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. “

Business groups claim they’ve been ignored in Station Gateway consultation

Three business groups have accused North Yorkshire County Council of ignoring their views and the opinions of residents during the Station Gateway consultation.

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday that the county council is set to give the £10.9m project the green light at a meeting on Tuesday next week — even though the latest consultation revealed the majority of respondents feel negatively towards the scheme.

The gateway scheme will see major changes around Harrogate railway station, including single lane traffic on a stretch of Station Parade and  James Street partly pedestrianised to encourage walking and cycling.

In a joint letter to members of the county council’s executive, which has been recommended to approve the scheme, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Independent Harrogate warned that work on the scheme would create ‘another 12 months of major disruption and misery’ for businesses already struggling to get over covid.

The letter adds:

“Sadly, the views of the business community have been continually ignored. As have those of other key organisations, in particular Harrogate Civic Society and residents’ organisations who believe what is being proposed will not bring the benefits being espoused. The Conservative Party, of which you are a member, prided itself on being the party of business. Sadly, this doesn’t appear to be the case anymore!

“For the last two years, town centre businesses have suffered at the hands of the covid pandemic and now you are proposing to add at least another 12-months of major disruption and misery.

“For you it will be easy to support the proposal in front of you, as of next year North Yorkshire County Council will not exist in its current form and some of you may not even seek re-election.

“Before you cast your vote, we urge you to carefully consider the businesses in Harrogate town centre and their collective views.”

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The letter also questions the lack of an economic impact survey and says greater consideration should be given to the travel needs of people who come into Harrogate from nearby villages.

‘Welcome boost’ to town centre

The Harrogate scheme is one of three in Yorkshire being paid for by £42m from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“These proposals represent the biggest investment in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton town centres in decades.

“We want to encourage more people to travel by foot, bike and public transport because it is good for health and the environment by promoting fitness and reducing congestion.

“The spending will also provide a welcome boost for our town centres after two difficult years of trading during the pandemic.

“We have listened to feedback from the public consultations and are confident people will be pleased with the results.”

Harrogate Station Gateway set to be given go-ahead this month

Councillors look set to give the green light to the £10.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway in just over a fortnight’s time.

Work on the scheme, which aims to make the town centre more attractive to cyclists and pedestrians, is then likely to begin in spring or summer.

The designs are not expected to be amended significantly despite considerable opposition from residents and businesses.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is the lead partner, is set to make a decision on the gateway at its executive meeting on January 25.

Don Mackenzie

Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, told the Stray Ferret it was “likely” the initiative will be recommended for approval. He said:

“I am indeed expecting that the executive will be asked to make a decision on the Harrogate Gateway scheme at its next-but-one meeting on January 25.

“It is likely that a report will be presented with recommendations to proceed with the project.

“I do not expect the design to differ to any great extent from that which has been consulted upon last year, although we may give authority for minor changes as progress is made, should they be required. That is not unusual in such cases.

“All of this is dependent upon a positive decision to proceed.”

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Petition rejected

Last week the county council rejected a 714-signature petition by Harrogate Residents Association calling for the project to be halted.

The petition followed the publication of consultation responses, which revealed that of 1,320 people who replied to an online survey, 55% feel negatively, 39% positively and five per cent neutral towards the scheme. One per cent said they didn’t know.

Anna McIntee, co-founder of the group, accused the authority of “ploughing ahead” with the project without listening to concerns.

Station Gateway designs

How James Street would look.

But Harrogate District Cycle Action said in a statement at the same meeting that the gateway would be a “big step forward” towards a greener future.

Key proposals include reducing traffic to one lane on some of Station Parade and part-pedestrianising James Street to encourage cycling and walking.

Legal threat

Last month Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Harrogate Business Improvement District and Independent Harrogate, accused those behind the project of ignoring criticism and urged them to “put the brakes on”.

Businesses in Harrogate, concerned about the scheme’s impact on trade, are considering a legal challenge.

They had hoped a challenge could either stop the scheme or delay it long enough to jeopardise funding.

Station Gateway design

New cycle lanes would be built on Station Parade.

North Yorkshire County Council and partners Harrogate Borough Council, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have previously said that the Department for Transport, which is funding the Harrogate scheme and similar ones in Selby and Skipton through its Transforming Cities Fund, requires the projects be completed by March 2023.

But Cllr Mackenzie suggested this was not necessarily the case. He said:

“A contractor would need to be chosen before the start of construction. I am guessing that work would get underway in late spring or summer.

“Furthermore, I am confident that the initial deadline for completion of all the gateway schemes in North and West Yorkshire of March 2023 would be able to be extended.”

 

Harrogate hotel suffers £100,000 cancellations due to Omicron

A Harrogate hospitality business has claimed the government has thrown the industry “under the bus” since the Omicron variant hit the country.

Peter Banks, managing director of Rudding Park Hotel and Spa, said his business had seen £100,000 worth of cancellations due to covid recently.

He blamed mixed messaging from government and called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to offer more support to hospitality businesses.

Mr Banks told the Stray Ferret:

“The government’s lack of clarity has thrown the hospitality industry under the bus.

“They need to make a decision. They either come out with a clear message, go out or do not go out.

“I’m lucky that I have a wide enough base of business to draw upon, but there will be businesses that will struggle.”

Mr Banks added that most of his cancellations were corporate clients worried about the possibility of spreading covid among their employees.

He echoed calls from other hospitality firms across the country, which have urged Mr Sunak to offer more support, such as an extension to the VAT cut and business rates relief, to help the industry.

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Mr Banks said hospitality firms, especially those in city and town centres, “could do with some assistance”.

Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate Business Improvement District and owner of two local restaurants, said cancellation of Christmas parties was having a financial impact on Harrogate’s key hospitality sector.

She said:

“As soon the Prime Minister announced wearing masks in shops and on public transport was mandatory, hospitality industry trade began dropping away. And this was made worse with the work from home message.

“Christmas parties being cancelled at short notice is proving a financial nightmare, particularly as venues will have already ordered in the food and drink, and there’s no one taking these places.

“December is usually boom time for the hospitality trade, and many businesses rely on the takings from this month to see them through the quieter months of January and February.

“Sadly, for many this won’t be the case this year, and I fear that a number of businesses will be forced to close their doors come the new year.”

Ms Ferguson, who owns Sasso and Caffe Marconi, agreed that the industry needed support from Mr Sunak. She said:

“While there is no official lockdown yet, the message from politicians has resulted in the public shutting themselves away, and as a result there definitely needs to be some sort of financial support offered to the hospitality industry.”

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Walking through town this lunchtime there were plenty of empty tables in pubs, bard and restaurants.

“Within hours of the Prime Minister announcing we all had to wear facemasks in shops and on buses and trains, businesses started cancelling their staff Christmas parties at hotels. And that is continuing at a pace.

“However, it’s not just the venues themselves who have lost vital revenue from food and drink sales, it’s the suppliers and staff who are out of pocket too.

“And come January, when ‘bounce back’ loans start to be repaid, I think we could see a lot of businesses in real trouble.

“The health of the economy is in a critical condition, and there needs to be some form of emergency financial aid for these businesses who are suffering through to no fault of their own.”

Chancellor urged to support hospitality

Yesterday, the chancellor cut short a trip to California after holding talks with hospitality firms via video link.

Mr Sunak has been under growing pressure to come up with support for hospitality as record covid numbers hammer takings.

Previous support offered to businesses, such as furlough, has already ended, while a 12.5% VAT cut is set to finish in March.

UK Hospitality, which represents firms across the country, has also called for business rates in the first quarter of 2022 to be deferred.

The government has not placed any restrictions on hospitality firms amid rising covid cases. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people on Wednesday to “think carefully” before socialising.

Foxy Antiques wins Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition

Foxy Antiques & Interior has been named as the overall winner of the Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition

The shop, at the bottom of Commercial Street, beat 31 other entries.

Bettys, on Parliament Street, won the large shops category, The Yorkshire Soap Company, on James Street, won the medium shops category, and Foxy Antiques & Interiors was the winner in the small shops category

Judging took place on Thursday last week. The Rotary Club of Harrogate organised and carried out the judging, which involved 13 Rotarians, some with wives, two Soroptimists, and representatives from the Harrogate Business Improvement District, which supported the competition.

Graham Saunders, who organized the judging on behalf of the Rotary Club, said:

“The judges could see the effort that had gone into the window displays. Harrogate is lucky to have so many independent shops who enjoy taking part in the competition”.

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Sara Ferguson, chair of Harrogate BID, added:

“I’ve never seen Harrogate looking so festive, and a big part of this is down to the efforts of our town centre businesses.

“We hope that members of the public will want to view the winning and highly commended windows when they are next in town. To assist with this, we have created a Christmas Shop Window trail on our LoyalFree app.”

The presentation of certificates to the winning shops was carried out last night, Tuesday December 7, as part of a BID event in the Yorkshire Hotel.

Councillor Trevor Chapman, mayor of Harrogate. John Fordyce, president of the Rotary Club of Harrogate and Sara Ferguson, chair of the BID, handed out the certificates and congratulated the winning and highly commended shops.

Results

Retail Shops in Harrogate Town Centre

Overall Winner: Foxy Antiques & Interiors, 27 Commercial Street

Large Shop Winner: Bettys Café Tea Rooms, 1 Parliament Street

Highly Commended: Weetons Food Hall, 23/24 West Park

West Park Hotel, 19 West Park

Mama Doreen’s Emporium, 9 – 11 Station Square

Medium Shop Winner: The Yorkshire Soap Company, 1 James Street

Highly Commended: Helen James Flowers, 63 Station Parade

Montpellier Jewellers, 12 Monpellier Mews

Prey Four Ltd, 33 Swan Road

Small Shop Winner: Foxy Antiques & Interiors, 27 Commercial Street

Highly Commended: Sophie Likes, 36 Beulah Street

Susie Watson Designs, 2 Montpellier Gardens

Bijouled, 50 Parliament Street

 

£10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway ‘must focus’ on cycling and walking

The £10.9m secured for the Harrogate Station Gateway scheme must be spent on promoting cycling and walking, one of the councillors leading the initiative has said.

Yesterday a survey revealed most Harrogate businesses rejected the key proposals of reducing Station Parade to single lane traffic and pedestrianising James Street.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the project had been funded by the UK government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which was set up specifically to encourage sustainable travel.

Therefore, he added, cycling and walking “must be the focus of this scheme”.

He added:

“It would not be possible, for example, to focus solely on public realm improvements or parking.”

Polarised opinion

An online survey run by the councils supporting the scheme revealed 45% of 1,101 respondents were in favour of the full pedestrianisation of James Street and 49% favoured making Station Parade one lane.

It would therefore seem the scheme enjoys wider support among the general public than it does among businesses but the issue continues to polarise opinion as a second round of consultation looms.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“I would like to reassure the businesses that a principal reason for our current gateway schemes in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton is to make town centres more attractive places to visit and to boost the local economy in each town.

“With our partners, we undertook an extensive public consultation earlier this year on the initial proposals, in which all residents and businesses were able to give their views. This included events specifically designed to enable business groups, including Harrogate Business Improvement District, to give their feedback.

“The BID expressed the views now presented in its survey at that time, and these were taken into account as we prepared the revised proposals, as was the wider feedback we received from the community.

“A further planned consultation will be launched next month, in which all residents and businesses will be able to comment on the revised proposals. Again, there will be specific opportunities for businesses to comment.

“This will enable us to have a proper dialogue and help us to understand the issues behind the headline figures of the BID’s survey.

“In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the BID.”

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