Business Breakfast: Harrogate restaurant to open second venue in Leeds

The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm. 

The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Independent Harrogate restaurant Farmhouse is set to open a second venue in Leeds.

The breakfast and brunch destination, owned by Jordan Aspinall, opened in Harrogate four-and-a-half years ago.

It has now acquired the site formerly occupied by ASK Italian on Lands Lane in Leeds.

It is due to open on September 8 and will cater for 110 covers — slightly more than the 90 in Harrogate.

Area manager Nicole Mangnan said the two restaurants will be run on similar lines, serving customers from 8am to 5pm. She added:

“Harrogate has been doing well and we always wanted to open in Leeds.”

Turkish Baths Harrogate gets national recognition

Turkish Baths

Turkish Baths Harrogate has been recognised by the Sunday Times.

The newspaper included the venue in a list of the 21 best things to do in the UK when it rains

The Victorian baths, which date back to 1897, were praised for its “eucalyptus-scented steam room” and the “sharp shock of the plunge pool”.

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£11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway halted after legal challenge

North Yorkshire Council has revoked its decision to proceed with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme in the face of a legal challenge.

Hornbeam Park Developments instructed lawyers to launch a judicial review against the council’s decision this week.

The council responded today with a statement that has plunged the controversial scheme into fresh doubt.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We have received a legal challenge to the executive’s decision to progress the Transforming Cities Fund scheme in Harrogate.

“Having taken external advice on the grounds of the challenge and having fully considered the matter, we have rescinded the decision to proceed with the scheme at this stage in order to avoid further costs and time delays.

“A further report will be considered by the executive soon, which will set out next steps and timescales for the project in line with legal advice. We will be taking further advice before deciding how best to proceed.”

The scheme is one of three worth £42 million being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to improve station gateways to town centres in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate's James Street pedestrianised.

An impression of how James Street would look.

It would see James Street partly pedestrianised and a 300-metre section of Station Parade reduced to single lane to make way for new cycle routes.

The legal challenge focuses on the council’s alleged failure to disclose key carbon and climate impact information during consultation.

A climate change appraisal said drivers would be forced to take longer alternative routes as a result of the road changes and overall “user emissions are anticipated to increase as a result of the scheme, as the emissions from changing traffic flows are predicted to outweigh the avoided emissions from modal-shift”.

The appraisal also predicts the scheme would result in an increase of 1,356 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime.

All Conservatives and most Liberal Democrats approved the decision to proceed in May — however, the Liberal Democrats subsequently withdrew their support.

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Police reveal reason behind Harrogate pub closure

North Yorkshire Police has revealed why a Harrogate pub was forced to close.

The Stone Beck at Jennyfields stopped serving customers on August 4.

A police spokesperson said:

“The pub has closed because it does not currently have a designated premises supervisor appointed, which is a legal pre-requisite for alcohol to be sold lawfully at a licensed premises.

“Without a designated premises supervisor, a pub cannot legally sell alcohol.”

A designated premises supervisor has day-to-day responsibility for running business that sell or supply alcohol.

Last week landlord Phill Kirby told the Stray Ferret the pub had closed due to a “licensing issue” and would open in “due course”.

North Yorkshire Council, the licensing authority, said it had “no current actions on this premises”.

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New roadworks revealed for Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon

Details of upcoming roadworks for Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon have been revealed.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire Council, posted details of scheduled resurfacing schemes on his Facebook page.

The information is set out below with details of where and when each scheme will take place and the accompanying plan to manage traffic.

North Park Road, Harrogate

Monday, August 21 to Friday, September 1 (7pm to midnight)

21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th 29th – traffic management – combination of two-way lights and road closure during working hours

23rd, 30th, 31st and 1st Sep – traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

A61 Leeds Rd, Harrogate

(Prince of Wales roundabout to St Georges Rd roundabout)

Monday, August 29 to Friday, September 15 (7pm to midnight)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

A658 Harrogate Road, Harrogate

Thursday, September 14 to Friday, September 22 (9pm to 5am)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained.

High Bridge, Knaresborough

Wednesday, September 20 to Friday. September 29 (7pm to midnight)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

B6163 Briggate, Knaresborough

Friday, September 29 to Monday, October 9 (7.30am to 5.30pm)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

Dragon Road area, Harrogate

(Dragon Rd / Back of Dragon Rd / Dragon Terrace / Rear of Dragon Terrace / Dragon Ave / Dragon Parade, Mornington Terrace / Mornington Terrace)

Monday, October 9 to Wednesday, October 11 (7.30am to 5.30pm)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

Coppice Way, Harrogate

Thursday, October 12 to Wednesday, October 18 (7.30am to 5.30pm)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

Harewood Road, Harrogate

Thursday, October 19 to Friday, October 20 (7.30am to 5.30pm)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

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Priest Lane, Ripon

Monday, October 23 to Tuesday October 31 (7.30am to 5.30pm)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

A61 Dallamires Lane, Ripon

Monday, October 30 to Friday, November 3 (7pm to midnight)

Traffic management – road closure during working hours. Access for residents will be maintained

 

Station Gateway: Andrew Jones calls for funding to be switched to ‘other projects’

Andrew Jones has called for government funding for the Harrogate Station Gateway to be reallocated to other projects.

The Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said North Yorkshire Council should not waste time trying to keep the project alive, after it today announced it was “rescinding” its decision to proceed.

That announcement came following a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments, which had applied for a judicial review of the way the Station Gateway project had been managed.

Mr Jones said:

“The key consideration is that the latest challenge means that the deadline to spend the cash allocated to this area is certain to expire.  It is time therefore to stop spending public money trying to drag what is effectively a timed-out dead scheme – the good parts regrettably and the bad too – over the line.

“The council must start talking to government about retaining the funding and re-positioning it to other projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough.  I am happy to help with that process.”

The project has been controversial, with business organisations raising concerns about its impact on footfall and therefore the viability of town centre shops.

The £11.2m scheme was to be funded by the Transforming Cities Fund, and would have seen Station Parade narrowed to one lane around the bus and railway stations.

A bus lane and cycle routes would have been introduced, as part of plans to encourage more active travel.

It would also have included the pedestrianisation of the eastern half of James Street, and changes to Lower Station Parade, with a bus lane added on its eastern side.

‘Flip-flopping’

At a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee in May, business owners raised concerns about the impact of the loss of 40 parking spaces and potential queues of traffic through the town centre.

After three hours, the committee voted by eight to three in favour of supporting the scheme.

All five Conservative councillors and most Liberal Democrats voted for it,

Liberal Democrat leader and committee chairman Cllr Pat Marsh said councillors had been given a free vote on the issue.

The public gallery at the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee meeting in May

However, Cllr Marsh then went to the meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s executive to plead with its members not to proceed with the scheme.

The next month, the Lib Dems withdrew all its councillors’ support, citing the lack of meaningful engagement with businesses and local residents over their concerns.

In today’s statement on the issue, Mr Jones took aim at the Lib Dems for “flip-flopping” on the project:

“Of course, consistent political leadership is critical when managing major investment and the majority group on the Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee has been unable to provide that.

“Whether or not one supports the gateway project in total, in part or not at all such weak local leadership presents difficulty when we look to attracting future investment.”

Looking to the future, Mr Jones said there were elements of the Station Gateway project that could be carried forward into a new scheme.

He also said he had asked North Yorkshire Council to address concerns over other parts of the plan.

He added:

“There are parts of the scheme I think that are welcome – the emphasis on sustainable transport, tidying up the area as you come out of the bus and train stations, the improvement of the public realm, changing the crossing arrangements on Lower Station Parade, improving the shabby one arch and so on.

“There are elements of concern too such as the narrowing of Station Parade for a short stretch outside the bus station and how deliveries to businesses will work and I have consistently asked the council to address these concerns.  It is clear that significant numbers have not been reassured by the explanations that have been given.”

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Harrogate cancer charity pays tribute to ‘staunch supporter’ Sir Michael Parkinson

Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research has paid tribute to Sir Michael Parkinson, who died last night.

Sir Michael became a patron in 2016 following his experience with prostate cancer.

He supported the charity’s aim to address inequalities in cancer diagnosis and treatment in Yorkshire after he was successfully treated.

At the time, he said:

“I believe that everyone should have an equal chance of living a long and healthy life, so I am delighted to support the work of Yorkshire Cancer Research and help them address these unacceptable inequalities.” 

Sir Michael also helped with fundraising and awareness-raising.

Promoting the charity’s work.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:

“Sir Michael was a staunch supporter of equality and equity for people with cancer, no matter who they are or where they live.

“By speaking out about his own personal experience, he played an important role in both raising awareness of cancer and raising funds for vital research into the disease.”

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Yorkshire-born Sir Michael visited Harrogate many times and often made a beeline for Graveleys of Harrogate.

He once said his perfect day out in Yorkshire would involve “watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes Test at Headingley and then a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s seafood restaurant in Harrogate”.

Asked to name his favourite Yorkshire restaurant in the same interview with the Northern Echo in 2017, he said it was “a toss up between Graveleys and Bettys tea room in Harrogate“.

Graveleys re-opened in Harrogate in February this year after a three-year absence.

Owner Simon Pilkington said today:

“Sir Michael was a regular visitor back in the day when Yorkshire were playing at Headingley or he was appearing in Harrogate.

“He very much kept himself to himself but chatted occasionally to my father.

“But he did love his Yorkshire fish and chips from Graveleys!”

 

World Cup hero Rachel Daly in line for player of year award

Rachel Daly probably thought her day could not get any better when she helped England reach the final of the Women’s World Cup.

But the Harrogate hotshot has also been nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

Daly, 31, is one of six nominees for the award, which is voted for by other players.

She won the Golden Boot for finishing as the leading scorer in the Women’s Super League, netting 22 times for Aston Villa Women after signing from Houston Dash last summer.

Daly, who has 381,000 followers on Instagram, is up against:

Ona Batlle – Manchester United

Sam Kerr – Chelsea

Frida Maanum – Arsenal

Guro Reiten – Chelsea

Khadija Shaw – Manchester City

The winner will be announced at 50th PFA awards ceremony on August 29.

In the meantime, Daly has the small matter of a World Cup final against Spain to look forward to at 11am on Sunday after helping the Lionesses defeat hosts Australia in today’s semi-final.

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Harewood Bridge set to reopen early?

Harewood Bridge near Harrogate could re-open earlier than expected after undergoing essential maintenance.

The grade-II listed structure, which is used by 17,000 vehicles a day, closed on July 26 and is due to reopen on August 24.

Its closure has led to 15-mile diversions and added 30 minutes to journey times.

The Stray Ferret contacted Leeds City Council today after hearing unofficial reports work was ahead of schedule and the bridge was on course to reopen a week early.

The council refused to rule out an early reopening but said nothing has been decided yet.

A spokesperson said:

“We are confident works to Harewood Bridge will be completed by the programmes original completion date of August 24 at the latest, subject to good weather and ground conditions.

“Should the work be completed ahead of this date this will be communicated. We would like to continue to thank people for their patience and apologise for any disruption to their journeys.”

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The bridge over the River Wharfe on the A61 is a main route between Harrogate and Leeds.

Leeds City Council closed it for waterproofing, resurfacing and footpath repair work. The footway across the bridge has remained open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Harrogate Bus Company places £21m order for 39 electric buses

The Harrogate Bus Company has placed orders worth £21 million for 39 new buses and to equip its Starbeck depot to convert its entire Harrogate fleet to fully electric power.

Funding for the bid includes £7.8 million secured by North Yorkshire Council from the government’s zero emission bus regional areas scheme.

Ministers set-up the scheme to help local authorities outside London introduce zero-emission buses.

The Harrogate Bus Company, whose services include the 36 that runs between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds, is owned by French firm Transdev.

Transdev has already trialled several types of all-electric buses on three routes in and around Harrogate, and on its shuttle route linking Bradford and Keighley.

Transdev orders, which it revealed today, call for:

One of eight current Harrogate Electrics-branded single deck vehicles, seen at Harrogate Bus Station.

Henri Rohard, managing director of Transdev, described the news as “an important evolution in the quality and sustainability of our network in and around our home town of Harrogate”.

Mr Rohard added:

“All our bus fleet will be renewed in the process, giving our Harrogate Bus Company the most modern and passenger oriented network.

“In combination with our existing eight Harrogate Electrics-branded Volvo 7900E electric buses, the first of their kind in Britain, 47 fully-electric vehicles are now expected to be in service in spring 2024.

“Higher power output delivered by today’s new generation batteries means each bus can go further between charge-ups – and to make sure we provide a reliable service, our buses will also have top-up charges at Harrogate Bus Station, as they will travel further in a day than the maximum range achievable by fully electric buses.”

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The Starbeck depot will be upgraded.

Roads minister Richard Holden said:

“It’s fantastic to see Transdev turn its Harrogate fleet to fully electric by ordering 39 new electric buses.

“We’ve awarded £330 million of dedicated funding for zero emission buses in England excluding London, as we continue in our quest to decarbonise transport and reach net zero by 2050.”

Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council was among 12 local authorities to submit a successful bid for government funding.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“It’s great news for passengers and an important step towards achieving our climate aims.”

 

 

Seb Mitchell trial: Murder accused stabbed victim after row

WARNING: The following report contains details which some people may find upsetting.

Harrogate knife victim Seb Mitchell was stabbed to death after a row over a broken mirror, a court has heard.

The incident occurred at a house in Harrogate where the two teenagers became embroiled in a row, a jury at Leeds Crown Court was told yesterday.

The boy accused of Seb’s murder, who can’t be named for legal reasons, stabbed Seb in the chest with a kitchen knife which led to a fatal loss of blood and cardiac arrest.

He appeared for the first day of his trial, expected to last six-to-seven-days, yesterday after pleading not guilty to murder. 

Three teenagers who witnessed the horrific incident in the early hours of February 19 this year went to Seb’s aid and called police and an ambulance as he lay barely conscious on a sofa.

Prosecutor Peter Moulson KC said a broken mirror and pane of glass in the kitchen appeared to be the “catalyst” for the fatal stabbing after the boys started arguing and scuffling. 

When police arrived, Seb, who was 17, was unresponsive and falling deeper into unconsciousness. Officers found blood stains in the kitchen, living room and a settee, and a red stain on one of the knives from the kitchen block. 

Seb was taken to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance, but his condition was so critical he was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma.

Despite the best efforts of doctors, he died two days later.

Police launched a murder investigation and spoke to two girls and a teenage boy who were at the house that night where drinks had been consumed.

The murder suspect, from Harrogate, was brought in for questioning but refused to answer police questions during three separate interviews. He also refused to provide blood and urine samples.

However, he did provide a prepared, legally assisted statement claiming initially that the stabbing was in self-defence and that Seb was the aggressor.

Grabbed knife during argument

The two girls told police that the defendant grabbed a knife from the kitchen and confronted Seb with it during the argument which led to scuffling.

One of the girls said the defendant pushed her away before grabbing the knife and “pointing it at Seb”.

She said:

“We were all trying to hold [the defendant] back.”

She said he seemed “fixated with the [victim]” and that the defendant told Seb: “I’m going to wet you up.”

Mr Moulson said the expression “wet you up” was “London slang” for a stabbing. 

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Leeds Crown Court

She said she heard the defendant repeatedly saying to the victim: “I’m gonna kill you.”

She saw Seb and the defendant “on the floor, in the corner of the kitchen, with glass smashed around them”.

They ended up “face to face” while the others tried to pull them apart, but the teenager wielding the knife was “still not listening” and was pushing her away.

She said he pointed the knife towards Seb’s stomach. She tried to grab the knife from the defendant, but he told her: “Don’t touch my f****** knife.”

The two boys were still shouting at each other as the fight spilled over into the living room, but then Seb fell silent and was laid out, grasping his chest which was bleeding.

‘Fell on the knife’

The girl called 999 and was told by the teenage defendant to tell the ambulance operator that Seb had fallen onto the knife on the floor and that it was an accident. The two other teenage witnesses went along with this because they thought the defendant “could kill them” too. 

The girl, who was “too scared to say what actually happened”, told the call-handler: 

“Please be quick. He’s dying. Please. He’s 17. He’s going. He’s just about [breathing] but he’s going.”

In the 999 call – an audio recording of which was played to the jury – the defendant could be heard telling the girl to tell the operator that Seb “fell on the knife”.

Screaming, groans and desperate shouts of “Please, help” could be heard in the background.

The girl told the call-handler: 

“He fell on the floor. There was a knife on the floor. We all had a drink. We need an ambulance. He’s bleeding seriously. He’s not responding.”

A male voice can then be heard saying:

“We need [an ambulance] now or he’s gonna die. He’s unconscious; he’s not responding in the slightest. He’s breathing but he’s not there.”

The girl later told police that Seb was backing away from the defendant who was “getting a bit closer” with the knife and “getting louder and louder”. 

She said the defendant was acting “like he wanted to hurt all of us in there”, which was “very scary”.

The other girl said she saw the defendant “making jabbing motions” with the blade before stabbing Seb. 

She added:

“We were all trying to stop it.

“We were like, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do this, it’s not worth it’.”

She said the defendant was “waving the knife around, putting the knife to [Seb’s] stomach, jabbing [the blade]”.

“That’s when I looked away and when I walked round the corner there was like a silence… with [the defendant] saying, ‘I’m going to wet you up, it doesn’t take much to put it in you.”

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She then heard her male friend shouting: “You actually just stabbed him.” 

She said Seb was “really drunk”.

The defendant and another teenager were giving Seb chest compressions in an attempt to revive him.

When police arrived, the defendant told them:

“It was me. I was scared. Really sorry. Everyone here are witnesses. I promise I was just trying to defend myself. You can arrest me. This wasn’t meant to happen.”

Mr Moulson said this was a key part of the prosecution evidence as the boy was no longer saying the victim fell on the knife and claiming it was an accident.

The male teenage witness told police that Seb, a black belt in karate who also played football, was the aggressor initially and that the stabbing was an accident. 

He said he saw the two boys wrestling in the kitchen following an argument about the broken glass and then the defendant grabbed a knife and told Seb he would “poke him”.

‘Didn’t intend to kill’

The defendant, who admitted manslaughter at a previous hearing, accepts that he deliberately stabbed Seb but denies murder. He claims he didn’t intend to kill or do really serious harm to the teenager. 

The prosecution now has to prove that he intended to kill or cause Seb really serious harm to prove murder.

Mohammed Nawaz KC, for the defendant, said:

“We do not say he acted in self-defence. We accept it was not responsible or proportionate for [the defendant] to pick up a knife in response to what was going on.”

He added, however, that it was the defence’s contention that it was not a deliberate stabbing with intent to kill Seb or cause him really serious harm. 

A paramedic who arrived at the scene at about 12.20am said that Seb’s clothes were covered in blood. He was laid on a sofa with a 3cm-long puncture wound to his chest.

The trial continues.