Pateley Bridge Town Council is to investigate the possibility of installing speed bumps on High Street following a complaint by a resident.
The unnamed resident, who lives on Kings Court, wrote to the council calling for speed bumps at the top and bottom of the narrow street.
They said it would deter “speeding cyclists, motorbikes and boy racers”.
At their monthly meeting last night, town councillors agreed to look into the idea, although any final decision would be taken by North Yorkshire Council, which is the highways authority.
Andrew Murday, who is a town councillor and also the Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire Council, said he would look into the criteria for allowing speed bumps.
Cllr Mike Holt said the issue of speeding on High Street, which cyclists approach downhill in all directions, had been debated many times and speed bumps were the only realistic option, although he added the faded double yellow lines could be re-painted.
Cllr Neil Thompson said illegal parking on the street was the main problem, although it was mentioned that disabled people with Blue Badges were entitled to park on double yellow lines for up to three hours and this had to be taken into account.
Councillors agreed to consult on the idea before contacting North Yorkshire Council if the idea was viable.
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Fashion event set for return after boosting shops’ sales in Harrogate
Retailers in Harrogate have been celebrating after analysing the results of a fashion-focused day designed to boost the town centre.
The Celebration of Fashion, organised by Harrogate Business Improvement District, saw hundreds of garments brought to the catwalk by dozens of local models.
Wall-to-wall sunshine helped to bring out the crowds for the event outside Victoria Shopping Centre, while the Stray Ferret, as media partner, shared it with tens of thousands more viewers online.
The catwalk was filled with everything from charity shop finds to wedding dresses, featuring outfits from retailers including LK Bennett, Marks and Spencer, Morgan Clare, Primark and more.
The organisers and participants have now analysed the results for the day and they make for impressive reading.
Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:
“We are very proud to have planned and delivered such a successful event, working with the Stray Ferret and Victoria Shopping Centre.
“Over 40 retailers took part in the day, with over 20,000 visitors walking through the shopping centre during the event. The retailers all saw an increase in sales in the days and weeks after, with certain items that had been showcased selling out on the actual day – which is fantastic to hear.
“We are very much hoping the event will return in 2024 and that it will be bigger and better.”
Crowds watch the action on the catwalk
For Hoopers, the make-up demonstration created an “instant reaction” in encouraging customers to shop in the store, and the menswear department saw a “great reaction” after the wedding and bridal show.
General manager Nick Hubbert said:
“The day was fantastic and for me personally it was about working with the local community of retailers.
“Commercially it’s more of an advert and opportunity to show case our fashion offer, more of the planting the seed and awareness of the product available in Hoopers.”
Adding his voice in praise of the event, Victoria Shopping Centre manager James White said:
“Wow – I think it’s safe to say that the Harrogate celebration of fashion was a true success. I, along with everyone in the town, was truly blown away!
“The event brought a brilliant energy to the town centre, and it was fantastic to see that reflected in both sales and footfall for our retailers. We were thrilled to be able to host the event at Victoria Shopping Centre.”
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Car crashes into shop in Knaresborough
A driver escaped serious injury today when his car crashed into the front of a shop on Knaresborough High Street.
The Honda mounted the pavement and went into The Clothing Store of Knaresborough early this afternoon.
Dave Lombardi, whose wife Rebecca owns the shop, went to help the passenger and then called the emergency services for help. He said:
“I was in the shop and next thing I knew there was a loud bang and there was a blue Honda in the entrance to the door.
“The driver was quite elderly and thankfully he seemed to be fine.”
The front of the car hit the pillar outside the shop.
Police and ambulance crews attended the scene.
Mr Lombardi said a concrete pillar outside the shop and the car bumper were damaged but the situation could have been far worse.
Only one customer was in the shop at the time and nobody was walking past on the busy High Street at the time of the incident.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:
“We’re at the scene of a collision on Knaresborough High Street, which happened at about 2pm today, when a car collided with a building. There are not believed to have been any injuries.”
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Plans for adult gaming centre on Knaresborough High Street
A former building society in Knaresborough could become a gaming centre if plans are approved.
Carl Bearman of Spectacular Bid Ltd – a company founded in January – has applied to change the use of the premises at 30 High Street, home to Yorkshire Building Society until March 2018.
Mr Bearman is a director of several other companies, including UK Gaming Solutions, Gaming Solutions Group, and Dubai Dynamo.
If given permission to become an adult gaming centre, the unit, which is 60m sq, could have arcade machines and would only be open to people aged 18 or over.
The application was submitted in late March and North Yorkshire Council is accepting comments until Sunday, April 23.
The environmental health department has already raised concerns about the impact on neighbours, saying:
“There are flats above the existing commercial unit but whereas the office use and the opening hours of the building society would not interfere with the flats above there may be noise including music associated with the use of the gaming centre and the opening hours, which are not stated, could interfere with the residents above.
“It would be useful to get some indication of the proposed hours of operation.”
Environmental health officer Mary Jones recommended the applicant should invest in sound proofing and provide an acoustic report to the council about the impact of the proposed change.
To view or comment on the application, visit the planning pages of North Yorkshire Council’s website and use reference 23/01169/FUL.
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Sneak Peek: New Starbeck pub aims to bring ‘community feel’ back
A new pub is set to open in Starbeck tomorrow with the aim of bringing back a “community feel” to the area.
The Office Ale House, which is based on High Street, will be open from midday to 9pm, seven days a week.
Kevin Jones, owner, told the Stray Ferret that he came up with the idea for the pub after finding he had nowhere to go for a pint after working from home in Starbeck during covid.
He said:
“I wanted somewhere to go for a pint and a chat after work and there was just nowhere that suited me.
“I wanted something with a community feel.”
He added that part of the reason for the name was to create that “after work pint” place that he wanted.
Mr Jones, who now lives in Knaresborough, secured planning permission and licensing for the vacant unit on the High Street in the last year.
Inside the Office Ale House in Starbeck.
With the help of Pete Valentine, owner of Yorkshire Bespoke Renovations, the project was complete within four-and-a-half weeks.
It includes an array of seating and tables, bar stools, USB charging points and speaker system.
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Part of the inspiration was also to create somewhere that both Mr Jones and his partner would feel comfortable going in for a drink.
Mr Jones said:
“It is a comfortable place. It’s somewhere where you feel comfortable walking in. You don’t want to feel intimidated walking in.
“It makes no difference if you are having a pint or a coke.”
The bar area inside the new Starbeck pub.
The pub, which is dog friendly, will offer drinks from a range of local breweries including Roosters, Daleside and Turning Point.
There will also be musicians performing, starting with Christopher Taylor playing an acoustic set this weekend.
The Office Ale House in Starbeck will open tomorrow, Friday, April 7, at midday.
Greggs opens new shop in KnaresboroughGreggs has opened a new shop in Knaresborough.
The shop, in the former Fultons Foods unit on on High Street, has created 10 jobs.
The bakery will stock the usual range of sausage rolls, steak bakes and treats, as well as vegan alternatives.
It will be open from 7am until 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am until 4.30pm on Sundays.
The location also includes a heat-holding Nuttall Unit so customers can also purchase hot items such as southern fried chicken goujons and potato wedges.
People will also be able to collect from the store using the click and collect option on the Greggs app.
Shop manager Ash Ishfaq said:
“We can’t wait to welcome both Greggs fans and new customers to our brand-new shop.”
Gillian Long, retail operations director for Greggs, said:
“Our new shop in Knaresborough has brought 10 new jobs to the local area, as well as providing customers with a modern, convenient new place to experience their favourite Greggs food.”
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Police and fire crews rescue homeless man from Starbeck bin
Police and fire crews rescued a man from a commercial bin in Starbeck last night.
Firefighters from Harrogate were called to a premises in the High Street just after 6pm, where they used small tools to release the man.
A spokesperson for Harrogate Fire Station said:
“It was believed to be a homeless person who got himself trapped accidentally when the lid came down and locked.”
Police officers at the scene offered to take the man to a homeless shelter.
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Hawico closes Harrogate shop after 28 years
A cashmere clothes shop in Harrogate has closed after 28 years.
Hawico on Montellier Parade was the first Hawico shop outside Scotland when it opened in 1995.
It has now closed, with the loss of two jobs, and the unit is vacant.
David Sanderson, a director of Hawico, said the company had been considering the shop’s future for some time. He added:
“We’ve been in Harrogate quite a while but it seems like it’s run its course. We can’t afford for this business not to pay and it got very marginal in Harrogate so we decided not to renew the lease.”
Mr Sanderson said trade at the store had got “harder and harder” in recent years, especially since covid.
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Hawico, a family business that makes clothes at a factory in Hawick, Scotland has 10 stores in Scotland, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.
Mr Sanderson said the site of the Harrogate shop was previously owned by another Scottish clothing company and the unit had provided “a little bit of Scotland in Harrogate for some time”.
It is the latest loss to Harrogate’s high street after the closure of Bijouled, which sold gifts and accessories on Parliament Street and fast fashion brand New Look, which was based in the Victoria Shopping Centre.
Bijouled is now closed
Business Breakfast: Small indies to pop up on Harrogate high street
It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club!
The second in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is an After Work Drinks event on February 23 from 5.30pm. Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district, get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.
Harrogate’s initiative to give more independent retailers a spot on the high street will see a clutch of new names take over a unit in the Victoria Centre this spring.
Harrogate Pop Up, on the corner of Cambridge Street and Station Parade, was first made available for short-term rent by retail property agent Barker Proudlove in autumn 2021.
Jessica Swain, from Barker Proudlove, helped set up the pop-up shop. She said:
“It is fantastic to see the pop-up shop so heavily in demand. Harrogate has such a diverse mix of businesses already and we hope those businesses popping up with us will see a space for them to be part of this community permanently after their pop-up ends.”
This year’s spring line-up includes Beauchamp Accessories, Bamboo Beautiful, Headlock Vintage, We Got U Covered and Martha and Bea:
Beauchamp Accessories, a York firm specialising in Italian leather handbags, will fill the space during February and April, following a series of successful pop-ups in the space in 2022.
Bamboo Beautiful, which sells sustainable bamboo products including homeware and gifts, will occupy the unit from the March 13 for one week.
Headlock Vintage will be selling its range of vintage and “preloved” clothing from March 27.
We Got U Covered returns to the space from the April 10, offering its range of swimsuits, clothing and holiday supplies.
Martha and Bea will return from the April 17, to transform the space into a boutique of ladies clothing and accessories.
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Free eco-friendly building course in Harrogate
Harrogate College is hosting a free course where construction business can find out how to build energy-efficient buildings.
Passive House for Construction Professionals and Management is a four-week, one-day-a-week training programme, funded by the government.
The course will start on Tuesday, March 7.
‘Passive houses’ are eco-friendly houses built to be extremely energy efficient. They are designed to remain at an almost constant temperature, reducing bills and emissions.
Passive house in construction
The course is run by Leeds-based passive house manufacturers Pure Haus, who are going to build a mini example-house in the college grounds.
Kevin Pratt, director of Pure Haus, said:
“We’re looking forward to installing a ‘mini pure haus’ at the college… It will be a real eye-opener for students and help educate them about how we need to build homes to play our part in tackling climate change.”
Harrogate college is aiming to achieve carbon zero status by 2035, and is planning a variety of environmentally-focused events for March, which is its Green Month.
Events include a free talk on retrofitting your home on March 16.
Harrogate College principal Danny Wild said:
Police support Starbeck BT ‘street hub’ despite drugs concerns“It is such practices that we all need to adopt, as organisations and individuals, if we are to make real change, reduce our collective carbon footprint and, of course, save money.”
North Yorkshire Police has backed the installation of a BT ‘street hub’ in Starbeck despite concerns they can encourage drug dealing.
BT has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to remove the existing phone box and set up a hub on High Street outside Starbeck Post Office. The telecommunications company plans to install seven of the hubs across Harrogate.
The hubs, which are being installed across the country, provide free phone calls and Wi-Fi, rapid charging points and touch screen tablets that can be used to access services.
BT describes them as ‘reinventing phone boxes for the digital age’. But in a letter to the council, Richard Ball, designing out crime officer at North Yorkshire Police, said the force was aware the street hubs could be used for anti-social behaviour, such as drug dealing.
However, Mr Ball said he felt the issue was addressed by BT as the company could block any phone number used for such crimes.
He said:
“I am aware this type of installation has caused anti-social behaviour issues in other parts of the country.
“For example, the free call to mobile service has been used to facilitate drug dealing. However, BT have produced a comprehensive anti-social behaviour management plan.”
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Mr Ball added that the force would support the street hub and would be interested in “utilising the community messaging facility that the street hub can provide”.
BT has also applied to install three free-standing units with screens on both sides on Cambridge Street outside the former Smiggle shop, on Oxford Street outside Marks and Spencer, and on Station Parade in front of the Cotswold Company.
The applications reveal Harrogate Borough Council’s planning department has already expressed concern about the proposals, saying they would be viewed as “street clutter” .
However, BT argued the hubs were largely used to replace older infrastructure and would deliver a valuable service.