Bilton garages set to be demolished for housing

Harrogate Borough Council‘s plan to demolish 10 garages at Woodfield Close in Bilton and build two social homes has been recommended for approval.

The council owns and rents out garages across the district and has increasingly looked at the pockets of land as a way to build social housing.

Harrogate is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the district.

There are currently 1,867 households on the social housing waiting list.

In planning documents, the council said the development would help to provide “much needed affordable homes”.

The council earmarked the site for housing in August 2021. In total, it has 26 garages.

In November last year, the council was awarded £50,000 of government cash to bring forward housing on the garage site at Woodfield as well as at Park Row in Knaresborough.

The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday to decide whether or not to approve the Woodfield proposal.

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The report to councillors says:

“The provision of two affordable dwellings is a modest addition to the district’s housing land supply.

“The design of the dwellings would respect local distinctiveness and there would be no significant harm to local residential amenity, or highway safety.

“The housing development would provide off-street parking and be a more efficient use of the site.

“The proposal would comply with the provisions of the development plan and national planning policies and guidance, and should be supported.”

Council explores move to protect Harrogate Convention Centre with limited company status

Harrogate Convention Centre could come under the control of a limited company as part of a potential bid by the borough council to protect its most prized asset.

With the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council fast approaching, the convention centre is set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council next April as the venue also pushes ahead with plans for a £49 million redevelopment in the face of growing competition.

But borough council bosses have this week revealed they are working with consultants on new models for how the venue could be run.

This includes the possibility of creating a limited company which would be run by a board of directors, including senior staff and councillors, although it would still be owned and funded by the new North Yorkshire Council.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a meeting on Monday that events venues in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow operate in this way and that this “would be my recommendation”.

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Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, also said the convention centre could follow the “success” of the district’s leisure centres which were brought under the control of the council’s new leisure company Brimhams Active last year. He said:

“Clearly our view is that Brimhams has been a success in terms of creating a local authority controlled company – it has got a very clear focus and strategic vision.

“There is now a model in place which gives it a degree of freedom to operate, notwithstanding the fact that there is a board with representation from the borough council.”

Mr Sampson also stressed that the council was looking into a variety of different business models for the convention centre and that this work with consultants KPMG “hasn’t concluded yet”.

As well as Brimhams Active, the council’s tourism company Destination Harrogate is also set to be handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council.

But what will happen to the companies after this major change for local government in seven months’ time remains unclear as council staff continue to plan how all services across North Yorkshire should be run in the future.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, said she was worried that decisions about the convention centre “won’t be in our hands” without a limited company and that she had seen the benefits that such a move could bring as a board member on Brimhams Active. She said:

“We need to have that business as most councillors think the convention centre underpins the economy of this town.

“Without it, I wouldn’t like to think how Harrogate would be.”

The proposed £49 million redevelopment of the convention centre recently moved to the next design stage – although a final decision on the major plans is still just under a year away.

It will be in July or August next year when that decision is made and because of local government reorganisation, it will be taken by the new North Yorkshire Council.

The proposals come after warnings that the venue “may fail to survive” and suffer losses of up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

North Yorkshire County Council hits back at ‘dilution of democracy’ criticisms

A council overseeing sweeping changes to local government in North Yorkshire has hit back at criticism of the proposed overhaul, saying it would represent the biggest strengthening of democracy in generations.

Leading members of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive dismissed claims that hundreds of elected community representatives on district and borough councils are set to be replaced by just two councillors on a mayoral combined authority, saying the two levels of local government were not comparable.

Concerns were initially raised by the county’s borough and district councils over residents’ representation ahead of proposals for a single unitary authority being agreed.

Recent weeks have seen opposition members repeatedly highlight how proposals to create a new tier of local government in a mayoral combined authority for North Yorkshire and York include plans to have two decision-making members from the county and two from the city, alongside an elected mayor.

The proposals being consulted on this autumn would make the county, with a population of more than 600,000, and York, which has more than 200,000 residents, equally represented on the mayoral combined authority.

Speaking ahead of a public consultation over the proposed devolution deal as part of the changes, a number of councillors have stated the overhaul would erode residents’ ability to shape key decisions.

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Earlier this month Independent councillor John McCartney, who represents Osgoldcross, said many residents engaged in local democracy felt “irked and discombobulated” as their local councils were being swapped for a remote one in what he described as “a power grab” by County Hall in Northallerton.

However, it is understood senior North Yorkshire figures are comfortable with the disparity in representation as they are keen to foster a partnership with their York counterparts, and believe a fair balance will be struck by the elected mayor.

The authority’s deputy leader, councillor Gareth Dadd, told a meeting of the executive yesterday claims that the devolution deal would lead to “a dilution of democracy and that the world as we know would cease to exist” were far from reality.

He said:

“In my view it is an absolute strengthening of democracy.

“I suspect a mayoral election will take place in 2024 and the 800,000 good folk of York and North Yorkshire will have the ability to make a choice about who is actually heading up the spending of that extra money that was decided its course in Westminster, County Hall and the Guildhall.

“It will be the biggest strengthening in democracy, in my view, that we have seen in generations for this part of the world.”

Executive member for climate change and customer engagement Councillor Greg White added while the extra funding and greater discretion over the spending of public money from devolution in North Yorkshire and York was to be welcomed, the real prize would be in having an elected mayor who could deal directly with government.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

All children at Harrogate district secondary schools return for the new term today so expect the roads to be busier than what we’ve been used to over the summer.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Northern Gas Networks is undertaking some emergency works on Leadhall Lane in Harrogate. Delays are expected until the end of this week.

Roadworks are also taking place on Yew Tree Lane near Ashville College until tomorrow.

On Rossett Drive, engineers at Yorkshire Water are doing works with works set to finish at the end of the week.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

A couple of of 36 buses this morning have been cancelled by Transdev. The affected routes are below:

Harrogate to Leeds 7.20am
Leeds to Harrogate 7.40am, 8.40am

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Test Match Special coming to Harrogate for Ashes

The Test Match Special show is coming to Harrogate next year just weeks before the Ashes.

Harrogate’s Royal Hall is one of 17 venues in the country selected for the cricket-themed show.

It will see Voice of Cricket Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew joined by Aussie bowling legend Glenn McGrath and other special guests to relive Ashes anecdotes and discuss the forthcoming series.

The Harrogate event will take place on April 22, about two months before the 73rd Ashes series gets underway.

Since its inception in 1957, TMS has followed thousands of matches through iconic voices that include John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Aggers and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.

TMS’ debut live theatre tour took place this year. Guests included the likes of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, Ebony Rainford-Brent and TMS super-fan Stephen Fry.

Agnew said:

“We had such a fantastic time on our debut tour that the TMS team has decided to do it all again – and this time with an Ashes twist!

“The shows will be the perfect appetiser ahead of a fascinating Ashes summer.”

McGrath said:

“Next summer is shaping up to be another intriguing series and I am really looking forward to touring the UK with Aggers to talk all things Ashes, share some of my experiences and look ahead to the summer’s Test action.”

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday September 9 here.

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London restaurant defends legal challenge to Harrogate’s Frog

A Michelin-starred eatery in London has defended issuing a legal challenge to a new Harrogate bar and restaurant that forced it to give up the name Frog.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Frog on King’s Road has changed its name to Lilypad after a challenge by the Adam Handling Restaurant Group, which owns the Frog trademark.

The news came as a personal blow to owners Charlie Moorby and Tom Moxham as they named the Harrogate bar and restaurant after their favourite amphibian.

It prompted a debate on social media about whether the legal challenge was fair.

Some felt the London-based business was well within its rights to protect its intellectual property but others thought that a business 200 miles away posed little threat and should be left alone.

Frog By Adam Handling Restaurant Covent Garden received its first Michelin star this year. Award-winning chef Adam Handling said he gave it that name because “frogs live in water, so they are either going to sink or swim”.

A spokesperson for company sent us a statement that expressed some sympathy for the Harrogate restaurant but said the name Frog is “very valuable and important to us”.

The Adam Handling Restaurant Group also owns three other restaurants and the spokesperson said some diners had incorrectly believed the chef had opened a new restaurant in Harrogate.

“The Adam Handling Restaurant Group has been in touch with Frog Harrogate because its choice of name conflicts with our earlier rights and has caused confusion amongst many of our diners and within the hospitality industry, as they thought that we had opened a new restaurant in Harrogate.

“The directors of Frog Harrogate have responded and we anticipate resolving matters amicably soon.

“Our Frog name is very valuable and important to us, to our existing restaurant group and to our expansion plans. We have no choice but to protect it from both deliberate and accidental conflicts.”

The spokesperson warned other fledgling businesses to undertake due diligence on intellectual property before opening.

“If you don’t protect and enforce your trademark against these types of conflicts, you become exposed and could lose your rights.

“We appreciate that these conflicts can be accidental but, in this instance, Frog Harrogate have advised that they were actually aware of our name. We urge new business owners to conduct the relevant due diligence through the IPO website as unfortunate situations like this can become costly for both parties.”

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Harrogate Neighbours warns of care home closures

The chief executive of a Harrogate care charity has warned the energy crisis could force some care homes to close without urgent government action.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, said spiralling bills were already being felt by care providers, with the charity’s own gas costs more than doubling over the last 12 months to over £90,000.

She added the looming winter and further price rises was a “huge concern” for the care sector, which looks after the most vulnerable in society. Ms Cawthray said:

“Those working in social care are responsible for people’s lives and we have got to make sure that not only are our residents warm, but also that food costs are addressed.

“I have a colleague who is a small care provider and very concerned about how he is actually going to pay the wages, nevermind keep people warm.”

New prime minister Liz Truss has pledged to “act immediately” on the energy crisis – with a price freeze funded by government-backed loans to energy companies widely expected.

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But with the full details of the plans yet to be announced, Ms Cawthray said the charity was already looking at different ways to reduce its energy costs, including the use of heating monitors in residential rooms and solar panels.

She added that any government plans must include care homes and charities like Harrogate Neighbours, which provides residential care and a hot meal delivery service. She said:

“The government needs to be helping out everybody – it worries me just how people are going to cope.

“We use a huge amount of energy, not just in our residential areas but also in our kitchens and for our meals on wheels service so we have really got to think about our costs.

“This is a huge concern for us as we are a not-for-profit organisation

“At The Cuttings, our residents are responsible for their own bills so we have got to ensure they are not going to be turning down their heating to save money.

“We are going to have to be creative and innovative, as we always are.”

Myrings partners with Martin House on Harrogate charity boards

This story is sponsored by Myrings.

Harrogate’s Leading Family Estate Agent Myrings has partnered with Martin House Children’s Hospice to support families with its new charity boards initiative.

Martin House provides hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses free of charge across North, West and East Yorkshire.

To support Martin House, Myrings will donate £10 for every “for sale” or “to let” board in Harrogate and the surrounding villages.

The new charity initiative is starting now so residents will start to see the new Martin House boards popping up soon and it will continue for the foreseeable future.

Gemma Myring, co-founder and director at Myrings, told the Stray Ferret:

“Martin House is a big part of Harrogate and has touched so many lives.

“We simply cannot praise the staff and volunteers enough. The hospice provides selfless dedication and love to those who need it most.

“It has been one of the guiding principles at Myrings from the day we opened our doors to ‘put something back’ into our hometown where we all live and work.

“Myrings has been in the property business for more than 20 years. It’s a long time but not close to the 35 years Martin House has faithfully served our community.”

Myrings has adapted many times over the years, investing heavily into the website and software.

However, the estate agents believes that a welcoming, dedicated and individual service is greatly valued by Yorkshire people so has recently remodelled its offices to allow for a more personal and private client experience.

Please look out for the new Myrings and Martin House boards over the coming months – and call in to see the team for a chat and a coffee soon.

Police warning after spate of burglaries in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has warned homeowners to lock their windows at night after four burglaries in four days were reported on the east side of Harrogate.

The first burglary took place in the early hours of Thursday morning when a handbag was stolen from a property in Queen Parade.

On Thursday night, three bags were stolen from a property on Pearl Street.

Police said on Friday morning between 5am and 11am, two homes on Woodlands Grove were also targeted when thieves stole a wallet, a tobacco grinder and some cash.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“In all incidents access has been gained through insecure windows and doors. Opportunistic thieves have gained access to properties and stolen valuable items.

“Our neighbourhood teams are patrolling in the area to deter thieves, but there are some simple steps homeowners can take to protect their property.

“Please ensure you don’t leave valuable items on display near windows and doors and if you are not in the room, or before you head to bed, run a quick check that all windows and doors are closed and locked. Similarly with your garden, any valuable toys, bikes or tools are best kept in a locked shed if possible and consider fitting a house alarm, external lights or a video doorbell or CCTV camera to deter thieves.

“Anyone who was in the area of the properties which were targeted, at the time and dates mentioned, who saw anything or has information which would assist the investigations is asked to call 101, select option 1 and pass the information to our Force Control Room.”

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Harrogate’s Frog restaurant forced to change name after legal challenge

Frog bar and restaurant on King’s Road will change its name to Lilypad after a legal challenge from a London restaurant with a similar name.

Frog opened in April by friends Charlie Moorby and Tom Moxham to rave reviews.

The area is not known as a foodie hotspot but they have hopes it could help turn King’s Road into a destination hub.

But around a month ago they received legal contact on behalf of Michelin-starred Frog by Adam Handling Restaurant Covent Garden, which said the Harrogate eatery had used its trademark.

The news came as a personal blow to the owners as they named the bar and restaurant after their favourite amphibian and there are around 70 images of frogs around venue. Mr Moorby told the Stray Ferret:

“Frustrating is one way to put it. We named it Frog because of personal connections.”

He said they were aware the London restaurant owned a trademark on the name ‘Frog’ before they opened, but said: “we did not think we would be perceived as a worry or would be confused with themselves.”

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Whilst the owners will shortly be removing all signs with the name Frog, Mr Moorby says the new name, Lilypad, retains the DNA of its former title.

He assured customers that nothing about the restaurant will change, except the name.

Mr Moorby added:

“We’re a fledgling business so it wasn’t welcome, but we’ll take the challenge on and roll with the punches.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Frog By Adam Handling Group for a response but we did not receive one at the time of publication.