Harrogate district residents are being invited to have their say on where a new leisure centre in Knaresborough should be built.

Harrogate Borough Council is consulting on its plans to build the new centre, which will include a swimming pool and gym, on the site of the current swimming pool in Knaresborough.

The council chose the current leisure centre site as its preferred option for the development last month ahead of Knaresborough House, Hay-a-Park, Conyngham Hall and a site on Halfpenny Lane.

It is now offering residents the chance to give their views.

The consultation document says the leisure centre will serve the “east of the district” rather than just Knaresborough, which will do little to calm fears Starbeck Baths will close.

The document also highlights how 150-year-old Starbeck Baths and the current Knaresborough leisure centre are “aging and have significant operational and unplanned maintenance issues and will not meet the future needs of their users”.

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The survey asks residents if they agree with the council’s choice of preferred site. Survey participants can also express their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing.

The consultation, which ends on January, 18, can be found here.

The plans for Knaresborough are in conjunction with refurbishment plans for the Harrogate Hydro. It is expected to cost over £26 million.

The council has appointed Alliance Leisure, a Somerset-based company, to develop the plans.

Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said people must “show patience” before the UK turns the corner on coronavirus.

Reflecting on the year on his website, Mr Jones said many people would be glad to see the back of 2020.

But he added we “can be certain life will slowly return to normal” due to vaccinations and improved care for severe cases of covid although it will take “some time.”

Mr Jones wrote:

“As we quietly move into the new year we must show patience and further restraint as that process takes place.”

Coronavirus vaccines began at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground on Tuesday. People aged over 80, care home residents and care home staff were first in line.

It is believed about 900 vaccines a day are being given although the NHS has yet to reveal figures.

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In further reflections on 2020, the Conservative MP praised the public, private and voluntary sectors for rallying together during a year like no other.

He wrote:

“We didn’t need a pandemic to know how brilliant our public services are but it was a very powerful reminder.

“We have though learnt some things about ourselves and one another which I hope we can carry through into 2021 and beyond.  And we have also learnt lessons that reinforce that which we already know but perhaps didn’t recognise enough.

“Community matters.  We looked out for our neighbours who were elderly or less well than us. We got in touch with support organisations to volunteer our services.  Street-based groups sprang up to help those around them.”

A fire that destroyed a barn in Knaresborough in the early hours of the morning is thought to have been started deliberately.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews attended the incident on York Road at 1.19am and used two main jets.

It added the derelict building suffered ‘100% damage’ and the cause is believed to be deliberate.

One eyewitness from Knaresborough, who asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret he saw the building on fire and then watched three males running from The Chase onto Manse Lane. Multiple fire engines attended the scene.

The witness added he reported the men to police who “arrived in minutes” and spoke to them. He added the police later told him the men had a ‘viable excuse’.

The barn is believed to have been vacant for a considerable period of time. It is also thought a nearby building had previously been burnt down deliberately.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Yorkshire Police for further details about the incident but neither had replied at the time of publication.

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Police are appealing for information after £1,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from two homes in Knaresborough yesterday.

The burglaries took place at Hilton Lane and Park Row between 10.30am and 6pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information about any jewellery seen for sale on local social media sites or in shops. The items include a silver ring with gold love hearts and a Tiffany necklace with a silver heart attached.

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Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC Mark Nursey. You can also email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12200235413.

It’s lights, camera, action for this year’s Knaresborough nativity, which has been made into a film for the first time this year.

The nativity is usually performed live in the town’s Market Square on Christmas Eve. But covid forced plans to change this year.

The film will feature familiar faces from local dramatic society Christians Together.

The society has been filming since September, bringing the production to life by using local backdrops.

Viewers will see the wise men following the star over the Stray and buying gifts from Knaresborough shops. The final manger scene is set inside the bar Six Poor Folk.

Peter Lacey, the producer, said:

“It felt obvious in the summer that a Christmas gathering of over 400 people rubbing shoulders and shaking hands was unlikely to be sensible in the context of covid, and so we set out on our own journey.

“We’ve had to negotiate lockdowns and ensure all filming has been covid-secure, but we’re delighted with the outcome”.

Some of this year’s cast during filming.

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The society hopes to have the film available on its website by the end of the week. It will be uploaded here.

A community showing has also been arranged for December, 24 at 5.15pm – household can receive the zoom link by booking on the website.

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate is to be used for the vaccine rollout from next week.

The first vaccination is due to be given on Tuesday and the programme is expected to last for several months.

The government has asked the 17 GP practices in Harrogate and the surrounding district, including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham to oversee the rollout.

The practices are appealing for volunteers to marshal the car park and signpost patients through the vaccination site at the showground, which is owned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

No details have been given to the media about the rollout but a post on the Harrogate covid co-operation Facebook group yesterday on behalf of the GP practices revealed the news. It said:

“Harrogate and rural district are working together in order to plan for delivering a mass vaccination programme and we need to ask primary care staff and volunteers to help.

“We will need staff and volunteers to undertake a variety of roles and we need to plan for vaccinations to be carried out seven days a week, 8am-8pm, including bank holidays.

“This is a huge ask, but we would like volunteers to indicate if they would be willing to help in some capacity.”

The 250-acre showground has ample car parking and is used to staging large events, most notably the three-day Great Yorkshire Show, which was cancelled this year.

But nothing in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s 183-year history compares with the task in hand.

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The GPs’ post today said it required 18 volunteers a day. Morning sessions will start with an 8am briefing and the first jabs will be given at 8.30am.

Morning sessions will end at 1.15pm and afternoon vaccinations will take place from 2.30pm to 6.15pm.

The GPs’ post said:

“Unfortunately we aren’t able to offer vaccinations to volunteers at this stage as we have to prioritise certain patient groups.

“Next week is the first stage of the vaccination programme and we are going to need volunteers from the New Year onwards to fulfil the same types of roles for probably a number of months.”

Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to register their interest and complete the questionnaire here.

A property developer has submitted formal plans for a business park on land near Knaresborough.

Opus North, based in Ilkley, and Bridge Fund Management, based London, bought the site from a private individual earlier this year.

At the time the developers said the 38-acre site could support 2,000 jobs and could make a “significant contribution” to the local economy.

Plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council include offices, light industry, start-up units, pubs and takeaways.

The Stray Ferret approached Opus North for a comment but received no reply by the time of writing.

Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, previously told us:

“This is a site with clear potential to make a significant contribution to the local economy through job creation and also through the delivery of high-quality office and logistics accommodation to meet existing and future market demand.

“With our joint venture partner, we are in a position to bring this development to life and are looking forward to continuing our discussions with both the council and local stakeholders to create an exemplar development to address the local and regional shortages of employment space.”

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The site, located south-west of junction 47 of the A1(M) and next to Flaxby Park is allocated as an employment site in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which sets out the area’s policy and planning framework until 2035.

It has existing planning permission for over half a million square feet of development for employment uses.

The rate at which coronavirus is spreading in the Harrogate district has increased for the first time in more than a month.

The R number rose from 0.4 to 0.5 over the weekend after falling consistently since early November.

It means every 10 people infected pass on covid to five others, which means the virus is still diminishing in the district but at a slower rate.

The government is due to review tier levels on Wednesday, with any changes taking effect on Saturday.

It seems likely that North Yorkshire will remain in tier two.

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The seven-day average rate of infection for the county is 96 per 100,000 people, compared with an England average of 181.

The figure for the Harrogate district is 78, having peaked at over 300 early last month.

Starbeck has taken over as the district’s covid hotspot, with 21 infections in the lasts even days.

Knaresborough central is next highest with 14, followed by Knaresborough north with 13.

Knaresborough is getting into the festive spirit despite restrictions this year, with groups joining forces to put events on safely.

Each year the town hosts a number of festive events to draw in thousands of visitors, but this year it has had to adapt.

Representatives from St John the Baptist Church, Knaresborough Rotary, Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Knaresborough Town Council have put their heads together and come up with a plan.

To ensure all the town’s Christmas trees and decorations can be admired, a map has been designed to direct people to the 20 different trees around the trail.

The map means visitors who feel safer staying outdoors can still get into the festive spirit. Credit: Matthew Bourne.

The church’s annual Christmas tree festival is always a hit with visitors and tickets are selling fast for this year too. The group has limited the festival to only 40 trees to allow for social distancing, where previous years have seen up to 100 trees on display.

Visitors have to book online here prior to visiting. The festival will run from tomorrow, Saturday, December 12 to Wednesday, January 6, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Reverend Garry Hinchcliffe, the rector at St John the Baptist, said:

“It’s become a real go-to event and we didn’t want people to miss out. After such a miserable year for so many, we wanted to show the light and hope of Christmas time.”

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The organisers have also got local schoolchildren involved by asking them to decorate Christmas stars to display in the windows.

Bill Taylor, treasurer of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said:

“We wanted to make sure we still offered something to the town, in line with restrictions. We hope this will encourage people to come and give a boost to the town.”

Contactless stickers have also been placed throughout the town so people can make donations safely. The money will go towards the church and Cancer Research UK.

Police are appealing for information after a burglary in Knaresborough on Saturday evening.

A suspect tried to enter a home on Manor Road around 7pm.

North Yorkshire Police is now asking for help from the public to establish the full details. A spokesperson said:

“In particular, we are appealing for information about a male who was wearing all black clothing with a hood around Manor Road at the time of the offence.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two, and ask for Geeta Maharjan, or email geeta.maharjan2@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200221213.

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