Plans to create flats above Harrogate store approved

North Yorkshire Council has approved a plan to convert the upper floors of a Harrogate shop into flats.

The application, which was lodged by York-based developer Andrew Farr, will see six flats created on West Park above the Elite Bridal store.

Mr Farr had previously withdrawn a plan for the site. However, council officials have now granted permission for development to go-ahead after he resubmitted proposals in June.

The decision increases the trend towards town centre living. In the last month alone, plans have been approved for a  17-bedroom aparthotel above the Oliver Bonas store on James Street and for the former Kings Club strip club on Oxford Street to be converted into 12 flats.

Now the upper floors of numbers 21a, 21 and 22 West Park can be converted. Access will also be made from a retail unit at 21a, which is occupied by Boho Chic and could be forced to close as a result.

A planning statement sent to the council in support of Mr Farr’s application says future residents of the flats would be able to apply for monthly or annual parking pass for West Park multi-storey car parking.

It adds the scheme would “enhance the vitality of the Harrogate town centre” and bring vacant floors back into use “without any identified harm to the character of the host building and the neighbouring Harrogate Conservation Area”. 

It concludes:

“It is considered that the proposed scheme responds to the constraints of the site, planning policy constraints and its heritage context and should fall within the parameters of acceptable development.”

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Roadworks to hit main road in Harrogate over half-term break

One of Harrogate’s busiest arterial roads is to be dug up for two weeks, including over the half-term holiday.

A stretch of Skipton Road between King Edward’s Drive and the railway line will undergo routine repair and maintenance works carried out by Northern Gas Networks between Monday, October 23 and Friday, November 3.

The schools’ half-term break covers the week commencing Monday, October 30.

The news comes hot on the heels of lengthy and disruptive roadworks further west along Skipton Road, which only ended on September 6.

Scott Kitchingman, operations manager at NGN, said:

“We are carrying out some work in the Skipton Road area of Harrogate during the October school half-term break; the dates have been planned in to try to minimise disruption to the public.

“We are still determining the precise area of where we will be working, however, information will be communicated once plans are finalised.

“We apologise in advance for any disruption caused by these works, but it is essential that we work proactively in areas identified as having pipes that could be at risk.”

NGN is the company responsible for piping gas around most of the north of England and is currently carrying out a huge programme to replace old metal pipes with new plastic ones.

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Train strikes to hit Harrogate and Knaresborough this week

More train strikes are set to disrupt services in Harrogate and Knaresborough this week.

Rail company Northern has said no services will operate on Saturday due to industrial action by train drivers’ union Aslef.

It added in a statement:

“Additional disruption is expected on Friday, September 29 and from Monday 2 to Friday 6 October due to action short of strike called by Aslef and customers are advised to check before they travel as there may be some short notice cancellations to services running on these days.

“There will also be no services on Wednesday, October 4 – when an additional strike has been called by the union.”

Northern’s guide to forthcoming services.

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Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said:

‘While we regret having to take this action – we don’t want to lose a day’s pay, or disrupt passengers, as they try to travel by train — the government, and the employers have forced us into this position.

“Our members have not, now, had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that’s not right when prices have soared in that time.”

Harrogate war veteran, 99, to recall Nazi concentration camp liberation

A Harrogate World War II veteran believed to be among the first servicewomen to enter a Nazi concentration camp is to give a talk about her experiences next week.

Sheila Pantin, who will be 100 next month, will give the talk as part of the Harrogate war memorial centenary commemorations.

The event, which is sold out, will take place at the town’s West Park United Reformed Church.

Sheila joined the army aged 17 and trained as an ambulance and staff car driver with the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army, rising to the rank of sergeant.

She became one of the first British servicewomen to enter Belsen concentration camp in April 1945 after its liberation.

Reflecting on the time, Sheila said:

“I thought they meant ‘barracks’ but it turned out they didn’t mean that at all. There was the camp with this huge entrance and an awful lot of huts surrounded by barbed wire fencing.

“We were entering Belsen. I could see our boys digging out mass graves to give the bodies proper burials.

“The only people left alive were in rags and were in a terrible state. They didn’t even know how to eat.”

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It was Sheila’s job to look after the survivors in the camp, to clean them, dress them, show them how to use a knife and fork, to try to restore a little humanity after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.

Sheila’s talk will take place on Wednesday, September 27, and forms part of a wider selection of events taking place as part of the commemoration.

More details of the centenary commemorations are available here.

The Harrogate powerlifter eyeing a Paralympics 2024 spot

Harrogate’s Charlotte McGuinness has her sight set on the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

The 22-year-old powerlifter has competed in World Cups and European Championships since taking up the sport as a teenager.

Powerlifting has taken her to Georgia and the United States to compete in major tournaments.

But, for Charlotte, the ultimate goal is to bench press on the world stage at the Paralympics.

Picking up the weights

Charlotte initially started out as a swimmer.

When she turned 16, she realised that being a swimmer was “probably out of reach for myself” and turned her attention to powerlifting.

She picked up a set of weights while still studying at St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate.

From there, she was enrolled onto a talent pathway which included training at Loughborough University – which she still does today.

She was set on a development programme in June 2019 which tracked her powerlifting progress.

From there, her career trajectory began to climb.

She competed in the Para Powerlifting World Cup in Manchester in 2020 just before the coronavirus pandemic.

“I was still swimming at the time. I was trying to balance both and then covid hit.

“It forced me to quit swimming and it was a blessing in a sense. It made me focus on my lifting and that made me progress.”

Charlotte McGuinness pictured competing in the World Cup.

Charlotte McGuinness pictured competing in the World Cup.

Covid forced her to set up a gym at home, where she followed her development programme.

Nowadays, she mixes it up and uses local gyms as well as her bench press training at home.

She returned to Manchester in March 2021 to compete in the Para Powerlifting World Cup.

This time, she won bronze in the women’s up to 50kg category with a bench press of 74kg.

A year later, she competed in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in a World Para Powerlifting event.

The championships was her first away on her own for a lengthy period of time.

“I was nervous because I had never been away for that length of time to a different country.

“It was covid as well, so we were very restricted. We were only meant to stay in the hotel for 10 days.”

However, despite the restrictions of the pandemic, the competition is one she fondly remembers.

“Something that I will always remember is coming back from the juniors. The competition was taking place in another hotel.

“We were staying in a different hotel and I came back from the juniors after winning a medal and my teammates were at the top of the stairs up to reception and they were clapping. I will always remember that one.”

“I really thought sport was all physical. But it’s really not.”

Charlotte then went on to compete in senior competitions, including a World Cup in the United States.

Despite the upward trajectory, not every competition has been smooth sailing.

Charlotte says her performance in the European Championships in October 2022 was a particular low point when she didn’t manage to make the lift that she wanted.

“I didn’t walk away there happy. I used it as a learning tool.

“You train however many hours a week and however many times on a bench and sometimes it will not go to plan. Your body and muscles may not do what you want them to do and that was one of those days.

“I learned a lot from that. That competition will always be in the back of my mind.”

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She says the toll of training can often have an impact on her mental health.

Charlotte has been working with a clinical psychologist to help keep her focussed heading into some major tournaments in the lead up to the Paralympics.

“For me, I really thought sport was all physical. But it’s really not, it’s mental as well.

“You’ve got to accept not getting a lift and you’ve got to accept that you’ll train all this time and not do as well as you want to.

“Especially after the Europeans, I struggled to come back. But I got there in the end with the help of the team.”

She returned to Georgia a year later to the same venue and lifted a personal best of 94kg.

Now, she is hoping to make it to Paris for the Paralympic Games in 2024.

Aiming for the Paralympics

To qualify, she needs to remain in the top eight of the British ranking going into the new year.

A crucial competition for her to remain there will be the World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, next month.

Charlotte McGuinness, pictured at a competition in Dubai.

Charlotte McGuinness, pictured at a competition in Dubai.

For Charlotte, the goal is to get a 97kg lift on the board in order to retain her place in the top eight.

To keep her focussed on the task in hand, Charlotte’s coach has written down the names of the girls who are also competing for that top eight ranking.

Reaching the Paralympics would be a milestone for Charlotte, who only picked up a set of weights some four years ago.

For her, the opportunity is there for the taking.

“I know I’ve got the strength, I just need to execute the technique.

“Once I’ve done that, it will be on the board.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Group to run marathon in memory of ‘wonderful’ young Harrogate woman

A group of 34 runners is taking part in the Yorkshire Marathon to raise funds for a scholarship after the sudden death of a young Harrogate woman.

Ellie Kempley, who was a pupil at both The Grammar School at Leeds and Ashville College, died from arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) on September 16 last year.

Her family say her life was taken “without warning or reason” at the age of 22.

Before her death, Ellie was midway through an AMI Montessori 3-6 Diploma at the Maria Montessori Institute – following her dreams of working with children.

Now, her brother Ben has gathered a team of runners to complete this year’s marathon to raise enough money to fund The Ellie Kempley Scholarship.

The bursary will cover the full tuition of a student, or students, on the course Ellie was unable to finish.

Ben said:

“She was incredibly passionate about children, had graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in childhood studies, and had worked part-time at Rigg Farm Montessori Nursery.

“It was always her dream to educate, inspire, and care for young people.

“By sponsoring teachers in her honour, we can do just that.”

The group, formed by Ellie’s closest friends and family, as well of her boyfriend, Ryan, have already raised more than £10,000 and hope to raise a further £6,000 to put their plan into action.

The members have been training for the marathon for 10 weeks and are dotted across the globe in England, Australia and Japan.

Some are seasoned runners, while others are complete beginners.

Ben added:

“She was an absolutely wonderful person: infinitely selfless, thoughtful, and kind.

“We would therefore be incredibly grateful for any donations – little or large – to our cause.”

The Yorkshire Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 15.

Donations can be made via the GoFundMe page.

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Telecommunications firm appeals Harrogate 5G mast refusal

A national telecommunications company has appealed a decision to refuse plans for a new 5G mast in Harrogate.

CK Hutchison Networks (UK) Ltd, which operates Three Mobile, proposed installing the mast on Park Parade.

It submitted the plan to the former Harrogate Borough Council in November 2022.

The developer said the proposal would help to “improved network coverage and capacity” in the area.

However, the council rejected the plan on the grounds it would be detrimental to the visual amenity of the site.

John Worthington, who was chief planner at the council at the time, said in a decision notice:

“The proposed street pole, by virtue of its external appearance, scale and siting, would be a visually incongruous and alienated addition that would be detrimental to the visual amenity and character of the site and conservation area. 

“It would fail to respect local distinctiveness. This harm outweighs the benefits of the proposal in this location.”

CK Hutchison Networks (UK) Ltd has now taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.

A planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

The move is the second time the company has appealed a decision to refuse a 5G mast in Harrogate.

The borough council also rejected a plan to build a mast at Granby Park, which is adjacent to the Stray by Skipton Road.

An appeal against the refusal was submitted by the company in July this year.

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Vintage clothing store to open in Harrogate

A vintage clothing store is set to open on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road.

Karma Co. Vintage has put posters in the window of the unit previously occupied by children’s shop Tiger Fifty 7,  which announced it was closing and looking for another site in May.

The retailer will stock popular brands, vintage street wear and some of its own clothing designs.

Co-founder Victoria Webster said:

“We are a new family business that believes in good vibes and good karma.

“That means doing good for the environment by providing a more sustainable way to shop fashion and, in turn, giving customers the opportunity to find those amazing vintage pieces that make you feel like you’ve found something so special.

“When you shop vintage pretty much everything is limited edition – which we love.”

The shop will join Harrogate’s thriving vintage shopping scene alongside the likes of Catherine Smith Vintage Fashion and SPACE.

Ms Webster added:

“We’re a very creative family, and my husband Anton, who is co-founder of Karma Co., has worked in vintage for many years. Some people will recognise him from his days managing Bluerinse in Leeds, or running stalls at Leeds Festival.

“We can’t wait to show you what we have in store.”

Karma and Co. Vintage hopes to open mid-October.

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Rough sleepers evicted from Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens

A group of rough sleepers in Harrogate‘s Crescent Gardens has been evicted this morning after occupying the pavilion for two weeks.

Representatives from North Yorkshire Council‘s property services division and North Yorkshire Police began the move-on operation just before 9am this morning.

The council also brought a van to gather the rough sleepers’ belongings.

One nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said some people started arguing with the council after they were told to disperse but there was no violence.

He added:

“One or two sleepers appeared frustrated and declined to cooperate, but they eventually started packing and leaving from 9.15am.

“The police were present to ensure the operation was non-violent.”

The operation ended at approximately 9.40am.

Larger items, such as mattresses, were removed by the council.

The Stray Ferret first reported the encampment after nearby residents raised concerns about anti-social behaviour last week.

One of those residents, Eileen Dockray, said after today’s developments:

“I’m now concerned that the police and the council, who both tried to pass this problem back and forth between each other, should now come together and work out who’s responsible for dealing with this sort of problem in the future.

“We, the public, also need to know who we can go to for help when a situation like this arises again, as it surely will.”

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Harrogate village school admits discrimination against disabled pupil

A Harrogate district school has apologised after admitting five claims of discrimination against a disabled child.

Birstwith Church of England Primary School was taken to a special educational needs and disability tribunal by a parent of a child at the school.

The parent claimed the nine-year-old, who was recognised as disabled, was subject to five claims of discrimination between January 2022 and January 2023.

The tribunal was told that this included being excluded from the dining room and humiliated by a teacher, being humiliated by a teacher in class and being verbally abused by a teacher.

A further two claims included being verbally and physically threatened by a teacher in a church event and being harassed by a teacher.

The school, which was represented by a solicitor from North Yorkshire Council, admitted the claims, which were made in a case management order on February 13, 2023.

It offered to make an official apology to the parent in a letter and “set out measures in place concerning the teacher as far as is practicable”.

The letter, which was signed by the school’s chair of governors, Linda Turvey, and has been seen by the Stray Ferret, said:

“The school, represented by me, as chair of governors, apologises for the behaviour suffered by [named child] on 25th Jan 2022, 10th June 2022, 17th November 2022, 14th December 2022 and 16th Jan 2023. 

“These isolated incidents do not reflect the culture and inclusivity of Birstwith School, therefore swift and firm action has been taken to avoid repetition. 

“Again, this does not in any way reflect the ethos or history of the school as echoed in our recent Ofsted report.”

The Stray Ferret approached Birstwith Church of England Primary School for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council, which represented the school at the tribunal, said it did not comment on individual cases.

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