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One of Harrogate’s most famous brands, Graveley’s, is to be renamed Catch Harrogate.
The fish and chips restaurant on Cheltenham Parade is currently being refurbished. It is still open for takeaways.
The restaurant is expected to reopen in May under its new name.
Graveley’s was sold to Catch, which is based in Harrogate and has four other seafood restaurants in Yorkshire, in 2019.
A spokeswoman for Catch confirmed it would reopen as Catch Harrogate, bringing it into line with the ‘Catch’ name used at the company’s other seafood restaurants in Leeds, Holmfirth and Halifax. She added:
“Graveley’s is an institution in Harrogate so we appreciate it is going to be a big thing to change the name.”
She added the new building will have more fresh seafood on the menu, an oyster bar, a licensed bar and more modern decor.
For decades, people have made the pilgrimage to Graveley’s to enjoy fish and chips.
Chat show host Michael Parkinson once said his favourite restaurant was a toss-up between Bettys and Graveley’s in Harrogate.
He described his perfect day as watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes Test at Headingley followed by a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s.
Read more:
- End of an era for Knaresborough fish and chips shop
- Ripon fish and chip shop could be turned into flats
Sainsbury’s to open store in Harrogate town centre
Sainsbury’s is planning to open a new store in the centre of Harrogate by the end of the summer.
The Sainsbury’s Local store will open in the former Topshop unit at 33-37 Cambridge Street, which has been empty for more than two years.
Sainsbury’s expects to employ about 25 people in a mixture of full-time and part-time roles.
Sainsbury’s already has four stores in Harrogate: a large store on Wetherby Road and smaller Local stores on Leeds Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.
The new store will be just a minute’s walk from the Tesco Express on Cambridge Road.
The investment comes at a difficult time for the town centre, with many businesses closed or struggling to survive as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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It comes at a time when Sainsbury’s is to cut 500 head office jobs. Another 650 jobs at the company are also said to be at risk.
An artist’s impression of the new Sainsbury’s Local in Harrogate.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s property director, said:
Cycling and crime concerns raised at Station Gateway consultation“We’re excited to open our doors to a new convenience store in Harrogate by late summer this year.
“Our investment in Harrogate will give the local community a new and modern store and support jobs during the fit out and beyond.
“This Local will offer everyday essentials and give residents, workers and tourists the chance to get what they need as they go about their busy daily lives.”
The first consultation event into Harrogate’s Station Gateway project last night saw concerns raised about the need for more cycling lanes as well as an increase in anti-social behaviour.
The online event enabled people to ask questions about the £7.8 million town centre project, which is being funded from the government’s £317 million Transforming Cities Fund.
Representatives from Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as engineering consultants, discussed the plans and answered questions.
If the current proposals are approved, the area around the town’s bus and train stations on Station Parade will look vastly different.
Traffic would be reduced a single lane to create more space for cycling, walking and public transport.
How Station Parade might look under the new Station Gateway proposals.
One member of the public asked if the design and reduced amount of traffic would increase anti-social behaviour.
Aidan Rayner, Transforming Cities Fund delivery project manager at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“One of the main parts of this proposal is to improve public experience. We don’t believe that these plans would impact public safety”.
Read more:
- Businesses and local councils argue over Station Gateway proposals.
- Land on Wetherby Road will become Stray land in exchange for grass verges on Otley Road.
Another member of the public asked what evidence there was to support the increased demand for cycling. In response, Matthew Roberts an economy and transport officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said:
“Increasing recognition of the climate emergency and the need to make healthier choices is generating more demand. Faster cycling routes, I think, will mean more will choose to cycle.
“We have 79,000 people living within a 20-minute cycle ride to the town centre.”
Mr Roberts said high streets were changing and Harrogate needed to adapt to continue attracting visitors.
Those behind the proposals said the suggestions at the event would be taken forward in further discussions.
A second public consultation is due to take place next week on March 10.
The plans will then be considered in detail before work begins. Mr Rayner said he hoped construction could begin in spring next year.
He added disruption would be limited as much as possible.
The former Home Guard club on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road in Harrogate has been put on the market for £500,000.
Property agent Feather, Smailes, Scales says the 2,700 square foot building near St Peter’s School is in need of extensive repair but could be refurbished and turned into housing or retail space.
It also suggests the building could be demolished and rebuilt, if planners allow it.
Simon Croft, from Feather, Smailes, Scales said the former social club is in a “sorry state” but has the potential to be redeveloped.
He said:
“The building could become what someone would think would work best economically and prevent it from being an eyesore.”
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Home Guard members played snooker at the club.
There have been two planning applications in recent years to demolish the building and build four flats in its place, but they were both withdrawn. Objections were raised from both the Ancient Monuments Society and Harrogate Civic Society.
Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam told the Stray Ferret that the building has historical importance to Harrogate. It was originally the town’s second hospital from 1873 until 1883 before being used as Harrogate’s first custom-built Masonic Hall.
It was also where Harrogate’s Crimean War hero Sgt Major Robert Johnston died.
With the advent of the Second World War in 1939, the local Home Guard began using the building as a social club to relax with a drink and play snooker.
Since 1987, the ground floor has been used by various businesses including Sweet Tooth Munchies.
According to a letter from a former Home Guard club member that is contained within planning documents, the club was forced to disband and close the venue in 2015 because it did not have enough money to repair a leaking roof.
Can Great Yorkshire Show and vaccine site take place together?Health leaders revealed today they are in discussions with the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show about whether the event and the vaccination programme on the site can take place together.
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced this week it planned to stage the three-day show from July 13 to 15, adding the decision would be ‘reviewed regularly’.
This raised questions about the impact on the mass vaccination programme that is being run at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
The showground, which can carry out up to 1,800 vaccinations a day, has been the Harrogate district’s main vaccine centre since December.
The NHS is due to be giving jabs to under-50s at the time of the show.
The vaccines are administered in the Yorkshire Event Centre building at the showground. The event centre is usually a key part of the Great Yorkshire Show, hosting many food stalls.
Read more:
- Great Yorkshire Showground can give 1,800 vaccines in a day
- Great Yorkshire Show set to go ahead in July
Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a coronavirus press briefing today:
“It’s great that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that venues which would have been standing empty have been serving such a great purpose.
“There are a number of sites we will be having conversations with over the next few weeks and there are also sites we are already in discussions with.
“We are talking about how we can run vaccination sites concurrently with public-facing events or whether we need to think about providing it in a different way.
“So we are working with individual sites to understand what the different options are for us.”
The Stray Ferret also asked the Yorkshire Agricultural Society about the situation.
Heather Parry, Managing Director of Yorkshire Event Centre said:
Chancellor’s budget does not go far enough, say opposition parties“We are discussing our plans with the NHS vaccination centre and together we expect to come up with workable solutions.”
Opposition political parties in the Harrogate district have said the Chancellor’s budget does not go far enough to help businesses, NHS staff and the climate.
In his Budget statement today, Rishi Sunak extended the furlough scheme and announced extensions to the business rates holiday and 5% VAT cut for hospitality and tourism.
He unveiled an extra £400 million in grants for the arts sector and £5 billion in financial support for high street shops and other businesses.
But, Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the budget did not go far enough to help businesses and the future of the high street.
Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council.
Cllr Marsh said:
“The Future High Streets Fund needs to be expanded to help more than the 72 areas already in receipt, far below what is actually needed in England. Our towns need help to recover from the pandemic and need help to deliver ambitious regeneration plans.
“Maybe the Chancellor could make it as easy as possible for entrepreneurs to set up on the high street, by offering grants for low-cost incubation space and business support for start-ups.
“Temporary pop-up units should be available for start-ups to trial new products and services without being tied to long rents. This is about investing in our future.”
Meanwhile, the Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party said businesses may still find it difficult to balance the books during furlough.
Margaret Smith, chair of the local Labour Party, said it welcomed the extension to the scheme but added that some firms, such as pubs and restaurants, will find it tough once they have to contribute towards furlough.
She said:
“Businesses within those specific sectors, having to contribute towards furlough payments of 10% from July and 20% in August and September, might still find balancing the books extremely difficult. The impact on employers has a knock-on impact on employees.
“Therefore, unemployment is expected sadly to increase even more. The increase in Universal Credit by £20 per week is also only being extended for six months so the autumn does not bode well for a significant number of people.
“Although furlough has been extended, the Labour Party thinks it would have made more sense for it to have been targeted on firms that actually need it – “smart furlough” and made it conditional on firms signing up to industrial and environmental standards and with greater support for training built in.
“In addition, what is significantly missing from today’s Budget is any reward for key workers such as NHS staff.”
Read more:
- Harrogate town centre cleaned ready for return of retail
- Harrogate businesses welcome furlough extension
Shan Oakes, chair of the Harrogate and District Green Party, said there was nothing to support the climate or biodiversity in the budget.
She said:
“First, we welcome any measures which genuinely help those who have been hit socially or economically by covid. This must be a priority. But I can see nothing in support of biodiversity, nature, or the climate.
“We would hope for encouragement for green business initiatives at the very least, but there’s nothing at all here, just green investments and yet another green bank, as we have seen before, but we do hope they do mean something this time. We should be focusing on helping grassroots with green initiatives that benefit communities.”
The Stray Ferret contacted the district’s Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams for comment, but none responded by the time of publication.
We also contacted the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Cllr Richard Cooper, but did not receive a response.
Harrogate man speeding at 126mph was also breaking lockdown rulesA Harrogate man broke lockdown and speeding rules when he was caught driving at 126 miles an hour on the way to Scarborough.
North Yorkshire Police said today the man had picked up a woman from York and they were on their way to Scarborough when they were caught near Stainton.
When questioned by officers they explained that they “just wanted to go for a drive”, which was not considered to be a reasonable excuse for being outside during lockdown.
Sergeant Daniel Thompson, of Scarborough’s neighbourhood policing team, said at a North Yorkshire coronavirus press briefing today:
“One of the safety cameras on the A64 sighted a vehicle travelling at 126mph. I managed to stop that vehicle as it approached Stainton.
“There were two people in the vehicle. A man who travelled from Harrogate who picked up the woman from York. They were travelling from York to Scarborough for a drive.
“That was the only purpose. They were from two different households and travelled significant distance. The speeding was putting themselves and others at risk.
“Just going for a drive was not a reasonable excuse. We tell these people to just do their bit and as the police we will continue to do our bit.”
Police and public health leaders are increasingly concerned about the number of people breaking lockdown rules as the weather improves.
Read more:
- Matt Hancock praises Harrogate’s rapid vaccine response
- Harrogate district records fewest covid cases for six months
North Yorkshire Police said today it has handed out 255 lockdown fines in the last seven days, which is a 33% increase on last week.
Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police’s lead on the coronavirus response, said:
Harrogate town centre cleaned ready for return of retail“We are starting to see a concerning trend. Over the last few weeks we have reported increasing numbers of fines that the police are handing out.
“There has been a significant upturn in the numbers. We handed out 255 fines in the last week, with 169 in the last weekend alone.
“We believe the figures are influenced by the good weather but officers are reporting that there has been a change of behaviour since the government released its roadmap.”
Harrogate Business Improvement District has called in its cleaning crew to sort out the town’s “grot spots” ready for the return of retail next month.
Teams have started weeding and washing footpaths on East Parade, Tower Street and Bower Road, including the pedestrian tunnel.
When they have finished there they will move onto other areas the Harrogate BID has identified as being in need of a clean.
Last year the BID awarded Yorkshire-based company UK Nationwide Cleaning Services a four-year cleaning contract.
Read more:
- Harrogate district businesses await details of support in Budget
- Hospitality businesses hopeful of summer boom in Budget
Between April and December, the company power-washed about 40,000 square metres in the town centre.
Sara Ferguson, chair of the Harrogate BID, said:
Land on Wetherby Road set to become part of the Stray“One of our remits is to build on the day-to-day work undertaken by Harrogate Borough Council’s street cleansing department, and to ensure Harrogate town centre continues to look at its best all year round.
“With Easter a month away, and ‘non-essential’ shops to reopen on April 12, we want the town to look clean, welcoming and inviting for the long-awaited return of customers, hence this early spring clean.”
Harrogate Borough Council agreed this evening to designate a plot of land on Wetherby Road as Stray land in exchange for grass verges on Otley Road.
The verges are currently part of the Stray but will be removed for a new cycle route.
The Stray Act 1985 says that if Stray land is given up a suitable plot of alternative land must be offered in exchange.
The council carried out a 12-week consultation over three plots of land to replace the verges as Stray land.
The majority of respondents backed the council’s preferred option to designate the land on Wetherby Road next to the war memorial.
Read more
- The agony of getting a single cycle route built in Harrogate
- Council to recommend Wetherby Road land for Stray swap
Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet voted today for the land to be submitted to the Duchy of Lancaster, which is responsible for managing the Stray, for approval to be exchanged.
The area of land outlined in Harrogate Borough Council documents earmarked to be exchanged as part of the Otley Road cycle route.
Cllr Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said at the cabinet meeting:
“Sustainable transport is a key priority for this council and this project does support the promotion of active travel on a main route joining up the town centre with the west of Harrogate.
“This scheme also supports our ambition to see a reduction in congestion, an improvement in air quality and a reduction in carbon emissions while also promoting a healthy lifestyle.”
It comes as North Yorkshire County Council looks to press ahead with plans to create a cycle route on the stretch of road between Harlow Moor Road and Beech Grove in Harrogate.
The project has already been delayed and the negotiations over the Stray land have been a further stumbling block for the second phase of the scheme.
Harrogate jumpers raise £10,000 for homeless peopleA Harrogate clothing store has raised thousands of pounds to help homeless people by selling charity jumpers.
Sara Shaw, who owns womenswear shop Violet on Cheltenham Mount, created the “HGTE” brand and regularly updates the range with new colours and styles.
The shop donates £10 from each sale to the Harrogate Homeless Project, which has benefited to the tune of more than £10,000 so far.
The local charity uses the money for accommodation costs and to help homeless people get back on their feet.
Read more:
- Harrogate church opens doors to homeless people
- Ripon Grammar launches furry fundraiser for Prince’s Trust
Not only has the clothing range raised funds but it has also sparked other charitable activities, such as bike rides.
It all started as a one-off for Christmas in 2016 but Sara told the Stray Ferret that sales have recently started to ramp up:
“We are now selling lots of the jumpers. It is just word of mouth really because people like the quality of the product.
“I also genuinely love it if I am driving into work and I let some people cross the road and they have got one of these jumpers on.
“We also give £10 from the sale of each sweatshirt which is a lot of money to give to charity, so people really feel they are making a difference.”
The sweatshirts cost £60 and the hoodies cost £75. They are unisex and only available to purchase from the Violet store in Harrogate.