harrogate borough council Archives - Page 52 of 159

Stray trees vandalism: Harrogate man offers to pay for new ones

Harrogate businessman Guy Tweedy has offered to pay for new trees on the Stray to replace the ones vandalised.

The Stray Ferret published a video last week showing teenagers ripping up two young trees.

They were part of a batch of 55 cherry trees paid for by Mr Tweedy to commemorate thalidomide victims, two babies and a local headteacher. They were planted six or seven years ago.

Mr Tweedy, who is also a thalidomide campaigner, has emailed Harrogate Borough Council offering to pay for replacement trees. He said:

“I wonder if whoever did this realises the significance of the trees and how upsetting it is to people.

“Sadly this is not the first time this has happened. How do we stop people from doing it? I don’t know what the answer is.”

Leisure facilities closed at Knaresborough’s Conyngham Hall

Leisure facilities at Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough have closed due to staff shortages.

The hall grounds are popular with families, offering a refreshment hut, two tennis courts, pitch and putt, a putting green and crazy golf.

But Harrogate Borough Council, which maintains the eighteenth century hall and grounds, is currently unable to staff the facilities.

A council spokesperson said:

“Unfortunately, due to staff shortages the refreshment hut at Conyngham Hall is currently closed.

“Due to this closure we are unable to provide refreshments, tennis and golf facilities.

“We are advertising for a games attendant and hope to resolve the situation as soon as we can.

“In the interim, the tennis courts will be open should anyone wish to play.

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

James Monaghan at Conyngham Hall

Knaresborough resident James Monaghan, who often visits the grounds with his family, said many of the facilities had been kept open during covid and it was disappointing they weren’t available now. He added:

“But it is a good result if they are prepared to unlock the tennis courts in the meantime and it would be even better if they put the flags back on the golf course too.”

Golf at Conyngham Hall

Opposition councillors call for Woodfield school to be saved

Opposition councillors on Harrogate Borough Council are set to call for Woodfield Community Primary School to be saved from closure.

A four-week consultation on a proposal to close the school on December 31 ends on July 4.

Some parents and unions have called for the school to remain open. But North Yorkshire County Council, which is the local education authority, has said it has exhausted all options to keep the school open.

At a borough council meeting next week, Liberal Democrat councillors Pat Marsh and Philip Broadbank are due to submit a motion requesting that the authority supports keeping the school open.

Cllr Broadbank said there was concern over the future of the school and what could potentially happen to the site on Woodfield Road in Bilton.

He said:

“I just worry what will happen to the site.

“It is a big building. I think they have to look at going through the options.”

School closure is ‘immoral’

The school was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2020 and placed into special measures.

The rating meant the school had to become a sponsored academy, but it failed to find a backer.

A proposed merger with Grove Road Community Primary School fell through this year, prompting the county council to open a consultation on closing the school in the next academic year.

Gary McVeigh-Kaye, secretary of the North Yorkshire branch of the National Education Union, is also campaigning to save the school and has called for the consultation to be extended.

He said:

“Woodfield school has been through some traumatic times over the past decade and the school needs support, not criticism from Ofsted.

“Woodfield is a genuine community school, at the heart of the community and serving generations of families whose children have attended the school. To force the closure of this valuable community asset is immoral.”

A public meeting over the future of the school was held earlier this month.

Mr McVeigh-Kaye said he had secured meetings with local politicians, including Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones about extending the consultation.

A poorly attended public meeting this month saw people express anger at how a school with good facilities, in a densely populated area of Harrogate, could end up in this position.

But, Adam Dixon, the county council’s strategic planning manager for children and young people, pointed to how Woodfield pupil numbers had fallen from 154 in 2018 to 37 this year.

Woodfield, he added, faced a cumulative deficit of £229,000 in 2023/34, due to low pupil numbers.

The consultation over the future of the school closes on July 4. You can have your say here.

Ripon developer plans community regeneration of Spa Baths

Ripon-based investment and development company Sterne Properties is in the process of acquiring the city’s historic Spa Baths from Harrogate Borough Council for an undisclosed sum.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, company director Robert Sterne, said:

“It is our intention to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory, when it was the centrepiece of the city’s spa quarter.

“Turning the clock back to 1905, it started life as a leisure and hospitality attraction, designed exclusively for the richer members of society, but our proposed hospitality-based regeneration of the building will make it fit for the modern world and open to all.

“Through a painstaking and detailed refurbishment, working closely with architect Andrew Burningham of AB Architecture, the spa complex will be returned to its days of Edwardian elegance.”

Sterne Properties has ambitious plans to refurbish the Grade II listed building.

Ornate and classical features, originally designed to attract well-heeled Edwardians to take spa treatments, will be seen once more in their full splendour and will be accessible to the people of Ripon and visitors to the city.

With its expertise in developing buildings for the city’s leisure, hospitality and retail sectors – including Curzon Cinema, Claro Lounge and Halls of Ripon – Sterne Properties feels well-equipped to take on the challenge of Spa Baths’ renaissance.

Mr Sterne said:

“We have had success in returning redundant properties such as the former NatWest Bank building next to Ripon Town Hall and an empty furniture store on North Street, into destinations that add value to the city’s offer.

“At this stage, we are considering a number of different community-focused uses.

“The initial planning application that we have lodged with Harrogate Borough Council, in the run up to completion of our acquisition of the building, is for a careful ‘strip back’ which will reveal design features that have been either covered up or out of sight since the 1930s, when the spa was re-purposed to accommodate a public swimming pool. “

Mr Sterne added:

“Our thinking is guided by knowledge of Ripon’s people who, like myself, learnt to swim at Spa Baths and see it, with affection, as part of their own and the city’s heritage.

“We believe that by working alongside all interested parties, including the city council and civic society, we can, subject to all relevant planning permissions, deliver an enhanced community asset, with new features, such as a conservatory, that we can all enjoy and take pride in.”

Martin Sterne, who set up the family-run property business in 1990s, added:

“We aim to make our mark on our home city by investing in it and creating developments that leave a lasting legacy.”

New data shows Harrogate district visitor economy recovering from covid

The Harrogate district’s visitor economy has yet to recover to pre-covid levels last year, according to figures released yesterday.

The figures show the district attracted 6.47 million visitor numbers, generating an impact of £606 million, in 2019.

In 2020 — when covid struck — visitor numbers crashed to 2.81 million, generating an impact of £279 million, which was a 54 per cent decrease.

Last year, which began with another lockdown but gradually saw the economy open up again, there were more than four million visitor numbers, with an estimated economic impact of £457million, according to the data from Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body Destination Harrogate.

Destination Harrogate calculated the figures using data that measures the economic impact of visits to the district and hotel performance.

Gemma Rio

Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said the figures painted “a positive picture for the recovery of the visitor economy in the Harrogate district”, adding:

“Our destination management plan targets a full recovery of the visitor economy by 2023 and an increase in its value to £836.7 million by 2030.

“With some exciting events and marketing campaigns planned, together with a continued appetite for collaboration across the district, I’m confident that we will continue to see these figures move in the right direction for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

Data from 2019 shows that on average an overnight visitor stayed 3.3 days and generated £316 for the local economy. In 2021, this rose to 3.5 days and £344.

According to Destination Harrogate, the 2022 peak season has got off to a “healthy start”, with figures indicating that in March, April and May, hotels were largely fuller and seeing a greater level of revenue per available room than they were in 2019.

Cllr Stanley Lumley

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“This is a really positive start to Harrogate’s visitor economy, ahead of the summer season.”

The Crown Hotel

Dan Siddle, general manager of Harrogate’s Crown Hotel and chair of Harrogate Hotel & Tourism Association, said:

“After such a tough period for the hospitality industry, it is wonderful to be enjoying some positivity with increasing occupancy levels across the hotels in Harrogate, and we welcome the work of Destination Harrogate to support this.

“Whilst not yet out of the woods, with challenges still in recruitment and staffing, we look forward to a busy summer season and welcoming visitors new and old to our hotels.”

Michael Gove visits Harrogate as local government conference begins

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was the main speaker at today’s opening day of the Local Government Association annual conference in Harrogate.

The three-day gathering, which is the biggest event on the local government calendar, has brought about 1,500 delegates to Harrogate.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and Lisa Nandy, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Levelling Up, are among tomorrow’s listed speakers.

Michael Gove, waiting to go on stage.

Mr Gove used the occasion to announce the government will move to two-year funding settlements for local authorities and will create an Office for Local Government, which will scrutinise councils’ performance.

But the event, which will see break-out events take place at some hotels, is also an opportunity to showcase Harrogate.

Shortly before Mr Gove’s speech, Cllr Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader, took to the stage for a five-minute plenary speech in which he implored delegates to “take the opportunity to see why Harrogate is such a great place to live, work and keep visiting”.

Cllr Graham Swift promotes the Harrogate district.

Cllr Swift added:

“We want your visit to Harrogate to be extraordinary. We hope you’ll join us by enjoying the god given joys of our town.”

Mr Gove took the time afterwards to meet Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough’s last mayor.

Michael Gove and Cllr Victoria Oldham, the Harrogate borough mayor.

The packed programme of events includes a 45-minute walking tour of Harrogate at 11.30am tomorrow led by members of Destination Harrogate, which is the council’s tourism organisation.

The Old Swan hotel will host a chief executives’ drinks reception tomorrow night while the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic will host dinners for the Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Tomorrow will also see Harrogate’s Royal Host the LGA LGBTQ+ disco.

Tonight, the Crown Hotel will host an event on local authority enterprises.

Delegates arriving today.

LGA chairman, Cllr James Jamieson told delegates today:

“What a pleasure it is to join together – in person – in such a beautiful, historic town. That has been voted a number of times “the happiest place to live in Britain”, and am sure this will rub off on us over the next few days.”

UCI review should not be ignored, says Harrogate business group

A review of Harrogate’s hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships should not be ignored in future, says a business group.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased that the report, which was published yesterday, included the views of businesses.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which will be considered at a meeting on July 4.

The report found that while there was a place for shorter events which “portray Harrogate and North Yorkshire in a good light, nationally and throughout the world”, residents and businesses considered the road closures for the UCI “unacceptable”.

One conclusion reached by the review was that there was a common perception that the event “effectively closed” Harrogate town centre.

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.

Following the publication, Mr Simister called for 15 of the recommendations included in the report to not be “simply ignored” at future events.

He said:

“This is a very detailed report and one that incorporates a wide range of views from a number of organisations.

“I’m pleased the experiences of businesses have been acknowledged and incorporated into the recommendations.

“And when Harrogate feels confident to host other major events, and I hope it does, these recommendations are not simply ignored, but used to ensure the town as a whole benefits, and that businesses, particularly those in the retail sector, are not left counting the cost.

“However, before committing to anything, I think it’s important to weigh up the pros and the cons, and also liaise with previous host towns to measure the impact it had on them.”

The recommendations include involving residents in planning events at an “early stage” and including the council on the board of large scale events.

They also include early engagement on large events and hosting short events in the district in order to “minimise disruption for local residents”.

In response to the report, a council spokesperson said:

“It is positive to see that the review of the preparation, hosting and implications of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships for Harrogate Borough Council, residents and businesses, has reflected much of what was implemented as part of the event organisation.

“With an estimated global TV audience of over 250 million and almost 70,000 spectators, the 2019 UCI Road World Championships created a fantastic opportunity to showcase Harrogate and the surrounding district to both a national and international audience.

“Since the UCI Road World Championships – almost three years ago – we have hosted successful events and, through our destination management organisation, have a fantastic programme for the remainder of the year to further promote the district and support our visitor economy.”

Plan to convert former Harrogate taxi office into flat approved

Plans have been approved to convert the former Airline Taxis office in Harrogate into a one-bedroom flat.

The ground floor offices on East Parade are currently vacant after a liquidator was appointed to wind up the company in June last year.

A director’s report to creditors, signed by Airline’s sole director Mohammad Suleman, said the company experienced a “significant decline” in turnover due to lack of travel during the first covid lockdown.

Harrogate Borough Council has now given the go-ahead for the former office to be converted.

Documents lodged to the authority by applicant Mr T Haillday say that the building will retain its existing features and the same floor area as the taxi company office.

It said:

“The existing building will retain the original features internally which at present have been covered over.

“The existing service door to the side will be reduced in size to house a window for the new bedroom. The external features will all be retained.”

Review finds Harrogate 2019 UCI cycling championships ‘effectively closed’ town centre

A draft review into Harrogate’s controversial hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships has found that there was a perception that the event “effectively closed” the centre of the town for a month.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which has been published ahead of a meeting on July 4 where it will be considered.

It also concluded that “in future greater priority should be given to serving the needs of those who live, work and create wealth and employment in this great town and district”.

The nine-day cycling event was hailed by organisers as a “once in a lifetime moment” for Harrogate, but was also criticised by businesses and residents in the town who had complaints about disruptions during road closures.

Fifteen recommendations have been made as part of the review, which are aimed at assisting the planning of major events in North Yorkshire in future.

‘Effectively closed’ Harrogate

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who chaired the cross-party review, said in a foreword for the report that the review was “wide-ranging” and considered the views of residents, businesses and others.

He said that one conclusion reached by the committee was that there was a “common perception” that the set-up and dismantling of the UCI shut off the town centre to residents.

Cllr Brown said:

“An important conclusion reached was that there was a common perception that the event effectively closed down the centre of Harrogate not just for the nine days of the UCI but for nearly a month including set up and dismantling and this was considered unacceptable to many residents and businesses in the town.”

The UCI World Cycling Championships came to Harrogate in 2019. Credit: Tony Bailey

The review has made a number of recommendations including involving residents in planning events at an “early stage” and including Harrogate Borough Council on the board of large scale events.

Other recommendations include early engagement on large events and hosting short events in the district in order to “minimise disruption for local residents”.

Cllr Brown added:

“The recommendations and an outline of the findings of the review are presented in this summary report and have taken into account the views and evidence from residents and organisations about this major event in Harrogate.

“It is intended that they assist the planning and hosting of major future events in North Yorkshire.”

Separate reviews

The review is separate to an economic impact study carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

This study concluded the championships resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million and was watched by a global television audience of 329 million.

It also said 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it.

However, it did not take into account a reported drop in earnings for some businesses, whose complaints rumbled on long after the event was held.

Based in Harrogate as the host town, the championships were held in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years after a joint-bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the government’s sport and culture department.

The event organisers were Yorkshire 2019 – a now-dissolved company which was set up by the government and later contributed £35,500 towards the West Park Stray repair costs.

A further £95,000 was spent on park upgrades by Harrogate Borough Council which spent a total of £606,000 on hosting the event.

The biggest single cost was £200,000 for the fan zone on West Park Stray.

Stray Views: When will this housebuilding madness end?

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

When will this housebuilding madness end?

Every day in The Stray Ferret I find Harrogate Borough Council has passed more planning permissions for housing.

In the last few years, the number of new houses, including the 4,000 to be built near Beckwithshaw, is approaching 10,000. When will this lunacy stop? I know the government said it wanted 300,000 a year but it did not say they all had to be built in Harrogate.

We have lost an unbelievable amount of green field sites and healthy mature trees and all of this can NEVER be replaced. The effect on wild life is devastating.

Where is the infrastructure to cope with all this building? Every new house or flat brings onto the roads approximately 1.5 extra cars.

Where is the water going to come from? Where are the extra school places needed for the children?
What about sewage? Yorkshire Water are already putting raw sewage into the rivers on a regular basis.

Have you tried to get a doctor’s appointment recently? It is near impossible so who is going to look after all the new residents.

Electricity has to be generated, which creates pollution and contradicts the campaign to reduce the carbon footprint.

Access to these developments is a major concern, Knox Lane and Crab Lane are single width most of the way and probably the worst is Kingsley Road where pedestrians are at risk due to no footpaths on Bogs Lan.

Harrogate Borough Council has already exceeded its housing requirement by a huge amount but just carry on passing permission so the question is: why?

The council say they have been overruled by Westminster on some occasions and have had to pay compensation so they are reluctant to refuse permission.. If that is the case why do we not have strong councillors with proper negotiating skills, a strong will and a good knowledge of what they are fighting for?

The village of Killinghall is now a town. Knaresborough is slowly growing closer to the A1 motorway. Bishop Monkton has nearly doubled in size and so it goes on.

My final example of lunacy is the drive-through development on the Woodlands traffic lights. One of the busiest junctions in Harrogate. What on earth could make the council pass permission for this development ,which will make this junction much more dangerous than it already is.

Malcolm Hodgekinson, Bilton resident for over 60 years

Let’s have a Harrogate town council referendum

Town councils have a proud tradition of supporting their communities and this has been evident throughout the country during covid and the cost of living crisis.

Local people know what is best for their community and they should be able to make decisions that concern them.

I am not the only person who is worried that Harrogate will lose its voice at key decisions made by the new North Yorkshire Council. It is wrong for Harrogate’s matters to be decided and voted on by councillors from outside of our town.

A referendum needs to be held as soon as possible to allow for the transition of authority and responsibility to the new town council.

I’m a big believer in giving decision-making power back to our community and establishing a town council will do just that.

Tyler Reeton, Harrogate

Aaron Bertenshaw’s legacy is helping people with diabetes

The Stray Ferret has written several stories about our campaign to plug the gap between mental health and diabetes following the death of my son Aaron Bertenshaw.

We had a stall at Knaresborough Bed Race and the final amount raised was £4,490, which Morrisons has agreed to match fund.

The custom painted guitar (pictured below) was gifted back to us by the winner and will be put up for auction in August to raise further funds. If anyone is interested in receiving the auction details, contact the Stray Ferret and it will pass your messages on.

Bertenshaw raffle

Diabetes UK’s Diabetes is Serious campaign has now held its virtual launch.

Several mothers came to speak with me at the event about their concerns and I have been able to direct them to the relevant member of the Diabetes UK team so they can receive the support they need.

Sammy Oates, Harrogate

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

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School closure is ‘immoral’

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‘Effectively closed’ Harrogate

Separate reviews

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When will this housebuilding madness end?

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Let’s have a Harrogate town council referendum

Aaron Bertenshaw’s legacy is helping people with diabetes