Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome to the start of a new week and to our live updates on traffic and travel in the Harrogate district.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey. All brought to you by The HACS Group.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

9am – Full Update 

Thanks again everyone for checking out our live traffic and travel blog. Enjoy the rest of your day. I will be back again tomorrow from 6.30am.

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

 

Government overturns council decision to refuse 149 homes in Harrogate

The government’s Planning Inspectorate has overturned a Harrogate Borough Council decision to refuse 149 homes on Kingsley Road near to Harrogate High School.

In August 2020, HBC’s planning committee voted by 10 to 1 to refuse the application because they said it would make already clogged roads in the area even worse.

At the time, councillors also agreed that a 1km walk to the nearest bus stop was not practical for elderly people or families carrying shopping.

Developer Richborough Estates appealed the decision which was overturned earlier this week.

An inspector from the Planning Inspectorate, the government agency that deals with appeals, said HBC councillors “behaved unreasonably” in reaching its conclusion. They also highlighted the fact the site was already designated for development within HBC’s Local Plan.

Read more:

The inspector A M Nillson disagreed that the nearest bus stop was too far away for residents:

“I do not consider that future residents would be discouraged from accessing bus stops and local services and facilities on Knaresborough Road on foot.”

The council has also been ordered to pay the developer’s legal costs.

Local resident Gary Tremble from the Kingsley Ward Action Group criticised the decision to overturn the appeal. He said: “How can someone believe this is a sensible place to build housing?”.

Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh, who sits on the planning committee and voted against the development, said she was “fuming” and “outraged” at the planning inspectorate’s decision.

A spokesperson for Richborough Estates said:

“The Planning Inspectorate has reviewed the appeal for land off Kingsley Road and decided in our favour.”

Could Harrogate’s Queen Victoria monument be moved?

Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam has raised concerns the £7.8 million Station Gateway project could lead to the town’s Queen Victoria monument being moved.

The white marble monument on Station Parade was given to the town in 1887 and has looked down on many generations since.

But a consultation on the proposed gateway project, which would radically alter Station Parade, asks people for their views on moving the monument.

The consultation says:

“We have proposed changes to the way the space around the monument is used.

“These changes do not require the monument be moved but we would welcome people’s thoughts on whether this is the best location for the monument.

“We appreciate this monument is very important to the community and any plans to move it would require extensive and meaningful engagement with the public and key stakeholders.”

Read more:

Mr Neesam said he understood that in 1887, when Richard Ellis presented the statue, he inserted several covenants into the deed of gift, requiring that if any attempt were made to move the statue, the land should be offered back to the Ellis family.

It is not known whether the Ellis family still has any links with Harrogate but any attempt to move it could be problematic.

Karl Battersby, director of business and environmental services at North Yorkshire County Council, which is one of the councils behind the gateway project, said:

“The proposals put forward for consultation do not require the Queen Victoria monument to be moved.

“It is not our intention to move the monument, nor is it necessary to the scheme.”

Asked whether he was satisfied with the statement, Mr Neesam said:

“I am not re-assured by this statement. If they have no intention of moving the statue, why invite public opinion?”

 

Coronavirus vaccine reaches more than 64,000 in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has handed out a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine to 64,416 people so far.

NHS figures released today, which covers the period up until March 7, show how 20,000 of those jabs are in the arms of the under 60s.

It also comes as Harrogate District Hospital is now down to 17 coronavirus patients, down from 42 patients last Thursday.

Since the start of the pandemic the hospital has admitted 800 coronavirus positive patients and discharged 575.

Read more:

Two more people have also died after testing positive for coronavirus at Harrogate District Hospital. One of the patients died yesterday and the other died on Tuesday.

The number of coronavirus cases has remained low in the Harrogate district over the past couple of weeks. Today the district added a further 13 cases to bring the total up to 7,419 cases.

This week the NHS also confirmed that the Nightingale hospital will close and the building will return as a convention centre.

Harrogate Town trip to Wembley confirmed – but no fans allowed

Last season’s postponed FA Trophy final between Harrogate Town and Concord Rangers will take place behind closed doors at Wembley on May 3.

The fixture was postponed last year due to covid and fans had hoped it would be rearranged when fans were allowed back into stadiums.

However, the Football Association today confirmed the new date. It added a date later in the year was not available.

Read more:

It means Town fans will be denied their first-ever trip to the home of English football for the second time in a year.

The club played last season’s National League play-off final in August at an empty Wembley stadium.

The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport.

Harrogate Town managing director Garry Plant said:

“We were hoping the date of the final would be further along the lockdown restrictions pathway so supporters could have been there with us.

“We had been pushing the FA for that to be the case, but have not been consulted and this date comes to us out of the blue.

“We are deeply sorry for supporters who again will not get the chance to join us at Wembley, however we will be doing all we can to make arrangements that include the supporters and allow them to enjoy the final.”

Jimmy Carr first confirmed show at Royal Hall

Comedian Jimmy Carr is the first confirmed booking at Harrogate’s Royal Hall post-lockdown.

Carr is due to appear at the venue on September 23 and it is possible other events earlier in the year will be confirmed before then.

Harrogate International Nursery Fair, which takes place from June 27 to 29, will be the first event at the adjoining Harrogate Convention Centre.

Harrogate’s hospitality businesses will be hoping the trade event, which attracts manufactures and suppliers of baby goods, will re-ignite the district’s economy, which will have faced 15 months of disruption by then.

All social distancing measures are due to be lifted on June 21.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, which has operated as a Nightingale hospital for the past year, said yesterday it was in talks with NHS England about returning the building.

She added: “We have more than 30 confirmed events planned between June and next March, and a further 56 provisional events in the diary that we hope to confirm in due course.

“We also have more than 115 events confirmed and provisionally booked in the Royal Hall over the same period.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate’s Alexa House guest house sold

The Alexa House guest house on Ripon Road has been sold and is now expected to be converted into a home.

Sandra Doherty, the owner, said the Victorian property had been on the market for just five days before a buyer was found. It was sold for an undisclosed sum.

Ms Doherty said she was “delighted” to have sold the building, which she has owned for 15 years.

She recently had an application to convert the guest house into apartments refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

She said:

“Ninety-nine per cent of my guests were lovely and I had a lot of return visitors.”

Ms Doherty will soon step down from her role as chief executive of the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and retire to Northumberland.

Read more:

Alexa House was built in 1896 by the renowned art collector Baron Conrad Adolphus du Bois de Ferrieres.

It was built as a hunting lodge for its London-based owners to spend time enjoying Harrogate’s spa and riding in the nearby countryside.

‘A costly PR stunt’: calls for an inquiry into Harrogate Nightingale

A senior politician from Ripon has described the Harrogate Nightingale as a “costly PR stunt”, amid calls for an inquiry.

Lord Newby’s criticism comes after NHS England said this week the hospital, which cost £27 million to set up, would be decommissioned at the end of the month.

It has not treated a single covid patient, prompting calls for an inquiry.

Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, who lives in Ripon, said:

“The Nightingales were a costly PR stunt.

“They could never be used as planned because there was never the staffing for them. They were introduced because the government was desperate to be seen to be responding effectively to the pandemic, which at the time looked to be potentially out of control.

“The Harrogate Nightingale should have been closed months ago, in order to avoid the high cost of maintenance and so that Harrogate could begin to plan for its reopening.”

Jim Clark, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Harlow on Harrogate Borough Council, repeated his

call for an inquiry on BBC Look North yesterday.

He told the programme:

“It wasn’t an insurance policy in Harrogate because we didn’t have the staff to man it and I think it’s then been discovered that as soon as it was built it wasn’t essentially fit for purpose.”

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones and Richard Cooper, leader of the Conservative-controlled Harrogate Borough Council whether they supported calls for an inquiry. Neither replied.

Read more:

Asked the same question on Look North, Cllr Cooper said the location of the Nightingale Hospitals was likely to be considered as part of a wider covid inquiry. He added:

“But we’ve been pleased to host the Nightingale and to host the thousands of diagnostic tests that have been carried out there.”

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, supported calls for an inquiry, adding:

“Over a decade of Conservative cuts has led to an NHS operating on a shoestring. Whether there was ever the staff to run such a Nightingale hospital, should it have been toward full capacity, needs to be made clear.”

Margaret Smith, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said the Nightingales were “a legitimate insurance policy” in the early days of covid when it seemed hospitals could be overwhelmed. She added:

“There seems little point in wasting any more public money on an inquiry at this stage.”

 

HBC chief executive defends civic centre figures

Throughout this week the Stray Ferret is publishing excerpts from an interview conducted with Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive Wallace Sampson OBE. 

Today’s section looks at the council’s new headquarters, the civic centre off King’s Road, which opened in November 2017.

A Stray Ferret investigation published last year revealed the total cost was in the region of £17m. This figure was disputed by HBC which says it cost £11.5m.

This is because HBC did not include the value of the council-owned land on which it was built, which local experts valued at at least £4.5m.   

Mr Sampson, why didn’t the council factor in the cost of the land that it already owned when it published how much the building cost?

When we looked at embarking on the civic centre we ultimately decided to build on an existing site. It was for the council and councillors to ask what will be the cost of construction for the civic centre.

We presented that to councillors in order for them to make the decision which was based on the cost of construction which, as you know, was £11.5m.

The issue for councillors was, what was the overall gross cost for the construction of the civic centre for us to build it on our land? That was the important factor that featured in decision making and we delivered the building pretty much on budget.

The council developed an office accommodation project that was much more than building the civic centre. It was about how can we change and shape the way the council works and how can the council dispose of buildings that we no longer require to support the local economy. I think we’ve done that very successfully.

Read more:

But wouldn’t it have been financially prudent for the council to sell the land that it already owned and build the offices elsewhere?

Once the decision was taken we then looked at the cost of construction on that site. That was the only consideration that the council needed to take. If you are looking to build the home, and you already own the land, you don’t factor in the cost of the land when you already own the land.

We undertook a thorough exercise for the various options. We looked at building elsewhere on our land or acquiring land. The preferred option ultimately came out was to build on one of our existing sites.

Are you preparing for the future of the building following reorganisation? 

One benefit of having built the civic centre is we have a modern, fit-for-purpose building for flexible office space that is very energy efficient. It puts it in a really strong position, regardless of what happens with local government reorganisation. It ensures there is modern office space that’s available within the Harrogate district.

My own view is I don’t think local government reorganisation will affect the use of the civic centre. There will still be a requirement for office space within Harrogate to support whatever happens through local government reorganisation.

Harrogate has modern purpose-built offices with flexible use built with very high energy-efficient standards. It puts us in a really good position with local government reorganisation to ensure there are offices devoted to service delivery within Harrogate.

Are you hoping to work in the new local authority whatever that might be?

I’m very focused on supporting the council through these changes and we’ll have to see what happens.

Harrogate man died from drugs, not head injury, inquest told

A coroner has ruled that a Harrogate man died as a result of drugs rather than a head injury, as police first believed.

Aaron Atkinson, 38, who was homeless at the time of his death, was found at a flat at Park House Green on May 7 last year.

North Yorkshire Police arrested two men, aged 46 and 40 at the time, on suspicion of murder and robbery shortly after the incident.

However, the force has now dropped its suspicions of murder.

It told the Stray Ferret today that one of the two suspects remains under investigation for assault and robbery. The other is still under investigation for robbery and theft.

Read more:

Jonathan Leach, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire and York, said at an inquest in Northallerton today:

“It is clear from the reports I have seen that Aaron Atkinson had a history of alcohol and drug abuse.

“Mr Atkinson was found unresponsive at a flat on Park House Green at 3am. The post-mortem found that he had taken heroin, cocaine, alcohol and anti-depressants.

“I have found the cause of death to be drugs-related.”

A mother’s tribute

Christine Bloomfield, Mr Atkinson’s mother, was at the inquest and told the Stray Ferret about her son’s life:

“People should remember Aaron for his heart of gold and his smile. He was a loving brother and son.

“He just got on the wrong path and went through a lot of heartache. Aaron recently lost his nan, dad and wife.

“My son was getting back on track. I saw him before he died in March and he had cleaned himself up.

“When we go through a life with a lot of sadness we all go in search for something to comfort us. With him it was drugs and alcohol.

“But he started to realise that he needed to make some changes. I believed him, he was doing well and I was proud of him. Then this happened.”