New signs consign Harrogate Borough Council to history

New signs have appeared at Knapping Mount in Harrogate to mark this month’s momentous change in local government.

Harrogate Borough Council was abolished at the end of last month and replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

North Yorkshire Council also replaced six other district councils and North Yorkshire County Council to become the unitary local authority in the county.

Signs marking the change have gone up at the Civic Centre at Knapping Mount in Harrogate.

The Civic Centre used to be the centre of local government in the Harrogate district but it now one of many offices controlled by North Yorkshire Council, whose headquarters are at County Hall in Northallerton.

North Yorkshire Council knapping mount civic centre

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Redevelopment of former Harrogate council headquarters approved

Plans to transform Harrogate Borough Council’s former headquarters with a two-storey extension and rooftop restaurant have been approved five years after the authority vacated the building.

The proposals for Crescent Gardens – which has sat empty since 2017 – also include a gym and new office space.

Harrogate-based property developers Impala Estates bought the building for £4 million in 2020 and are behind the plans after previous proposals for luxury apartments and an art gallery fell through.

Speaking at a council meeting today, David Hartley, director at Impala Estates, said the latest plans would bring “significant public benefits” to the town.

He said:

“Unusually for an application of this size, there have only been five letters of complaint from members of the public.

“The small number of complaints is perhaps testament to the level of pre-application public consultation we undertook and that the final design has, where possible, taken this into account.

“This scheme brings significant public benefits which include bringing an empty building back into use and creating quality office space.”

Knapping Mount

Crescent Gardens was vacated by the council when it moved into its new Knapping Mount headquarters in 2017.

At the time, the council announced it would sell the building to property developer Adam Thorpe who had plans for a £75 million redevelopment including luxury apartments, an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool and restaurant.

However, Mr Thorpe’s company ATP Ltd then fell into administration with debts of almost £11 million, including £24,394 owed to the council.

The latest proposals from Impala Estates had attracted objections from Historic England which questioned the public benefits and said the roof extension should not exceed one storey.

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Some residents living on Swan Road raised further concerns over their privacy and how else the rooftop terrace could be used if the restaurant failed.

Speaking at today’s meeting, resident Jackie Davis said:

“Mr primary concern is the roof terrace – this must have adequate screening, preferably trees behind the roof glass balustrade to try to protect our privacy.

“As we already know, many restaurant spaces are empty in Harrogate. The Royal Baths directly opposite the building has recently failed.

“I worry that this venue will follow the same fate over the years, leading to the possibility of a bar or perhaps a nightclub ending up there.”

In response, council officers said licensing restrictions would be put on the building’s use.

It was also agreed that extra screening would be installed on the rooftop terrace.

Furthermore, Mr Hartley said double-yellow lines would be introduced on the nearby Swan Lane to reduce disruption from parking and deliveries which he added would be “significantly less” than when the council occupied the building.

Long-running saga

Today’s decision to grant approval will have felt like a big weight off the shoulders of the council which is keen to see the long-running saga of Crescent Gardens come to an end.

But attention will soon turn to the future of its new Knapping Mount headquarters which has been brought into question ever since last year’s announcement that the council will be abolished in April 2023.

The council said the building cost £13 million. However, the Stray Ferret investigated the overall cost of the move from Crescent Gardens and put the figure closer to £17 million.

A decision on how the site is used in the future could well fall into the hands of the newly-elected members of the forthcoming North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate council still expecting staff to work from home

Harrogate Borough Council says it expects some staff to continue working from home, despite all covid restrictions now being lifted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to working from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

At a full meeting of councillors last week, Conservative member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, questioned Conservative council leader Richard Cooper about the working from home directive.

The Civic Centre on St Luke’s Avenue off King’s Road cost the council £17m and opened in December 2017.

Cllr Brown said:

“This council spent many millions on the Civic Centre, which has stood almost empty for two years, Given recent directives by the Prime Minister, when can we expect all the council officers usually based at the Civic Centre to be back at their desks?”.

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In response, Cllr Cooper said some staff worked from home before covid hit and will continue to do so.

But he said any decisions about working practices would be made by senior officers and not councillors.

Cllr Cooper said:

“Staff will work from the Civic Centre and other venues when their line managers require them to do so, or when they need to be there for a specific reason, as they did before covid.

“If we think our job as councillors is to dictate who and where people can work, we are mistaken. That’s an operational decision for the chief executive and line managers.”

‘Agile working’

The Stray Ferret has asked the council for the number of staff currently working from home who would normally be in the Civic Centre.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the updated guidance in relation to the end of Plan B measures, staff are permitted to work from the office should they wish to or are required to do so.

“The number of staff using said office(s) differs day-by-day so it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role; housing and planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already doing so. The civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hybrid work or ‘hot desk’ if they so wished.

“Agile working is something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid and is one of the many benefits of working for Harrogate Borough Council.”

Harrogate council staff still working from home – despite change of guidance

Harrogate Borough Council is still encouraging staff to work from home despite covid guidance and restrictions being dropped.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to work from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

Despite the end to the guidance, council officials said the authority was still encouraging staff to work from home where possible due to high covid rates in the district.

Currently, the seven-day rate for the Harrogate district stands at 1,301 per 100,000 people.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“Covid infection rates continue to remain high across the Harrogate district. Therefore, staff are continuing to be encouraged to work from home where possible, however they are able to come into work if required.

“Our covid workplace safety plan is regularly updated to reflect the latest government guidance and local infection rates to ensure we can continue to keep our colleagues safe. We continue to review this on a regular basis.”

The council has staff working across the district, predominantly at its multi-million pound Knapping Mount headquarters which has space for 500 staff.

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The Stray Ferret asked the council how many staff it had working from its offices and how many were working from home.

It said the number of staff “differs day-by-day” and not all roles required offices as a work space.

A spokesperson added that the council’s headquarters at Knapping Mount was also designed to allow for staff to hot desk if they wished.

They said:

“As the number of colleagues using one of our offices differs day-by-day, and not all roles require an office setting it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role, planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already able to work from home if they so wished.

“Agile working was something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid. In fact, the civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hot desk if they so wish.”

Could Harrogate be the home of the new North Yorkshire Council?

As the formation North Yorkshire Council edges closer, questions have been raised over where the new authority should be based.

From April 2023, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and the six other district authorities will be abolished and replaced with a new council.

A decision has yet to be made on where the new North Yorkshire Council will be based.

North Yorkshire County Council is based at County Hall in Northallerton, which is the hot favourite to be home to the new unitary authority.

But Harrogate’s modern Civic Centre has been suggested as an alternative. Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, told a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting this month that Harrogate’s Knapping Mount had a case.

He said:

“It’s still not decided where the new council will be and it could be Harrogate. It would certainly have the best office facilities in North Yorkshire.”

No decision will be made on the location until after the May local government elections. So what are Harrogate’s prospects and what is at stake?

Harrogate or Northallerton?

The location of the new authority will be one of the key decisions that councillors make in the coming 12 months.

Ninety councillors will be elected to North Yorkshire Council, covering 650,000 residents and 32,000 businesses across England’s largest county.

The location of the new council matters because most key decisions will be made there.

Across North Yorkshire, Harrogate is the highest populated town with 75,070 people. The town itself is one of the two main urban areas in the county, along with Scarborough, and benefits from transport links, a vibrant hospitality sector and various public facilities.

North Yorkshire County Council offices in Northallerton.

It also has a modern council facility. The Knapping Mount headquarters, which staff moved into in July 2020, is purpose-built for local government. It is designed to accommodate 500 staff.

The council said the building cost £13 million. However, the Stray Ferret investigated the overall cost of the move from Crescent Gardens and put the figure closer to £17 million.

County Hall in Northallerton was built in 1906 and has served as the headquarters of various local governments in North Yorkshire, including North Riding County Council up until 1974.

The grade II listed building underwent a £500,000 refurbishment in 1999.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: NYCC.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: NYCC.

Conservative Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that it would make sense for the new council to remain at county hall.

However, he added that the authority does plan to implement local office space for staff and a “double devolution” agenda for local decision making.

He said:

“It will be for the new council to decide. But there is a lot of jobs in Northallerton.

“It would not make sense to move from Northallerton.”

The sentiment is echoed by Liberal Democrat Cllr Philip Broadbank, who represents Starbeck on the county council. He said:

“There is a high chance it would in Northallerton because it is more central.

“The Harrogate council has been mentioned, but it needs to be central.”

But for Independent Cllr Stuart Parsons, the future needs to be based around regional decision making.

Cllr Parsons, who represents Richmond on the county council, said the council needed to be “trimmed” and decision-making should be spread around the county.

He said:

“I suspect they [the council[ see themselves where they are. But no one has thought to ask if that is sensible.”

Why does the council’s location matter?

Much of the criticism over the new council is that it is too remote.

The county is scattered in terms of populations, with an estimated 160,830 people in the Harrogate district compared to 55,380 in Ryedale.

Having such a large county makes the headquarter issue even more important.

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For example, if a planning decision relates to Starbeck the issues are more likely to be understood by council officers based in Harrogate than in Northallerton

Cllr Parsons said there needed to be a plan for how “double devolution”, which would give powers to local areas, is distributed.

“There needs to be a short, medium and long-term plan. We are nowhere near that.”

What happens now?

County council leaders have said a decision on where the new council will be based will not be made until after the May elections.

Currently, an implementation board made up of senior council officers and an implementation executive, which includes cabinet members from across the county, is working through proposals.

Once the new councillors are elected, decisions will be made on matters such as location, planning, senior management committees ahead of North Yorkshire Council coming into operation in April 2023.

Locations of 34 electric vehicle charge points revealed

The locations of up to 34 new electric vehicle charge points in the Harrogate district have been revealed.

The district has seen the largest increase in North Yorkshire of motorists switching to electric vehicles and Harrogate Borough Council aims to get 10,000 on the roads by 2023.

To help hit this target, the authority plans to install charge points at several council-owned locations to encourage motorists to make the switch ahead of the government’s ban on the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in 2030.

Tom O’Donovan, economy and transport officer at the council, told a meeting on Wednesday the 34 charge points were being rolled out as part of a phased scheme, with more to come later.

The locations include up to four charge points at the council’s Claro Road office, as well as up to five at its civic centre headquarters at Knapping Mount.

There will also be up to four at Harrogate’s multi-storey Victoria Shopping Centre car park and the same amount at Ripon Cathedral car park, plus a hub of charge points at Knaresborough Chapel Street car park.

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There are three options for Pateley Bridge, including the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty office, Nidderdale Leisure Centre and south car park.

The car park at Hornbeam Park railway station could also get up to 10 charge points, while no proposals have yet been put forward for Boroughbridge because infrastructure works would be “too costly”.

Up to 160 charge sites planned

Harrogate Borough Council approved its Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Strategy two years ago with an aim to provide 61 public charge points by 2024, although this could be increased up to 160 if required.

North Yorkshire County Council is also developing a county-wide strategy but has said it currently has no plans to roll out on-street charging infrastructure on a large scale or in response to individual requests for charge points.

It said this is because of “difficulties” with electricity tariffs and setting out the terms on the maximum time a vehicle can charge in shared on-street spaces.

The council said:

“We will continue to review the overall situation, taking into account demand from residents and funding availability, including external grant funding.”

Consultation opens over plans to extend former council offices

A consultation is being launched this week over plans to redevelop Harrogate Borough Council’s former headquarters.

Impala Estates Ltd bought Crescent Gardens for £4m in January and is preparing to submit a planning application to bring the building back into use.

As well as refurbishing the existing building to deliver modern offices for up to 400 people, the company proposes adding a second and third floor to provide space for a restaurant and terrace, which would be open to the public. James Hartley, asset manager and surveyor at Impala, said:

“Our aim is to bring the building back into use by developing it in a sensitive way that fits in with the diverse architecture in the surrounding area. We hope to create flexible office and public space in a central part of town.”

The refurbishment includes the creation of offices for multiple occupancy, along with meeting rooms, a gym and shower facilities. Historic rooms, including the former council chamber and mayor’s parlour, will be used as meeting space, which will also be available for public use.

Impala said the additional floors will be set back from the front and rear elevations of the existing building. The site will also be made energy efficient as part of the refurbishment project.

The plans have been drawn up by Harrogate-based S&SA Architects. The developers are inviting feedback from the public via their website from Thursday, before a planning application is submitted within the next couple of months.

Sale of Crescent Gardens

Crescent Gardens has been out of use for three years after Harrogate Borough Council first agreed to sell it and build a new headquarters in 2015. A preferred bidder was chosen, but the sale fell through later that year.

In March 2017, local developer Adam Thorpe was confirmed as the new buyer, through ATP (Crescent Gardens) Ltd, with contracts exchanged that year and completion dependent upon a planning application being submitted to redevelop the building.

The agreed sale price was £6.31 million, with a 25% uplift due to HBC if planning permission was achieved and implemented for a change of use to anything other than predominantly office space within five years of the sale.

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Mr Thorpe said his plans included luxury apartments and an art gallery and, in February 2019, said he had agreed sales on 10 of the 12 apartments including one “comfortably above” £10 million.

When the sale collapsed a few months later, Mr Thorpe owed the council more than £30,000 in unpaid rent for the years in which he had used the building following exchange of contracts. The council had also paid legal fees of more than £11,000 in pursuing completion.

Meanwhile, HBC staff moved into the new headquarters at Knapping Mount in late 2017.

Impala was announced as the new buyer in early 2020, with an agreed price of £4m. A 25% uplift will again apply should planning permission for residential use be achieved and implemented within five years.