Sharow Parish Council continues village pub fight

Residents in Sharow are continuing their fight to keep a former pub in the village for community use.

The Half Moon Inn pub on Sharow Lane was opened in 1822 but closed down back in 2016.

Since then, a long running saga has unfolded over how best to put the building to use.

A working group on the local parish council was set up to look into the viability of the pub for community use.

Alison Da Costa, who is part of the group, said a recent survey by the parish council found that a majority of people from around Sharow, Copt Hewick, Littlethorpe, Marton-le-Moor and Hutton Conyers wanted the former pub to be put to community use.

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The group said the survey received 234 responses via online and the post. Of that number, 95% said they wanted the pub to open with a cafe and shop.

The move comes after Mark Futon, owner of the building, has reapplied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the Half Moon Inn into a four bedroom house.

In documents submitted to the council, Mr Fitton said “all avenues” had been explored to reopen the pub but had proved unviable.

In a planing statement, the developer said:

“It could hardly be clearer that there is no reasonable prospect of the Half Moon Inn re-opening as a viable hospitality venue.

“All avenues for such an opportunity have been fully explored, over an extended period of time, by agents with strong commercial credentials, unrivalled local coverage and a national licenced-premises specialism.”

However, proposals to convert the pub have been long opposed by the parish council.

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

Harrogate residents hope badgers will thwart housing scheme

Members of the Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) hope the discovery of badgers will thwart a proposed housing development on Kingsley Road.

Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build 133 homes on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

A reserved matters application that gives a final rubber-stamp to development is yet to be signed off.

As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies.

These found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used by the animal.

Members of 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, 6 of which it says are still active.

Mr Tremble said:

“How can complete amateurs spot this much badger activity so easily when so-called professionals failed completely?”.

KWAG has sent the results of their investigation to HBC councillors.

 

How the proposed development will look

Badgers and their setts are protected by law.

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

John Hansard from KWAG said the planning application must now be put on hold until the licence is approved, which could take months.

He said:

“There is proof of badgers on site. It’s the breeding season now so they can’t apply for a licence until the end of June. Nothing can happen until then.”

Redrow’s response

Traci Moore, land and planning director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:

“We are committed to protecting wildlife in and around the proposed development. We have undertaken surveys of local wildlife and submitted ecological reports in line with the outline planning permission, including a detailed badger survey in 2021.

“We have also submitted proposals to reduce the impact of the development on the native badger population. These proposals are subject to ongoing discussion and agreement with the council’s ecologist.”

Daleside Garage in Pateley Bridge to relocate this year

A well-known Pateley Bridge garage is set to move this year.

Daleside Garage, which has been based on Bridgehouse Gate for the last four years, is set to relocate to another base in the town.

The garage, which offers MOTs and repairs, will move to a site on Corn Close off Low Wath Road in September.

It follows plans being submitted by Chartwell Barns Ltd to Harrogate Borough Council to build a three-storey block of flats on the Daleside site.

Carly Haley, who owns Daleside Garage with her husband Glenn, told the Stray Ferret that the business will not be closing and will instead relocate to a new site.

She said:

“We’ll still be offering MOTs, repairs and tyre checks as normal.

“We just wanted people to know that we will not be closing down.”

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The building, which is now owned by the developer behind the apartment plans, has been subjected to various planning applications over the years.

A previous application submitted to the council in 2018 proposed to convert part of the garage into storage space, a laundrette and offices.

The latest plans would see 15 new flats built on the site, along with an electric vehicle charging point and 27 car parking spaces.

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

Plans to build 15 flats at Daleside Garage site in Pateley Bridge

Developers have lodged plans for 15 new flats in Pateley Bridge.

Chartwell Barns Ltd has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to build a three-storey block on the site of Daleside Garage on Bridgehouse Gate.

The proposal also includes an electric vehicle charging point along with 27 car parking spaces.

A total of three one-bedroom, eight two-bedroom and four three-bedroom flats are included in the scheme.

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A previous application submitted to the council in 2018 proposed to convert part of the garage into storage space, a laundrette and offices.

At the time, owner Nidderdale Garages, which owns Daleside Garages, said in a planning statement that the site was “surplus to the business’ requirements” and that the proposal would “make more efficient use of the space”.

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

Plan resubmitted to convert Sharow pub into house

Plans have been resubmitted to convert a former Sharow pub into a house.

Owner Mark Fitton has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the Half Moon Inn into a four bedroom house.

A similar application was tabled by Mr Fitton in February 2021, but was later withdrawn.

The village pub and restaurant, on Sharow Lane, opened in 1822 but closed in 2016.

In documents submitted to the council, Mr Fitton said “all avenues” had been explored to reopen the pub but had proved unviable.

In a planing statement, the developer said:

“It could hardly be clearer that there is no reasonable prospect of the Half Moon Inn re-opening as a viable hospitality venue.

“All avenues for such an opportunity have been fully explored, over an extended period of time, by agents with strong commercial credentials, unrivalled local coverage and a national licenced-premises specialism.”

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The proposal to convert the pub into a home has long been opposed by Sharow Parish Council.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret previously, parish council clerk Nick Reed said many people in the village did not want to see the change of use granted.

The parish council set up a working group to link into the viability of using the pub for community use.

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

Plans submitted for 770 homes and primary school on Harrogate’s Otley Road

Plans have been submitted to build 770 homes and a new primary school at Otley Road in Harrogate.

The development also includes a sports centre, a convenience store and community hub.

Land promoters Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes are behind the Windmill Farm development, which would be the biggest housing scheme to be built in Harrogate for decades.

It would dwarf the nearby village of Beckwithshaw, which has a population of 400.

The homes would be built on green fields on the opposite side of the road from the charity-run nursery Horticap and behind RHS Harlow Carr. Part of the land is currently used by Beaver Horse Shop.

Parameters Plan

A design and access statement, submitted to support the application, says the application has been informed by the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan.

The parameters plan, which has been prepared by Harrogate Borough Council, will be used to identify what infrastructure is required to meet the needs associated with future developments in the area.

It also offers guidance on design, open space and landscaping.

The application says 40% of the homes will be classed as “affordable”, with the remaining 60% sold at market rate and being between two and five-bedroom properties.

The homes would look like these

Forty of the homes would be self-build, which are plots reserved for people who want to build their own home.

Bus stops and three access points would be created on Otley Road to leave and enter the site and a new cycle route would also be installed, which the developers hope will eventually connect to the Otley Road cycle path.

The existing Otley Road/Howhill Road junction would be reworked to include one of the entrance points to Windmill Farm and will have traffic lights.

An energy statement says the homes would not have any low carbon or renewable energy technologies.

They would be fitted with “high-efficiency” combi gas boilers to heat the homes. The government will be ban gas boilers from new homes in 2025.

It says to reduce emissions, the homes would be well insulated and be positioned to make the most of the sun.

There are no firm details included about the primary school and the number of children it can accommodate, but it would be built on the side of the development facing RHS Harlow Carr.

It says the size of the school and its surroundings would be 5.19 acres.

The new primary school would be built near RHS Harlow Carr

Local Plan

The site is allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which is a document that lays out where development can take place in the district until 2035. It says 776 homes can be built there.

If the Windmill Farm development is granted full planning approval, it would mean over 1,200 homes could be built on that section of Otley Road.

The government’s housing agency, Homes England, has plans to build 480 homes on Bluecoat Park, near Harrogate police station.

The majority of homes at the 125-home Harlow Hill Grange development are now completed.

Environment concerns

Whilst the development is likely to be granted planning permission in some form due to the fact the site is included in the Local Plan, a spokesperson for Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association told the Stray Ferret in September it was “very concerned” about the scale of the development and its impact on the environment.

Planning documents submitted on behalf of the developer say the scheme is a “high-quality proposal”.

“The proposed layout seeks to meets the aspirations of the draft Parameter Plans for the West of Harrogate masterplan. The proposed scheme provides a residential development that fully integrates built form, landscaping and quality of place in order to provide a high-quality proposal that is where people are proud to live.”

The plans are open for comments on the council’s planning portal and the reference is 22/00089/EIAMAJ

Harrogate Islamic Association confident of mosque purchase as deadline looms

Harrogate Islamic Association has said it is confident of raising enough money to buy the former Home Guard Club and convert it into the town’s first mosque.

A price of £500,000 was agreed to buy the building, which is on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road, before the association obtained planning permission.

The current owner set a deadline of Monday next week to complete the sale.

The group already has several hundred thousand pounds set aside to buy the building but does not yet have enough to pay the full asking price.

After planning permission was granted last month by Harrogate Borough Council, the association launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise the extra money needed to buy the building as well as for much-needed repairs, setting a target of £200,000.

With days to go until the owner’s deadline, the crowdfunder is currently on just £18,000.

However, Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, said there was no risk the deal could fall through because it had loans in place to cover any shortfall.

Mr Amanullah said:

“We are on our way to getting the money. It’s not all reflected in the crowdfunding campaign, which we’re extending to the end of April, which is the month of Ramadan, and will be used to pay back loans.

“We’ve been raising money from other sources, such as pledges from the community directly.

“Where there might be a shortfall, we have people to loan us the difference, so we can pay them back. Our intention is to make the payment in time with a combination of loans and crowdfunding.”

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The association, which was set up in 2011, has been looking for a permanent home for several years, with previous attempts at securing a site falling through. Around 100 Muslim worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

The association also organises prayer sessions at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

Mr Amanullah said once the group has the keys to the building, the immediate focus will be on repairs and restoring original features.

All being well, it could open to the public by the end of the summer.

Plan to convert former Harrogate district school into house approved

Plans to convert a former Harrogate district primary school into a house have been approved.

Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance applied to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the former Bishop Thornton Church of England Primary School site off Colber Lane.

The school closed in 2019 after it outgrew the site and moved to the former Burnt Yates Church of England Primary School building. The school has since been renamed as Admiral Long CE Primary School.

The council has now given the go-ahead to the proposal.

According to plans submitted to the council, the Bishop Thornton building will be converted into a three-bedroom house with two parking spaces.

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The developer said in documents that the proposal will represent a “satisfactory replacement” for the former school building.

It said:

“Making use of empty buildings and placing great weight on using suitable sites within existing settlements is supported by national planning policy.”

Derelict Ripon pub to be converted into home

Plans to convert the former Turks Head pub in Ripon into a house have been approved.

The pub on Low Skellgate closed in 2007 and will be converted into a five-bedroom home. The building is listed and dates back to the 18th century.

Since the pub closed, planning documents state there have been several attempts to reopen it without success.

The documents add that in the years before the pub’s closure there were numerous complaints from residents living nearby. They add there are 14 other pubs within a short walk away.

The building is currently on Harrogate Borough Council’s Listed Buildings at Risk Register due to its deteriorating condition.

Although the building is watertight, planning documents say few of the original internal features remain intact.

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The planning application includes statements from nearby residents who said they would be against any attempts to bring the building back into use as a pub.

One unnamed person called the building “a blot on the architectural landscape”.

The resident added:

“Something desperately needs to happen with it and converting it into a private residence sounds like the very best option to me. Having spoken to various neighbours they all agree.

“If there was ever an attempt to reopen the pub, I, along with many neighbours, would be petitioning against that course of action.”

 

A recent picture of the pub. Credit – David & Lund

Transport assessment for 181 homes at Kingsley Drive ‘fundamentally flawed’

A transport assessment that suggests Persimmon Homes’ 181-home development on Kingsley Drive will not significantly increase traffic in the area has been called ‘fundamentally flawed’ by a Harrogate building surveyor.

The housebuilder submitted its latest proposal for the site this month after a larger development for 217 homes was rejected by councillors last year.

Persimmon commissioned transport consultant Bryan G Hall to undertake a transport assessment to assess how the homes would impact nearby roads.

At over 500 pages long, his report includes measurements, surveys and conclusions about traffic in the area.

It found the impact of the extra homes on local roads would not be ‘severe’.

The report concluded:

“The residual cumulative impact of the proposed residential development on the road network cannot be considered to be ‘severe’ and there are therefore no traffic or highways related reasons why planning permission should not be granted for this site.”

Visuals of the Persimmon Home plan for homes on Kingsley Drive.

Visuals of the Persimmon Homes plan for Kingsley Drive.

However, Steve Marshall, owner of surveyors Airedale Surveys and a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, spent five days reviewing the document, which he called on the council to reject.

Mr Marshall said this was because one of the traffic surveys took place when part of Kingsley Drive was closed due to roadworks.

He also said the report ignored how the extra homes will impact the nearby Empress roundabout.

Disputed surveys

Mr Marshall disputed a claim in the report that Rydal Road, Birstwith Road and Leyland Road, which all have junctions with Kingsley Drive and Knaresborough Road, were not being used as ‘rat runs’.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is in charge of roads in the district, had specifically asked Persimmon to look at the rat run issue in the transport assessment, as well as how fast vehicles were travelling on the three roads.

Persimmon undertook traffic surveys on the roads from July 31 to August 6 2020 but Mr Marshall said this took place when part of Kingsley Drive was closed.

“The bottom half of Kingsley Drive was shut due to road works during the whole period of the survey. This means no one had access to the three surveyed roads along the rat run route.”

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Mr Marshall criticised the report for not taking into account trips generated at two nearby housing developments of 165 homes.

He also said the surveys did not factor in how the homes would impact the Empress roundabout and the Granby Road/Skipton Road junction during rush hour.

Mr Marshall wrote:

“This roundabout causes massive queues at rush hour despite Harrogate Borough Council’s Transport Background Paper of August 2018 saying it is not a problem junction.

“There cannot be any justification for allowing this development as it stands if one of the key assessments and the subject uppermost in the minds of local residents, ie the traffic assessment, is fundamentally flawed.”

Persimmon’s response

In February, representatives from Persimmon, as well as highways consultant Geoff Bowman from Bryan G Hall, fielded questions from residents in Starbeck about the plans, which included the transport assessment.

Residents queried Mr Bowman about the traffic surveys and suggested they did not give an accurate picture of how many cars use the area.

Mr Bowman said:

“There has been very extensive surveys of traffic in the area. There is a perception that we are nasty developers and it’s dead easy to get through planning, but the highways authority are rigorous.”

The Stray Ferret asked Persimmon Homes for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.