Plans have been lodged to convert a Harrogate office block into seven flats.

Artium Group has submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to create the flats at Simpson House, off Clarence Drive.

It would see the vacant offices turned into one one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats.

The developer also plans to use the current 14 car parking spaces and create storage for seven bicycles.

In documents submitted to the council, Artium Group said the proposal would help to make efficient use of the building.

It said:

“The conversion of the building is considered to be entirely appropriate give the lack of any viable interest in retaining the existing employment use. 

“The property is in a highly sustainable location and surrounded by existing buildings which have also been converted in recent years. 

“The provision of additional residential units within a highly sustainable location should therefore be welcomed.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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One of the key concerns in the run-up to this year’s shake-up of North Yorkshire local government was that the vast new unitary authority could leave the Harrogate district without a strong voice.

This week, when the dust settled on the local elections and Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council named his new 10-person executive team, the concerns appeared to have merit.

Just one councillor from the district — Michael Harrison, who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, was included on the executive.

It means many of those making key decisions affecting Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham might not even have been to some of those places.

For the last 48 years, local political decision making has been shared between North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

But with the latter in its death throes, it seems likely that all local political decisions will soon be made at County Hall, the 1906 Grade II listed building in Northallerton, a market town in Hambleton, firstly by North Yorkshire County Council and then by North Yorkshire Council.

The 10-person executive table at Wednesday’s meeting, with Michael Harrison far right.

Just nine of the 47 Conservative councillors on the county council are from the district. So will the Harrogate district not have adequate representation?

‘Strong voice will remain’

Despite the changes, Cllr Harrison told the Stray Ferret he is confident the district will continue to have a strong voice.

He said local councillors will shape the executive’s decisions, firstly through task groups that will inform the transition to the new North Yorkshire Council next year and then through the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee.

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The six area constituency committees are expected to be given stronger powers next year, possibly over key issues such as planning, as part of Cllr Les’ ‘double devolution’ pledge.  The Lib Dems will have eight of the 13 councillors on the one for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Cllr Harrison said:

“There will be real power devolved to the area constituency committees and the fact that the Conservatives don’t control the one for Harrogate and Knaresborough won’t stop that.”

Cllr Harrison added that he expects Harrogate Borough Council’s offices at Knapping Mount to continue to play a key operational role when staff transfer to North Yorkshire Council next year because “it’s a modern fit-for-purpose flexible office space”.

Harrogate Borough Council’s offices at Knapping Mount.

The Conservatives were returned to power in North Yorkshire with a greatly reduced majority of four on May 5.

Andrew Williams, an Independent who was elected in Ripon Minster and Moorside, said the more even political composition since the May 5 elections meant the views of opposition parties would be heard more, whereas in the past the previous huge Tory majority meant many issues were just waived through. He said:

“If you go about things in a constructive and positive manner it’s possible to get things done.”

Harrogate town council 

Cllr Williams, who is also the leader of Ripon City Council, said the best way to ensure Harrogate’s voice was heard would be through the creation of a Harrogate town council.

He said Ripon City Council had effectively provided a voice for the city and suggested the same could happen in Harrogate.

He added that such a move would pave the way for more independents.

“People will be looking for voices on a town council that stand up for Harrogate and will appreciate a less partisan approach.”

Five Harrogate Independents failed to come close to winning a division on May 5. But Cllr Williams suggested they got their tactics wrong:

“They started campaigning too late. You can’t just rock up at election time and win.

“To win an election as an Independent you have got to be known by a lot of people and campaign early.”

A referendum could take place in Harrogate to see if people want to create a town council.

But Cllr Harrison said people ought to know what the purpose of a Harrogate town council would be and what the added charge to their council tax precept would be before any vote takes place.

County Hall in Northallerton

Whatever one’s political persuasion, the political scene has been enlivened by the shake-up to local government.

But whether local voices are heard strongly at County Hall, the 1906 Grade II listed building where the county council is based, remains to be seen.

The Stray Ferret asked the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough to comment for this article but did not receive a response by our deadline.

A memorial bench and statue to commemorate businessman and philanthropist George A Moore is planned for Knaresborough.

The George A Moore Foundation has applied to Harrogate Borough Council for the memorial to be erected at High Bridge Gardens in the town.

The foundation said the statue would help to commemorate the life and achievements of the businessman and philanthropist.

A life-size bronze sculpture of Mr Moore would sit on the right hand side of the bench if the plans are approved.

An umbrella, coat and newspaper will be permanently secured to the cast iron and stainless steel bench along with the sculpture.

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The style of the bench will be similar to that of Mother Shipton’s statue in Knaresborough Market Square, which the George A Moore Foundation contributed to.

In documents submitted to the council, the foundation said:

“The proposed memorial bench will make a positive contribution to and enhance the gardens, while creating historic interest by celebrating a local philanthropist.”

The council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

George A Moore

Born in 1928 at the Mitre public house in Knaresborough, George Moore left his local secondary modern to put his carpentry skills to the good use.

He formed his first business at Cottingley near Bingley, which later expanded into manufacturing high quality kitchen furniture and prepared joinery for local authority housing.

His business Moore’s Furniture Group employed hundreds of people at Thorp Arch Trading Estate near Wetherby.

In 1970, Mr Moore formed his foundation which started off as a welfare fund for his staff. But it was later enhanced after he sold his business and went onto to become a respected grant making foundation.

Mr Moore was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace in 1988 for his business career and was later awarded Knight of St John status in 1995.

He died at his home on the Isle of Man on September 16, 2016, aged 88.

Harrogate Borough Council’s Conservative leader Richard Cooper has made changes to his top team, 10 months before the local authority is abolished.

Cllr Cooper has appointed Cllr Sam Gibbs, who represents Harrogate Valley Gardens, as cabinet member for the environment, waste reduction and recycling brief on his six-person cabinet.

Rebecca Burnett, who represents Harrogate St George’s, has been appointed chair of the planning committee, which makes decisions on major housing and development projects.

Ed Darling, who was elected in Knaresborough Castle, is the new chair of the 12-person licensing committee, which can grant or refuse alcohol and Hackney cab licences.

Sam Gibbs

Cllr Gibbs, who has represented Valley Gardens since 2018, will replace Cllr Andrew Paraskos.

Collecting household waste is one of the council’s biggest responsibilities and this year it will be trialling wheelie bins for housing recycling.

According to the Richmond Conservatives website, Cllr Gibbs is employed as the constituency agent for Chancellor and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.

He is also a county councillor, winning the Valley Gardens & Central division in this month’s local elections.

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Rebecca Burnett

Rebecca Burnett replaces Cllr John Mann as chair of the planning committee.

Cllr Burnett has been a councillor since 2014 but will be stepping down from local politics when the council is abolished in April 2023.

She was the cabinet member for planning from 2015 until 2020, during the formation of Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which allocates over 13,000 new homes for building in the district up to 2035.

Other appointments

Ed Darling will become the new chair of the licensing committee, replacing Cllr Victoria Oldham, who will become the council’s final Mayor.

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Gibbs, Cllr Burnett and Cllr Darling for comment but none responded.

The committee memberships will be confirmed at next week’s full council meeting. Read the full list here.

Mites will be released into Rossett Nature Reserve in Harrogate in a bid to tackle the growth of an invasive species of water weed.

The crassula mites attack Crassula helmsii — also known as New Zealand pygmyweed — an invasive non-native species which is causing problems for the wastewater network.

It grows on the arms of filter beds, stopping them functioning properly, and can become dominant in wetland areas which then poses a threat to the breeding habits of native species, including the protected great crested newts.

The release of the mites is a joint trial project between Yorkshire Water, Harrogate Borough Council, the Centre of Agriculture and Bioscience International and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Dr Steph Bradbeer, invasive species and biosecurity advisor at Yorkshire Water, said:

“Invasive non-native species pose a very real risk to Yorkshire’s environment and wildlife. They can also impact on our ability to treat and distribute water to homes and return wastewater safely to the environment.

“Crassula is one such species and we hope this trial will provide an environmentally friendly way of tackling it in the environment and at our wastewater treatment works.”

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The mites have been quarantined and tested extensively to ensure they will only tackle Crassula helmsii and will not attack other species of Crassula, such as stonecrops, which are attractive plants that brighten up stone surfaces in the summer.

The announcement of the trial coincides with Invasive Non-native Species Week, which began on Monday and aims to raise awareness of and prevent the spread of invasive plants.

Invasive non-native species not only impact on the environment, but also have a large economic impact, costing the UK economy an estimated £1.8 billion per year.

Councillor Andy Paraskos, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“This is a new approach for us in the Harrogate district and we welcome this opportunity to work with Yorkshire Water and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – and of course the Crassula mites – to use a practical solution to help tackle this non-native weed at Rossett Nature Reserve.”

A plan to demolish Harrogate’s former Debenhams store on Parliament Street has been withdrawn.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient submitted a proposal to demolish the three buildings that Debenhams was situated in and replace them with 50 flats and two commercial units.

The site on Parliament Street has been home to different retailers for more than a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

However, according to Harrogate Borough Council’s online planning portal, the application has now been withdrawn.

It follows an objection from Emma Gibbens, the council’s conservation officer, who raised concerns that the demolition of the building would harm the local area.

She said:

“The loss of the traditional building form and architectural detail would be harmful to the street scene and character and special interest of the conservation area, the building forming part of the designated heritage asset in a manner that contributes positively to its character.”

A CGI view of the planned apartments at Debenhams on Parliament Street.

Ms Gibbens added that the developer needed to prove that the demolition was justified.

The objection followed similar concerns from campaign group Save Britain’s Heritage, which said the developer had failed to provide “clear or adequate justification” for demolishing the building.

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However, Historic England said it supported regeneration of the site but added that there should be a “sensitive conversion” of the two older department store buildings.

Stirling Prescient said in documents submitted to the council:

“The proposals as a whole will strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.

“The proposal represents a sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning planning permission should be granted without delay.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Leeds-based planning consultants Quod, which were the agent for the developer, to ask why the application was withdrawn.

However, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

A senior Harrogate Borough Council officer has tried to allay concerns that a church wall in Kirkby Malzeard could collapse again.

Jonathan Dunk, executive officer for strategic property and major projects, told councillors today that the “appropriate” action was being taken to repair and monitor the wall at St Andrew’s Church.

The works are finally set to start on Monday after a section of the wall collapsed during heavy rainfall in February 2020.

Speaking at a meeting today, Ripon Spa councillor Mike Chambers said he was concerned that other parts of the wall, which is opposite the village primary school, could give way.

Mr Dunk said:

“We have taken professional advice from Mason Clark – our structural engineers who are used to dealing with these types of listed assets.

“Our advice was that we needed to rebuild the section that collapsed and we are making appropriate repairs to another 15-metre section.

“We are then going to monitor another section that is in much better condition and is therefore at lower risk. We have got the right balance.”

Mr Dunk also said “time is of the essence” for the repairs, which will cost £491,670 and mean the collapsed wall is no longer blocking Church Street:

“The road has been closed for two years – it is causing inconvenience and we need to address that quickly.

“The longer the wall is left unprepared, then there is a risk of further collapse.”

The works will involve a five metre high section of wall being rebuilt, while steel rods will also be driven into the surface for reinforcement.

September completion date

September is the target completion date – and the council said the works could not have been completed before now because the use of lime mortar requires moderate temperatures during spring and summer.

It also said the project required “detailed surveys and an extensive project plan”, including feedback from Historic England.

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However, local councillors have accused the borough council of paying too much attention to Historic England and not listening to their concerns.

Speaking on Wednesday, councillor Jane Aksut, a member of Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, said:

“All of the work has been delayed by interventions from Historic England, who have raised concerns about the ‘visual impact’ of pattress plates needed to restrain the bulging wall.

“We regret that Harrogate Borough Council paid more heed to the view of Historic England rather than to the parish council and residents, who argued that a swift and robust repair to keep the wall safe and the road open for the long term, is more important than how pretty the wall looks.”

Plans have been approved to build 33 homes in Kirkby Malzeard.

Mulberry Homes Yorkshire submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to construct the scheme off Back Lane in the village.

The development will see a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom houses built at the site.

A total of 40% of the homes will be allocated for affordable housing.

In a letter to the council, Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council said it welcomed the reduction in homes for the site.

Initially, outline planning permission was granted for 37 homes.

Victoria Preston, clerk at the parish council, said:

“We note that the total number of units proposed is to be 33, rather than the maximum permitted under the outline consent of 37, and we feel that this is a useful reduction, given the concerns of residents in respect of the increased flow of traffic which the development will create through the village.”

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The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the scheme would respect the local area and its characteristics.

It said:

“The result of this design process is a proposed development of 33 dwellings, which would be delivered through a variety of house types that promote local distinctiveness.

“The development would be designed to respect the site location, the physical characteristics of the site and the positive architectural elements of existing development which contribute to its sense of place.”

Harrogate Grammar School has submitted plans to light up its games pitch until 8pm in a bid to boost youth sport in the wake of the pandemic.

An original application in 2015 restricts the use of floodlighting after 6pm.

However, the school said this year several youth teams had struggled to play, particularly during the winter months when ground conditions in town were poor.

In a letter to neighbouring residents asking for their support, business and operations manager, Tom Stephen, wrote:

“The last two years of the pandemic have been challenging for us all, not least in the impact of school closures and restrictions on team sports for young people.

“We want to support the growth of youth sport and one way in which we hope to achieve this is by increasing the access of our facilities.”

He added that in the context of increased demand and in an effort create opportunities for young people to recover from the pandemic, the school felt it was the right time to apply for the extension.

It would see the pitch open from 9am until 8pm Monday to Friday.

He said:

“We will only allow the astro to be used by youth coached teams in order to support our aim of the growth of youth sport.”

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Harrogate Borough Council environmental health officer, Gemma Demaline, said she had no objections to the plans.

She said:

“As the lights are likely to be required during the darker months when surrounding noise sensitive residents are likely to be inside their properties, the impact from noise from the proposed use of the site will be limited.”

Earlier this month St Aidan’s Church of England High School revealed its new floodlit artificial sports pitch was set to open from 6pm to 8pm for community clubs to use.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Grammar School said:

“We want to support the growth of youth sport after the restrictions the pandemic put on team sports and we hope to achieve this by increasing the access of our facilities.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will make a decision on the application at a later date.

Harrogate Borough Council is to have its biggest powers stripped away next week, some 10 months before it is abolished.

All seven district and borough councils in North Yorkshire are affected by the move, which has been introduced by the UK government.

Political commentators claim it aims to prevent controversial spending, particularly of councils’ reserves.

It means any major financial decisions by Harrogate Borough Council will need to be approved by North Yorkshire County Council‘s executive.

This could have implications on Harrogate Borough Council’s plans to spend £47m redeveloping Harrogate Convention Centre.

The action follows concerns that district councils could propose large-scale schemes to ensure at least some of the money left in their coffers is spent in their areas, rather than added to general North Yorkshire funds from April 1 next year.

The seven district councils will continue to operate and make decisions until they are replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

Michal Gove intervenes

But Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, has issued a direction which gives the county council’s decision-making committee the power from Monday to veto any relevant financial decision which could bind the new authority in a potentially unfavourable way.

The direction will restrict district councils from entering into revenue contracts and disposals of land over £100,000 or capital contracts exceeding £1m without the executive’s consent.

An officers’ report to the executive states the sanctions for any council not complying with the direction and consent regime would be “severe”.

It adds councils face legal action if they enter into any contracts without the required consent and any transfers of land will be void.

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To avert “a large and unmanageable number of decisions” being put before the executive and to ensure a continuance of business in all the councils until the unitary authority is launched next May, the district councils will be handed a list of lower-scale decisions they can approve without seeking consent.

Implications for future

The requirement for seeking permission as a result of the direction will only apply to the district and borough councils.

Councillor Gareth Dadd, who looks set to be reappointed as the county council’s deputy leader and finance chief later this week, said the move would help all the district councils pull in the same direction ahead of the unitary authority’s formation:

“I’m sure colleagues in the districts will be very sensible in any event, but this order by the Secretary of State recognises the democratic mandate given to all those new members on the new unitary authority and North Yorkshire County Council.

“It is those, as a collective body, that has to deal with the decisions which could have serious implications in the future.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.