North Yorkshire Council Archives - Page 147 of 236

Ripon primary school named as one of the most diverse in North Yorkshire

Moorside Primary School and Nursery in Ripon has been named as one of the most culturally diverse schools in North Yorkshire and has been recognised for its inclusivity.

The school has pupils from 17 different nationalities and has become the first in the county to be awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Flagship status.

Almost 10 different languages are spoken by children at the school and almost 20% of the school, 33 pupils, do not speak English as their first language.

It has 190 pupils of various religious beliefs and there are children whose families originate from countries such as Nigeria, Syria, Afghanistan, Poland, Pakistan, Romania, China and Latvia.

The Inclusion Quality Mark was established in the UK in October 2004 with the objective of supporting both state and independent schools to become inclusive.

Claire Rowett, headteacher at Moorside Primary and Nursery, said:

“There have been increasing opportunities through our IQM work to raise pupil voice and provide them with a platform to share projects, as well as share their learning opportunities, knowledge across the curriculum, personal development opportunities and also how they keep safe, mentally and physically healthy.

“We support and celebrate diversity within our school community.”

Ms Rowett added:

“Some of the work has also led us to achieve gold in the North Yorkshire Council’s Healthy School Awards for our efforts to improve the health, wellbeing and resilience in our school community. I am, as ever, extremely proud of everything that we have achieved at Moorside. The success that we have had has been through the tenacious hard work of all staff and governors, working with our children and their families, which we value greatly.

Above all, we are proud of our pupils and their confidence in sharing the work the we do together – they are the best ambassadors for our school”

Children in class with teacher Georgia Padbury-Hunt.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, said:

“The IQM award recognises the commitment by schools to provide the best education for all children irrespective of differences. This recognition truly reflects the wonderful work of staff, governors and, of course, the pupils at Moorside Primary School and Nursery to successfully remove barriers to learning and maximise educational experiences. Congratulations to all involved.”

Plans for car wash on busy Harrogate road withdrawn

Plans to build a car wash and valeting station on Skipton Road in Harrogate have been withdrawn.

A planning application was submitted to North Yorkshire Council in December for the facility, which would have been created on the car park of a former builder’s merchants near to Harrogate Fire Station.

Tofan Osman Abdullah, who is based in Leeds, was behind the scheme and planning documents stated that he had experience running a similar business a few years ago.

According to the application, the business would have opened from 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

A design and access statement attached to the application urged the council to approve the plans. It said:

“There are strong planning grounds to support this application, and to support local businesses. We believe the additional noise would not make a difference in comparison with the very close busy A59 road.”

However, before the application could be considered, the council’s environmental health team submitted a representation that raised concerns about the potential for noise impacting nearby residential properties.

It asked the applicant to produce a report to outline how much noise the car wash might create and how this will be mitigated.

A council officer said:

“The proposed location of the development is right next to a noise sensitive property (79 Skipton Road), and others on Bartle Avenue are in close proximity. There are no details as to the type of equipment to be used on site and the associated noise levels.

“This department has investigated complaints associated with noise from such an activity at properties at a further distance therefore there is the potential for this development to impact the noise sensitive properties in proximity to it.”

A request to withdraw the application was accepted by the council.

Plans approved to convert Tockwith tennis court into multi-use games pitch

A planning application to convert existing tennis courts into a multi-use games pitch in Tockwith has been approved.

The plan, which was tabled to North Yorkshire Council in January, outlines plans to re-surface the two current tennis courts, install LED floodlights and erect new fencing.

The Stray Ferret reported on the proposal in February and spoke to Mike Corbett, chair of Tockwith Sportsfield Trust, which submitted the application.

Mr Corbett said at the time the new site would have an all-weather surface, adding:

“The current tennis courts are hard courts, but the surface is poor and weeds are coming through.

“Of course, we’re doing this to improve the club itself, but also to attract young people and give them something to do, rather than just being on their phones.”

A drawing of the proposed new site.

He said the new pitch will be suitable for tennis and five-aside football, adding the trust also planned to install basketball provisions at the open-air site.

Mr Corbett previously told the Stray Ferret the new fencing could also make the pitch suitable for padel tennis.

The trust planned to fund the project partly through section 106 monies, paid by developers who are building new housing developments in the village.

It will also be funded by the football club and Tockwith Festival. North Yorkshire Council approved the plans on Monday, April 22.

The Stray Ferret contacted Tockwith Sportsfield Trust about the approval, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Public invited to attend Maltkiln consultation event

The developer hoping to build thousands of new homes between Harrogate and York will hold a public consultation in Kirk Hammerton next month.

Caddick Group says the event on Tuesday, May 7, at Kirk Hammerton village hall will be a chance for the local community to view its proposals for Maltkiln and to speak directly with the team developing the scheme. It will take place between 2pm and 8pm.

A minimum of 3,000 homes and two primary schools could be built near the villages of Cattal, Whixley, Green Hammerton and Kirk Hammerton.

This month, North Yorkshire Council submitted its Maltkiln development plan document (DPD) to the government’s Planning Inspectorate ahead of an examination.

Caddick says the scheme aims to address the “acute housing shortage” in North Yorkshire.

Proposals are also available to view and respond to on a dedicated consultation website.

An online form for feedback will open on Monday, May 6 and will close on Friday, May 27.

Chris Procter, director at Caddick Group, said:

“We have been liaising with North Yorkshire Council and other key political stakeholders throughout the DPD process, to ensure our plans are able to not only deliver much-needed housing, but are also able to provide a range of housing types and tenures, giving people the flexibility to live where they wish.

“Our revised proposals for Maltkiln will incorporate enhancements to transport infrastructure around the site, as well as bringing forward proposals for onsite amenities and a strategy to deliver biodiversity net gain, to deliver a sustainable and connected community.

“As the DPD process draws to a conclusion, we want to re-engage with the community to seek their valuable feedback on our revised plans.”

Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he hopes people living in the area will attend the consultation as he said there were still unanswered questions regarding the scheme.

The developer still does not own a large section of land around Cattal Station with the council saying it would be willing to use a compulsory purchase order to force through a sale.

He also questioned the timing of the consultation event which is taking place before the DPD examination.

Cllr Warneken said:

“We have not resolved the situation about land. I’m not sure why the consultation is taking place so early in the process. The community will get a chance to respond to DPD, which is the right way to do it. I don’t understand the thinking but I’m not a developer.”

18-month Harrogate road closure to end

A Harrogate road that has been closed to traffic for 18 months will reopen in less than two weeks.

Vehicles have been blocked from crossing the bridge where Kingsley Road meets Bogs Lane since November 2022.

By law, temporary road closures can only last for a maximum of 18 months, which means the route, off the busy A59 Knaresborough Road, will reopen on May 6.

North Yorkshire Council considered permanently closing the road — a move welcomed at the time by the local councillor who said it would end the “Kingsley rat run”.

But this option is no longer being pursued.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said:

“The temporary closure of Kingsley Road and Bogs Lane will come to an end on Monday, May 6, once the resurfacing is completed and traffic signals go live.

“We will not be progressing the permanent road closure as part of the developer-funded works.”

The decision to reopen the road means it will once again be an alternative for emergency vehicles when the level crossing barriers are down at Starbeck on the A59.

A 12-month temporary prohibition of traffic order was issued from November 7, 2022, to enable developer Redrow to carry out work at its 133-home Kingsley Manor development.

North Yorkshire Council extended the order by six months in November last year to enable Barratt Homes, which built the nearby Kingsley Meadows development, to construct a footway along Bogs Lane to make the area safer for pedestrians.

Mr Mason said:

“The construction of a footway on Bogs Lane will conclude current developer obligations. This is due to be completed for the road reopening, subject to weather conditions.”

Cold Bath Road restaurant asks for outdoor seating until 11pm

La Feria in Harrogate has asked North Yorkshire Council for permission to allow outdoor seating until 11pm between April and September.

The restaurant offers Spanish cuisine from the Andalusia region and opened on Cold Bath Road in 2016 after moving from a smaller premises on Royal Parade.

La Feria, which is the trading name of Whaddya Know? Ltd, had a temporary licence for outdoor seating until 11pm last summer which owner Jeremy Verity would now like to make permanent.

Currently, customers are allowed to sit outside until 9pm.

The building was previously a pub for many years and was known as the Old Tradition, the Honest Lawyer and the Iron Duke.

Councillors on the licensing sub-committee will meet on Friday in Harrogate to consider the application.

The application has received three objections from residents living near the restaurant who all say it should be refused due to noise.

One person said:

“We have a young family and it is important that we are able to live in a peaceful residential environment. If the restaurant was operating as they intended with their new application, we would not have purchased this house. It will significantly impact our peace and quiet and the ability of our young child to sleep.”

Mr Verity wrote in the application:

“We are currently permitted to use the terraced area in front of the restaurant until 21.00 because of an environmental protection condition on our license which prohibits us from using the terrace between 21.00 – 11.00. We would like to remove this condition to be able to use the terrace until 23.00 from Monday to Saturday.

“Realistically, this will only be during the summer months, from April to September, during the lighter evenings. We have successfully operated the terrace area in previous summers until 23.00 through the use of Temporary Event Notices (TENS) and would now like to formalise this activity if possible.”

The meeting will take place at 2pm on Friday at Harrogate’s Civic Centre. It will be streamed live on YouTube.

Empty Harrogate bar unit could finally have a new tenant

North Yorkshire Council says it has accepted an offer to rent out the former Potting Shed bar unit in Harrogate which has stood empty for more than five years.

The unit is next to JD Wetherspoon and is part of the vast council-owned Royal Baths estate. The council had it on the market for £120,000 a year.

The Potting Shed closed in 2019 after less than a year in Harrogate when its parent company went into administration.

The building was previously home to Rift & Co and Revolution and spans 7,000 square feet.

In February, the council confirmed that it had accepted an offer on the former Viper Rooms building, which is also part of the Royal Baths, however, the leases on both units are yet to be signed.

The Grade II listed Baths was purchased by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018 however its value has fallen from £9.5m before the covid pandemic to £7m today, according to a report.

The council’s director of finance Gary Fielding blamed the drop in how much the building is worth on a “general drop in market sentiment” towards the retail and night-time sectors.

The council moved the Tourist Information Centre from the Royal Baths to the Pump Room museum earlier this year which could raise £40,000 a year in rental income.

Mr Fielding said there has been interest in the former Tourist Information Centre office and prospective tenants will be shown around in the next week.

Harrogate’s newest councillor says town ready for a Lib Dem MP

Andrew Timothy says his victory in the Stray, Hookstone and Woodlands council by-election is a sign that Harrogate and Knaresborough are ready for a Liberal Democrat MP.

Earlier this month, Cllr Timothy beat his Conservative rival John Ennis by 326 votes — and with a general election around the corner, he believes the result is a shape of things to come.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Timothy said:

“The result does show that in terms of a general election if people don’t want to have a Tory MP the best way is to vote Lib Dem. The Greens and Labour were far behind.”

He described the first few days as a councillor as a lot like starting any new job. He’s been given a laptop for casework, has Zoom meetings scheduled with the different executive members and will undertake training on things like planning.

He’s only been in position for less than two weeks but he said he’s been busy dealing with nuts and bolts local issues like potholes and grass verges.

Cllr Timothy said:

“I’ve already sent out emails to the council. One was talking about drainage off the Stray and its impact on nearby roads like St James’ Drive and St Winifred’s Road.”

Andrew Timothy (left) pictured at the by-election count.

At 25, Cllr Timothy is now the youngest councillor on North Yorkshire Council.

He moved to Harrogate from the West Midlands a few years ago and the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands he works at Labcorp, formerly Covance, which is a science lab off Otley Road that is controversial due to its use of animal testing for medicines.

Cllr Timothy would not confirm that he works at Labcorp but did offer a comment on animal testing. He emphasised that the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) asks that all medicines be tested on animals before they are used on humans.

At the by-election count at Woodlands Methodist Church, it was evident that the Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate Tom Gordon was now in charge of the local party, buzzing around with a notebook and liaising with different party members.

Cllr Timothy believes Mr Gordon’s background in the charitable sector means he understands the struggles that people go through day-to-day.

However, Cllr Timothy’s campaign was criticised for a leaflet that incorrectly said the Green Party weren’t standing in the by-election. The matter has been referred to North Yorkshire Police.

Cllr Timothy did not want to go into detail about the leaflet due to the investigation but said it was due to a “clerical error”.

Andrew Jones MP, who will face Mr Gordon for his fifth general election, wrote to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey about the leaflet and he repeated a previously made claim that the local party was now a “rogue political operation.”

Cllr Timothy said Mr Jones’ reaction “shows he’s worried about how the general election is going to go”.

He added:

“He’s focusing on tarnishing us when really he should be making Harrogate and Knaresborough better”.

Cllr Timothy has big boots to fill, replacing veteran Lib Dem councillor Pat Marsh who resigned following controversial comments she made on social media platform X. He said he’s not in contact with her but hopes she’s doing OK.

He said:

“I’m honoured and slightly surprised so many people have put their trust in me. I’m thrilled to get the opportunity. Thanks again to the people of Stray, Hookstone and Woodlands, I won’t let them down.”

Town-centre residents launch petition to demand Station Gateway details

A resident of Harrogate town centre has launched a petition demanding to be informed about how work on the £12.1 million Station Gateway redevelopment will affect her and her neighbours.

As we reported last week, Rachael Inchboard previously submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request to North Yorkshire Council to ask for the development plans to be made available urgently so that people could have their say.

But although the council said the information would be published “as soon as it is practical to do so”, it revealed that would likely be in the summer, rather than the spring, as was previously stated.

Now, Ms Inchboard hopes the petition, which she launched on behalf of Granville Road Residents’ Group, will help speed the process up. So far, it has been signed by 137 people; her target is at least 200 signatures. She told the Stray Ferret:

“Residents like me who live in the town centre don’t know what’s going on. We’ve asked for the details but been refused.

“We’d like to know specifically what the plans are so that we know whether or not we want to challenge them.”

She fears the plan details could eventually be released so late that there will be no time to raise concerns or have them acted upon. She said:

“A couple of years ago, just one local resident received a letter notifying her of one of the in-person consultations on the day it was happening, and the other residents found out about it from her. So we’re very aware that some of these consultations are very rushed.

“There are a lot of issues that aren’t clear, and we don’t want that to happen again.”

Granville Road Residents’ Group, which submitted an earlier petition in 2021 opposing the Gateway scheme, campaigns on behalf of people living on streets including Granville Road, Back Granville Road, Mount Parade, Back Cheltenham Mount and Strawberry Dale Avenue.

Ms Inchboard said the issue was about more than just the Station Gateway – it was about accountability. She said:

“People here are paying a lot of money in council tax, yet someone who’s just had a big pay-rise [Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council] can’t even get back to us about what’s going to happen just feet away from our front doors. There’s no transparency, and that has to change.”

City council supports rejuvenation plans for Ripon’s Spa Baths

Ripon City Council has given its backing to plans designed to return Ripon’s iconic Spa Baths to its former Edwardian glory.

Ripon-based property investment and development company Sterne Properties Limited, is seeking planning approval from North Yorkshire Council for a mixed-used hospitality-led scheme that will see the restoration of the spa building, which includes ornate tiles, stained glass, period lighting and other features dating back to 1905, when it opened.

Many of the Grade II listed building’s decorative elements have not been seen for 88 years, as the spa was re-purposed in 1936 to accommodate a public swimming pool and the addition of a pool hall saw the concealment of classical designs on windows, walls and ceilings.

Robert Sterne, pictured at the ornate main entrance to the Spa building

Director Robert Sterne, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are pleased to have the support of Ripon City Council, alongside that of Ripon Civic Society, for our proposed rejuvenation of Spa Baths.”

He added:

“Our objective, as a long-term investor in our home city, is to deliver high quality developments that breathe new life into listed and historically-important buildings and bring redundant properties back into active use.

“This is achieved through a sensitive balance of residential and commercial space and the delivery of workable schemes that are financially viable and environmentally sustainable.”

Sterne’s plan includes four new-build apartments and the regenerated complex will provide public access to the Spa building along with a new pedestrian route into the adjacent Spa Gardens.

The city council voted in favour of the scheme at its full meeting last week and its response to the proposed plans will be lodged with North Yorkshire Council planners.

Councillors Barbara Brodigan and Andrew Williams, who are members of the the North Yorkshire Council Skipton and Ripon Area Planning Committee, left the council chamber before the agenda item was considered by fellow councillors.

As required for all Ripon planning applications that include a new-build element, ground stability tests have taken place at the Park Street site and results from them will be supplied to the planning department.

Main image: An architect’s perspective of how the refurbished Spa building will look. Image: architecture:ab

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