A power cut on Beulah Street in Harrogate this morning has forced several businesses to close.

It is not known if the outage is related to Storm Arwen, which is still affecting electricity supply in the district.

Costa Coffee, British Red Cross, Aplifon Hearing Centre are all closed. At CEX the lights are not working but the tills and card reader are so they can still serve customers who must wait outside.

Power went off at about 8.30am and was still off at the time of publication. It is expected to return later today.

James Buckley, supervisor at CEX, said there are several different power lines on Beulah Street, so businesses on the other side of the road are open as normal.

He said:

“We are in darkness. It’s a health and safety issue, but we can still sell stuff but not let customers into the store.”

Connie Lancaster, assistant manager at the British Red Cross, decided to close completely until the power comes back on. She has been unable to get more information from Northern Powergrid due to telephone wait times of almost two hours.

She said:

“We’ve been very unlucky”.

Read more:

• Harrogate Theatre panto returns to the stage today following leak
• Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams

Many homes in the district are still without power following Friday night’s storm, according to a live map by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

One reader, who asked not to be named, said the rural area of Skelding, half a mile away from Grantley village, told us last night:

“We feel forgotten about. We were given a tiny bit of power on Saturday night at 7pm so 21 hours of nothing. However this wasn’t enough for most lights, boilers, washer or ovens. Then this afternoon came the good news that Grantley village and school are back on full power however the farms and houses in Skelding are now without anything

Another reader from Grantley said her family had booked into a hotel when temperatures in their house plunged to six degrees centigrade.

The show will go on! Harrogate Theatre has confirmed the pantomime will resume today after the weekend performances were cancelled because of a leak caused by Storm Awern.

Opening night of Cinderella went ahead as scheduled on Friday but the magic of the panto then had to be put on hold when the storm struck later that night.

Four matinee and evening performances were cancelled on Saturday and Sunday.

The theatre is currently covered in scaffolding due to a £1 million roof restoration project, which began in May. Work was due to be completed by November but has been delayed into next year.

However, the theatre confirmed in a statement this morning that today’s 10am showing and future performances would go ahead.

Councillor Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development said:

“The protective, temporary sheeting over the Harrogate Theatre roof was one casualty of this disruptive weather, which led to water ingress to a small area of the building including the stage.

“Emergency repairs were carried out over the weekend and all necessary safety checks have now been completed today. I am therefore delighted to confirm that the theatre building can now be re-opened and the pantomime can re-start again, as scheduled.”

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Those who missed the show at the weekend have been offered the chance to re-book for future performances. The theatre said there are still plenty of tickets available in January.

Ticket holders can also apply for a refund, put credit onto their theatre account for future shows or leave a donation.

Developers have submitted plans to demolish the former Debenhams building on Harrogate’s Parliament Street.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient plans to build 50 apartments on the site along with two commercial units.

The site had been a retail unit on Parliament Street for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

However, the building has stood empty since Debenhams closed for good in January this year.

According to documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, a five-storey building would be built in its place.

It would include two commercial units on the ground floor and a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom apartments on the upper floors. The apartments would surround a central courtyard which would include plants and seating for residents.

A computer generated image of how the former Debenhams building would look from the Ginnel.

Meanwhile, the basement level of the building will include a 15-space car park with access from Union Street. A cycle store with space for 50 bicycles would also be built.

The developer said in a planning statement that there was “no market” for the building to be reoccupied as a department store.

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It added that there was no scope to convert the building into smaller units “due to its internal layout and the age of the building”.

In documents submitted to the council, Stirling Prescient said:

“The proposals as a whole will strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy. 

“The proposal represents a sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning planning permission should be granted without delay.”

Stuart Holland, chair of Harrogate Civic Society, a group that comments on significant planning applications in the town, told the Stray Ferret previously that members had met with the developer for a presentation on their plans.

He said due to the historical significance of the building, demolition will only be acceptable to the civic society if what replaces it is “of the highest quality”.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Harrogate shoppers are being urged to donate chocolate in the next fortnight to brighten up Christmas for people struggling to make ends meet.

Commercial Street Retailers Group is working with Harrogate District Foodbank on the initiative.

Sue Kramer, of Crown Jewellers on Commercial Street and head of the retailers group, said:

“The foodbank told us that they are absolutely overwhelmed with families needing help at the moment. They also said that the one thing they are short of is chocolate: boxes of chocolate biscuits, selection boxes etc, which are classed as more “luxury” items. It’s incredibly sad to think of families not having chocolate, which many people would not regard as luxury, at Christmas.

“We have decided to become the ‘sweetest street’ in Harrogate and from December 1 to 15 we will have festive drop-off points on the street so that people can drop off anything chocolatey.”

People can donate chocolate at four shops on Commercial Street: Foxy Antiques and Interiors, the Harrogate Town shop, Lilly’s Bistro and Cafe and White Rose Sewing.

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The retailers group has come up with various initiatives recently to promote Commercial Street’s array of independent shops and to support the community.

It worked with the charity Disability Action Yorkshire to make it more accessible to people with disabilities and held a dog friendly day.

Ms Kramer said:

“We are always trying to do new and innovative things on Commercial Street. We are also getting bespoke Christmassy bunting made by a local company, Flying Colours in Knaresborough.

“Our street is going to look fantastic and will have a real Christmas community spirit — after all it is the season of goodwill unto others.”

Harrogate Borough Council has issued just 11 fines for fly-tipping in the last five years, despite receiving 2,845 reports from the public.

The figures were obtained through a freedom of information request and posted on the website What Do They Know.

The council has the power to fine fly-tippers £400, which is reduced to £240 if paid within 10 days.

A council spokesperson blamed the low number of fines on needing “substantial” evidence before it can take action.

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The figures also reveal that fly-tipping has cost the council £190,985 in clean-up costs since 2017.

The most commonly dumped items were household waste, construction waste and white goods.

The council spokesperson said:

“Fly-tipping is a selfish crime that blights the landscape and spoils everyone’s enjoyment of our towns and countryside.

“In order to prosecute we need to carry out thorough investigations and provide substantial evidence. This can be a challenge as not all fly-tipping contain personal or business details we can investigate.

“But we will not give up tackling fly-tippers and bringing them to justice.“

Harrogate Borough Council officers have said a decision to delay a controversial proposal to build 200 homes on a former police training centre site in Pannal Ash was “not justified”.

The council’s planning committee deferred a decision in June on whether to approve the development on the Yew Tree Lane site, pending publication of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The parameters plan will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

As reported by the Stray Ferret, the decision to defer was met with frustration by Homes England which told the council in an email it was “extremely disappointing”.

Now council officials have told councillors that the decision had “no policy basis” and urged them to approve the scheme next week.

In a report due before the council’s planning committee next week, they say the parameters plan will not “replace or alter any of the policy requirements set out within the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35”.

It adds that the Local Plan, which describes where development is permitted to take place in the district, is the “starting point” for determining any application submitted to the council.

The report says:

“As noted above there is no policy basis for deferring the determination of this application until the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan is concluded.

“There is no reason to delay the determination of this application pending completion of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.”

Read more:

• Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely
• Homes England ‘frustrated’ by delays to 200-home scheme at Police Training Centre

• Football club’s fury at plans to axe Harrogate sports pitch for housing

The report goes on to say that the development would make “a valuable contribution to meeting the district’s housing need”.

It recommends councillors approve the proposal at the planning committee meeting on December 7.

Homes England, the government housing agency, has permission to build 161 homes on the site on Yew Tree Lane but wants to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Indicative masterplan of the homes on the former police training centre, as included in the planning documents.

The proposal has proved controversial with Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, which said its faith in the planing system was being “severely tested” by the development.

A spokesperson for HAPARA said:

“HAPARA and the Western Arc Coordination Group will discuss our response very shortly, but the last time this went before committee we argued very strongly that any decision on this site before the parameters plan is agreed will jeopardise the objective of a joined-up approach to the developments and infrastructure on the west side of Harrogate and be contrary to the statements and assurances the community have been given by Harrogate Borough Council.

“Members agreed with this view.  The new officer’s report is based on a very narrow interpretation of the requirements of the Local Plan which was predicated on the earlier permission for 161 dwellings.  The current application is materially different in scale and content.”

Homes England has already appointed property company, Countryside Properties, to build the scheme as part of a £63 million contract.

The contract was awarded in March this year and runs until December 2026.

A Harrogate man who has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies has just finished directing a film shot in Yorkshire.

Stuntman, actor and prop creator Joe Cash has appeared in films such as Jurassic World and Star Wars: Episode VII. He said his career highlight was being killed by Harrison’s Ford’s character Hans Solo whilst playing a Stormtrooper.

Mr Cash has now written, produced and directed Carnal Monsters, which was filmed at the former RAF Driffield base. The horror movie is due to go out in selected cinemas in January.

He told the Stray Ferret he began his film career in 2005 and soon realised “never to say no to an opportunity”. Since then he has made dinosaur heads for Jurassic World, worked on various Fast and Furious films and made a car for Dumbledore to drive in Fantastic Beasts.

He said he’d always been interested in directing his own films but it was only during lockdown that he had the time to explore it. Talking of his time in the director’s chair, Mr Cash said:

“I started experimenting with short films and then with covid a lot of jobs dried up so I made my first feature film, Jezebel. It did well and we got a lot of love for it so I decided to keep going.

“I’ll always keep going back to stunt and prop work but this is a new challenge which is a lot of fun too. We already have plans for a sequel too.”

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Carnal Monsters follows a group of prisoners as they discover a deserted lab in which scientists were trying to create a potion to cheat death.

The film also includes footage of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics creator, before he died.

Mr Cash said filming with a small cast and crew, due to covid, meant he could be more hands-on and really take it in his own direction. But he added he would only be able to assess the success of the film when it was released.

The Geek Bar on Bower Road in Harrogate has closed for good.

The board game bar and restaurant was opened in March last year by Alan Evans, who wanted to combine his love of geek culture with his background in hospitality.

It offered geek-themed cocktails and food as well as a Dungeons and Dragons table and a wide range of board games to play.

However, the landlord of the building has decided he needs the building for other purposes, so Geek Bar has had to move out.

The site was previously home to LeD2 restaurant for 15 years.

Mr Evans told the Stray Ferret:

“[The landlord] is turning it into office space I believe but I don’t know too much.

 “We are on good terms with him and he has been super reasonable with everything.

 “We are continuing our D&D sessions at my offices on Hornbeam Park. We are currently looking for a new site here in Harrogate and talking to a few people on using their space for potential pop ups in the new year.

 “We are super proud of the community we started and we hope to keep it going in whatever form it takes in the future.”

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A single mum with four children from Harrogate has opened up about her experience of struggling to pay the bills to try and break the stigma around poverty.

Kayleigh Cooper lost her job manning the phones in the evenings at a taxi company early in the coronavirus pandemic.

So overnight, after never worrying about money, she started to wonder how she could afford her rising living costs while also feeding her children.

She gets Universal Credit and food vouchers but they have not been able to cover her costs.

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• Unemployment in Harrogate district falls despite end of furlough

Ms Cooper felt ashamed about her situation at first. But after reaching out for support, she now wants to let others know that they do not need to “suffer in silence” like she did. She said:

“I was really struggling to feed my children on a daily basis. A lot of people pretend they are doing alright, I have done it myself. But we need to talk about the issue otherwise it gets swept under the rug.

“For me I never had to worry about money before this. Since losing my job I have had to make those choices between paying the utility bills and buying food.

“It’s not just those without a job though, there are plenty of people with jobs who do not have enough money to live off too. Sometimes they struggle even more.

“My anxiety has been a lot worse. It really has had an impact on my mental health. However since reaching out for support I feel like I have had a weight taken off my shoulders.”

Reaching out for support at the new community grocery

A neighbour told Ms Cooper about the community grocery run by the Resurrected Bites team, which opened last month at New Park Primary Academy Community Hub.

She was hesitant at first but broke down in tears when she finally decided to go and ask for help.

People pay £5 a year to sign up as members and are then entitled to pay £3, £6 or £9 depending on the size of their family. The value of the items for the £3 shop would usually cost around £30.

She posted this picture online of a shop that cost her £9 to try and break the stigma.

It has a wide range of tinned, fresh food and frozen food. The shop also stocks toiletries, sanitary products and nappies in various sizes.

The shop, which can be found in one of the school’s separate buildings on West Street, just off Skipton Road, is open daily every Tuesday and Thursday between 9.30am and 3.30pm. Ms Cooper added:

“It has lightened me because I know even if I have £10 or £15 that week that I can go down to the community grocery and get meals for my children.

“I have used food banks in the past but I have had to pass things on because I won’t use it.

“So the beauty of it is that you get to choose what you take. They have everything you could need and the people there were so lovely.

“I wanted to post pictures so other people could see what they could get. I didn’t expect it but my post got a really positive response.”

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“Time people in favour of the Gateway plan came forward”

The question is often asked, “How should we reduce the vehicle traffic in Harrogate Town Centre?”. To me that is the wrong question. The real question is how can we reduce all vehicle traffic? We need to reduce vehicle traffic everywhere.

We need to travel less. Less journeys. Shorter journeys. And shift towards busses, trains, cycling and walking.

Why? Well because with a bigger population and increasing traffic we are polluting the global atmosphere and causing climate change.

The Gateway plan is something I welcome. It’s time that views in favour came forward, and I think there are plenty of reasons to favour the Gateway proposals. It will bring the centre of Harrogate back to being pleasant. Pleasant to walk, pleasant to cycle and pleasant to shop.

As a Knaresborough lad my first memories of Station Parade were being intrigued by the big statue. I was five years old, and my eldest brother carefully explained who Queen Victoria was and why her statue was there. There was two-way traffic then, it was 1959, but there was not a lot of traffic. It was a nice place to be. Another memory was in the late sixties and I was cycling as a young teenager. By then there was more traffic and the car was king.

Move forward through the nineteen nineties and the two lanes in one direction were becoming like a race-track, with pedestrians at various places waiting to cross. Not a nice place at all. So the thought of a single lane, one-way for drivers in Station Parade is very pleasant. No more cut and thrust with cars accelerating to stop the car alongside from getting past.

Being able to cycle either way will be pleasant, and with bus and railway stations being so close there will be so many ways to arrive at this pleasant area. With no traffic on James Street it will also become a pleasant area to wander, with more shops to browse and buy. This certainly seems the way forward to me, and should benefit everyone.

Andrew Willoughby, Knaresborough

‘We need to plan for a largely care free future’

Just wanted to say how much I support the comments made in the letter last week regarding the Station Gateway redevelopment and the potential for change it represents.

I continue to be amazed at the volume and speed of traffic in and around the town. We need prominent speed signs, a 20mph town wide zone, speed enforcement cameras and many more pedestrian controlled crossings.

We need to plan for a largely car free future with more reliance on public transport, cycling and walking.

Peter Whittingham, Harrogate