Police warn Knaresborough residents over security after suspicious incidents

Police are warning Knaresborough residents to stay vigilant after a series of suspicious incidents, including three men approaching houses in the Aspin Avenue area last night.

The men were reported to be trying car doors and approaching houses around 12.30am. There have been no reports of thefts or burglaries.

Earlier in the evening, police received reports of a residential home on Manor Road being entered between 8.30pm and 9pm. It is unclear if anything was taken.

The combination of incidents has led police to warn residents in surrounding areas to take further precautions to ensure the safety of their valuables.

key in door lock

The police are warning residents to ensure their houses and valuables are secure.

North Yorkshire Police has offered advice to improve home safety:

Read more:

Local police have also ask residents to check any CCTV that they have of these areas overnight. Anything suspicious should be reported to police on 101, quoting the reference number 12200134639.

Conyngham Hall plans ‘cultural vandalism’ as petition passes 1000

Knaresborough Civic Society has labelled the potential redevelopment of Conyngham Hall as “cultural vandalism”.

Harrogate Borough Council has identified the hall as one of four proposed options in the town for a new leisure centre.

Other options include the current leisure centre site, Hay-a-Park and Knaresborough House.

Read more:

The hall itself is an office space but its grounds are popular for leisure activities. Its potential redevelopment has been met with fierce opposition.

James Monaghan, chair of Knaresborough Civic Society, said:

“This is a proposed act of cultural vandalism by Harrogate Borough Council. Conyngham Hall is a grade two star listed building. Any development in the grounds will have a negative impact on the hall itself. Let alone the damage to the beautiful grounds and green space.”

The society is contacting regional and national heritage bodies urging them to oppose the proposal.

In a letter to the council’s chief executive, Wallace Sampson, the society calls on the local authority to remove Conyngham Hall from the list of sites under consideration.

It comes as Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats’ Hands Off Conyngham Hall Grounds petition passes 1000 signatures.

Matt Walker, the campaign’s spokesperson, said:

“We should be investing in our cherished green space, not needlessly building on it. There are far better alternatives which ought to be explored, with Conyngham Hall grounds taken off the table entirely.”

The council this month approved plans to overhaul its leisure centres by handing control to a new council-owned company.

A council spokesman said:

“We are just at the start of the process to build a new combined leisure centre for Knaresborough. It follows the decision to invest more than £26 million improving leisure facilities in Harrogate and Knaresborough. No decision has been taken.”

End of an era for Knaresborough fish and chips shop

It is the end of an era for a Knaresborough fish and chips shop, as the family owners prepare to move on after 14 years.

John and Ellie Anderson plan to put in their last shift at Chain Lane Fisheries on August 22.

They have found a buyer to take on the shop, which has had just four owners since it opened in 1938.

Mrs Anderson explained to the Stray Ferret why they have decided to sell the business:

“The time is right for us to move on. We have thought about it a lot and we came to the decision during the coronavirus lockdown. We have loved it here. The customers are amazing.”

Read more:

Mr Anderson added it will be emotional to say goodbye to the shop after so many years:

“It is a lot of our life. It’s funny because our children are in their 20s now and they were nine and 11 when we started. We have been very busy during coronavirus. There were no pubs to compete with and the weather was lovely.”

The couple said they have been inundated with nice comments from customers since they announced they were moving on.

Appleton’s Butchers comes to Knaresborough

Appleton’s Butchers is opening a new shop in Knaresborough on August 18.

The shop will be the fifth Appleton’s in Yorkshire – with others in Ripon, Boroughbridge, Wetherby and York. The shop will create new employment opportunities and encourage people to shop locally.

The butchers chain was established in Ripon in 1867 and is famous for its handmade pork pies.

The Knaresborough premises just off Market Place have taken over four years to renovate. Unforeseen circumstances caused the opening to be delayed.

Owners Anthony and Isabel Sterne have continued to operate throughout lockdown to support the local communities. Mr Sterne said:

“We are so excited to be joining the Knaresborough community and look forward to welcoming local residents, who have been hugely patient whilst we have redeveloped the shop.

“Although currently we’re not allowed to have a big opening event, we will be inviting suppliers and friends on an appointment basis, so we are able to comply with social distancing measures.”

Outside of Appleton's butchers in Ripon.

The flagship shop in Ripon is popular with local residents and the company hopes the new shop in Knaresborough will be the same.

Read more:

Martin Sterne, manager of the renovation project, said:

“The medieval back wall was bowing out and the whole building was in danger of collapse.

“The ancient timber frame was in a serious state of disrepair. We were committed to sourcing materials that were in keeping with the original ones. Part of the building dates back to the 17th century, so it was hugely important to us that it retained its character and integrity.”

Knaresborough air pollution still illegal, despite Bond End changes

Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough remains at illegal levels, despite a mini-roundabout being put in to cut toxic vehicle fumes.

These were the findings of Harrogate Borough Council’s latest air quality report that has been submitted to the government. It tracked levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at various monitoring sites across the district throughout 2019.

NO2 is an air pollutant produced mainly by exhaust fumes and has been linked to myriad health conditions including heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s.

The UK still adheres to EU legal limits for air pollution stating no monitoring site should exceed 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) over the course of a year — which was breached at Bond End in 2019.

Bond End has been a hotspot for congestion for many years, with regular tailbacks towards the River Nidd.

HBC declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for the road in 2010, which the government requires councils to do to try and improve areas with particularly bad air pollution. In September 2018, North Yorkshire County Council replaced traffic lights at Bond End with a mini-roundabout to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic.

There are four sites monitoring air pollution at Bond End which all reported decreases in 2019. However, one remained above the legal limit at 40.47 µg/m3. The other three monitors at Bond End measured 38.6 µg/m3, 31.2 µg/m3 and 24.27 µg/m3 in 2019.

Read more:

Across the Harrogate district, the report revealed that air pollution is falling. Concentrations within the Harrogate AQMA at Wetherby Road fell, as did Ripon’s AQMA along Low Skellgate, High Skellgate and the junction with Westgate.

During the height of lockdown in March and April, government air pollution monitors reported 50% drops in major towns and cities. However, numbers have almost returned to normal levels since restrictions have eased.

Want the latest news stories direct to your inbox? Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

Knaresborough business survey reveals impact of coronavirus

Almost two-thirds of businesses surveyed by Knaresborough Chamber of Trade have reported reduced takings during the coronavirus lockdown.

The survey of chamber members, published this week, also revealed 50% of traders believe their footfall has decreased.

Lockdown encouraged several businesses to diversify, for instance by offering online sales or delivery or take-away options. Of the businesses that changed strategy, 75% said they were going to continue offering their new services.

More than 80% took advantage of the government rates relief grant and about two-thirds used the furlough scheme. Just under half have reopened with restricted trading hours.

The chamber wants to encourage people to support small, local businesses and hopes the survey will inform ways to do this.

Bill Taylor, Knaresborough Chamber of Trade secretary, said:

“As the country came slowly out of lockdown in July the chamber wanted to assess what businesses in Knaresborough had been up to during the lockdown.

“We also wanted to establish what support those businesses had obtained and see what measures were being taken to keep everyone safe.

“It was reassuring to see so many businesses using the time to understand the needs of customers through the provision of additional services, training and understanding what the post-lockdown landscape would look like.”

Knaresborough high street

Knaresborough: the chamber wants to encourage people to return to local stores rather than use online retailers.

Read more:

Additional comments on the survey suggested business owners wanted further promotion of the town and what it had to offer. Currently the Chamber promotes the #shoplocalstaysafe message to encourage the town’s residents to support local businesses.

Knaresborough brewery enjoys lockdown sales boost

Turning Point Brew Co in Knaresborough has seen home deliveries soar during lockdown.

The brewery had always accepted online orders but received as few as “three over a few weeks” prior to lockdown, according to co-owner Aron McMahon.

But with more and more people craving their favourite beers when pubs were closed, home delivery orders rocketed to 200 each week.

Now the company has resumed supplying local bars and pubs, it is looking at its business model to see how it can sustain the increased number of home deliveries.

Mr McMahon said:

“Towards the end of lockdown the home delivery trade and our normal trade sales were neck and neck, whereas normally our home deliveries are much less.

“It definitely helped us big time. The first few weeks we really didn’t know what was going to happen without pubs. Before lockdown we had a few orders here and there – nothing really. Then over lockdown we were reached 200 orders a week!

“We also got a lot closer to our drinkers, which was great. Previously we only really knew our business contacts. Now it’s all about balancing out each side of the business.”

inside turning point brewery, Knaresborough

The brewery has quickly filled the space in its Knaresborough unit since moving less than a year ago.

Read more:

The brewery moved to Knaresborough in the past year after out-growing its previous site in Kirkbymoorside, Ryedale.

Covid delayed the opening of its taproom for customers.

Mr McMahon said:

“We opened the taproom for the first time about a week ago. It’s been a bit of a challenge but it’s gone smooth so far. All orders are done on an app and the tables are nicely spaced out outside so we’ve had no issues.”

The brewery is also raising funds for local charity Henshaws by donating 10p from the sale of cans of the pale ale Perpetual Dawn.

More than 100 Eat Out to Help Out businesses in Harrogate district

From next week people will be able to ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ by taking advantage of a 50% discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the Harrogate district.

More than 100 restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs in the district have signed up to the new government scheme to boost hospitality.

Read more:

It is valid all day Monday to Wednesday from August 3 to 31, as long the town or city is not in lockdown.

Customers can get a maximum of £10 off food and drink when they eat or drink in. There’s no minimum spend and it can be used in conjunction with other offers.

The government has released a list of establishments registered for the scheme, which we have compiled by area. If your business is not on the list then get in touch.

Harrogate – 66

Knaresborough – 14

Ripon – 9

Boroughbridge – 6

Nidderdale – 6

Masham – 4

District businesses’ ‘dismay’ over plans for £46.8m convention centre upgrade

Business representatives in Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge have reacted with “dismay” to news that Harrogate Borough Council could spend £46.8m renovating the town’s convention centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to The Stray Ferret has urged councillors to support the huge investment in the 40-year-old centre this week.

The news is likely to be welcomed by businesses in Harrogate but the wider district is less convinced of its merit.

Stephen Teggin, president of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said:

“I’m somewhat dismayed about this.

“It’s all about Harrogate. We are struggling like mad to keep Knaresborough going and attract tourists and the council finds £50m to keep something going that already loses money. It’s unfair.”

Stephen Teggin of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade called for fair investment in the district’s markets

Mr Teggin called on the council to find £50,000 a year to keep markets in Ripon and Knaresborough going.

“The markets are what pull in coaches for us, just like the convention centre does for Harrogate.

“They must spend the same amount of money, pro rata, on tourism here.”

Stephen Craggs, co-director of Ripon home appliances store G Craggs, said he wouldn’t begrudge Harrogate receiving such a huge sum but questioned the wisdom of spending it on the centre.

“That ship sailed 20 years ago. The centre is not big enough to compete with the likes of Manchester and the NEC in Birmingham. They’re flogging a dead horse.”

Mr Craggs suggested the centre would be better utilised as an indoor shopping centre.

Read more:

Tim Ledbetter, chair of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade in Pateley Bridge, said it was “less than impressed” by the council’s plan.

Mr Ledbetter said there was no overall business vision for the district and added it was “debatable” whether Pateley businesses reaped any benefits from events in Harrogate.

The council has said there is a “very real risk that the venue will not survive” if councillors do not agree to press ahead with plans for renovation on Wednesday. It says the centre attracts 157,000 visitors a year, has an economic impact worth £35m and supports thousands of jobs across the district.

Stuart Holland, co-chair of Harrogate Civic Society, said the 1960s-style centre was “nothing to be proud of” architecturally and welcomed the opportunity for improvement.

Mr Holland added any renovation should be sympathetic to the society’s attempts to develop a cultural quarter in Harrogate.

Knaresborough theatre ‘can’t open’ due to social distancing

Knaresborough’s Frazer Theatre has said it will remain closed until 2021 because it is not possible to observe social distancing and be financially viable.

The theatre, which is just off the town’s high street, has a capacity of 127 people but with social distancing this number would decrease hugely.

It has therefore decided to put the safety of its audience and volunteers first and postpone reopening.

John Pearce, vice-chairman of Frazer Theatre, said it was financially secure and lucky to be able to stay closed with minimal expenses because it is run entirely by volunteers.

Rehearsals at the theatre, which staged about 180 performances last year, will therefore resume no earlier than March 2021.

Mr Pearce said:

“The number one concern is safety and until we’re 100% safe or as near to it as we can be we just aren’t going to risk it. One thing we wonder about is how quickly audiences will feel comfortable to return.

If we have to keep a metre between people we are essentially blocking nine chairs around every one and that would be really difficult to organise. We’ve gone through the guidance as it stands and the sad answer is until there’s almost no restrictions we won’t be able to open.

“It’s not a decision we took lightly but it’s been a tough time.”

Knaresborough Frazer theatre auditorium

This theatre is postponing its reopening until the full theatre experience can be enjoyed.

Read more:

The theatre is hopeful that restrictions will eventually ease enough to allow it to reopen. But it is concerned about the overall impact the pandemic could have on the arts in the district. Mr Pearce added:

“We hope that by Christmas things will have eased so we can plan for next year. We’d love to be able to open but we don’t want to go to the effort of booking shows and having to cancel them again and disappoint people.

“We know we’re blessed to be secure, it breaks our heart to know there are theatre groups and bigger theatres talking about shutting.”