Knaresborough’s Marigold Café expansion plans approved

Plans to extend the Marigold Café in Knaresborough have been approved.

The café, situated alongside the River Nidd on Waterside, is one of the most familiar sights in the town. The business also provides rowing boats for hire.

The owners applied to North Yorkshire Council for a single storey extension for toilets.

The council has now approved the planning application, saying it “will enhance the service offered by the existing building to the district’s visitor economy”.

The café consists of two main buildings. The former boat house building provides seats and a single disabled toilet. The kitchen block and servery is located in a separate block.

The extension will create an additional toilet next to the existing disabled toilet.

A design and access statement, submitted in support of the application, said the existing buildings have undergone extensive refurbishment, adding:

“It has a slate tiled pitched roof and vertical timber weather cladding to walls with a waterproof render finish as flood defence at low level.”

Marigold Cafe (left) on Waterside

The “small” extension, the statement added, would “create a much needed additional toilet”.

“It is proposed that the building will have a flat roof to keep its height and impact on the street scene and the residences opposite to a minimum. The impact of the proposal is further mitigated by the existing high hedge which completely conceals the extension from Waterside.

“The walls will be clad in weatherboarding and render to match the existing building.”

The council’s decision notice said the proposed extension “is not considered to be a detrimental impact to the surrounding conservation area, nor to the character of the surrounding landscape”.

It added:

“Yorkshire Garden’s Trust have commented that they would not consider the proposal to harm the setting of the Grade II registered Garden ‘The Long Walk’ and have no objection to the scheme.

“The extension to the café will enhance the service offered by the existing building to the district’s visitor economy.”

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School holiday frustration as Knaresborough play area remains closed

A family has voiced frustration about the ongoing closure of the new council-owned play area next to Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.

Fysche Hall Field Play Area opened briefly in February only to close a few days later due to wet weather. It has not reopened since and is now not expected to do so until May.

This is disappointing news for Knaresborough families whose young children would like to use the facilities, which include swings, a climbing frame and a slide, during the Easter holidays.

Hayley Lister, whose step-grandson is nearly two, said it was frustrating not to be able to use council facilities when council tax was rising.

She added:

“I understand we have had a lot of rain but surely if they are building a brand new park they would have a good drainage system in place for the water to run away.

“It’s the Easter holidays now and I just hope this will be open as there will be a lot disappointed children if it stays shut.”

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council for an update.

Karl Battersby, the council ’s corporate director of environment, said:

“The play area was installed as part of the new swimming pool complex in Knaresborough and was handed over to our parks team to manage once building work on the development was completed.

“The play area opened in time for the February half–term holiday, but the site became very muddy due to extremely wet weather over the last few months and was closed as the newly-laid turf needed to dry out.

“As the weather has not improved and heavy rain is still forecast, the current plan is to reopen the site at the beginning of May.”

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Rail disruption expected over Easter weekend

Train operator Northern has advised people to ‘check before you travel’ over Easter.

Engineering work is scheduled over the bank holiday weekend, meaning there will be disruption to services between Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1.

Trains will still be running on Easter Sunday and the two bank holidays, but some journeys may take longer than usual and services may finish earlier in the day. Some routes have reduced services and a small number are closed completely.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer, said:

“Easter has long-been a period when essential engineering work is carried out as there are fewer customers travelling than normal.

“We do appreciate, however, that this still causes disruption for those who are on the move and we work closely with Network Rail to ensure the impact is kept to a minimum and alternative transport is provided wherever possible.

“During periods of disruption, customers are always advised to ‘check before you travel’ and to allow extra time for their journeys.”

Last week, the train driver union, ASLEF, announced that strikes that will take place the week after Easter. Walk outs are planned between Friday April 5 and Monday April 8.

Northern services will be impacted by this action on Saturday April  6. More information is due to be released closer to the time.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with over 500 stations across the North of England including Harrogate, Knaresborough and Starbeck.

For more information about travelling over the Easter bank holiday weekend, click here.

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Knaresborough man jailed for racially aggravated verbal abuse

A Knaresborough man, who used racially aggravated threatening language and later dodged police custody, has been jailed.

Lee Harpin, 38, of Littondale Avenue, appeared at York Magistrates Court on Monday for sentencing.

He was found guilty of two counts of using threatening language with intent to provoke violence in a racially aggravated incident when he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month.

Harpin was granted unconditional bail pending sentencing but when he failed to turn-up for sentencing, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was eventually charged with failing to surrender to custody.

He pleaded guilty to the latter charge on Monday and was handed a 26-week prison sentence for the three offences.

According to court documents, magistrates considered Harpin’s “previous record of offending” when deciding his sentence, and felt prison was the only justified punishment for offences “so serious”.

Harpin was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £154, as well as a further £620 to the Crown Prosecution Service, for the abuse offences.

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5 things to do in and around Harrogate this weekend from 22-24 MarchThe Knaresborough shop ‘delivering beeswax products directly from Mother Nature’Stinger ends 100mph police chase in Knaresborough

A stinger punctured the tyres of a stolen car following a high-speed police chase that ended in Knaresborough today.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement a high-performance Mercedes was stolen by a teenager in York just after 4am this morning.

It was stolen as part of a two-in-one burglary, which is when thieves break into a house and steal car keys. Keys to other vehicles, cash and jewellery were also taken.

The statement added:

“We tracked down a high-performance Mercedes that was stolen soon after 4am this morning.

“The driver failed to stop, reaching speeds of well over 100mph.

“We deployed a stinger to puncture its tyres near Knaresborough, with support from the NPAS police helicopter.”

The vehicle crashed on a roundabout, where an 18-year-old man from the Hull area was detained.

Police said he remains in custody.

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Councillors approve 135 homes off Harrogate’s Skipton Road

Councillors have voted to approve 135 homes on the site of a former farm off Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The proposals by Rowan Green Developments Ltd will see the homes built at Cow Dyke Farm near Jennyfields.

The land is allocated for housing in the council’s local plan and the scheme was recommended for approval in a report.

The majority of the homes will have between one and three bedrooms and 54 are expected to be classed as affordable.

Chris Calvert spoke on behalf of the developer at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee this afternoon.

He said the application met all of the council’s planning requirements.

Mr Calvert said:

“The site is within development limits for Harrogate. It’s been assessed by the local authority to be a suitable and deliverable site for new homes on the edge of Harrogate.

“It will be a high-quality and sustainable development ”

Cow Dyke Farm. Image: Rowan Green Developments Ltd.

Councillors visited the site this morning where concerns were raised about the current 40mph speed limit for motorists on Skipton Road.

Hundreds of homes have been built nearby in recent years and Tesco has planning permission to build a new supermarket close to the site.

Cllr Robert Windass (Conservative, Boroughbridge and Claro) asked if the speed limit on the nearby section of Skipton Road could be lowered to 30mph.

He said he saw a woman cross the road this morning with a pushchair, adding:

“40mph was maybe OK when there was no housing there, but I now think it’s inappropriate.”

However, his request was knocked back by a council transport officer who said the 40mph limit was appropriate.

North Yorkshire Council has asked the developer to pay a one-off contribution of £161,906 towards Killinghall Village Hall and £76,347 for improvements at Jennyfields recreation play area.

This led Terry Jones, representing the 72 objectors, to say the developer was offering a “paltry sum” towards local services.

Mr Jones said:

“You all seem to assume it’s going ahead. It’s probably a waste of time objecting, but it’s interesting to see the impact on local services. To employ extra doctors, dentists, teachers, it costs money every year.”

Councillors voted unanimously to approve the plans but a reserved matters application that deals with the scheme’s appearance and landscape will come before the planning committee at a future meeting before homes can be built.

Cllr Windass added:

“It looks to be a sympathetic approach to development on this land. I hope when they come back at reserved matters, the sympathy of the site is maintained and improved on.”

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The Knaresborough shop ‘delivering beeswax products directly from Mother Nature’

This story is sponsored by The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co.

The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co is an integral part of a thriving independent business community in Knaresborough, selling a vast array of natural products including candles, wax melts, soaps, lip balms and honey.

But the popular business may not have come to pass, for many reasons – one of which was that founder Michael Landreth was afraid of bees. Luckily, a friend’s form of exposure therapy meant that he soon came to respect the insects, and understand the potential in the produce that they created.

He explained:

“My friend put me in front of his beehives, and I could either run or face my fear. Working so closely with bees now has helped me overcome that fear.”

Michael Landreth

Michael Landreth

Additionally, if Michael hadn’t decided to take redundancy from his former job during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company may never have flourished into the successful enterprise it is today.

While a period of furlough allowed him to focus on growing The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co, it was still a ‘difficult decision’ to leave his employment and dedicate himself to the business full time, but one he felt he had to make.

According to Michael, this was a risky move that ultimately paid off; today he is the proud owner of 43 beehives and a shop in the historic market town of Knaresborough that boasts an all-natural product range.

He said:

“I wanted to be in a quirky area, and Green Dragon Yard fit in with that quaint, cobbled feel.”

The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co stocks a diverse range of products; from candles made from plant-based aromatherapy oils to beeswax cosmetics such as lip balms and body butters, there’s something to suit many tastes.

The shop interior

Since opening the premises, Michael has been delighted to receive lots of positive feedback from residents and tourists alike.

“The comments I’ve received are mind-blowing – absolutely fantastic. I have some customers who visited from Dublin, and they liked my products so much, they ordered more online when they got home.

“I even have a customer who orders all the way from Singapore.”

While it’s clear his products have established a popularity across the local area – and beyond – since establishing The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co Michael is always looking at ways to push the business on and progress further.

2024 is proving to be one of the company’s biggest years to date; with the creation of a bee-friendly garden, the imminent opening of a honeycomb waffle bar and introducing a children’s education centre all about bees, to name just a few plans.

The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co. products

Michael added:

“People really should pop in a visit the shop, to find out what’s going on, and how we can help them.

“Fundamentally though, we’re delivering beeswax products directly from Mother Nature.”

Find out more:

 The Yorkshire Beeswax Candle Co. is located 6 Green Dragon Yard, Knaresborough, HG5 8AU. There is also an online store you can purchase products from, available on the website.

Council confirms increase in car parking charges

North Yorkshire Council confirmed today it will increase all car park charges from April 19.

The Stray Ferret reported last week charges across the Harrogate district were in line to rise.

The council said in a statement today it would increase tariffs by 20% as “part of North Yorkshire’s commitment to maintain and improve its facilities”. It added the decision “was made after careful consideration of several factors impacting the service”.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We continuously strive to improve our parking services to provide a better customer experience. This includes investments in technology upgrades, such as automated payment systems and the installation of electric vehicle chargers to accommodate the growing market.

“We have refrained from increasing our car parking tariff for several years. However, to ensure we can continue to maintain the current provision and not divert funds away from vital frontline council services, we plan on introducing an increase across the car parking tariff that is in line with inflation.”

The statement said the cost of parking facilities, including infrastructure, repairs, lighting, and security had risen “and ensuring a safe and well-maintained environment is essential for the convenience and satisfaction of customers”.

The move affects all parking at council-owned car parks.

The hike in prices comes despite the council increasing council tax bills by 4.99% in 2024/25. It means the amount paid by an average Band D property for council services will increase by £87.80 to £1,847.62. The council faces a shortfall of more than £30 million for the next financial year.

Mr Battersby added:

“We also remain committed to improving public transport provision across North Yorkshire to ensure there are alternatives to car usage, as well as supporting efforts to become carbon neutral by 2030.”

The council plans to draft a strategy this year that will look at parking provision across North Yorkshire to see where future changes and improvements can be made.

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