Harrogate councillor apologises for ongoing Kirkby Malzeard road closureA senior Harrogate councillor has apologised for a two-year road closure in Kirkby Malzeard and indicated it could reopen in the new year.
The closure was put in place on Church Street due to a collapsed wall at St Andrew’s Church in the village following heavy rainfall in February 2020.
Since then, Harrogate Borough Council has committed to repair the damage — which is set to cost £491,670.
However, the collapse has left the road closed for two years to the inconvenience of local residents.
At a full council meeting this month, Cllr Nigel Simms, who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard on the borough council, asked when the road would reopen.
Reconstructed church wall at St Andrew’s in Kirkby Malzeard.
In response, Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the authority, said the closure had been an “extremely long time” and apologised for the inconvenience.
He added that work was in progress on the repairs and indicated that the road could reopen in January.
Cllr Swift said:
“I apologise that people in the area have been extremely inconvenienced.
“But I think that those of you who have seen the extent of the damage and indeed, bluntly, the extent of some of the graves that were exposed to the public, will see it has been an incredibly complicated and detailed programme.
“Throughout the time of which was coronavirus and a considerable amount of that time prevented people getting to the site and doing the work that they needed to do.”
He added:
“My indications are that January is the working date.”
£500,000 repair bill
The final bill for the repair is set to cost the council nearly £500,000. Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves.
The repair works which have followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by more than two years of delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.
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Kirkby Malzeard councillor Margaret Atkinson diesTributes have been paid to Kirkby Malzeard councillor Margaret Atkinson, who has died.
Cllr Atkinson represented the Fountains and Ripley ward on Harrogate Borough Council, which she was elected to in 2018.
She was also recently re-elected to North Yorkshire County Council and was appointed chair of the authority this year.
Conservative leader of the borough council, Cllr Richard Cooper, described her as “the kind of person who lifted a room”.
He said:
“It was such a shock to learn of the sudden passing of Margaret.
“It is hard to imagine a council without her unfailing cheerfulness. She was just the kind of person who lifted a room somehow.
“I know too that she was admired and respected in the communities she represented – a real champion of the farming community.
“The thoughts of all her colleagues are with her husband Mike and their family at this time.”
North Yorkshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:
“Margaret’s passing is such sad and tragic news, and a huge loss to not just the county council, but North Yorkshire as a whole.
“Margaret’s passion and drive for the county was second to none, and she embraced the role of the council’s chair with the verve and integrity that she became renowned for.
“She was very interested in all the people and groups she met, especially those in the rural communities we serve, as she came from those communities herself, and was a great champion of rural affairs.”
Cllr Atkinson was elected to the county council for the first time in 2013, where she represented the Masham and Fountains division.
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She retained her seat at the local elections in May this year.
The same month she was appointed as the last chair of the county council before it was due to become North Yorkshire Council.
Being appointed chair of the county council this year.
She was described by her colleagues as a “tough cookie” ahead of her appointment.
Fellow Conservative county councillor Cllr Nick Brown told the Stray Ferret she would be sorely missed.
He said:
“She was hugely respected in her area and she was a hard working and determined lady who did good things for her constituents.
“She will be badly missed.”
A life in farming
Cllr Atkinson was a semi-retired farmer and also the secretary of the Yorkshire and North-East branch of the British Charolais Cattle Society.
She was also a member of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s joint advisory committee.
Born into the well-known Stockil family, her grandparents had farmed at Kiplin and Brompton-on-Swale. She grew up on a farm at North Stainley, near Ripon, with three older brothers and a younger sister.
Initially working in the accounts department at ICI Harrogate, she then attended agricultural college and set up her own agricultural secretarial business, providing services to farming communities across Yorkshire.
Through her charity work, Cllr Atkinson supported cancer research, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a farming charity, the Addington Fund.
Cllr Atkinson, who lived in Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, leaves a husband, Michael, three children and five grandchildren.
Developer appeals council refusal for three yurts in Kirkby MalzeardDevelopers have lodged an appeal against a decision to reject plans for three yurts in Kirkby Malzeard.
The proposal would have seen the yurts created on Back Lane North, to the west of Pipistrelle Barn, in a field previously used for grazing sheep.
The application was submitted by Frederick Atkinson to create the yurts, each on raised decking and with its own hot tub along with a ‘services area’ of toilet, sink and shower in a wooden hut.
Harrogate Borough Council turned down the proposal in September.
The authority said the plan would have “an adverse impact upon the character and appearance of the Nidderdale Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty”.
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However, the developer has lodged an appeal against the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
In documents submitted to the council, the developer said:
“The subject proposals would see the creation of a small family-run business named ‘Yurts @ Pipistrelle Barn’.
“It is envisaged that the site will provide a peaceful, low impact and eco-friendly retreat, nestled on the edge of a well serviced Yorkshire village, providing the perfect base for future guests to enjoy the best of North Yorkshire.”
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
End in sight for Kirkby Malzeard’s long-awaited wall repairMore than 32 months after part of St Andrew’s Church wall in Kirkby Malzeard collapsed, repair and reconstruction works costing almost £500,000 are ongoing.
In addition to rebuilding and reinforcing the 10-metre section that fell onto Church Street following heavy overnight rain in February 2020, a further 30-metre length is being refurbished and reinforced.
The road, which runs past St Andrew’s and is part of a route from the village to Masham, has remained closed since the collapse.
Harrogate Borough Council initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February this year.
However, the final bill will be almost double that amount at £491,670 after council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves.
The collapsed section of wall, which is being rebuilt and reinforced.
A report to the council urgency committee in May said:
“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.”
The repair works which have followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by more than two years of delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.
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Business Breakfast: Kirkby Malzeard business group hosts free advice sessionBusiness Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal.
A business group in Kirkby Malzeard will host a free pop-up advice session with some of North Yorkshire’s top business advisers on Monday.
David Kerfoot and David Poole feature in the line-up of consultants at the event, organised by Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Business/Community Group.
The advisers will be giving free advice on funding, networking, training and bespoke business strategy planning.
Mr Kerfoot, who comes from Northallerton and is a deputy lieutenant for North Yorkshire, is a successful businessman who founded a company in 1980 and built it into a £75m business, supplying oils to the food, cosmetics and aromatherapy industries.
Mr Poole, from Bishopdale, is a retired businessman who was formerly managing director and deputy chairman of Thalis plc, and is now a driving force in the Lower Wensleydale Business Network.
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The KMLD Business/Community Group, which is part of the local parish council, aims to support rural businesses during challenging economic times and also a special interest in arts and crafts businesses due to the large number of artisans living and working in the area.
The pop-up session will be held from 10am to 11am on Monday, November 7 at St Andrew’s Church, Kirkby Malzeard.
Businesses take part in Harrogate College recruitment fair
Businesses from across the Harrogate district took part in a recruitment fair at Harrogate College this week.
Representatives from 10 businesses visited the college on Wednesday to meet with and interview local students.
Businesses from across the district met with and interviewed Harrogate College students.
Firms including Springfield Healthcare, West Park Care, Cairn Group, Disability Action Yorkshire, Vida Healthcare and Harrogate Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd (Harrogate Hospital) attended the event.
ATM Ltd, Arc Inspirations, Anchor Care Homes and Morrisons also took part.
Danny Wild, Harrogate College principal, said:
“We were delighted to have so many of our key local employers coming along to support this event, which attracted a lot of interest from our students.
“To have a couple of job offers being made on the day was fantastic, and I know that most of the participating businesses also took away contact details for a number of other students that they may well be back in touch with.
“This recruitment fair emerged following Harrogate College Employers’ Network feedback, and is part of our continuing push to ensure our training helps local businesses thrive.
“It was very encouraging to see the first one go so well and we look forward to holding more fairs, supported by our local business partners, as a regular part of the college’s calendar going forward.”
Business group to help boost growth in Kirkby MalzeardA new community business organisation is being launched in Kirkby Malzeard today with a high-profile speaker set to inspire its first meeting.
The Business Forward Forum will welcome David Kerfoot CBE, founder of North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Parnership, to talk about the value of local business.
The new organisation will be led by Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill parish councillors Jane Aksut and Richard Hughes, and is designed to stimulate business growth and entrepreneurial spirit in the parish and surrounding area.
Cllr Hughes said:
“We are so much more than the sum of our parts, when we work together.
“The covid support hub here was outstanding, centred around a brilliant website and community co-ordination. This had already been demonstrated in our response to the international bike races and to communal events, recently culminating in the brilliant jubilee celebrations which blew us all away with a sense of pride at what we were seeing and achieving.
“We are a venue, a go-to place in which the growing population wants and deserves to work rest and play. Facilities, resources and opportunities for all are growing; we want to make sure that these exciting possibilities become reality for all of our brilliant community.”
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Monday’s event is being held at St Andrew’s Church in Kirkby Malzeard and will also hear from Simon Middleton of North Yorkshire Growth Hub and consultant Steve Bolton, leading on the post-covid welcome back project for Harrogate Borough Council.
Topics under discussion will include the grants available to businesses for different projects. The forum has already begun exploring organising an agricultural show, developing a funding element to the revamped parish gala, and creating a community arts hub.
Cllr Aksut added:
“Post-covid, post-Brexit, post HBC – this is the time to reclaim our community; to aim for the skies. There’s major funding and support opportunities out there and we aim to have our share of the pie.”
All local businesses are invited to take part in the forum. To find out more, visit the village website or email the business forum.
Plans submitted for three yurts in Kirkby Malzeard fieldA new holiday site could be created in Kirkby Malzeard if planning permission is granted for three yurts in an agricultural field.
An application has been submitted by Frederick Atkinson to create the yurts, each on raised decking and with its own hot tub along with a ‘services area’ of toilet, sink and shower in a wooden hut.
The site of the proposed yurts is on Back Lane North, to the west of Pipistrelle Barn, in a field previously used for grazing sheep. The application showed there would be a package treatment plant created, as well as a walkway alongside the barn to a parking area at its east.
It added:
“The subject proposals would see the creation of a small family-run business named ‘Yurts @ Pipistrelle Barn’.
“It is envisaged that the site will provide a peaceful, low impact and eco-friendly retreat, nestled on the edge of a well serviced Yorkshire village, providing the perfect base for future guests to enjoy the best of North Yorkshire.
“The proposed holiday site will generate four full-time jobs, comprising an administration role to include welcoming and hosting, a site maintenance role to include groundskeeping and waste management, an IT support role to include website creation, maintenance and booking management, and a cleaning role.
“Pipistrelle Barn, directly adjacent the application area, will provide the administration hub for the business and allow for natural surveillance of the site. Guests will arrive on-site and check in at the barn, where they will then be shown to the yurts on foot.”
Each yurt would be made from a wooden latticework frame with natural materials used as insulation and covered by canvas. Inside would feature a log-burning stove and a bed, with space for tables and chairs on the decking outside.
The proposed site layout
In supporting documents, the applicant said the development would “help support the economic and social well-being of the village and surrounding settlements”. The documents referred to using local businesses including Wards Logs, Steph Bennington Cleaners, Sam Watson Fencing and Highside Butchers.
A previous application for three yurts without hot tubs on the site was made in December 2021 but withdrawn in April. It had proposed creating a new parking area in the south-west corner of the site.
Ten comments were received from members of the public, with nine objecting to the plans and none supporting them. However, the parish council did not raise any objection.
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In response to the current application, a report from Harrogate Borough Council’s environmental health officer Mary Jones said:
“The main issue with this proposal compared to the application commented on February 2022 is the addition of hot tubs.
“Normal use of the yurts should not cause an issue as there would be a certain amount of self-regulation on site. I have concerns that if a party hire the yurts especially all three the noise that could be produced would cause a nuisance to local residents particularly if it was accompanied by amplified music.
“It would be worth considering a booking form precluding amplified music at the hot tubs and also avoiding renting the yurts to parties such as stag and hen parties.”
One comment has already been received from a member of the public, Jamie Firth. He said he has run a holiday let since 2016 and raised concerns about the area becoming “satiated” with holiday properties, as he said there is already more than enough to meet demand.
To view or comment on the application, visit the Harrogate Borough Council planning website and use reference 22/02523/FUL.
Nidderdale tractor run to take place tomorrowMore than 50 vintage and modern tractors are set to take to the streets of Nidderdale tomorrow.
The first Nidderdale Charity Tractor Road Run will start in Kirkby Malzeard at 10.30am and wind its way towards Middleham before heading back.
Masham, Grewelthorpe and Jerveulx will be among the places passed.
Ryan Atkinson, who is managing director of R&J Yorkshire’s Finest Farmers & Butchers in Kirkby Malzeard, is co-organising the event with Simon Dickinson.
The two men are both members of West Yorkshire Vintage Tractor and Engine Club.
Mr Atkinson said:
“Both of us have a love of vintage tractors. We just wanted to put on an event and raise money for charity.”
About 50 tractors have signed up so far. Entries are welcome on the day for a cost of £15, of which £10 goes to Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
People will gather for breakfast at R&J butchers from 8.30am before departing at 10.30am.
Families are welcome to watch the tractors set off and cheer them on around the route.
Tomorrow’s route
The 40-mile parade on public and private roads will take place over two legs, which are expected to last two hours each, with a stop at Brymor Ice Cream at Jervaulx in between.
R&J Butchers is providing hot dogs and drinks at the finish back in Kirkby Malzeard at about 4pm.
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New Dales bus service from Knaresborough and HarrogateA new bus service will operate from Knaresborough and Harrogate every Sunday from this weekend for the summer season.
Eastern DalesBus 825 will run to Ripley, Brimham Rocks, Fountains Abbey, Kirkby Malzeard, Masham, Leyburn and Richmond.
It will continue every Sunday and bank holiday until September 25, departing from Knaresborough bus station at 10am and stand three at Harrogate bus station at 1020am.
Eastern DalesBus 825 is run by York-based Reliance Motor Services , which provides rural bus services in North Yorkshire, as part of the DalesBus network, with support from the National Trust and North Yorkshire County Council’s Locality Fund.
Full timetable details are available in a leaflet available from Harrogate Bus Station and here.
Other DalesBus services running from Harrogate include double-decker DalesBus 59 on Saturdays to Blubberhouses, Bolton Bridge and Skipton, and DalesBus 74 on Saturdays to Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington.
DalesBus 24 runs daily between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge, with onward connections on Sundays and Bank Holidays to Upper Nidderdale and Grassington.
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Bid to convert Kirkby Malzeard pub rejectedA bid to convert the derelict Henry Jenkins pub in Kirkby Malzeard into a house has been refused.
Harrogate Borough Council rejected the plan, which was submitted by owner David Fielder last year.
The move is the latest turn in the ongoing saga over the pub and efforts from local campaigners to bring it back into community use.
The Henry Jenkins, which is named after a man that legend states lived to be 169-years-old, is one of the oldest inns in the Harrogate district. It closed in 2011.
Mr Fielder told the Stray Ferret in January that it would “make sense” for the pub to be converted as permission had already been given for a flat on the western side of the building.
However, a decision notice from the council published this week said:
“Insufficient marketing has been carried to demonstrate that in the absence of any use as a public house there is no alternative community use for which the property may be suitable and the proposed use of the public house as two dwellings consequently is in conflict with Policy HP8 and the objectives of Policy GS6 of the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014- 2035.”
Campaign to save Henry Jenkins
The decision comes as campaigners are continuing their efforts to save the pub for community use.
In 2017 the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group successfully obtained an Asset of Community Value listing for the building.
However, in 2018, the listing on the eastern annex was removed by the council, when the property was sold to Mr Claybourn.
Since then, the campaign group has made three unsuccessful attempts to have the listing reinstated on the eastern portion of the building — which it said was crucial to its plans to reopen the Henry Jenkins as a community facility comprising a pub, bistro and coffee shop.
Richard Sadler, of the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group, said the pub was “something we should be celebrating” ahead of the jubilee.
Henry Jenkins pub campaigners outside the former pub at the unveiling of the portrait.
The group is expected to parade a new sign for the Henry Jenkins in the village this weekend as part of the celebrations.
It was unveiled alongside former MP Greg Mulholland, who was chair of the House of Commons All Party pub group and current campaign director of Campaign for Pubs.
Mr Sadler said:
“We are very pleased that Harrogate council has taken the right decision which is in line with the majority of people in the village.
“There is a very strong case to bring back this pub for our community.
“As Greg Mulholland said when he came to our unveiling, this is something that we should be celebrating as part of the jubilee.”
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