22-home ‘affordable’ development in Staveley refused

Harrogate Borough Council has refused plans to build 22 “affordable” homes in Staveley.

Jack Lunn Properties hoped to build three one-bedroom, 13 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom homes on Main Street in the village, which is four miles north of Knaresborough.

The site isn’t in the council’s Local Plan outlining where development can take place in the district, which in normal circumstances would mean it’s highly unlikely the development would be granted planning permission.

However, the application had been brought forward through a rural exception scheme, which allows councils to grant planning permission for affordable housing in the open countryside if a developer can prove there is a need for it.

The government defines affordable as homes sold at 80% of the market rate, homes for social rent or sold through shared ownership schemes.

In the council’s refusal, chief planner John Worthington said there were “no exceptional circumstances” for granting the application and that it did not satisfy the requirements of the affordable housing exception scheme.

A similar plan by the same developer to build 23 affordable homes in Scotton was refused last month.

Carl Wright, director of Jack Lunn, said the company was considering an appeal.

He said:

“We’ve only received a copy of the decision today and have yet to fully digest the same. Suffice to say we are somewhat disappointed that the council have included reasons for refusal that we have not been allowed to comment on or respond to prior to issue.

“Naturally this is disappointing to say the least and we will now take further advice from our consultants prior to deciding whether we ought to appeal or take matters further.”

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Villagers formed a group called SV2 to fight against the plans.

Julie Bowland from SV2 said she was relieved that the council refused the proposal.

Ms Bowland said:

“I can only applaud, with a certain level of relief, that planning law has been upheld robustly and with great regard to the potentially catastrophic damage to the Staveley conservation area and the wildlife that proliferates this beautiful village.”

Police close busy Knaresborough road due to storm damage

Update: Bond End is now open to traffic once again.

Police have closed Bond End in Knaresborough due to structural problems at a building next to the road caused by strong winds this afternoon.

Firefighters from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are on scene trying to remedy the issue.

Pictures from the police show guttering close to falling. It is unclear if there are any other issues with the building.

Traffic Alert: Bond End in #Knaresborough is currently closed in both directions. Our colleagues at @NorthYorksFire are currently dealing with a structural problem. The road is expected to be closed for the next 30 minutes. Traffic around #Knaresborough is currently building. pic.twitter.com/UE123Y0pt3

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) February 5, 2022

North Yorkshire Police tweeted at 12pm that the road is due to open to traffic again at 12.30pm.

Traffic is Knaresborough is currently building. Avoid the area if you can.

Harrogate council awards £280,000 electric vehicle contract to London firm

A London company has been awarded a £280,000 contract to install 34 electric vehicle charging points across the Harrogate district.

Connected Kerb, which installs charging points across the country, has been appointed to oversee the project.

The company has already overseen electric vehicle charging point projects in Kent and Swindon.

Harrogate Borough Council has commissioned the company on a contract due to start this month.

The company will be tasked with installing, maintaining and managing charging points at:

Cllr Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said previously: 

“The Harrogate district has seen a rapid uptake in the purchase of electric vehicles, outstripping all other districts in North Yorkshire.

“If we are to achieve our ambition of net-zero by 2038 it is important we support those residents that have the ability to purchase electric cars, while also encouraging more cycling and walking.

“These new charging points will support the uptake in electric vehicles for both our residents and our visitor economy.”

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The contract is due to end in January 2027, however a council report published last month recommending the contractor be appointed said this could be extended.

The move comes as the council aims to get 10,000 electric vehicles on the districts’ 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.

Boroughbridge High School agrees to close sixth form

Boroughbridge High School will temporarily close its sixth form in the summer due to issues with funding and declining student numbers.

It means the school will suspend applications for the sixth form from September 2022. All courses and pastoral support will transfer to King James’s School in Knaresborough.

The two schools federated last year, which means they have a single governing body overseeing both schools.

Boroughbridge High School held a consultation with staff, students, parents/carers and governors from mid-November to mid-December 2021 — just three people responded and they all opposed the move.

They raised concerns about increased travel times/cost, the suitability of alternative post-16 education in the area and the loss of relationships between students and teachers.

A letter sent to parents/carers yesterday revealed how the school received “a number of additional responses” ahead of the governing body’s meeting, which they took into account.

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There are currently 12 students in the sixth form — the governors do not believe that such numbers are financially or educationally sustainable.

After two years, the school will hold another consultation on the future of the sixth form.

Malcolm Dawson, chair of governors, said:

“It is not effective educationally for students to be taught in classes of one or two students.

“We have examined the situation carefully and believe this is the best way forward for the communities around Boroughbridge.”

A minibus service operates between the two sites.

Kathryn Stephenson is the headteacher at Boroughbridge High School.

Headteacher Kathryn Stephenson said:

“This is a decision which has not been taken lightly.

“Over the last few years, the school and governing body have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students have access to a high-quality post-16 provision.

“We are extremely proud of the outstanding results our students have achieved, enabling them to access many top universities.

“However, changing demographics combined with funding changes mean it is not viable to continue to operate our sixth form at the current time.”

Concern over level of consultation

Town and parish councillors in Boroughbridge High School’s catchment area have concerns about the level of consultation on the proposed closure of the sixth form.

Boroughbridge Town Council met with a school governor on Tuesday.

According to sources, councillors told the governor they had not been consulted and requested another meeting with more representatives from the school.

They said nearby Langthorpe Parish Council and Kirby Hill and District Parish Council share the same concerns. No meeting date has been set yet.

Harrogate and Knaresborough artisan markets cancelled this weekend

Forecasted strong winds and rain have prompted the organisers of artisan markets in Harrogate and Knaresborough to cancel this weekend’s events.

Little Bird Artisan Markets was due to stage its monthly Knaresborough market on Saturday.

The organisers were also planning to hold their first regular monthly market in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on Sunday after a successful Christmas market trial at the same location in December.

Both markets were fully booked by stallholders.

Winds are predicted to reach up to 44mph in the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. Storm Malik brought similarly strong winds seven days ago.

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Organisers say they had little choice but to cancel due to concerns over the safety of stallholders and visitors.

Jackie Crozier, managing director of Little Bird Markets, said:

“We are sad about cancelling. The decision was not made lightly but we really do have to put health and safety first.

“We were expecting a busy weekend, our marketing has been strong and the online buzz about the events has been amazing.

“We hoped the weather was going to improve, but we have just had to cancel, and we are devastated.”

Little Bird Markets will be back in Knaresborough on March 5 and Harrogate Valley Gardens on March 6.

Harrogate council responds to calls for recycling wheelie bins

Harrogate Borough Council has responded to calls to introduce recycling wheelie bins, which were backed by 200 residents.

The Stray Ferret asked readers whether they would welcome the change after last weekend’s storms blew recycling left out for collection across streets throughout the district.

We received an overwhelming response to the question on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Of 200 comments, the vast majority were supportive of the proposal.

Currently residents in the Harrogate district use blue bags to recycle paper and card and a black box for tins, plastic and glass.

In some other areas of the country run, people use large wheelie bins for recycling.

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Given the level of support for the change, we asked Harrogate Borough Council if it would be possible to roll out recycling wheelie bins. A spokesperson for the council said:

“Using wheelie bins for recycling can in some instances lead to higher contamination rates (items presented that can’t be recycled). So any changes would need to be carefully considered.

“Another challenge we would need to overcome is the wagons used for collection. At the moment they cater for black boxes so any change would require adaptation of the fleet.”

“Recycling rates have increased significantly across the Harrogate district year-on-year and the current contamination rates are less than one per cent. This community effort ensures our recycling is high-quality and easily accepted at the processing sites so we’d like to say a massive thank you to the residents for always going above and beyond to help us and our crews.”

Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop opens on Harlow Hill

A Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop opened today on Harlow Hill.

Nord Coffee House has moved to a unit at 135 Otley Road that was previously home to cafe, The Kitchen, for five years before it closed last year.

Nord sells artisan coffee, sandwiches, pastries and donuts. A pop-up Nord opened in Knaresborough in December.

Craig Buchan, who is involved with Nord, also co-founded FI:k, which is a Swedish-style cafe in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Nord manager Iain Walker said:
“We’re really proud of what we have created at our new coffee house on Otley Road. Everything starts with the quality of the coffee for us and our whole menu in turn reflects that. We have chosen Dark Woods Coffee from Huddersfield as our coffee provider not only because of the quality of their product, but because of the sustainability story that they have.”
“We have taken as our inspiration the beautiful area that we are situated in and we’ve tried to bring the Pine Woods into the interior.”
In another boost for the area, Wharfedale Fruiterers, which is next door to Nord on Otley Road, will reopen with a new name and new owners this month.
Road train could transport people around hilly Knaresborough

Discussions are underway to purchase a road train to help people get around Knaresborough more easily.

The train would connect Waterside and Market Place and make it easier for tourists to visit the entire town.

Some Waterside visitors are deterred by the steep climb to the town centre and others don’t even realise there is a thriving town centre nearby.

Ways to connect the two areas have been a topic of debate for years, but following discussions between Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and local businessman Tony Bennett, the idea may become a reality.

The train would pick people up from various locations and transport them round the town.

It would be similar to the Candy Cane Express train that operated in Harrogate last Christmas but run on a commercial basis rather than for free.

Initial ideas would see the train run from Conyngham Hall, along the river then up the hill to Market Square and York Road — a similar route to the town’s bed race.

The Candy Cane Express road train that ran around Harrogate over Christmas.

At a chamber meeting this week, business owners said they often spoke to tourists who visited Waterside and the River Nidd without knowing there was a bustling high street just up the hill.

Knaresborough’s hilly terrain can make it difficult for some to climb up the castle steps so it is hoped the land train would make Knaresborough a more accessible destination for people.

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Knaresborough Chamber of Trade committee member, Peter Lacey, told members plans were still at the discussion stage but if it went ahead it would probably operate as a standalone commercial venture run by Mr Bennett.

Mr Lacey told last night’s meeting:

“We have spoken with a supplier who has been doing this for years and can help us source the train and with council permissions. We will support anyone who wishes to run the project as we see it being an asset to the town and its businesses.

“We don’t know for sure when it will be up and running but I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t by the summer.”

Plans for an electronic cliff lift have been put forward by Renaissance Knaresborough but the group said it hadn’t made much progress due to coronavirus.

Concern over lack of consultation on proposed Boroughbridge sixth form closure

Town and parish councillors in Boroughbridge High School’s catchment area have concerns about the level of consultation on the proposed closure of the sixth form.

The school held a consultation between mid-November and mid-December on the proposal, which would see all sixth form courses and pastoral support transfer to King James’s School in Knaresborough for two years from September.

The two schools federated last year, which means they have a single governing body overseeing both schools.

Staff, students, parents/carers and governors were asked for their thoughts on suspending the sixth form.

But local councils have concerns the consultation was not wide enough.

Boroughbridge Town Council met with a school governor on Tuesday.

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According to sources, councillors told the governor they had not been consulted and requested another meeting with more representatives from the school.

They said nearby Langthorpe Parish Council and Kirby Hill and District Parish Council share the same concerns.

No meeting date has been set yet. However, councillors plan to quiz the school on how it can increase student uptake, its future plans and what the two-year suspension would mean in practice.

The Stray Ferret asked the federation of governors whether a decision has been made following its meeting on the consultation last week.

The chair declined to comment until all parents and carers have been informed.

However, the school is expected to announce its decision shortly.

Harrogate council to be asked to support return of assets to communities

Harrogate Borough Council will be asked next week to support the return of community assets to Ripon City Council and Knaresborough Town Council.

A motion due before a full council meeting calls on the council to back requests for Knaresborough House, Ripon Town Hall and Hugh Ripley Hall being transferred back to local communities.

Harrogate Borough Council took control of the assets when it was created following local government reorganisation in 1974.

But the decision to scrap the borough council next year and replace it with a single authority called North Yorkshire Council covering the whole of the county has led for calls for local assets to be returned to town council control.

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A motion due before the council meeting next week, which was first proposed by Ripon Independent councillors Pauline McHardy and Sid Hawke and later amended by Harrogate Fairfax Cllr Chris Aldred and Knaresborough Scriven Park Cllr Hannah Gostlow, who are both Liberal Democrats, will say:

“That this council supports the principle of specific locality community assets, such as Knaresborough House, Ripon Town Hall, Hugh Ripley Hall and other such community facilities across the district being transferred to the ownership of the appropriate city, town or parish council, should these bodies express a wish to take on ownership of their local assets, in preference to ownership transferring to the new unitary authority. 

“To start the process that this council writes to local parish, town and city councils to ask which assets they would potentially take ownership of.”

Cllr McHardy told the Stray Ferret previously:

“There’s absolutely no reason for Harrogate to hang on to assets that rightfully belong to us.

“Not a penny was paid for them when they were handed to Harrogate in 1974 and we want them to be transferred back.”

The full council meeting which will debate the motion will be held on Wednesday, February 9.