Harrogate Borough Council Conservative councillor for Marston Moor Norman Waller has died.

Cllr Waller, who was 67, represented the ward since 2018 when he won the seat by over 800 votes. The ward includes the villages Tockwith, Cattal and Bilton-in-Ainsty.

He sat on several council committees and was also a former chair of Tockwith Agricultural Show.

A council spokesperson said:

“It is with great sadness to hear of the passing of councillor Norman Waller.

“Councillor Waller was a respected and admired councillor who represented the Tockwith ward for almost four years and served on licensing committee, general purposes committee and the overview and scrutiny commission, as well Tockwith and Wilstrop Parish Council as parish councillor.

“We offer our deepest condolences and sympathy to Councillor Waller’s family during this difficult time.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank added:

“Norman was fair-minded and well respected throughout the Tockwith community where he had been involved in many local groups and the parish council for many years.

“We were very sorry to hear about his sad death and our thoughts are with his wife and family at this difficult time. “He was always approachable and treated people fairly even if they had differing opinions on issues than the ones he held.”

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There will be an election for Cllr Waller’s seat in May. The seat will be part of the new shadow council that will serve until April 2023 when the new North Yorkshire Council is formed.

The Ministry of Defence has revealed plans to upgrade RAF Menwith Hill as part of a £2.8 billion project to improve United States military bases in the UK.

Last week, the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation appointed a consortium of building consultants, Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins, as a delivery partner for building works at RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The works are part of the United States Visiting Forces Infrastructure Programme.

An MOD spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the aim of the programme was to provide a base for American F-35 fighter jets at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk and to further support the US Air Force presence in the UK, which includes at RAF Menwith Hill on the outskirts of Harrogate.

As part of the programme, which will be paid for by the US government, various buildings at the base will be replaced or improved. The contract with Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins, could also be extended to eight years.

In response to a question this week from Leeds North West Labour MP Alex Sobel, the government revealed the works at Menwith Hill will cost $40m.

Steve Rix, programme director at the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said it would help the US military “execute missions” from the UK.

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Built in the 1950s, Menwith Hill is one of the United States’ largest overseas surveillance bases. Giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, are a distinctive feature of the 500-acre site

A campaign group has called the planned upgrades at RAF Menwith Hill “of concern”.

Martin Schweiger, a spokesperson for the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, said: 

“The news that a large contract is being let for substantial upgrades to the infrastructure at Menwith Hill is of concern. The specification of the upgrades has not, so far, been made available to the public.

“There is now a substantial and growing US military boot print across the UK that ties our military activity to what we are directed to do.

“The upgrades make it plain that this military occupation is set to continue for a long time into the future”.

Planning permission has been granted to convert the former covid vaccine centre and Lidl supermarket in Knaresborough into a gym.

The Lidl on York Road closed in 2018 when the supermarket relocated to a larger site nearby.

In February 2021, the site was taken over by Homecare Pharmacy Services, which administered thousands of covid jabs from a building in the car park until it moved in September to larger premises on Knaresborough’s Chain Lane.

Planning consultants Lichfields said it was not able to say which gym operator will be moving into the building at this stage.

Knaresborough is currently served by a variety of gyms, including Black Wolf Fitness, XS Fitness Club and Red Strength.

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Harrogate Borough Council is set to bring forward part of its redevelopment of the town’s convention centre over fears it may lose £475,000 in bookings.

A report due before the council’s cabinet next week will recommend setting aside £2.8 million from its reserves to accelerate creating “breakout rooms” in studio 2.

Paula Lorimer, director of the convention centre, said previously that bringing the studio part of the project forward needed to be a priority as it would be a “game changer”.

The work to studio 2 will include the creation of seminar rooms to cater for up to 1,200 people. Currently, the studio only caters for 570 delegates, which can deter some organisations from booking.

The work for studio 2 is now expected to be considered as a standalone project, while approval for the wider first phase of the project is likely to return before councillors at a later date.

The report to councillors says:

“If the studio 2 package is not ready by April 2023, the potential negative impact on the HCC order book would be significant.

“It is highly likely that the contracted events for the period 2023/24 would be lost, as without studio 2 these conferences would exceed the current breakout capacity of the venue.”

£12.9m hit to local economy

The council estimates that if the acceleration of studio 2 is not approved then the authority faces a loss in income of £475,000 and an associated economic impact on the district as a whole of £12.9 million.

This is because events for the convention centre are often booked 18 months in advance.

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Ms Lorimer told a cabinet meeting in December 2021 that there was a “strong case” to bring the studio project forward.

She said:

“We are lucky to have one of the largest and most gorgeous auditoriums in the country with just over 1,900 seats, but we only have breakout space for 570 people.

“These larger conference rooms that we are hoping to have in studio 2 will mean we will attract much larger conferences.

“We therefore believe there is a very strong case to accelerate this part of the project.”

The remainder of the project has yet to receive a final go-ahead from councillors and could cost up to £47 million over three phases if approved.

Other plans as part of the project could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Around £20 million would be needed to complete a first phase of redevelopment, with another phase later.

Pharmall Country Store in Killinghall has urged dog owners not to bring their pets into the shop due to a mystery virus.

There have been widespread reports of vomiting and diarrhoea affecting dogs across Yorkshire, including in Harrogate, in recent weeks.

The shop on Otley Road, which sells pet food and animal supplies, posted on its Facebook page yesterday that it has made the decision to reduce the chance of the virus spreading.

It said:

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The Harrogate Vet, on Leeds Road, told the Stray Ferret this month that its vets had seen a three-fold increase in dogs with gastroenteritis.

Sarah Woods, one of the vets at the practice, said:

“It is not unusual for viruses to spread but this is different in terms of the sheer number of unwell dogs we are treating — around a dozen a day.

“We do not want dog owners to panic or change anything they are doing.

“Dogs that have symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea just need to avoid popular areas to prevent the spread.”

The Harrogate district’s covid rate has increased again after another 278 cases were reported today.

Latest UK Health Security Agency figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average has risen to 1,117 per 100,000 people — an increase on yesterday’s figure of 1,088.

It remains above the county average, which is 999, and the England rate of 1,006.

The number of positive covid patients currently being treated at the hospital stands at 20.

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Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has found a new strain of the Omicron variant, known as BA.2, in Harrogate.

The variant was found in four tests from 101 carried out by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, which is funded by the Department of Health, in the week up to January 15.

However, the dominant strain of Omicron continues to make up most cases in the district.

The UK Health Security Agency has designated BA.2 as a variant under investigation.

With tomorrow’s lifting of Plan B restrictions, the Stray Ferret will no longer report daily updates on infections. However, we will continue to provide coverage on the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the Harrogate district.

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed it hasn’t issued any fines in the last 12 months for failing to clean up dog mess.

The council’s dog warden service urged people to report dog mess last week. In a post on Facebook, it said there had been “an increase in dog fouling across the whole district”, especially in Harlow Hill.

It added the Otley Road area around Beckwith Road, Nursery Lane and the ginnel from the Shepherd’s Dog Pub to the allotments was “particularly bad”.

The council can issue fixed penalty notices of up to £80 for dog fouling. However, it struggles to catch anyone in the act.

This week it told the Stray Ferret it had not issued any fines for dog fouling in the last year or the previous year either.

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A council spokesperson said:

“Dealing with the issue of dog fouling is very resource intensive and requires us having people in the right place at the right time to catch someone committing an offence within the 505 square miles of the Harrogate district.

“We are very fortunate that the vast majority of people who live here or come to visit take considerable pride in the appearance of the area. Because of this they do the right thing and pick up after their dog and dispose of it responsibly.

“Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in in particular areas and would encourage residents witnessing someone not picking up after their dog to report it to us so we can focus our patrols to try and prevent it from happening.”

The Harrogate district’s first Pret A Manger looks set to open.

The Stray Ferret understands the sandwich shop franchise will open on Harrogate’s James Street in the unit currently occupied by Messums Yorkshire, a gallery curated by artist Johnny Messum.

It is not yet known precisely when Pret will open but it is believed to be some time in March.

Besides sandwiches, Pret is also known for coffee so its arrival will add to the wide range of options available for caffeine fans.

The landlord of the unit was not available for comment but a well placed source told the Stray Ferret that Pret would be arriving soon.

Photograph: @messumsyorkshire, Instagram

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In the last six months, James Street has seen numerous retail units open and close; Hotel Chocolat opened a cafe in October; this was followed by a new yoga studio Ebru Evrim arriving in the former Laura Ashley building. Harrogate Discount Store is due to close this week.

Pret currently has over 450 cafes in England, with 310 of those in London. Currently, the closest to Harrogate is in Leeds.

The Harrogate district’s covid rate has increased again after another 278 cases were reported today.

Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average has risen to 1,088 per 100,000 people — slightly up on yesterday’s figure of 1,075.

It remains above the county average, which is 982, and the England rate of 998.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

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The number of positive covid patients currently being treated at the hospital stands at 20.

The government will lift covid Plan B restrictions on Thursday. It means mandatory face coverings will no longer be required and vaccine passports for large scale events will be removed.

Paradise Tap and Taco Bar is to close — but the owners have said they are determined to find a permanent home for the pop-up shop in Harrogate.

The Mexican-themed bar initially opened as a three-month pop-up next door to Cold Bath Brewery Co in October 2020. It has survived 16 months but the tenancy is now coming to an end.

Co-owners Ellie Stott and Josh Molloy said Paradise would now go “on tour” as they hatched plans for kitchen pop-ups over the coming months. Paradise is taking over Rooster’s kitchen from Tuesdays to Thursdays until easter.

Ms Stott said:

“After 10 years each in hospitality we’ve made the bar we would want to drink in and I think that’s why we love it here so much. It was a bit of weird timing but we’ve learnt so much doing it through this period, we’re just winging it everyday but it’s going well so far.”

The bar’s current home on King’s Road.

End of a “golden era”

The Harrogate-born entrepreneurs said the pop-up was a “golden era” for them but they are now focusing on finding a permanent home in the town.

The pair say they hope to open a new venue by summer and will spend the time until then developing their menu and hosting pop-ups. Ms Stott said:

“We’re going for a big, long lease, 10 years ideally. We definitely will open this year, ideally summer, it’s just finding the right space. We have regulars that have become friends.”

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The bar serves a variety of Mexican foods such as tacos, burritos and enchiladas as well as craft beers and spirits.

Ms Stott added:

“This is just the beginning. It’s been a really good way to see if this plan works, and it really does. People do like what we’re doing, it can be really overwhelming hearing people’s compliments.”

The bar will close for good on Sunday, February 6 and will hold a closing party the night before.