Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors are set to spend £40,000 on design work that could eventually lead to a cycle path being created between Bilton and Hornbeam Park.

Each year, the area constituency committee is given a pot of money by North Yorkshire Council to go towards local projects.

Councillors put forward a host of ideas that could receive funding and the list has now been whittled down to the three that are considered to be most viable.

The prospect of a cycle route between Bilton and Hornbeam Park dates back to at least 2019 when North Yorkshire County Council commissioned consultants to draw up a cycle infrastructure plan for Harrogate.

With a distance of around 2.5km between the two areas, it would be one of the most ambitious cycle routes ever created in Harrogate if it came to fruition.

As the proposal is still in its early stages, no details have been given about which roads could be used though it could potentially take advantage of Slingsby Walk, a path adjacent to the Stray that is already accessible for cyclists.

When designs for the scheme are eventually drawn up, it’s hoped the council will have a “bid ready” scheme to apply for funding through the government’s Active Travel Fund.

There is also money available through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority which is led by newly-elected Labour mayor David Skaith.

A report has been prepared for councillors ahead of a meeting next week where councillors are expected to give the green light for design work to begin.

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The council has modelled how successful a route between Bilton and Hornbeam Park could be and claims an extra 1,612 cycle trips a day is possible.

It said the cycle path could get people out of cars and remove a large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

The council has faced strong criticism for its track record delivering cycle schemes in Harrogate from both Harrogate District Cycle Action and the public.

The one significant cycle route it has built in recent years, the Otley Road cycle path, has been lambasted for its “confusing” design that weaves on-and-off the pavement.

It has resulted in the section between Harlow Moor Road and Arthurs Avenue being largely ignored by cyclists who prefer to use the road with motorists.

North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to demolish the main building at Harrogate College and build a hub to train students in green technology.

The £22m proposals will see new state-of-the-art facilities at the Hornbeam Park college including a mock hospital ward, digital technology suite, electric vehicle workshop and a construction centre focused on modern building methods.

The college said it hopes it will become a “centre of renewable and sustainable excellence”.

Harrogate College, part of the Luminate Education Group, caters to a range of full and part-time students, including offering apprenticeships as well as education for adults.

The plans were approved by a council officer last week and the project is expected to be completed by July 2025.

Planning documents state the main office block that was built in the 1980s has fallen into disrepair.

The replacement will be 2,000 square metres smaller than the former building which documents said will make education more efficient and streamlined for students.

The plans received 28 objections with some people unhappy with a reconfigured car park that will see the number of spaces reduced from 242 to 88.

However, the college said there is an over-provision of parking at the current car park of 48%.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said the approval was “great news for the college, town and North Yorkshire.”

He said:

“This £22 million redevelopment will enable us to upgrade our campus to enhance our industry-standard training facilities, including an electric vehicle workshop, mock hospital ward, and a renewable energy technology hub.

“It will help us provide even more targeted support for local employers by tailoring our training to produce the skilled workers they need to plug gaps and prosper. The main building phase of our project is set to be completed for the 2025-26 academic year and we look forward to welcoming students, parents and guests into our new campus.”

Mr Wil added:

“To minimise any impact in the local area we are instructing staff not to drive to college but to switch to public transport instead, and we will be covering the parking costs of all colleagues who do so.

“We will also be employing staff to patrol the local area to ensure things go smoothly, and disruption is kept to a minimum, during the construction. We’ll be formalising those details, and other arrangements including those for our contractors, as part of the conditions attached to the planning permission.”

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You may be already be aware of some of the activities for kids at Hornbeam Park – especially at The Zone – but did you know that there are all of these activities on offer? Almost one for every day of the week. Now that will keep them busy.

World of Their Own

World of Their Own

You wouldn’t expect to see an imitation of the Wild West on the industrial business park of Hornbeam Park, but World of Their Own is exactly that. Designed to spark the imagination of children, grown-ups are also sure to be impressed with the immersive play town that’s somewhat of a hidden gem.

Kids can take part in activities including escaping the sheriff’s jail, making and drinking their own mocktail from the Cowgirl Saloon Bar, robbing the Wild West bank, exploring inside the spooky gold mine and taking aim for a prize from the shooting range, to name just a few of the experiences on offer.

World of Their Own

Not forgetting the Wild West toy pony rides of course, and the kids that run riot as they shoot water at each other (and the grown-ups) with water pistols.

And to stop those tears when either the 2.5-hour morning or afternoon session comes to an end, kids can enjoy a chocolate coin from the treasure chest.

Why not try…? The Fairytale Ice Cream Parlour.

Good to know: don’t miss the holiday themed specials. 

The Ice Cream Parlour at World of Their Own

Harrogate Gymnastics

Harrogate Gymnastics

The largest purpose-built gymnastics facility in the Harrogate area, Harrogate Gymnastics features all the equipment a budding gymnast needs; from a sprung floor to beams, bars to trampolining, there’s something for everyone. Classes take place from the age of 2.5 years and there’s open free play sessions too.

Why not try…? The holiday inflatable fun sessions or the drop-off Ninja Camps?

Good to know: it has recently started offering SEND sessions, and it also hosts adult gymnastic classes too. 

Gracie Barra Harrogate

Gracie Barra

There are many benefits to martial arts including learning how to focus, be disciplined, be persistent, learn cooperation and have respect. Gracie Barra on Hornbeam Park offers all this and more through its Brazilian jiu jitsu lessons for kids and adults.

Classes take place from the age of three, and each attendee can work their way up over the years to achieving five belts: white, blue, purple, brown and black.

Why not try…? A free taster session.

Good to know: it has a drop-in fee, or the option to buy a block of five or 10 classes for non-members. However, its monthly memberships work out the best value for those wishing to train regularly.

Surge Padel

Surge Padel

Padel is the go-to sport of the moment and Surge Padel on Hornbeam Park offers junior group coaching lessons on Saturday mornings for under 8s and under 11s. As well as taking part in lots of games that aid hand-eye coordination, juniors get a deeper understanding of the sport which will set them in good stead to play matches in the future.

Why not try…? Hiring a court for extra practice.

Good to know: junior classes are just £7.50 but can get booked up in advance, so ensure you reserve your spot.

Live For Today Climbing Centre

Marc Wise and Dan Miller

As you may have read in The Stray Ferret, Live For Today has recently taken over from Parthian Climbing Centre and is looking to introduce more classes and offerings for young ones. Last month one of the new owners, Marc Wise – who met his business part Dan Miller at the climbing wall 12 years ago – said:

“Acquiring the climbing wall is really significant and special as it is where it all began.

There’s been criticism about the lack of indoor activities and things to do for young people, so the climbing wall is a huge asset for the area.”

Why not try…? Some of the 25 other adventures that Live For Today offers such as caving, rock climbing and canoeing in the Yorkshire Dales.

Good to know: it has plenty of climbing equipment to hire.

Indulge

Indulge playroom

Parents and caregivers with small children can sometimes avoid cafés and restaurants, especially if they don’t seem particularly family friendly. However, there’s no need to worry at Indulge as it actively welcomes children and is often the go-to place for those with babies, toddlers and primary school-aged children.

Offering a playroom with an assortment of toys, as well as a range of food and drink for both kids and grown-ups, it’s a fail-safe way to spend a few hours. And you may just get that hot coffee in peace too. Bonus.

Indulge

Why not try…? A pink sprinkle doughnut.

Good to know: the café is also dog friendly.

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Plans to redevelop Harrogate College’s site are threatening to cause parking “chaos”, according to neighbouring tenants on Hornbeam Park. 

As we reported in February, the college is replacing its main building and constructing a £20 million renewable energy skills hub to ‘future-proof’ the site. 

Luminate Education Group, of which Harrogate College is a member, applied for planning permission for the project in August and the case is due to be decided upon by today. 

Preparatory work has already begun on site and Harrogate College has announced that its car park, which it says is used by around 70 staff and students at any one time, will be closed from Monday, April 22 to allow work to proceed.

The college aims to move into the new main campus building in July 2025, after which the current property will be demolished, making way for new parking facilities. 

In the meantime, the college will have 242 fewer car-parking spaces, and has told staff and students to park at the Hornbeam Park rail station and in nearby streets. In its construction management plan, main contractor Caddick Construction states: 

“We encourage the use of the nearby station car-park.” 

But neighbouring tenants on the business park say the rail halt car-park is usually full, and neighbouring streets are not a satisfactory solution to the shortage of spaces. 

Chris Bentley is director of Hornbeam Park Developments, which owns and runs the business park. He told the Stray Ferret: 

“I am not objecting to the new college – I applaud the fact that they are replacing it with an all new facility, fit for purpose for the next generation. 

“What I am objecting to is the displacement of car-parking without thought to the businesses here at Hornbeam. They are also encouraging their car-users to park at the rail halt or around the nearby residential area. 

“It’ll cause chaos to the businesses here – there is no extra available parking on the site and the Hornbeam Park railway station car park it always full. 

“When the project was originally proposed we were given to understand that a new college car-park would be rebuilt on the old building’s site. 

“Now we find that they are reducing the allocation by a third from 242 currently available down to 88, based on a one-day survey taken as we came out of covid.” 

Harrogate College, on Hornbeam Park.

His views are echoed by several Hornbeam Park tenants who left comments on the council’s online planning portal. 

In his comment, Alan Fisher, facilities manager at nearby Techbuyer, said: 

“Our concern is that it may devolve into a chaotic situation, with people potentially parking in other spaces across Hornbeam Park, including our staff car-parks which are already reaching capacity. Such a scenario could adversely affect our business and staff, as well as customers and clients.” 

He added: 

“We have a large number of heavy vehicles delivering to our sites, and third parties – who haven’t been briefed as our staff are – pose a safety risk in relation to the operation of these vehicles and the forklifts needed to load and unload them.” 

Also commenting on the planning application, Deb Robinson, of family business Witch Casket, said: 

“I already have issues with our parking spaces, stopping my employees being able to park in our own dedicated car-park and deliveries from being made to our warehouse. People have been incredibly abusive and this has caused great emotional distress to our staff.”

Mr Bentley suggested that the college use a nearby field – believed to be owned by Hull College and the Department for Education – as a temporary car-park. However, Harrogate College said it explored the idea but found it was impractical for a number of reasons, principally due to the impact on traffic. It said North Yorkshire Council had advised that making the field into a car-park would require altering all of Hornbeam Park Avenue – the main road through the business park – to ensure safe access.

“Our exciting £20 million rebuild will allow us to provide the education and training required by Harrogate and North Yorkshire now and in the future, and so bolster the local economy by filling the skills gaps, including in the fast-growing sustainability sector, currently holding us back.

“Doing so will bring great and long-term benefits to our students, community and businesses, which is what we are committed to.

“The temporary closure of our car-park is a necessary part of this project. During this time, we are advising our staff and students to either make alternative travel arrangements to college where possible or to park responsibly in the local area.”

Hornbeam Park has about 120 tenants, and it is estimated that around 4,500 people work and study on the park each day. All the roads providing access around the site belong to site owner Hornbeam Park Developments Ltd, so parking there is not a matter for North Yorkshire Council.

There is no longer any direct bus service from Harrogate town centre to Hornbeam Park, but commuters can still catch buses as far as either Leeds Road, which is 750m away, or Oatlands Drive, 500m away. Both fall within the walking distances deemed acceptable under Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation guidelines. 

The regular rail service between Harrogate and Leeds also stops at Hornbeam Park 30 times per day in each direction. 

The redevelopment of Harrogate College’s site will create modern facilities such as a mock hospital ward, digital technology suite, electric vehicle workshop and a construction centre focused on teaching modern building methods. 

A total of £16m of the funding has come from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund. 

Luminate Education Group is a collection of six education providers based in the Leeds City Region and also includes Leeds City College, Leeds Conservatoire, Keighley College, University Centre Leeds and Leeds Sixth Form College.

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