Strayside Sunday: That sinking feeling in Ripon

Strayside Sunday is our monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

Hitherto I haven’t found it necessary to use this column to discuss matters of geology. However, recent events in Ripon have forced my hand. 

It turns out that Ripon is built on ground heavy in gypsum; chemical formula CaSO 4·2H₂O.  Gypsum, Wikipedia informs, is a soft sulphate mineral composed of calcium sulphate dihydrate. The dihydrate bit is important to this story because it means 2 crystalised molecules of water. 

By the way, gypsum is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard/sidewalk chalk, and drywall; just FYI. It should not be confused with flotsam, the wreckage that remains afloat when a ship has sunk, or with jetsam, the cargo thrown overboard from a ship in distress.

Currently, neither gypsum, flotsam nor jetsam would be able to float in Ripon Spa baths.  Alongside the leisure centre to which they are attached, the new baths remain shut, while the works to build them and to upgrade the adjoining leisure centre are delayed. It seems that a large void (a sinkhole to you and me) has opened on the leisure centre site.  It turns out that Ripon’s new leisure centre and baths is being built on ground with obvious stability issues.  You see, when crystalised dihydrate is exposed to the right conditions (water and heat), it dissolves and leaks away, creating a hole in the ground. Let’s hope and trust that, when eventually completed, Ripon baths don’t leak.

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Chartered Geologist Dr. Alan Thompson has written to Harrogate Borough Council to warn them of the inadequacies of the ground investigations undertaken so far and of the ongoing risk of subsidence. In his letter he expresses his support of the concerns raised by Ripon resident and Chartered Engineer Stanley Mackintosh “regarding the ongoing risk subsidence, the inadequacy of recent ground investigations, and the prospects of instability being exacerbated by the techniques being used”. I hope that the council takes note of those serious and legitimate concerns. My fear is that they won’t,

The void itself needs to be remediated at a cost of £110,000 of Her Majesty’s Pounds Sterling and the council’s insurers need to be reassured that the £3 million plus they have underwritten the site for is based on, ahem, sound footings. Meanwhile, notwithstanding Freedom of Information requests from the Ferret’s intrepid staff, HBC continue to hold the line that the final costs for the leisure centre are commercially sensitive and will therefore remain confidential.  I bet they are.  For ‘commercially sensitive’ read expensive, over-budget and wasteful. If they are not, then what does the council have to hide and gain from confidentiality?

Meanwhile it transpires that the council has again awarded a large single source contract, without competitive tender, for the design work of a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and for the refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro. Alliance Leisure are to be paid £2,107,161 for the eleven months of work on the £26 million projects. 

Eyebrows have been raised all around the district because Alliance hail not from our local economy but rather from Somerset. The contract to build our facilities has, in short, been awarded to “comers-in”. It won’t do. Still, I suppose local hostelries will benefit from a rise in cider sales and will need to stock up on Cheddar. No doubt Alliance is a fine company but, in all seriousness, awarding their contract this way is yet another example of a council that doesn’t know how to behave. It is secretive, arrogant and unaccountable.

Meanwhile, the good people of Starbeck find their own historic baths remain shuttered.  The council blame staff shortages and the difficulties of operating ‘covid-safe’ for its continued closure.  No re-opening date has been announced and fears are rising that the council plan to close the baths permanently and sell the site for development. I’ve written here before about the potential dangers of spinning off the district’s leisure facilities into a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC). In the pursuit of a commercial approach to running the show there will, by definition, be winners and losers. That’s what makes it commercial. In my view leisure is a public good and ought to be operated by the council as such so that it offers universal access to all the district’s residents.  

Each year the NHS spends roughly £60 billion, roughly 40% of its budget, on treating people for avoidable chronic health conditions. Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for up to 50 chronic conditions, from obesity to diabetes, from cardio-pulmonary disorder to heart failure. And we know that those suffering from these illnesses have disproportionately borne the brunt of both Covid-19 serious illness and mortality. The bottom line is this; the less well off in our society suffer striking health inequality, the costs for which we all bare. We must make getting people active a local as well as a national priority.  We should be opening more leisure facilities, not closing them.  If we don’t then we will be building on gypsum, not just in Ripon, but across the district.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.    

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Harrogate councillor’s countryside home approved at third time of asking

A Harrogate councillor has been granted final approval to build a new countryside home at the third time of asking.

Conservative Cllr Margaret Atkinson, who represents the Fountains and Ripley ward, has won permission to build a four-bedroom farmhouse opposite her existing home in Kirkby Malzeard after previously being refused over size concerns.

She was asked to justify why the property classed as a farm workers dwelling needed to be so large before she scaled back the overall floorspace from 276 sq m to 199.5 sq m.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee, which Cllr Atkinson was formerly a member of, voted through her new proposals at a meeting yesterday (June 3) with five votes for, one against and two abstentions.

The only committee member to speak against the plans was Cllr Pat Marsh who said it was a “mistake” to previously grant outline permission in 2019 and that she was still not convinced why a property of that size was needed.

Cllr Marsh said: 

“I do feel that the mistake, in my eyes, was made when first consent was given. The applicant has had opportunities to build up to seven properties around that area in very close proximity – one of those could have been used if required.

“Because of this piecemeal approach, we have not been able to get any affordable housing because they have been individual applications.

“The property is down to almost 200 sq m, whereas what they expect of an agricultural worker’s dwelling is probably on average about 140 sq m. I still do not think it is down to the right size and I’m still not convinced of the need.”

Cllr Atkinson told the committee the farmhouse needed to be larger than Nationally Described Space Standards (NDSS) – which recommends up to 124 sq m – because of family and business needs, with a family-run farm amassing around 200 acres and 800 cattle.

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As well as four bedrooms, Cllr Atkinson’s plans also include a living room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom, office, storage space and two-bay carport.

Other reasons for refusal previously given by officers were a negative impact on the surrounding countryside and that the farmhouse would not have been affordable to any future owners because of its size.

The scale and layout of a proposed garden area was also a concern, as well as a lack of “suitable planting species and mix”.

However, a report to yesterday’s meeting said these areas had now been addressed in the new application.

It said: 

“The overall layout and design of the proposed property is considered to be in keeping with the local area and would not have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the Nidderdale AONB.

“The proposed landscaping scheme sets out a clear delineation of the domestic curtilage from the wider landscape and the proposed planting  provides opportunities for biodiversity net gain and a suitable level of screening.”

Knaresborough pool to reopen next month with new filters

Knaresborough Pool is set to welcome swimmers next month after being closed for more than a year.

National restrictions eased to permit pools to open on April 12. However, a problem with the pool filters in Knaresborough forced it to remain closed.

The manufacturer, based in Spain, was unable to send engineers over to fix the equipment due to the current travel bans.

Harrogate Borough Council decided to replace the existing filters rather than delay the opening further.

The council said it has taken an extensive amount of work, but the three new filters are now installed and will be filled in preparation for the July opening.

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Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“It’s fantastic news that the swimming pool in Knaresborough is set to open ahead of the school summer holidays next month. Subject to any further government restrictions, of course.

“We were hopeful that travel would be relaxed so that the specialist Spanish contractor could carry out the work on the existing filters.

“But given the continued travel restrictions, we felt now was the right time to make the decision to invest in new filters to ensure we can open the pool as soon as possible.”

The Stray Ferret has asked the council how much it has spent on the three new filters but had received no reply by the time of publication.

When Knaresborough Pool opens next month it will mean that Starbeck Baths will be the only pool in the district that is yet to reopen.

Harrogate council said Starbeck Baths would open “shortly” after Ripon Spa Baths but there has been no word since on an opening date.

The council then said that, due to the nature of the historic building in Starbeck, it would be difficult to open with coronavirus restrictions in place.

‘Crammed’ housing plans for Boroughbridge rejected

Developers wanting to build 260 homes in Boroughbridge have had their plans thrown out by councillors concerned that the houses would be “crammed in” together.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already has outline approval as part of the first phase of a larger 450-home development at Stump Cross but was denied final permission at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee yesterday (3 June).

The concerns from councillors were that too many terraced properties had been concentrated in a small area, and that residents would also not get enough garden or storage space.

Cllr Nigel Simms described the plans as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

He said:

“We have got terraced properties with no access to the back for their own cycle storage, and we have got huge car parks in the middle of residential developments.

“All the layout is wrong to me and alien to what I would expect to see on the outskirts of Boroughbridge.”

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Cllr Andrew Paraskos added:

“It looks like they have crammed as many houses in as possible.”

There were also concerns that no cycling and walking links to the town centre would mean busier roads, as well as worries over drainage and flooding at the site which was described as “like a river” during wet weather.

Site layout for the proposed 200 homes in Boroughbridge.

Site layout for the proposed 260 homes in Boroughbridge.

Cllr John Goss, a member of Boroughbridge Town Council, told the committee the site was prone to becoming waterlogged and that the town suffers with raw sewage spilling out of drains because of added pressure from the hundreds of new homes already built in the area.

He said:

“The current infrastructure for the sewerage and drainage is inadequate.

“When we have heavy rainfall the town suffers with sewage coming through street manholes, across the school playing field and into our local car park.”

He added: 

“The site at Stump Cross floods very frequently. Many years ago we used to have the Aldborough Show in that field and it got so waterlogged that we had to move it elsewhere.

“We have absorbed around 1,000 new houses in and around the town of Boroughbridge and we would now like to call a halt to further development.”

Although flooding officials at North Yorkshire County Council did not previously object to the plans, they did conclude the site was at “high risk” of surface water flooding.

Yorkshire Water also did not raise any concerns at outline stage but did lodge an objection against the latest plans. It said an underground pipe that runs diagonally through the site would “seriously jeopardise” its ability to maintain the public water supply.

When yesterday’s decision of refusal was made, the council had yet to receive further representations from the water company but an agent for the developers did defend the plans.

Liam Tate, planning manager at Barratt and David Wilson Homes, said development of the site would in fact improve drainage and that Yorkshire Water had confirmed to them that there was enough capacity in the system to cope with added pressure.

He said: 

“As part of this scheme, drainage, in particular surface water drainage, will be improved as at the moment there is no infrastructure in place to accommodate surface water other than limited field drains.”

Asking councillors to vote for approval, he added: 

“The site is allocated by the council for residential development. It is fully compliant with national and local policy, and will deliver much-needed affordable housing.”

Councillors voted seven votes for and one against to reject the application on the grounds of design and layout.

The developers now have the options to appeal the decision or bring forward revised plans.

Councillors on the committee later rejected a proposal for up to 200 homes in Pannal Ash, which council officers had recommended for approval.

TGI Fridays granted late night alcohol licence for Harrogate venue

TGI Fridays has been granted a late night alcohol licence for its planned Harrogate venue in the former Ask Italian restaurant on Albert Street.

The American restaurant chain submitted plans for a licence to Harrogate Borough Council back in March.

It was lodged under the company’s new cocktail bar 63rd+1st, which opened its first UK venue last month in Cobham, Surrey.

The licensing application for Harrogate includes films, live music, recorded music, late night refreshment and the supply of alcohol for consumption on and off the premises from 9am to 0030am Monday to Sunday.

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A TGI Fridays and 63rd+1st spokesperson said:

“We are excited to be opening 63rd+1st in Harrogate and will release further details on timings later this year.”

The company launched the new cocktail-led bar and restaurant venture last year, which is named after the location of the original restaurant in Manhattan, and plans to open more in 2021.

The company has promised that it will be a “vibrant meeting place” and that it will have the feel of a New York loft in the 1960s.

When the new brand was announced last year, Robert Cook, chief executive of Fridays and 63rd+1st, said in a statement that “audiences are becoming increasingly discerning and their attitudes towards food and drink are evolving”. 

He added:

“We are in a strong position to cater to this audience and, as a result, we are securing other sought-after sites in prime locations.”

Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely

A decision on whether to allow controversial plans to build 200 homes in Pannal Ash has been deferred.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee yesterday voted against a recommendation to approve the development on the site of the former police training centre on Yew Tree Lane.

Homes England, the government housing agency, already has permission to build 161 homes on the site.

But it now wants to increase this by 23 per cent to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Councillors voted by four votes to two against the recommendation to approve the scheme, with one abstention.

They then voted by four to three in favour of deferring a decision pending the creation of the council’s parameters plan, which will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

The parameters plan was expected last year but has been delayed and councillors heard it could take years to be finalised.

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John Mann, chair of the planning committee, said he agreed with the principle of planning on the site but the uplift in houses and the loss of sports facilities meant the application was now “too dense”. He added:

“It is not a good idea to remove children’s playing fields especially as we hear reports that many young people have been badly affected by being cooped up during lockdown.

“Perhaps the last thing we need at the moment is the removal of outdoor space for them to play in.

A statement read on behalf of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council said the parameters plans was essential before making a decision. It added:

“To date there is no information on any infrastructure to cater for the 4,000 houses to be built on western arc of Harrogate

“Our request is for deferment until everyone knows what the parameters plan reveals.”

Nick Viles, chairman of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club said it had “serious concerns about the loss of pitches for community use”, which he said went against the ethos of the club.

But Homes England’s planning consultant said the application was compliant with Local Plan policy and, through section 106 infrastructure payments, would invest in ‘much needed sports facilities’ elsewhere.

He added it was a “viable and deliverable scheme” which, if approved, would begin next year.

But the final vote means the future of the development is now uncertain.

Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association tweeted after the meeting:

“We now hope this will accelerate the development of the parameters plan to allow for considered consideration of suitable infrastructure needed.”

Questions raised over timing of Harrogate council’s UCI review

Questions have been raised over why Harrogate Borough Council has decided to hold a review on the UCI Road World Championships two years after the event.

The authority has launched a public survey of the competition, which was held in Harrogate back in September 2019.

The council’s overview and scrutiny committee set up the review to build on “its successes and identifying any areas for improvement to inform the organisation of future events”.

But both residents and businesses groups have said the council should listen to those who were directly affected by the nine-day event and raised questions over why the review is being held now.

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Anna McIntee, of Harrogate Residents’ Association, said the town was “exhausted” by the competition and traders let their feelings known at the time.

She added that she could not understand why a review was being held two years after the event.

Ms McIntee said:

“I do not really understand why it is two years on. It had such a large effect, businesses lost money.

“I just feel that they had a response from businesses at the event. So what has changed two years on?”

At the time, the event proved controversial due to road closures and £130,000 worth of damage to the West Park Stray.

It received a hostile reception from many local traders, who said they did not feel the benefits of the event coming to town, particularly as it led to many road closures that deterred people from coming into Harrogate.

David Simister, who has been named as the new chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

David Simister (left), chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

But a council-commissioned report by Ernst and Young claimed the championships brought in an estimated £17.8 million boost to the district economy.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the event was a disaster for businesses and that the council should listen to those trader directly affected by it.

He said:

“For many town centre businesses, and in particular retailers, the UCI was a total disaster, and came at a heavy cost.

“The chamber held a meeting directly after the event and feelings were running very high. Two years on, and the same sentiments still stand.

“Because of the daily road closures, residents and visitors avoided the town centre. The ideal location for an event of this size, which caused so much disruption, should have been the Great Yorkshire Showground, with buses laid on to take spectators to and from the site.”

“The council says the aim of this review is to build on its successes and identify any areas for improvement to inform the organisation of future events. What it needs to do is to listen to those businesses who will be directly affected as a result.”

Meanwhile, Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate BID, said the UCI was “untenable” and the focus in future should be to bring smaller events to the town.

She said:

“While the Tour de France was hailed as great success, sadly the same could not be said of the UCI, and I have great sympathy for those businesses who lost money.

“It was a coup for Harrogate to host it – and the races were watched by cycling fans around the world – having the town centre closed for 15 days was simply untenable. Because of the disruption, people just stayed away from town, and this was evident, day after day, by the empty streets.

“The focus should be on attracting a wide range of smaller events to the town on a regular basis, which bring people in, which I know businesses would welcome.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“The overview and scrutiny commission has decided to look at the UCI Road World Championships with the aim of building on its successes and identifying any areas for improvement to help inform the organisation of future events.

“Following the consultation the task and finish group of the overview and scrutiny commission will produce a report.”

Those wishing to give their views have until June 16 to complete the survey.

Mixed reaction to proposed Harrogate wheelchair taxi licence changes

Plans to tackle a decline in disabled-friendly travel in the Harrogate district by introducing an unlimited number of taxi licences have been met with a mixed reaction from local cabbies and campaigners.

Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing committee will next Wednesday be asked to remove a limit on licences and make all new plates available only to wheelchair accessible vehicles after complaints that disabled people have been “cut off from society” because of a lack of travel options.

The move has been welcomed by campaigners who hope it will put an end to “the inequality that the current system imposes”.

But cabbies have warned unlimited licences would lead to “deregulation” in the taxi trade.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, said the charity has long campaigned for a solution to the problem which has caused “social isolation and frustration” for disabled people.

She said: 

“While in recent years many of our cities and towns have increased their numbers of wheelchair accessible vehicles, the exact opposite has been occurring across the Harrogate district.

“This is despite an increasing demand, which sadly has led to a real problem for local disabled people.

“Disabled people go to work, have medical appointments and go shopping just the same as non-disabled people, but with the difference being that many are reliant on others for their transport.

“The impact of not being able to get a taxi on the same basis as a non-disabled person should not be under-estimated.”

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But Richard Fieldman, who runs A1 Cars of Ripon and Harrogate, said going through with the proposal would be a “big mistake” as more licences would mean the supply of taxis would outstrip demand.

He said: 

“I’m rather surprised they want to introduce an unlimited number of licences – it will have a massive impact on the trade because it will mean every man and his dog can get one.

“This isn’t about throwing a load of plates out there, this is about what is fair to the existing trade which has planned a lot of money and time into this.”

No increase in licenses for 30 years

Harrogate Borough Council has restricted the number of taxi licences to 148 for about 30 years, which in effect has meant the only way to acquire a licence is to buy an existing vehicle from someone.

In September last year, the licensing committee agreed to double the number of licences designated for wheelchair-accessible taxis from 11 to 23 after a study concluded disabled people were suffering from a “great deal of anxiety” over worries they could not get around.

However, the council has since run into difficulties over creating a “fair and lawful” system to distribute just 12 additional licences.

Dean Richardson, head of safer communities at the council, said in a report to Wednesday’s meeting: 

“It became apparent to officers that it would not be straightforward to design a fair allocation system which would not be susceptible to legal challenge by disappointed applicants.

“In the Harrogate district, wheelchair users have been facing increasing difficulty obtaining wheelchair-accessible licensed vehicles’ services.

“Wheelchair accessible vehicles are vital in allowing users to access essential services and for them to live their lives as anyone else would.”

The recommendation to committee members next Wednesday is to remove the limit on licences with all future licences to be designated as wheelchair accessible vehicles plates.

If approved, the changes would be reviewed within five years.

Calls to reopen Starbeck Baths heat up as restrictions ease

Local residents have called for Starbeck Baths to reopen this month.

With temperatures soaring, and schoolchildren on half-term, many families in the Harrogate district are keen to go swimming. But the Starbeck pool remains closed — and no reopening date has been announced.

Harrogate Borough Council has said that, due to the nature of the historic building, it would be difficult to open with coronavirus restrictions in place.

But with the lifting of restrictions on June 21 approaching, residents believe there should be no further barriers in the way of reopening and want to keep up the pressure.

Staffing may still be an issue for the baths though. The Stray Ferret understands a number of employees have either left or been seconded to new roles.

The reopening debate has raged since last summer but heated up further last month when Ripon Spa Baths re-opened, which is also based in an old building with limited space.

Harrogate Borough Council said Starbeck Baths would open “shortly” after Ripon Spa Baths but there has been no word since on an opening date.

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The ongoing uncertainty is frustrating residents, including Chris Watt, who told the Stray Ferret:

“My little boy, who I used to bring here every Saturday, has been missing his swimming lessons for the last 18 months.

“I think now is exactly the time to be reopening the baths. The council said before that it would reopen in May but here we are in June and we still do not have a date.

“Local residents would be delighted if the baths reopened. It’s really well-used and massively valued.”

Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck on Harrogate Borough Council, added:

“I have been lobbying on the issue for the last year. I do not understand why the baths were able to open in Ripon but not here, they have the same layout.

“The council officers tell me they are now waiting for the next government announcement for the next stage in the roadmap. They tell me they want to reopen it as soon as possible.”

Stuart Rhodes, a committee member on Starbeck Residents Association, said:

“I am disappointed that the baths are not open yet and so are the school children.

“I understand for Harrogate Borough Council that it is not easy but it is frustrating.”

Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough, said in April:

“We are hoping to open Ripon Pool in May and providing we have got staff availability, very soon after that we will be opening Starbeck.

“Staff shortages are a problem – there was no point recruiting stuff during the pandemic for obvious reasons and now we are on a campaign to recruit.

“We do hope to open the pools as soon as possible… providing nothing changes with government guidelines or we have any serious staffing shortages.”

Last month the council said there were no updates and there have been no announcements since.

Revealed: Somerset company’s Harrogate leisure contract worth £2 million

Harrogate Borough Council awarded a Somerset company a contract worth £2 million to develop plans to build a new Knaresborough leisure centre and refurbish Harrogate Hydro.

Alliance Leisure was formally chosen for the contract in November last year and appointed development manager for the £26 million projects.

The Stray Ferret asked the authority the value of the contract, which was awarded without competitive tender, but did not receive a response.

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Now, details on a local authority contract register have revealed that the contract is worth £2,107,161 and will last for 11 months.

The value is broken down into £873,783.50 for the Harrogate Hydro and £1,233,377.50 for the new Knaresborough leisure centre site.

Jim Anderson, who runs Ripon recycling firm K A Anderson, told the Stray Ferret in November he was “utterly dismayed” that the authority had given the contract to the Somerset firm.

He said:

“You see plenty of business struggling in Harrogate now.

“I just think there are lots of good local firms that could do the work. I think whatever the work, it should be given to them especially now.”

Council bosses plan to build the new Knaresborough centre on the existing leisure centre site.

The authority has started to draw up designs for the new facility after a consultation revealed that 80% of respondents supported the site.

But residents criticised the consultation and have since launched a campaign to save a local playing field next to the development from being built on.