Harrogate Bus Company is set to merge two routes in Bilton as part of changes to its services.
Under a shake-up of its routes which will be introduced from February 19, the current 2A and 2B services will be merged to create a circular around Bilton.
The service will run every 20 minutes from Monday to Saturday and every hour on evenings and Sundays. The 2A and 2B each currently run every 30 minutes.
The bus company said the change will see the “busiest stops and main locations” covered.
The new 2 service to Bilton, as proposed by Harrogate Bus Company.
Meanwhile, the route of the 6 will also change in an effort to “speed up journey times”.
The route will stop at Pannal Ash Drive and The Lawns and “no longer service lightly used stops”, the bus company said. The loop up Harlow Avenue past the Green Hut will no longer be served.
The X6 route will not change and will continue to run along Otley Road serving all stops in both directions.
Harrogate Bus Company added:
“If you currently catch the 6 into Harrogate along Otley Road, you’ll need to catch the bus on the opposite side of the road before it goes around Pannal Ash.”
Changes to the 6 to Pannal Ash.
People who catch the 36 between Harrogate and Leeds will see the service run every 10 minutes, under the changes. The bus company added it would continue to run to “similar timetables and frequencies” between Harrogate and Ripon.
Meanwhile, those who use the 3 service to Jennyfields will see buses every 20 minutes from Monday to Saturday, slightly reduced from the current 15-minute frequency on weekdays, but up on the half-hourly Saturday service.
For more information on the changes to Harrogate bus services, visit the Harrogate Bus Company website here.
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Harrogate doctors’ practice to rebrand
A doctors’ practice that has been looking after patients in Harrogate for three-quarters of a century will be changing its name in the new year.
Dr Moss & Partners was founded in 1947 – before the advent of the NHS – and has clinics opposite the convention centre on King’s Road, in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate, and in Killinghall.
From February 1 it will be known as Moss Healthcare Harrogate and have a new logo.
Dr Moss & Partners on King’s Road in Harrogate.
In a letter sent today to to the firm’s 19,600 patients, senior partner Dr Nick Taylor said:
“Our decision to change our identity reflects the role of modern general practice and the different healthcare specialists patients can now access.
“Our practice now incorporates a much wider range of healthcare professionals and non-clinical staff.
“If you’re unwell, or living with a long-term condition, the best people to help aren’t necessarily doctors.”
In addition to its doctors, the practice now also provides services from nurses, healthcare assistants, advanced clinical practitioners, first-contact physiotherapists, pharmacists and social prescribers.
New foodbank planned for JennyfieldsA charity battling against food poverty is planning to set up a new foodbank in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate.
Harrogate District Foodbank already runs foodbanks in Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough and is now looking to open a fourth in response to an upsurge of demand.
Alastair Pollard, trustee and warehouse volunteer at the charity, said:
“When people are referred to us by their doctor, church or Citizens Advice we hold minimal information about them, but one thing we do have is their postcode. That gives us an indication of where there is greatest need, and we’ve seen a lot of new referrals coming from the Jennyfields area.
“We’re currently looking for suitable premises and aim to open there sometime in the new year.”
He added:
“The cost-of-living crisis is a major problem for some people, with the price of food and utilities going through the roof. People are living week to week. They have to pay for electricity and gas, but then there’s sometimes no money left for food.
“At the start of 2022 we were feeding an average of 63 people per week, but in October 2022 we fed up to 93 people per week – about a 50% increase.”
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Research by Save the Children has found that more than one in three (37%) families on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit will rely on charity food parcels this Christmas.
Much of the food distributed by Harrogate District Foodbank comes from donations made by shoppers at supermarkets in the town. Each week the charity collects and distributes over 800 kilograms of food. So far this year, it has distributed 37 tonnes of food to people in need. Mr Pollard said:
“We are so grateful for those that help us. Some people simply purchase an extra tin of vegetables or custard on the supermarket run; others donate at harvest festival. One 60-year-old graciously asked his birthday party guests to donate money instead of buying presents and brought us several hundred pounds’ worth of food.
“Last week, a young dad was touched by a report on the TV news showing a little girl whose family couldn’t afford food. He said, ‘I can afford to help. I wouldn’t want someone like my daughter to suffer’.”
Harrogate District Foodbank’s existing foodbanks are at Mowbray Community Church in Harrogate, Holy Trinity Church in Knaresborough, and Life Destiny Church on Starbeck High Street.
The organisation is part of the Trussell Trust, which supports over 1,200 foodbank centres across the UK and has a mission to eradicate the need for foodbanks altogether.
Readers wishing to support the work of Harrogate District Foodbank can donate money via its website, or food and non-food items, such as toiletries, at any one of the supermarket collection points, which include Waitrose, Morrisons, the Co-op and Sainsbury’s.
New Tesco supermarket would threaten future of Jennyfields Co-op, warns reportTwo of the largest retailers in the country are locked in a battle over the location of a potential new Tesco supermarket in Harrogate.
Last December, Tesco submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council for its first major supermarket in the town.
The store, off Skipton Road on the site of an old gasworks, would be 38,795 square feet and include a petrol station, 200 car parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points. Tesco says 100 jobs would be created.
Tesco argues the supermarket is needed due to the proliferation of new housing around Skipton Road and towards Killinghall.
However, less than a mile away is the Co-op, which has been attached to Jennyfield Local Centre since 1980. The Co-op claims a new Tesco would lure shoppers and damage takings.
Harrogate Borough Council commissioned consultants Nexus Planning to examine how the new Tesco would impact on the local centre.
This is because key to the Co-op’s argument is a policy in Harrogate Borough Council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which says development must not “lead to a significant adverse impact” of local centres, such as the one in Jennyfields.
Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.
If it can be successfully argued Tesco would harm the centre it could give the council grounds to refuse the application.
Jennyfield Local Centre was built in the late 1970s to support the growing community on the estate and it includes a small shopping precinct and the Stone Beck pub.
The Nexus report said the new Tesco, and to a much lesser extent the new Lidl on Knaresborough Road, could divert as much as 38% of trade away from the Co-op.
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The report adds that such an impact on the centre’s anchor tenant would, in turn, threaten the future of the whole local centre.
It said:
“In light of [The Co-op’s] well-below benchmark average turnover, its importance in anchoring the local centre and the potential future loss in turnover should the Tesco food store proceed, we have significant concerns in respect of the future vitality and viability of Jennyfield Local Centre as a result of the proposal.”
Tesco’s response
Tesco consultants, MRRP strongly disputed the claim the Co-op would be at risk of closure from the new supermarket, arguing that it is likely to lose just 5% of its regular trade after residents from new housing developments are taken into account.
It said the Co-op and local facilities in Jennyfields would be boosted by the hundreds of new homes that are set to be built in the area. It added:
“In these circumstances, there is not considered to be any threat of closure in relation to the Co-op, none has been asserted by its consultants, or that there is a real risk of other shop units falling vacant.”
MRRP also disputed Nexus’s claim that the Co-op acts as an anchor tenant for the local centre. It said most people visit only to shop and do not use its other units. Two are currently empty and the other is a charity shop.
On November 22, a letter sent by Louise Ford, Tesco’s town planning manager, to the council said it was “disappointed” the two consultants could not agree on the potential impact of the new store.
Ms Ford pledged that Tesco would open a mini supermarket in Jennyfield Local Centre if the Co-op closed within five years of the new Skipton Road supermarket opening.
She said:
Harrogate’s free Christmas lights extravaganza to be switched on today“If the Co-op does close within five years of the Tesco store opening and remains vacant for more than six months, then Tesco would use reasonable endeavours to open a convenience format store within Jennyfield Local Centre.”
A free daily Christmas lights show lasting 90 minutes will be switched on today.
Computer engineer Dale Hughes said the show will be bigger and even more spectacular than last year’s, which attracted daily visitors to Norwich Drive in Jennyfields.
Mr Dale has installed 42,000 low energy LED lights outside his home, which light up in time with a musical soundtrack.
Following the success of last Christmas’ show, which involved 26,000 LEDS, Mr Dale severely doubted he would be able to organise anything this year when he was hospitalised with a back injury.
Fortunately he recovered in time to arrange a Halloween extravaganza and now he’s looking forward to wowing visitors again.
This year’s lights are ready to go.
The father-of-five was inspired by videos showing lavishly decorated American houses, adding:
“I’ve always wanted to do something different rather than go to B&Q and buy some lights and plug them in.”
The show will run from 5pm to 7.30pm daily. It lasts 90 minutes and at 6.30pm is replayed on a shorter loop.
Mr Hughes has also arranged a New Year’s Eve variation that includes Auld Lang Syne at midnight.
There is a serious side to the fun. Last year’s event raised £1,150 in donations for Martin House Children’s Hospice and Mr Dale wants to generate £2,000 for the same charity this time. QR codes line trees near the lights show and people can pledge donations online. Visit here for more information.
Do the neighbours mind?
Jennyfields closure order: warrant issued for arrest of man“Fortunately they love it. But I only do it from 5.30pm until 7pm because I don’t want to upset them too much!”
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Harrogate man who allegedly breached a closure order on a house in Jennyfields.
The closure order, granted by Harrogate Magistrates Court on November 3, banned anyone except an authorised council officer and one other named person from entering the property for three months.
Harrogate Borough Council said in a statement after the hearing it applied for the order “following concerns about drug use and anti-social behaviour”.
Aaron John Herbert, 49, of Deane Place, Harrogate, was due to appear in court on Thursday charged with entering the premises in contravention of the order.
But he did not appear, prompting magistrates at Harrogate to issue a warrant for his arrest.
North Yorkshire Police said this morning:
“The court warrant is still in place and enquiries are ongoing to locate him.”
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Council closes Jennyfields house amid anti-social behaviour concerns
A house in Jennyfields has been closed amid concerns about anti-social behaviour.
Harrogate Magistrates Court granted a closure order for 46 Bramham Drive on Thursday.
The order bans people from entering the property for three months.
Harrogate Borough Council applied for the order under section 80 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The closure order on the door of the property.
A copy of the order, attached to the door of the property, said the court was satisfied there were either concerns about “disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour on the premises”, the house being used for “serious nuisance to members of the public” or nearby disorder related to the premises.
The document also says “access to the premises is prohibited by all persons” until February 3 except by an authorised council officer and one other named person.
The Stray Ferret has asked the council for further details of why it applied for the order. A spokesman said:
“We applied for the closure order following concerns about drug use and anti-social behaviour.”
In May, the council successfully applied to magistrates for a three-month closure order on a house on Cawthorne Avenue, in the Fairfax area of Harrogate following claims a drug-dependent woman was being exploited by drug dealers.
Last year the council and police also secured the three-month closure of two homes on Avenue Grove in Starbeck.
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Majority of residents want 20mph speed limit, councillor says
A councillor has claimed the majority of people in his ward now support a 20mph speed limit — but enforcement issues mean any change is unlikely.
Paul Haslam, who represents Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council, raised the issue with Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee last week, Cllr Haslam asked Ms Metcalfe:
“In my area, Bilton and Woodfield, I would say the majority of residents want the whole area to be 20mph. At what stage will police enforce this?”
Campaigners across the country are calling for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres as part of the 20’s Plenty initiative.
Ms Metcalfe said the police and the council “don’t have the resources to be constantly enforcing a 20mph zone”, adding:
“I don’t necessarily agree with 20’s Plenty because for every one person that says they want 20mph there is one who says they don’t.”
She added she could see 20mph limits working “in certain circumstances, like outside a school,” but not as a general measure.
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Tom Thorp, assistant chief executive at the commissioner’s office, said “police enforcement of 20mph limits is difficult”. He said:
“The types of road that want to go 20mph are very residential urban roads and it’s simply not possible necessarily to do the enforcement on those roads easily.”
Mr Thorp and Ms Metcalfe agreed that although police enforcement was problematic, local authorities could introduce more targeted speed restriction measures, for instance speed humps and chicanes, in specific areas, such as near schools. Mr Thorp said:
“There’s an awful lot that we should be doing around prevention before we get to actual enforcement.”
He added North Yorkshire County Council already did this through the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership, which is a partnership of agencies working tp reduce road deaths.
More speed cameras?
Cllr Haslam questioned why Bilton and Jennyfields appeared to have different approaches.
“If you go to Jennyfields you will see the whole Jennyfields estate is 20mph and I don’t see any reason why the residents of Bilton and Woodfield can’t have the same scenario.”
Cllr Haslam said “camera enforcement works” in 20mph zones in London, adding “I don’t see why we can’t look at that”.
But Mr Thorp said:
“There’s a significant cost to camera enforcement and if we were looking to do that across the piece I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess as to what that would cost.
“In terms of managing expectations, sometimes putting in 20mph makes it worse.”
Police issue appeal after Harrogate dog Biscuit stolen
North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for help finding an American Bulldog called Biscuit who was taken during a burglary last week.
It took place at a home on Bramham Drive in Jennyfields at some point between 7pm on Friday September 23 and 5pm the following day.
Police said today “a number of items” were taken as well as the pet.
Biscuit is described as medium-sized, stocky, and has light tan and white fur. She also has a white marking at the tip of her tail.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email katie.bell@northyorkshire.police.uk.
You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Katie Bell 220.
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Jennyfields cafe enters liquidation
Mrs Smith’s Cafe in Jennyfields, which has been closed since April, has gone into liquidation.
The family-friendly community cafe was situated in a unit on Jennyfields Shopping Centre next door to the Co-op.
It offered food and drink and had a play area for children.
However, a post on the cafe’s Facebook page from April 26 said it was closed “until further notice” and it’s remained empty since.
It appears the cafe will not be reopening as Wigan-based Focus Insolvency Group was appointed to liquidate the business last week.
Two of the four units on Jennyfield Drive are now empty. The Rainbow Room library and St Michael’s Hospice charity shop remain open.
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