Password protected gates installed at Knaresborough level crossingNetwork Rail has installed a passcode protected gate to keep people off the railtracks in Knaresborough.
The new gate has been put in place at Green Lane level crossing, near the Trinity Fields housing development in the town, to prevent trespassing.
Officials at the organisation worked with Harrogate Borough Council to install the facility.
Network Rail said an average of 20 to 25 people such as dog walkers or joggers illegally used the level crossing each day.
It added that in 2022 the gates were recklessly left open 20 times, posing a real risk for children, vulnerable people and animals.
The access to private land from Green Lane level crossing.
Darren Lord, north and east route level crossing manager for Network Rail, said:
“We’re really proud to have worked with Harrogate Borough Council and the housing developers to champion this simple, quick-thinking solution which will vastly reduce risk and improve safety for the community.
“The railway isn’t the place to take a shortcut and we have to put safety first. With the new gate in place, the level crossing will be able to do what it was designed for – to help people safely cross over the railway on to their private land and remove the risk for the public.
“You can never predict when the next train is coming, so entering the railway where you’re not supposed to can be incredibly dangerous and lead to fatal or life-changing injuries.”
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The new gate will be used by authorised people to access the level crossing to reach private land.
Those people have been given the keycode and briefed on how to use the new system safely.
Cllr Tim Myatt, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for planning, added:
“We want to ensure all residents are kept as safe as possible.
“By working with Network Rail and the housing developer to introduce this anti-trespass measure we can help prevent people illegally trespassing on to the railway.
“This measure will also help ensure the gate is not recklessly left open, reducing the risk for children, vulnerable people and animals.”
Council to press ahead with Pateley Bridge Cemetery expansionHarrogate Borough Council is to press ahead with plans to purchase land near Pateley Bridge cemetery to expand burial space at the site.
Graham Swift, cabinet member for resources at the authority, approved spending £32,500 to purchase 2.5 acres of land in the town.
The borough council said it would now begin the process to purchase the land, which is owned by Pateley Bridge Town Council.
It is hoped the expansion will create enough burial space for the next 300 years.
James Bean, estates surveyor at the council, said in a report that the cemetery is expected to reach capacity for burials in the next two years.
He said:
“The cemetery at Pateley Bridge is soon to reach capacity and a solution for its longer term use needs to be established.
“Colleagues in the bereavement services team have identified an area of land next to the cemetery for possible expansion which would provide burial space for over 300 years.”
Work at the site will require planning consent following the purchase in order for the cemetery to expand.
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Plans for 73 homes near nature reserve in Harrogate district villageA developer has submitted plans to build 73 homes in a Harrogate district village.
Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.
Staveley is midway between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge and has a population of about 440.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says the nature reserve, which the charity owns, is a “superb wetland” containing otters and orchids.
The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.
The site is allocated for housing in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-2035, which details where development can take place.
The developer said in its plans that the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.
It said:
“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”
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However, residents have raised concern over potential housing on the site.
Graham Bowland, from the Staveley Residents Action Group, said a meeting was held at the village hall this week to raise objections to the plan.
He said:
“We successfully fought off development before and now we have an application for 73 homes on the field known as SV1 on the Minskip Road opposite the Staveley Nature Reserve.
“It will increase the size of the village by 35%, but sadly despite significant objections from residents and the parish council at the time, it still went into the local plan.”
A decision on the plan will be made at a later date.
Old Deanery calls for Ripon Cathedral’s £6m scheme to be rejectedRipon Cathedral‘s proposed £6 million building poses a threat to the future of the Old Deanery and should not be approved, it has been claimed.
The cathedral has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to create an annex that would include a song school, refectory, retail unit and toilets on Minster Gardens.
The nearby Old Deanery is governed by the Chapter of Ripon Cathedral, which agreed a 20-year lease on the property to Layton Hills Hotels in 2021.
Layton Hills Hotels now holds events at the Old Deanery and plans to re-open it as a hotel and restaurant.
The Old Deanery is just metres from the cathedral.
Now LCF Law, which has offices in Harrogate and is acting on behalf of Layton Hills Hotels, has written to the council claiming the proposal threatens the future of the business.
LCF Law also questions why the Old Deanery does not appear to have been assessed as a site for the new development because, it says, the building has the space and facilities to accommodate such a scheme.
Masterplan
The law firm also claims that since signing the lease, Layton Hills Hotel has seen a masterplan developed by the cathedral six years ago that includes “not only the current development but also hotel and housing on land close by, including in the garden of the Old Deanery on land comprised within the leased area”.
It adds:
“However, in discussions for the lease for the Old Deanery, no mention was made to Layton Hills Hotel about any of these commercial proposals which, if permitted, would be in direct competition with the Old Deanery.
“This is somewhat surprising, not least because the Old Deanery, a grade 2* listed building, would have been available for use by the Chapter to satisfy the alleged need for additional space and facilities.”
The Old Deanery currently caters for events, such as weddings. Photo: Tim Hardy
The letter goes on to say the leaseholders are concerned about what impact drinks receptions and evening events at the new cathedral building might have on the Old Deanery. It adds:
“If Layton Hills Hotel had been notified by the Chapter about its future plans, including the possibility of the development of an events’ venue in direct competition with its business and immediately adjoining it, then it is unlikely that it would have entered into the lease of the Old Deanery as its future is directly threatened by it.
“Layton Hills Hotel are concerned that the proposal may be used for commercial ventures which go above and beyond a visitor facility for the cathedral and will be used to hold events in direct competition to the operation of the Old Deanery.”
LCF Law’s letter also raises wider concerns about the planning application, including the loss of trees in Minster Gardens.
It concludes:
“The proposal will cause significant harm notably through the loss of trees, the loss of open space and the adverse impact it will have on the setting of four listed buildings of great importance.
“It is therefore contrary to both local and national planning policy. It should therefore be refused without an exceptional justification with public benefit at its heart which has not been provided.
“There has been no convincing justification for why the uses must be combined in a single building of such scale.”
Ripon Cathedral says the new building will attract more visitors to the city.
The Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for a response to LCF Law’s letter. A cathedral spokesperson said it didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on individual responses while the planning process took place.
However, a cathedral website about the project says:
“The proposed new building will provide key facilities to ensure it can continue to play its role in the life of the city, diocese (of Leeds) and region and enable it to host more events, exhibitions, and concerts, which will attract increased numbers of people to the city, to the benefit of all.
“We understand people’s concerns around the removal of 11 trees, but the building will deliver a range of much needed facilities for the people of Ripon and visitors, along with the cathedral community, and the loss of these trees will be offset by the planting of 300 trees at Studley Royal where land has been made available to us.
“Extra storage space will mean that the cathedral will be able to declutter its internal space, which will enable historic parts of the cathedral, currently not viewed, to be accessible to the public.
“There will be an increase in the conservation area and biodiversity of the cathedral estate.”
Ripon councillors consider judicial review on 1,300-home Clotherholme plan
Ripon City Council is to take legal advice on the merits of seeking a judicial review of Harrogate Borough Council’s handling of the 1,300-home Clotherholme planning application.
The Homes England development on Ministry of Defence land at Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks was granted outline approval on February 23 on the casting vote of planning committee chair and Conservative councillor Rebecca Burnett.
This came after votes were tied at six for and six against supporting a recommendation to defer the plans to officers for approval subject to conditions.
At the planning meeting no reference was made by officers to a traffic assessment commissioned by Ripon City Council in 2020, because of fears that additional vehicle movements generated by the barracks scheme would cause permanent gridlock across Ripon.
A subsequent report from the consultant, who carried out the assessment, contained recommendations on a range of mitigation measures that could be taken at key junctions and traffic hotspots to reduce pressure on Ripon’s roads.
In the light of the report, the city council called on Homes England to reduce the number of houses in the development to an initial 800, with the option to seek approval for a further 500 once the traffic impact of the first phase of the scheme had been assessed.
At Monday night’s full Ripon City Council meeting, Independent council leader Andrew Williams said:
“It is clear that our traffic survey and the correspondence that we had with Harrogate Borough Council planners was totally ignored.
“They have ridden roughshod over the wishes of people living in the city, leaving them with a potential problem to deal with for years to come.”
Ripon Liberal Democrat county and city councillor Barbara Brodigan told the meeting:
“I attended the planning committee to speak on behalf of the Ripon Spa Residents Action Group about the concerns we have about traffic, but it appeared to me that this was a done deal.
“The city council’s own traffic assessment wasn’t even raised by officers.”
City councillors unanimously supported a proposal put by Cllr Williams and seconded by Cllr Brodigan, to take initial legal advice on the merits of seeking a judicial review of Harrogate Borough Council’s handling of the planning application.
At the February 23 planning meeting, David Rowlinson, speaking on behalf of Homes England, said:
“We’re not new to this site, we’ve been working on it for five years. We’ve looked at this very thoroughly and worked with North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department to get their on-the-ground views.
“We feel we’ve robustly assessed the impacts and come up with the best solution possible for Ripon.
“North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed there is no defensible reason to refuse the application on highways and transport grounds.”
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New 5G mast at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground approvedA bid to improve 5G connectivity by installing a new telecommunications tower at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate has been approved.
A planning application was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by telecommunications company EE to erect a lattice tower that will host three antennae, two dishes and several cabinets.
The firm said in documents the proposal would not only boost WiFi at the showground but also provide “much improved and upgraded coverage to surrounding businesses and residents who currently see limited indoor coverage”.
The council has now approved the proposal.
In planning documents, Harlequin Group, which lodged the plan on behalf of EE, said:
“It should be noted there is no 5G coverage within the immediate or surrounding area whatsoever.
“The area, in particular the Great Yorkshire Showground, has been subject to coverage supplied by way of a temporary emergency solution during events.
“The proposal will be tucked within a building corner, meaning that the equipment will be obscured on two of the four sides.”
The proposed location for the 5G mast.
Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Great Yorkshire Showground told the Stray Ferret previously:
“The Great Yorkshire Showground is an intrinsic part of the local community that hosts numerous events throughout the year and brings significant employment and money to the area.
“To ensure that we can continue to develop and evolve with the changing demands of customers and business, it is vital to ensure that the latest connectivity is present; the proposed lattice tower is centrally located and has been designed to allow multiple operators to host on the same infrastructure.
“The public benefit goes beyond the Great Yorkshire Showground, with the proposal able to provide upgraded coverage and capacity to the surrounding residential properties, commercial properties, visitors and businesses in the locale. It is therefore believed that this proposal enables the provision of future connectivity for numerous individuals and companies.”
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Plan approved to convert former Summerbridge chippy owned by councillorCouncillors have approved a plan to convert a former fish and chip shop in Summerbridge that was owned by a Harrogate councillor into an office and living space.
Tom Watson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Nidd Valley, ran Valley Fisheries for 40 years before it closed eight years ago.
In 2019, Cllr Watson submitted a plan to convert the building into a home but it was withdrawn due to concerns from planners that the house that would replace the chip ship was too small.
At the time, 90 residents signed a petition calling on the local chippy to be saved despite it having closed its doors more than half a decade previously.
A fresh application to extend the building into a larger home was approved in 2020 but it has lapsed.
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The new plan will see the former chippy form a home office and annexe for Lyndale Cottage, which is next door and also owned by Cllr Watson.
Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee met this afternoon at the Civic Centre in Harrogate to consider the application.
Cllr Watson sits on the planning committee and along with fellow Liberal Democrat councillors Pat Marsh and Hannah Gostlow he sat out on the vote to avoid a conflict of interest.
There was no debate and the plan was approved unanimously.
Heritage watchdogs disagree over £6m Ripon Cathedral annexHistoric England, the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment, has said it supports Ripon Cathedral’s £6 million plans to build a two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.
However, the national heritage watchdog’s views about the suitability of the proposed development site to the north of the cathedral are not shared by Ripon Civic Society.
The cathedral chapter submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council in January, seeking permission to construct a standalone two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.
It would include a song school, cafe, shop and the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet for disabled people.
The development has divided opinion, with concerns about the impact on retailers and the removal of 11 trees, including a beech categorised as a veteran tree by the Woodland Trust.
In a letter to Harrogate Borough Council planners, Historic England said:
“Historic England supports the location and design of this proposal, which will make a positive 21st century contribution to Ripon’s wonderful historic environment.”
The letter, which can be viewed on the council’s planning website also states:
“This application is highly sensitive due to the wonderful historic townscape of Ripon, its proximity and relationship to Ripon Cathedral, and from the heritage value of the site itself.
“The proposal would make a positive contribution to the historic environment of Ripon, sitting appropriately in location and design terms with the townscape and cathedral, and beginning to rearticulate the original cathedral precinct. However, the loss of open space and trees would have a minor impact on heritage significance.
“We consider that many elements of the proposal are in line with those parts of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) within our statutory remit.
“However, the NPPF also advises a need for an appropriate understanding of all heritage impacts before decisions are taken on applications. In this case, the archaeological impact of the proposal is unclear, and this issue needs to be resolved in advance of any planning decision.”
‘Unacceptable’
But Ripon Civic Society took a different view in its submission to the council. It said:
“While we do not disagree with the cathedral’s view that a new annex on the north side of the cathedral will contribute to the sustainable future of the cathedral and enhance the city of Ripon, we consider that siting an annex on Minster Gardens is unacceptable.”
The society added:
“The proposals in the application are unaltered from those we commented on in 2022.
“Ripon Civic Society wrote to the cathedral authorities in July 2022 supporting development on the north side of the Cathedral.
“We did not consider, however, that the proposed siting recognised the significance of Minster Gardens as an open space for the city, as set out in the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan that was agreed by referendum and adopted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of the Harrogate Local Plan.
“We therefore suggested the proper examination of the stone yard land for a redesigned building.”
To create space for the annex, the existing toilet block, outbuildings and a wall would need to be demolished and trees removed.
The civic society said:
“The trees that are proposed to be removed are an important part of the character of the conservation area, which would be severely lessened by their removal and replacement with a large building.
“We consider that a redesigned building in the stone yard would be an acceptable alternative.”
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Harrogate Mojo bid to open until 6.30am approvedMojo in Harrogate has had its bid to stay open until 6.30am approved by councillors.
Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, has submitted the licensing request to Harrogate Borough Council for the Parliament Street bar In January.
It includes amending the permitted sale of alcohol from 11am until 4am to 11am to 6am each day of the week.
The proposal would also see the permitted hours for regulated live music, which is currently 11am until 4.30am, changed to 11am to 6am the following morning Monday to Sunday.
The opening hours would be 11am until 6.30am.
A council licensing committee approved the proposal this morning.
Martin Greenhow, managing director of Mojo, told councillors that part of the reason for extending the hours was so the business can recover from the covid pandemic.
He said:
“One of the reasons that we’re here asking for these extra hours is that the business has found challenges since we have returned.
“We have accrued an awful lot of debt in just getting through lockdowns.”
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The chain already has three bars in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool which are open until 6am.
The committee also heard that Mojo has never had enforcement action taken against it or had a licence revoked.
However, David Birtles, a resident who lives at Harrogate House on Parliament Street, objected to the extension.
He said:
“I do not want to be picking my way with my four-year-old grandson through urine, vomit and broken glass as left on our entrance doorway to the street on a regular basis.”
Officials from Mojo said the concerns over anti-social behaviour and late night disturbance were addressed as part of the licence conditions.
The licence will be reviewed in 12 months time.
The move to extend the hours at Mojo comes three months after nearby Viper Rooms, which had opening hours until 4.30am, closed last month.
Best Bar, which is also on Parliament Street, applied to extend its opening hours to 6.30am on Fridays and Saturdays last month.
Demolition completed of subsidence-hit Ripon flatsThe demolition of a block of four empty Ripon homes stricken by subsidence issues has been completed by a team of experts.
The properties at 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths were evacuated in October 2020 after being declared unsafe for habitation.
The block was fenced off ready for the start of demolition in early February
Planning permission for their demolition was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in November and Dewsbury-based Hutchinson Demolition & Dismantling Ltd carried out a fortnight of preparatory work before starting to take the block down in early February.
Following successful completion of the task, site manager Ashley Hutchinson, told the Stray Ferret:
“Apart from a couple of days when we couldn’t work because of Storm Otto, everything has run smoothly and to schedule.”
A cherry picker was used so that the demolition team could remove the roof tiles and timbers and demolish the chimney stacks.
Mr Hutchinson added:
“The work was carried out by our team using hand-held tools for the majority of the demolition tasks, with a rubber tracked excavator brought in for the latter stages.”
With the demolition works complete, the final clear up of the site will be carried out over the next couple of days.
Roof tiles, bricks, timber and other materials have been removed for recycling.
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