HBC Archives - Page 4 of 7 - The Stray Ferret

Derelict Ripon pub to be converted into home

Plans to convert the former Turks Head pub in Ripon into a house have been approved.

The pub on Low Skellgate closed in 2007 and will be converted into a five-bedroom home. The building is listed and dates back to the 18th century.

Since the pub closed, planning documents state there have been several attempts to reopen it without success.

The documents add that in the years before the pub’s closure there were numerous complaints from residents living nearby. They add there are 14 other pubs within a short walk away.

The building is currently on Harrogate Borough Council’s Listed Buildings at Risk Register due to its deteriorating condition.

Although the building is watertight, planning documents say few of the original internal features remain intact.

The planning application includes statements from nearby residents who said they would be against any attempts to bring the building back into use as a pub.

One unnamed person called the building “a blot on the architectural landscape”.

The resident added:

“Something desperately needs to happen with it and converting it into a private residence sounds like the very best option to me. Having spoken to various neighbours they all agree.

“If there was ever an attempt to reopen the pub, I, along with many neighbours, would be petitioning against that course of action.”

A recent picture of the pub. Credit – David & Lund

Harrogate council to repeat Stray rewilding experiment

Harrogate Borough Council will again leave sections of the Stray uncut this year to improve biodiversity.

In 2021, the council’s parks team left grass verges close to the roadside on West Park Stray uncut until late autumn.

The new look was welcomed by many who saw it as a sign that the council, which manages parks and green spaces, is serious about improving biodiversity and attracting bees, birds and insects.

But those who cherish Harrogate’s long reputation for organised and elegant planting said it made the town look untidy.

Others suggested the move was down to cost-saving reasons, which the council denied.

A council spokeswoman said this morning:

“We will be repeating what we did last year and will leave the bulb areas on the Stray uncut until September/October time.”

Roadmap to new North Yorkshire Council will ‘hold feet to the fire’ on promise of better services

A new roadmap for the creation of a single council for the whole of North Yorkshire will “hold feet to the fire” on the promise of better services, a senior Conservative has said.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, was one of several members of a new executive board that today approved an implementation plan for the new North Yorkshire Council set to take over from April 2023.

He said while he previously supported a rival vision for two new councils split on an east/west basis, he believed the plan would ensure the single council meets the overall aims of saving money and streamlining services.

Cllr Swift said:

“Today we have got a document in the public domain which I find extremely exciting because it starts to lay out the principles of what the new council can be.

“This is a document which can be used to display with confidence the plans that our councils have, but it will also keep our feet to the fire.”

Major change

The move to a single council will mark the biggest change to local government in North Yorkshire in almost 50 years, and will mean the existing county council and seven district and borough councils are scrapped.

It is linked to a devolution deal with government which said millions of pounds in funding and decision-making powers could only be devolved to North Yorkshire if a unitary system is introduced.

North Yorkshire County Council had proposed the single council plan, while the district and borough councils except Hambleton, which rejected all options on the table, made a bid for two councils split on an east/west basis but failed to win government support.

These opposing views were described as an “elephant in the room” at today’s first meeting of the new executive board which is made up of 17 county, borough and district councillors from across North Yorkshire.

But members said they were willing to put their previous preferences aside in order to plan for the transition to the new council.

The implementation plan sets out how elections to the new council will take place in May, followed by the appointment of a new council chief executive by autumn and a corporate management team by January 2023.

Residents will be a priority

Almost all remaining staff will then be transferred across on April 1, 2023, as all services from bin collections to business support, and social care to highways, come under new control.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, told today’s meeting that while the transition of services and staff would be a challenge, the needs of residents would still be a priority.

He said:

“We are trying to create a strong council that will be able to meet the huge challenges that will hit the communities of North Yorkshire in the years ahead.

“There will be further austerity and that will need to be tackled by local government and other public services.

“We are finding there are growing numbers of people that need the protection of council services and we expect those challenges to rise over the coming years.”

DPD charged £374 for van driver’s Stray detour

Parcel delivery firm DPD has been charged £374 plus VAT for one of its vans damaging the Stray in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported last month that a DPD van had got stuck in the mud when it attempted a shortcut over the public parkland

Tyre tracks indicated the driver had tried to bypass the recent road closure on Beech Grove by mounting the snow-covered Stray but was unable to complete the manoeuvre in the wintry conditions.

The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 made Harrogate Borough Council protector of the 200 acres of land.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the damage caused in February, DPD have been charged £374 plus VAT to cover the costs of repairing The Stray.

“The ruts will be levelled and area seeded. Bulbs will also be planted to replace any that have been damaged.”

Beech Grove closed to through traffic just over a year ago on an 18-month trial basis.A DPD spokesperson said:

“I understand from the local depot that the team have been in contact with the council and that arrangements are being made to pay for repair work.”

The Stray Ferret asked the spokesperson if DPD had taken any action against the van driver, but has yet to receive a response.

A Twitter user called Helen was among those who uploaded photos of the beached van.

https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201?s=20&t=6_0_UnvruN9Y_DdG8wRA9w

Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to safeguard the Stray from encroachment, said she hoped the van driver had not lost their job.

She added:

“However, it was a very daft thing to do.

“Taking short cuts in bad weather almost inevitably ends in disaster of some sort. Taking one in snow across the Stray was foolish in the extreme and also caused a great deal of damage, plus being illegal.

“Let’s hope that others take note and a lesson has been learned.”

Harrogate council still expecting staff to work from home

Harrogate Borough Council says it expects some staff to continue working from home, despite all covid restrictions now being lifted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to working from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

At a full meeting of councillors last week, Conservative member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, questioned Conservative council leader Richard Cooper about the working from home directive.

The Civic Centre on St Luke’s Avenue off King’s Road cost the council £17m and opened in December 2017.

Cllr Brown said:

“This council spent many millions on the Civic Centre, which has stood almost empty for two years, Given recent directives by the Prime Minister, when can we expect all the council officers usually based at the Civic Centre to be back at their desks?”.

In response, Cllr Cooper said some staff worked from home before covid hit and will continue to do so.

But he said any decisions about working practices would be made by senior officers and not councillors.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Staff will work from the Civic Centre and other venues when their line managers require them to do so, or when they need to be there for a specific reason, as they did before covid.

“If we think our job as councillors is to dictate who and where people can work, we are mistaken. That’s an operational decision for the chief executive and line managers.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”

£1,000 grants available for Harrogate district platinum jubilee celebrations

Harrogate district residents can apply for grants of up to £1,000 for events that celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

Harrogate Borough Council announced today it has launched a £15,000 community grants scheme to help people enjoy the extended bank holiday from June 2 to 5.

Applications can be made for grants of between £200 and £1,000 for events and activities taking place over the Jubilee bank holiday.

Organisations can also apply for up to £2,000 for legacy projects that must be completed by September 30.

Council leader Richard Cooper said:

“I’m delighted that we can offer grants to help celebrate the Her Majesty The Queen’s platinum jubilee.

“We’re looking for some really creative ideas that will remember the impact this momentous event has across the country. Whether that’s an art project, street decoration or legacy project, we want you to apply before the closing date in April.”

A council press release said applicants must be able to show a clear link to the jubilee celebrations. It added:

“Proposals are welcome from parish and town councils, voluntary and community groups and schools that are wanting to host a community activity or legacy project that benefits the wider community.”

Guidance notes and an online application form are available here.

The closing date for all applications is noon on Friday April 8. Applicants will be notified of the decision the week commencing April 25.

Plans for pet crematorium in Harrogate set for approval

Plans to build a pet crematorium at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate look set to be approved.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will make a decision on the council’s own application next Tuesday. It has been recommended for approval in a council report.

It follows the lead of councils in north east Lincolnshire and Barnsley, which have already opened or started work on pet crematoriums.

The council currently charges £36 to collect dead pets from people’s homes. The closest pet crematoriums are in Leeds, Thirsk and Skipton.

The crematorium at Harrogate would be built inside a converted shipping container.

The plans also include converting a storage building at Stonefall into a “goodbye room”, where owners can say their final farewells to their pets before they are cremated.

Former pub near Boroughbridge to be converted into flats

Harrogate Borough Council has approved plans to convert a former pub near Boroughbridge into flats, despite objections from local residents over the loss of a community asset.

Stonefield Developments applied to the council to convert the building in Lower Dunsforth, It was most recently a restaurant called The Hideaway Kitchen. Before that it was a pub called The Dunsforth.

The village is four miles from Boroughbridge.

The restaurant closed last year. Planning documents cite a “lack of customer trade and consequent viability issues” as the reason.

Now, proposals will see the ground floor of the former restaurant converted into two two-bedroom flats, along with car parking.

The upper floor of the building already has three existing flats, so if approved the building would have six in total.

37 letters of objection

The decision comes despite objections from the local parish of Dunsforth, which said the conversion would “strip a community of a vital asset”.

Chris France, who submitted the objection to the council on behalf of the parish, added in his letter:

“The pub is the only secular amenity in the village so its removal would severely impact village life leaving nowhere for the above to take place.”

In addition, 37 letters of objection were submitted to the council pointing out that the former pub has been a community asset in the village for more than 100 years.

The move comes as other applications have been lodged to convert former working men’s and private members clubs into flats.

In January, a proposal was lodged to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Ripon City Club into a house.

Is Harrogate council leader using misleading statistics to justify £47m spend?

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has been accused of using a misleading statistic to support a £47 million redevelopment of the town’s convention centre.

Cllr Cooper has claimed 88% of conference delegates to the centre return to the area for leisure. However, the Stray Ferret has not been able to find the statistic he refers to -— only one that says, when asked, delegates said they were likely to return.

The statistics matter because the soon-to-be-abolished council wants to fast-track the start of what would be one of the biggest public spending commitments in its 48-year history.

It says Harrogate Convention Centre needs the investment to continue attracting visitors — and to boost the economic impact on the entire Harrogate district.

What is Cllr Cooper claiming?

Cllr Cooper, the Conservative council leader and chair of the convention centre board, told a council meeting this month:

“The purpose and vision of the convention centre is to deliver high quality conferences, exhibitions and events that bring maximum economic impact and prosperity to the district.

“It is important to emphasise that this is for the district and this is not a noose around the district’s neck.

“And I can demonstrate that by saying almost nine out of 10 people — 88% — an astonishing statistic — who come to Harrogate Convention Centre for business return to the district for leisure. This is streets ahead of other venues.”

Kirk Hammerton resident Alex Smith has submitted a freedom of information request asking where this information was from. Neither he nor the Stray Ferret has been able to find it.

Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret he was not a member of any political party but was interested in transparency and standards.

The Visit Britain Statistics

His FoI suggests Cllr Cooper may have been referring to 2018 research by Visit Britain on how much delegates to business events spend.

This research said 88% of delegates to Harrogate Convention Centre, from a sample of 98, said they were ‘likely or very likely’ to return to the area. Of those, 62% said they were ‘very likely’ to return.

But it does not say how many actually do and neither Mr Smith nor the Stray Ferret is aware of any research that does so.

Mr Smith’s FoI request says:

“Residents are used to Cllr Cooper’s robust approach to political point-scoring.

“But, as chairman of the Harrogate Convention Centre, he is obliged to give out accurate information; and as a councillor, he is bound by a code of conduct not to mislead the Mayor and council.

“He is not free to invent ‘astonishing’ statistics to suit his argument.”

The FoI then asks for Cllr Cooper’s source, adding:

“If there is no other source than the one I’ve quoted I’d be grateful if you could inform me when and how Cllr Cooper will correct his wilful misinformation.”

The Stray Ferret asked Cllr Cooper last week where the statistic he quoted was from but has not received a response.

Previous claim

In July 2020, Cllr Cooper told a council meeting that 75% of Harrogate Convention Centre delegates returned. He said:

“75% of 150,000 is 112,500 visitors that come to our district because of the convention centre who we would never see here otherwise.”

Again, it is not clear where this information is from — or why the figure appears to have grown to 88%.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year as part of a shake-up of local government that will see a new North Yorkshire Council formed.

Cllr Cooper has said he does not intend to seek re-election in May’s local elections for the new council.

Delivery van gets stuck on Harrogate’s Stray after attempting shortcut

A delivery van got stuck in the mud on The Stray in Harrogate when it attempted to take a shortcut over the grass last weekend.

A Harrogate woman captured the images of the beached vehicle during Saturday afternoon’s snowfall.

Tyre tracks indicate the van attempted to bypass the recent road closure on Beech Grove by mounting the Stray. But the ruse backfired when the vehicle sunk in the mud shortly before it was able to rejoin the highway.

Beech Grove closed to through traffic a year ago on an 18-month trial basis.

https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201

Helen, who declined to reveal her surname, captured the incident while walking. She said other vehicles had performed the same cross-country detour, adding:

“I live locally, I think the road closure is great but it saddens me when the minority feel they have the right to ignore it and drive over the Stray.

“One lady brought her car inches from my legs when I stopped her and suggested she went back.”

She has notified North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, about the incident as well as the parks department at Harrogate Borough Council and sent photos of previous damage.

“It was only a matter of time before someone got stuck and sadly it was this DPD driver. The damage is awful. Others have done it — future people will also get stuck as the Stray is so waterlogged.

“I’ve suggested to North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council that large logs could be put between trees — we’ve plenty around after the storms. This would stop cars.”

Urgent investigation

A DPD spokesman said:

“We are aware of the incident and are investigating what happened and what needs to be done as a result, as a matter of urgency.

“Until that work has been done, we can’t really say a great deal more, but I will follow up with the operation and update you as soon as possible.”

Other photos of the incident, sent separately, reveal the tyre tracks of multiple vehicles that have attempted a similar manoeuvre, cutting across a public footpath in the process.

DPD van stuck on Stray