Knaresborough GPs operating at ‘clinical capacity’

GP practices in Knaresborough are operating at “clinical capacity”, according to clinical commissioning group managers.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions GP services in the area, recently reviewed the average number of patients to full time GPs in the town.

Details of the review emerged when the CCG recently objected to a new housing development on the site of the former Trelleborg factory on Halfpenny Lane in Knaresborough.

Nick Brown, senior planning and capital officer at the CCG, said in a letter to Harrogate Borough Council that the impact of any further housing developments would be “very significant”.

He said:

“NHS North Yorkshire CCG has recently undergone a review of the GP primary care estates in Knaresborough, consulting with all the GP practices and the Knaresborough and Rural Primary Care Network (PCN) with responsibility for providing services in this locality.

“The confirmed consensus is that the practices are currently operating at clinical capacity in relation to the average number of patients to full-time GP ratio, compounded by existing limitations with internal clinical space.”

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Mr Brown added:

“The existing GP surgery premises in Knaresborough are currently operating at capacity and the impact of any further local housing development on health services and health infrastructure is very significant.

“The existing health infrastructure cannot absorb the further pressure on delivery of services arising from the housing development.”

On Tuesday, Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to developers Countryside Properties to build 64 homes at the former Trelleborg site on Halfpenny Lane, which closed in 2016.

The CCG asked for £75,937 from the developers to fund improvements to services in the area. How much will be given is to be negotiated.

The CCG made a similar objection in March to plans for new retirement apartments on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough.

It said it was “extremely concerned” that another care facility could increase the elderly population and “overload” local services.

Historic Darley Mill to be converted to housing

An 18th-century corn mill in Nidderdale is to be converted into housing after complaints that the historic building once used as a shop and restaurant has deteriorated into a “mess”.

The proposals for Darley Mill include the conversion of nine homes and the construction of 11 new properties at the Grade-II listed site.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee approved the plans at a meeting on Tuesday when a local councillor said many villagers wanted to see the site redeveloped “as soon as possible”.

Cllr Sue Welch, chair of Darley and Menwith Parish Council, said:

“The current mill building is a mess – it spoils the whole look of the village and that part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“We need to bring it back into use and good repair.”

Cllr Welch said although the parish council viewed the mill conversion as “essential,” it could not support the construction of new homes at the site.

In response, Richard Irving, an agent for the developers YorPlace said the new builds were needed in order to make the development financially feasible – a view which was supported by an independent valuer.

Mr Irving also said the development would be carried out to the “highest quality”.

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The approval comes after previous plans for a smaller development of 13 homes were given the go-ahead in 2018. However, these plans never came forward.

The site closed as a corn mill in the 1960s and was most recently run by Yorkshire Linen Company as a restaurant and shop until 2016 when the company ran into financial problems.

Prior to this, the mill was converted into a store selling crafts and clothing in the mid-1980s.

The latest proposals include a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties across the site.

The mill’s water wheel will also be kept under the plans.

Councillors cast five votes for and two against to approve the plans at Tuesday’s meeting.

Plans approved for 64 homes on former Trelleborg factory

Plans for 64 homes at the site of a former rubber factory in Knaresborough have been given the go-ahead.

Harrogate Borough Council granted permission to developers Countryside Properties to build the homes at the former Trelleborg site on Halfpenny Lane, which closed in 2016.

The site, which is not allocated for housing in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, had drawn concerns over the impact on traffic and health services.

Knaresborough Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Gostlow told Tuesday’s planning meeting that increased traffic levels in the area had become “really dangerous” and led to rat-running.

She said: 

“There is another big development across the road and already the impact on the Boroughbridge Road junction at Hyde Park Road is causing residents a lot of concern and in my mind is really dangerous.

“We are seeing Halfpenny Lane at the back of Hyde Park Road being used as a rat-run.

“This is also a loss of industrial land which is not good for a town’s sustainability.”

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In response, Robert Harding, town planner at Countryside Properties, said the site had been advertised for employment use for “a number of years” but failed to attract a buyer.

He also said the developers were in negotiations with highways officials at North Yorkshire County Council over contributing cash towards junction upgrades.

He added: 

“The proposals are in-keeping with the predominantly residential character of the area and will bring a derelict and underutilised site back into use.

“The site is located within the development limits of Knaresborough and will provide new homes at a location close to the town centre and railway station.”

Town council says homes ‘not needed’

Objections against the plans were made by Knaresborough Town Council, which said the homes were “not needed”.

The NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group also submitted a late objection which said a wave of new housing across Knaresborough threatened to overload the town’s “already massively stretched” health services.

The CCG has asked for £75,937 from the developers to fund improvements to services in the area.

The plans include a mix of one to four-bedroom homes, as well 20 properties classed as affordable.

Originally, the developers had requested permission for 77 homes, however, this was reduced to 64 after a protection order was placed on a group of trees which have been saved from felling.

The plans were approved with seven votes for and one against at Tuesday’s meeting.

Plan to convert former Harrogate taxi office into flat

Plans have been lodged to convert the former Airline Taxis office in Harrogate into a one bedroom flat.

The ground floor offices on East Parade are currently vacant after a liquidator was appointed to wind up the company in June last year.

A directors report to creditors, signed by Airline’s sole director Mohammad Suleman, said the company experienced a “significant decline” in turnover due to lack of travel during the first covid lockdown.

Now, plans have been submitted by developer Mr T Halliday to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the offices into a one-bedroom flat.

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Documents lodged to the authority say that the building would retain its existing features and the same floor area as the taxi company office.

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

Badgers delay approval of 133 homes at Kingsley Road

Final approval for 133 homes on Kingsley Road in Harrogate has been delayed whilst more badger surveys are undertaken in the area.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build the development on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by Harrogate Borough Council.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies that found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used.

A previous ecological study undertaken in 2019 by a different developer found no evidence of badgers.

Members of Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside and captures the movement of animals.

They claim their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, six of which are still active.

Badger activity

Badgers and their setts are protected by law.

Developers must have a licence from Natural England to remove or modify a badger sett.

This afternoon, councillors on the council’s planning committee met to discuss a reserved matters application that dealt with the appearance and layout of the homes.

However, the four-legged mammals dominated the debate.

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To the north of the proposed site are train tracks owned by Network Rail.

Dan McAndrew, the council’s principal ecologist, said most of the badger setts are more than 30m away from the site on land owned by the rail body.

Mr McAndrew said he was satisfied the developer had put measures in place to protect the badgers.

He said:

“Badgers actually do well in urban fringe areas, they are able to adapt to those conditions. The key issue is, where are the setts located and can they be maintained?

“The main sett will not be affected and will be left in place.”

However, John Hansard from KWAG said his group’s badger surveys were at odds with the developer’s surveys. He criticised the 2019 survey.

He said:

“If you know what you’re looking for, signs of badger activity were plentiful, clear and unmissable, so why were they missed or ignored?”

‘Somebody has got to speak for the badgers’

Both Sue Lumby, Conservative member for Coppice Valley, and Victoria Oldham, Conservative member for Washburn, cast doubt on the developer’s claims that badgers would not be harmed by the development.

Cllr Lumby said:

“Somebody has got to speak for the badgers and that’s what we are trying to do.

“This population of badgers would have lived here for generations. I’m very, very concerned why the 2019 survey didn’t find any badgers.”

Cllr Oldham added:

“On the assumption you do get licence from Natural England, what mitigation are you prepared to offer for remaining badgers to forage? You are going to put tarmac, concrete where they like to dig for worms, for setts. What are you offering? What wildlife enhancement will there be on this estate?”

In response, Mike Ashworth, on behalf of Redrow Homes, said

“A significant area of site will be undeveloped and landscaped, 30% of the site, a lot more than a normal housing estate. In there you’d have a combination of planting of trees, wildflower, shrubs.”

An unimpressed Cllr Oldham responded:

“Badgers don’t eat pretty flowers, they like to eat worms.”

Further surveys

Mr Ashworth revealed the developer received permission from Network Rail last week to survey the land above the site for badgers.

After councillors rejected the council’s recommendation to approve the scheme, committee chair Cllr John Mann proposed deferment pending the publication of the badger survey, which councillors agreed to unanimously.

County council says Bilton housing scheme ‘should be refused’

North Yorkshire County Council has said the layout of a 53-home development in Bilton is ‘not acceptable’ and the plan should be refused unless the developer agrees to pay for the widening of Knox Lane.

North East firm Jomast wants to build the homes on a field on Knox Lane in an application that has been reduced from 73 homes.

The county council, which is in charge of the Harrogate district’s roads, has submitted a response to the application as part of the consultation process.

It warned the development does not comply with standards it sets around roads and new housing schemes.

The section of Knox Lane where the homes would be built is narrow and leads towards a popular beauty spot.

Residents have long argued the road is unsuitable for any extra traffic the homes would bring but the developer’s transport report concluded the development would not lead to congestion.

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Paul Roberts, the county council’s highways officer, wrote to Harrogate Borough Council last week and said the development should be refused unless changes are made to Knox Lane as well as private roads within the site.

He wrote:

“The highway authority therefore advise that the application should be refused unless further information is provided by the developer. The layout of the site is not acceptable and will need to be amended to comply with the highway authority guidance/standards.”

Mr Roberts said Knox Lane should be widened to 5.5 metres with a two-metre footpath.

He added:

“This work shall be implemented as part of the project and if the application is approved implemented under a S278 agreement with the highway authority which the authority may wish to lead on.”

Residents’ concerns

The Stray Ferret met a group of Bilton residents in February who raised their concerns about the development and its impact on local roads.

With the busy Skipton Road nearby, and Knox Lane itself a narrow thoroughfare, Bob Wrightson said the roads surrounding the development would soon be gridlocked.

Mr Wrightson said:

“Fifty-two houses — a lot of people have cars, which has not been addressed. There might be another 100 cars using these roads and it will be gridlock.”

In February, Jomast and planning consultants Spawforths issued the following joint statement to the Stray Ferret:

“The planning application is supported by a number of specialist technical reports, including a transport assessment, which demonstrates the proposed development would not lead to any additional congestion of the local roads.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will decide on the application.

Bid to convert Harrogate working men’s club into flats refused

Harrogate Borough Council has refused a bid to convert a former working men’s club in Harrogate into two flats.

The National Reserve Club, East Parade, formally closed in July following a unanimous resolution from its members last year. It was also known as ‘The Nash’.

The organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.

ID Planning, which submitted the plan on behalf of Ashleigh and Caroline Wells, said in its application that the scheme would provide a viable use for the building.

But as the building is a community facility, the council said in its refusal that the owner had not been able to prove that it was no longer viable before submitting planning permission.

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Working men’s clubs were once the heart of the community across the country but many have faced dwindling membership numbers with some forced to close.

The Nash never reopened after the first covid lockdown two years ago.

It had 28 members at the time of closing and donated its remaining cash to charity.

However, other Harrogate clubs such as The Londesborough Club and Bilton WMC are still going strong.

Read Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam’s history of the town’s working men’s clubs here.

64 homes at former Knaresborough factory set for approval

A 64-home development on the site of a former factory in Knaresborough has been recommended for approval.

Developer Countryside Properties has earmarked the former Trelleborg factory on Halfpenny Lane for the houses.

The site is not allocated for housing in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which describes where development can take place. But it is included on the council’s Brownfield Land Register, which identifies locations considered to be appropriate for redevelopment for residential use.

The original proposal was for 77 dwellings. However, a group of mature trees on the site recently received tree preservation orders, which prompted the developer to reduce the number of homes. Twenty of them would be classed as ‘affordable’.

The site has been empty since 2016.

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The application faced an objection from Knaresborough Town Council, which said

“These houses are not needed, as sufficient house building is allocated elsewhere in the Local Plan and is being delivered.”

Network Rail also raised concerns about how close the homes will be to an operational railway crossing.

However, council officer Graham Smith backed the scheme, saying it would bring a derelict site back into use whilst boosting housing in the town.

He said:

“The proposal would contribute towards ensuring the district’s housing needs are met, including the provision of 20 affordable dwellings as well as properties that are designed to be accessible and adaptable.”

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee will consider the plans next Tuesday.

Historic Darley Mill set to be converted into houses

Plans to convert a historic mill in Darley into 20 homes look set for approval.

Darley Mill on the B6451 is Grade II Listed and includes a former corn mill that dates back to the 18th century.

A Harrogate Borough Council officer has recommended councillors next week approve an application to redevelop the Nidderdale mill by its Leeds-based owner YorPlace.

It comes four years after the council granted permission to build a smaller development of 13 homes. However, building work never began and a council report states the applicant would now like to build a larger development to make the project viable.

A mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties would be created.

A distinctive water wheel will be kept under the plans.

Darley & Menwith Parish Council said in planning documents it would welcome the landmark being brought back into use.

Chair Martin Pearson said:

“In respect of the current application, the parish council confirmed that it is still keen to see the mill building redeveloped as soon as possible, noting that its current condition is spoiling the local landscape.”

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History of the mill

Darley Mill was one of eight mills in the village and was built in the 18th century on the banks of Darley Beck.

It was used as a working mill until the 1950s when it became a tourist attraction.

In the mid-1980s, the mill was converted into a store selling linens, crafts and clothing.

In 2009, it was bought by the Yorkshire Linen Company, which ran a restaurant and shop at the mill until 2016 when it closed due to financial problems.

Plan for five flats above Harrogate’s Oxford Street shop approved

Plans for five flats to be created above a Harrogate shop have been approved.

The proposal submitted by investment company Quarters of Leeds is for the space above the former Advantage Sports shop on Oxford Street.

The shop closed in October last year after being a fixture in the town centre for many years.

Under the plan, the first and second floors will be divided into five flats and the ground floor will be retained as a retail unit.

Four one-bedroom and one two-bedroom flats will be created.

Harrogate Borough Council has granted permission for the scheme to go-ahead.

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The developer said in documents submitted to the authority that the plans would help with housing for the town.

It said:

“The proposal will help support the creation of much-needed housing, giving the high street a new lease of life, while still retaining part of its retail character.”