harrogate borough council Archives - Page 47 of 159

Harrogate council vows to prioritise recycling collections after two missed rounds

Residents on Harrogate’s Harlow Hill say they fear they could go six weeks without a recycling collection after the last two rounds were missed.

Harrogate Borough Council cancelled some of Tuesday’s bin lorry rounds and notified residents that afternoon by text message.

It advised people to leave their recycling boxes and bags out and said crews would attempt to return later in the week. If they had not been collected by Saturday evening, the council said they would not be done until the next scheduled date 10 days later.

For some residents, however, it is a second consecutive missed collection. Bruce Allison, who lives on the Castle Hill estate off Whinney Lane, said:

“It did not happen on July 19 due to work suspension in the excess heat – we were sent a text saying that HBC were trying to catch up, expected to have it done by 5pm on the Saturday and to leave our items outside. Nothing happened.

“This means we are looking at a gap of six weeks since our last recycling collection – a poor result in return for paying the highest council tax in Yorkshire.”

The council said staff sickness was responsible for this week’s missed collections. It has vowed to prioritise those residents who also missed the last collection during the heatwave.

A spokesperson said:

“Unfortunately, due to driver shortages as a result of sickness, some recycling collections this week are either delayed or have been postponed until the next collection.

“Unless residents have specifically heard otherwise, we are aiming to return before close of play on Saturday and will be prioritising properties that may have been missed previously because of the extreme heat.

“Any properties that we are unable to return to, we will endeavour to collect any additional material on their next scheduled recycling collection.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Starbeck KFC withdraws expansion plan

KFC has withdrawn plans to expand its premises in Starbeck.

Under proposals submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the fast-food chain planned to take over and convert the former Age UK shop next door to create more space for seating.

An area for 14 seats would have been created and a new disabled and unisex toilet installed.

The conversion of the unit would also have seen a new main entrance built.

While the current KFC is mainly used as a takeaway, the fast-food chain said the plan would help it function as a restaurant.

Pegasus Group, which submitted the plans on behalf of KFC to the council, said in planning documents:

“The proposal seeks to utilise it as a seating area directly associated with the existing KFC premises next door. The existing KFC is a Sui Generis takeaway use.

“The proposal will allow for a seating area to be introduced meaning that the existing KFC could operate more as a restaurant.”

Now, the fast-food chain has withdrawn the plan. No reason has been given in planning documents for the decision.

In a letter to the council, local resident Peter Walker said the High Street already had enough takeaways.

He said:

“Starbeck High Street has more than enough takeaways at this time. Expanding the current provision detracts further from the character of the area, increases the risks due to vermin and drives away other businesses who would suffer further from queues of delivery drivers.

“We already have rubbish dumped in the area by customers of this business. The number of occasions I have had to clear away half eaten chicken from this shop is growing.

“The waste attracts rats and we are seeing more of those in the area this summer. Chicken bones are a health risk to dogs and I have to exercise vigilance just to take my dog for a walk.”

The Stray Ferret has approached KFC for comment, but has not received a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate traffic to be counted for £11.2m Station Gateway

The amount of traffic in Harrogate is to be monitored as part of the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

Speaking at a consultation event today on the latest designs for the scheme, Richard Binks, head of major traffic and infrastructure at North Yorkshire County Council, said it had asked consultants to count the volume of traffic.

Mr Binks said current forecasts were based on pre-covid surveys and it was likely traffic had reduced since then.

North Yorkshire County Council said last month the scheme would extend the average journey time around town by 73 seconds at peak times.

Mr Binks said this had now been amended to 50 seconds because plans to reduce two approaches to the Odeon cinema to single lanes had been abandoned.

He said he suspected the traffic count would further negate the argument that the scheme will slow down traffic, even though it will reduce part of Station Parade to one lane.

Mr Binks said it was a common misconception that reducing the number of lanes around town caused congestion. He added that having more efficient junctions, with upgraded smart traffic lights on Station Parade, would improve traffic flow.

He said:

“We are working towards submitting a full business case in the new year so we have about six months to finalise designs.”

Today’s consultation event was the first of three in which people can see the latest designs.

A document displaying the latest designs at today’s consultation event.

In another development today, Mr Binks said the taxi rank on Station Parade would now remain the same length, after the county council indicated last month it would be shortened.

Mr Binks was one of four officials at today’s consultation event answering questions on the latest designs, which were on display.

Further events will be held tomorrow and Saturday from 11am to 4pm at Victoria Shopping Centre.

Mr Binks acknowledged there were concerns but he said the overwhelming sentiment today was positive and he detected a “softening” of attitudes towards the scheme, which would reduce part of Station Parade to single lane and part pedestrianise James Street.

Station Parade

Business groups have expressed concern about the impact on trade but Mr Binks said the regeneration of the town centre would make it more attractive and encourage shoppers, as well as making it better for cyclists and pedestrians.

He added the loss of a small number of parking spaces would not have a significant impact because there was “an abundance of car parking in Harrogate”.

Mr Binks also said the scheme remained affordable despite the increase in cost of raw materials over the last year.

You can take part in the consultation online here.

What is the Station Gateway?

The project is one of three in North Yorkshire, and 39 nationally, being funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund to promote active travel.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority all support the gateway.

Work is due to start in late spring next year.

North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?

The historic devolution deal struck between North Yorkshire and the government on Monday will bring millions of pounds into the county — but it could have been more.

Signed off by Greg Clark, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, the 32-page document promises £540 million over 30 years.

It will also see North Yorkshire and York join other major counties and cities in getting its own mayor and a combined authority to oversee the funding.

Local leaders have lauded the deal as an opportunity not to be missed, but analysis of the document shows it could have offered more.

Guaranteed funding

In 2020, officials at North Yorkshire County Council started discussions with government over the potential for a devolution deal for the county and City of York Council.

This culminated in a 140-page document being drawn up listing the requests for new powers and funding from Whitehall.

It was formally submitted in January 2021 and included proposals such as a £750 million mayoral funding pot over 25 years and more powers over skills, transport and energy.

The funding pot, known as “gainshare”, is guaranteed annual funding from central government.

Fast-forward 18 months and the fruits of the negotiations between ministers and council bosses have produced something slightly different.

Instead of the requested £750 million funding pot over 25 years, £540 million over 30 years has been agreed.

The initial proposal tabled by council bosses would have seen £25 million a year come into North Yorkshire and York – instead it will be £18 million.

North Yorkshire County Council’s offices in Northallerton.

However, more power over skills and transport will be devolved.

It will see whoever is elected mayor and the new combined authority have control over the adult education budget and the ability to draw up its own transport strategy.

Control over bus franchising has also been granted to the county and the power to set up Mayoral Development Corporations, which have the power to buy land for housing or employment to regenerate a defined area.

Much of the deal echoes what was given to Tees Valley in 2015, whose Conservative mayor Ben Houchen has since exercised his economic development powers to buy Teesside International Airport and Redcar Steelworks.

Extra funding for homes

Aside from the £540 million over three decades, funding has also been allocated for specific areas.

For example, ministers have awarded £12.7 million towards building homes on brownfield sites over the first two financial years of its existence.

A further £2.65 million has been allocated specifically for low carbon and affordable housing.

It suggests that ministers were more happy to part with cash on housing schemes under the deal than in other areas.

The only other area in the deal awarded specific funding was £7 million to “drive green economic growth” towards the ambition of creating a carbon negative county.

However, this cash is subject to a business case being submitted to government.

No Harrogate Convention Centre money

While the deal offers funding for the wider county, much of the detail on specific towns and areas amounts to “commitments to engage” or mentions already announced cash for schemes.

Harrogate itself is mentioned four times in the document. Three of those mentions are for the A59 Kex Gill realignment and Station Gateway projects, which are underway. Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and Masham are not mentioned.

The fourth time Harrogate is mentioned is for Harrogate Convention Centre.

As previously reported, funding for a £47 million upgrade of the centre was requested. But although the centre is mentioned in the devolution document, funding was not pledged.

However, the deal is a provisional agreement and it remains to be seen where the funding will go when the mayor and combined authority is established.

‘Very relieved’

Much of the deal is years in the making for those who have sat around the negotiating table with ministers.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said he was relieved to have signed off on the provisional agreement with ministers.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m very relieved that we have got to this point. We have now got to explain it to the public.”

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

A glance at the main points of the deal shows the government willing to part with millions of pounds worth of funding on the condition that a new layer of governance is set up to oversee it.

For the IPPR North think tank, the new money is welcomed and “should be seized”.

However, Rosie Lockwood, head of advocacy at the think tank, pointed out that cuts due to austerity meant North Yorkshire still faced a difficult future.

She said:

“A devolution deal which unlocks funding and transfers powers from Whitehall to North Yorkshire and York is good news for communities across the area. This is an opportunity to be seized.

“But North Yorkshire and York will face challenges as it moves forward, not least because local government has already been eroded by austerity. We can’t forget that the north saw a £413 per person drop in annual council service spending over the austerity decade.”

What happens now?

Despite the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, putting his signature to the deal, it will still require approval from both North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council.

A public consultation will also be carried out on the devolution deal in the coming months.

From there, the councils can then undertake a governance review to set up the combined authority and mayor, should councillors back the deal.

If all goes ahead, a combined authority for North Yorkshire and York could be in place by autumn next year and a mayor elected in May 2024.

Developer granted time extension over 30-home plan in Ripon

Councillors have handed extra time to a developer to draw up a ground stability report for 30 homes in Ripon.

Wetherby firm Newett Homes received planning permission in February to build 30 homes at Springfield Close. Its previous bid to build 38 homes was refused.

But Harrogate Borough Council‘s decision was conditional on the company producing a satisfactory ground stability report within four months. Ripon is a notorious area for sink holes.

The borough council’s planning committee yesterday awarded a four month extension for Newett Homes to produce the report.

Council officers told the committee that refusing the scheme at this point would be “counterproductive”.

Gerard Walsh, planning officers, told councillors that the developer had made progress with the report.

He said:

“We have had a look at the information submitted and the progress that has been made and think it would be counterproductive to refuse the application at this point.”

Becky Lomas, planning agent for the developer, told the committee that delays with the report had been caused by delays in resourcing and workloads.

She said:

“We are committed to bringing this site forward.

“Unfortunately, like a lot of the industry at the moment, we have been caught up in delays due to resourcing, capacity and high workloads and as such the contractors could not get on site as quickly as anticipated.”

She added that she felt the report could be provided to the council “sooner rather than later”, but that the extension had been requested to account for any further delay.

Councillors approved the extension, which will see a deadline set for October 2022 for a ground stability report to be submitted to the council.

Ripon youth charities hindered by restricted access to skate and bike park

Two youth charities aiming to engage Ripon’s young people in positive activities believe they are being hindered by restricted access to recreational facilities.

Fencing installed at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has made the skate and bike park at Camp Close a no-go area for Inspire Youth’s support vehicle and the outreach sessions delivered from it.

The skate park adjacent to the leisure centre has, in previous years, provided a focal point for meeting with so-called ‘hard to reach’ children.

Jess Ward, founder and chief executive of Inspire Youth, told the Stray Ferret:

“Because we no longer have access to the site with our vehicle, we can’t hold our sessions there.

“That is a blow, because the kids see this as one of few places in Ripon where they can meet with us and talk about their issues, fears and concerns in a confidential way and one in which they will receive a sympathetic hearing.”

Jess Ward, CEO of Inspire Youth (right) is pictured at the Hell Wath football coaching session with Chloe Hickson of Harrogate Town FC (centre) and, from the left, Inspire’s Jodie Edwards, Marie Anderson and Lizzy Wickens

Ms Ward added:

“We are engaging with and supporting young people, some of whom feel they have been marginalised and unfairly blamed for the city’s problems of anti-social behaviour.

“It’s very much a case of giving a dog a bad name, but we are determined that we will not turn our backs on children who need help and encouragement, instead of constant criticism.

“They are our future and need to know that they are members of the community with a valuable contribution to make.”

Jayne Shackleton, Ripon YMCA’s community and development manager, said that young people had told the charity that they miss Inspire Youth’s outreach sessions and want to see them back at the skate park.

She added:

“We will continue to monitor the area and consult with young people and work alongside partners in the hope that the skate park will become and remain a safe, accessible space for young people and meet their needs”.

The original £10.2 million contract for the leisure scheme was to provide a new six-lane swimming pool, a fully refurbished leisure centre, children’s playground, a car park with charging points, in addition to restoration of the football pitch and landscaping of the site.

No ball games this summer at the Camp Close site

More than 14 months after the scheme was initially scheduled for completion, the project is almost £5 million over budget and further, as yet, undisclosed monies are to be committed by Harrogate Borough Council for ground stabilisation work under the leisure centre and provision of a temporary gym on site, while that work is carried out.

In the meantime, the playing fields donated in perpetuity by Alderman Wade for ‘the benefit of the children of Ripon’ will remain fenced off.

Last week, however, with the support of Ripon Panthers Junior Football Club and Harrogate Town FC coach Chloe Hickson, Inspire Youth organised coaching sessions at Hell Wath and other locations are being sought.

What did the council have to say?

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said that Inspire Youth and the YMCA have not been denied access to the site.

They added:

“The skate park and basketball court are available for everyone to use and can be accessed via Knaresborough Road.

“Our community safety team work proactively with partners in Ripon around engagement with young people. And we encourage both of these organisations to continue do their outreach work in the area.”

In response to the Stray Ferret’s question about when children will be able to play football once more at Camp Close, the spokesperson, said:

“The football pitches will remain fenced off, while we carry out ground stabilisation works at the original Ripon Leisure Centre, to ensure people are kept safe while construction vehicles are moving round the site. This will be restored towards the end of the project.”

The council spokesperson, added:

“The plaque to recognise Alderman Wade will also be reinstated on completion of this multi-million pound investment for the people of Ripon.”

Council set to carry out ground stability work at Ripon Leisure Centre

Ground stability work is set to start underneath Ripon Leisure Centre and could take a year to complete.

The project comes as an investigation was carried out following the discovery of a void beneath the original leisure centre in 2020.

Harrogate Borough Council said the void is understood to have been “present for a number of years and was only discovered when the reinforced concrete slab, which provides the foundation for the new swimming pool, was cast”.

Senior Harrogate borough councillors will be recommended to approve the stability work at a cabinet meeting on August 17.

If approved, work will start on the project in the autumn but could take a year to complete – meaning it will be finished after the council is abolished.

The first floor of the original leisure centre will reopen once the work is complete.

A temporary gym has been proposed for Ripon Leisure Centre while the stabilisation work is carried out.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“By addressing these historic issues it allows us the opportunity to further invest in the facility and ensure future generations will be able to access modern sport and leisure facilities in their city for many years to come.

“And by providing a temporary gym, while the ground stabilisation works take place, we can minimise the disruption to current and potential customers and ensure they can continue to maintain their health and wellbeing goals.”

Council leader ‘shares disappointment’ over lack of HCC funding in devolution deal

The leader of North Yorkshire County Council has said he shares disappointment that funding for Harrogate Convention Centre has not being included in a £540 million devolution deal.

Cllr Carl Les said a bid for funding to support a £47 million HCC redevelopment was included in a request to government, but was turned down.

His comments come as Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, told the Harrogate Advertiser that while he supported the deal, he felt it “fell short” due to a lack of funding for the facility.

The borough council has since had to draw up a bid to the government’s levelling up fund in an effort to support the project.

Cllr Les told the Stray Ferret that the county council would continue to work with the borough council to secure funding for the facility.

He said:

“We did put a request for the Harrogate Convention Centre in the asks which were submitted to government.

“Harrogate sent officers to present the case, but the message from civil servants was that it should not be included.

“I share Richard’s disappointment, but we were given a clear steer and we are supporting Harrogate in that.”

Cllr Les added that the county council “recognised the importance” of the convention centre.

Historic deal

A historic £540 million devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York was announced by government yesterday.

The deal includes £18 million of guaranteed government cash for 30 years and it will also mean the county gets an elected mayor and combined authority.

The agreement has been described as “a one-in-a-generation chance to help tackle regional inequalities by not only reducing the North-South divide nationally, but also helping to resolve economic differences that are being felt between urban and rural areas”.

Speaking after signing the deal in York yesterday, chief secretary to the treasury, Simon Clarke said:

“Local leaders are best placed to know what their communities need so I’m delighted that the people of York and North Yorkshire will be able to directly elect a mayor to deliver on their priorities.

“Devolution will benefit people across the region and we are committed to boosting more local areas in the same way as we level up the whole country.”

Plan for new home to increase council’s social housing in Boroughbridge

A new two-bedroom house could be built at the end of a terrace in Boroughbridge if Harrogate Borough Council gets planning permission.

The authority’s housing department has applied for permission to create the home, which would provide social housing, at the end of Springfield Drive, adjacent to number 22.

It would be built on what is currently garden land, which the department described as “under-utilised”.

In its planning application, it said:

“The proposal involves the redevelopment of under-utilised housing revenue account land and property, including existing gardens into affordable homes. The new property would become part of the Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) housing portfolio and subsequently managed by HBC.

“The property will have two bedrooms, one double and one single room, providing a home for a small family. The dwellings also meet the nationally prescribed minimum space standards.”

The existing driveway at number 22 would be retained and assigned to the new home, while a new driveway would be created on the garden in front of number 22.

The planning department will deal with the application, which will go before the planning committee rather than being decided by an officer because it is an application from the authority itself.

A date for the decision has yet to be set, but comments must be received by Monday, August 15.

To view or comment on the application, visit the Harrogate Borough Council planning website and use reference 22/02759/FUL.

Residents criticise key Harrogate planning document as ‘incoherent’

A residents group has criticised a key council planning document for the West of Harrogate as lacking detail and “incoherent”.

The West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy was due for completion in May – but Harrogate Borough Council has now said it expects it to be published before the end of the year.

It forms part of the wider proposals for the area and builds upon the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, which sets out how the area’s infrastructure and services will cope with 4,000 new homes.

Residents said they were disappointed after a meeting earlier this month over some of the proposals in the delivery strategy.

The Western Arc Coordination Group brings together organisations including Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, Duchy Residents’ Association, Hampsthwaite Action Group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, Harrogate District Cycle Action and Pannal & Burn Bridge Parish Council.

After the meeting with the council, the group said:

“On the day, we were asked to provide comments on a document that only consisted of a series of diagrams in relation to a number of road junctions without any supporting data. The whole of this work came over as incoherent and lacking any real structure.

“After more than two years we would have expected far more detail than we were presented with and we still have real concerns that the end result of all this time (more than two years) and work will not bring about any significant improvements to overall infrastructure or tackle the existing, and increasing, traffic problems. At the very least we would have expected clear statements on why this work is being done and what it will achieve.

“Our argument has always been that the end result of all the West Harrogate Parameters Plan (WHPP) and associated works should be a series of mitigations that prevents the overall infrastructure problems from getting any worse, and preferably should also help overcome some of the existing problems.”

West Harrogate was identified for major expansion during the creation of the district’s Local Plan when a government inspector ordered the parameters plan to be made.

Once complete, both the delivery strategy and parameters plan will be used together to shape decisions on how west Harrogate will cope with 2,500 new homes – although as many as 4,000 properties are set to be built in the wider area by 2035.

A borough council spokesperson said the meeting was held to help design the strategy and further consultation will take place with residents groups later in the year.

In response to the concerns, they said:

“The West Harrogate Infrastructure Delivery Strategy (WHIDS) document – that is designed to help the long term co-ordination of infrastructure across the West Harrogate sites – will be signed-off later in the year.

“The information sessions recently held are helping shape this document, along with the support and guidance from technical officers and our appointed consultants.

“There will be further targeted engagement with stakeholders later in the year before the documents are signed off.

“This engagement, will also help inform other working draft documents such as the cumulative transport strategy, which will be subject to public consultation before any decisions are made on live planning applications in West Harrogate.”

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What is the Station Gateway?

Guaranteed funding

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Extra funding for homes

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No Harrogate Convention Centre money

‘Very relieved’

What happens now?

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What did the council have to say?

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Historic deal

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