Firefighters battle outbuildings blaze near Follifoot

Firefighters battled a blaze at a group of outbuildings near Follifoot this afternoon.

Six crews were called out for the fire on Haggs Road at 2.15pm and had managed to put it out by around 6pm today.

The firefighters were from stations in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby, Ripon, Tadcaster and Acomb.

Fire investigators are still on scene trying to put the picture together of how the blaze took hold.

The crews found that a skip filled with cylinders had caught fire, which then spread to nearby buildings.

The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for more information, but we have received no reply by the time of writing.

It’s currently unclear what caused the fire or if anybody was injured.

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Follifoot business park refused permission to expand on green belt

Follifoot Ridge Business Park has been refused permission to expand onto a plot of green belt land despite pleas that growing Harrogate district firms are in “desperate” need of more room.

The owners of the business park submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council last year claiming they should be granted “very special circumstances” to build on protected land in the centre of the site in order to meet pent up demand and boost the economy.

But the council’s planning committee last week rejected the plans, with members saying they could not make an exception to green belt policies.

Speaking during a meeting on Thursday, councillor Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader, said:

“If we aren’t ready to protect our green belt at this stage when there are no special circumstances then we are going to have it under threat.”

Green belts were introduced in 1955 to stop cities from sprawling and countryside being spoilt.

About 13% of England is now covered, and green belt areas are meant to be permanently protected and only reviewed in exceptional circumstances.

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The application for Follifoot Ridge Business Park was for two new buildings, which would have sat next to existing units previously allowed because they were classed as farm conversions.

Kim Eastwood, a planning agent for the business park, told the committee on Thursday that the development would have little impact on the area because the green belt land is already surrounded by these existing units.

This was an argument echoed by Andrew Paraskos, a Conservative who represents the Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale ward. He said:

“This site is completely surrounded by other buildings. It has no impact on the open countryside and can only be seen from the side where trees are and from the access point.

“Normally I would support protecting open countryside but it doesn’t really make sense in this case.”

Mrs Eastwood also said the business park had received several inquiries from firms looking to move to the site and that companies already there were “desperate” to expand.

She said:

“These businesses have been based at the park from two to 14 years and they range widely, which is partly a testament to the success of the business park.

“This scheme presents an opportunity to provide additional commercial space, which is confirmed by the council’s economic development team to be very much in demand.”

The committee voted seven votes for and one against to reject the expansion plans.

Riding centres in Harrogate start to re-open after difficult lockdown

As of this month, riding centres have been given the green light to resume group lessons of up to five people as long as social distancing is maintained.

This means that despite schools remaining closed for most year groups, keen horseriders are able to get back in the saddle and improve their skills whilst outdoors.

Follifoot Stables in Harrogate re-opened for private lessons at the end of May and for group lessons at the start of June.

Ellie-Jay Pedley who is a manager at the stables said lockdown has been a very difficult time for them:

We still had 20 horses to feed, water and care for, but with little income, so yes its been hard. We managed to find extra grazing so the horses could be turned out in the field and staffing could be reduced… The lockdown fell at one of our busiest times of the year so it’s been pretty bad.

I was so glad when we were given the green light to re-open. We have had to make a lot of changes, and we aren’t able to teach beginners as they require an instructor to help them get on and off and also lead them which we currently can’t do, but for those who can ride alone its working well. Riding really benefits people both mentally and physically so after a prolonged time indoors its great to welcome people back.

Not all riding centres in the district have resumed business though.

The Harrogate Riding Centre, has only opened its gates for arena hire and says it will be September at the earliest before it is viably worth opening the riding school.

Drew Birtwistle is the Director at the centre:

“80-90% of our clientele are beginners, these are the ones that the instructors need to help get on and off, check the girth and alter the stirrups, and for that, you just have to be to close. So we are going to wait until its safe to do this. We have September in mind at the earliest… We are a big centre with a lot of staff and horses so we need to make sure there are enough clients coming through the door for it to be financially viable”.