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VIDEO: First look at new £17.5m Knaresborough leisure centre

Knaresborough Leisure Centre opens to the public next Monday, December 11.

However, the Stray Ferret had a sneak peek this morning.

The Knaresborough site includes a six-lane 25-metre pool, a leisure pool and slide and a 60-station fitness suite.

There is also a studio for group fitness classes, a group cycling studio, a sauna and steam room, and a café.

The sauna.

A children’s outdoor play area is still in the works but is expected to open in January 2024.

The leisure centre has been built next to the former Knaresborough swimming pool, which was built in 1990.

It was last refurbished 20 years ago. Its opening marks a third addition to the local Brimhams Active centres.

The steam room.

Knaresborough Leisure Centre is a North Yorkshire Council-led project.

It is part of a £47.9 million investment into leisure provisions, which also include the newly developed Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre and the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon.

The site offers immersive spin classes.

Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for culture, arts and housing at North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret today:

“You come over the brow of the hill in Knaresborough and see the leisure centre building – it is such an attractive building.

“It sits so well in its space, it’s full of light and the facilities are fantastic.

“This is what local authorities can achieve. It’s a real asset to Knaresborough.”

Man arrested after altercation at Knaresborough bus station

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for a key witness to come forward following an altercation in Knaresborough this week.

The force said in a statement today the incident involving a young man and woman took place at Knaresborough bus station at about 9am on Monday, December 4.

The statement added a 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and released on conditional bail to allow for further enquires to be carried out.

Officers said they would like to hear from any witnesses but added there was one key witness they were particularly keen to speak to.

The statement said:

“If you were at the bus station and either intervened or witnessed the incident, please get in touch.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email helen.james@northyorkshire.police.uk North Yorkshire Police via 101 and pass information for PC Helen James.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Quote reference number 12230229894 when passing on information.

River Nidd clean-up campaign boosted by £500,000 from Yorkshire Water

A campaign to clean-up the River Nidd has received a £500,000 boost — from a penalty paid by Yorkshire Water for polluting Harrogate..

Yorkshire Water revealed last week it had agreed to give £1 million to charities for polluting Hookstone Beck in Harrogate.

The sum — to atone for an unauthorised sewage discharge that killed fish in the beck — was divided equally between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.

A meeting in Knaresborough yesterday heard Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, which is based in Pateley Bridge, will use the funding to lead the iNidd project to clean-up the River Nidd.

Charlotte Simons, senior project manager at the trust, told the meeting:

“The sad thing is we have the money because something went wrong.

“But we have been given a lump sum that can lead to long-term improvements on the River Nidd.”

Yesterday’s meeting in Knaresborough.

The trust, which runs improvement projects across the catchments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe and Ouse, will work with anglers, academics and wild swimmers as well as Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency on the iNidd scheme.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is also involved through his campaign to achieve bathing water status on the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido.

The trust previously led the iWharfe project to improve the River Wharfe.

Yorkshire Water’s iNidd funding will pay for water quality schemes and other initiatives, such as habitat improvements and tackling invasive non-native species.

Nidd Action Group organised yesterday’s meeting at the Centre on Gracious Street, which gave members of the public the chance to quiz those involved in the iNidd campaign.

It followed a previous meeting at the same venue in spring this year, which marked the start of the clean-up campaign.

David Clayden, chair of the action group, said:

“We have achieved a lot in six months. I expect to see plans come together in the next six months that are collaborative and will make a difference.”

New bar could open in Knaresborough industrial estate

Harrogate Brewing Company has proposed to open a new bar at Hambleton Grove Industrial Estate in Knaresborough.

The family-owned brewery specialises in craft ale and operates from a different industrial estate on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate.

Plans are underway to expand into Knaresborough with a taproom and outside beer garden area in the heart of a residential area.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet next Monday to consider whether to grant an alcohol licence which would be valid from midday until 10pm all week.

The applicant has agreed conditions with North Yorkshire Police including installing a CCTV system and ensuring staff are fully trained.

Applicant Martin Joyce wrote in an application that drinkers would sample beers on-site as well as also being able to buy bottles to take home.

Mr Joyce added that during the summer months, the business may hire a food truck and use the outdoor area as a temporary bar.

The application received one objection from a nearby resident due to the potential for noise when revellers leave the bar late at night.

They said:

“Given that it’s in a residential area, it is highly inappropriate that residents should have to tolerate noise from a pub between midday and 10pm 7 days a week.”

The objector also said a long-standing problem of parking in the streets surrounding the industrial estate would be made worse by the new bar.

They added:

“The estate itself has numerous daily deliveries from HGVs. It is hard to see how these could be accommodated alongside the parking of cars, not to mention the potential risk to pedestrians using the site.”

The meeting will take place next Monday at 1pm at the Civic Centre in Harrogate and it will be streamed live on the council’s YouTube channel.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves visits Knaresborough banking hub

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited Knaresborough banking hub on Friday.

Ms Reeves joined shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and shadow Economic Secretary Tulip Siddiq at Kirkgate.

Reeves hailed the hub, which opened on November 17, as an example of what the Labour Party would like to see across the country if it wins the next general election, which is expected to take place in 2024.

Labour has committed to setting up at least 350 banking hubs following a 64 per cent drop in the number of banks in Yorkshire since 2015.

Ms Reeves said:

“There’s now 20 banking hubs around the country.

“Banking hubs are there to replace bank branches because Knaresborough was without a bank for three years.

“[There’s] not a single bank branch in this town and banking hubs are an alternative to banks.

“When there are no banks left in the town the idea is that the banks come together to open a hub that you can use whichever bank you’re with, but there’s only 20 of them and we know that there are many more high streets in towns and villages that don’t have banks at all.

“Labour is making a commitment today that in the first term of a Labour government, we would open at least 350 banking hubs so that more people have access to banking facilities and to cash, which is something that unfortunately today too many people don’t have access to.”

Ms Siddiq added:

“When a local community no longer has access to a bank branch, we know it is the poorest in society along with high street businesses who lose out the most from the loss of vital in-person services.”

Knaresborough photographer Charlotte Gale came to get cash from the banking hub and speak to the three members of Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet about why she needs cash for her business.

Ms Gale said:

“I always run out of 5ps.

“That’s the way my stuff is priced – it’s 95p.

“There’s always a struggle to get a 5p.”

Alongside its plans to bring back banking to communities, Labour also pledged to give councils the power to tackle shuttered-up shops, tackle antisocial behaviour and shoplifting through dedicated police patrols, replace business rates with a fairer system and end late payments to support small businesses.

Mr Reynolds said:

“Under the Conservatives, our high streets have been allowed to fall into decline, with more and more high street anchors like banks closing.

“Labour will put an end to boarded-up premises and ghost high streets with our plan to bring banks back to the high street, fix business rates, tackle empty properties and get police back on the beat on your high street.”

In Yorkshire and the Humber 464 banks – or 64 per cent – have closed since 2015 and just 264 remain open.

This is the second biggest percentage of bank closures in the country, with 66 per cent of banks being closed in the south-west.

In the whole of England, there are 3,208 bank branches.

£20,000 feasibility study to begin on Knaresborough cliff lift

A £20,000 study is to investigate the feasibility of a cliff lift in Knaresborough.

The idea of a lift connecting the steep divide between Waterside and the town centre has long been debated.

Now the government’s shared prosperity fund has awarded a £20,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study into the idea, a meeting of business group Knaresborough Chamber heard this week.

Peter Lacey, an executive member of the chamber, said in January the organisation and Knaresborough Town Council had agreed to work together to build a business case for better connectivity in the town.

Mr Lacey told this week’s meeting that £20,000 had now been awarded and the firms Carey Tourism and 56 Degree Insight would lead the market research.

The community group Renaissance Knaresborough promoted the cliff lift idea pre-covid and Ben Carey, of Carey Tourism, worked on an interim report on behalf of the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

Mr Carey told the meeting he suspected the lift would be a long-term project costing about £5 million and connectivity would be key to its success. He said:

“We can produce the most wonderful, iconic structure but nobody is going to fund it unless you can show it will be transformative to Knaresborough.

“It’s all about connectivity — how you can make sure people spend more time and money in local businesses.”

Mr Carey also said it was essential that North Yorkshire Council extended the lease of Knaresborough Castle otherwise nobody would invest in the scheme.

The castle land, which is leased from the Duchy of Lancaster, is likely to host the lift.

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, told the meeting the lease had nine years left and he was pushing for it to be extended.

GALLERY: Christmas tree festival gets underway in Knaresborough

About 75 Christmas trees decorated by community groups, schools and businesses have gone on display in Knaresborough.

The Knaresborough Christmas Tree festival is believed to be a unique event in the north of England for the way it showcases so many festive trees in a church.

Held at St John the Baptist Church in Knaresborough, which dates back to the Norman period, this is the festival’s 10th year.

It got underway at a preview event last night that included singing by female choir The Songbirds, mulled wine and minced pies.

Each tree is decorated individually, usually reflecting each organisation’s purpose. For instance, running club Knaresborough Striders’ tree is decorated with running shoes.

Brian Robinson, the artistic director of the festival, curates the exhibition by deciding how to display the trees to best effect.

The festival lasts until December 23. Admission is free from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. noon to 4pm on Sundays and 12 to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays.

The trees will remain in place after December 23 for Christmas services at the church, including the Nine Lessons and Carols Service on Christmas Eve.

The church, whose director of music is town crier Mark Hunter, hosts music throughout the festival, including an Advent carol service tomorrow (Sunday) at 5pm.

The Stray Ferret attended last night’s preview event. Here are some photos.

A previous version of the article incorrectly stated singing was provided by the Northern Songbirds when it was in fact The Songbirds.

Each tree is individually decorated.

Knaresborough train station’s impressive entry.

Artistic director Brian Robinson

Town crier Mark Hunter, who is also director of music at the church, with his consort.

The festival runs until December 23.

Brian Robinson displays the trees to best effect.

Council silent on claims it ignored safety warnings on collapsed Knaresborough wall

North Yorkshire Council has failed to respond to claims it ignored warnings about the state of a wall that collapsed in Knaresborough.

The stone wall on Briggate fell onto the highway on September 14 this year.

Fortunately, nobody was injured on what is one of the town’s busiest routes for pedestrians and motorists — but traffic lights have caused delays and disruption ever since.

Several residents and councillors have told the Stray Ferret they contacted the council about the wall before it fell. We were also told the council had a safety report on the wall.

Nearly three months on, the council has yet to respond to these claims.

The wall collapsed in September.

Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East on North Yorkshire Council, alerted the council in an email on June 16 last year.

Her message, seen by the Stray Ferret, said several old stone walls in Knaresborough needed “investigating and possibly monitoring for safety”, with Briggate top of the list.

It added:

“I am unsure who owns each wall but in each case they would either impact a road or path if they were to break down, and could potentially be a risk to life and also their repair could cause significant congestion in the town.”

Cllr Gostlow (pictured), who is also the current Knaresborough mayor, told the Stray Ferret:

“This issue was widely known about by residents and councillors.”

After the wall collapsed, Briggate resident Catherine Rogerson told the Stray Ferret she had reported the structure to North Yorkshire Council the previous month because it appeared to be buckling. She added:

“I said it was an emergency and could collapse, causing a nasty accident.

“Several other local people have also contacted them about it. We all stressed it was in a dangerous state.”

Failed to act

When the wall came down, we asked the council to respond to Ms Rogerson’s claims.

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said traffic lights would remain in place until repairs to the wall are carried out and “we are liaising with residents of nearby properties and are in discussions with contractors to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible”.

We replied to the council’s media office, which handles all media enquiries, to say Ms Burnham’s response did not address the claims the council had failed to act on warnings.

However, we did not receive a response so we subsequently submitted a freedom of information request asking how many people had complained about the state of the wall in the previous two years and what action the council had taken. We also asked to be sent the council safety report.

Public bodies are supposed to respond to freedom of information requests within 20 working days.

After six weeks without a response, we pursued the matter with the council this week. It said the delay was “due to the request initially being under the incorrect service area” and a response would be sent “as soon as possible”.

Cllr Matt Walker who represents Knaresborough West said the council’s response since the wall collapsed has been wholly inadequate. He said:

“The council have avoided answering questions including providing a safety report that was done days before the wall fell. I wonder why?

“A full investigation needs to be done to understand why it happened in the first place and lessons learned. Residents have lost faith in the highways team to do anything and so have I.”

Cllr Walker also said he had received several reassurances work would start at the beginning of November but it only began on November 27, causing weeks of traffic lights around the unattended rubble.

At one point there were reports on social media of fed-up residents attempting to remove the rubble themselves.

That never happened and now the rubble is off the highway, but traffic lights remain.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said on November 22 the “works are now more complex than first anticipated” because of residents’ concerns about the cellars that were impacted by the collapsed wall”.

Roadworks are usually prohibited during Knaresborough’s annual Christmas Market Weekend, which begins today.

But the ongoing saga of the wall means they will continue to operate on Briggate, and are likely to do so for many weeks to come.

Knaresborough set for Christmas Market Weekend

Knaresborough will begin two days of festive fun when its Christmas Market Weekend gets underway tomorrow.

The Christmas market, which takes place from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday, is the centrepiece of a host of activities around the town.

The market will feature about 65 stalls, food and free entertainment, including Morris dancers, music and singing.

Many Knaresborough traders are staying open until 7pm for late night shopping on Saturday.

Elsewhere, more than 70 decorated Christmas trees will be on display in St John’s Church for the annual Great Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival. The festival, which is free to enter, begins tomorrow and runs until December 23.

Photo of Christmas trees in the aisles of St John's Church in Knaresborough, at the Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival in 2022.

The Christmas tree festival

Holy Trinity Church on Briggate is running a Christmas fair tomorrow and Sunday.

The weekend will close with a 10-minute firework finale, set against the backdrop of Knaresborough viaduct and the Nidd Gorge, at 4.30pm on Sunday.

Event co-sponsor 1858 Bar & Restaurant will hold an after-party following the firework finale.

Parking in Knaresborough is limited. A free park and ride service will operate from the GSPK car park on Manse Lane (postcode HG5 8LF) to the town centre from 8am to 5.30pm both days.

The new banking hub on Kirkgate will open for counter services between 9am to 5pm both days, which will enable people to withdraw cash.

Knaresborough Heritage Centre to open next year

A Knaresborough Heritage Centre will open on the town’s High Street next year.

The centre will include a shop selling Knaresborough books, gifts and cards, an information centre for visitors and a multi-purpose gallery for exhibitions, talks and workshops.

Located in the former Printzone premises, it is hoped the building will be open to visitors at least four days a week from spring.

Knaresborough Town Museum Group was set up in 2019 to campaign for a museum. It was renamed Knaresborough Museum Association and registered as a charity in 2021.

The association had a small gallery and office space in a converted house at 8 York Place, which has now closed to visitors.

Kathy Allday, chair of Knaresborough Museum Association

A planned move to the former Castle girls’ school fell through after protracted negotiations with Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished in April.

Kathy Allday, chair of the association, has now announced the organisation has received the keys to the former Printzone premises opposite the bus station.

Ms Allday said:

“York Place has been great but this will enable us to do more activities.

“We will be stepping-up in a lot of different areas.”

It is hoped the new site, which needs refurbishing, will be ready to open by spring.

The association organised the first Knaresborough archaeological festival in October, which attracted more than 1,000 people over two weekends.

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Failed to act

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