A Victorian villa in Harrogate that was formerly a registry office and a Citizens Advice Bureau has been demolished.

Hornbeam Park Developments has planning permission to build new grade A offices on the site of Victoria Park House on Victoria Avenue.

The developer will rebuild the facade and some walls as part of the new building, which will include a two-storey extension.

It was previously owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which sold it for £1m in 2016 to help fund its move to new headquarters at Knapping Mount.

A report in 2017 said the building suffered from extensive subsidence, mould and was no longer fit-for-purpose.

Computer generated images of how the building will look.

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A plan to demolish the villa and replace it with a modern-looking office block, submitted later that year, received an objection from Historic England.

The public body said the building, which was built in 1864, “epitomises the special character and identity” of Harrogate. It said plans to demolish it would “strike at the heart” of what makes the town unique.

Plans to build this modern office block on the site were scrapped after objections.

Following this, the council said it would no longer support the application and the developer withdrew it.

New proposals, which retained the facade of the existing building, were approved in November 2018 by the council’s planning committee.

A relatively new sport that is a cross between tennis and squash is taking the Harrogate district by storm.

Padel is played between four players on reduced sized tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

Nicky Horn, a Harrogate coach who has played the sport for 10 years, said she has seen a remarkable amount of interest in the sport in recent months.

She pointed to courts being built at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate, which is expected to see six new dedicated courts, and planned new courts at Ripon Tennis Club as an example of its booming demand.

Since the first covid lockdown, Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre has also seen high demand for its padel courts on Hookstone Wood Road.

A game of padel tennis in Harrogate.

Nicky said she expects to see padel’s popularity increase further over the next five years now that the Lawn Tennis Association oversees the sport.

She said:

“It’s really taking off.

“It’s a reasonably accessible sport because the players can hit the ball easier.”

‘Largest female padel tennis match’

Nicky played padel in Spain before returning to Harrogate to take up two teams. She currently coaches Harrogate and Rawdon on a Monday and Saturday.

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Last weekend, the two teams got together to play a game which Nicky believes was the largest female padel match in the UK.

Despite the cold conditions, 32 players, who ranged from eight-years-old to 80, turned up to take part as Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre.

Nicky said:

“Everyone had lots of fun.

“Some of our players were squash players and some were tennis players, but everybody loved it.”

6,000 players in the UK

The local boom has been reflected across the country.

With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the LTA, the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Ballon D’or winning footballer, Lionel Messi, are also reported to be players of the sport.

Here are 10 facts you might not know about padel, from the LTA:

• There are more than 6,000 padel players in the UK
• Padel was invented in Mexico in the 1960s
• It is played in doubles
• Padel rules are similar to tennis – but you serve underarm
• It’s the second-most-popular sport in Spain
• Jamie Murray has played in a professional padel tournament
• Padel balls are smaller than tennis balls
• Lionel Messi has a padel court in his garden
• Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp discuss ideas with his coaches while playing padel
• It may not be an Olympic sport yet but campaigns are underway to make it one

Two local voluntary organisations have moved into Disability Action Yorkshire’s Hornbeam Park headquarters and learning centre

Resurrected Bites and Canaan Warehouse, which also includes Harrogate Clothes Bank, will occupy the space previously used as a second-hand furniture shop by Disability Action Yorkshire.

Resurrected Bites was established in 2018 to reduce food waste and food poverty. Canaan Warehouse redistributes donated household items and clothing for free to those in need in the Harrogate area and in eastern Europe.

The unit at Hornbeam Park gives the charities have more space and will reduce their overheads as well as provide employment opportunities for Disability Action Yorkshire’s disabled adults.

Disability Action Yorkshire’s chief executive Jackie Snape said:

“We are delighted that Resurrected Bites and Canaan Warehouse are now utilising our warehouse space, in a partnership that benefits them, us and our learners.

“One of our aims is to assist disabled people in leading independent lives wherever possible, and a key part of this is gaining employment.

“Our learners used to get valuable retail, warehouse and customer service training from our furniture enterprise, and this hands-on experience will continue under this new arrangement.”

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Dr Michelle Hayes, Resurrected Bites and Harrogate Clothes Bank founder, said moving to a unit together will mean the charities can work alongside each other to stop good quality items going to landfill and help those in need:

“When we realised that Resurrected Bites was intercepting so much food that we needed to find a warehouse, we wanted to think outside the box rather than just renting a commercial space.

“Resurrected Bites are always in need of volunteers for our cafes, groceries and warehouse and likewise the Harrogate Clothes Bank and Canaan Warehouse are both keen to invite the learners to volunteer with the sorting and distribution of clothes and furniture.”

Between March 2020 and July 2021, Resurrected Bites has helped feed more than 15,800 people with around a week’s worth of food. Each week, it diverts around three tonnes of food waste from landfill sites.

Image caption: Dr Michelle Hayes, second left, and Jackie Snape, second right, are pictured with a Resurrected Bites volunteer and two disabled learners

A Harrogate charity has held an exhibition to showcase the artistic work of its disabled learners.

Disability Action Yorkshire staged the event last month at its Hornbeam Park training centre.

The exhibition included art and photographs by 14 students based on the theme of heraldry and quiet places.

Students designed coats of arms reflecting their personalities and shot images of quiet places.

Harriet Walker, the charity’s deputy training manager, said:

“We were delighted to have held our first ever photography and art exhibition, which demonstrated the creativity of our learners.

For the last few months, they had been working on the theme of heraldic art and quiet places, which they captured on paper and in ‘megapixels’.

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Founded 84 years ago, Disability Action Yorkshire helps disabled people live the life of their choosing.

It has headquarters and a training centre on Hornbeam Park, a residential care home on Claro Road, and a holiday lodge in Lincolnshire.

Guy Tweedy, who joined Disability Action Yorkshire board of trustees last month said:

“During the short time I’ve been a trustee with the charity, I’ve also met staff and customers at its Claro Road care home and have been incredibly impressed by the dedication of all involved.”

The photo shows (left to right) disability learner Ian, Disability Action Yorkshire trustee Guy Tweedy, disability learners Emma and Charles, and Disability Action Yorkshire staff member Sammi.

A free six-hour event on Hornbeam Park tomorrow will kick-off the first ever Harrogate district Climate Action Festival.

The three-week festival, which encourages local people to reduce climate damage, is being held in the run-up to the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow .

Thirty-two exhibitors will be at Harrogate College from 10am to 4pm for a day of demonstrations, discussions and activities. There will be live music on two stages, as well as vegetarian and vegan food.

Visitors can drop in whenever they like and see a model, energy efficient passive house that has been built on site and learn about how their homes and businesses can become more environmentally friendly.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development lead at the college, said the event would be a family-friendly way of engaging people in climate action.

She added there were plans for the festival to become an annual event.

The festival will be launched by the Mayor of Harrogate and there will also be speeches by Andy Shepherd, professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Plans have been lodged to divide a former Harrogate events company base into five industrial units.

The proposal for the Joe Manby Ltd site at Hookstone Park would see the 3,355 square metre unit partially demolished and divided up.

Meanwhile, the number of car parking spaces would be increased from 12 to 40.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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Joe Manby Ltd folded last October after 46 years in business. The company employed 30 people and organised more than 50 events a year.

Andrew Manby, director of the firm, had been vocal in calling for more government support for the beleaguered conference and exhibition industry.

Mr Manby told the Stray Ferret “it was a heartbreaking decision” to close the company down.

At the time, he said the government’s job retention scheme had kept the business ticking over but it was difficult to survive without a clear date for return

A new padel tennis centre could arrive at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park as popularity for the sport grows.

With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.

Plans have been submitted for a new six-court padel centre in one of Hornbeam’s new developments.

If planning is approved a new “boutique” gym will also open on the ground floor of the Matrix building with the padel courts on the first floor.

The building is currently empty but if planning is approved it could see the site transformed.

The court would be housed in the Unit 1M Matrix building if plans are approved.

Here are ten facts you might not know about padel tennis, from the LTA:

• Lionel Messi has a padel court in his garden
• Padel was invented in Mexico in the 1960s
• It is played in doubles
• Padel rules are similar to tennis – but you serve underarm
• It’s the second-most-popular sport in Spain
• Jamie Murray has played in a professional padel tournament
• Padel balls are smaller than tennis balls
• Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp plays the game to discuss ideas with his coaches
• There are more than 6,000 padel players in the UK
• It may not be an Olympic sport yet but campaigns are underway to make it one

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Planning documents have described the ground floor gym as “boutique with premium facilities”.

The centre will be opened by Coach Gyms Limited and Surge Padel Limited if planning is given the go ahead.

Harrogate Gymnastics is to start providing classes in Hampsthwaite next week for children aged four to 11.

The club has 500 recreational members and 200 competitive gymnasts at its Hornbeam Park location.

It had a waiting list to join pre-covid and social distancing measures have reduced the number of people able to attend, prompting owner Chloe Carey to look for a new site.

Classes will take place at Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall for beginner and intermediate gymnasts on Monday evenings.

Sessions will last for 45 minutes to an hour and will cater for up to 12 gymnasts.

Ms Carey, who lives in Hampsthwaite, said:

“We have a waiting list at the club, which has been made worse by the restrictions on numbers during the pandemic and wanted to be able to get the children who want to take part in gymnastics Into classes as quickly as possible, especially having had restrictions on organised sport for the best part of a year.

“With the roadworks in Harrogate it has become increasingly difficult for some of the surrounding villages to get over to Hornbeam so that has become a barrier to participation for some.”

Some equipment is new and some is being transferred from Hornbeam Park.

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Residents have been shocked by the number of trees chopped down beside the tracks near Hornbeam Park railway station, according to a local councillor.

Network Rail recently carried out the works, which it said was essential for trains to run safely and reliably. 

Trees up to 6.5 metres tall were removed and larger trees that could have fallen onto the tracks have been cut back or removed.

John Ennis, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Stray, said local people had been “taken aback” by the scale of pruning and has complained to Network Rail.

He wrote on Community News website, a website run by Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones:

“As well as vegetation clearance, we have seen the removal of some mature trees in apparent good health. This has been quite a traumatic experience for those living nearby.

“I would for instance have preferred to see fencing used, which was more appropriate to a mature residential area. I will continue to raise these issues with Network Rail as necessary.”

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In January, Network Rail submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council about the works, which included photos of which trees it planned to remove or prune within the Harrogate Conservation Area.

The company said an independent ecologist had provided a risk assessment of the area to look for protected species.

It said some mature trees had to be removed to protect the tracks.

Richard Owens, infrastructure director for Network Rail’s north and east route, told the Stray Ferret:

“We know how important the trees near Hornbeam Park station are for people in the community. Network Rail has completed essential work to remove and cut back some of the vegetation with measures in place to protect the environment.

“Work also took place to allow natural saplings and flowers to flourish. Network Rail sent information to people who live near the railway and to local stakeholders with more details about the work.

“Some of the mature trees had to be removed to allow train services to continue running safely and reliably, and so our teams can safely carry out railway maintenance work.

“Trees can obstruct signals or get blown onto the tracks and leaves can also affect acceleration and braking when they fall onto the railway in the Autumn. This work will help to prevent future disruption to services.”

EnviroVent has earmarked a new multi-million pound business park in Harrogate to relocate its head offices.

The company, which installs ventilation systems for homes and other premises, is currently based at Hornbean Park.

According to a planning application submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the company plans to relocate to a new business park off Burley Bank Road which is seeking final planning permission.

The site was handed £1.5 million in funding in August as part of the government’s Getting Building fund.

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The document, submitted by ID Planning on behalf of EnviroVent and Teakwoods Development Ltd, say the company wishes to expand and relocate to the 75,000 square foot unit.

It says:

“Envirovent are currently located at Hornbeam Park, Harrogate. They are a leading manufacturer and installer of ventilation systems for homes, property and employment premises. 

“The company is expanding and wishes to relocate to purpose- built premises at Burley Bank Road. 

“The new building will comprise 75,820 sqft (approx. 7044 sqm) in total with 16,845 sqft (1565 sqm) for use as offices, 13,725 sqft (1275 sqm) as assembly and 30,250 sqft (2810 sqm) to be used for storage.”

The reserved matters proposal forms part of phase one of development on the site.

The borough council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.