Harrogate council fines landlords more than £100,000 over safety issues

Harrogate Borough Council revealed today that it has fined seven landlords a total of £109,000 since 2018 for failing to comply with private sector housing requirements.

The council said in a press release it most recently took action against landlord Mr Jamshid Jalali-Ghazaani, who failed to comply with an improvement notice on his property on the High Street in Starbeck.

According to the release, the council found several hazards including excess cold, structural issues and kitchen safety issues. He was fined £25,000.

Mr Jalali-Ghazaani appealed the penalty in September but a property tribunal dismissed it.

The council said it had successfully defended every appeal made by private landlords, including a fine of £15,000 for Stephen Archer’s Providence Terrace property, a fine of £13,500 for Andrew Norman’s Dragon Road property and Kingspark Limited’s £15,000 fine for its property on Electric Avenue.

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In addition, the council has also issued financial penalties totalling £40,589 against landlords of other properties did not appeal the penalty.

The release was published days after the council was criticised by residents for not taking firmer action against to prevent trouble at the privately-let 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, which has been the subject of 255 police reports since 2008.

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, said:

“While there are no doubt many landlords who provide excellent residential accommodation, there will sadly always be those who put the financial gain ahead of the safety of their tenants.

“This is an important reminder for landlords that as the housing authority we have the powers, and where necessary, will use them to protect tenants and residents. And hopefully encourage landlords to improve housing standards in the private rental sector.”

Valley Gardens Christmas market confirmed for December

Harrogate Borough Council confirmed today that an artisan market will go ahead in Valley Gardens as part of the town’s festive offering.

The market, which will be held on December 4 and 5 between 10am and 3pm, will be one of two Christmas markets in Harrogate.

The council said it had approved an event management plan submitted by market organisers Little Bird Made.

It had previously failed to approve an event management plan for the traditional Christmas market on Montpellier submitted by Harrogate Christmas Market Ltd, meaning it will not take place.

Sixty local and regional traders and producers will sell festive arts and crafts, clothing, homeware and jewellery, as well as food and drink, at the Valley Gardens event.

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Kirsty Stewart, parks and grounds maintenance manager at the council, said:

“The market will showcase some fantastic home-grown traders and producers and what better setting than Valley Gardens.”

Jackie Crozier, owner of Little Bird Made, said she was delighted by the news and urged anyone interested in having a stall to get in touch. She added:

“Our markets showcase some of Yorkshire’s finest small businesses and are a great opportunity to bring some festive cheer and buy that special gift for the holidays.”

The market will accompany a separate council-approved event called Harrogate Christmas Market, which will take place on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent in Harrogate town centre between December 3 and 12. This event will be run by Market Place Europe.

A ferris wheel, Victorian carousel, helter skelter and road train will also be part the council’s Harrogate’s festive package.

The festivities will last from November 15 to the first week of January.

Food safety standards in Harrogate district ‘deteriorated significantly’ during pandemic

Food safety standards at some Harrogate businesses have “deteriorated significantly” during the covid pandemic, a report has revealed.

Inspections by food safety officers resumed in July after being halted earlier in the pandemic and there has since been three voluntary closures of businesses and two emergency hygiene prohibition orders issued – more than the two previous years combined.

That is according to a new report from Harrogate Borough Council, which said “standards have deteriorated significantly” and that staff were now working through a backlog of inspections.

The report said: 

“Since recommencing full on-site food hygiene inspections in July 2021 it appears that standards have deteriorated significantly in some premises.

“This seems to be partly due to changes in food business operators during the lockdowns whilst we were unable to carry out full on-site inspections.

“However, some existing traders have just let standards slip.”

While the council carried out inspections at all ‘high risk’ food establishments, just 16% of new businesses were inspected against a target of 90% in 2020/21.

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During the same period, 24% of ‘lower risk’ businesses were inspected against a target of 95%.

The report said this was “entirely due to the impact of the covid pandemic” during which staff focused their efforts on infection control, advice and enforcement.

Rodent infestation in pub

One business which was served an emergency hygiene prohibition order was the Black Swan Inn in Fearby near Masham which was found to have a rodent infestation and dirty kitchen during a routine inspection.

The order was served in August by the council which said the pub was “dirty throughout” and that staff were unable to wash their hands after handling raw food.

Speaking at the time, Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said: 

“It is imperative that food businesses maintain hygiene and food safety at all times, even more so during the current covid pandemic.

“The council’s environmental health officers work hard to provide guidance and advice to businesses in ensuring that they can operate safely.

“Any business failing to heed and act on such advice – which then subsequently fails an inspection which identifies a risk to public health – needs to understand that we will, when necessary, not hesitate to take formal action which could well result in prosecution.”

At a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Chambers approved a food service recovery plan which details the work to be carried out by inspectors over the coming year.

This includes inspecting the average 200 new food establishments that register each year, targeting efforts towards ‘high risk’ businesses and managing food safety standards at the increasing number of events and festivals.

The plan said:

“The overall aim will be for the local authority to choose the most appropriate action to be taken to drive up levels of compliance by food establishments with food law.”

Controversial plans for Goldsborough homes approved

Plans for 36 homes in Goldsborough have been approved despite fears the development will “tear up” the historic village’s conservation area.

Stonebridge Homes was granted final approval by Harrogate Borough Council yesterday at the third time of asking.

The housing company was previously told to rethink its Station Road scheme and hold a meeting with councillors and residents.

This meeting was held in August but it was followed only by complaints that the developers “weren’t willing to shift” on issues including the density and design of the homes.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s planning committee, councillor Andrew Paraskos, a Conservative who represents Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale, said:

“A meeting did take place but there was no movement from the developers at all.

“Residents understand that there will be something on this plot, but they would just like something that is more in keeping with the village.

“We have deferred this plan twice and I think it is now time to refuse it.”

‘Conservation area is a sham’

Resident Noel Evans also said the plans appeared to be “set in stone with no bridge for improvements” and that the development would amount to a “public tearing up of the Goldsborough conservation area”.

The conservation area sits adjacent to the site and was introduced in 2008 as an area of architectural and historical interest, including much of the village.

Mr Evans said:

“The tallest buildings proposed on this site will be amongst the highest buildings in Goldsborough – higher than the church and Goldsborough Hall.

“This will irretrievably destroy the historic skyline. This site needs an entirely fresh and appropriate set of plans.

“The conservation area is a sham and has no reason to exist with this council.”

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In its latest proposals, Stonebridge Homes included additional tree planting and information relating to materials.

The developers also argued the plans met national requirements and had received the backing of council officers three times with recommendations of approval.

Becky Lomas, an agent for Stonebridge Homes, told the meeting:

“The proposal before you today creates a well designed scheme, which is able to meet national requirements.

“This is a position which has been supported by council officers three times now at planning committee and the proposal of 36 dwellings is not considered to be in conflict with the development plan.”

The plans – which include a mix of one to five-bedroom properties – received 39 objections from residents and no letters of support.

The application was approved by councillors on the planning committee with six votes for, three against and one abstention.

Taylor Wimpey gets £89.5m contract to build 390 Ripon homes

A housebuilding company has been awarded an £89.5 million contract to build 390 homes in Ripon.

Homes England, the government’s housing agency, has commissioned Taylor Wimpey to build the scheme off West Lane in the city.

The contract is due to start in November and finish in October 2027.

Homes England bought the site in February, along with two other developments in Harrogate.

The proposal for Ripon already has outline permission after a government planning inspector approved the development following an appeal in 2018.

It includes plans for 156 of the homes to be designated as affordable housing along with a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom homes.

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Homes England submitted final plans for design and layout of the site in June. Harrogate Borough Council has yet to make a decision on the application.

A spokesperson for Homes England said:

“We intervened to buy West Lane in Ripon to unlock this stalled housing site.

“We’re really pleased that Taylor Wimpey have been selected as our preferred developer, to take on the mantle of providing quality new homes, including 40% affordable provision – that’s 156 affordable homes in an area where they are most needed.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said:

“We are delighted to have been selected as preferred developer to deliver in partnership with Homes England a high-quality scheme of 390 homes on the West Lane site in Ripon.

“We have taken a landscape-led design approach to develop a residential masterplan that will enhance the character and identity of the site. We are providing significant areas of open space to allow new residents and visitors to enjoy a high-quality living environment with an attractive outlook. The development will include locally-equipped play facilities and attractive biodiverse landscape features.

“The development will create jobs and employment opportunities in the local community during the construction phase. We expect to start work on site in spring 2022.”

History of West Lane site

In 2018, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to Barratt Homes on appeal for the development.

It was previously rejected in 2017 for being a “substantial intrusion into the open countryside” and because of its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to

The site layout for the West Lane development, as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

However, Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme in July last year.

The developer told The Stray Ferret the decision was not related to the lockdown but in a year-end trading update, the company announced revenue had fallen by 30% due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It means Homes England now has a major presence in the Harrogate district.

The developer already has plans submitted with the council for 200 homes at a former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate, and is working on a 1,300 home scheme at Ripon barracks.

Homes England also bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate at the same time as it purchased the West Lane site.

It said the two developments had stalled for various reasons, including the “associated enabling costs” and that their planning permissions were due to lapse imminently.

Major Harrogate district employer bids to build energy plant

A Boroughbridge company plans to build a heat and power plant to produce “greener” and “cost-effective” energy at its headquarters.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its site off Bar Lane and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

The company has submitted plans for a combined heat and power plant, which would be built on its site and generate electricity.

According to documents lodged with Harrogate Borough Council, the plant would work by “igniting air and natural gas to produce hot, high-pressure gases”.

The gas would then be fed through a turbine to drive an electrical generator and produce electricity.

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The company added that the energy would be used to power its headquarters in Boroughbridge. Any excess energy would be exported back to the local electricity network.

Greener alternative

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall’s cold storage division, told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’re investing in a new combined heat and power system as a way of protecting the energy needs of our business for the future. 

“It is more cost-effective than buying power from the National Grid and is generally considered to be a greener alternative. We expect it to be fully operational by the end of the year.”

If approved, construction of the plant is expected to take place over three months.

Once up and running, the plant would run for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it would be unmanned and operated remotely.

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

The plan follows a multi-million expansion of Reed Boardall’s Boroughbridge site.

In May, the company announced it had finished a 110,000 square foot expansion to one of its cold storage units at its 55-acre site in Boroughbridge, which will help it meet increased customer demand.

Eight commercial units approved at Dunlopillo site in Pannal

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans for eight new commercial units at the former Dunlopillo factory site in Pannal.

York-based Echo Green Developments has lodged the application, which will see the units based to the northern part of the site on Thirkill Drive.

It will also include 28 car parking spaces, 10 cycle spaces and two motorcycle spaces.

The developer said in planning documents that the scheme would “deliver much needed economic development” and that the site was earmarked as employment land by the council.

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The former Dunlopillo site has undergone considerable redevelopment already.

Councillors gave permission to change the site into a mixed-use development back in 2015. Much of the site has already been demolished and replaced by housing as well as the Vida Grange care home.

Approval has also been granted to demolish the former Dunlopillo office block and build 48 apartments.

Leeds company handed £270,000 Sun Pavilion refurb contract

Harrogate Borough Council has awarded a £270,846 contract to Claywood Construction Ltd to refurbish Harrogate’s Sun Pavilion.

The pavilion, which has an art deco glass dome and overlooks Valley Gardens, hosts weddings and can accommodate up to 200 guests. But it has been run down for some time.

The Leeds-based company will be tasked with reconstructing the floor, installing underfloor heating. replacing the heating system, refurbishing the toilets and repairing the leaky roof.

In a report, the council said refurbishment and maintenance of the building would protect “the value and prolonging the life of the asset” and ensure “the health and safety of building users”.

Completed in the 1930s, the venue on Cornwall Road was restored to its original state in 1998 and reopened by the queen.

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Government approves controversial 72 homes in Spofforth

The government has approved controversial plans for 72 homes in Spofforth. The approval will come as a bitter disappointment to many residents who fought the development.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd has challenged Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refuse its proposal for the site on Massey Fold.

The developer already had outline permission to build on the site, but councillors turned down an application for appearance and landscaping in November 2020.

Siobhan Watson, a government planning inspector, has given the go-ahead for the proposal.

Ms Watson said in her decision report:

“I find some harm to the character and appearance of the countryside, however, I find the internal layout and detailed design of the proposed housing to be acceptable.”

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She also awarded costs against the council after finding that the authority “behaved unreasonably” and that its reasons for refusal were “vague and illogical”.

Ms Watson said:

“Given the site’s planning history, I find the council’s refusal of the application and subsequent defence of the case to be both vague and illogical. I consider that the development should have been clearly permitted and that the council produced vague and generalised assertions about the proposal’s impact which are unsupported by objective analysis. 

“The council has therefore behaved unreasonably, and thereby caused the party applying for the costs to incur unnecessary expense in the appeal process.”

The decision follows concerns from local residents over the design and that the housing would not be in keeping with the village.

More than 300 local people and organisations, including Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, raised concerns about the scheme.

Shirley Fawcett, chairman of Spofforth with Stockeld Parish Council, wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealing for help in challenging the development.

She said in her letter that the village is “a very blue village but which is seeing red thanks to the government’s planning policies”.

Ms Fawcett added that it “will never be the same” if the appeal is allowed and that the “Sword of Damocles” hung over villagers.

The developer said the borough council had “unreasonably delayed development” at the site and that its case “does not contain any objective analysis that justifies the reason for refusal”.

Yorkshire Housing Ltd declined to comment at this stage.

Government awards Harrogate £50,000 for housing on underused garage sites

The Harrogate district has been awarded £50,000 of government cash to bring forward housing on two underused garage sites.

The cash will be used by Harrogate Borough Council to cover infrastructure costs for five new homes at the sites on Woodfield Close, Harrogate and Park Row, Knaresborough.

Other councils received more funding – including City of York which got more than £2.5 million – but the borough council said it was still “delighted” with its allocation.

A council spokesperson said: 

“£50,000 is no small sum and the council tenants of Harrogate will be more than happy to see this cost met by the grant award and not from council rents.

“This is a fund specifically aimed at the cost of infrastructure requirements on council-owned land.

“By helping meet these costs, sites will become viable for development, either by the local authority directly or by private developers, enabling the site to be placed on the open market.”

The council has secured almost £4.5 million for such sites over the past few years.

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The latest allocation comes from the government’s £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund which aims to bring forward affordable homes and get people on the property ladder.

Harrogate is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the district.

The council itself has admitted there is a “desperate” lack of affordable homes and has pledged to bring these properties forward through private developments, building social housing and bringing empty properties back into use.

Announcing the latest funding allocation, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, MP Michael Gove said: 

“We are levelling up and backing home ownership in every corner of the country, delivering new high-quality, affordable homes and creating thriving places where people want to live, work and visit.

“Making the most of previously developed land is a government priority and it will help protect our cherished countryside and green spaces.”