Organisers ‘hopeful’ Hampsthwaite v Birstwith tug of war can go ahead

The organisers of the annual News Year’s Day Hampsthwaite vs Birstwith tug of war competition have said they’re keeping their fingers crossed it will go ahead in a fortnight’s time.

The tradition dates back to the 1980s, but about eight years ago it became a competition between two pubs in the neighbouring villages; The Joiners Arms in Hampsthwaite and The Station Hotel in Birstwith.

Hundreds of people often watch the competition at Hampsthwaite cricket ground before heading to The Joiners Arms.

The event had to be cancelled this year due to coronavirus restrictions. Knaresborough’s Boxing Day tug of war has been cancelled this year but organisers have said they’re hopeful the event will be able to take place on the first day of next year.

Rebecca Cranage, the owner of Joiners Arms, said:

“We thought we’d definitely be OK for this year, we are just hoping it can still go ahead. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

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Ms Cranage has lived in the village for 20 years and, like many villagers, has fond memories of watching the event.

It has evolved over the years after starting as a Brits vs Americans competition featuring men from the RAF Menwith Hill base.

The upcoming event is due to include men’s and women’s teams, with 10 people on each end of the rope pulling for victory.

There will also be a raffle to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Developer resubmits Hampsthwaite surgery conversion plan

A developer has resubmitted plans to convert a former Hampsthwaite doctors’ surgery into a house.

Dr Bannatyne and Partners, which was based at Winksey Cottage, High Street, in the village, closed in March.

The surgery was part of Church Avenue Medical Group and shut down after practitioners felt the cottage was no longer a viable place for a medical practice.

Harrogate Borough Council rejected previous plans last month on the grounds that the applicant had not demonstrated that the site had been empty for more than three months.

Now, Mozaffar Mari, the developer who bought the property, has resubmitted plans to the council to convert the building into a house.

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In its supporting statement, the developer said the property has been empty since February 26 when the practice managers ended services on the site.

It includes a letter from the surgery confirming its sale of the property to Mr Mari.

The developer added that the council had used “less reliable information from third parties” rather than its supporting statement when deciding to refuse the previous proposal.

It added that the building had been previously used as a house before becoming a surgery and could be “readily converted back” into a home.

The council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

85-year-old Hampsthwaite man given no refund after weeks without TV

An 85-year-old man has been left waiting for a refund on his TV licence after going without signal for six weeks due to the Bilsdale mast fire.

Gordon Hepworth lives alone in Hampsthwaite. His daughter, Tracey Hepworth, said living alone and being hard of hearing has left him isolated, especially during the pandemic.

When the Bilsdale mast caught fire in August Mr Hepworth lost TV signal for six weeks and was without subtitles for a further two.

She said watching TV in the evening was “company” for him and losing that for six weeks was difficult.

Tracey Hepworth said:

“In the evening, when he can’t go out in the dark, the TV is his company. He can’t listen to the radio without having it on incredibly loud and disrupting the neighbours so he’s very reliant on the TV.”

Ms Hepworth said TV Licensing initially told residents those who had been without signal for one month were eligible for a refund but later read this was increased to two months.

Ms Hepworth said this was “very, very naughty” because a temporary mast was installed six weeks after the fire in August meaning most people’s TVs worked again.

“I feel really sorry for people who went without for six weeks and now they’re getting nothing back.

“My dad was also late paying one month and he was sent a letter threatening to take him to court even though he was without for six weeks and still paid, it’s really unfair.”

She said she’d applied for a refund on September 10 and was yet to get a response despite making several attempts.

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TV Licensing insisted there was no change to the guidance and anyone without signal for a month or more could still apply for a refund. A spokesperson said:

“We continue to assist customers to claim refunds or licence extensions, and around 9,000 households have already done so. If a household has been unable to receive TV coverage for a month or more, and are also unable to view BBC programming through BBC iPlayer, and satellite and cable platforms, they will be able to claim a refund.”

Plan to convert Hampsthwaite surgery rejected

Plans to convert a former Hampsthwaite doctors’ surgery into a house have been rejected.

Dr Bannatyne and Partners, which was based at Winksey Cottage, High Street, in the village closed in March.

The surgery was part of Church Avenue Medical Group and shut down after practitioners felt the cottage was no longer a viable place for a medical practice.

Mozaffar Mari, a developer who bought the property, submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the building into a house.

However, the borough council has refused the proposal on the grounds that Mr Mari had not demonstrated that the site had been empty for more than three months.

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In a decision notice, the council said:

“It has not been demonstrated that the building has been vacant for a continuous period of at least three months immediately prior to the date of the application for prior approval.”

The developer said in an application to the council that the building had been previously used as a house before becoming a surgery and could be “readily converted back” into a home.

Plan to convert former Hampsthwaite surgery into a house

Plans have been submitted ti turn a former doctors surgery in Hampsthwaite into a house.

Dr Bannatyne and Partners, which was based at Winksey Cottage, High Street, in the village closed in March.

The surgery was part of Church Avenue Medical Group and shut down after practitioners felt the cottage was no longer a viable place for a medical practice.

A proposal to close the surgery submitted to North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said:

“The branch surgery is no longer fit for purpose and has limited possible use. Approximately 800 patients are registered as using the branch but the majority of these patients also use the main site at Church Avenue.

“The practice is not asking patients to re-register with another practice and will accommodate all clinical capacity provided in Hampsthwaite within the Church Avenue site so there is no loss of service delivery.”

Now, Mozaffar Mari, a developer who bought the property, has submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former surgery into a house.

The developer said in an application to the council that the building had been previously used as a house before becoming a surgery and could be “readily converted back” into a home.

The borough council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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Strong objections to Northern Energy plan to move from Hampsthwaite

Residents and parish councils have lodged strong objections to plans for a major oil and gas company to relocate to Marton-cum-Grafton.

Northern Energy is currently based In Hampsthwaite and has had its headquarters in the village for more than half a century.

However, the company tabled proposals to Harrogate Borough Council in February to move to Limebar Lane, one kilometre from the village of Marton-cum-Grafton and next to the A168.

The firm, which has an annual turnover of £27 million, supplies more than 50 million litres of oil and liquid petroleum gas across the UK each year.

But two parish councils have written to the council to object to the plans.

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They say the development is inappropriate and would have “unacceptable consequences”, such as loss of agricultural land, increase in traffic and the proximity of the site to local residents.

Arkendale, Coneythorpe and Clareton Parish Council wrote to the council to object in “the strongest terms”.

It said:

“The other consequence is of course that valuable agricultural land will be lost. 

“Such land is increasingly being lost to development and for us to be as sustainable as a nation we need to preserve our agricultural capacity rather than rely on importing foodstuffs from abroad.”

Meanwhile, Marton-cum-Grafton added in its response that the development was “not of exceptional quality” and “does not enhance its immediate setting nor is it sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area”.

The application has so far attracted 33 comments to the council, with 32 of those objecting and just one in support.

Council officials will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Company has “outgrown” its site

However, Northern Energy has said it has outgrown its current site and needs to move.

The plans include 10,000 square feet of office space, a vehicle depot, LPG and oil storage tanks and a new car park.

The site would accommodate 30 office staff and 20 operations staff.

The proposed Northern Energy site off the A168 as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in planning documents.

The proposed Northern Energy site off the A168 as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in planning documents.

In documents submitted to the council, the company said the current location was “beginning to hinder business”.

It said:

““Such is the success of the business, the company have now outgrown their current premises on the edge of Hampsthwaite.

“Indeed, the location of the facility, some distance from the local highway network, and the absence of oil and fuel storage capacity on site is now beginning to hinder the business.”

Northern Energy is currently consulting on its plans to relocate. Residents can have their say on the plans here.

Fallen tree causes power cut in Harrogate district

More than 500 homes suffered a power cut this morning when a partially fallen tree rested on overhead power cables in the Harrogate district.

A total of 568 homes in Birstwith and Hampsthwaite were affected by the incident, which was reported at 10.41am this morning.

Power was restored after about an hour.

A spokeswoman for electricity company Northern Powergrid told the Stray Ferret:

“The tree meant the cable was quite low and we needed to switch off power while we dealt with it.”

She added the company had switched the supply while the tree was made safe and power was back on in all the homes affected by 11.33am.

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Teens set fire to abandoned farm buildings on Skipton Road

A group of teenagers is believed to have set fire to abandoned farm buildings between Killinghall and Harrogate.

Cow Dyke Farm, on Skipton Road, was targeted on June 20 at about 7.15pm.

It has been the victim of numerous arson attacks in the past.

North Yorkshire Police today issued an appeal to help find the culprits behind the latest incident.

It said in a statement:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for information about any identification of people who were in that area at the time.”

You can call the police on 101, select option two and ask for Joshua Harrison. The officer can also be contacted on Joshua.Harrison@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The police reference number is 12210143681.

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River Nidd pollution: hopeful signs for fish and wildlife

Clean water is being pumped into the River Nidd amid hopeful signs that most fish survived last weekend’s category one major pollution incident.

A 12-mile stretch between Gouthwaite reservoir and Hampsthwaite turned chocolate brown on Saturday, prompting fears for the predominantly trout and grayling that inhabit the water and other forms of river life.

Yorkshire Water issued a statement on Sunday saying it had suspended safety work at Gouthwaite by its contractor Mott MacDonald Bentley, which it is thought may have stirred up huge quantities of silt.

River Nidd pollution

The River Nidd turned chocolate brown.

The company is excavating a trench as part of a long-term project to install a siphon at Gouthwaite dam to enable it to rapidly reduce water levels in an emergency.

Yorkshire Water has declined to comment since the weekend when asked by the Stray Ferret what action it has taken this week and whether it had conducted an environmental impact assessment before the project began.

John Shillcock, president of Nidderdale Angling Club, last night told the Stray Ferret he had heard from multiple sources Yorkshire Water has installed a pipe and was pumping in clean water from further up the reservoir and over the dam. He added:

“The river is much clearer and the cloudiness has passed on downstream.

“The Nidderdale AC secretary and I visited the river today and were much relieved to see that fish were rising and there was evidence of aquatic insect life.

“So this is good news for now, but Yorkshire Water have not made any attempt to let us or other interested parties know what measures they are intending to take to enable them to continue with the siphon installation without the same thing happening again.”

No fish deaths reported

The Stray Ferret asked the Environment Agency, which declared a category one major pollution incident, if it could clarify what action had been taken this week.

A spokesman said it was an ongoing investigation that would take a while to conclude and no further details were available. He added there were no reports of any fish deaths so far.

River Nidd pollution

The River Nidd last weekend.

Gouthwaite, which is three miles north of Pateley Bridge, is one of three reservoirs in upper Nidderdale, along with Scar House and Angram, which are further upstream.

The other two supply water but Gouthwaite was built to regulate the flow of the upper Nidd.

Gouthwaite is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest in Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

 

Major incident opened into River Nidd ‘disaster’

The Environment Agency has opened a category 1 major pollution incident after a 12-mile stretch of the River Nidd turned chocolate brown.

Experts are still trying to assess the extent of the damage to fish and other river life between Gouthwaite reservoir and Hampsthwaite after huge quantities of silt flowed downstream on Saturday.

Anglers and ecologists are calling for action against whoever is responsible and urging the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water, which was carrying out safety work at Gouthwaite, to come up with a recovery plan.

An Environment Agency spokesman said today it “continued to investigate” the Yorkshire Water works, which is is thought may have stirred up the silt that flowed downstream on Saturday.

The spokesman added:

“Large quantities of silt in a river can harm fish and smother aquatic plants and invertebrates, starving them of light and oxygen.

“Whilst there is no longer any silt entering the river system, it may still be visible as it moves downstream. The Environment Agency continue to monitor the situation and assess the impacts to determine what further action may be necessary.”

With the water still discoloured, it remains difficult to assess the impact on river life.

The work at Gouthwaite dam

The work at Gouthwaite dam

Dr. John Shillcock, president of Nidderdale Angling Club and a former ecology officer in the area, said:

“In my past experiences, quantities of sediment of this type block out light and can reduce oxygen levels in the river, harming or even killing river life including invertebrates and other organisms on which fish and other river life depend.

“We are awaiting reliable data on the level of sedimentation before we can assess what damage has been done to an extremely precious river system.

“We would like Yorkshire Water to work closely with the Environment Agency to collect as much data and samples as to work out the best course of action to minimise the immediate danger to river life, and to build a deliverable long-term strategy to enable the river to recover from this avoidable incident as quickly as possible.”

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The affected stretch of the Nidd is known for grayling and trout.

One angler, who asked not to be named, said the amount of silt would harm oxygen levels on which fish depend. He added:

“There should be some sort of action against whoever is responsible for this. It is an environmental disaster.”

‘Heartbreaking to see’

Alastair Ferneley, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Dacre Banks, said:

“It’s just heartbreaking to see at the moment — it makes me feel sick in the pit of the stomach.

“As I understand it the slit could choke all the bottom dwelling invertebrates and take out the entire food chain — all the things I watch for: dippers, kingfishers, otters, most of the flying insects that spawn in the rivers, the birds and bats that feed on them.

“I’m hoping it won’t be as bad as a I fear it could be. What we need is a good flood to two to clear the silt out and quickly, but not sure that’s very likely.

“It’s a taste of how fragile the environment and everything that depends on it is.”

A Yorkshire Water spokeswoman said it had nothing to add to its statement yesterday, which said it was working with the Environment Agency to investigate what had caused the sediment in the River Nidd to be disturbed. The statement added:

“We’ve temporarily suspended some work our capital partners Mott MacDonald Bentley were doing upstream at Gouthwaite reservoir while we investigate.”