Harrogate commuters set for fewer ‘leaves on the line’ delays?Rail operator Northern is fitting new technology to its trains to combat leaves on the line, which can cause autumn frustration for commuters.
Leaves stick to damp rails and are compressed into a smooth, slippery layer, reducing the trains’ grip.
This can delay services so Northern is fitting what it describes as ‘leaf-busting’ technology to 16 of its 170 passenger trains operating between Leeds, Harrogate, and York.
Routes between Sheffield, Doncaster, Hull and Scarborough will also be upgraded. The locations were chosen because they are some of those most affected by leaves.
The technology – Water-Trak – creates rainy-day conditions on the rail surface by spraying a small amount of water from the train onto the track when a slippery rail is detected.
While this might appear counter-intuitive, researchers discovered that leaf-coated rails only become slippery when damp, and that trains stop safely in heavy rain.
Rob Cummings, seasonal improvement manager at Northern, said:
“This is the next step in finding a solution to tricky autumn conditions. One of the biggest risks to our performance during October and November is leaves on the line, but by helping to develop new innovative technology we aim to deliver the very best service for our passengers.”
Two of Northern’s Class 319s fitted with Water-Trak have been successfully operating in passenger service since late October 2021. The trials with Northern are being run thanks to funding from Network Rail’s performance innovation fund.
John Cooke, co-founder at Water-Trak, said:
“We are really excited to be working with Northern to show how Water-Trak can help to solve the age-old problem of leaves on the line.”
Confirmed: Harrogate to have just one night time fire engineNorth Yorkshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has today confirmed Harrogate fire station will be reduced to one fire engine at night.
Ms Metcalfe’s decision comes after a three-month consultation that saw the proposal criticised for putting lives at risk.
The move is expected to save £180,000 in the Harrogate district, which will be used to fund fire prevention work, and could see five Harrogate firefighters redeployed to new prevention roles.
The Harrogate changes will be piloted for three years and then could be copied in Scarborough.
Ms Metcalfe, a Conservative who was elected commissioner last year, published her three-year blueprint for fire services in the county in May.
Today’s announcement will also see Huntington full-time fire station reduced to on-call, leaving North Yorkshire with just four full-time fire stations: Harrogate, Scarborough, York and Acomb.
Change is coming to Harrogate fire station, on Skipton Road.
It follows a consultation that included 12 public events, three resident focus groups and an online survey which received 1,300 responses.
Me Metcalfe said:
“Some areas of the service will change, and I know change can be unsettling, but I remain confident that the right people, with be in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to support everyone in North Yorkshire and York.”
“I have made these decisions to support the transformation of our fire and rescue service based on extensive evidence and from listening to what is important to you, which you said was increasing and enhancing prevention and protection work to stop incidents from happening in the first place”
How Harrogate fire service will change
Currently, Harrogate fire station has one fire engine which can respond to all emergencies and a smaller tactical response vehicle. Both operate around the clock.
The smaller vehicle will be replaced by a larger fire engine but it will only be crewed during the day.
Ms Metcalfe’s risk and resource model said more fires occur during daytime, and having two fire engines at Harrogate would provide better daytime protection at key times.
But the second Harrogate appliance won’t be staffed between 10pm and 9am, meaning greater dependence on on-call firefighters in Knaresborough when a second fire engine is required at major incidents.
Jonathan Dyson
Jonathan Dyson, chief fire officer for North Yorkshire, said Ms Metcalfe’s proposals provided the correct strategic approach to resourcing fire risk. The service has a £31.5m annual budget for core spending.
He said:
“Our strong focus on prevention and protection activities are the primary way for us to reduce risk in our communities.”
Mr Dyson told the Stray Ferret second appliances from outside Harrogate were already mobilised to tackle major fires in Harrogate because they were better equipped to do so than the tactical response vehicle.
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But he acknowledged the change could “potentially” cause a delay when the main Harrogate fire engine attended an incident and requested back-up, which would now have to come from Knaresborough rather than Harrogate.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service does not have target response times and no calculations have been done on how long delays brought about by the changes could be.
Job talks to start with Harrogate firefighters
Asked about the impact on Harrogate firefighters, Mr Dyson said:
“We now start a phased approach to the changes because we now need to discuss and engage with the trade unions, we need to discuss and engage with the crews that are affected by this because people are at the centre of this.
“No current staff or jobs are at jeopardy in any form. We are transitioning resources from response into prevention and protection.
“There are a range of duty systems that can introduced to meet the demand that the service requires under the commissioner’s decision.”
Mr Dyson added today’s overall measures had the “potential” to save £1.5m a year across North Yorkshire by 2025 although the calculation was done before recent high inflation.
He added the decision “isn’t about cuts, it’s about transition of funding from response into prevention” and savings would also be spent on improving on call stations in rural areas.
Extinction Rebellion to bring bus to Harrogate district tomorrowClimate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) will drive a bus to Pateley Bridge and Harrogate tomorrow to talk to people about climate change.
But although the bus has solar panels on its roof, the bus is not electric and is powered by diesel.
A fleet of multicoloured buses have been travelling the country as part of XR’s Change Is Now tour.
The idea is to visit different XR groups and have conversations with local people about their climate change hopes and fears.
Tomorrow morning, the bus will be in Pateley Bridge to promote a film called 2040, which is showing at Summerbridge Methodist Chapel from 6.30pm that evening. Entry is free.
They will then park up in Harrogate and head to Cambridge Street between 12pm and 4pm to talk to people and canvas views.
A petition calling on the government to take firmer action on climate change will be available to sign.
People can also bring along plain t-shirts or fabrics to get them block-printed with XR graphics.
James Smith, from XR Harrogate, said:
“People really want to talk about climate change.
“When they talk, it becomes more real to people and they then might take action.”
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Mr Smith said he was expecting some criticism about XR using a diesel bus rather than an electric one.
He added:
“Even a group of totally committed green activists have to use a diesel bus, there are no viable, affordable electric buses.
“But this is the point — no matter how green you are you can’t always take the eco, fossil fuel free option that you’d like. We’re calling on the government to plan and fund a zero-carbon economy. “
Extinction Rebellion’s visit will also coincide with the Green Party’s national conference, which is taking place from Friday until Sunday at Harrogate Convention Centre.
Business Breakfast: Harrogate district hotels win national awardsBusiness Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
Two hotels in the Harrogate district have won national awards.
Grantley Hall in Ripon won hotel of the year for 2022/23 at the AA Hotel and Hospitality Awards.
Meanwhile, Swinton Estate near Masham won the sustainable award at the ceremony, which was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Iain Shelton, chief executive at Swinton, said:
“We are delighted to be recognised for the work we are doing and look forward with working with the AA over the next 12 months in championing sustainability and launching their new initiatives.”
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Harrogate firm awarded £762,522 for heat pump project
A Harrogate company has been awarded £762,522 of government funding to carry out a project to make heat pumps cheaper.
GenGame, which is based at Hornbeam Park, has outlined a scheme to use data from smart meters to help optimise the running of a heat pump in a household energy system.
The project comes as part of funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
A total of 24 projects in England and Scotland have won funding in the second round of the Heat Pump Ready programme.
Lord Callanan, business and energy minister, said:
“In light of rising global gas and oil prices, getting low-carbon heating technology into homes is a priority for this government as it will help households ditch the costly fossil fuels that are driving up bills.
“Heat pumps are a proven, reliable technology that uses cheaper renewable energy produced in the UK.”
Harrogate Spring Water investigating new water sources on council landHarrogate Borough Council granted permission for Harrogate Spring Water to test the council’s borehole at its horticultural nursery on Harlow Hill, documents reveal — so the company could explore a potential new water source.
The Stray Ferret has obtained emails between the company and the council via a freedom of information request. They reveal Harrogate Spring Water tested the borehole in May this year and is continuing to investigate groundwater in the area.
Boreholes are used to extract water from the ground. Harrogate Spring Water bottles water from a bore hole at its headquarters on Harlow Moor Road, on land owned by the council and leased to the company.
Much of the land surrounding the facility, including the Pinewoods and Harlow Hill nursery, is also owned by the council.
As part of the firm’s lease agreement with the council, water is extracted from two boreholes on the Harlow Moor Road site. There is a third borehole on Pennypot Bridge.
The council grows its floral displays at Harlow Hill nursery and sells plants, pots and compost to the public there, although it plans to sell the site for housing and move the nursery elsewhere. It also has a on-site borehole that it uses to water plants.
Investigations in the area
Harrogate Spring Water is set to submit fresh plans to increase the size of its bottling plant within the next few months and emails suggest the company may also be looking for new sources of water to help the company expand.
An email from Harrogate Spring Water to the council, dated June 6, reveals the council gave the company permission to perform “some testing work” on its borehole at Harlow Hill nursery in the previous month.
However, it says the results “weren’t what Harrogate Spring were looking for”.
Email from Harrogate Spring Water to Harrogate Borough Council on June 6
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The email continues to say the company would like to survey the land around Harlow Moor Road to find out “where the best potential for water might be and how the water is working”.
Follow-up emails between two council officers, whose names were redacted, query if these tests are to identify new water sources.
A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group, the charity that looks after the Pinewoods, said the testing of boreholes in the area was a “major concern”.
They said the charity had received reports from visitors of investigative works taking place in the Pinewoods recently, adding:
“We’ve had assurances before around no further expansion plans but confirmation that more boreholes are being investigated around the Pinewoods area is a major concern for us.
“Several visitors reported seeing investigative works happening within the Pinewoods itself recently, without any notice of this from either Harrogate Spring Water or Harrogate council.
“We would encourage all parties to be transparent on their longer terms plans and involve the relevant stakeholders as required.”
Harrogate Spring Water’s statement
A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water confirmed it had performed testing at the council borehole at Harlow Nurseries. It said this was to “understand the potential availability of water” from beneath the ground.
They said it is also exploring the land around Harlow Moor Road and the Pinewoods for similar reasons.
They described this as a “routine part” of the management of their water sources.
The spokesperson also said the company had “no immediate plans” for a new borehole, but that if “an opportunity to enhance our water security arose”, they would consider it.
The full statement is below:
“Over the summer, we have been doing a geophysical survey of parts of the land to the rear of our facility in order to create a 3D map of its geology.
“The reason for the survey is to better understand the bedrock geology in the area as part of our aquifer management and to better understand the potential water capability of the aquifer. This is a routine part of the responsible management of our water source, alongside work such as weekly monitoring of borehole performance via depth and meter readings and weekly rainfall recording.
“We work with a local family-run company that helps us manage our boreholes and explore the areas around Harrogate for new sustainable sources of high-quality water, which is a prudent part of responsible water management.
“We have no immediate plans for a new borehole, but if an opportunity to enhance our water security arose, and a landowner showed an interest in having us drill on their land, we would work with that landowner and the Environment Agency to ensure that any source was 100% sustainable, in compliance with the regulatory regime.
“The boreholes which we use take up only a few square metres of land, which is normally in a corner of a field or hidden by a screen of shrubs or trees.”
Missing man from Harrogate district found safeA missing man from the Harrogate district has been found safe.
North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal this afternoon for information to find the man, who was last seen leaving his home on Tuesday this week.
But the force reported tonight that the man had been traced.
We have therefore updated this article and removed the man’s name and photo.
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Harrogate estate agents sees renewed interest in self-build homes
This story is sponsored by Linley & Simpson.
A Harrogate estate agency has seen renewed interest in the number of people looking to follow the European trend and build their own home.
The new homes department at Linley & Simpson believes there is a growing appetite in the community to take advantage of this approach amid the cost of living crisis.
As a result, it has launched a new research project to pinpoint how big the interest is.
On the continent, around one-in-three homes are self or custom build – yet in England, the figure is less than 10%.
In Harrogate district, even fewer are following this trend with government statistics showing that just 95 planning permissions for serviced plots have been granted since ministers launched the Right to Build initiative in 2016.
The legislation was designed to address concerns about affordability, and make it easier for people who wanted to build or commission their own home.
David Waddington, director of new homes at Linley & Simpson, said the cost benefits of self-build, coupled with a greater choice of prime plots coming to the market across Harrogate district, has recently increased the appeal of buying and building a personalised home in this way.
He said:
“According to the National Custom and Self Build Association, England has the lowest proportion of self-build homes in the developed world.
“There are big differences in the popularity of self-build across the UK but we believe there is a growing appetite for the concept across the Harrogate district.
“Our aim is to try to identify the size of this hidden demand.
“Much of the interest is location driven – demand for property in Harrogate is high enough for people to choose this route in order to get their dream home in the right place.
“It’s also being spurred on by cost of living pressures and rising inflation as there are significant stamp duty savings with self-build, as you are only buying the value of the land and not a complete house.
“Plots are usually available in rural, semi-rural and suburban areas so there’s no shortage of choice. And roads, sewers and services will already be connected so it’s a real turnkey solution, ready for immediate use.”
Many neighbouring areas have seen far greater numbers of self-build projects – Hambleton, for example, has had 124 in the same timescale while further afield, Cherwell in Oxfordshire reports almost 6,000.
In 2021, more than 12,000 people joined the Right to Build registers, which helps aspiring custom and self-builders find plots – a year-on-year increase of 31%.
If you’re interested in self-build homes and want to find out more, contact Lucy Collinge at Linley and Simpson on lucy.collinge@linleyandsimpson.co.uk or call 01423 540054.
Harrogate hospital plans new £14m operating theatresHarrogate District Hospital is planning a £14 million project to create two new operating theatres in an effort to tackle waiting times for treatment.
The scheme would see two additional operating theatres, two procedure rooms and a 12-bed ward for patients who require extended stays in care built on the site.
The hospital currently has six operating theatres, including general and emergency surgery.
Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the move would help to increase capacity for operations and reduce waiting times for both planned and emergency surgery.
The project forms part of a national funding scheme to help hospitals tackle long waiting lists.
A spokesperson for the hospital trust told the Stray Ferret:
“The number of theatres currently at our trust/Harrogate District Hospital limits the number of operations we can undertake on a weekly basis.
“Additional theatres will enable us to treat more patients each week, which will reduce waits for both planned and emergency operations.”
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The trust added that the project will also help to “future proof” the hospital for a growth in population and changes in demographic in the district.
The scheme has been submitted to senior NHS officials and is currently being reviewed.
Trust officials said they expected a response on grant funding within the next four weeks. However, the project would also require planning permission before it goes ahead.
25,500 patients waiting
It comes as Harrogate hospital is currently tackling a long waiting list for patients awaiting treatment.
According to the trust’s own board papers, there were 25,564 patients waiting for an operation at the end of August.
Of that number, 1,297 had been waiting more than 52 weeks.
While the overall number of patients waiting is down by 65 on July, it is an increase of 3,396 on the same time last year.
In a report to the board, Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at the trust, said:
“We have had a difficult summer and we are now moving towards winter knowing that the current level of acute pressures and community services workload are already significant.
“Combined with the need to reduce our elective care backlog, the challenges that we are managing are significant.”
Harrogate Knight Frank directors set up North Residential estate agencyThe directors of Harrogate-based estate agency Knight Frank have set up an independent business.
The change will see the directors launch a new company with a fresh identity called North Residential.
Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg secured independent ownership of the business after operating in Harrogate for 15 years.
The team will continue to be located on Harrogate’s Albert Street, with the office currently undergoing refurbishment.
Emma Kingham has been promoted to director, Harriet Cheshire has also become a director and Fiona Lippell, who has been with the business for over 15 years, remains office manager.
A statement by North Residential said that although it was independent, it would “maintain an amicable working relationship and continue to collaborate as necessary” with Knight Frank, which operates internationally.
Mr Pollitt said:
“Whilst retaining our position as the leading estate agent in Harrogate, we have plans to invest considerably to expand into more regions over the next few years.
“We are thrilled that our existing, highly valued team, that have become known and respected within the local community over many years, will each have an incentive in helping to make it even more successful.”
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Harrogate gym to lift one million kilos in memory of Jamie LeeseMembers of a Harrogate gym are to attempt to lift one million kilograms to raise money in memory of former client Jamie Leese.
Jamie died in May aged 30 following a long battle with a brain tumour. After his diagnosis at the age of 21, he trained regularly at Fitness Garage with personal trainer Guy Lister.
From midday on October 8, Fitness Garage personal trainers, clients, family and friends will take part in the Lift For Jamie challenge to raise money for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity.
They will work in pairs to lift their choice of weights — whether that is deadlifts, bench presses or squats.
The event is designed to be inclusive with no time limits or weight requirements for participants.
Andy Gardner, co-owner of Fitness Garage said:
“As a community, we wanted to come together to remember Jamie.
“Given his regular workouts for the nine years he was undergoing treatment, a weightlifting challenge seemed like a fitting tribute to Jamie whilst also raising funds for a charity that was close to his heart and that of his family.”
The event aims to raise £2,500 for the local charity, which supported Jamie during his treatment.
Harrogate district estate agents Verity Frearson are supported the event through their 100 Days of Giving campaign, which supports local causes as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
You can donate here.
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