Bid for 170 homes in Knaresborough set for refusal

Plans to build a major housing development at Water Lane in Knaresborough look set to be refused for a second time.

Harrogate Borough Council officers have recommended that councillors turn down a fresh application for 170 homes on the site at a planning meeting next week.

Landowner Geoffrey Holland previously had a plan for 218 homes rejected in October 2019.

The new proposal would see a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses built. A total of 68 homes would be allocated as affordable housing.

However, council officers have raised concern over inadequate access at the site, which they could cause “potential road safety issues”.

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Officials also said the number of homes in the application was a “relatively significant uplift” on the 148 allocated under the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines planning in the district until 2035.

Although the site is earmarked for housing in the plan, council officials said the “resulting layout is not considered to reflect the edge of settlement location or the principles of good layout design”.

In a report due before councillors, the authority said:

“The application has failed to meet these requirements, as set out in detail in this report. The submitted details would not create a well-designed, carefully mitigated scheme.

“The application is therefore recommended for refusal.”

86 letters of objection

The proposal has received 86 letters of objection, with none submitted in support.

Among the concerns raised by residents were the loss of outdoor space and the lack of adequate access to the site.

Tracy May, a local resident, said in a letter to the council that the development would impact on a “peaceful area”.

She said:

“This is an area in Knaresborough that is used extensively by local residents for recreation and yet more our outdoor spaces are been given over to development.

“This will make this peaceful area very busy and impact on local leisure facilities.”

Councillors on the planning committee will make a decision on the plan at a meeting on Tuesday.

North Yorkshire highways boss ‘confident’ in bid for £1.5m active travel projects

The highways boss of North Yorkshire County Council has expressed confidence that the authority will win most of the £1.5m it is bidding for under the latest round of active travel projects.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, approved the bid to the government’s active travel fund at a meeting on Friday.

The application includes funding for four projects, two of which are in the Harrogate district. They include traffic calming measures in Ripon and a feasibility study into the creation of a 7km cycleway and footpath between Knaresborough and Flaxby Green Park.

The bid is being made to the third round of the active travel fund. The council only secured half of the £266,000 allocated to it by the Department for Transport in the first round but won almost all of the £1m it bid for in the second round.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“We have been told to expect roughly around the same amount we received in tranche two and as soon as we know what this value is our bid will be submitted with the government.

“Clearly there are various sources of money for these kinds of projects in the future. The government has set aside £2bn as part of its active travel fund and I believe it has only allocated around a quarter of this so there will be plenty more to come.”

Under the latest plans, around £550,000 would be spent on the development of “sustainable travel corridors” in the west of Ripon. These could include footway widening, better crossing facilities and traffic calming measures.

The council also said feasibility work for the proposed 7km cyclepath between Knaresborough and Flaxby Green Park would cost £50,000 and that it would link with wider plans to improve connections to York.

There are also plans for schemes in Craven and Ryedale.

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Under earlier rounds of the fund, cash has been earmarked for cycle lanes and junction upgrades on the A59 between Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as similar improvements in the Victoria Avenue area of Harrogate town centre.

There were also plans for a one-way traffic system and junction filters on Oatlands Drive but these were scrapped after a fierce backlash from residents.

Instead, the council is carrying out a feasibility study this summer to look into what other improvements could be made not just on Oatlands Drive but also the surrounding area.

The aim for the A59 and Victoria Avenue schemes is for construction to start in November with completion in March 2022.

A government decision on the third round bid is expected in autumn and, if successful, the funds must be spent before March 2023.

Harrogate Cricket Club cruises to Addison Cup triumph in Knaresborough

Harrogate Cricket Club overcame Wetherby Carr Manor to win the Addison Cup in Knaresborough last night.

The Addison Cup, which is contested by the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, is one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world, dating back to 1922.

Harrogate scored 131 for 7 in their 20 overs then limited Wetherby Carr Manor to 99 all out.

Harrogate’s hero was captain Will Bates, who was named man of the match for scoring 59 in a game in which runs were hard to come by.

Will Bates, Harrogate Cricket Club

Will Bates collects his man of the match award.

Skilful, accurate bowling by Harrogate’s opening bowlers led to early wickets and the match was effectively over by the halfway stage of Wetherby Carr Manor’s innings.

Clive Addison, grandson of Harry Addison, who the cup is named after, presented the trophy at Knaresborough Cricket Club on Aspin Lane.

Next year the event will celebrate its 100th year.

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Knaresborough FEVA set to return next month

Tickets for Knaresborough FEVA festival have gone on sale after the committee decided next month’s event will go ahead.

The festival of entertainment and visual arts, which is taking place for the 25th time, will feature the likes of poet Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and the musician Snake Davis.

Shops have begun decorating their windows in the pink theme in preparation for 10 days of arts at multiple Knaresborough venues.

Planning was delayed this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the lifting of covid restrictions but Gwen Lloyd, the FEVA chairperson, said the committee was now working hard on making it happen.

The event, from August 13 to 22, will feature indoor and outdoor events, including numerous workshops for all ages and hobbies, as well as the much-loved Picnic in the Park.

Picnic in the Park, which is being held on August 21, normally attracts about 450 people to the grounds of Knaresborough House for a free afternoon of music. DJ Trev is among this year’s acts.

To celebrate the 25th festival, a special event will be held in the grounds of Henshaws Arts and Craft Centre at which some 300 people will enjoy music.

Knaresborough FEVA dry land sync swimming

Yorkshire Life Aquatic, the dry land synchronised swimmers, will be performing.

The street performers on Market Place will include a Punch and Judy act, jesters and dry land synchronised swimmers will be performing.

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Ms Lloyd said:

“It’s been months of planning, of course it’s nerve wracking because normally tickets are nearly sold out at this point but we have had to wait for lockdown announcements. I’m sure it’ll be a huge success.”

The festival programme is available here.

Harrogate and Knaresborough to get community grocery shops

Resurrected Bites is set to reopen its cafes for the first time in more than a year and launch what it calls community grocery shops.

The volunteer group, which specialises in turning food destined for the bin into nutritious meals, has delivered food to more than 15,000 people during coronavirus.

Michelle Hayes, the founder of Resurrected Bites, is proud of what her team has achieved but she feels that now is the right time to re-open its cafes.

While the group is well-known for turning food into meals, it is now preparing to launch its own shops at Harrogate’s New Park Primary Academy and at a yet-to-be-finalised location in central Knaresborough.

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The shops are intended to help anyone struggling to buy food. For between £3 and £5, people who sign up as members of the shop will be able to pick up a large amount of fresh and frozen food.

If the shops, which will be opening around September to October, go well then Ms Hayes has plans to open a third in the Fairfax area of Harrogate. She told the Stray Ferret:

“Community groceries are different from food banks because people pay a small amount rather than relying on vouchers.

“Anyone who needs it can pay a small amount for quite a lot of food. That small costs also gives people dignity.”

To get the projects off the ground, the group has started a fundraising campaign with a target of £2,000. Click or tap here to donate.

Resurrected Bites’ cafes are expected to return in the second week of September.

The cafe at Gracious Street in Knaresborough will be open on Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm. The group has also moved the Wednesday cafe in Harrogate from St Mark’s Church to West Park United Reformed Church.

Harrogate woman appeals ‘unfair’ disc zone parking fine

A Harrogate woman has sent an appeal to Harrogate Borough Council after a parking warden fined her for parking in a disc zone area.

Laura Vance took her son to King James’s School in Knaresborough for an induction session yesterday morning.

She had left her disc, which entitled her to park for free for two hours, in another car so wrote a note.

The note, which she left on her dashboard, stated that Laura had parked at 9am.

She headed to a shop to pick up another disc after dropping off her son but when she returned to her vehicle 40 minutes later she found she had received a penalty notice, which gave her 14 days to pay a reduced fine of £25 or £50 if she leaves it for up to 28 days.

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Ms Vance, who is waiting for a reply from the council, told the Stray Ferret:

“I thought that because I left a note that would be enough for the parking warden. I do think it is quite unfair.

“What is the difference between my note and the disc? Both just say what time it was when you parked up.

“It is just a bit rubbish. It’s not going to put me off going to Knaresborough because I love it there but I can see how it might put some people off.”

Disc parking is common in the Harrogate district. The discs are free and entitle users to park for free for a period of time stated on the street.

The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate Borough Council for a response. A council spokeswoman said:

“If a customer believes that have received a penalty charge notice in error then they should follow the appeal process provided.”

‘Good riddance’ to Knaresborough high street cones, say traders

Knaresborough traders have said they are overjoyed by the news that the town’s social distancing cones are due to be removed this evening.

Harrogate’s social distancing planters were taken away this morning and parking bays were restored.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council‘s executive member for access, told the Stray Ferret the cones would be removed by the end of today.

The cones were put up to give shoppers more space to spread out but the loss of prime parking spaces on High Street has upset some traders.

Carol Scanlan, the owner of Carol’s Bonnie Dogs on the high street, said:

“They should have been removed yesterday. Lockdown has finished, according to the government so why are they still there? I want them gone. It’s frustrating when my customers have nowhere else to park, we’ve had enough now.”

Martin Sturdy, the owner of card and gift shop ZigZag said:

“They have served their purpose now. People haven’t really been using the extra space recently. The high street has suffered because people can’t park up so they end up missing shops. Good riddance to them, I shall welcome their removal.”

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The planters in Harrogate town centre were removed from about 9am this morning, prompting questions about where they will end up.

People have called on social media for the flowers not to go to waste and suggested they were planted elsewhere, such as in Valley Gardens, or given to local community groups.

Andrew Hart, a businessman from Bilton, suggested they could be donated to Starbeck in Bloom or other similar groups.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council what had happened to the planters but has yet to receive a reply.

Harrogate district train station ticket machines hit by cyber attack

All Northern train station ticket machines, including at Harrogate and Knaresborough stations, are down after being subject to a suspected ransomware cyber-attack.

A ransomware attack occurs when malicious software is used to block access to a system until a ransom sum of money is paid.

The rail operator said no customer or payment data had been compromised and that customers could still buy tickets online.

There is no timescale for when the machines may be working again but Northern said it would try to fix the problem “as soon as possible”.

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A spokesperson for Northern said:

“Last week we experienced technical difficulties with our self-service ticket machines, which meant all have had to be taken off-line.

“This is the subject of an ongoing investigation with our supplier, but indications are that the ticket machine service has been subject to a ransomware cyber-attack.

“Working with the supplier, we took swift action and the incident has only affected the servers which operate the ticket machines. Customer and payment data has not been compromised.

“We are working to restore normal operation to our ticket machines as soon as possible. We are sorry for any inconvenience this incident causes and, in the meantime, are advising customers to either use Northern’s mobile app or website to purchase tickets in advance and, where necessary, to collect those from one of our ticket offices. Of course, those offices can also be used to buy tickets.

“Customers who have already bought tickets to be collected at a machine, or who would normally use ‘promise to pay’ slips, should board their booked service and either speak to the conductor or to Northern staff at their destination station.”

Plans for 77 homes on former Trelleborg factory site in Knaresborough

Plans have been lodged for 77 new homes in Knaresborough on a former factory site.

Developer Countryside Properties has earmarked the former Trelleborg factory on Halfpenny Lane in the town for the houses.

The site is not allocated for housing in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, but it is included on the council’s Brownfield Land Register, which identifies locations that are considered to be appropriate for redevelopment for residential use.

As part of the proposal, the development would include a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom homes.

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Planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council show that 30 per cent of the 77 homes would be allocated as affordable housing.

The developer said in its planning statement:

“The development at Halfpenny Lane will provide an attractive, high quality designed environment to live. The scale and character of the proposals will ensure that the scheme will contribute to and enhance the immediate and surrounding area.”

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

James Street planters in Harrogate could be gone today

The planters on James Street in Harrogate and the cones in Knaresborough are to be removed imminently as part of today’s lifting of lockdown restrictions.

However, the Ginnel in Harrogate is to remain closed to traffic for an unspecified period of time to support outdoor hospitality.

The planters and cones were introduced last year as social distancing measures for town centre shoppers.

However, they have proved unpopular with some businesses, which say the loss of parking spaces has affected trade.

Traders opposed to the cones in Knaresborough.

Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, said:

“It is our intention to remove all the social distancing measures and parking suspensions next week.

“I cannot confirm that it will happen on Monday since there may be some clearance work needed on the highways after the Great Yorkshire Show, which closed on Friday evening, but I do hope it may all be completed on Monday.

“The closure of the Ginnel in Harrogate is the only social distancing measure likely to remain in place.”

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Asked why the narrow street would stay closed to traffic when the government is lifting all social distancing measures tomorrow, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“The Ginnel is a very narrow, little-used street where closure will remain a little longer to support outdoor hospitality.”

Lucy Gardiner, co-founder of Harrogate Residents Association, said it was “extremely pleased” to hear the planters were going. She added:

“After months of writing to the councillors and expressing the many concerns from the retailers and residents it is absolutely the right thing for them to do, to actually show they are listening.

“Convenience is an integral part to the high street, which was highlighted by Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association in his recent presentation to the chamber of commerce.

“There is still demand for traditional shopping methods and Harrogate needs to lead the way for the high street — not became like every other pedestrianised place.”