Ripon City Council has vowed to do everything within its power to keep Ripon Spa Baths as a community asset for public use.

Councillors agreed unanimously last night on the need for urgent action to prevent the Grade II listed building from being sold for residential development.

They rallied to a call from council leader Andrew Williams, who said:

“We cannot let Harrogate Borough Council sell the spa baths from under our noses.”

Councillor Mike Chambers, who sits on both Ripon City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, representing Ripon Spa, said:

“We need to get this sorted now.”

Cllr Chambers, who is Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Safer Communities, added:

“It is clear that Harrogate Borough Council wants a capital receipt for this building and we must approach them and find out exactly what they have planned.”

On the market – Ripon Spa Baths.

Councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“Harrogate is trying to rush a sale through. We need to have detailed consultation and time to consider the future use of this asset that belongs to the city.”

A motion put forward by Cllr Williams, calling on Harrogate Borough Council to ensure the spa complex remains in public use as a community facility, was supported by all members.

It was also agreed to arrange a meeting with Ripon Civic Society and all other interested parties to investigate options.

If deemed necessary, after that meeting, the city council will look to appoint specialist consultants to advise on the development of heritage assets for community use.

Cllr Williams said:

“This is important in a growing city, which will see more than 1,700 new homes being built in future years.

“We can’t afford to see the loss of community facilities, with developments such as Clotherholme coming on stream.”

Ripon Civic Society has already stated that it favours development Spa complex for the NHS – in line with the neighbourhood plan for the city.

Councillor Stephen Craggs believes that the building should be developed as a facility for young people in Ripon. He said:

“This is a once in a generation opportunity and we must get it right.”

Read more:

• For sale sign in place at Ripon Spa Baths
• Councillors unite in fight for Ripon heritage asset

For sale signs are already in place at the spa baths.

A statement issued by Harrogate Borough Council said the building is being replaced with a new six-lane swimming pool as part of an extended and refurbished Ripon Leisure Centre.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:

“Ripon Spa Baths has served the community well over the years.

“The future sale, and redevelopment of the listed building, would allow this local asset to be redeveloped (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”

Home buyers in the Harrogate district have been given a second reason for optimism after the extension to the stamp duty holiday announced this week.

After months of complaints that its search process was taking too long, Harrogate Borough Council last night said it has reduced the average waiting time to just 12 days.

It is down from seven weeks, which buyers and estate agents said was causing significant delays to their purchases. However, at Wednesday night’s full council meeting, cabinet member for planning Cllr Tim Myatt said:

“As of Friday, we had 146 live searches in our system. In a normal situation, we would expect to have approximately 200 searches in the system at any point, therefore we no longer really have a backlog to speak of…

“We have trained additional council staff on the necessary process to complete searches and we have also contracted additional resource externally so the team are confident that they continue their positive performance.

“The team have worked very hard to overcome the challenge posed by the influx in search requests last year and I know the team are grateful for the support from members across the entire council.”

Cllr Myatt said simple searches requiring only information from HBC were taking an average of four days. For more complex searches needing information from North Yorkshire County Council, it was taking around 16 days, giving an average of 12 days.

In response, Cllr Samantha Mearns, who represents Knaresborough Scriven Park for the Conservatives and had asked for the update, said:

“We’re very grateful to the team for getting on with that, because clearly it has caused our residents some concern. It’s fantastic that you have got that under control. It’s just a shame North Yorkshire are slowing your average down.”

Read more:

• Harrogate homebuyers fear missing stamp duty holiday over search delays
• Chancellor’s budget does not go far enough, say opposition parties

News of the extension to the stamp duty holiday in the Budget this week has been welcomed by local estate agents. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the end of the scheme for homes up to £500,000 would be moved from March 31 to June 30, followed by a tapering down to £250,000 until the end of September.

Tim Waring, head of residential at Lister Haigh, said it was a “welcome move”. He said:

“This will at least in part avoid the “cliff edge” scenario that has created so much pressure on the residential market in recent months. Help for those wanting to get on the property ladder, as opposed to renting, is another welcome move, all of which should stimulate the market during the remainder of 2021 as the lockdown restrictions gradually come to an end.”

“The stamp duty extension might relieve pressure in the short term, but it must be remembered sales have to complete, not just exchange, by the end of June to qualify. That is only three and half months away so if local search turnaround timescales don’t improve quickly, the number of homebuyers able to benefit from the extension may not anywhere near what the Chancellor might have expected.”

Harrogate Borough Council agreed this evening to designate a plot of land on Wetherby Road as Stray land in exchange for grass verges on Otley Road.

The verges are currently part of the Stray but will be removed for a new cycle route.

The Stray Act 1985 says that if Stray land is given up a suitable plot of alternative land must be offered in exchange.

The council carried out a 12-week consultation over three plots of land to replace the verges as Stray land.

The majority of respondents backed the council’s preferred option to designate the land on Wetherby Road next to the war memorial.

Read more

• The agony of getting a single cycle route built in Harrogate
• Council to recommend Wetherby Road land for Stray swap

Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet voted today for the land to be submitted to the Duchy of Lancaster, which is responsible for managing the Stray, for approval to be exchanged.

The area of land outlined in Harrogate Borough Council documents earmarked to be exchanged as part of the Otley Road cycle route.

Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said at the cabinet meeting:

“Sustainable transport is a key priority for this council and this project does support the promotion of active travel on a main route joining up the town centre with the west of Harrogate.

“This scheme also supports our ambition to see a reduction in congestion, an improvement in air quality and a reduction in carbon emissions while also promoting a healthy lifestyle.”

It comes as North Yorkshire County Council looks to press ahead with plans to create a cycle route on the stretch of road between Harlow Moor Road and Beech Grove in Harrogate.

The project has already been delayed and the negotiations over the Stray land have been a further stumbling block for the second phase of the scheme.

Two campaigns over the future of local government in Harrogate and North Yorkshire have ramped up this week.

Ministers launched a consultation on two models which have been proposed to replace the county’s two-tier council system.

It would see Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining six districts scrapped.

Now, both the county council and districts are trying to get support for their models.

County model “key to devolution”

Earlier this week, the county council called journalists to a press conference on its model for local government reorganisation.

Both Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, defended the choice of a single council in the county while keeping York in tact.

Read more:

• Devolution: What would you do if you were mayor?
• 5 lessons to learn from devolution in Tees Valley
• £2 billion devolution negotiations kickstart as councils submit proposals

Cllr Les said it was “key to unlocking devolution in the county” and that the authority was best placed to run services.

He said:

“The reason for doing this is to remove an inefficient and costly way of working. It will make things better and less confusing for the people we serve.

“If that was not enough reason, there is also a devolution deal that is worth millions of pounds every year to the City of York and to North Yorkshire.”

County council officials brought in accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to help draw up the model. It would cover 618,000 residents.

Officials said the move could save up to £68.5 million per year after the unitary council is created.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of the county council, said it would also offer the chance for places like Harrogate to have its own town council.

He added that the new authority would offer “double devolution” to those town and parishes, which would mean they could run local assets, libraries and services such as licensing.

‘Businesses support east\west split’

Ahead of the launch of the consultation, district council leaders said that hundreds of businesses backed their model.

The six councils have proposed an east/west split with two councils covering the county. It would see the City of York absorbed into an eastern authority.

The district councils’ proposal for an east/west model as outlined in its report.

Officials brought in consultants KPMG to carry out research and draw up an options appraisal before settling on an east/west split.

It would see Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton join together to form a unitary council in the West, with a population of 363,000, and Selby, City of York, Ryedale and Scarborough join together to form a unitary council in the East, with a population of 465,000. 

More than 100 businesses have written letters of support for their model, including company owners from Harrogate and Skipton.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, speaking on behalf of the council leaders, said at the time: 

“Our east and west model will help drive recovery from the covid-19 pandemic and build a better economic future for the whole area. It is the only proposal that delivers two equal partners to sit within a mayoral combined authority – which is important for the success of devolution.”

Council leaders behind the models have maintained that the county’s proposal is too big and would amount to a “mega council”.

In a report on their model, district officials said they would create eight “locality committees” which would “keep decision making and delivery local and responsive to our diverse areas”.

Consultation over councils future

Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, launched a consultation on the future of local councils in the county on Monday.

The consultation seeks the views of businesses and the public on both models proposed for North Yorkshire.

Mr Jenrick said he would make a decision on which, if any, proposal to approve following the consultation.

The consultation will last until April 19. Residents and businesses can give their views on the proposals here.

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. 

We need to focus on the economy and move on

I fail to see why on earth we need a public enquiry into the nightingale hospital.

Has Cllr Jim Clarke and others forgot when covid took momentum we had to be prepared for the worst surely?  It could have been overwhelming had the NHS not been able to cope and save peoples lives.  What cost can you put on this?

Let’s move forward, concentrate on getting the economy back on track, support people less fortunate than others and not waste money on inquires. I often wonder if councillors understand what their real role is .

Mike Fisher, Harrogate

Are councils trying to deter visitors to Harrogate?

Are North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council deliberately trying to drive away visitors and shoppers with the constant downgrading or lack of maintenance and repair of the West Park Stray area?

First we had derelict and much-loved shelters in need of repair. How long have they been an eyesore to visitors or through traffic, which probably wont want to return if this is the standard.

Now we have horrible timber planters blocking traffic on Beech Grove. Surely we are better than this in Harrogate.

Ken Richardson, Harrogate 

Vicious hedge pruning a mistake

This year’s vicious hedge pruning has had a secondary effect; drivers are able to drive over verges with no fear of bushes and trees damaging their vehicles’ paintwork.

Lanes are becoming wider, the verges turn to mud and when it rains the deep ruts turn into torrents, wearing away the road edges.

I have lived in Blubberhouses for 26 years and the pruning has been excessive this spring.

Deborah Power, Blubberhouses

Making Oatlands one-way would harm St Aidan’s students

I have attended St Aidan’s High School for over five years and am now in year 12 in the associated sixth form.

I live in Wetherby, which mean I am required to get a school bus every morning.

Implementing a new one-way system on Oatlands Drive could have a devastating effect on my education and the education of all pupils of both St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s high schools who get school buses.

Wetherby Road is notoriously busy and as a result I am often late for school. However, If a new one-way system is implemented, this will mean remaining on Wetherby Road until the Empress roundabout, which will probably add 20 minutes to my journey.

I get to school at around 8:55am. Adding 20 minutes to this will mean missing the start of period one, which will severely reduce the amount of teaching I am getting and therefore affect my A-level grades. The first 5-10 minutes is when most of the instruction is given for the lesson – missing this will therefore mean having to wait until the teacher is finished then having to get them to explain again, wasting both my time and theirs.

I have already missed a large amount of learning due to lockdown restrictions.

While I understand the motivation behind the one-way system, there are already usable bike lanes on Oatlands Drive and two wide pavements for pedestrians.

If this one-way system is allowed, it will not only be a waste of public funds that could be used to improve Wetherby Road or to provide technology for online learning to those less fortunate than I am. It will also have a negative effect on my learning in a year that is pivotal for my future.

Tom Adamson, Wetherby. St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s Associated Sixth Form

Amazing treatment at Harrogate hospital A&E 

My son broke his arm yesterday afternoon. We went to Harrogate hospital A&E. I would like to let everyone know that we were looked after fantastically, that the team were so helpful and that even on a Sunday evening at 10.30pm they operated on him. We had amazing aftercare in the Woodland children’s ward.

The doctor who first saw Oliver was saying goodnight to his work colleagues. He took one look at my son and said ‘I’m not going anywhere’, assessed the damage, administered pain relief and got the X-ray sorted. He stayed for an extra hour and a half to ensure my son was looked after.

Just a fantastic service and I can’t thank them enough.

Simon Wade, Langthorpe, Boroughbridge

Got 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.

A ‘no motor vehicles’ sign has gone up on the Stray to stop drivers using the land to avoid the new road closure on Beech Grove in Harrogate.

Harrogate Borough Council granted a request by North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, to put up the sign even though it is on Stray land.

Beech Grove closed to through traffic last week but some motorists have been mounting the kerb to avoid the newly-installed planters.

The decision to allow the sign has angered the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to prevent building and encroachment on the Stray,

The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 says it is unlawful to erect items on the Stray without the permission of Harrogate Borough Council, which is the protector of the 200 acres of land.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chair of the association, said it could pave the way for more signs, which would harm the Stray’s appearance. She said:

“It might seem like a quick fix solution but if they put one sign up they might put up others.

“In any case, people could still drive round it.”

Ms D’Arcy Thompson said North Yorkshire County Council, which has closed Beech Grove to through traffic for six months on an experimental order, had made a mistake by not consulting adequately on the proposal. She said:

“They rushed into this without consulting local people and are now adding to the problem by including Stray land.”

Read more:

• Senior councillors defend closure of Harrogate’s Beech Grove
• ‘Time to share the roads’, says Harrogate cycling group

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council’s highways area manager, said:

“We consulted on these measures in line with statutory legislation and guidelines.

“Consultation was initially undertaken with emergency services representatives, local members and other statutory bodies in December with no concerns raised.

“During engagement with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the need for designated emergency standby parking to aid ambulance responses in the town was identified and provided as part of the scheme on the nearby Trinity Road.”

Ms Burnham added the six-month experimental order allowed residents and road users to take part in the ongoing live consultation that is being held in conjunction with the road closure measures. She said:

“We will consider all feedback received during the consultation period.”

A Harrogate Borough Council report that recommended approving the sign on the Stray, which was approved on Friday, said:

“The proposal seeks to enhance the experience of people using the Stray for public access and recreation therefore the officer recommendation is that under the Harrogate Stray Act 1985 the proposed schemes for the road safety signs be approved.”

Harrogate Borough Council has officially put 116-year-old Ripon Spa Baths up for sale despite fears it could be turned into housing.

The Grade II listed building has gone on the market in advance of a new £10.2 million Ripon Leisure Centre opening this year.

Commercial property agents Sanderson Weatherall has advertised the baths for an undisclosed price.

The sale document includes a quote from the council’s planning department saying the property could be suitable for “low density residential use” or “community uses”.

Read more:

• Civic Society backs NHS use for Ripon Spa Baths
• Ripon councillors unite to fight sale of city’s Spa Baths

Ripon City Council passed a motion this month to prevent Harrogate Borough Council selling the baths to a private developer for residential or other redevelopment.

The sale has angered city councillors, who say the borough council did not consult with them.

Ripon Civic Society also called on the borough council to consider how the building could be used to improve health provision in the city.

Harrogate Borough Council declined to comment when the Stray Ferret asked how much it hoped to raise from the sale.

A spokesman previously said:

“Ripon Spa Baths has served the community well over the years and is now being replaced by a modern, state-of-the-art pool at Ripon Leisure Centre, following significant investment by the borough council.

“This new six-lane 25-metre pool will offer 70 per cent more water space, extensive changing facilities, bicycle and car parking and complements the extensively improved leisure centre.

“The future sale, and redevelopment of the listed building, would allow this local asset to be redeveloped (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”

History of Ripon Spa Baths 

The original complex, located next to the Spa Gardens, has the distinction of being the last spa to open in England.

It also became the only spa granted a royal opening when Princess Henry of Battenberg carried out the ceremony in October 1905.

A reconfiguration of the building in 1936, saw the complex converted into the city’s first public swimming pool.

Ornate stained glass windows and other architectural features remain to this day.

Three Harrogate business groups have come together to ask for some of the money set aside for cycle lanes on Station Parade to be spent elsewhere.

North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council launched a four-week public consultation on the Harrogate Gateway Project today.

The councils set out plans last week to pedestrianise James Street, build cycle lanes on Station Parade and improve cycling facilities in the town centre.

Under the government’s Transforming Cities Fund, the county council secured £7.8 million in ring-fenced funding.

Now that the public consultation has started, the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate BID and Independent Harrogate have had their say.

Read more:

• James Street pedestrianisation back on the cards
• Campaign against Oatlands one-way scheme ramps up

The groups suggested East Parade and Cambridge Street as places they feel the money would be better spent.

However, Harrogate Borough Council has said the funding can only be spent improving the bus and train station area only and has to be focussed on transport-related activity.

Sandra Doherty from the chamber, Robert Ogden from Independent Harrogate and Sara Ferguson from Harrogate BID said:

“The challenge we are facing is how do we achieve a net-zero carbon town centre economy and simultaneously create a trading environment in which todays’ businesses can thrive?

“The Harrogate Gateway project gives us the opportunity to start the job of achieving this.

“While we welcome measures to reduce traffic congestion on Station Parade, we feel East Parade would be best placed for the new cycle lanes.

“We also believe that money would be better spent enhancing Cambridge Street, as this is very much the ‘gateway’ into Harrogate town centre from both the bus and railway stations.

“Also, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that previous studies have revealed that between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of visitors to Harrogate arrive here by car.

“Considering Harrogate’s role in Bicycling Touring Club, the Tour de France Grand Depart and the UCI World Cycling Championships, the town has somewhat lagged behind others.

“If this project is about making Harrogate accessible to more sustainable forms of transport, we particularly need to encourage visitors with electric and hybrid vehicles.”

Pat Marsh, the leader of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, has resigned from the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition, accusing the group of being “plagued by inaction”.

HDCCC was set up by Harrogate Borough Council over a year ago to bring together local government, green groups and business.

HBC described the group as a “great leap forward” for the environment but the coalition has faced accusations from members over the past year that it is little more than a “talking shop”.

In a letter to Cllr Phil Ireland, HBC’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, Cllr Marsh said the group had not done enough to tackle climate change locally.

She also criticised the group for its “neutral” response to Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial application in the Pinewoods. She said:

“A climate coalition’ was never our preferred option. We were always concerned that it would be plagued by inaction. Nevertheless, I and others joined the committee to push for positive change from the inside.

“However, our initial fears have been proven correct and it’s clear that only by engaging with residents across the district – bringing them into the process – do we have any hope of tackling this crisis.

“Liberal Democrat campaigners and I will continue working with local residents for a greener district, fighting to declare a local climate emergency and for bold solutions.”

Read more:

• Is Harrogate big enough for two major climate coalitions?

• Harrogate Climate Coalition faces fresh criticism

The Lib Dems have long called for the council to declare a “climate emergency”, which has been rejected.

HDCCC has four subgroups, which meet several times a year to discuss issues such as sustainable transport, tree planting, renewable energy, recycling and communications.

The Stray Ferret approached HBC and HDCCC for comment but did not receive one by the time of publication.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, announced today it will build over 800 homes in Harrogate and Ripon after the previous developers pulled out.

Homes England said it has bought the 450-home Bluecoat Park site off Otley Road in Harrogate and the 390-home West Lane site in Ripon.

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.

Homes England now has a major presence in the district: it is already working on a 1,300 scheme at Ripon Barracks and 200 homes at the former Police Training Centre site on Yew Tree Lane, Harrogate.

Bluecoat Park, Harrogate – 450 homes

In February 2016, Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission to HTH Harrogate LLP to build the homes.

It followed an earlier refusal of permission on the grounds of road safety and traffic flow problems.

The site is off Otley Road, opposite Cardale Business Park and Harrogate Police Station.

The proposals included retail units, a new primary school and a village green.

However, the developer since put the site up for sale to potential developers.

With planning permission due to lapse, Homes England said the homes would not be built unless it stepped in. It plans to submit a new planning application later this year.

Read more:

• ‘Build affordable housing at Harlow Nurseries’
• Housing Investigation: land the size of 700 football pitches lost to new housing

West Lane, Ripon – 390 homes

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 its impact on nearby Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey.

However, last summer Barratt Homes pulled out of the scheme.

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

‘Fantastic news for Harrogate’

Both schemes are set to include 40% affordable housing, which Harrogate Borough Council asks developers to include in most developments.

Housing Minister Christopher Pincher said the acquisitions were “fantastic news” for the district.

“This is fantastic news for Harrogate and a realisation of this government’s mission to deliver quality, affordable homes, that are fit for future generations.”

Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture, Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We welcome Homes England’s involvement in seeking to bring forward and unlock these stalled sites.

“They are important in helping to deliver our strategic objective to provide new homes that meet the needs of the district.”