Fears for Harrogate district’s first-time buyers despite 50% discount scheme

There are fears that many first-time buyers will still struggle to afford the Harrogate district’s high property prices despite a new national scheme offering up to 50% discounts.

First Homes aims to support the sale of new homes to people in the district, which is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times average incomes.

Discounts of at least 30% can be knocked off market prices under the scheme, but councils can increase this to either 40% or 50% if they can “demonstrate a need”.

The scheme has been hailed by government as a move to help people get on the property ladder, many of whom will be key workers such as NHS, care home and supermarket staff.

But with the average property price paid in Harrogate last year rising to £395,526, there are fears that the current housing boom and years of rising prices will mean home ownership will still be out of reach for many – even with the top discounts.

Conservative-controlled Harrogate Borough Council has backed the scheme but described it as “problematic” and said it is “highly unlikely” that first-timer buyers will be able to afford new builds in the district.

There are further concerns that the scheme will slow the delivery of much-needed rental homes, which around 1,800 Harrogate district households have registered for.

This is because First Homes requires housebuilders to nominate a proportion of their properties for sale discounts – and this could mean renters miss out.

People needing rented homes ‘will lose out’

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on the council, said it is these households which can only afford to rent that are in the greatest need:

“Our residents needing affordable rented homes will lose out and Harrogate will suffer from not having the mix of residents that will sustain our economy and fill our important key worker roles.

“We question whether this is the most effective way of meeting overall needs if it displaces other tenures which are needed.”

The scheme is for first-time buyers only and does restrict some households with a combined annual income of more than £80,000 from applying.

There are also price caps which mean that after the discount has been applied, the buyer cannot be required to pay more than £250,000.

Those who can afford to buy a First Home without a mortgage are not eligible, and there are further measures aimed at preventing people buying the homes as an investment.

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The scheme launched last year and has recently been backed by Harrogate Borough Council, which said it would publish more information online and use it as a tool to decide planning applications.

Speaking when the scheme launched, former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said:

“First Homes will offer a realistic and affordable route into home ownership for even more people who want to own their own home.

“These homes will be locked in for perpetuity to first-time buyers and key workers from their local area – making them an asset to both their owners and the wider local community.”

Harrogate council should have acted quicker on Dunlopillo housing plans, review finds

A review has found Harrogate Borough Council should have acted quicker on controversial housing plans for the derelict Dunlopillo building in Pannal.

Residents, councillors and Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones all criticised the council when it approved plans for 48 apartments at the site last September.

The decision was made at officer level and without a vote from councillors, which led to the council launching an internal review into how it handled the plans submitted under rules called permitted development rights.

A report has now concluded a “longer period of time than ideal” was spent on parts of the process.

It also said residents should have been consulted with sooner and that this could have allowed time for a vote from councillors.

Despite this, the council said the plans were still “appropriately considered”.

A council spokesperson said:

“The lessons learnt review regarding the former Dunlopillo site in Pannal found that the case was appropriately considered by officers and determined in-line with the appropriate legislation.

“It was acknowledged that some internal process areas could be strengthened, including prioritisation of such applications in the future and a greater overview by senior officers.”

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The report explained that extra time was spent on the application because it was the first the council had received under permitted development rights, which fast-track the conversion of empty buildings into homes.

Since the plans were passed new proposals have since been submitted for the Station Road site with a reduced number of apartments to replace the derelict office building which has been described as a “monstrosity”.

Echo Green Developments now wants to build 38 apartments at the site, which pillows and bedding manufacturer Dunlopillo moved out of in 2008.

The proposed building is still two-storeys higher than the existing offices – something which has been a key concern for residents who are fearful the development will have a major visual impact on the area.

‘Improvements could be made’

Mr Jones had urged residents to make their voices heard on the latest plans and has now welcomed the conclusion of the review.

He said: 

“I was pleased to see that the council had done an internal review on the matter and concluded that, although all the correct factors were taken into account in reaching a decision, there were improvements in the process that could be made.

“I know planners have a difficult job with ever-changing laws and guidance. I know too that they rarely have to take decisions on issues which are uncontroversial.

“That is why I am really encouraged that they have taken the time to look back, evaluate and implement changes in regard of this brand-new class of permitted development.”

Mr Jones added: 

“After the initial submission which prompted my concerns over the decision-making process, the applicants submitted a new proposal for the Dunlopillo site.

“This superseded the earlier decision and time was available to get the application before a planning committee.

“I think this shows that not only did planners critically evaluate what had been done previously, but they implemented the positive changes identified in the report.

“I am grateful that they took this approach irrespective of the outcome of the process.”

A decision on the latest plans is expected this month.

North Yorkshire in line for education support under levelling up agenda

North Yorkshire has been designated as an area in need of further educational support as part of government plans.

Under its levelling up agenda, ministers will announce 55 new education investment areas designed to focus resources on schools where “educational outcomes are weakest”.

The Department for Education has listed North Yorkshire as one of the areas in its upcoming levelling up white paper.

Ninety-five per cent of those areas are outside London and the south east. Besides North Yorkshire, they include places such as Rochdale, Kirklees and Blackpool.

Ministers plan to offer retention payments in those areas to keep the best teachers and prioritise them for new specialist sixth form free schools.

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According to the white paper, the inventive would help “to ensure talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the highest standard of education this country offers”.

The paper will set a new national target to ensure 90% of children leaving primary school in England are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths by 2030.

Nadim Zahawi, education secretary, said:

“This white paper sets out our blueprint for putting skills, schools and families at the heart of levelling up. It focuses on putting great schools in every part of the country, training that sets you up for success in a high-skilled, well-paid career and ensuring no one misses out on opportunities simply because of where they live or their family background.

“Raising our expectations and aspirations for children, as well as creating a high-skilled workforce, will end the brain drain that sees too many people leaving communities in order to succeed. These plans will help create a level playing field and boost the economy, both locally and nationally.”

Pianist Stephen Hough to return to Harrogate next month

One of Britain’s leading pianists will perform in Harrogate next month.

Stephen Hough first performed at the Wesley Centre in 2006 and will return for a ninth time for an evening recital on March 3.

As well as being regarded as one of the pre-eminent pianists of his generation, Mr Hough has published 40 works, including four piano sonatas, and written a book.

In a programme that he will subsequently be giving at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and then in Tallinn and Miami, he will play works by four composers.

The recital will open with the 1938 bagatelles by the now-neglected British composer Alan Rawsthorne, followed by Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana.

After the interval Mr Hough will play his own partita before ending with a group of four Chopin favourites, ballade No 3, two nocturnes and the scherzo number 2.

Tickets cost £16 or £8 for people aged 16 and under and can be obtained in advance by emailing event organiser Andrew Hitchens at a.hitchen81@gmail.com.

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Knaresborough sci-fi author tells kids ‘Asperger’s does not define you’

A Knaresborough writer with Asperger’s Syndrome and attention-deficit disorder wants to show young people diagnosed with similar conditions that they will not stop them achieving their dreams.

Matt Wilkinson was only diagnosed with Asperger’s, a form of autism, in recent years.

He had always struggling academically but said his disorder never stopped him working towards his goal of becoming a writer.

Mr Wilkinson fell in love with writing at a young age whilst watching cult science fiction films, such as Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. They inspired him to write his first science fiction novel in 2017 called Drive Time.

It tells the story of three friends who invent a machine to send messages back in time in the hope of saving humanity from itself.

Mr Wilkinson is now working on a second novel, which he hopes to finish by the end of the year.

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He said:

“I’ve always loved writing, I remember in primary school we’d be asked to write a story and I would make mine the most extravagant I could. At school I was always difficult, I was really clever but I struggle to focus.

“I think it’s good for younger people to see that just because they may have autism it doesn’t mean they can’t succeed doing what they love.”

Mr Wilkinson works with APM UK as part of a government’s work and health programme to help people improve their employment skills.

He hopes it will help him find work writing for TV and film companies that understand his needs.

26 jobs saved with acquisition of Ripon firm Ebor Concretes

A total of 26 jobs in Ripon have been saved by the acquisition of troubled company Ebor Concretes.

The firm, which was founded in 1942 and is based at Ure Bank Top, went into administration late last year.

But it was announced today that Nottingham firm JP Concrete Products had acquired it.

Philip Cavalier-White, director of JP Concrete Products, said:

“We are delighted to have been able to secure the future for Ebor Concretes’ factory and staff.

“We saw great value in the team of people and are excited about the future as we develop the site and staff as part of our wider business.”

Leeds-based, Armstrong Watson’s restructuring and insolvency partners Rob Adamson and Mike Kienlen assisted with the accelerated sale of the business.

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In a statement today, Armstrong Watson said it worked in conjunction with BPI Asset Advisory to find two bidders keen to proceed with the acquisition. It added that ‘everything was heading in the right direction until the end of November, when the director unexpectedly passed away’.

However, the deal has now been finalised.

Mr Adamson said:

“Our job is to help people and businesses address their challenges and find solutions. The director’s sudden passing caused a few issues, however we worked with the family who were keen to proceed with the sale.

“The strategy was simple — keep the business trading whilst we tried to complete the sale process.”

Ebor Concrete, which designs and manufactures precast concrete products for UK structural and civil engineering construction projects, previously entered administration in 2019 with the loss of 30 jobs.

JP Concrete Products has been supplying precast concrete products to the construction and agricultural markets since 2007 and has sites in Nottingham, Devon, East Sussex, Liverpool and Yorkshire.

 

Hampsthwaite volunteers clear-up after tree falls in churchyard

Volunteers arrived at a Hampsthwaite churchyard today to clear debris left after a tree was urgently felled.

The centuries-old tree splintered during Storm Malik on Friday night, luckily avoiding graves in the cemetery at St Thomas a Becket Church.

But with some of the tree remaining, and Storm Corrie approaching, the decision was taken yesterday to fell the rest of it urgently in case it was blown over and damaged the graves.

Fortunately Darley tree surgeon Ross Hanley was able to fulfil the task before the winds picked up last night.

The clear-up operation of the fallen tree began today.

Today about 15 volunteers including a group from Community Payback, an initiative whereby offenders help with projects in their local communities, joined the clean-up operation.

Lead volunteer and Hamspthwaite resident Geoff Howard said:

“Ross Hanley was here to look at a tree that fell during Storm Arwen only a few weeks ago and he saw how close this one was to falling.

Luckily the branch that came down on Friday night fell between graves but if the full tree had fallen it could have caused damage to dozens and dozens of graves.”

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The graveyard has over 3,000 plots. The church also has a public right of way running through it.

Mr Howard said it would have been too dangerous to leave the tree in such a precarious position because of the risk it posed to people and the churchyard.

He thanked volunteers for dealing with the debris today and hoped the clean-up operation would be completed by the end of the day.

‘We all bolted… I didn’t think the wind was that strong,’ says car wash worker

A member of staff at a Harrogate district car wash has talked about the moment the roof came crashing down when Storm Malik struck on Saturday.

The Bubblerun Car Wash, on Harrogate Road, near Leathley, was open as usual at 11.30am when the incident occurred.

Fortunately, staff heard the roof begin to fall and managed to hastily get out of the way.

A customer, however, was still in his car as the roof came down. Staff moved fast to get him out and check he was OK as soon as the roof stopped moving.

Bubblerun Car Wash

The Bubblerun Hand Car Wash.

Staff member Alan Clemmit, said everyone was “lucky” to avoid being hurt. He said:

“It just collapsed. Bits of the corrugated plastic had flown off earlier on but we didn’t think the whole roof would come down. We all just bolted as soon as we heard it.

“I didn’t think the wind was that strong, it’s probably about 1.5 tonnes worth of weight that fell.”

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Mr Clemmit added the customer’s car was dented but no serious damage was done.

The car wash reopened today after staff returned on Sunday to help clear up the debris.

Man charged with drink driving after lorry crashes near Wetherby Services

A lorry driver has been charged with drink-driving after he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the central reservation of the A1(M) near Harrogate.

The Scania heavy goods vehicle was heading south on the road when the incident happened at 10.25pm on Friday.

It crashed into the barrier about half-a-mile before junction 46 near Wetherby Services.

The lorry blocked the middle and outer lanes until it was recovered at 1am on Saturday.

North Yorkshire Police and National Highways managed traffic past the scene during the recovery operation and collision investigation.

The 25-year-old driver, from Cahersiveen, Ireland, was arrested and later charged with driving whilst unfit through drink — according to police, a road-side test found him to be more than double the legal limit for alcohol.

He was also charged with driving without due care and attention and will appear before Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on 17 February 2022, 10am, court room 1.

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Tree planting across Harrogate district this weekend to mark Queen’s jubilee

Trees will be planted this weekend in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Boroughbridge as part of an initiative to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

The Queen’s Green Canopy, which was created as part of celebrations for the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.

Trees will be planted in Valley Gardens and on Wetherby Road in Harrogate, at Jacob Smiths Park in Knaresborough, at High Cleugh in Ripon, at Pateley Bridge Recreation Ground and at Boroughbridge Recreation Ground on Sunday.

All but one tree at each of the locations has been planted already. The final tree ones will planted this weekend to coincide with Her Majesty’s accession day.

Harrogate borough mayor, Councillor Trevor Chapman, will unveil the ceremonial tree in Valley Gardens, Harrogate at 2pm.

The Lord Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Johanna Ropner, will join Councillor Andy Paraskos to unveil the ceremonial tree at Boroughbridge Recreation Ground at 11am.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones will join the mayor of Knaresborough, Councillor Christine Willoughby, at Jacob Smith Park in Knaresborough at 1pm.

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Cllr Eamon Parkin, the mayor of Ripon and Cllr Mike Holt, the mayor of Pateley Bridge, will plant trees in their respective locations.

Species being planted include elm, oak, hornbeam, sycamore and lime.

Individuals, town and parish councils, community groups, schools, businesses and landowners will be encouraged to plant tress during the planting season from October to March.

White Rose Forest

The Queen’s Green Canopy will coincide with the council’s plans to plant thousands of trees in Bilton Beck Wood and Willow Wood, Harrogate and Upper Horse Shoe Fields, Knaresborough as part of the White Rose Forest partnership.

The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire being created by local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities.

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

“The Queen’s Green Canopy is a wonderful opportunity for us to not only honour Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee but also help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.

“Similar to the White Rose Forest project, we want to encourage as many people as possible in the district to get involved to improve air quality and biodiversity.”

Sarah Wells, community manager at Bettys & Taylors Group, which has supported the scheme, said:

“Trees remain very close to our hearts at Bettys & Taylors and we are delighted to support this unique project which not only highlights the importance of climate action, but also the positive impact of community collaboration. We hope that these trees will be enjoyed by residents and visitors to the area for many years to come.”