Stray Views: Night time noise in Harrogate makes it impossible to sleep

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Night time noise in Harrogate is unacceptable 

The noise at night in the centre of Harrogate is unacceptable. People shouting and fast loud cars until 2am to 3am. Friends of mine from London couldn’t believe how noisy Harrogate is and they live in central London.

I agree so I’m moving. Every weekend it’s the same. I want people to enjoy themselves but the behaviour I hear is antisocial.

Can’t people be decent and realise that people/families have the right to a good night’s sleep? Honestly it’s not acceptable to be kept awake until 2am to 3am in the morning.

I have teenagers but they are aware of their surroundings and wouldn’t dream of shouting or playing loud music in their cars. Can’t something be done?

Annekin Emerson, Harrogate

New Tesco location ‘beggars belief’

I cannot believe that Tesco and the council are considering building a superstore with an entrance so close to one of the busiest junctions in Harrogate.

The thought of two roundabouts within close proximity beggars belief, traffic will back up from the entrance to Tesco and hold up all of Harrogate’s through traffic from the A59 and A61.

Clearly the ideal place for a Tesco superstore is on or near Otley Road, then traffic will head out of Harrogate or have easy access from all of the new estates on that side of town.

The problem at the moment is that ALL of the supermarkets are in town or the opposite end of town to Otley Road (except for Aldi, which is excellent but does not satisfy all requirements), so all the traffic has to go down Skipton Road to get to them causing constant traffic jams.

Why the council/house builders/Tesco cannot get round a table and come to an agreement where the Tesco land at the roundabout can be developed for housing, and more appropriate land on the outskirts of town can be used for the Tesco’s I do not know. Is that not Section 106 agreements are all about?

Stephen Readman, Harrogate

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Pedestrians needs are being ignored

May I voice support for your correspondent Angela Dicken and her comments on the cycle way on Otley Road?

I am a frequent pedestrian there and can wholly confirm what she says. Yesterday morning, for example, just after 9am, on which occasion I was actually in the car heading for Bradford (try it on public transport if you want to know why) I was waiting at the pelican crossing and saw a cyclist in all the gear absolutely hurtling down the pavement towards Leeds Road.

This at a time when the pavement is always busy with people. At the moment that is illegal, although nothing is ever done about it. Now we are being asked to share space with such people.

Nor was this an isolated incident as many will testify. Later that day I was passed by another equally speedy cyclist whilst walking on the pedestrianised section of Oxford Street. Later still, on East Parade, by which time it was dark, another pair were riding abreast without lights on that road. And so on. It is time certainly to think about the pedestrian and stop indulging a fantasy of responsible cycling.

Paul Jennings, Harrogate

Well done, Harrogate Borough Council

I must thank those at Harrogate Borough Council who have been responsible for removing the weeds from around the base of the Tewit Well’s dome.

In this, the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Harrogate’s first mineral well, it is particularly important to ensure that the Tewit Well appears cared for, in view of the passing visitors the site so regularly sees.

Malcolm Neesam, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

 

Former Harrogate editor given freedom of the borough

The former editor of the Harrogate Advertiser has been made an honorary freeman of the borough after 41 years in local journalism.

Harrogate Borough Council bestowed the honour on Jean MacQuarrie, who stepped down from her role this year, at an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday.

Ms MacQuarrie was editor for 33 years and also served as editor-in-chief of JPIMedia’s Yorkshire weeklies.

She was also involved in many local organisations including Saint Michael’s Hospice, the Army Foundation College independent advisory board, Harrogate Business Luncheon Club, Harrogate BID and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Ms MacQuarrie said: 

“For my work in Harrogate and the wider district to be recognised in this way is amazing, and I am very grateful to all the councillors for granting me this, their highest honour.

“I supported many organisations throughout the district, whether that was to help them raise funds, or raise the profile of their work by shining a light on what they were trying to achieve.

“But to be honest, it was easy, because the Harrogate district is full of inspiring, enthusiastic and generous people who are committed to supporting others.”

She added: 

“Local newspapers are all about being a champion for your town and district, highlighting the positives and also challenging and campaigning when you and your readers see something that is wrong.

“I have worked with some great people over the years, and always been lucky to have a good team around me. I had some exceptional editorial leaders too, who gave me free rein to edit the newspapers in the way I wanted to.

“I particularly enjoyed mentoring and encouraging talented young journalists and watching their careers flourish.”

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The title of honorary freeman is the highest honour the borough can bestow and was last awarded in 2012 to Jonathan Wild, former chairman and chief executive of Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said: 

“Jean has been an unstinting champion for all things in the Harrogate district for decades.

“She ensured that our area’s song was sung, that local events were supported week in, week out, that campaigns to make our area better enjoyed a high profile and that our businesses were enthusiastically promoted.

“Jean has also made an outstanding contribution to the development of young and upcoming journalists.

“Over the decades I have been involved in local politics, I have seen many young journalists working on the local paper. I have seen them grow and move on to bigger things.

“This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because there is an exceptional person nurturing them. And that person is Jean MacQuarrie.”

Tories ‘letting public down’ over meeting attendance, says councillor

A Liberal Democrat councillor has accused Harrogate Borough Council’s Conservative ruling party of “letting the public down” by failing to find substitutes for meetings.

Cllr Chris Aldred claimed Tory members had failed to find substitutes on 32 occasions since April – something he said “really upsets me”.

He told a full council meeting on Wednesday: 

“The main purpose of being elected is to represent the public and if we have a place on a committee then we should do our damned hardest to fill it.

“You are letting the side down and you are letting the public down.”

Cllr Aldred also said Lib Dem members had not failed to find a substitute on a single occasion during the same period from April.

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However, council leader Richard Cooper hit back saying there were “various” reasons why members could not attend and that he could not “apologise for there being so many Conservatives on the council”.

The council is made up of 30 Tory councillors, eight Lib Dems and two Ripon Independents.

Cllr Cooper said:

“This is just primarily the product of winning so many elections.

“There is a reason why we win so many elections and have so many committee places to fill, and a reason why you win so few elections and have so few places to fill.”

Cllr Cooper also said illness was a factor that needed to be considered when it came to members missing meetings.

He said: 

“I didn’t really want to go into this, but some individuals on this council aren’t well.”

He also told Cllr Aldred: 

“You say you are speaking for the public. I don’t know quite what mandate you think you have to speak for all the public of the Harrogate district.

“The mandate comes when we have elections. And the last time that mandate was put to the test, this administration secured the highest percentage of seats on this council that have ever been secured.”

The next elections will take place in March 2022 when a new North Yorkshire council is created to replace the county council and seven district councils including Harrogate.

It is likely that the number of councillors in the Harrogate district will be cut by around two-third with possibly just 20 seats up for grabs.

In total, there could be around 89 councillors covering the whole of North Yorkshire.

County council claimed £3.9m in furlough during pandemic

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed it claimed £3.9million of government cash to furlough staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority – which is the largest employer in the county – said a total of 1,288 jobs were supported by the scheme, which came to an end last Thursday after 18 months.

According to government guidance, public sector organisations were not expected to furlough their workforce and staff whose work was no longer possible had to be considered for redeployment.

However, where councils had arms-length organisations which rely on income and not public money, then furloughing staff was allowed.

A county council spokesperson said: 

“The county council has claimed furlough payments for staff within its traded services

“Traded services staff are those who work within commercial companies created by the county council, sometimes with partners.

“The furloughed posts would normally be funded by income to these companies, but this stopped, or was greatly reduced during the pandemic.

“These traded services areas include such things as elements of waste management, building design consultancy, commercial property development, and high-speed broadband provision.”

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Furlough payments were claimed for school catering staff during lockdown closures, as well as staff in the county council’s outdoor learning service which it said could not operate due to covid restrictions.

The spokesperson added: 

“We furloughed 1,288 posts since its introduction, affecting 1,132 individual employees. This figure includes many who rolled on and off furlough and others furloughed only for a short time.

“This has to be seen in the context of a package of government support to deal with the financial impacts of covid across the council.

“It has, therefore, helped in the council’s response to support business, communities, residents and staff.”

No furlough claims by Harrogate Borough Council

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council did not claim any money from the furlough scheme.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the authority, this week made calls for the scheme to be extended in order to avoid what she fears will be a “tidal wave of job losses” at businesses.

She said: 

“Although many may find work in recovering sectors such as hospitality and travel, there is also likely to be a rise in unemployment due to new redundancies as businesses fail without the support of furlough.”

The furlough scheme saw the government pay towards the wages of employees who could not work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them, up to a monthly limit of £2,500.

At first it paid 80% of their usual wage, but in August and September it paid 60%, with employers paying 20%.

In total, the scheme cost around £70billion – and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones said now was the right time for it to end.

He said: 

“The furlough scheme is estimated to have cost £70 billion and this will need repaying. But the human and financial cost of letting industries, businesses and jobs go to the wall during lockdown would have been catastrophic.

“It is going to be a bumpy road ahead even so but without the actions that were taken it is difficult to imagine what the situation would have been.”

‘Public needs to know’ Ripon pool opening date, says councillor

A Ripon councillor has called for greater clarity over the opening date of the city’s delayed new swimming pool.

Cllr Pauline McHardy said “the public need to know” when the centre will be opened after she sought clarification from senior councillors this week.

The project, which the Stray Ferret revealed last week is more than £3 million over budget, was due to open in November.

But, Harrogate Borough Council said in an update last month that it would now be opened “before the end of the year”.

At a meeting of the council, Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for leisure, told councillors that there were “lots of unknowns” with the project..

Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for leisure at Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for leisure at Harrogate Borough Council.

When asked by Cllr McHardy if the centre would open in November, he said:

“I would very much hope it will be open in November, but there are lots of unknowns.

“Until we occupy the new space and we have staff using the new facility, there will clearly be, as with any building project, there is likely to be teething troubles that need to be ironed out and a snag list to be addressed.

“I very much hope it will be November, but certainly by the end of the year.”

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Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Cllr McHardy said she felt the answer was not sufficient.

She said:

“I would have preferred him to say ‘no’. The public need to know [about the opening].

“I do understand that when it has been commissioned there are sometimes teething problems.

“But surely that is built into their estimations?”

Construction of the facility is being carried out by Willmott Dixon, which was granted a £10.2 million contract by the council. Work started on the scheme in November 2019.

The 17-month contact was for delivery of a six-lane pool, along with refurbishment of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre.

Knaresborough pool proposal ‘environmental vandalism’, says campaigner

The leader of a Knaresborough group fighting to stop a new swimming pool being built on a green field has described the plans as “environmental vandalism of the highest order”.

David Hull set up Not on Fysche Field (Not Off) when Harrogate Borough Council proposed a new Knaresborough leisure centre and suggested it could be built on the park alongside the current site.

Mr Hull handed in a 600-name petition to the council last night opposing the plans and read a strongly worded statement.

He said:

“This proposal to build on Fysche field park has been a complete shambles from day one.

“Harrogate Borough Council have behaved in a totally selfish and arrogant fashion by deliberately withholding information and not being honest with the public.

“The people are speaking and need to be heard. They don’t want or need this environmentally destructive development on Fysche field.

“Building a brand new pool right next to a perfectly functioning one is environmental vandalism of the highest accord.”

Mr Hull’s petition calls for any new leisure centre to be built on the existing footprint rather than moving it onto the green field adjacent.

The council’s current favoured plan is to build the new leisure centre on the play area to the side of the leisure centre rather than the green space. But the threat to the park remains.

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During his presentation last night, Mr Hull read comments from individuals who he said supported the campaign. One questioned whether councillors were “getting rich” from this development.

This drew a strong rebuke from council leader Richard Cooper, who said councillors shouldn’t be “slighted or demeaned” in this way.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Hull said:

“We wanted to demonstrate that the community is not saying no to the development. We support a sensitive development but it needs to be sympathetic to the local area.”

Mr Hull added that greater transparency from the council would stop people holding so many negative opinions.

Campaigners hand in petition to save Kirkby Malzeard pub

A petition calling for a historic village pub under threat from demolition to be reinstated as an asset of community value has been handed in to Harrogate Borough Council.

More than 500 people have supported the campaign to save the 18th century Henry Jenkins Inn at Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, which has been at the centre of a long-fought battle between villagers and a developer since it closed in 2011.

The building was made an asset of community value six years after it closed, but the protected status was later removed by the council after part of the pub was sold off.

Campaigners were in Harrogate yesterday gathering signatures in support of the bid ahead of a full council meeting.

Richard Sadler, one of the campaigners, told councillors that the pub was an “intrinsic part of the history, culture and identity” of Kirkby Malzeard, but had recently become a “blight” on the village.

He said the council should now “do the right thing” and reinstate the pub’s protected status to stop it from being demolished for housing and so that it can be run by the community.

Mr Sadler said: 

“We have now put together a business plan and have community share pledges for £237,000 to buy the pub.

“But there is a problem. The council has delisted part of it simply because that part was sold off.

“That is why we are asking the council to do the right thing and put the whole pub back as an asset of community value so we have a chance of bringing it back as a thriving pub for future generations.

“This could be a huge boost to our village and the whole region.”

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The council has yet to respond to the petition.

Earlier this year, villagers were dealt a blow to their campaign when a government planning inspector overturned a council decision to refuse permission for part of the pub to be converted into a home.

Inspector Helen Hockenhull said in a report at the time that there was “no reasonable prospect of the public house reopening”.

The status of an asset of community value means buildings must be used by the community and are protected from a change of use or demolition.

The Henry Jenkins is named after the Yorkshire super-centenarian that legend states lived to be 169-years-old.

It is one of the oldest inns in the Harrogate district and is the last of several pubs in the area named after Mr Jenkins who is reputed to have lived from 1500 to 1670.

Call to ban animal testing in Harrogate district rejected

Harrogate Borough Council last night rejected a bid to introduce a ban on animal testing in the district.

Victoria Oldham, the Conservative councillor for Washburn, called for a moratorium on animal testing in the district at the full council meeting.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is lobbying government to help Harrogate-based animal testing firm Labcorp Drug Development expand.

Protests frequently take place at the company’s site on Otley Road.

Cllr Oldham told the meeting that Beagle puppies, non-human primates. rabbits, mice and mini-pigs were used on the site.

She added:

“It has long been acknowledged that the costs of animal experiments are high and that they are not reliably predictive of what will happen in humans.

“The current drug development failure rate stands at a staggering 96% and the global non-animal testing market was worth $1.11 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow by up to $1.65 billion by 2023.

“Bearing these factors in mind, why is there an insistence that investment in medical progress needs to be in the outdated and unreliable field of animal experiments?

“Local jobs are important to our district but at what cost?

“Will you consider leading on introducing a moratorium on animal testing in the Harrogate borough?”

Cllr Oldham, an animal lover, said she “considered it to be a non-political question”.

Cllr Graham Swift, the deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, replied:

“I don’t like and I don’t want medicines tested on animals. But the law insists medicines are tested on animals prior to being tested on humans and prior to being used as medicines.

“The recent covid vaccines are a great example of the benefits of medicines. But all drugs administered through humans are administered through this process of animal testing.

“I have great faith in science and research. New testing methods can and do and will reduce the number of animals and the duration of their use.

“So I continue to support the development of technologies that reduce animal testing. It is my hope that one day these technologies will mean that no medicines are ever tested on animals.

“But it is not possible for Harrogate Borough Council to declare a unilateral moratorium on animal testing in the Harrogate borough. It is not within our powers.”

Cllr Swift added that about a third of Labcorp’s 4,000 UK staff were based in Harrogate, which was “great for the economy”.

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He said he could facilitate a request by cllr Oldham for councillors to visit the site but added they needed to remember the company was regulated by the Home Office rather than the council. He added:

“I am confident that Labcorp are very happy to entertain councillors at their site to educate, to explain and for us to understand the progress they are making.

“I think it’s fair to say that this is a top quality company doing things for the benefit of human beings and it is not our role to simply go in there and police them.

“It is very clearly the role of the government and the authorities to do that. But it’s totally appropriate that they educate us.”

 

 

Final backing for 367 homes on Penny Pot Lane

Harrogate council bosses have given final backing for 367 homes on Penny Pot Lane.

The development comes as part of a wider 600-home scheme, which was given outline approval back in 2015.

Developer Persimmon Homes is behind the proposal, which has already seen some of the homes on the southern side of the site built.

Now, council officers have given final approval for the second part of the scheme which covers the northern part of the development.

It will see 367 homes built, along with a link road for buses, cyclists and pedestrians to the Jennyfield estate. The site layout also includes allotments, public open areas and space for a primary school.

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The proposal will see 17 one bedroom homes, 119 two bedroom, 105 three bedroom, 91 four bedroom and 35 five bedroom properties.

Persimmon said in its planning documents that the development would be “sustainable”.

It said:

“It aims to provide a sustainable community with a mix of housing types situated within a highly landscaped setting supported by social infrastructure provision.”

New homes under construction in Harrogate

New homes under construction and some occupied on the southern half of the site off Penny Pot Lane.

Meanwhile, Persimmon Homes recently reiterated its commitment to building homes on Kingsley Drive in Harrogate.

The developer saw a 217-home plan for the development rejected by Harrogate Borough Council back in August.

However, Persimmon told the Stray Ferret that it was still “fully committed” to the site and was still “considering its options”.

Harrogate’s former Laura Ashley shop could become yoga studio

A boutique yoga and pilates studio has submitted plans to open in the former Laura Ashley shop on Harrogate’s James Street.

Ebru Evrim currently provides provides classes in Skipton and sells activewear clothing.

According to planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the owner wants to replicate the business in Harrogate town centre.

If approved, the plans would see the James Street unit converted into a retail and teaching space over three floors.

The two upper floors would be used as yoga and pilates studios and the activewear would be sold on the ground floor.

The company, which also arranges holidays, retreats and workshops, says on its website:

“The boutique brand founder and owner Ebru Evrim moved over from Istanbul in 2015, and began to teach ashtanga yoga and basic pilates as a freelancer in village halls and other local venues in Upper Wharfedale.”

The building, at 3 James Street, has been vacant for 12 months after Laura Ashley went into administration in March last year before going into partnership with Next.

The plans are currently under review by.

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