Residents back move for concerted battle against Knaresborough asphalt plant

Residents have backed a move to launch a crowdfunding campaign and seek expert advice on how to battle against a planned asphalt plant near Knaresborough.

A public meeting called by the Communities Against Toxins group heard residents of numerous villages surrounding the Allerton Park incinerator, beside the A1(M) between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, voice both bewilderment and anger over Tynedale Roadstone Limited’s ambition.

In its planning application to North Yorkshire Council the firm has stated there would be “demand” for its materials in the area to help build and maintain road surfaces and represent a “sustainable development”.

The documents state Tynedale has various long-term supply agreements with surfacing and maintenance companies in Yorkshire, while its two asphalt plants are in Newcastle and County Durham.

The firm has claimed there would be “no significant effects” on air quality as a result of the scheme and that traffic generated by the plant was unlikely to cause any safety concerns.

Campaigner Michael Emsley told the meeting at Great Ouseburn Village Hall he had run an asphalt plan and, if approved, the plant would spark a threat of an explosion beside the landmark energy from waste recovery park used by North Yorkshire and York councils.

Ahead of North Yorkshire County Council approving the incinerator in 2014 there was a concerted campaign to get it rejected, backed by two MPs with protestors handing in a petition with 10,000 signatures at Downing Street.

The meeting was told the application documents ignored key issues, such as the predominant wind direction, and that many residents would be downwind of dust particles and “toxic threats” from the plant.

Mr Emsley said:

“I am concerned about the human health impacts of some of the nasty materials. Benzine is a particularly horrible chemical and some of its derivatives are even nastier.

“Benzine has been long recognised as a carcinogen and recent studies have recognised the effects of continuous exposure to low concentrations of benzine both occupationally and environmentally.”

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Residents heard claims the plant was likely to create contaminated water which would seep into watercourses as there was no way of processing it and lorries visiting the asphalt plant would exacerbate the existing queues of waste trucks on the A-road outside the incinerator.

The meeting heard nearly 800 objections had been lodged over the proposal, and residents of numerous villages in a five-mile radius of the site state they had been completely unaware of the proposal until recently.

Residents overwhelmingly supported a move to launch a concerted campaign, backed by crowdfunding, work to attract opposition from residents of Knaresborough and Boroughbridge and urgently seek expert advice ahead of a likely decision by the council’s strategic planning committee early next year.

The meeting heard concerns over the committee’s likely decision, given that there would be a statutory presumption on North Yorkshire Council to pass the scheme, that it would generate a large amount of business rates from the plant and some of the deciding councillors would represent divisions from many miles away.

One resident told the meeting how she and her husband had recently moved to the area to be nearer to their grandchildren in Marton cum Grafton.

She added:

“We came for dark sky, the clean fresh air and now this is happening. We’re appalled, and particularly appalled that the playground for Marton cum Grafton school is so close.

“We are going to contaminate the water and the air and I can’t think of anything worse.”

The meeting heard residents of the surrounding villages had been promised the Allerton Park incinerator would not lead to further industrialisation of the rural area and claims that it would be more appropriate to site the asphalt plant in an industrial zone.

Knaresborough flats to house asylum seekers and homeless

Four council-owned properties in Knaresborough are to be used to house asylum seekers and homeless people.

The flats were due to be sold for a combined estimated fee of £879,000.

But North Yorkshire Council announced today they would be taken off the market and used either for unaccompanied asylum seeking children or as move-on accommodation for homeless people transitioning to independent living.

Conservative Gareth Dadd, who represents Thirsk on the council and is also its deputy leader and in charge of finance, made the decision, according to the online notice.

Explaining the reason, the notice adds:

“North Yorkshire Council is under a legal obligation to house unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

“There are eight children on the national transfer list and 12 in hotels. An urgent decision is necessary for North Yorkshire Council to fulfil its obligation.”

The notice added:

“Whilst there are other properties that have been identified as suitable for unaccompanied asylum seeking children accommodation, these require more significant works and are therefore not available for immediate occupation.”

Harrogate Borough Council bought the properties in 2019 after they had been unoccupied for several years.

The council, which was abolished in April this year, restored them and said last year it intended to sell the leaseholds for an estimated £879,900 and retain the freehold.

Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader at the time, said the properties “had been a blight on the high street in Knaresborough for several years” and the local authority had recognised their potential to provide homes.

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Masham community hub wins £145,000 grant

A community hub in the heart of Masham has been awarded a £145,000 grant by North Yorkshire Council, but the purpose of the cash is as yet unclear.

According to the council’s website, the money, which comes from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will go towards the “decarbonisation and purchase” of Mashamshire Community Office.

But MCO bought the building at the end of August, having successfully completed a year-long campaign to raise the £215,000 asking price. 

Hayley Jackson, MCO manager, told the Stray Ferret: 

“We haven’t got the money yet, and nothing’s been signed off, so I wouldn’t want to comment until we have the funding in place.” 

She said she hoped to make an announcement publicly by the time of MCO’s annual general meeting on November 28. 

Set up in 2003, the MCO is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving community life. The building it occupies and now owns, the Old Police Station, is also home to Masham Community Library, Acorns Preschool, Masham Parish Council clerk, tourist information and local art and craft shop Masham Flock.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is scheduled to provide £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025, of which £16.9 million has been allocated to North Yorkshire.

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Welcome to Yorkshire owed £3m to creditors, say liquidators

Failed tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire owed £3m to creditors, according to the latest liquidator report.

The organisation was placed into administration in March 2022 after officials blamed the impact of covid and the “task of securing sufficient funding”.

A report by Armstrong Watson, which was appointed liquidator in August last year, showed that it owed £3 million to unsecured creditors.

A previous administrator’s report from April 2022 had initially estimated Welcome to Yorkshire would owe £1.8 million to 67 creditors.

Among them is North Yorkshire Council, which is due £1.3 million in relation to the North Yorkshire Pension Fund.

The Stray Ferret has approached the council to ask whether it is still pursuing the money and if it expects a repayment from liquidators. However, we had not received a response by the time of publication.

Armstrong Watson said in its report that it was unable to confirm what payment would be made to creditors at this stage.

It said:

“I am currently in the process of reviewing and agreeing unsecured creditors’ claims as there will be sufficient funds to pay a dividend.

“Unfortunately, at this stage I cannot confirm the level of the dividend payable as this is contingent upon agreeing both secondary preferential and unsecured creditor claims.”

Meanwhile, staff claims totalling £9,570 have been repaid in full.

A sum of £296,000 owed to HMRC is also expected to be paid in full, but liquidators are continuing discussions with the body.

Keith Tordoff, who is running for independent mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said the loss of the brand was “a massive failure”.

He said:

“The loss of the Welcome to Yorkshire brand and of course the invested monies is a massive failure by some members of the North Yorkshire Council who were either on the board of Welcome to Yorkshire or those authorising the unsecured loans.

“The taxpayers deserve better and those councillors on North Yorkshire who were involved should consider their position.”

The move comes after administrators sold the tourism body’s assets and website last year.

Yorkshire Dales business, Silicon Dales, purchased Yorkshire.com, its social media accounts and the rights to the Tour de Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Council had initially bid for the assets, but was outbid by the private firm.

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Handrails installed at Pateley Bridge war memorial after veteran falls

Safety rails were installed around Pateley Bridge war memorial today ahead of this weekend’s Remembrance Day service.

It comes after an elderly veteran tripped when laying a wreath during last year’s service.

Suzanne Smith, clerk to Pateley Bridge Town Council, said the man was not hurt but the incident “highlighted the need for a handrail”.

Ms Smith added:

“In a joint venture, Pateley Bridge Town Council and Bewerley Parish Council had to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops to get the necessary permission to install the handrails.

“Fortunately, we succeeded, just in time for this years’ service.”

   

The handrails have been made by Chiltondale Architectural Wrought Ironsmiths, which is based in Summerbridge. Ms Smith said:

“They are high quality, galvanised and powder-coated to ensure they are almost maintenance free.

“They have been designed to match the existing handrails on the bandstand in the Recreation Ground and also the very small rail that runs round the bottom of the war memorial.”

The production and installation of the handrails cost £927.42 and has been funded by North Yorkshire Council’s Locality Fund – a £10,000 budget given to councillors to support local communities.

Ms Smith added:

“Bewerley Parish Council, Pateley Bridge Town Council and the Royal British Legion are very grateful that at the Armistice Day event this Saturday, the handrails will ensure that veterans and parishioners can safely and independently access the memorial to lay wreaths.”

The annual Armistice Day parade and service will take place at the Pateley Bridge war memorial on Saturday, November 11, from 10.30am.

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‘Teething issues’ to blame for more missed Harrogate bin collections, says council

North Yorkshire Council has blamed “teething issues” for an increase in missed bin collections in the Harrogate district.

Latest figures from the council show there were 1,579 missed collections in the first quarter of the year. The number is an increase on 1,535 in the same period last year.

Council officials said part of the reason for the missed collections, most of which were for garden waste, was due to a “route optimisation process” carried out by Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished on April 1.

This included changing routes and removing one lorry from the rounds.

However, Michael Leah, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of environmental services, described the process as an “overall positive”.

He said:

“I am pleased of the level of waste collection services provided across the county. For the Harrogate area, the optimisation of the garden waste collection service has been positive overall for the council, both in terms of efficiency and reduction in its carbon footprint.

“We noted some ‘teething issues’ from this work with a slightly higher rate of missed garden waste bins during the first quarter of the year. We are already well ahead with resolving any issues arising from that work.”

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It comes as Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors raised concern over missed collections after it was claimed just 129 bins were missed across the county in the first 100 days of the new council.

Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East, raised the issue at a full council meeting in July when she challenged council leader, Carl Les, over the accuracy of the authority’s figures.

She said:

“Talking with my colleagues across the former Harrogate borough and hearing from my own residents, I understand that there has been a much higher than normal missed general, garden and recycling waste bins.

“Unfortunately it also includes assisted bin collections.”

Cllr Les apologised for the inaccuracy and later sent the correct figures to Cllr Gostlow.

36 community groups in Harrogate district awarded £92,000

Thirty-six voluntary organisations have celebrated being awarded a total of £92,828 by The Local Fund for the Harrogate district.

The fund awards grants of between £200 and £3,000 each year to small organisations with charitable aims in the Harrogate district where a small amount of money can make a significant difference.

It is funded by The Local Lotto, with support from North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and the Harry Bolland Trust Fund. Two Ridings Community Foundation, which coordinates local giving in North and East Yorkshire, administers the fund.

Two Ridings organised Monday night’s celebration at West Park Hotel in Harrogate, which recognised volunteers from the organisations awarded grants.

They provide services ranging from providing lunches for the homeless, tackling domestic abuse and enabling people in Nidderdale to run safely to improve their wellbeing.

North Yorkshire high sheriff Clare Granger, who joined local councillors at the event, said the successful applicants provided ‘literally a lifeline’ for many people in North Yorkshire.

Celia McKeon, chief executive at Two Ridings, said the fund supported groups with basic running costs, to ensure they can keep their doors open.

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Here is a list of the successful applicants, how much each one received and for what purpose.

Community Group Amount Awarded Project Description
Artizan 2688 Funding towards staff, craft supplies and refreshments for craft and socialising opportunities for children and teens with Special Educational Needs, alongside support for their parents.
Badapple Theatre Company 1580 Funding towards staff, hall hire, DBS checks and training to run youth session in the rural area of the Ure Valley, and to enable them to earn a recognised award.
Bilton dragon bowling club 1000 Funding towards sprinkler system to make water use more efficient and to support club members with maintenance.
Boroughbridge and District Community Care 3000 Funding towards staff and room hire to train befriending volunteers for people experiencing bereavement, or living with dementia or disabilities, for recently recruited, existing and to-be recruited volunteers.
Claro Enterprises 3000 Funding towards staff, insurance and utilities to run community workshop to support people with mental health difficulties to improve their health and wellbeing.
Dales and Bowland CIC 3000 Funding towards running rural bus service on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Dancing for Well Being 1200 Funding towards operational costs, including a Dance Movement Therapist, for a trial series of sessions to support those who care for family members with dementia, to support carer’s own needs.
Darley Playing Field Association (DPFA) 3000 Funding towards outdoor play equipment for children in rurally isolated village.
Harlow Hill Community Centre Association 2000 Funding towards new doors to improve the carbon footprint and look of community building.
Harrogate & District Community Action 3000 Funding towards staff and room hire to support befriending and signposting services for older members of the community, particularly the weekly club and where some clients have more complex needs.
Harrogate Hospital Radio 1170 Funding for radios to lend to lonely in-patients in the Harrogate area hospitals.
Inspire Youth Yorkshire 3000 Funding for staff and overheads towards free weekly youth activities.
Jenny Ruth Workshops Limited 3000 Funding for staff and travel costs to offer workers with learning disabilities outreach opportunities, including sales at local shows, visits to stockists and delivering talks to other local groups.
Jenny Ruth Workshops Limited 1500 Funding towards Jennryruth branded t-shirts and fleeces to provide new workers with learning disabilities pride in their work, and being able to represent the organisation at events.
Kairos Network Church 1000 Funding for a second-hand trailer and new security locks, for taking unusual bicycles to events to encourage confidence in cycling, ensuring the organisation no longer has to borrow a trailer.
Knaresborough Museum Association 1500 Funding towards travel, overheads, and display stands to take displays to sheltered accommodation and residential homes to engage those who would not otherwise be able to visit the museum.
Knot Another Choir CIO 3000 Funding towards staging for local inclusive community choir, which will also raise income for the group by being hired out to other community groups.
Lifeline Harrogate 2400 Funding for fruit and veg boxes (subsidised by the provider) to provide a healthy equivalent to crisis loans for food, to people who have recently experienced homelessness and are now accommodated in supported housing.
Lifeline Harrogate 2600 Funding for food and room hire for fortnightly lunch club, to support current and former residents of supported accommodation.
Living Potential Care Farming 1740 Funding for tools, raised beds, compost and seeds to start therapeutic sessions in the walled garden for people living with mental health difficulties.
Low Harrogate Crown Green Bowling Club 2250 Funding to buy bowls and equipment which will make the club more inclusive and to review the irrigation system.
Masham Community Office 3000 Funding towards purchasing the organisation’s premises to secure it as a community asset.
New Beginnings Peer Support 2690 Funding for staff, volunteers, materials etc for workshops looking at self, worth, boundaries and resilience, to increase the health and wellbeing of families, especially children.
Nidderdale Fell & Trail 3000 Funding for training for volunteers to become qualified in leadership and coaching in running, to allow the organisation to expand and offer more running sessions.
Nidderdale Plus Partnership 3000 Funding for three months of Digital Champion Coordinator time to continue to run project to support older people to be safe and confident online, and to stay connected.
Open Country 3000 Funding for staff, volunteer costs, and operational costs towards running an allotment and tree nursery to offer skills development, mental health benefits and social activities for people with disabilities.
Open Country 2450 Funding for staff, volunteers, accessible minibus, and allotment rent to ensure members can access mixed gardening and outdoor activities for those with disabilities or with poor mental health.
Pateley Bridge & BewerleyMemorial Hall 1000 Funding towards extending a local social event by opening for longer, and to offer hot food for the first time as part of the group becoming a warm space, for older people in a rurally isolated area.
Pinewoods Conservation Group 2410 Funding towards tools and PPE to create a new volunteer group to care for the woodland and to support volunteer’s health and wellbeing.
Reflect 2800 Funding for staff, volunteer costs and overheads to publicise support and to increase face to face sessions for people experiencing pregnancy and baby loss, and for those seeking post-termination support.
Ripon City Festival Trust 1986 1800 Funding to support teenagers to engage more with their local community and to address self-care and mental health, by experiencing live theatre themed around wellbeing, taking part in drama workshops and volunteering to encourage other young people to take part in the Festival.
Ripon Disability Forum 2940 Funding to set up a website, particularly to create an interactive route mapping tool, that people with disabilities can design their own travel routes into and around Ripon and the surrounding area.
Samaritans of Harrogate and District 3000 Funding towards volunteer expenses, operational costs and overheads for organisation seeking to reduce the number of people dying by suicide.
Supporting Older People CIO 2940 Funding for staff, DBS checks are publicity to recruit and train befriender volunteers to support older people, and to start a new social group for older residents.
Taking Baby Steps CIC 2530 Funding for staff, travel expenses and sundries to be able to run community drop in groups as a pilot in rural areas, for parents facing pregnancy loss, baby loss, or peri- and post- natal mental health problems in more rural areas of the Harrogate district.
The Trauma Centre Community Interest Company 3000 Funding towards staff to support the running of heavily subsidised self-help evening classes for people with mental health difficulties, which would help reduce the need for more intensive therapy.
The Wellness Gateway CIC 3000 Funding towards staffing, to set up trial Wellness Hub to offer mental health support and signposting in Ripon and surrounding areas.
Village Voices Killinghall 640 Funding for keyboard and accessories to be able to keep rurally isolated village choir running for years to come.
Wellspring Therapy & Training 3000 Funding towards volunteer travel expenses, to be able to offer more counselling sessions and reduce waiting times for people to support people with poor mental health, experiencing family problems and more.

 

 

35-metre 4G mast near Masham approved

Councillors have approved plans to erect a 35 metres-high communications mast near Masham to boost 4G coverage in rural areas.

Mobile infrastructure provider Cornerstone submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council to build the tower in Ox Close Plantation, Healey where a report said existing 4G coverage is “spasmodic”.

The application is part of the shared rural network venture, which is a £1bn drive between government and operators Vodafone, Three and Virgin Media-O2 to improve the UK’s digital connectivity.

However, because the plantation sits within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which has strict planning laws, a council officer recommended refusing the application to preserve “scenic beauty”.

But at a meeting of the Skipton and Ripon planning committee yesterday afternoon, councillors ignored the recommendation and enthusiastically backed the mast proposal due to its positive impact on residents and businesses in the area.

A statement was read out on behalf of Cllr Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat who represents Masham and Fountains, and who has previously campaigned for better rural internet connectivity.

Although she said she supported the plans, her statement informed councillors she also has an interest as her husband owns the land that the mast would be built on so would receive rent.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister’s statement said: 

“Life without this connectivity would become very challenging and become harder as services such as banking come online.

“Any concern about impact on landscape should be considered but not given priority.”

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Veteran Skipton councillor Robert Heseltine said the plans should be approved “as a matter of principle” so rural communities can receive the same services as urban ones.

Cllr Heseltine said: 

“Residents and businesses of rural North Yorkshire have an absolute expectation to receive the same service as the rest of this nation. 

“Communications are a necessity for the safety of the public and viability of farming and rural businesses.”

Ripon councillor Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group, said there were exceptions for building in the AONB and the Yorkshire Dales and referred to the giant “golf balls” at RAF Menwith Hill which “obliterate” the landscape and the Bilsdale television transmitter.

Cllr Williams said: 

“The landscape has always changed and will continue to change. Here are people who are unable to work from home, they can’t get any form of communication, that has an impact on running businesses. 

“It’s not for townies to impose rules and restrictions on rural communities that makes them impossible to be viable. The plans are to be welcomed.”

The plans were approved unanimously.

Metal fences to remain in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens until next year

The metal fencing around the pavilion in Harrogate‘s Crescent Gardens will remain in place until the new year, North Yorkshire Council has confirmed.

The fencing was erected last month as a “temporary measure” to prevent a group of rough sleepers from occupying the building.

The group, which inhabited the pavilion for two weeks in September, returned twice after being dispersed by officials.

A spokesperson for the council told the Stray Ferret this morning:

“The fencing is a temporary measure, but will remain in place until the new year as a result of the Christmas ice rink going into the gardens this month.”

The ice rink, which was put up on Crescent Gardens for the first time last year, is part of a three-year Christmas activity licence introduced by the former Harrogate Borough Council.

In a report at the time, Kirsty Stewart, the council’s grounds and maintenance manager, said the festive licence “will generate a minimum income of £37,500 per year”.

A rose arch has been erected as part of the Crescent Gardens revamp.

This has helped to fund a £21,000 revamp of Crescent Gardens.

Last year, the pavilion was used as a makeshift boot room for ice skaters, however its use this year is uncertain following the recent update.

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Lib Dem leader accuses Tories of ‘pinching’ Harrogate Station Gateway ideas

The leader of the Liberal Democrats in Harrogate and Knaresborough has accused the Conservative transport chief of “pinching” their ideas for the £11.2 million Station Gateway.

North Yorkshire Council is hastily assembling new proposals for the scheme after admitting its previous plans failed to follow the correct procedure in the wake of legal action.

Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways, revealed last week that two of the most controversial aspects of the scheme — reducing Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianising James Street — would be scrapped.

A detailed new plan has yet to be published but it is expected to include improvements to Station Square and One Arch and upgrading traffic signals.

Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh said the Lib Dems suggested dropping the Station Parade and James Street proposals at an online meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee working group on October 31 — shortly before Cllr Duncan’s announcement.

She said the 13 members of the area constituency committee are due to walk around the gateway site tomorrow (Thursday, November 8) with a senior officer at the council.

Cllr Marsh said the visit would enable the council to better understand the area and consider a “better connected” Lib Dem plan for the town centre.

She said previous gateway proposals “started nowhere and ended nowhere”.

Cllr Marsh said:

“There are simple solutions that would connect the town better. They would enable cyclists to feel safer and not upset motorists.”

She added she would reveal full details of the proposals after tomorrow’s meeting but said they included improvements to the public realm near the train and bus stations, keeping the Station Parade taxi rank where it is and “tidying up” the area around the train station car park.

Cllr Marsh said:

“What we feel we have come up with is a better connected scheme.

“We are not playing politics — that is why we put something forward and offered to do a walk round.”

The Stray Ferret has asked Cllr Duncan to respond to Cllr Marsh’s comments but has not had a response.

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