Plan approved to demolish Harrogate social club for flats

Plans have been approved to demolish a Harrogate sports and social club to make way for 14 flats and a community facility.

The proposal by Mitre Residential LLP would see St George’s Sport and Social Club, on St George’s Road, flattened.

According to planning documents, it would be replaced by a three-storey building comprising of 14 two-bedroom flats and a replacement community facility, which would be used as a dance hall.

Harrogate Borough Council gave the go-ahead for the plan last week.

The site was previously used as a sport and social club, but more recently has been used by a dance club.

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The developer said in documents submitted to the council that the proposal would help to relieve pressure on greenfield sites for housing.

It said:

“The development will provide 14 two-bedroom flats and the new proposals will be in keeping with the style and type of housing surrounding the site. 

“The new hall will replace facilities that are no longer required but still provide a viable club for members who have shown an interest in maintaining the facilities.”

Harrogate Civic Society said in response to the application that it was pleased to see the community facility replaced as part of the plan.

It said:

“We are pleased to see a replacement facility, albeit much reduced in size. If this can provide the needs of all those that use the current building, then this is satisfactory.”

North Yorkshire County Council plans £56 council tax hike

North Yorkshire County Council looks set to approve a 3.99% rise in its council tax demand, despite its leadership acknowledging numerous residents would struggle to afford the increase.

The council’s Conservative-run executive unanimously recommended that the authority sets a £56 rise in its precept for the average Band D property.

A final decision on the council tax bill will be made at a full council meeting in February.

It means average households will have to find £1,467 to pay for the council’s bill, alongside other expected increases by Harrogate Borough Council and police and fire services.

Several members of the executive highlighted the “cost of living challenge” facing residents, and the meeting heard the squeeze on household finances was forecast to tighten.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s executive member for finance, said the county council’s precept was “already behind the curve”, having increased by 33% over the past 11 years while inflation had risen by 38%.

He said he accepted that “there will be many that struggle” with the council tax rise, so the proposed rise would be 0.5 per cent less than the maximum the government would allow the authority to levy without holding a referendum.

Cllr Dadd said: 

“We have a moral duty both to our vulnerable and the residents and the services that we provide as well as a moral duty to look after the taxpayers’ purse. I think we’ve got to give at least a nod to that second part of the equation.”

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He said the proposed rise would enable the authority to be in the best possible shape ahead of the local government reorganisation transition to a unitary council while recognising the drain on the taxpayer.

The meeting heard sharp rises in demand for services such as children’s social care and increases in costs of providing adult social care had left the council’s finance bosses grappling with a decision over whether to “raid the reserves” or increase taxes to limit its deficit.

The executive heard while freezing council tax would be “simply irresponsible”, setting a 2.99% rise would not be in the best interests of residents or the incoming unitary authority.

However, the meeting heard claims from councillors that the authority’s recent past had seen it make a number of politically difficult decisions, putting the interests of residents in the medium term above popularity.

Brimhams Active defends its stance on £8,000 increase for use of Ripon pool

The managing director of Brimhams Active, which operates Harrogate Borough Council’s leisure centres, has defended the company’s stance on a proposed £8,000 price increase for one of its users.

This has, however, led to a clash with Ripon City Council leader, Andrew Williams.

Volunteer-run Ripon City Swimming Club (RCSC), which has been teaching children to swim for more than 100 years, said it had been priced out of using Ripon’s new swimming pool.

The club, which had previously held weekly sessions at now-closed Spa Baths at an annual cost of £4,500, told the Stray Ferret it was ‘mortified’ by a price hike to £12,500 per annum for use of the city’s newly-constructed facility, when it opens later this year,

Cllr Williams described the increase as ‘disgusting.’

This, in turn, prompted Brimhams Active managing director Mark Tweedie to contact the council leader by email, in which he said:

“For commercial, safety and quality assurance reasons we are mandated to be the sole provider of swimming lessons in the facilities we operate on behalf of the local authority.

“In this regard we have had numerous meetings and correspondence with RCSC over a significant period of time to try and come to an arrangement that would allow the club to continue to hire the pool with an adjusted offer that meets set standards and does not duplicate the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.”

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In the email exchange, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Tweedie added:

“The Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme is accredited by Swim England (the governing body for swimming). It teaches swimmers how to be competent and confident in the water through a recognised quality assured framework.

“Young people joining the scheme have the added value benefit of free access to Brimhams Active operated pools during any general swim sessions providing more opportunities to develop their swimming and love for swimming.”

‘We need to operate commercially’

He added:

“We have offered to work with and directly support the club to enable them to adjust their offer so they can continue to help young people develop their swimming without duplicating the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.”

“Working with us to adjust their offer would enable the club to continue to hire the pool at the same rate they were previously paying. However, should the club want to maintain their current offer we have provided the option for them to hire the pool at a commercial rate recognising the club would be in effect competing with the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.

“The club would also need to adhere to the same rigorous safety and quality standards as Brimhams Active. The commercial rate is an exclusive rate offered to the club and is based on the true costs of hiring the facility.

“We need to operate commercially in order to cover the operating costs of the facility as well as generate vital funds for the local authority to continue to be able to provide efficient and effective public services.”

‘You need to rethink’

In his response to Mr Tweedie, Cllr Williams, said:

“You state ‘for commercial’ as your first words and that is exactly the problem, you are seeking to use your position to have a monopoly on the way in which children are taught to swim by using only your lessons.

“The Ripon (City) Swimming Club have taught many children how to swim and in a way which is affordable for many hard-pressed families.

“You conclude again with the need to operate commercially. Might I remind you that the land upon which the yet to be opened pool sits was gifted to the children of Ripon for recreational use not for the commercial benefit of a soon to be defunct local authority.

“You need to urgently rethink your approach on this matter.”

Housing developer can ‘no longer afford’ to pay for Leeds Road cycle path

One of the UK’s biggest housing developers, which is building 128 homes in Pannal, has said it can no longer afford to pay for a cycle route on Leeds Road, despite being legally obliged to do so.

Bellway Homes was granted planning permission for its Jubilee Park development on the site of the former Dunlopillo factory in 2017. Homes are being sold there for upwards of £316,000.

Bellway Homes committed to paying for a cycle route on the A61 from the bridge over the River Crimple in Pannal to the Fulwith Mill Lane junction. This was done by a section 106 agreement, which housebuilders pay to mitigate for the cost of development.

However, more than four years after being granted permission to build the homes, the developer today asked Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee to remove the agreement, which it called “unreasonable” due to a change in government cycle scheme standards.

‘No longer viable’

Speaking at the planning committee this afternoon, Paul Thornton, planning manager at Bellway Homes, said the initial plans for the scheme were to widen the footpath to provide shared access with cyclists.

But a recent change in government standards meant the developer would now be obliged to create a cycle route segregated from motor vehicles to protect the safety of cyclists. Mr Thornton said this change had made the route “no longer viable” due to the increase in cost.

Bellway instead offered to pay £189,000 to the council to go towards the route or unspecified “wider improvements” along the A61.

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Mr Thornton said:

“It will help fund winder improvements along the A61 which will benefit Pannal and the wider district.

“We believe the funding will be far more beneficial than a standalone scheme.”

Harrogate Borough Council housing officer Kate Broadbank, who wrote a report to councillors recommending they approve the removal of the section 106 agreement, said the cycle route would now cost £980,000 due to the new government standards.

Ms Broadbank wrote in the report that “it would not be reasonable” to expect the developer to pay for it all.

Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Gostlow, who represents Knaresborough Scriven Park, asked if this meant the taxpayer would now foot the rest of the bill if the cycle route ever gets built.

Harrogate Borough Council’s chief planner John Worthington said this was an “impossible question to answer”.

Councillors agreed to remove the section 106 agreement and accept the £189,000 offer by 7 votes to none, with three councillors abstaining.

Bid to convert Kirkby Malzeard pub at centre of long-running campaign

The acrimonious tug of war over the now-derelict former Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, has entered a new phase.

David Fielder, who owns the western portion of the building, has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to convert it into a single dwelling.

The application, which will be considered by council planners later this year, was considered last night by Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, which decided to adopt a neutral stance, by neither objecting to, nor supporting the proposal.

Mr Fielder, who attended the meeting, told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m happy with that decision, as it shows that the parish is not opposing the application and I hope that we can move on from here.

“Planning permission is already in place for the eastern annex of the building to be converted to residential use by my business associate Justin Claybourn and I believe it would make sense for HBC to approve my similar application and hopefully bring this saga to an end.”

One of Harrogate district’s oldest pubs

The Henry Jenkins, which is named after a man that legend states lived to be 169-years-old, is one of the oldest inns in the Harrogate district. It closed in 2011.

In 2017 the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group successfully obtained an Asset of Community Value listing for the building.

However, in 2018, the listing on the eastern annex was removed by the council, when the property was sold to Mr Claybourn.

Since then, the campaign group has made three unsuccessful attempts to have the listing reinstated on the eastern portion of the building — which it said was crucial to its plans to reopen the Henry Jenkins as a community facility comprising a pub, bistro and coffee shop.

HJCP chair Richard Sadler said:

“Harrogate Borough Council quite rightly has rigorous policies to protect and enhance community facilities ‘unless it can be clearly demonstrated … there is no reasonable prospect of the existing use continuing on a viable basis with all options for continuance having been reasonably explored’.

“Well in this case there is every chance the Henry Jenkins Inn can be revived and refurbished as a community-owned pub and restaurant. More than 170 villagers have banded together and raised more than £230,000 in pledges and shares and we should now be in a strong position to qualify for another £230,000 in government match funding.”

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Case for re-opening ‘stronger than ever’

Mr Sadler added that the case for regenerating the 250-year-old Henry Jenkins was stronger now than ever, with the pandemic leading to increased awareness of the importance of places for people to meet up and socialise.

“Here in Kirkby Malzeard, as elsewhere, we have more people working from home, many more new houses are planned and there’s an urgent need for a broader range of facilities.

“A revitalised Henry Jenkins would boost the local economy – providing jobs, encouraging people to go out more in the village and attracting more visitors to the area.

“We already have one pub – the Queen’s Head – but this is one of the largest villages in the area and all the evidence suggests there is room for a different type of pub serving a different clientele.

“We trust that our elected representatives will do the right thing by sticking to their policies and putting the long-term interests of the wider community above those of a private developer looking to make a quick profit.”

May 5 date set for first North Yorkshire Council elections

Elections will take place on May 5 to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

The current two-tier system, where North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council provide different services locally, will be replaced by a single-tier system with one council in charge of England’s largest county.

A Structural Changes Order laid before Parliament, which paves the way for the elections, has confirmed the new council will be called North Yorkshire Council.

Councillors elected in May will serve on North Yorkshire County Council until April 1 2023 when they will move over to the new council.

Existing Harrogate borough councillors will remain in place until North Yorkshire Council is created.

There will be 90 new councillors in North Yorkshire Council, representing 89 divisions.

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Conservative Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council said:

“This is an exciting moment for North Yorkshire and one which I hope people will look back on in the future as a game-changer for the county’s economic fortunes. The new single council will give our county a much stronger voice regionally and nationally and allows us to bring together the very best of all eight councils to build the best possible new one.

“These are very important elections, because the councillors voted in this May will serve the final year of the county council and then they will be the voice of the people for the first four years of the new single council.”

Background to the shake-up

The government announced on July 21, 2021 there would be a new single council for North Yorkshire.

The first day of the new North Yorkshire Council will be 1 April 2023.

On the first day of the new council, the current North Yorkshire County Council, the borough councils of Harrogate and Scarborough and the district councils serving Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Selby will cease to exist.

Until then all eight councils in the county will continue to run their own services and make their own decisions, while working together on the change programme.

Plan to build 26 homes on former Masham livestock mart

Developers have submitted plans to build 26 homes on a former Masham livestock mart.

The site off Leyburn Road in the town operated as a livestock mart for farmers until it closed in 2006.

Now, Ripon-based Briahaze Village Homes Ltd has lodged plans to Harrogate Borough Council to build houses on the site.

In documents submitted to the council, the proposal would see 26 homes built, ranging from one-bedroom townhouses to five-bedroom detached properties.

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The developer said that the site had stood empty for some time and the plan would help to redevelop the land.

In its planning statement, the developer said:

“The site has been vacant for a lengthy period as the need for local markets has evolved and there is no opportunity for the livestock mart to reopen. 

“The property has been marketed but not had any serious interest. Instead, the applicant seeks approval for the redevelopment for residential development and make best use of this previously developed land.”

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

Infrastructure plan for 4,000 homes in west Harrogate ‘a missed opportunity’

A long-awaited plan to solve how the west of Harrogate’s roads, schools, and health services will cope with 4,000 extra homes has been branded a “missed opportunity”.

The comments have come from The Western Arc Coordination Group and Zero Carbon Harrogate, which had a meeting with council officers on Thursday to discuss  a draft version of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The Western Arc Coordination Group includes Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association (Hapara), Duchy Residents’ Association, Hampsthwaite Action Group, North Rigton Parish Council and Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council.

Proposed housing schemes in the area include the 1,000-home Windmill Farm development on Otley Road and 560 homes at Blue Coat Wood. The plan was written with input from developers, including Homes England and Gladman Developments.

It includes proposals for two new primary schools and a possible new GP surgery — which have been previously announced. The plan has yet to be released to the general public.

‘Almost as if no problems exist’

Rene Dziabas, chair of Hapara, told the Stray Ferret the plan “totally avoids the heart of the problem”.

At over 100 pages long, he said it lacked a summary at the start clearly explaining its purpose to address the area’s current “weak infrastructure”, such as roads.

He said:

“The purpose of this document is not made clear and totally avoids the heart of the problem in that an urban expansion is being proposed in a part of Harrogate with a weak infrastructure.

“There is no attempt at clearly stating what the problems are, and no attempt at associated analysis. HAPARA, as well as Pannal and Burn Bridge, North Rigton and Beckwithshaw Parish councils have been arguing this case for many years and there is no recognition within this document of their concerns. It is almost as if no problems exist. There needs to be a far clearer `entire West of Harrogate` context for this report.”

Mr Dziabas said that the WACG was disappointed the plan does not address how key arteries into the town, such as Otley Road, as well as country lanes around Pannal, Beckwithshaw and North Rigton, will cope with the inevitable increase in traffic.

Over 1,000 homes are set to be built on both sides of this section of Otley Road.

Mr Dziabas added:

“[Over the last eight years] there has been no improvement to the road system, many of which are country lanes, no real betterment of public transport, and little has happened on the active travel front which will only ever be a very small part of any overall solution”.

He added there needed to be “far more” in the plan about improvements to bus services.

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Secondary school places

The Stray Ferret reported this month that nearly 700 secondary school places will be needed in Harrogate and Knaresborough by 2025/26 to keep up with demand caused by new housing.

Mr Dziabas said the new homes would put further pressure on Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School in particular.

He said:

“Whilst primary schools are covered in this document, little mention is made of secondary school places. The west of Harrogate has two busy secondary schools, and both are at or above capacity.”

Car culture

Jemima Parker, chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret the plan contained a “major omission” around energy for new homes, with no mention of onsite renewable energy, solar panels, small wind turbines or ground source heat pumps.

With spiralling energy costs, Ms Parker said greener homes would make people more resilient to the volatile market.

She said:

“There are pages and pages about design, but not a single mention of building design for energy-efficient homes, like passive houses. This ignores the council’s own planning policy guidance as set out in the Local Plan. We want residents’ homes to be built to zero-carbon standards now, not needing to be retrofitted later, and for low-carbon construction materials to be used.”

A passive house on Bogs Lane in Harrogate

Ms Parker believes the plan focuses too heavily on car-friendly developments.

“We are saddened to see that the plan still has a car culture, reliant on private ownership rather than shared transport and active travel. Given the location on the West of Harrogate we would like to see an imaginative ‘work from home’ settlement, picking up on the 15-minute neighbourhoods seen in other UK towns with plenty of access to car clubs.

“Overall it is disappointing the west of Harrogate may miss out on the opportunity to be designed appropriately both to reduce its carbon footprint and to be resilient to our changing climate.”

Council’s response

The draft plan is still to be ratified by the council.

A council spokesperson said:

“The development of west Harrogate provides an exciting opportunity to deliver quality place-making, a wide-range of private and affordable homes to meet the current housing demand, while also ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure to support these future communities.

“Once approved, the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan will create clear goals and objectives by identifying what infrastructure is required. For example, first-class community facilities, school provision, green infrastructure and sustainable travel opportunities.

“A number of suggestions have already helped shaped the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and I’d like to thank those local residents groups and parish councils for their valuable feedback.”

Harrogate district businesses urged to apply for £6,000 covid grants

Harrogate district businesses most impacted by the Omicron variant are being urged to apply for one-off grants of up to £6,000.

Firms in the district’s key hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors – many of which have been hit by cancellations and a drop in footfall during the latest Covid wave – can apply to Harrogate Borough Council for the cash support until February 14.

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is for eligible businesses that are registered and is based on the rateable value of premises.

Those with a rateable value of up to £15,000 will receive £2,667, while those with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 will get £4,000.

Businesses with a rateable value above £51,000 will get the maximum amount of £6,000.

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There has also been extra funding announced through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme to support covid-hit businesses, including those that are not eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.

This funding requires local councils to design and adopt their own scheme – and Harrogate Borough Council said applications will open by January 27 and close on February 14.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at the council, said: 

“To date, we’ve distributed more than £94 million to some 1,500 businesses to support them throughout the covid-19 pandemic. Often at a time when the funds provide an important relief during a very stressful period.

“I’d urge eligible businesses to apply for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant before the closing date of February 14.

“Applications for the Additional Restrictions Grant – to support other businesses most impacted by the Omicron variant – will also open by the end of the week and again will close on February 14.

“We will be working hard to process each application as quickly as possible and will make every effort within the government guidance to support as many businesses as possible.”

For more information on how to apply go to the Harrogate Borough Council website.

Harrogate’s first street ranger given licence to ‘fight grime’

Harrogate Business Improvement District has given its new street ranger a licence to fight grime.

It may not be as glamorous a role as James Bond’s, but street ranger Chris Ashby is set to become a familiar figure in the town centre.

Mr Ashby’s job is to give visitors a better first impression of Harrogate by cleaning, painting and pointing out anti-social behaviour.

His work is in addition to Harrogate BID’s four major deep-cleans in a year and Harrogate Borough Council’s usual street cleaning work.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said the role was a key part of the organisation’s ambition to create a ‘safe, clean and welcoming’  town centre. He added:

“Harrogate is the jewel in Yorkshire’s crown, and Chris will be there to give it an extra sparkle.

“The council already does a great job in terms of ridding pavements of litter, and Chris will be building on their day-to-day work.

“His battery-powered vehicle will carry a variety of tools including brushes, bin bags and a power washer allowing him to quickly react to any unsightly or hazardous incident that businesses might report, and what and he sees with his own eyes.”

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Mr Ashby said:

“Living in Harrogate, I’m aware of a what a very special town it is.

“I’m really looking forward to taking on this new role with Harrogate BID and getting to know business owners and levy payers as I carry out my grime fighting duties.”