Harrogate council allocates £55,000 for advice on horticultural nursery relocation

Harrogate Borough Council is set to spend £55,000 on consultants and other professionals to help develop a new horticultural nursery to the north-west of the town.

In December, the council revealed it had identified an unspecified site in the Hampsthwaite and Killinghall ward to build a new nursery, which will pave the way for its current site in Harlow Hill to be sold for housing.

A report that will go before Conservative councillor Graham Swift, the council’s cabinet member for resources enterprise and economic development, next week, says the council now needs professional consultation and site investigations to complete the next phase of the project.

It asks Cllr Swift to approve £20,000 being spent on a consultant partner and £35,000 to undertake initial site surveys, investigations, planning fees and other works.

The council, which will be abolished at the end of next month, has said the construction of a new nursery will be financed through capital investment funding, money raised from the sale Harlow Hill nursery and income generated from the nursery.

The project will transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council after April 1.

Why does the council want to move from Harlow Hill?

Harlow Hill nursery is where Harrogate Borough Council grows flowers for its award-winning displays across the district. It also sells plants to members of the public to bring in revenue.

The nursery is a significant earner for the council with its 2020/21 annual report saying it brought in income of £153,477.

However, the council says it the facility is “no longer fit for purpose” and is unsuitable for redevelopment.

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The land is accessed off either Otley Road or Harlow Moor Road. The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which sets out where development can take place, says 40 homes can be built there.

A council report published last year recommended 62 “high-quality, carbon efficient” homes are built.

The authority is currently inviting expressions of interest in the land prior to a sale.

An emotional move for residents

Liberal Democrat member for Harlow & St Georges Division on North Yorkshire County Council, Michael Schofield, previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the move away from Harlow Hill will be keenly felt by residents as many have walked there to buy plants for decades.

He said people enjoyed visiting and walking through the Pinewoods and Valley Gardens afterwards.

He added the nursery also served as part of a horticultural trail as it connects with RHS Garden Harlow Carr and the charity nursery Horticap.

Cllr Schofield said:

“I understand what people may call progress but we have three fantastic horticultural sites all within walking distance of each other. That inspires people. Residents living here will be very sad to see it go.”

Long-awaited refurbishment of Ripon council flats approved

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee has given planning permission to refurbish 12 “eyesore” council flats in Ripon that date from the 1960s.

The project will include rendering of the brickwork, new stainless steel walkways and balconies, a communal garden and six car parking spaces at Allhallowgate.

The council approved spending £600,000 to improve the properties in December and the decision was ratified by the planning committee this week.

Plans to refurbish the homes date back seven years but have been delayed due to sinkhole concerns in the area.

In 2015, planning permission was granted to demolish a block of flats at 4-14a Allhallowgate and replace them with nine townhouses. The plan also included a major refurbishment of an existing block of flats.

The flats were demolished but the rest of the scheme was halted in 2019 after an engineering firm found ground instability “could be foreseen” on or near the site. They warned that measures to reduce the risk of the townhouses collapsing were not cost-effective.

Ripon sits above a layer of gypsum, which is a water-soluble rock that leads to the formation of large underground caves that can collapse.

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The council pledged to continue with the refurbishment of the existing flats that weren’t demolished. However, its plans were paused again during covid as they were used as temporary accommodation for homeless people.

In May, the council was quoted £1.1m for the project by a contractor — almost double its budget of £650,000. It has since removed plans to build an extension to the building to reduce costs.

‘Somewhat of an eyesore’

Conservative cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Mike Chambers, who is also councillor for Ripon Spa, said he was happy the project was finally moving forward.

Cllr Chambers told a meeting in December after the funding was approved:

“This is a project that for a number of years has hit the buffers for various reasons. It is now appropriate we start moving it forward again. It is somewhat of an eyesore so I’m delighted we’re moving forward.

“It will improve the streetscene and a number of residents are concerned about the state of the block following the demolition. It’s high time we moved on.”

Councillor ‘absolutely amazed’ Maltkiln landowner able to pull out

A councillor whose division could be transformed by thousands of new homes says he is “absolutely amazed” that a landowner was able to pull out of the Maltkiln scheme at the 11th hour.

Last week, Harrogate Borough Council revealed a landowner had decided against selling a parcel of land that would have formed part of a 3,000 to 4,000-home settlement called Maltkiln.

The potential town, which includes two primary schools, would be built off the A59 towards York near the villages of Cattal, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.

The news came as a blow to Wetherby-based Caddick Group, which has been developing plans for several years.

The developer called the decision by the landowner “regrettable” but said it was confident the scheme would continue.

The broad location for Maltkiln is allocated for development in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which maps out where housebuilding can take place.

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Planning permission for Maltkiln is yet to be granted but a development plan document has been painstakingly prepared by the council over the last two years and was close to being submitted to the government for approval.

The council has said work on the development plan has now been “paused”.

Cllr Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn division on North Yorkshire County Council, described the situation as “a bit of a mess”.

Cllr Warneken told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“How did Harrogate Borough Council and the developer not tie-up people to legal agreements for the sale of land? I’m absolutely amazed they didn’t tie-up all these options.

“They are back to the drawing board and I wouldn’t want to be paying for this. The development plan document goes back on hold and will need to be redrafted. It almost starts again.”

Cllr Warneken said he understood the parcel of land formed a significant part of the overall masterplan.

He described an initial celebratory mood in the affected villages after the council released its statement, with residents hoping it could throw the whole project into doubt.

Now the dust has settled, he fears it could mean the developer will have to reduce its ambitions for the scheme in order to make it financially viable. 

He said:

“The viability will have to be adjusted and could mean a change in the nature of properties. There might be higher density, bigger properties, and they could build one primary school instead of two. I wanted this to be an ecologically exemplar development but I’m concerned they will chip away at that.”

Responding, a spokesperson for Caddick Group said:

“It is usual for landowners to want differing terms when entering into agreements to sell their land and all such agreements are only for a specific period. In this particular case, the family concerned were previously willing to sell but wished to limit their legal agreement to a shorter period of time than the other landowners and subsequently decided not to extend or renew their agreement.

“Our proposals include innovative approaches to reducing both energy and vehicle use which will still apply to an updated new settlement boundary, which will also now incorporate a significant element of renewable energy generation.

“We are now in the early stages of reviewing our draft masterplan for Maltkiln in consultation with Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, both of which will need to decide how best to advance the new settlement from this point on.

“Once we know how the councils wish to approach the change in land area, and we have explored how our proposals could be best aligned with their intended process, we will engage with the community and key stakeholders once again.”

Former Harrogate Chinese restaurant to be converted into home

A former Harrogate Chinese restaurant is to be converted into a house.

The proposal submitted by John Tang will see the former Kwun Wah on Strawberry Dale changed into a four-bedroom home.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved the plans.

The Kwun Wah restaurant has been closed since 2006.

Planning permission was granted back in 2011 to convert the former restaurant into a home, but has since expired.

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Developer appeals decision to refuse 13 homes plan on Ripon timber yard

A developer has appealed a council decision to refuse plans for 13 homes on a former Ripon timber yard.

Red Tree Developments wanted to demolish buildings at the site of the former NY Timber yard to build the homes.

The site on Trinity Lane was home to a timber yard from 1860 to 2018.

However, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the plan in December 2020 on the grounds that the scheme would cause “unacceptable harm” to the Ripon Conservation Area.

Now, the developer has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.

Jay Everett, a planning consultant who submitted the appeal on behalf of Red Tree, said the loss of the timber yard building would offer “no contribution to the setting”.

He said:

“My conclusion, derived from the evidence provided, is that the loss of the existing building would cause ‘less than substantial harm’ to the conservation area and that, regarding listed buildings in the vicinity, the existing building makes no contribution to their setting and moreover that the proposed development would visually benefit the setting of Holy Trinity School.”

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Red Tree bought the 0.64-acre plot, which is adjacent to the listed buildings, Holy Trinity Church of England Junior School and St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church, from Cairngorm Capital for an undisclosed sum this year.

In its original planning application, the developer said the timber yard, which is not listed, must be replaced due to its “poor state of repair”.

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

Council recommends controversial Kingsley Farm homes be approved

Officers at Harrogate Borough Council have recommended that a controversial plan to build new homes on Kingsley Farm is approved.

The scheme for up to 30 homes, which have been proposed by Quarterly Kingsley Ltd, are earmarked for the north and north east of the site off Kingsley Road.

The developer said in a planning statement submitted to Harrogate Borough Council the scheme would help to offer a “sense of place”.

However, the proposal has been met by fierce objections from residents and concerns from officials at NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

But, the borough council has recommended that the plan is deferred and approved subject to section 106 agreements been reached.

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The move comes as Nick Brown, of the NHS North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said GPs were “extremely concerned” about further development within Harrogate.

The NHS has requested £58,617 in developer contributions as part of the proposal.

Mr Brown said:

“As primary care providers, the GPs and primary care networks are extremely concerned regarding any proposals for further residential development within Harrogate.

“The existing health infrastructure in Harrogate already operates above optimum capacity and has very limited capacity to absorb additional pressures.”

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council highways have requested a contribution of £25,000 “to address the cumulative impact of development traffic, particularly in respect of the A59/Kingsley Road junction”.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will make a decision on the plan at a meeting on January 24.

Plan to convert former Harrogate Italian restaurant into flat

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Luigi’s restaurant in Harrogate into a flat.

The Italian restaurant on Valley Drive closed in October 2021. Now, proposals have been lodged to change the use of the building into a flat.

Documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Nidge O’Brien say the former restaurant would be changed into one two-bedroom apartment.

Luigi’s closed its doors on October 17. In a post on its Facebook page, management at the restaurant said:

“We have thus reached the end of the journey, and we take this opportunity to thank all the customers who have supported us with their affection during these two years. 

“Luigi’s Restaurant will open its doors for you on Sunday 17th October for the last time.  

“Heartfelt thanks to all of you, it was a pleasure to pamper you and give you the goodness of our simple and genuine dishes.  We will meet again, around the county.”

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

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Plan to convert part of Harrogate’s Old Swan hotel into 17 flats

A plan has been tabled to convert part of the Old Swan hotel in Harrogate into 17 flats.

Northern Trust Company Ltd, part of Classic Lodges which owns the hotel, has submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council.

The company has tabled the plan to convert the ancillary wing of the Grade-II listed building, which dates back to the late 19th century.

In documents submitted to the council, the owners said the part of the hotel had “gradually become redundant” and was “almost entirely vacant”.

The company said in its planning application:

“The existing ancillary wing is not viable as hotel accommodation as there are sufficient rooms in the main buildings and serving the rear wing would be problematic with numerous level changes.”

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As part of the plan, the ancillary wing would be converted into 17 one and two-bedroom flats.

The existing staff car park would be extended to the back of the building to provide residential parking.

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

Harrogate councillors to take some housing decisions under new council

Decisions over some housing developments are set to be handed to Harrogate councillors ahead of North Yorkshire Council coming into force.

The new authority will replace Harrogate Borough Council in April, which left questions over how decisions over planning would be made.

Now, the county council has outlined plans for six area committees which will consider planning applications at a local level.

Under proposals for its new constitution, the Harrogate and Knaresborough committee would oversee housing decisions in the constituency area.

Meanwhile, Ripon and Skipton committee would oversee planning in the Ripon area.

However, councillors in those area will only consider applications under 500 homes. Anything above that threshold will be considered by the strategic planning committee in Northallerton.

Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said it was important that local councillors make decisions in their local areas.

He said:

“Local voices and local accountability are central to the vision of the new North Yorkshire Council.

“Area committees are a key element in this, providing local community leadership in conjunction with the community networks we propose to create, helping to shape economic development in their locality and holding the executive to account, complementing the work of the scrutiny committees.”

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The move comes as Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee, said previously that not handing powers to such committees would “erode accountability”.

In Harrogate, decisions are still expected on a bottling plant at Harrogate Spring Water and a 3,000 home town between Knaresborough and Cattall called Maltkiln.

Senior county councillors will consider the powers as part of a draft constitution for North Yorkshire Council at a meeting on January 17.

GPs ‘extremely concerned’ about new housing in Harrogate

NHS managers have objected to plans for 49 homes at Kingsley Farm in Harrogate and warned that the town’s health infrastructure has “very limited capacity”.

The homes, which have been proposed by Quarterly Kingsley Ltd, are earmarked for the north and north east of the site off Kingsley Road.

The developer said in a planning statement submitted to Harrogate Borough Council the scheme would help to offer a “sense of place”.

However, Nick Brown, of the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, has objected to the plan.

In a letter to the council, he warned GPs were “extremely concerned” about further development within Harrogate.

He said:

“As primary care providers, the GPs and primary care networks are extremely concerned regarding any proposals for further residential development within Harrogate.

“The existing health infrastructure in Harrogate already operates above optimum capacity and has very limited capacity to absorb additional pressures.

“Primary care and community services within the area are already running at, or far beyond their existing capacity.”

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The Kingsley area has seen multiple planning applications lodged to build houses on Kingsley Farm, including a revised proposal for 162 homes by Persimmon Homes.

Residents in the area have long held concerns about the amount of housebuilding in the area and its affect on traffic, noise and loss of green space.

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