Revealed: the three Harrogate district sites that could become investment zones

North Yorkshire County Council revealed today it has selected three possible sites in the Harrogate district to become investment zones.

The sites are: junction 47 of the A1; Potter Space Ripon, a business park at Junction 50 of the A1 and Harrogate Convention Centre.

The government has said the zones, which will receive liberalised planning laws and tax incentives for businesses, will support business and economic growth.

But they have been criticised by conservation organisations because of the potential impact on wildlife.

Last month, North Yorkshire County Council was named as one of 38 local authorities in talks with the government over creating investment zones.

Today, the county council named the 12 commercial sites it had identified for possible zones in North Yorkshire.

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Of the seven districts within the county, only Selby, where five sites have been identified, has more locations than the Harrogate district.

Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council.

Carl Les

Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the county council, said:

“We are at a very early stage in the process, but this could be an exciting and welcome initiative that would enable us to work with the government to deliver benefits for the North Yorkshire economy.

“Following discussions with our district council colleagues, we are submitting an expression of interest. This identifies a number of sites across the county that we feel fit the criteria from government. We look forward to further negotiations with Government following our submission.”

Full list of sites in North Yorkshire

The sites identified in the expression of interest are:

Cllr Les said:

“The sites we are putting forward for consideration are locations that have already been earmarked for commercial development to support business growth and job creation. The proposed benefits of investment zones could help to make these sites even more attractive to new businesses and accelerate development ambitions.

“We are fully aware of the need to minimise any environmental impacts, so all the sites we are putting forward have been selected in accordance with local planning and conservation policy. None are sensitive or protected sites.”

Proposed sites must meet the Government’s criteria to offer a significant economic opportunity, be ready to deliver quickly and align with the wider local strategy.

Once the government has received the expressions of interest from invited authorities, further criteria will influence site selection, including consideration of the overall geographic distribution of investment zones, the balance between residential and commercial, and urban and rural sites and the readiness to deliver.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK tour set to sashay into Harrogate this weekend

There is set to be some glitz and glamour injected into Sunday evening as Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK sashays into Harrogate.

The tour of the popular BBC Three show is hitting the convention centre at 8pm, with all 12 queens from series three appearing live on stage.

Acclaimed for its impressive production values, the audience can “expect the unexpected in this glittering tour”, which will include series three finalists Kitty Scott-Claus, Krystal Versace, Vanity Milan and Ella Vaday.

Ben Hatton, director of theatre touring for event promoter Cuffe and Taylor, said:

“RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is an exciting show and it will undoubtedly be an incredible and outrageous night of live entertainment.”

Tickets are available here.

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Loss of 15-day festival will have ‘limited’ economic impact on Harrogate

The director of Harrogate Convention Centre has said the loss of the 15-day International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival will have a “limited additional economic impact” on hotels in the town.

Festival directors Janet and Neil Smith announced last week they will stage next year’s event at Buxton Opera House in Derbyshire from July 29 to August 12.

Harrogate’s Royal Hall had hosted the festival, which attracts thousands of visitors from around the world, since 2014. It provided a major boost to the town’s hospitality sector.

The directors claimed the cost of the Royal Hall had doubled and that no compromise had been forthcoming. By contrast, Buxton Opera House had “pulled out every stop to accommodate the festival,” they claimed.

The absence of Gilbert and Sullivan aficionados for 15 days will be keenly felt by numerous Harrogate hotels, bed and breakfasts, bars and restaurants. But Paula Lorimer, director of the convention centre, said the summer timing would reduce the impact.

Ms Lorimer also said the event had received “a discount of over 90% on venue hire”.

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In a statement, she said:

“Over the past eight years, Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall has been proud to have supported the Gilbert and Sullivan festival to the tune of over £200k of in-kind services and support.

“We have also supported the festival with a discount of over 90% on venue hire.

“We tried to explore with the organisers how their event could change to reduce the costs to the venue however the organisers wished to retain the same event with the same levels of support despite dwindling numbers attending.

“Our feedback from the hospitality sector indicated that the timing of the festival, in the middle of the summer holidays, was at time when hotels are generally at capacity resulting in limited additional economic impact from the festival.

“We regret to see them leave but respect their commercial decision and wish the festival all the best for their future.”

Major blow to hospitality sector as Harrogate loses 15-day festival

The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is to be moved from Harrogate to Buxton after the organisers claimed the cost of the venue doubled.

The Royal Hall hosted the event annually from 2014, except when it was cancelled due to covid.

It attracted thousands of visitors from around the world and provided a major summer boost for Harrogate’s hospitality sector.

But next year’s 15-day event will be held at Buxton Opera House in Derbyshire from July 29 to August 12 instead.

Bernard Lockett, one of the festival organisers, said:

“Last week, festival directors Janet and Neil Smith were presented with Harrogate Convention Centre‘s new costings for 2023, which would see overall costs double, making the festival in its present form impossible to stage. With no compromises forthcoming, there was sadly no option but to leave the town.

“The decision was not taken lightly. The festival has invested heavily in growing the festival in the town, and we know our visitors, who travel from all around the world every year, will certainly miss Harrogate, and particularly the magnificent Royal Hall.”

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An email from the organisers to festival supporters last week said Buxton Opera House, “pulled out every stop to accommodate the festival, ensuring a sustainable future for this important event”.

The event moved to Harrogate in 2014.

The festival was first staged in Buxton in 1993 before moving to Harrogate. The email said:

“We are immensely sorry to leave so many fantastic friends in Harrogate and the magnificent Royal Hall theatre.

“Buxton is, and always will be, the spiritual home of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival.  We are excited to return and look forward to seeing everyone there next year.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Harrogate Borough Council, which manages the Royal Hall, for comment.

 

 

Harrogate to host Green Party conference this month

Over 1,000 Green Party members will be coming to Harrogate this month for the party’s autumn conference.

It will take place at Harrogate Convention Centre from September 30 to October 2.

The conference theme is ‘The pathway to a fairer, greener country’ and topics will include the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis.

The Greens last came to Harrogate for their autumn conference in 2017.

The party had a successful local elections in May, winning five seats on North Yorkshire County Council, including Arnold Warneken in Ouseburn.

Co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay will be delivering a keynote speech at 2pm on the first day of the conference.

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Council explores move to protect Harrogate Convention Centre with limited company status

Harrogate Convention Centre could come under the control of a limited company as part of a potential bid by the borough council to protect its most prized asset.

With the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council fast approaching, the convention centre is set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council next April as the venue also pushes ahead with plans for a £49 million redevelopment in the face of growing competition.

But borough council bosses have this week revealed they are working with consultants on new models for how the venue could be run.

This includes the possibility of creating a limited company which would be run by a board of directors, including senior staff and councillors, although it would still be owned and funded by the new North Yorkshire Council.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a meeting on Monday that events venues in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow operate in this way and that this “would be my recommendation”.

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Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, also said the convention centre could follow the “success” of the district’s leisure centres which were brought under the control of the council’s new leisure company Brimhams Active last year. He said:

“Clearly our view is that Brimhams has been a success in terms of creating a local authority controlled company – it has got a very clear focus and strategic vision.

“There is now a model in place which gives it a degree of freedom to operate, notwithstanding the fact that there is a board with representation from the borough council.”

Mr Sampson also stressed that the council was looking into a variety of different business models for the convention centre and that this work with consultants KPMG “hasn’t concluded yet”.

As well as Brimhams Active, the council’s tourism company Destination Harrogate is also set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council.

But what will happen to the companies after this major change for local government in seven months’ time remains unclear as council staff continue to plan how all services across North Yorkshire should be run in the future.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, said she was worried that decisions about the convention centre “won’t be in our hands” without a limited company and that she had seen the benefits that such a move could bring as a board member on Brimhams Active. She said:

“We need to have that business as most councillors think the convention centre underpins the economy of this town.

“Without it, I wouldn’t like to think how Harrogate would be.”

The proposed £49 million redevelopment of the convention centre recently moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the major plans is still just under a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The proposals come after warnings that the venue “may fail to survive” and suffer losses of up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

£49m Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment plans move to final design stage

The redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre has moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the £49 million plans is still a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The convention centre is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council which will hand over ownership of the venue after warning it “may fail to survive” without investment.

It said the convention centre – which is a key driver of business to the district’s hospitality and tourism trades – could lose up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

That warning was put to members of the borough council’s cabinet on Wednesday when they approved spending £3.3 million to progress final designs.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at the borough council, told a meeting that the redevelopment would enhance the appearance of the 40-year-old building and improve access to its auditorium.

He said:

“But absolutely critically, it would replace the ageing and failing mechanical and electrical facilities which we will have to do regardless of whether this scheme goes ahead.”

“The reality is we can’t do nothing as we would still require many millions of pounds of investment just to keep the venue ticking over”.

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The convention centre competes with venues in Manchester, Birmingham, London and other major cities for events. And now there is a new threat much closer to home after plans for a Leeds conference venue were revealed.

Those proposals for the site of the former Yorkshire Bank HQ were set for approval by Leeds City Council last week until a wave of objections from Harrogate Convention Centre and the town’s business leaders delayed the decision.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, criticised the city council for an “absence of dialogue” on the plans which she fears will have a big impact on Harrogate’s place in the “very competitive” events industry.

She also told Wednesday’s meeting:

“The convention centre’s role is to protect and create jobs for Harrogate, and to ensure it does not become a seasonal town and shut in the winter.

“Although the venue has retained many loyal clients over the years, increasing competition and growing operating costs have resulted in us having a major rethink of what our offer actually is.

“We need to innovate to recapture our position in the market and I very much believe this is achievable.”

The next stages of the proposed development will see designs produced by next May, before final costs are revealed the following month.

If approved, construction works would start later in the year with completion in November 2024.

How Harrogate objections have halted Leeds conference venue – for now

When Leeds City Council met to approve plans for a new conference venue last week, the authority would have hoped for a straightforward decision.

But that was not the case after a flurry of objections came in at the eleventh hour from Harrogate groups who fear the proposals could drive business away from the town and its convention centre.

Those objections were spearheaded by Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, who slammed a study which suggested the impact of the Leeds venue would be minimal as “flawed, inaccurate, out of date and in some areas, totally wrong”.

The proposals for the former Yorkshire Bank HQ were submitted in March and Ms Lorimer claimed there had been an “absence of dialogue” from Leeds City Council.

She said she only found out about the plans last week – just days after they had been recommended for approval.

Yet the city council hit back by saying Ms Lorimer and Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive Wallace Sampson had been alerted to the proposals months before they were submitted.

A city council officer said:

“This was August last year… we haven’t heard anything since.”

Ms Lorimer responded to say the proposed venue was now a third bigger than originally planned and that the study which suggested up to 6% of trade could be diverted away from Harrogate Convention Centre had been underestimated by 50%.

She told last Thursday’s meeting:

“We would have expected to be consulted in advance of this application.

“If this had taken place we may have avoided having to take the route we have done today by objecting.

“Unfortunately we were left with no choice.”

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Harrogate Borough Council’s tourism body Destination Harrogate and the town’s Crown Hotel have all come out against the plans.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate Business Improvement District are also objecting.

In a letter to the city council, Destination Harrogate said the Leeds venue could have a “hugely detrimental impact” on Harrogate’s tourism offer which it described as the “very lifeblood of this town”.

Harrogate Convention Centre.

Harrogate Convention Centre.

The letter also said it is “essential” that a proposed £49 million development of Harrogate Convention Centre is supported, while the Leeds plans should be “re-evaluated”.

It said:

“Failure to do so exposes the Harrogate district and its hospitality sector to significant employment threats and economic damage.”

‘Just taking 1% will have an impact’

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, also said in another letter: 

“Harrogate Convention Centre plays a significant role in the Harrogate district’s economy – it attracts visitors from all over the world to events, exhibitions and shows.

“It helps support a wealth of businesses – hotels, guest houses, restaurants and in turn their suppliers and it brings jobs.

“Having worked in the hospitality sector, I know how vital Harrogate Convention Centre is to Harrogate town centre, and even taking 1% of trade will have an impact on the town and businesses.”

Bringing a conference venue to Leeds has been a long term ambition of the city council which will no doubt be determined to push ahead with the plans.

The question is how much weight it will give to the objections from Harrogate Convention Centre, business groups and the borough council which have always been considered friendly neighbours to Leeds.

The proposals will now be brought back to another meeting of the city council in September.

Fears for Harrogate Convention Centre if new Leeds venue goes ahead

Senior figures in Harrogate are angry with plans to build a multi-use conference centre in Leeds, as they fear it could drive business away from the North Yorkshire town.

Provisional plans to build an events space on the doorstep of Leeds Arena were discussed at a meeting by the city’s councillors on Thursday.

But Harrogate Convention Centre, Destination Harrogate and the town’s Crown Hotel have all come out against the scheme.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) are also objecting.

An independent study commissioned by Leeds City Council suggested the impact on Harrogate Convention Centre would be minimal.

That is hotly disputed by the objectors.

Speaking to Leeds councillors at Thursday’s meeting, Paula Lorimer, centre director at the convention centre, said the study was “flawed, inaccurate, out-of-date and in some areas totally wrong”.

She claimed it had under-estimated the adverse impact on the centre itself by around “50 per cent” and relied on out of date figures.

Ms Lorimer also said there was upset in Harrogate over an “absence of dialogue” from Leeds City Council about the scheme. She claimed she’d only found out about the plans at the end of last week – just four days before they were due to potentially be approved in principle.

She told councillors:

“We would have expected to be consulted in advance of this application.

“We are hoping this is an inadvertent oversight (that we weren’t).

“If this had taken place we may have avoided having to take the route we have done today by objecting. Unfortunately we were left with no choice.”

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The meeting was told that Harrogate Borough Council‘s chief executive and Ms Lorimer had been made aware of the original plans last year, but that no response had been forthcoming.

But Ms Lorimer said that the proposed centre was now a third bigger in size than had been originally touted last year.

If approved, the venue would be built on land vacated by the planned demolition of the old Yorkshire Bank HQ on Clay Pit Lane, which is now redundant.

Two blocks of student flats would also flank the venue on either side. That aspect of the development is less controversial with the Harrogate objectors having stated they’re not opposed to that.

Councillors voted to defer the application until next month before making a decision.

Harrogate Convention Centre ‘could lose £250 million without investment’

A council report has warned Harrogate Convention Centre will suffer huge losses of £250 million unless a major redevelopment is carried out.

The ageing centre is facing a pivotal moment in its 40-year history as it presses ahead with renovation plans while competition from new conference venues – including one planned for Leeds – ramps up.

Harrogate Borough Council owns the venue and has proposed an investment project which could cost £49 million in what would mark the single biggest spend by the authority in its lifetime.

Without this, the council has warned the centre will “fall behind in the market” and “may fail to survive”.

£250 million losses

A report to a meeting of the council’s cabinet next week said the venue could be hit by £250 million losses over the next 40 years which would have to be subsidised by taxpayers.

The warning comes as the clock is ticking until the centre is handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council next April and as questions mount over how the redevelopment could be funded after cash was not included in a devolution deal for the county.

Harrogate Borough Council has also bid for convention centre cash from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

However, the maximum amount available per project is £20 million and Harrogate is ranked as a low priority area.

The report to next Wednesday’s meeting said: 

“The redevelopment of the Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC) site offers the only opportunity to modernise facilities, improve connectivity within and replace failing mechanical and electrical systems – and to turn around the financial performance.

“HCC plays an important role in the district’s and region’s economy, attracting visitors and significant spend each year.

“It is the only event venue in the Yorkshire and Humber region that is able to compete with major facilities in cities elsewhere, such as Liverpool, Manchester, Gateshead and Glasgow.”

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The new events venue planned for the former Yorkshire Bank HQ in Leeds highlights a growing conference industry which is seeing more venues compete for big events that local economies benefit hugely from.

Council officials have estimated that Harrogate Convention Centre attracts over 150,000 visitors a year, with an economic impact of more than £35 million.

But the venue’s own financial performance has been poor over the last decade when its annual revenue has decreased by an average of 3% per year.

That is according to the new report which described the centre as “underutilised” and said increasing competition and operating costs have resulted in a need to “rethink” its offer.

Redevelopment plan

The redevelopment plans include a major refurbishment of event areas and upgrades to the venue’s heating and ventilation systems.

There are also plans to create a flexible events space for up to 1,200 people. These works were due to start in October after a warning that the centre could miss out on several big events next year, however, the plans have now been delayed.

The next stages of the redevelopment will see a £3.3 million contract awarded for further design, price and programming works.

More than £1.5 million has already been spent on the project before a final decision has been made. This is scheduled for July or August next year – meaning it will be the new North Yorkshire Council which will decide whether to proceed.

If approved, construction on a first phase of works would start in September 2023 for just over a year.

Harrogate Borough Council estimates the upgrades would increase the centre’s visitor numbers from 147,000 in 2020 to 192,000 in 2040, with profits of £29 million over a 40-year period.

The report added: 

“Investment in HCC will attract business visitors, support significant employment, encourage conversion of business to repeat leisure visitors and support inward investment.

“The redevelopment has the potential to provide a significant place-shaping, cultural and economic boost to the region.”