Decision delayed on £13m Knaresborough Leisure Centre after residents not invited to speak at meeting

A decision on a planned £13 million leisure centre in Knaresborough has been delayed after a “technical error” meant residents were not invited to speak at a meeting.

Harrogate Borough Council was due to make a decision on its own plans yesterday, but this has now been pushed back to a “later date”.

A council spokesperson said: 

“Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen issue, the notification to advise interested parties of the opportunity to speak at today’s planning committee about the Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre proposals, was not sent.

“We will ensure this issue is resolved and interested parties will be notified as soon as a new decision date has been arranged.

“We apologise for any confusion caused and to those residents who unfortunately were unaware of the deferral and attended the committee meeting.”

The proposed leisure centre includes a six-lane pool and exercise studios, and has been hailed by the council as a “fit-for-purpose” facility to meet growing needs.

However, several concerns have been raised since the plans were first revealed two years ago, particularly as the proposals involve building over a play area and the demolition of the existing Knaresborough Swimming Pool at Fysche Field.

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There are also concerns over the environmental impacts of demolishing a large building to replace it with another.

Knaresborough Civic Society has called on councillors to reject the plans in favour of rival proposals from the ‘Not on Fysche Field’ campaign group which has produced designs to upgrade the 30-year-old swimming pool.

A civic society spokesperson previously said: 

“Knaresborough Civic Society urges the planning committee to reject this short-sighted recommendation in favour of an alternative solution which will not result in the loss of mature trees, vital outdoor play facilities and green space.

“We have played an active role in campaigning for a more considered approach to this project and have made our views clear that building on the existing site – as was promised at the public consultation – should be the preferred option.”

The public consultation on five potential locations for the leisure centre referred to locating it “on the site of the existing pool”.

However, it was only several months after this that the council revealed it wants to build the facility over a play area behind the existing swimming pool.

The other locations previously considered included Knaresborough House, Hay-a-Park, Conyngham Hall and a plot of land at Halfpenny Lane.

Harrogate council spent £5,000 on King’s Cross snow globe

Harrogate Borough Council paid £5,220 to install a Christmas snow globe at London’s King’s Cross station for two days, the Stray Ferret has learned.

The giant inflatable globe was put on the passenger concourse at King’s Cross in November to promote Harrogate’s Christmas Fayre and entice people towards a £140 LNER train service from the capital to Harrogate to sample the festivities.

The snow globe also offered people the chance to have selfies taken inside a winter wonderland scene.

The idea came from the council’s tourism organisation, Visit Harrogate, which partnered with LNER for the rail offer. The first-class service included special Harrogate goodie bags.

Through a freedom of information request, the Stray Ferret discovered Visit Harrogate spent £5,220 to hire the globe for two 12-hour days at King’s Cross. The price included VAT and the wages of two people who operated the globe.

The Stray Ferret also asked Harrogate Borough Council how many tickets to Harrogate were sold for the Christmas rail offer but the council said it did not know. LNER declined to disclose the information.

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Harrogate Christmas Fayre took place from December 2 to December 12 in the town centre. It replaced the previous Harrogate Christmas Market after organisers were not given a licence to run the event by the council.

The Stray Ferret revealed last month that Visit Harrogate paid a social media influencer from Bristol £700 to promote the fayre in a blog, which only received two likes on Facebook, including one from the council itself.

Christmas festivities across the country were dampened by the Omicron wave that hit the UK in the days leading up to Christmas.

‘Record traffic’

A spokesperson for Destination Harrogate, which includes Visit Harrogate, said:

“Visit Harrogate’s partnership with LNER saw the eye-catching snow globe travel to the capital to take a prime position in one of London’s busiest train stations, Kings Cross. The station which sees hundreds of thousands of commuters each day, allowed for maximum exposure of Harrogate district while promoting the direct LNER line from London to Harrogate.

“Located in the centre of the concourse and visible from all the main approaches, the giant snow globe became a key meeting point at the station on a Friday and Saturday – two busy days for a train station in the capital – with hundreds of people pulling out their phones to take photographs, sharing them on social media and further extend the reach of the campaign.

“During this period, the Visit Harrogate website received record levels of traffic, demonstrating the success of not only this activity, but also the wider Destination Christmas campaign.

“The purpose of all of our campaigns is to support our local visitor economy which makes up around 15% of the economy in the Harrogate district and provides jobs for around 8,000 people. For a visitor economy to continue to thrive and grow, it requires a collaborative approach and ambitious and exciting campaigns, such as this.”

Ripon padel tennis courts given the go-ahead

Plans for two new padel tennis courts in Ripon have been given the go-ahead.

The proposal will see the new courts, plus canopies and flood lighting, built at Ripon Tennis Centre on Park Lane.

The centre will become the latest padel venue in the Harrogate district as the popularity of the sport increases.

Ripon Tennis Centre said in documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council that the proposal would help to improve facilities.

It said:

“Ripon Tennis Centre are keen to provide these facilities as part of the ongoing improvement to the club which will be enjoyed by all age ranges and can be played on throughout the year.”

Boom in popularity

Padel tennis has seen a boom in popularity in recent years, including in the Harrogate district.

The sport is played between four players on reduced sized tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

As well as the Ripon centre, a court is planned for Hornbeam Park which is earmarked for six dedicated courts.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road saw an increase in demand for the sport during the first covid lockdown.

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The local boom has been reflected across the country.

With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the Lawn Tennis Association, the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.

Plans approved for 264 solar panels at Bilton caravan park

Plans have been approved to install 264 solar panels at Bilton Park Village Farm to produce green electricity for its park homes and caravan.

The owner of the site lodged an application to Harrogate Borough Council for the solar panels which would be capable of producing 90,471 kWh of electricity a year.

The site, on Bilton Lane, is a popular holiday location for people wishing to explore Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Now, the borough council has approved the installation of the panels.

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Planning documents submitted to the authority say the park wants to improve the environmental impact of the business and the solar panels would reduce its carbon footprint by around 31 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The panels would cover 454 square metres of field next to the park.

The documents say that around 30% of the electricity generated will be exported back to the National Grid so it can be utilised by the public.

It adds:

“This means that the public can also utilise electricity which has been generated by renewable energy, further reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and power stations.

“The installation of the solar PV system would not solely serve the applicant but would also benefit other households.”

Parish council slams ‘fast track’ planning rules after latest Dunlopillo proposals passed

Fast track rules which speed up the planning system have been slammed by a parish council after latest housing plans for a derelict office block near Harrogate were approved without a vote from councillors.

The proposals for 38 flats at the former Dunlopillo building in Pannal were passed by Harrogate Borough Council last week.

This came after the developers Echo Green previously won permission for 48 flats at the Station Road site before submitting a second application also under permitted development rights.

These rules were first introduced to ease the path of conservatories, small extensions and other uncontroversial works.

But in recent years they have been used by the government to drive up housing numbers through offices being converted into or replaced by entirely new buildings without usual planning permission.

Councillor Howard West, chairman of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council, had raised several objections over the Dunlopillo plans and has now launched fresh criticism at the planning rules which he argues fails to take into account rural areas.

He said:

“We’re disappointed that the construction of an even bigger building than the one that was universally hated has been allowed.

“However, once Harrogate Borough Council officers made their original decision on the first prior notice of permitted development, there really was no way to stop construction.

“The principle of prior notice of permitted development was essentially to protect the high street from having empty commercial units when they could be converted to accommodation.

“However, to allow loopholes where rural villages could be overshadowed by bigger monstrosities than those originally built was patently an oversight by the civil servants who drafted the legislation and by those who voted it into planning law.”

The rules allow for developers to apply to councils to simply seek confirmation that a development is acceptable before commencing work.

This was the case for both applications for the Dunlopillo site and is different from usual planning permission which requires an outline and reserved matters application, and sometimes a vote from councillors.

But Harrogate Borough Council has admitted it could have allowed for a vote from councillors if it had acted quicker on the first application.

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It made this admission in a lessons learned review, which concluded that while the plans were “appropriately considered”, “a longer period of time than ideal” was spent on parts of the process.

‘Ghastly design’

Councillor West said he believes the plans could have been refused if presented to councillors as he also described the council-run review as “akin to marking one’s own homework”.

He said:

“Had council officers involved the planning committee for the first prior notice of permitted development then there might have been a chance in getting it stopped because of the ghastly design – although some of the past committee decisions defy logic.

“The second proposal is a country mile better than the first, albeit much too high and overbearing and not at all in keeping with a village environment.”

The latest plans for the Station Road site include demolishing the existing building to make way for an apartments block two-storeys higher.

This is something that has been a key concern for residents who are fearful the development will have a major visual impact on the area surrounding the site which pillows and bedding manufacturer Dunlopillo moved out of in 2008.

Since then, the building has fallen into a state of disrepair with residents describing it as an “eyesore” and “monstrosity”.

Its current state is far from how many employees will remember the building in the 1970s and 1980s when an estimated 440 people worked there.

Knaresborough councillor supports £13m leisure centre ahead of crunch vote

A Knaresborough councillor has called on Harrogate Borough Council to lead by example and “go green” with its plans for a new leisure centre.

The council’s planning committee is due to vote tomorrow on whether to build the new £13 million facility over a play area to the rear of the existing pool at Knaresborough’s Fysche Field.

The plans, which are recommended for approval by council officers, have divided opinion, with some welcoming a modern new leisure centre and others criticising the design and environmental impact.

Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough Scriven Park on the council, has covid and is therefore unable to attend tomorrow’s meeting.

Hannah Gostlow

But in a statement today she said the scheme must be environmentally friendly and that key issues such as access and car park design needed to be considered.

She said the footpath to the site should be improved and any resurfacing of the car park should use environmentally friendly materials. She added:

“I am supportive of securing the future of Knaresborough’s swimming pool with this planning application, but I ask Harrogate Borough Council to lead by example and make the development as green as possible.

“It is being built by our own borough council and so we need to make sure we are setting the right example and working to the highest standards of ‘green’ design.”

Cllr Gostlow also said the pool needed to be fit for children’s swimming lessons so it would require changing rooms big enough to accommodate local schools as well as a suitable depth of water.

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‘Industrial warehouse’

Knaresborough Civic Society has described the proposed building as looking like an “industrial warehouse” and urged councillors to reject the plan.

It said demolishing the existing facility was “unnecessary” and questioned what would happen when the local authority dissolves in 2023.

Designs for the new site.

The plans include a new six-lane pool, learner pool, fitness suite, spin studio, sauna and steam room, and dry and wet changing facilities.

The council’s website says there have been objections from 28 residents and two letters of support for the plans.

If approved, the project could be completed by the end of 2023.

New monthly food market coming to Harrogate

A new monthly food market will take place at Crescent Gardens in Harrogate — and it starts this Sunday.

Real Food Markets, a community interest company that has organised a food market in Ilkley for six years, will be hosting food and drink and craft stalls on the third Sunday of every month.

The free-to-attend market will be based at Crescent Gardens opposite the old Harrogate Borough Council offices and will run from 10am to 3pm.

February’s market will feature stalls offering cheeses, sushi, sticky toffee puddings, scotch eggs and gluten-free products. There will also be stalls selling products including goat milk soaps, candles, fine art and blankets.

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Matthew Chapman, Harrogate Business Improvement District manager, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Real Food Markets who are looking to replicate the success they have tasted in Ilkley here in Harrogate.  This year, we are hoping to work with a host of different organisations to stage events in Harrogate town centre, which will offer visitors a different experience on each occasion.”

Tim Dabell, event management officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said

“We look forward to working with Lucy and her team in 2022 to encourage the residents of the Harrogate district to shop locally for products in a safe environment. We feel this addition will enhance the whole town centre shopping experience.”

Julia Gabler, owner of Harrogate children’s clothing brand 2 Little Mice, which is among the stallholders, said:

“Our items are ethically made at our Harrogate workshop. While online and retail trading takes up most of our time, we do love to meet our customers face to face and Real Food Harrogate will be a great way to interact with our wonderful customers and show them the faces behind the brand. “

Harrogate Hydro reduces opening hours due to staff shortages

Harrogate Hydro is to reduce its opening hours due to staff shortages.

The facility, which is run by Harrogate Borough Council-controlled Brimhams Active, will be closed on either a Saturday or Sunday from this weekend, which coincides with the start of half-term holidays.

It said ongoing staff shortages and effects of the covid pandemic has left it “no choice” but to make the decision.

The Hydro said in a post on its Facebook page:

“As you may be aware, the Hydro is currently operating with a reduced team and reduced programme as we continue to respond to the covid pandemic as well as being affected by the national staff shortages at leisure facilities.

“Despite our best efforts, these shortages leave us with no choice but to reduce the opening hours.

“With immediate effect, the Hydro will either be closed on Saturdays or Sundays until we close for the refurbishment project which we can now confirm will be Friday, April 8.”

The Hydro will be closed on the following days:

Meanwhile, the facility will be closed for a refurbishment project from April 8.

The council has not said how long the Hydro will be closed.

It said the programme for the construction of the scheme was being finalised and will go before the authority’s cabinet for approval “in due course”.

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As part of the refurbishment, the council will demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400-square metre fitness suite on the first floor.

Outside, the car park will be reconfigured with a new area bicycle storage and room for six electric vehicle charging points.

As part of its plans to overhaul leisure services, which were approved in June 2020, the council outlined a £13.5 million project to refurbish The Hydro.

£72 rise in Harrogate district council tax bills set to be confirmed

Final approval is set to be given for a hike in council tax bills this week as North Yorkshire County Council decides how much it will charge.

Total council tax is based on the amount charged by the county council, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Some villages also charge a small sum too.

The county council will become the last to vote on its budget plans in the days ahead.

County councillors will meet on Wednesday to make a decision on a planned 3.99% hike in the authority’s share of bills, which equates to a £56 increase.

If approved, the move would see total bills for ratepayers in Band D households rise to £2,079 for the year. This would be £72 more than the current £2,007, which represents a 3.58% increase.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said previously that the decision to increase council tax was a difficult one.

However, he added that the authority continues to lobby for reform of the council tax system.

He said:

“We continue to feel that residents in North Yorkshire pay too much council tax, particularly in comparison to London, and urge the government to press on with funding reform to create a fairer solution for rural counties.”

Harrogate district council tax hikes 2022/23

Total Band D bill: £2,079.59

Last week, both the borough council and North Yorkshire’s police commissioner signed off on increases in their share of the rate.

For Harrogate, the share of council tax will increase by £5 despite concerns from opposition councillors for the council to use its reserves.

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Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, said the authority should be using more of its cash reserves to ease the pressure on residents.

However, Cllr Graham Swift, the borough council’s cabinet member for economic development, dismissed the idea of not increasing council tax as “nonsense”. He said the authority faced increasing costs and had to keep services running and staff paid.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police will see a £10 increase and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s rate will rise to £75.61.

Plan to convert former Bishop Thornton school into house

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Bishop Thornton Church of England Primary School into a house.

Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance has lodged the application to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former school site off Colber Lane.

The school closed in 2019 after it outgrew the site and moved to the former Burnt Yates Church of England Primary School building.

It has since been renamed Admiral Long Church of England Primary School.

According to plans submitted to the council, the Bishop Thornton building would be converted into a three bedroom house with two parking spaces.

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The developer said in its documents that the proposal would represent a “satisfactory replacement” for the former school building.

It said:

“Making use of empty buildings and placing great weight on using suitable sites within existing settlements is supported by national planning policy.”

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