been delayed due to sinkhole concerns in the area.
In 2015, planning permission was granted to demolish a block of flats at 4-14a Allhallowgate and replace them with nine townhouses. The plan also included a major refurbishment of an existing block of flats.
The flats were demolished but the rest of the scheme was halted in 2019 after an engineering firm found ground instability “could be foreseen” on or near the site. They warned that measures to reduce the risk of the townhouses collapsing were not cost-effective.
Ripon sits above a layer of gypsum, which is a water-soluble rock that leads to the formation of large underground caves that can collapse.
The council pledged to continue with the refurbishment of the existing flats that weren’t demolished. However, its plans were paused again during covid as they were used as temporary accommodation for homeless people.
In May, the council was quoted £1.1m for the project by a contractor — almost double its budget of £650,000. It has since removed plans to build an extension to the building to reduce costs.
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The council’s cabinet met on Wednesday night to approve spending money on the refurbishment.
Conservative cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Mike Chambers, who is also councillor for Ripon Spa, said he was happy the project was finally moving forward.
He said:
“This is a project that for a number of years has hit the buffers for various reasons. It is now appropriate we start moving it forward again. It is somewhat of an eyesore so I’m delighted we’re moving forward.
“It will improve the streetscene and a number of residents are concerned about the state of the block following the demolition. It’s high time we moved on.”
Subject to planning permission, HBC hopes to complete the refurbishment by May 2023.
Harrogate council to move ‘eyesore’ £4,350 smart binsTwo new smart bins branded an ‘eyesore’ outside Harrogate’s Valley Gardens are to be moved.
Harrogate Borough Council said today it would “find a more suitable location for the bins”, which it revealed cost £4,350 each.
The bins use sensors to identify different types of waste, as well as how full the receptacles are and whether they have been damaged.
Harrogate Civic Society and the Friends of Valley Gardens both called for the bins to be relocated this week because of their visual impact on the conservation area.
The council has installed six smart bins, costing a total of £26,1000, in Valley Gardens. But it is the two outside the main entrance that have attracted criticism.
Stuart Holland, co-chair of the civic society, said it welcomed receptacles to collect waste and recycling but described the smart bins as ‘eyesores’.
Ann Beeby, secretary of the Friends of Valley Gardens charity, said it has aesthetic concerns and had asked the council to consider moving them inside the entrance.
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A council spokesman said today:
“The location of the bins was chosen in areas where footfall is high and where in peak season bins require emptying multiple times a day.
“We’d like to thank Harrogate district residents and Harrogate Civic Society for sharing their comments on the bins. And following feedback from the civic society, we will work with them to find a more suitable location for the bins outside Valley Gardens to preserve the heritage of the town while maintaining a high footfall area.”
Smart bins ‘improve efficiency and increase recycling’
Two bins have also been installed in the children’s play area.
The council spokesperson said the new solar-powered compacting public bins would “improve efficiency and increase recycling”.
They added:
“Each self-contained 240l bin, that prevents birds and vermin from entering, can compact the volume of up to 10 standard bins.
“Resulting in each pair accommodating a total of up to 4,800 litres of waste and recycling and a reduction in the time and cost of emptying bins, as well as a reduction in fuel costs and carbon emissions.
“Meaning we can spend more time litter picking and keeping the district clean and looking its best.
“The allowance for recycling glass, plastic and cans means that these items can be removed from general waste and increase the district’s recycling rates.
“Much like the standard bins that have recently been retrofitted with a sensor, we are also able to monitor fill levels and are alerted if there are issues with the bin, or the bin becomes full before its next collection, ensuring litter is kept to a minimum and we can ensure the district is kept clean and tidy.”
Calls to move ‘eyesore’ smart bins at Harrogate’s Valley GardensHarrogate Civic Society and the Friends of Valley Gardens have called for new smart bins at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to be moved.
The bins use sensors to identify different types of waste, as well as how full the receptacles are and whether they have been damaged.
But Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to site two of them immediately outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, in Harrogate’s conservation area, has been criticised.
Stuart Holland, co-chair of the civic society, said it welcomed receptacles to collect waste and recycling but described the smart bins as ‘eyesores’.
Mr Holland added:
“What is unfortunate is that these particular ones have been positioned in such a way that they spoil the entrance to the gardens and have been laid on a crude base of concrete over paving slabs with no regard for quality of installation.
“This location is at the heart of Harrogate conservation area, opposite a Grade 2* listed building and at the entrance to a designated area of significance.”
A conservation area is defined as an area that has special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is considered desirable to preserve or enhance.
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Some planning applications are rejected because of the impact on the conservation area.
Mr Holland added:
“Valley Gardens itself is Grade 2, included within the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest by Historic England, for its special historic interest.
“The paved area on which the bins have been positioned is land incorporated under the Stray Act and as such is subject to strict controls.
“There is no evidence that these controls have been respected. The civic society would welcome meeting with local councillors to look at satisfactory ways of re-positioning these bins.”
Besides the two bins outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, another two have been installed inside the children’s play area.
The smart bins in the play area. Pic: Harrogate Civic Society
‘Consider moving them’
Ann Beeby, secretary of the Friends of Valley Gardens charity, said it welcomed the council’s plan to “increase the efficiency of waste collection within Valley Gardens”, adding:
“The existing bins are constantly overflowing, leaving rubbish blowing around; the gardening team had to spend many hours removing the rubbish, and this will now be done by a different team.
“The new bins are being trialed in the gardens, and we will be keeping a watching brief.
“We are however concerned about the pair of bins at the entrance on aesthetic grounds, as they are in a significant heritage area. We have asked the council to consider moving them inside the entrance, to the area near the signboard.”
Cllr Andy Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling at Harrogate Borough Council, said at the time:
“Understanding when a bin needs emptying or whether it might need inspecting will enable us to make the most efficient use of our resources.
“These sensors will allow us to use the data and focus on those that need to be emptied more often.
“As a result, we’d expect to see a reduction in travel, meaning a saving on fuel costs and a reduction in carbon emissions.”
The Stray Ferret has approached the council for comment on the criticisms of the new bins.
Calls for action on ‘eyesore’ Starbeck buildingA Starbeck business owner has called for urgent action on a derelict high street building that he says is damaging the image of the area.
A fire ripped through the former McColl’s supermarket in July 2018, but almost three years later, the Victorian-era building is still a burned-out shell with much of its roof missing.
Andrew Hart is the owner of Starbeck’s Post Office which stands opposite the building. He said he has grown frustrated with progress to refurbish it and said it’s holding the wider area back from redevelopment.
He said:
“Anyone driving to Knaresborough or visiting Starbeck are looking at this great eyesore. It’s a shambles.”
“We are being rejuvenated in Starbeck with new shops and bars opening but this is putting off investment.”
Mr Hart said the building reminds him of a World War II bomb site and has become “the disgrace of Starbeck”.
He added:
“We have customers coming to the post office who say the building looks disgusting. It’s having a detrimental impact on my business.”
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Mr Hart called on Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, Philip Broadbank, to push the landlord of the building to submit redevelopment plans.
Cllr Broadbank told the Stray Ferret that pre-application talks between the landlord and Harrogate Borough Council took place last week.
He said architect drawings involve creating new retail space on the ground floor and flats above it.
He said:
“I’ve been in discussions with planning enforcement at Harrogate Borough Council if the plans don’t progress. This would involve tidying the site up so it looks better.”
Cllr Broadbank expects a formal planning application to be submitted by the landlord imminently.