Retailers have been called on to get involved with this year’s Harrogate fashion show.

Harrogate Business Improvement District is once again organising the event with the Stray Ferret as media partner for the second year.

The celebration of fashion will again feature a pop-up catwalk on the piazza outside the Victoria Shopping Centre on May 18.

The catwalk will feature new categories alongside favourites from last year, including wedding dresses, activewear, the summer season and clothing.

Now, Harrogate BID is set to host a meeting on April 24 at 4pm at Starling Cafe to help inform retailers on how they can get involved with the event.

Then, on Wednesday May 1, the team have organised an ‘Open Office’ day to allow those who cannot make the initial meeting to learn more about how they can take part.

The BID is also looking for models and influencers to join to help show off the Harrogate fashion offer and spread the word about the event.

Bethany Allen, business and marketing executive at Harrogate BID, said: 

“We’re really excited to be hosting the Harrogate Celebration of Fashion for a second year running after a really successful event last year.

“The event truly champions Harrogate’s retail offer but also celebrates the hospitality and professional services sector as we saw from last year’s event, with the likes of Nicholls Tyreman and Howdens Insurance taking to the stage.

“It’s a really great event to be part of with a great community feel.”

If you would like to attend the meeting on April 24, register here or contact the BID team on info@harrogatebid.co.uk.

Read more:

• Harrogate fashion show to return this year
• Plans approved for new tattoo studio in Harrogate

LCF Law has announced that managing partner Simon Stell, who has led the firm for almost 30 years, is to step down from the role.

The firm has announced that partner and disputes specialist Ragan Montgomery will take the position.

Mr Stell joined LCF Law in 1995, when it was known as Last Cawthra Feather before becoming LCF Law in 2014. He will continue to work with Ms Montgomery to assist with the handover. He will continue with the firm, acting as a mentor.

In her new role, Ms Montgomery will be responsible for overseeing LCF Law’s operations and leading the firm’s client service, growth and development strategies. She has worked at LCF Law since 2003 and is currently operational head of the firm’s Dispute Resolution department.

Ms Montgomery said:

 “After joining the firm 21 years ago as an assistant solicitor, to be appointed managing partner is a huge honour and it’s a challenge that I’m really looking forward to as we strive to build on our enviable reputation in Yorkshire and beyond.

Mr Stell said:

“Over the many years that I have been with LCF Law, there have been lots of changes, but we have always had a firm eye on the future.

“One thing we were certain about was that law would still be a people business and we’ve worked hard to build a great team. I’m proud to remain a part of it in my new role. I very much look forward to supporting Ragan and continuing to be a dedicated contributor to LCF Law’s ongoing success.”

Toy shop opens in Boroughbridge

Coco & Bear Boroughbridge

Coco & Bear, a new toy shop in Boroughbridge has officially opened.

The store sells eco-friendly gifts and sensory items in the former Clairemarie fashion store on Horsefair. The shop is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10-4pm.

Store founder and owner Alyss Jones said:

“I am very excited to have officially opened the doors to my toy shop Coco & Bear. Boroughbridge is a beautiful town, and we are very proud to be a part of such a friendly community. The local support has been amazing. We would love anyone who is passing to pop in and say hello.”

Coco & Bear interior

Creative and digital agency appoint new marketing manager

Josh Dodd, Show & Tell marketing manager.

Yorkshire branding, creative and digital agency, Show + Tell, has announced Josh Dodd as the agency’s marketing manager.

Mr Dodd will be responsible for Show + Tell’s marketing and content strategies, brand development and tactical campaigns.

Previously Mr Dodd was commercial marketing coordinator at CMS Distribution, a supplier of business and consumer technologies.

Charlie Hartley, founder and CEO of Show + Tell said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Josh to the Show + Tell team. His impressive background in B2B marketing and his passion for creativity and innovation make him the perfect fit for this role. It’s a significant hire for us as an agency, and we are confident that Josh will make significant contributions to our marketing efforts and help us achieve our goals for growth and success.”

Mr Dodd said:

“I am thrilled to join the talented team at Show + Tell. The agency’s commitment to creativity, innovation and excellence aligns perfectly with my own values and aspirations, and it’s exciting to be part of an organisation that has just received two industry awards for the Best B2B Website. I’m looking forward to driving impactful marketing initiatives that contribute to the continued success and growth of Show + Tell.”

Harrogate accountants expand firm

Graham and Liz from Wild & Co Chartered Accountants 

Wild & Co Chartered Accountants has expanded its office space in Windsor House over the past two years and doubled the size of its team.

Liz Wild founded the firm in 2009 and now the company has 7 staff and looks after clients in Harrogate, Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford, Halifax and South Yorkshire.

Ms Wild said:

“We set out to fill a gap for businesses that are looking for a proactive accountancy partner to work with them throughout the year and give them greater visibility over their business numbers.Last year we introduced a Growth Hub for clients with a programme of workshops, webinars and news bulletins to support business growth and we regularly share knowledge about new apps and software that streamline management information.”

“Even though digital accountancy is more widespread now than it was when we started out 15 years ago, we are still one of the few firms embracing all the possibilities it offers and keeping clients fully up-to-date on how technology can move them forward. As we continue to expand our own business, we are looking forward to helping our clients to grow theirs too and to enjoy doing so.”

Have some news to share about your business? Send it to us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Read more:

• Business Breakfast: Massage therapy business opens in Harrogate
• Business Breakfast: Masham brewery partners with snooker pro 

Harrogate and District Branch of the British Sugarcraft Guild have created a 6ft model of the Great Yorkshire Show made entirely from sugar.

The colourful display depicts the Yorkshire’s premier agricultural event. The arrangement was created by the eighteen members of the guild and has taken since January to complete.

The guild showed their creation in the North of England Cake and Decorating show, under the brief ‘Celebrating the Glories of Northern England.’

Their display won silver and is now on show in The Stray Ferret office window, in the centre of Harrogate, for a month.

The sugarcraft display of the Great Yorkshire Show in The Stray Ferret window

The display is all handmade, inedible, and will not melt due to the high sugar content.

Other entries in the competition depicted Blackpool tower, The Angel of the North and Keswick mountain rescue.

There are multiple sugarcraft disciplines on the table including royal icing, flood work, sugar paste coating, marzipan modelling, bas relief, decoupage, gelatine work and cocoa painting.

The guild has existed for 35 years and Lesley Dalton has been chair of the Harrogate branch for more than 25 years.

Ms Dalton said:

“Someone suggested doing the Great Yorkshire Show and we all thought that was brilliant. I am absolutely thrilled with all of the work we’ve done; I am so proud of the girls they have done an amazing job.”

Sugarcraft members, Left to Right: Judy Banks, Lorraine Stewart and Lesley Dalton

The majority of members first began sugarcrafting after making birthday cakes for their families and enjoyed the practice and wanted to improve their skills.

Ms Dalton said:

“The guild isn’t a very good name it makes people think we are extremely experienced. We are always looking for new members, if you enjoy decorating cakes come and join us and you can learn and better your skills. If you like the look of it come and join us.”

The guild meet every month on the second Monday, except August and December, in Harlow community village hall at 7.30 pm.

The Great Yorkshire Show created by the Harrogate and District Branch of the British Sugarcraft Guild

Sugarcrafted animals in the Great Yorkshire Show display

Read more:

• General Tarleton goes on the market for £1.2 million
• The Harrogate Vet to open 24-hour animal hospital
• Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate to be extended 

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter followed news of the Liberal Democrats winning the Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone by-election in Harrogate earlier this month.

It is not surprising that the Lib Dems won the local by-election.

Their candidate was the only person dressed smartly, despite being a bit inarticulate when thanking everyone. The shock I suppose.

The Conservative candidate looked very sour. Who would want to vote for someone like that?

Let the lesson be learnt by everyone: dress smartly with a tie if you want to be seen as a good candidate, no matter which party you represent.

Who wants to vote for someone who looks as if they are just going down to the pub?

Valerie Cooke, Harrogate

Could Harrogate’s Conference Centre house spa facilities instead?

This letter responds to uncertainty over the future of Harrogate’s Convention Centre. In an exclusive, the Stray Ferret recently revealed North Yorkshire Council spent £1.9 million on consultants for now-scrapped plans for the site. 

The fate of the conference centre is too important for there to be any discord.

What do you think of the idea of Harrogate having spa facilities based in the conference centre? We were once so important as a spa town.

In 2024 we are losing our way – what are we now? What do we have to offer visitors?

In 1984 I set up Friends of the Valley Gardens to save the Sun Pavilion and Colonnade from being demolished. I knew Geoffrey Smith, James Herriot and David Bellamy and asked them to be presidents, to which they agreed.

We have the Valley Gardens and all it contains, as well as the Royal Hall, the Turkish Baths and the Royal Baths. Could the conference centre be used to house spa facilities, plus hairdressers, beauticians, physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths etc? Essentially, everything to do with wellbeing all under the one roof, with easy parking too.

I am a golfer and walker and have often heard ladies saying it would be nice to have somewhere easy to park to go and be “pampered”. Not forgetting the gentlemen and all their needs.

It could also have a nice tea rooms with staff in uniform. I have lived here 60 years and can remember how genteel Harrogate was. As I said, now what is it?

It has really lost its way with thousands of houses being built – it seems that’s all the “powers that be” can think of.  They may as well hand it over to the developers and just build with no infrastructure.

Please no one give them the idea of turning the conference centre into flats – they would love that.

Anne Smith, Pannal

It’s ‘potluck’ if a Knaresborough bus actually turns up

This letter is in response to a story about North Yorkshire Council accepting £3.5 million of additional funding from the Department of Transport. The money, which is being used to support a one-year pilot scheme, will go towards expanding timetables, £1 bus fares for young people and improvements to bus shelters.

I read with interest your article about money to improve bus services in the Harrogate district, especially about the number 1 service from Harrogate to Knaresborough via Starbeck.

You mentioned buses to Aspin, Carmires and the Pastures, but there was no mention of the 1B to Aldi and Eastfield.

Sadly, since the X1B Connections bus ceased running, it is now potluck if – and when – a bus turns up at the Eastfield stop.

Are there any plans to improve the 1B service?

Paul Smith, Knaresborough

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Read more:

• Readers’ Letters: Bins weren’t overflowing when Harrogate Borough Council existed
• Readers’ Letters: Harrogate ‘feels like Narnia’ compared to where I’m from
• Readers’ Letters: The ‘scruffy’ state of Harrogate makes me ashamed of my town

A blinds and shutters company near Harrogate has gone into liquidation.

HG – NY Blinds and Shutters Ltd, which was based in a unit on Clint Bank, broke the news in an email on Saturday, April 13.

In the email, seen by the Stray Ferret, the company said the move followed “unforeseen financial difficulties” which meant it is “no longer able to sustain its operations”.

Amanda Simmons, who sent the email, also said:

“As a result, we are in the process of initiating the liquidation procedure. This means that the company will be winding down its affairs and assets to pay off its creditors.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We want to assure you that we are committed to handling this process with transparency and integrity.

“Sadly, I had to let all staff go at the end of March, without pay, so I am not able to offer any further fitting services.”

The move comes less than two years after the company, which manufactured and installed blinds and shutters, was set up in May 2022.

According to The Gazette, Cleckheaton based liquidators, XL Business Solutions, were appointed on April 3.

The Stray Ferret contacted the liquidators, who said the process is still “ongoing”, but confirmed the company has ceased trading.

The email to customers also said:

“I have asked the supplier if they are willing to allow me to give you their details to arrange for your order to be dispatched directly to yourself.

“I will inform you of their response asap.

“Thank you for your understanding and co-operation as we navigate through this difficult situation. We appreciate your business and hope for your understanding during this time of transition.”

Details of the liquidation, including a list of creditors and debts, have not yet been uploaded to Companies House.

Read more:

• Harrogate Steel Company enters administration
• Ex-James Bond star Pierce Brosnan spotted in Harrogate bar
• Drivers face delays as four-week Pannal gasworks start

A vigilante has taken action against the council’s decision to eliminate apostrophes from Harrogate district road signs.

The move comes after North Yorkshire Council last week told the Stray Ferret it will abolish apostrophes from road signs after a new sign was installed on St Mary’s Walk.

The new sign, which read ‘St Marys Walk’, sparked concern among local grammar guerrillas – and it seems someone has now taken matters into their own hands.

Shortly after it was installed, someone, armed with a piece of black tape, drew an apostrophe on the new sign, which now reads ‘St Mary’s Walk’ (pictured).

(L) the new sign before being corrected. Another sign nearby (R).

The council said the new format was being adopted by other councils across the country, but it proved less than popular with local residents.

One man, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret last week:

“I do not feel I have been consulted about the council deciding to use poor English language.”

Another upset resident commented on the Stray Ferret’s Facebook post:

A similar initiative happened in 2014 – which saw a similar fate.

The Guardian reported at the time that Cambridge City Council’s decision to abolish apostrophes led to a backlash from “self-declared defenders of grammar” who used marker pens to fill in missing apostrophes on road signs.

Read more:

• Council eliminates apostrophes from Harrogate district road signs
• Drivers face delays as four-week Pannal gasworks start

(Image: Yolk Farm and Number Thirteen)

From dutifully separating plastics and glass for recycling, to thrifting second hand clothes and furniture, there are many small ways we can be kinder to the planet.

As consumers it can feel we can only go so far; extensive research suggests that it is businesses that need to adopt more environmentally conscious methods.

And it’s not only the larger enterprises; while the 2017 Carbon Majors Report revealed that just 100 companies have been the source of 71 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988, smaller businesses also have a part to play.

But investing in a greener approach can be costly and time-consuming, especially when plans have to be applied retrospectively to the way a company operates. However, there are plenty of thriving independent businesses that have embraced sustainability from the offset, leading the charge when it comes to greener business practices – especially here in North Yorkshire.

‘I think Knaresborough is quite eco-conscious as a community’

For Sarah Ward, founder of Number Thirteen in Knaresborough, owning her own coffee shop was a dream she’d always held. However, it wasn’t until she moved to New Zealand for a year and experienced their café culture that her vision took on a more environmentally friendly approach.

She explained:

“New Zealanders are very eco conscious anyway, and I noticed that the UK was a bit behind the times in aspects of sustainability, especially in the hospitality industry.”

However, it was important to Sarah that sustainability was an integral cog in the wider machine of running of a café, in order to normalise choosing greener alternatives.

“I wanted to try to create a business that had a focus on sustainability, without shoving it in people’s faces. I wanted it to be engrained in the day to day running of the business, making it work for the business rather than against it.”

(Image: Number Thirteen)

Since Number Thirteen opened in 2018, Sarah estimates they’ve sold over 500 of their own reusable takeaway cups, with many of those customers returning regularly for their caffeine fix.

“Some quick maths will tell you that even if those 500 customers used that cup only once a week, that has stopped 26,000 disposable cups ending up in landfill or being incinerated every year. That’s 156,000 cups since we opened six years ago.

“Many customers use their cups daily, most of them not purchased at Number Thirteen, so that number is unquestionably much higher.”

While she believes that customers primarily seek them out as a coffee shop, the fact that sustainability unpins the operation is an added bonus to many – and encourages them into a greater awareness of the environment in their own lives.

She explained:

“Most customers visit us because we have a good reputation as a local coffee shop, but once they are through the doors and see all the different ways we try to be better for the planet, I think it makes them want to return.

“We have lots of customers commenting on our pre-loved crockery and retro ephemera, taking them back to bygone days, as well as our home compostable takeaway cups or the fact that we use glass milk bottles from a local dairy, making our coffee 100 per cent plastic free.”

Number Thirteen’s efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed; this year they were recognised with a Sustainable Business accolade at the Stray Ferret Business Awards.

Number Thirteen at the Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024

In the future, Sarah would love to explore further ways that sustainability could be embraced by not only her business, but the wider community.

She added:

“I would love to set up some kind of commercial composting scheme involving all café businesses in the town. As a lot of takeaway coffee cups are only commercially compostable rather than home compostable, it is difficult to recycle them properly.

“However, setting up this kind of scheme takes a lot of negotiation, compliance and cooperation from both businesses and the public, as well as local authorities, so it’s not something that is achieved overnight.”

“We source all our produce from within a close a radius as possible from our own back door. All our amazing free range eggs and some of our fresh produce are even grown on site, meaning lower food miles.

“93 per cent of everything we sell comes from within 30 miles, which is better for the planet and for the local economy too.”

(Image: Yolk Farm)

It’s not just human colleagues that are pursuing the environmentally friendly agenda; Yolk Farm has three ‘waste warriors’ in the form of their Kunekune pigs, who consume an estimated two tonnes of fruit and vegetable waste from the farm shop per year.

(Image: Yolk Farm)

Three candidates hoping to be the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire were in Harrogate this week for an environment-themed hustings.

It was organised by charity Zero Carbon Harrogate with Felicity Cunliffe-Lister (Liberal Democrat), Keith Tordoff (Independent) and Paul Haslam (Independent) answering questions on topics including cycling, energy, climate change and trees.

The other three candidates chose not to attend due to other commitments. These were Keane Duncan (Conservative), David Skaith (Labour) and Kevin Foster (Green).

Around 50 people attended the hustings at the Wesley Centre which was chaired by Zero Carbon Harrogate chair Jemima Parker.

Station Gateway

Many in Harrogate have grown frustrated with the pace of change around encouraging people out of cars, with some viewing the £12.1m Station Gateway scheme as a prime example of how politicians have watered down grand ambitions around cycling and walking.

One person asked a question about the troubled project and called on the new mayor to “stand up for the greater good” on active travel rather than “caving in to the small minority”.

Mr Tordoff described the gateway scheme as a “disaster” and a “vanity project”.

He said:

“There has been disjointed planning and thinking at the council. If we’re doing cycle schemes they need to last longer than a few hundred metres like at Otley Road. We need a bit of common sense.”

Mr Haslam, who is an independent councillor but was a member of the Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council until he decided to run for mayor, blamed a technical error during the consultation which led to the legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments.

He added:

“The Station Gateway should have had a better solution for the active travel.”

Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who sits on the council as a Lib Dem, said there had been “really, really poor decision-making” in Northallerton with leaders unwilling to accept the blame.

She said:

“They’ve relied on consultants to hide behind and absolve responsibility. It’s so underwhelming, it’s more than disappointing.”

Transport

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said she is pledging to extend the popular Nidderdale Greenway to Pateley Bridge and would introduce an integrated transport system, where buses and train timetables work together.  She’s also the owner of the Swinton Park Hotel and said encouraging greener tourism would be key to her approach as mayor.

The council has flirted with the idea of a park-and-ride system for Harrogate for many years which Mr Tordoff said he supports. He also said cyclists should have better storage for their bikes and the police should take the theft of bicycles more seriously. He added:

“Some people don’t bother reporting them when they’re stolen.”

Active travel schemes in Harrogate have been divisive and Mr Haslam said it’s important that “we take everyone along with us”. He is also a proponent of a one-ticket system for all modes of transport and said buses must be more reliable so people can trust that they will arrive on time.

Energy

There’s been a massive increase in housebuilding across Harrogate in recent years and all candidates agreed that more should be done to make homes more energy efficient.

They also called for increased investment into skills so young people could be trained in building the homes of the future as well as retrofitting old properties, with well-paid jobs keeping talent in the county.

Mr Haslam said renewable energy should go hand-in-hand with housebuilding and said he would encourage a more energy-efficient social housing stock. He said: “We have houses with a huge footprint, they should all have solar panels.”

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said “we have a great wealth of natural capital” in North Yorkshire so the county should be able to generate more of its own electricity.

According to the website Electricity Production (https://electricityproduction.uk/in/yorkshire/) around half of North Yorkshire’s energy has recently come from biomass like at Drax’s Selby plant. Ms Cunliffe-Lister said she was the first hotel in the UK to have a biomass boiler in 2006.

Mr Tordoff said he was in favour of housebuilding on brownfield sites to protect green fields. He added he favoured modular homes that can be built quickly with a much lower carbon footprint than traditional bricks and mortar homes.

Trees

Harrogate and Ripon have grabbed negative national headlines in recent years due to controversial planning applications that involve chopping down trees.

Decisions on Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion and Ripon Cathedral’s new annexe could be made this summer.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister emphasised her credentials as a landowner and hotelier and said Swinton Park has committed to increase forestry by 50% over a 20-year period. She said her business had planted 30,000 new trees.

Mr Haslam said cutting down trees should be minimised and only in exceptional circumstances such as when they are diseased. Two years ago, the Woodland Trust was forced to fell hundreds of larch trees in Nidd Gorge due to disease. Mr Haslam added:

“A single tree is worth £250,000 in carbon sequestration.”

Mr Tordoff said he viewed cutting down trees as “vandalism”. He was the only candidate to criticise the two controversial planning applications. He added:

“We’ve got to protect trees”.

The election to be mayor of York and North Yorkshire will take place on May 2. For more information click here.

A full list of candidates are as follows:

• Conservative – Keane Duncan.
• Labour – David Skaith.
• Liberal Democrat – Felicity Cunliffe-Lister.
• Green Party – Kevin Foster.
• Independent – Keith Tordoff.
• Independent – Paul Haslam.

Read more:

• North Yorkshire Council issues ‘call for sites’ for new planning blueprint
• Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate to be extended 

Traffic to our site and app soared this week — not, alas, because of our painstakingly assembled mayoral candidate interviews — but because of an influx of celebrities in Harrogate.

Firstly, James Bond star Pierce Brosnan was spotted drinking in the Fat Badger. A colleague was gutted to later discover she was there at the same time, and even more gutted when she found out four days later she’d missed him again at Rudding Park.

Then Morrissey added to his elusive magic by being photographed on a remote street called Cut Throat Lane in Shaw Mills, which seemed about as likely as the Otley Road cycleway expansion being revived — which then proceeded to also happen this week.

Perhaps the only quirkier story was the news that it’s now council policy to eliminate all apostrophes from road signs. I’ve been canvassing reaction, which you can read here.

Rachel Woolford, who owns fitness venture North Studio on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate, was catapulted into fame this week when Lord Sugar hired her on The Apprentice, which led to another spike in traffic on Thursday night.

Here’s a story worth keeping an eye on: North Yorkshire Council issued its ‘call for sites’ this week as part of the process to draw up a new planning blueprint for the county. Where the boundaries are drawn will have huge significance for years to come.

Finally if, like me, you’ve eaten at the The General Tarleton at Ferrensby, once a well known foodie hotspot, you may have noticed it was put on the market this week after being closed for several months.

Read more:

• Dog owners urged to be ‘vigilant’ amid reported ‘poisoning’ at reservoir near Harrogate
• Crime author who solved Ripon mystery revisits school mural 50 years later
• E-cigarette shop opens in Knaresborough

When transport chief Cllr Keane Duncan announced last year phase two of the Otley Road cycleway had been scrapped, it appeared to signal the end of the project.

It therefore came as a surprise this week when Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association‘s spring meeting, attended by North Yorkshire Council officers, heard the scheme had been revived.

So what has changed and is the prospect of extending the shared route for cyclists and pedestrians a welcome step forward for active travel or a costly folly?

The cycleway was due to be built in three phases and form part of a safe, off-road cycling route from Harrogate Rail Station to Cardale Park, encouraging people to get out of cars in an area where 4,000 homes are being built.

Phase one, from Cold Bath Road to Harlow Moor Road, was completed late and over budget.

Phase two was supposed to extend east from Cold Bath Road to Beech Grove, eventually connecting to a yet-to-be-built cycleway on Victoria Avenue.

Phase three, extending west from Harlow Moor Drive to Cardale Park, was never officially abandoned but the political will to proceed appeared to have been sapped. So reviving it has attracted considerable debate in recent days, although the route will now only extend 1.1km up Otley Road to Harlow Carr.

The junction of Otley Road and Harlow Moor Road, showing where the cycleway would be extended.

Phase three will be funded by developers as mitigation for building homes in west Harrogate, whereas phase two was due to be funded by the council, which has struggled to secure funding for active travel schemes. This goes a long way to explaining why phase three is going ahead rather than phase two.

Also, unlike previous phases, there won’t be a specific consultation on phase three, limiting the prospect of dissent.

Hapara has distributed leaflets to residents about the plans and clearly isn’t a fan.

The leaflet says:

“The general view of this scheme is that it will not deliver any real benefits to mitigate against the high levels of traffic on Otley Road which is how it was sold when initially launched.

“If the intention is to get more people cycling, which is a perfectly sensible aim, this scheme appears to be an expensive way of delivering the objective. Perhaps a better option would be to publicise the existing network of cycle paths to a greater extent.”

Some residents at this week’s meeting agreed and said the money would be better spent on improving bus services.

But the leaflet drew a stinging rebuke from the campaign group Harrogate District Cycle Action, which fired off a series of tweets that accused Hapara of “misleading” statements.

It is v disappointing to see @HaparaHgt putting out an anti-Otley Road Cycleway leaflet https://t.co/FYUk5bgtJv
If you are anti-cycle infrastructure, you are in effect anti-more people cycling more often @NeilHind @walkbikescoot @HKLibDems @HarrogateGreens 1/ pic.twitter.com/UHlHHa49Gc

— Harrogate Cycle Action (@cycle_harrogate) April 17, 2024

For example, the leaflet said construction would result in the loss of five trees around the junction of Otley Rd and Beckwith Road, which Harrogate District Cycle Action said “would only be lost if the council widens the road to create extra lanes for motor vehicles”.

The cycling group also said the leaflet was wrong to say there was a “strong negative public response” to phase two because 104 people told a second round of consultation they were in favour of going ahead while only 83 were against, despite the comments by Cllr Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways, saying the project was shelved due to its unpopularity.

It concluded:

“Overall, the individuals steering Hapara are not serving or representing the residents of the local area well by taking such a hostile stance to cycling. Hapara should be working with the council to create the best cycle facilities possible in Otley Road.”

Speaking after Wednesday’s meeting, Hapara chair Rene Dziabas said:

“I am not opposed to cycling but I do think the whole basis on which this scheme was conceived was wrong. It was never going to provide the mitigation required on Otley Road.”

Cyclists are frustrated about the council failing to deliver on schemes in Harrogate and Knaresborough. While pleased to see progress, many share concerns that such a disjointed scheme on Otley Road will make a significant difference, particularly as without phase two it won’t form the holy grail of an integrated route around town.

Public consultation concerns

Cllr Mike Schofield not only has a political interest in the matter but also a personal one. As the independent North Yorkshire councillor for Harlow and St George’s, the cycleway is on his patch. He is also landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Otley Road, which the extended cycleway will pass.

The Shepherd’s Dog

Cllr Schofield said he had two concerns:

“Whilst I accept that appropriate legal requirements may have been satisfied I am extremely disappointed that no public consultation is to take place for the residents of Harlow Hill, Beckwithshaw and those who use the Otley Road corridor.

“Yes, residents can make their viewpoints known via the planning portal and searching through the planning application documentation but that can be like wading through a minefield whereas a simple consultation would make it more accessible and easier for residents.”

He added:

“I also have concerns around the developer funding, my worry being that developers of sites that are not on the Otley Road corridor may seek ways of avoiding their financial commitment to the scheme and therefore leaving the residents of Harlow Hill and Beckwithshaw with a substandard and not fit-for-purpose scheme as we have in phase one.

“It seems to me so much is either still undecided, up in the air or being kept very secret.”

The Stray Ferret contacted the council requesting more details about the scheme, including why it had decided to revive it and the expected cost.

A council spokesperson said, as the highways authority, it was a statutory consultee in the planning application process and not the promoters of any of the off-site mitigation measures being offered.

Allan McVeigh, the council’s head of network strategy, added:

“The third phase of Otley Road cycle route has been progressed as part of developer-funded off-site works linked to the west of Harrogate planning applications, rather than a scheme promoted by the council.

“The planning application process will form the consultation, as is the case for all other off-site highway works put forward by developers. The timescale for construction will depend on how the applications progress and are determined.”

The cycle route is back on the agenda. But the route ahead remains unclear.

Read more:

• Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate to be extended
• Harrogate residents say they’ve been ‘kept out the loop’ on plans for 4,000 homes
• Harrogate business owner Rachel Woolford wins The Apprentice