Woodland Trust backs Ripon campaign to save veteran beech tree

Campaigners fighting to save a veteran beech and 10 other mature trees from being felled on a public open green space in Ripon have received support from the Woodland Trust — the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity.

Between 12 noon and 1pm today, more than 60 men, women and children gathered with placards on Minster Gardens for a peaceful protest to raise awareness of the threat facing the trees.

They will be felled if North Yorkshire Council approves Ripon Cathedral’s application to build a two-storey annex on the gardens.

The proposed £6m development, on land which passed into North Yorkshire Council’s ownership in April when Harrogate Borough Council was abolished, would include a song school, community space, toilets, a refectory and shop, which the cathedral says will attract more than 30,000 extra visitors a year to the city.

The veteran beech tree

The veteran beech tree that is under threat of being felled, with ten other trees

To coincide with today’s protest, the Woodland Trust, which has the veteran beech listed on its inventory of ancient trees, reiterated its strong opposition to the removal of the trees.

Jack Taylor, the trust’s lead campaigner for woods under threat, said in the statement:

“The proposed loss of trees within Ripon Cathedral’s Minster Gardens is of grave concern to the Woodland Trust. An irreplaceable veteran beech tree and a number of mature and notable trees would be lost to development on this site.

“Such trees play a vital role in the urban environment, enhancing aesthetic appeal, acting as carbon sinks, providing shade, improving air quality, and supporting local biodiversity. Their loss not only alters the landscape but also has far-reaching environmental and social implications.”

He added:

“The loss of veteran, notable and mature trees is entirely unacceptable and contrary to national planning policies designed to protect these important habitats. We ask that the developers work with North Yorkshire County Council and the local community to safeguard these magnificent urban trees and ensure that Ripon’s Minster Gardens remain vibrant, resilient, and ecologically rich.”

The trust lodged a formal objection to the felling of the tree with North Yorkshire Council this year, as did the planning authority’s own ecologist Dan McAndrew and arboriculturist Alan Gilleard.

What protestors said

Valerie Sheldon, who is one of the 1,800 people who have signed a petition objecting to the felling of the trees, said:

“In the 31 years that I have lived in Ripon I have enjoyed visiting this peaceful green lung. There is no other place like it in the city centre.

“The trees have been here for a very long time and must be protected.”

Simone Hurst added:

“We can’t just stand by and allow the destruction of mature trees that are important to the environment and provide a habitat for hundreds of different wildlife species.”

Steve Ellis said:

“The beech is 200 years old and according to the experts, still has plenty of life in it, Why would anybody want to cut it and other trees down to replace them with an environmentally unfriendly concrete structure.?”

The Stray Ferret approached Ripon Cathedral for comment on today’s protest, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

However, a statement from the Dean and Chapter was released in May, after a smaller protest was held on Minster Gardens. It said:

“The planning application is going through its due process, as such we don’t respond to individual comments or objections during this process.

“What I can say is that we have investigated all available options within the cathedral estate, and none of the sites were suitable for the new building. This was the opinion of a range of external experts who specialise in heritage buildings and conservation as well as architects and project management experts. The needs of all internal and external users of the proposed new building cannot be met by using any other existing chapter property and all cathedral property is currently being used to its maximum capacity.

“As we’ve previously said, the building will be an asset to the people of the city, providing much needed facilities, including a safe space for our choristers to rehearse that is fully accessible, along with public toilet facilities (including a new Changing Places toilet, suitable for those who struggle to use standard accessible toilets).

“While we understand that some people may see the loss of eleven trees as too heavy a price to pay, the development will tidy up an unloved part of the city, increase the amount of public open space and enhance the existing much-valued memorial garden. The plans we’ve submitted also include the planting of 14 new trees around the cathedral, along with a further 300 trees on land made available by a supporter of the project and will see an overall increase in biodiversity across the area.”

The planning application  which was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council last December, is due to be considered by the Skipton and Ripon area constituency planning committee of North Yorkshire Council at a date and venue yet to be confirmed.

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Volunteers plant 40,000 crocuses on Harrogate’s Stray

About 35 volunteers with wellies and spades planted thousands of crocuses on the Stray at West Park in Harrogate this week.

Some 40,000 crocus bulbs have been added to the Stray over the last couple of years.

The perennials, which flower in late winter and spring, have become synonymous with the 200 acres of parkland around Harrogate. It is believed there are between six and eight million of the flowers on the Stray.

This week’s effort focused on the Otley Road section, which has not been covered in recent planting schemes.

Organised by North Yorkshire Council, which manages the Stray, people from Bilton Conservation Group, Harrogate manufacturer Belzona Polymerics, the charity Open Country and individual volunteers took part in this week’s planting.

This week’s planting.

Emma, aged almost 2, explores the crocuses on West Park Stray, Harrogate

Crocuses flowering in spring this year on West Park Stray.

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Three days of roadworks in Ripon city centre begin on Monday

North Yorkshire Council highway engineers will be carrying out trial roadworks along both Market Place East and Market Place West in Ripon next week.

When ongoing, between Monday and Wednesday, each road will be kept open but reduced to a single lane, meaning traffic disruption and delays are inevitable.

The work follows last week’s news that £630,000 has been allocated for a comprehensive tarmac resurfacing of both roads to be carried out next October.

North Yorkshire Council said in a statement:

“Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout and on-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the works area.”

Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council and a members of the Conservative and Independents Group on North Yorkshire Council, where he represents the Minster and Moorside Division, told the Stray Ferret:

“There will be some disruption, but the works are necessary, to enable the engineers to design a scheme that will provide a lasting solution to the problems and potential risks that pedestrians, motorists and cyclists have experienced over many years, after the previous tarmacked surface was replaced with block sets that did not have adequate foundations.”

Picture: Market Place East and West roads will be reduced to a single lane while work is on-going

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Harrogate Spring Water to hold consultation event on expansion

Harrogate Spring Water will hold a public consultation event next week to discuss its revised expansion plans for the Harrogate headquarters.

The event, which will take place in the Byron suite of the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, will enable people to learn more about the proposals, which involve felling 450 trees in Rotary Wood.

The company, which is owned by Danone UK & Ireland, is consulting before it submits a planning application for the development.

Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning consent in 2017, which established the principle of development, but needs its reserved matters application finalising details such as the design and layout of the site to be approved before it can proceed.

It said last week it would plant a 1,200-tree community woodland to offset concerns about the expansion of its bottling plant if North Yorkshire Council approved its plans.

The planting would result in a replacement rate of 3:1 for any trees removed and deliver a 10% increase in biodiversity levels in the area, the company said.

Richard Hall, managing director of Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“We’ve made some major changes to our plans following the feedback we received at our first public consultation event last summer.”

Planning documents say the expanded building on Harlow Moor Road would be designed with softwood boarding, timber elements and metal cladding to “promote a sympathetic and clean appearance”.

Harrogate Spring Water has also said about 50 new jobs will be created as part of the expansion, plus another 20 during the construction period.

Mr Hall added:

“We believe our revised plans address those concerns and create a way forward together for the local community and for ourselves as a growing Harrogate business.

“We would like people to come and see for themselves what we have planned and how we aim to carry it out.”

The consultation will take place on Thursday, November 30 from 4pm – 7pm.

Those unable to attend can have their say here.

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Councillors recommend civic honour for Harrogate’s Rachel Daly

Councillors today voted to recommend awarding a civic honour to Harrogate-born England footballer Rachel Daly.

Rachel’s first club — Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club — launched a petition this year in conjunction with the Stray Ferret calling on North Yorkshire Council to officially recognise their former player.

The council has done nothing to mark Rachel’s achievements, which include winning Euro 2022, playing in the World Cup final and winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award this year.

The petition received more than the required 500 signatures to make it eligible for debate at the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which met today.

The petition was introduced by John Plummer, the editor of the Stray Ferret, who said:

“It’s difficult to think of anyone in North Yorkshire who has achieved more in recent years or done more to put Harrogate on the map.

“It is time for the council to wake up and realise Rachel Daly is a local superstar who should be celebrated — and honour our home-grown Lioness.”

Mr Plummer said it was “inconceivable that the council would not be falling over backwards to honour, say, Harry Kane if he was from Harrogate”, and it would “raise uncomfortable questions about the council, whose ruling executive is 80% male” if it denied recognition for Rachel, particularly as councillors had set a precedent by renaming Ripon leisure centre after Olympic diving champion Jack Laugher, who grew up in the city.

Rachel Daly on the pitch named after her.

Rachel Daly on the pitch named after her at Killinghall Moor Community Park.

The petition suggested renaming Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre but Mr Plummer said the council was welcome to come up with an alternative “but it has to be meaningful and on a scale befitting her accomplishments”.

Cllr Michael Schofield, an Independent who represents Harlow and St George’s, said he had spoken to Rachel, who used to visit the Shepherd’s Dog pub he runs, and she had indicated that although she appreciated the support she didn’t feel naming the leisure centre after her was appropriate.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he felt others, including Harrogate’s Paralympic powerlifter Charlotte McGuinness, had an equal right to be recognised.

The council currently has nothing in place for bestowing civic honours.

The 13-person Liberal Democrat-controlled committee voted in favour of recommending the council “develops a civic honours-type scheme for the council and that Rachel Daly’s achievements are recognised through the new scheme”.

Cllr Peter Lacey, a Liberal Democrat who represents Coppice Valley and Duchy, said he hoped the matter could be dealt with swiftly.

Area constituency committees are advisory bodies to the council. It is now up to the council’s Conservative-controlled executive to decide whether to act on its recommendations.

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Council ‘failing our grandchildren’ in Harrogate due to track record on cycling

Harrogate District Cycle Action has criticised North Yorkshire Council for its track record in delivering active travel in Harrogate, which has seen various cycling and walking schemes abandoned and funding bids rejected.

In recent years the council has built a widely-criticised stretch of cycle route on Otley Road and abandoned the next phase, scrapped a Low Traffic Neighbourhood on Beech Grove and decided against creating a one-way system on Oatlands Drive.

Meanwhile, funding bids have been rejected by the government for new cycle paths on Knaresborough Road and Victoria Avenue.

Its flagship active travel scheme, the £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway, is also set to scaled-back with no guarantees it will offer any benefits for cyclists if it’s eventually built.

The council’s predecessor North Yorkshire County Council undertook a much-publicised Harrogate Congestion Survey in 2019 which showed there was an appetite for improving walking and cycling infrastructure in the town so people are incentivised to leave their cars at home.

But campaigner Gia Margolis, speaking at a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors this morning at the Civic Centre, said the council is “failing our children and grandchildren” due to its patchy record on delivering active travel schemes.

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Speaking on behalf of Harrogate District Cycle Action, Ms Margolis said:

“Consultants have written reports which have all come to the same conclusion — most short journeys [in Harrogate] are less than 1.6 miles and too many are made by car.

“We’re asking you to stop talking and giving us false hope that things will change and look at why the council has failed to deliver any significant active travel schemes over the last nine years.”

Ms Margolis also referred to the various housing estates on the edge of Harrogate that suffer with poor active travel infrastructure and bus routes.

She added:

“Harrogate could by now have had a first-class walking and cycling network which would have made a difference to all our lives but we’re bound by a focus on people in their cars.”

Ms Margolis’ statement was not debated by councillors but instead officer Mark Codman read out a pre-written response.

He referred to the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document that was produced last year to improve infrastructure at the same time as thousands of new homes are built.

Mr Codman said:

“The group’s disappointment has been noted and acknowledged. The west of Harrogate promoters have given consideration towards active travel as part of the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and a proposed bus route extension.

“In addition, walking and cycling schemes have been put forward including Otley Road phase 3, at Windmill Farm and Harlow Moor Road, plus an active travel scheme encompassing Whinney Lane and Pannal Ash Road.”

New proposals revealed for scaled-back Harrogate Station Gateway

Plans to improve Harrogate’s town centre may still go ahead in much reduced form, but the costs will not go down, and may yet rise, according to documents published today

The document, published ahead of a council meeting on Tuesday, also gives further details of the proposed £11.2 million Station Gateway.

The original proposals entailed the part-pedestrianisation of James Street and the reduction of a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade to a single lane to make space for cycle lanes. 

But North Yorkshire Council halted the scheme in August following a legal challenge by Hornbeam Park Developments. The council admitted it made an error by not following the correct procedure.

At a meeting on Tuesday next week (November 28), councillors are now set to discuss revised proposals that do not include major alterations to the road layout – the elements that gave rise to the most controversy. 

But despite the more modest scope of the plans, the Supplementary Agenda document published ahead of the meeting states: 

“…a reduced scope scheme is not considered likely to achieve savings but rather will require the entire ‘in principle’ TCF [Transforming Cities Fund] budget”. 

It adds: 

“The risk of further budget increase if a revised project is developed cannot be discounted.” 

The plans to be discussed are believed to focus on those elements of the scheme that gathered the most public support.

One Arch

One Arch

These include public realm improvements to Station Square and One Arch (the foot tunnel under the railway at the bottom end of Station Parade), improved access into the bus station and linked sequencing of the traffic lights between the Ripon Road/King’s Road and the Station Parade/Victoria Avenue junctions. 

The possibility of a southbound segregated cycle lane on Station Parade, while retaining two lanes for motorised traffic, is also being explored. Wider cycling infrastructure improvements would be delivered under further stages of investment. 

The Harrogate Station Gateway scheme is one of three schemes worth £42 million being funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to improve station gateways to town centres in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton. 

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“We are now at a critical stage in the delivery of the three projects, which will be transformative for Harrogate, Selby and Skipton. 

“Our revised proposals focus on core elements with the most public support. The plans are affordable, deliverable and are built on extensive cross-party engagement with councillors. 

“We are being clear and realistic about what we can achieve now, and the measures we want to deliver in further stages. 

“This is positive progress that puts us in the best possible position to deliver this landmark package of investment while avoiding potential delays and navigating budget constraints. 

“It means we are ready to submit final business cases for the Selby and Skipton schemes next month, and for Harrogate as soon as is possible.” 

Further detailed work on the Harrogate scheme will be required prior to public consultation next year.

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Frustration grows over ‘rubble on the road’ saga in Knaresborough

Residents and businesses in Knaresborough have expressed exasperation at the length of time it is taking to resolve the collapsed wall on Briggate.

Traffic lights have been in place since a section of the wall came down more than two months ago.

The lights have caused frequent delays on a key route in and out of Knaresborough, with traders claiming it is deterring people from shopping in town.

North Yorkshire Council has said work will finally start on Monday — but lights are likely to remain for several months.

Local people do not understand why a pile of rubble is proving so difficult to deal with, and fear it will hamper Christmas trade.

Bob McRae, who has lived in Knaresborough for 40 years, wrote to the council about the issue.

He praised council leader Carl Les and corporate director for environment Karl Battersby for replying promptly but said he failed to understand why this had become such a big issue. He said:

“People are frustrated. It’s just a bunch of rocks that have been sitting there and it seems nobody can pick them up. There could have been a temporary fix to get the traffic moving.”

Mr McRae also questioned whether council officers in Northallerton understood the impact the situation was having on the town.

The wall collapsed in September.

Hairdresser Kelly Teggin agreed, adding:

“I don’t believe in this day and age nothing can be done to get both lanes back open as soon as possible.

“All other roadworks should have been suspended as soon as the wall fell in September.

“Town and trade is massively affected and it’s not going to change before the end of January, which is disastrous for our town.”

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‘We cannot avoid emergency works’

Mr Battersby said the work was more complicated than initially thought.

He said:

“We have been working hard to prepare plans to rebuild the collapsed wall on Briggate in Knaresborough, which is currently under two-way lights to protect road users and ensure traffic can move safely.

“Due to concerns of the residents with cellars – who were directly impacted by the collapsed wall – the works are now more complex than first anticipated.

“Work will start on Monday, November 27, under the existing two-way lights, and is due to be concluded in late-December. In the new year (date to be confirmed), further maintenance work along the rest of the wall will take place – again, under two-way lights – to ensure its future integrity is maintained.”

The traffic lights on Briggate.

He added:

“We also have an embargo on other road works in the local area during this time. However, it is worth stressing, we cannot avoid emergency works.

“We appreciate Knaresborough Christmas events are due to take place in the coming weeks, and this may cause some delays, but safety must come first. To help prevent any delays, we will be manually controlling the lights during the Knaresborough Christmas Market, to ensure the movement of traffic.”

 

Council threatens to remove mystery ‘no parking’ signs in Harrogate

Several unofficial ‘no parking’ signs have been put up on a grass verge on Wetherby Road in Harrogate.

The signs, which are outside Harrogate Town Football Club, appeared about two weeks ago. It is not known who erected them.

The grass verge is part of Duchy land and is managed by North Yorkshire Council, which is also the highways authority, However, the council has not authorised the signs.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director of highways and transport, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are aware of ‘no parking signs’ being placed on Wetherby Road, close to Harrogate Town Football Club.

“We are investigating the matter and if the signs are found to have been erected without proper authorisation, they will be removed.”

Parking is notoriously difficult around Wetherby Road, particularly on match days. These signs appeared during work to build a new stand at the Envirovent Stadium.

However, the club is not aware of who is responsible for the signs on the verge.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Town AFC added:

“Parking has never been allowed on it.

“Vans/cars were getting parking tickets for a long time before this, but it’s just got worse of late.

“There are several builders’ projects nearby adding to ours, so likely a combined problem and more deliveries etc.”

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Tree campaigners to hold protest against Ripon Cathedral’s £6m annex plans

Campaigners fighting the proposed felling of a veteran beech and 10 other mature trees to make way for Ripon Cathedral’s planned £6m annex will hold a peaceful protest at Minster Gardens on Saturday.

The proposed development would include a song school, community space, toilets, a refectory and shop, which it says will attract more visitors to the city.

But the potential loss of trees has attracted opposition, and protestors will make their feelings known between 12 noon and 1pm on Saturday.

Ripon resident Jenni Holman, who has raised a petition containing almost 1,800 names, which has been submitted to planners at North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“Over the past eight months we have been raising awareness of the cathedral’s plans, which involve the loss of the trees on what is currently public green open space in the ownership of North Yorkshire Council.

“We do not object to the cathedral having the additional facilities that it needs to prosper, but there are more suitable and less sensitive locations, including land and buildings owned by the church,  which could be developed to meet its needs.”

She added:

“North Yorkshire Police have been informed that we will be holding our peaceful protest on Minster Gardens from 12 noon and we will be happy to speak to anybody, whether for or against the annex development , to explain why we have raised the petition.”

Jenni Holman (front, centre) pictured at the May protest on Minster Gardens

A previous protest was held at the gardens in May, when the number of people who signed the petition was approaching 500.

At that time, the Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for comment about the objection being made and received this response:

“The planning application is going through its due process, as such we don’t respond to individual comments or objections during this process.

“What I can say is that we have investigated all available options within the cathedral estate, and none of the sites were suitable for the new building. This was the opinion of a range of external experts who specialise in heritage buildings and conservation as well as architects and project management experts. The needs of all internal and external users of the proposed new building cannot be met by using any other existing chapter property and all cathedral property is currently being used to its maximum capacity.

“As we’ve previously said, the building will be an asset to the people of the city, providing much needed facilities, including a safe space for our choristers to rehearse that is fully accessible, along with public toilet facilities (including a new Changing Places toilet, suitable for those who struggle to use standard accessible toilets).

“While we understand that some people may see the loss of 11 trees as too heavy a price to pay, the development will tidy up an unloved part of the city, increase the amount of public open space and enhance the existing much-valued memorial garden. The plans we’ve submitted also include the planting of 14 new trees around the cathedral, along with a further 300 trees on land made available by a supporter of the project and will see an overall increase in biodiversity across the area.”

Main picture: Campaigners are fighting to save this veteran beech and ten other mature trees