Fresh plans have been submitted for a major new retirement apartment complex in Knaresborough, after a similar scheme was refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee earlier this year.

Adlington, part of the Gladman group, wants to build 68 apartments with additional care facilities on land adjacent to the single-track Grimbald Bridge on Wetherby Road, alongside the River Nidd.

Cllr Phil Ireland, who sits on both Knaresborough Town Council and Harrogate Borough Council, criticised the original application for 69 apartments when he spoke at the planning committee in February. He said:

“The size and scale of the development is overpowering. The visual intrusion will be evident to all entering Knaresborough”.

Councillors on the committee agreed and voted overwhelmingly to reject the bid.

Grimbald Bridge is a pressure point for congestion and the original proposals also faced objections from both Knaresborough Civic Society and Knaresborough Town Council on transport grounds.

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In planning documents attached to the new application, the developer said it “strongly refutes” the reasons for refusal:

“The fact that the proposal would introduce a substantial building on the site, does not mean that it would lead to the building being dominant, inappropriate in its setting, or harmful in views, just because it would be visible in parts”.

The developer has made changes to the original plans including removing four apartments from the top of the building to reduce its height and adding ten electric vehicle car parking spaces. The housing mix will be changed to regain the lost apartments.

It said the need to provide this type of accommodation for older people in the area was “critical” due to an ageing population.

HBC’s planning committee will consider the scheme at a later date.

Police said today they have fined one man and cautioned another following an incident in Knaresborough involving Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie.

McBurnie was arrested last month after a viral video showed a confrontation between the 24-year-old professional footballer and a 21-year-old man on High Street in Knaresborough, towards Bond End.

The incident happened on Saturday, May 8, at about 8.20pm.

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North Yorkshire Police said today it had completed its investigation and was no longer appealing for information.

It said in a statement:

“Following an investigation, a man in his 20s has been cautioned for a public order offence, namely using threatening behaviour.

“A second man, also in his 20s, was issued with a penalty notice for a similar offence.

“Police are no longer appealing for information.”

This weekend was supposed to see one of the biggest events of the Harrogate district calendar — the Knaresborough bed race.

Sadly, covid forced the event’s cancellation for the second year running.

So here’s a look back at how it all started in 1966, courtesy of some photos by Knaresborough amateur photographer, the late Bill Hardacre, whose son Roy sent them.

The puppeteer Harry Corbett, who created children’s TV character Sooty, fired the gun to start the race.

Acker Bilk, the jazz musician, started the 1967 race. Does anyone know how they were tempted to Knaresborough?

Do you recognise any of the people seen in the photos, or have favourite memories of the madcap event that grew so big?

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Roadworks near the Bond End roundabout in Knaresborough have caused delays all day, with some commuters stuck in traffic for more than 15 minutes.

Temporary lights are in place at the bottom of the high street, near Bond End, due to telecoms works.

These lights have caused slow traffic flow along Ripley Road and Boroughbridge Road throughout the day heading towards the town’s high street.

The congestion even forced some drivers, coming from Ripley, to turn around rather than continue to sit and wait.

This afternoon’s rush hour is set to be no different, with similar levels of traffic and delays expected.

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A new wine shop has opened in Knaresborough with a pledge to showcase Yorkshire’s artisan suppliers.

Reuben & Grey is a new retail brand that plans to open a chain of wine shops and delicatessens in Yorkshire.

The shop, in Old Town Hall in Market Square, will sell hundred of wines from around the world as well as local beers and spirits.

Luke Morland, the Knaresborough-born co-founder of Reuben & Grey, was part of the front-of-house team at Goldsborough Hall and also ran the Bay House Inn gastropub in Goldsborough for five years.

The company plans to open a complementary delicatessen in the coming months, and is looking for premises in the Knaresborough and Harrogate area.

The wine shop opened in the refurbished Grade Two listed building on Saturday.

Mr Morland said:

“Over the last year, we’ve seen a real shift in the way people shop and eat. Consumers are shopping more intelligently and wisely – they want to know the story behind what they buy.

“They are now concerned with picking items correctly and ensuring that they have been locally sourced, and we want to be a vehicle to enable them to do this.

“Our plan is that the Reuben & Grey name will be synonymous with the best of local, ethically-produced food and drink. We believe that there is real public support for an initiative like this.”

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Mr Morland will manage the Knaresborough shop, which is expected to create two more jobs.

He added:

“We are fortunate that Yorkshire has become a centre of excellence for artisan food and gin producers and we want to celebrate this by offering well-sourced products.

“People seem to have re-discovered their love of fine food and wine over the last year, and we are looking forward to helping them to continue that journey.”

The wine store will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am-5pm, and on Sunday from 11am-4pm.

Jayne Jackson began maintaining the Knaresborough Cemetery after feeling Harrogate Borough Council wasn’t doing enough.

Mrs Jackson has been working on the grounds for almost four years but now ill health means she has to pack away her tools.

As a regular visitor to the cemetery, near King James’ School, to visit her parent’s graves Mrs Jackson said she was getting “frustrated” by its condition.

She said there were a host of issues including; long grass, overgrown bushes and tree roots causing graves to collapse.

Mrs Jackson has reported issues over the years including a leaking tap and damaged graves, to the council, but said these often went ignored or took a long time to be repaired.

Mrs Jackson said she knew she had to do something for the town she has lived in since she was seven years old.

Her lone volunteering turned into a large undertaking costing her “100s of pounds of my own money”. She would tackle the overgrown foliage and keep weeds at bay.

It was also important for Mrs Jackson to carefully maintain the baby and war graves. Her aim was to create a peaceful place for others.

Jayne Jackson left this note for the cemetery’s visitors.

But now, she has been left questioning why she continues to work on such a large space alone:

“It was important for me to keep it tidy. Over the years there’s been less and less maintenance, lots of the graves have just been left to overgrow. I’ve enjoyed doing it and met some lovely people too but a little help from the council would go a long way.

“I’ve got so frustrated I now just think what’s the point?”

Mrs Jackson has said she hopes Harrogate Borough Council take the same care she did to maintain the cemetery.

Councillor Andrew Paraskos, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“On behalf of the council’s bereavement services, I’d like to say thank you to Jayne Jackson for her work at Knaresborough Cemetery, it has been very much appreciated.

“We have a regular programme work, across all of the district’s cemeteries that we manage, and when specific issues are raised we work to address these.

“Visitors to several of the cemeteries across the district may also start to notice some areas that are being left to grow and not mown. We want to encourage biodiversity so are working with parish councils to leave specific areas to grow, attract pollinators and create habitats.

“We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”

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Opened in 1876 the graveyard holds over 3,000 graves.

Her hard work has not gone unnoticed with numerous local residents thanking her on a Facebook post after she left a note in the cemetery to say she was stopping her work.

Mrs Jackson says it is her time to step away after noticing her arthritis makes some of the jobs too difficult.

Fifty-six years ago, BBC reporter Julian Pettifer came to Knaresborough to cover the legend of Mother Shipton, while looking at the dropping well and caves.

A teddy bear, pair of baby booties and a top hat are seen dangling under the roof of the well, which is also known as a petrifying well, being slowly turned to stone by the water.

Standing at the top of a ladder leaning against the dripping roof, Mr Pettifer strings up a glove alongside the other items.

He says:

“The water of this spring contains so much calcium that, well, looks what happens to Teddy. He’s been in here for three years and he’s far from cuddly.”

He adds:

“This has been a tourist attraction in Knaresborough since 1630, and now the tourist trade has developed so much that in the summer 5,000 people come here every week to have a look at it.”

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Mr Pettifer goes on to make a wish at the wishing well, retell the legend of Mother Shipton and her prophecies, and interview the great-granddaughter of the man who turned the site into a tourist attraction.

The video was first broadcast on February 22 1965, as part of Tonight, which covered the arts, sciences, topical matters and current affairs. The clip is is now part of a BBC film archive.

Developers behind a plan for 12 new homes in Knaresborough have submitted final design proposals for the development.

The proposal was given outline approval for the site off Bar Lane back in 2018.

At the time, the developer said in its planning documents that proposal had been “carefully considered to provide an appropriate level of mix of housing”.

It added:

“Overall the proposed scheme provides a high quality development in a sustainable location with good links to local facilities.

“The proposed scheme has a clear identity and is sympathetic in density, scale and style to the surrounding context.”

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Now, Rouse Homes Ltd, based in Leeds, has submitted a reserved matters application for the design and landscape of the development.

It would see bungalows and two, three and four bedroom homes built on the site.

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

The General Tarleton’s new owners have given the restaurant, bar and hotel a major £500,000 refurbishment.

Father and daughter team Jonathan and Sarah Morris took on the venue earlier this year and have just reopened after months of work.

The family took on the business after the previous owners, Suzanne and John Topham, put it into voluntary liquidation in September 2020.

General Tarleton, which is in Ferrensby, near Knaresborough, has built up a good reputation for fine dining over the last couple of decades.

Ralph’s is the new fine dining restaurant side of the General Tarleton. It serves up a seven course tasting menu for £55 per person.

The new owners want to keep that reputation going but have also expanded the offering with a more informal and accessible menu for the bar and Sunday lunch menu.

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Sarah Morris, a general manager and one of the owners, told the Stray Ferret:

“We want to make sure that this is a real destination for people. Hopefully people will see the effort we have not only put into the building but also the new menus.

“You are still getting the tip top in terms of produce but it is more accessible, more casual. We still have the fine dining, which is what we have worked very hard on.

“The reputation of the General Tarleton is why we wanted to jump at the opportunity. We plan to not just maintain that reputation but also to improve upon it.”

Not only have they given the bar and restaurant a new lease of life, but they have upgraded the rooms and added a further two so there are now 15 hotel rooms in total.

Jonathan Morris, who has overseen the refurbishment and is one of the owners, also said:

“We took on the business in January and when we saw the coronavirus roadmap, our target was to open for indoor dining.

“It has taken a lot of work and a lot of money. At one time we had around 20 contractors here. But the results speak for themselves.

“We have got a good team. The attention to detail is second to none so I am confident we can build on the great reputation of the General Tarleton.”

See the rest of the gallery below:

A Knaresborough community choir will sing live for the first time this year tomorrow night after making last minute arrangements to beat new lockdown rules.

Numerous choirs in the Harrogate district were looking forward to meeting face-to-face again after restrictions eased on May 17.

But government guidance changed at the last minute to say amateur choirs in England could only gather in groups of up to six people indoors.

Knot Another Choir in Knaresborough, which has up to 80 singers in normal times performing pop songs from the 1960s onwards, was faced with having to cancel its return to the town’s Trinity Church Hall after months of Zoom singing.

But after some frantic calls around the district, Julie Bradbury-Sharp, a trustee of the choir and its events coordinator, managed to secure the use of a marquee at Harrogate Railway Athletic FC‘s ground, which is classed as outdoors and therefore able to accommodate the group.

Craig Lees, Knot Another Choir’s musical director.

Ms Bradbury-Sharp said:

“When I discovered the rules had changed I wanted to cry. I felt so upset, not only for myself but for members as well.

“It’s uplifting to sing in a choir. Not being able to do so has mental health implications — some people who come live on their own and love singing in the choir.

“I’m just over the moon that we are back.”

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Ms Bradbury-Sharp alerted Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones to the plight of choirs.

Mr Jones raised the issue in a parliamentary debate about covid yesterday, urging the government to resume as soon as possible “indoor gatherings for groups such as community choirs, and other events that bring people together”.

The first song on Knot Another Choir’s list for tomorrow night is Simply the Best by Tina Turner. Ms Bradbury-Sharp said:

“It’s a rousing song to let everybody know we are back!”