What is green belt land and how would Harrogate look without it?

It was first introduced in the 1960s to stop urban sprawl and protect Harrogate’s countryside from being dug up for developments.

The green belt is protected areas of rural land where the building of new homes and businesses is only allowed in special circumstances.

Its supporters say green belts have preserved landscapes across the country, while critics claim they protect the rich, stop houses being built and encourage commuting by cars.

But what would Harrogate look like if its protected areas of land had never been created?

36,000 acres of greenbelt

The green belt covers almost 36,000 acres across the district – equivalent to 11% of the total area.

It stretches along the district’s southern boundary with Leeds and up between Harrogate and Knaresborough to stop the two towns merging. There is also an area in the east of the district that forms part of the York green belt, which encircles the city.

Without the protection that the green belt offers, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s built-up areas – which sit just half a mile apart – could have formed one.

Other areas to the west including Otley and Ilkley could have also expanded ever-outwards and swallowed up the smaller settlements that surround them.

But the rules and regulations which make up green belt policy have not stopped developers coming forward with plans.

There have been almost 1,700 applications to Harrogate Borough Council in the protected areas since 2011. Most of these were for extensions and farm buildings, but others have been of some significance.

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In early 2020, a developer behind plans for 210 homes on the outskirts of Wetherby near Stockeld Park was refused planning permission by both the council and a government inspector at appeal.

On the flip side, the construction of Harrogate Rugby Club’s Rudding Lane ground would not have been possible if the council did not allow for “special circumstances” when plans were approved in 2013.

These are just two examples of when development can and can’t take place in the green belt, with the task of deciding which circumstances are “special” enough to justify development often resulting in interventions by government inspectors.

Protecting greenbelt ‘a core principle’, says council

Cllr Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning at Harrogate Borough Council, said the authority attaches great importance to protecting the green belt and that doing so is a key part of local and national policy.

He said: 

“Any proposal for development in the district’s two green belts – namely the West Yorkshire green belt and the York green belt – would need to be in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework, which makes clear that any development should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

“Protecting the green belt is one of the core planning principles of the NPPF and something our adopted Local Plan also specifies.”

The green belt between Harrogate and Knaresborough was reviewed in 1992 and minor changes were made when the district’s 2001 Local Plan was adopted.

However, the boundaries were not reviewed when the most recent Local Plan was adopted in 2020 – something residents in Harlow and Pannal Ash say should have happened.

David Siddans, secretary of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said: 

“We would have liked to see the green belt extended to provide more protection to the landscape between Harrogate and Beckwithshaw.

“But that, we understand, would have required a formal review process, and Harrogate Borough Council was not receptive to the idea.”

Mr Siddans also said it is the development of greenfield land – not green belt – which presents the biggest threat to the environment and local area, which is facing the construction of hundreds of new homes.

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He said these greenfield sites – which are untouched areas not previously built on – were seen as “easy pickings” when Harrogate’s most recent Local Plan was being developed.

Mr Siddans said: 

“When the Local Plan was being prepared and sites were being sought to accommodate around 16,000 new houses, all the greenfields around the western arc which were not green belt were targeted for development.

“No major developments are proposed on the existing area zoned as green belt west of Harrogate.

“However, greenfield sites do not have the same protection, except that those located around the western arc are all within designated areas of special landscape value.

“In practice, the planning authority pays little attention to this protection, hence the massive and highly intrusive developments currently being proposed.”

Masham Cricket Club criticises Yorkshire response to racism allegations

Masham Cricket Club has said it is “extremely disappointed” by Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s response to allegations that it is institutionally racist.

The allegations were made in August 2020 by Azeem Rafiq, who was an off-spin bowler for Yorkshire and became the club’s youngest ever Twenty20 format captain in 2012.

Yorkshire, which has many members and supporters in the Harrogate district, has faced fierce criticism after it insisted no disciplinary action would be taken against former players, employees or executives following an investigation.

Mark Ellis, chairman of Masham Cricket Club, said the response from Yorkshire “felt like double standards”.

He said grassroot clubs encouraged inclusivity and fostered communities, but felt like the county’s actions “sent mixed messages”.

Mr Ellis said:

“What I see here is that Yorkshire County Cricket are the most senior club in the county and there just seems to be double standards.

“What message does that send to grassroots cricket?

“I accept there has been some kind of apology, but it feels as though they are being forced to do that.”

In a tweet this morning, Masham Cricket Club said the response from the club to the allegations had left it “angry”.

It said:

“As a Yorkshire grassroots cricket club, [we are] extremely disappointed and angry that our county club is not taking the right actions over this matter and therefore the only conclusion that can be drawn is that they are institutional racist.”

As a Yorkshire grassroots Cricket Club, extremely disappointed and angry that our county club is not taking the right actions over this matter and therefore the only conclusion that can be drawn is that they are institutional racist. https://t.co/hrLUhpsH9a

— Masham Cricket Club (@MashamCricket) November 2, 2021

On September 10, Yorkshire released a summary statement of the panel’s investigation into the allegations and apologised to Rafiq.

But the club faced criticism, including by Jo Stevens, Shadow Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for releasing the statement in the midst of the cancellation of England’s final test match against India.

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The club later cited legal reasons for not releasing the full report.

However, yesterday, ESPNCricinfo reported that the investigation panel found at least one player used the P-word when talking to Rafiq.

‘Banter’ between players

The investigation cleared the player of any wrongdoing after the report said it was perceived as friendly, good-natured “banter” between the two players.

Following the publication of the summary report, Rafiq has continued to campaign against racism and taken to social media to criticise Yorkshire’s response.

The Stray Ferret has approached Yorkshire County Cricket Club for comment.

In response to the allegations, Roger Hutton, chairman of Yorkshire, said in a statement in September:

“There is no question that Azeem Rafiq, during his first spell as a player at YCCC, was the victim of racial harassment. He was also subsequently the victim of bullying.

“On behalf of all at YCCC, I wish to extend my sincere, profound and unreserved apologies to Azeem and to his family.”

Rural art studio in Knaresborough a hub for creativity and mindfulness

Hopewell Studios in Knaresborough is a unique space in the district that offers a vast array of classes from photography, painting, drawing and floristry to dance.

Creating the studios has been a labour of love for photographer and artist Edward Webster.

He recently converted three sheds on his brother’s farm on Hay-a-Park Lane into the space.

Mr Webster wants the rural and rustic setting to encourage not just creativity but wellness and mindfulness too.

Hopewell Studios

‘A lifelong passion’

Dotted around the studios are 35mm, medium format and large format cameras. Some date back to the 19th century.

But they are not just ornaments, Mr Webster has rescued and rebuilt them to teach people how to use them. He said:

“It’s a lifelong passion”.

Photography has never been more instant thanks to smartphones, but Mr Webster wants to demystify film and show that it is accessible too. The studio has what he believes is the only professional darkroom in the district to create high-quality photos.

“Once you know about how film photography works you can work with it really creatively. It’s just a tool, same as a chisel, a paintbrush or pencil. You can let your creativity flow and if you teach it properly it’s accessible to anybody.”

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When the Stray Ferret visited the studio, Mr Webster printed our logo using a process called salt printing. It’s one of the oldest forms of photography and dates back to the 1830s.

Mr Webster still enjoys the “magic” of film.

“That’s why I still like teaching it. It’s real and tangible. We see so many images today. One every second on Facebook. You’re looking and not seeing them.”

Edward Webster in the darkroom

Photographer Alex Heron helps out with social media and web design for the studio. She added:

“Film’s had a resurgence. It’s a huge thing now for young people who are so into shooting film. It’s cool and trendy.”

‘Enjoying the magic’

As well as the indoor studios, visitors can also make the most of a private woodland to use nature and wildlife as a muse.

They are also currently building a kiln to teach ceramics.

Mr Webster said he hopes visitors can find inspiration through traditional artistic processes taught by experienced teachers.

Find out more about classes here.

Mr Webster added:

“It’s about coming in here and enjoying the magic”

Mr Webster used salt printing to reproduce our logo.

Government rejects £6m levelling up bid for Ripon and Masham

A £6 million bid for government funding for regeneration projects in Ripon, Masham and Skipton has been rejected.

Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council made the joint submission for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the authorities were dealt a setback when the government announced during its budget last week that the bid had been unsuccessful.

A joint statement from the councils said: 

“We’re very disappointed to hear that the joint bid between Craven District Council and Harrogate Borough Council in the government’s Levelling Up Fund has been unsuccessful.

“The Levelling Up Fund is a competitive process and sadly only a small proportion of priority three areas – which we were identified as – received funding in round one.

“There also appears to be no areas in North Yorkshire that have received funding.”

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More than 100 bids around the UK have been awarded a combined total of £1.7 billion from the fund, with another £3.1 billion to be awarded after the next application window opens in 2022.

£187 million awarded in Yorkshire

In Yorkshire, around £187 million was secured by councils for 10 projects, including a major waterfront extension in Doncaster and a refurbishment of Halifax Swimming Pool.

The cash will be used to improve transport connections across west Leeds and to help convert a derelict site in Wakefield into a new museum and art gallery.

The funding is said to be targeted at areas in the greatest need and for investing in “infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets”.

The joint bid from Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council required an approval from Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.

If approved, match funding from the private sector would have seen the total cost of the regeneration projects climb to £8.8 million.

The joint statement from the councils continued: 

“We are grateful to all the organisations who supported the bid, which would have delivered a wide range of regeneration projects across Skipton, Masham and Ripon.

“We still believe that there is a strong case for investment and we will continue to work with partners to try and bring these schemes forward in the future.”

Harrogate people face trip to Leeds for booster jab walk-ins

People in Harrogate face a trip to Leeds for their nearest covid booster jab walk-in clinics.

NHS England has announced that, from today, hundreds of vaccination sites in England have started offering booster jabs without appointments for those eligible.

But according to the NHS England site, the nearest walk-in clinic for people in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough is currently Elland Road stadium in Leeds.

Other sites listed for Harrogate are in Bradford, Wakefield and Halifax, the latter of which has five.

The nearest site listed for people in Masham is in Teesside, 44 miles away.

Those eligible must have had their second vaccine six months ago and be aged over 50 or have an underlying medical condition.

Care home staff and residents, and frontline health and social care workers can also get the booster vaccine.

The walk-in centres will also offer first covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds.

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Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and deputy lead for the NHS covid vaccination programme, said: 

“NHS staff are making it as easy as possible for people to get their top-up vaccination, and from today people can now go online, find their nearest site and go and get their booster without delay.

“The booster is not just a nice to have – it is really important protection ahead of what we know will be a challenging winter. So if you are eligible, please do check the site finder and go get your jab”.

Local bookings available

Those eligible for a booster can still book appointments at vaccination sites in the district.

The Homecare Pharmacy site in Knaresborough is currently offering vaccinations by appointment. Last week, the centre at Chain Lane Community Hub welcomed its first 12 to 15-year-olds to be offered a vaccine.

The Great Yorkshire Showground vaccination site will reopen in December for two weeks in an effort to tackle demand for booster jabs.

To book an appointment, visit the NHS England website.

Plan to convert Hampsthwaite surgery rejected

Plans to convert a former Hampsthwaite doctors’ surgery into a house have been rejected.

Dr Bannatyne and Partners, which was based at Winksey Cottage, High Street, in the village closed in March.

The surgery was part of Church Avenue Medical Group and shut down after practitioners felt the cottage was no longer a viable place for a medical practice.

Mozaffar Mari, a developer who bought the property, submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the building into a house.

However, the borough council has refused the proposal on the grounds that Mr Mari had not demonstrated that the site had been empty for more than three months.

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In a decision notice, the council said:

“It has not been demonstrated that the building has been vacant for a continuous period of at least three months immediately prior to the date of the application for prior approval.”

The developer said in an application to the council that the building had been previously used as a house before becoming a surgery and could be “readily converted back” into a home.

Chris Bartle: the Markington man who led Team GB to Olympic gold

Think of an England sports coach living in the Harrogate district who enjoyed a remarkable summer, and chances are Gareth Southgate comes to mind.

But there is another option — and this one didn’t have to settle for second best.

Chris Bartle was high performance coach of the Great Britain equestrian team that won its first Olympic team gold medal for 49 years in Tokyo.

Despite living just a dozen miles apart, the two men have never crossed paths. Chris says:

“I’d love to meet him. Some of the things he’s quoted as saying are similar to my mantra. We seem to have very similar philosophies.”

Like Gareth, Chris is regarded as one of sport’s nice guys. But unlike the Swinsty man, whose life is consumed by England duties, Chris spends most of his time in the Harrogate district at the Yorkshire Riding Centre in Markington, which he runs with his wife and sister.

He says he spends about two-thirds of his life at Markington and one third on GB coaching duties.

When he’s at Markington, he still teaches everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars at Markington.

Yorkshire Rising Centre Markington

The family riding centre in Markington.

Olympic riders in Markington

Chris’ Belgian mother opened the riding centre at Markington in 1963, 11 years after his parents moved to the village, which is between Ripon and Harrogate.

The family still lives on site and Chris takes a hands-on approach, teaching everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars and generally mucking. When we visited he’d just been on a cherry picker helping mend a roof — something we doubt Gareth does at Wembley.

With its four training arenas, livery, cross-country fields and on-site accommodation, the centre caters for riders of all standards.

Everyone from bygone stars like Harvey Smith and the Whitakers to current Olympic riders from Sweden, Brazil and Germany have trained at Markington. Chris says:

“I look at the print out of riders at the Olympics and it’s amazing how many have connections with the Yorkshire Riding Centre.”

The centre also has an elegant wedding venue, built by the Wilberforce family of anti-slavery fame. The Wilberforces still own nearby Markington Hall.

The wedding venue

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Chris studied economics at Bristol University and jokes he has spent his entire life with horses to avoid a proper job.

He started as a jockey but was too tall so he switched to eventing and then dressage, at which he finished sixth at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has been to all nine Olympics since.

His coaching CV is phenomenal. He was national coach to the German Olympic three-day event team that won team gold at the Beijing and London Olympics in 2008 and 2012. The Germans also won gold at Athens in 2004 but were stripped of their medals when a horse failed a doping test.

Olympic glory

Chris, who had trained the British eventing team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, was appointed GB high performance coach in 2016 in the hope of emulating Germany’s success.

He masterminded the team’s preparation for Tokyo, which included staying outside the athletes’ village to minimise the covid risk. He says it was like staying in a five-star prison, and despite their caution there was a constant fear of covid jeopardising everything.

The British team gave an utterly dominant performance to take team gold for the first time since 1972. But his abiding memory is rather sad.

“It was the athletes on the podium wearing masks and you can’t see them grinning and how happy they are.”

Chris says he is equally proud of the gold medals he helped Germany win, but adds:

“Team GB was different to doing it with another nation. For that reason and how long it had taken for GB to get gold, that’s a standout moment. It was a super highlight.”

Britain’s Tom McEwen also won individual silver in the eventing but, like any coach, Chris wasn’t totally happy.

“It could have gone better. I felt there was another medal to be had in the individual eventing. I slightly blame myself for that because Laura Collett slightly over-egged it in preparation. She tried to get better and better and in that heat and humidity the horse didn’t sparkle in the dressage phase as much as it usually does.”

One of the training areas at Markington.

California dreaming

Chris is 69 now but looks remarkably fit and isn’t planning to put himself out to grass anytime soon. He hopes to continue in his current GB role until 2028 when the Olympics will return to Los Angeles, 44 years after he competed there. It would cap one of the longest and most remarkable careers in sport. He says:

“Los Angeles is an attainable goal and it would complete the circle.”

His 14-year-old daughter Poppy, a very talented rider, will be 21 then, which must be at the back of his mind but he’s careful not to put any pressure on her.

Whatever happens in his career, Markington will remain home.

“We are very fortunate where we are. The whole of this area is just an amazing place to live — although some of my colleagues tend to think this is the frozen north!”

Bilton church holds gathering to remember the dead

A church in Bilton is holding an event tomorrow to remember those who have died over the last 18 months.

The gathering of lament and remembering, which is open to everyone, will be held at St John’s Church on Bilton Lane.

It will commemorate those who have lost their lives to covid and anyone else who has died since the pandemic began. It will take place two days before All Souls Day, the annual Christian day for remembering the dead.

The 45-minute event starts at 3.30pm and will include music, hymns and reflection. There will also be the opportunity to light candles.

Pre-pandemic, the church held two memorial services each year primarily for families it had taken funeral services for.

Rev Simon Dowson, rector of St John’s and St Luke’s in Bilton, said:

“The last 18 months have been a very challenging time for our community in all sorts of ways, and grief and sadness have been emotions that many of us have been experiencing.

“Our gathering ‘A time to lament and remember’ offers people an opportunity to come together in a sacred space to acknowledge that grief and sadness and hopefully be helped in their journey of bereavement.”

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Bilton Cricket Club cancels fireworks display

Bilton Cricket Club has cancelled its annual fireworks display.

The club issued a statement today saying restrictions imposed on the event “would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to” and it was therefore left with no choice but to cancel.

The event, which is usually held annually at the club’s ground on Bilton Lane, was due to take place on November 5.

Its Facebook post said:

“Over the last few days the club has been under immense pressure to cover off all demands from all authorities regarding the fireworks display planned for next Friday.

“We believed we had covered all areas but further requests and demands have been made which has lead to some restrictions imposed which would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to, and have done in the past.

“Therefore the committee has made the hard decision to cancel the fireworks display planned for the evening of Friday 5 November.

“This decision has not been made lightly and obviously we would love to provide this event for members and community.

“I am really very very sorry we are cancelling this but without going into too many facts we really have no other option.”

The news comes as bonfire and firework events elsewhere look set to resume after covid forced them to be cancelled last year.

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Parents vow to fight closure of ‘fantastic’ Woodfield primary school

A group of parents has vowed to fight plans to close Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton.

North Yorkshire County Council said this week the school would ‘technically close’ in September under plans to merge it with Grove Road Community Primary School.

Woodfield has been unable to find an academy willing to take it on since it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January last year.

A joint statement signed by the headteachers and chairs of governors at both schools hailed the move as “an exciting opportunity to enhance our educational offer”.

But several parents were shocked and angered by the news when they met the Stray Ferret yesterday.

They said Woodfield had made tremendous progress since it was rated inadequate — a view supported by an Ofsted monitoring visit in June, which said ‘leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures’.

Kerry Bartle and son Tyler Woodfield School

Kerry Bartle and her son, Tyler

Kerry Bartle, who has had six children at the school over 23 years, said the proposed merger was a “devastating blow” to families that had stuck with the school and worked hard to improve it when others had left.

The number of pupils has roughly halved to 56 in recent years due to the poor Ofsted and a rapid turnover of headteachers. But Ms Bartle said it had improved significantly in the last 18 months, despite covid, and closure was being rushed into disturbingly quickly. She added:

“No child should be worried like ours are now as to what is going to happen to them next.

“My son is in year 4 and has mobility issues. He would struggle at the Grove site

“Woodfield is such an amazing community. We can’t fault the school as it is today.”

‘They will build on it’

Mike Fryer, a grandparent, thinks the council is using merger as a stepping stone towards closing the large Woodfield site and using it for housing.

“Within two years they will close it down and build on it. This has been on the cards since the start. They have made the school unviable, and since when should schools be all about money?”

There are also fears the Woodfield site will provide early years education and a nursery for Grove Road, forcing some families with more than one child to have to drop off and collect from both schools.

Louise Newport said she would look for another school altogether if this happened. She said:

“My son is autistic and his summer holiday will be horrendous if he has to move. Woodfield school has done so much for the children.

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Naomi Tomlinson, who has two children at Woodfield, also said she would look for another school, adding:

“Ask any kids and they will say it is a fantastic school. As far as we were aware it was doing well so this is a real shock.”

The parents also questioned whether such swift action would be taken to close a school in a better-off part of Harrogate.

The council’s response

The Stray Ferret put a series of questions to North Yorkshire County Council, including whether it could reassure parents that no children would have to move from either site.

We received the following response from Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills, said:

“Woodfield Primary School became eligible for intervention by the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) having been judged inadequate by Ofsted at inspection in January 2020. Subsequently the school was issued with a Directive Academy Order but the RSC was unable to secure an academy trust to sponsor the school due to viability concerns.

“We have supported the school through the provision of successful temporary leadership since the inspection. The latest Ofsted monitoring report of Woodfield in July states that “leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures” and it is important to recognise the efforts of all those who have been involved in this improvement journey.

“However, the current arrangements can only be temporary and the absence of an academy sponsor means the school faces an uncertain future. Therefore, work began earlier this year to assess how education provision within the Woodfield community could be preserved.

“The current proposals have been developed by members of the school governing bodies and our officers. The two governing bodies carefully considered the proposals before half term, and both agreed to ask us to start a consultation.

“Families, staff, and other members of the local community will have opportunities to consider the detail of the proposals during the consultation period.

“The proposed amalgamation would be achieved through the technical closure of Woodfield School, and the enlargement of Grove Road CP School through future use of the Woodfield site.

“This would provide an exciting opportunity to enhance the facilities of Grove Road School, organising sustainable education across both sites aiming for the best possible provision for all pupils, and importantly ensuring that the Woodfield site continues to be used for education of the wider community.

“The governing bodies and our officers believe that these proposals would be the best way of achieving their joint aims of improving local education provision at this time.”