North Yorkshire Council Archives - Page 217 of 248

Co-op submits plans for new store in Boroughbridge

Plans have been submitted to open a Co-op in Boroughbridge.

The 359-square metre store would sell fresh, frozen and chilled products from 7am to 10pm seven days a week.

It would be built on the site of the former Searles Carpets showroom and Saab garage on Horsefair.

A design statement sent on behalf of the applicants to North Yorkshire Council, which will decide whether to approve the development, says:

“The site is located central to Boroughbridge and has stood vacant for several months and is in need to redevelopment.

“The proposal to create a modern format convenience food store is an opportunity enhance the local amenities together with job creation.

The document adds the “traditional looking” building would conform with the requirements of the Boroughbridge Conservation Area.

Another impression of the proposed store.

An accompanying planning statement says the store would have 13 car park spaces, including one disabled bay, and be accessed from Horsefair via a new access route.

It adds the store would be operated by Central Co-Operative, which “is independent from the Co-Operative Group, but are part of the wider co-operative movement”. Central Co-Operative currently trades from some 440 outlets in 19 counties.

The planning statement says the Spar shop on High Street is the only existing town centre supermarket / general store. It adds:

“Boroughbridge is therefore generally considered to be a vital and viable centre, although it clearly provides a relatively limited food retail offer

“It has been clearly demonstrated that the proposals will deliver a high quality form of development that respects the character and appearance of the local area.”

Councillors call for ‘comprehensive resurfacing’ of Ripon city centre roads

Councillors are calling for damaged roads in Ripon city centre to be resurfaced with tarmac as a matter of urgency.

The principal areas of concern are the four roads around Market Square where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.

In recent years North Yorkshire Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.

Roads around the market are the main concern.

On Friday, city council leader Andrew Williams will tour Ripon with North Yorkshire highways officials to show them where problems exist with cracked and uneven roads and pavements.

At Monday evening’s full council meeting, he said:

“There are many parts of Ripon where repair and renewal is required, but the dangerous state of the roads around Market Square is totally unacceptable for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists and the temporary fixes just don’t work.

“These are the busiest roads in the city centre and comprehensive resurfacing works need to be included in North Yorkshire Highways capital programme as a matter of urgency.”

Cllr Williams’ proposal, which calls on North Yorkshire to make the work a priority, was unanimously supported by fellow councillors.

Council to press ahead with Nidderdale Children’s Centre closure

North Yorkshire Council looks set to press ahead with the close of a children’s centre in Pateley Bridge.

The authority has proposed to close five centres across the county as part of cost cutting measures.

Among them is Nidderdale Children’s Centre, which is based at St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge.

The council has recommended consulting on closure of the facility, which it says has not reopened since the covid pandemic.

Instead, officials have proposed giving the space back to the school in a bid to save the authority £13,400 a year.

Council officials launched a consultation back in March over the planned closure.

In a report due before the authority’s executive next week, the council said just one response was received in relation to the Pateley Bridge facility.

The respondent did not agree with the closure and cited “lack of resources within the locality, requesting that the centre be retained for the development of groups to support children and their families”.

In response, council officials said:

“As evidenced in the report to exec member dated 7 March 2023 there was very little use of the building therefore it would not be financially viable to reopen this building.

“Within the Nidderdale locality there are currently several groups that provide support for children and their families.”

The centre opened in September 2010 as a designated children’s centre. It was backed by £590,715 worth of Sure Start funding from the Department for Education.

The council said it does not anticipate that the government will request any of the money back.

Centres in Eastfield, South Craven, Kirbymoorside and Wensleydale will also be considered for closure.

Senior councillors will consider the proposal at a meeting on June 20.

Residents object to plans for new Knaresborough development

About 30 Knaresborough residents and the town council have objected to plans to build nine flats on the site of one of the town’s oldest houses and its garden.

Paul Franklin has submitted plans to demolish the property and build the homes on land off Stockwell Road.

Mr Franklin said the scheme would “provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough”.

But some 30 objections have been made to the North Yorkshire Council, which will approve or reject the application. The decision will either be made by the council’s planning committee, which consists of elected councillors, or by an individual planning officer.

The objectors include Knaresborough Town Council, which said in its submission the development would be “overbearing and will overlook neighbouring properties particularly gardens affecting other residents privacy”, create parking problems and increase congestion.

It added trees were removed from the site during nesting season and the application was “not sufficiently different from the previous one” refused in 2007.

Its concluded:

“Knaresborough Town Council ask that the application is strongly rejected and that it should go to the North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee for consideration.”

A group of residents recently asked to meet the Stray Ferret at the site to voice their concerns.

Estelle Green, whose garden on St Margaret’s Road has traditionally overlooked trees, now faces the prospect of neighbours being able to see into her home. She said:

“Our community is devastated, we are all standing together.”

The green area where the flats would be built.

Ann Briscoe agreed, adding:

“We would lose our privacy and the scheme is completely out of keeping with the area.”

Tony Sandland said traffic problems and pollution were major concerns, along with fears that concreting over the garden would increase the risk of flooding.

The objections submitted on the council website include concerns about the scheme worsening “gridlock across the railway bridge” on Stockwell Road, the “inadequate” number of parking places in a residential area close to the town centre, a GP surgery and schools.

There is also concern about the loss of the current stone building, which one objector says is “steeped in history, farming, once a bakery and many years ago a sweetshop”.

Another objection says the size of the proposed three-storey development, overlooking two-storey properties, “is completely out of proportion and would lead not only to a loss of privacy but to a significant loss in natural light”.

There are fears the development will heighten parking difficulties on adjoining St Margaret’s Road.

‘Quality and sustainable places to live’

A design and access statement submitted as part of the planning process said the applicant has identified a need for housing in the specific area and “the proposals will have no detrimental effect to the surrounding properties”.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Franklin to respond to concerns. He said:

“For over 12 months we have been in consultation with the council. Under the guidance of external consultees, we have carefully designed a scheme to provide local people a quality and sustainable place to live and enjoy Knaresborough.

“Comments have been received from local residents mainly covering historically-recurring issues which need to be raised with the relevant bodies – Yorkshire Water, highways authority etc.

“Knaresborough has a rich history, but the site is not a historical asset or listed building and is beyond economical repair despite significant investment during ownership.

“Our garden was cleared of nettles, perennial weeds and thistles and four disease-ridden / choked trees over the past two years. Felling of diseased trees was done outside of nesting season, and no Tree Protection Orders were in place.

“For further comment, please see the responses made to individual commentators that will be submitted to the council as part of the consultation.”

‘I feel liberated’: Harrogate Lib Dem councillor goes independent

Harrogate councillor Michael Schofield has left the Liberal Democrats and will sit as an independent on North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Schofield was elected in May 2022 in the Harlow and St Georges division after winning 45% of the vote.

However, after just over a year he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this morning that with the Lib Dems preparing for a potential general election next year he has stepped away from the party to focus on local issues.

He said:

“It’s a case of with the political turmoil going on nationally, and all parties gearing up for a general election, the worry is my local area will get left behind. I was elected to serve Harlow Hill and St Georges and my only aim is to do that.

“It’s time for a clean break and for me to serve in the town. People get bogged down with the electioneering. I’ll let people go and do and that. That takes me away from things I want to do and serving the community.”

Cllr Schofield, who is the landlord of the Shepherds Dog pub on Harlow Hill, said he apologised to any of the voters who voted for him because of his former political affiliation but added that he’s not a “national political animal”.

He said some of his former Lib Dem colleagues are “probably not happy” with his decision but he said he now feels liberated free of the party machine.

He added:

“I have a lot of friends within that group but my aim is do cross-party politics. The only way we can move forward is by having cross-party politics. If you have two parties arguing all the time you’re never going to move forward. I’m all for collaboration.”

Cllr Schofield’s decision to stand as an independent follows similar moves by councillors on different parties in recent months.

In April, Scarborough councillor Tony Randerson resigned from the Labour party and stood as an independent in a by-election that he won.

This week Conservative councillor for Camblesforth, Mike Jordan, quit the party citing dismay with the national party.

North Yorkshire Council has 45 Tory members and the same number of Liberal Democrat, Liberals, Labour, Green and Independent councillors.

Power share bid fails at Harrogate and Knaresborough council committee

A bid to share the leadership of a North Yorkshire Council committee in Harrogate and Knaresborough has failed.

Conservatives sitting on the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee had proposed a shared chairmanship between their councillor, Paul Haslam, and Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh.

Cllr Sam Gibbs, Conservative representative of Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate, said:

“We’ve clearly got two very good, qualified candidates for this role. I know my LD colleagues are really fond of job shares. I was wondering if they’d be interested in job sharing this role over the next 12 months?

“We’ve heard them in previous meetings suggest such things and think it’s a really good idea, so let’s see if they’re keen to follow through on this occasion.”

The proposal caused some confusion, with the council’s democratic services manager Daniel Harry saying no other committee had had two chairmen before on an NYC committee or at North Yorkshire County Council before it.

However, he said there was no legal reason it could not happen, as long as the terms were clear, such as chairing alternate meetings.

Cllr Arnold Warneken, who is not a committee member but attends the meetings as Green party councillor for Ouseburn, said:

“I know I’m not allowed to propose anything or vote, but I’m going to ask a question: do the candidates both agree that they would do that?”

Cllr Pat Marsh, who represents the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division and was leader of the Liberal Democrats in opposition at Harrogate Borough Council, responded:

“No, I’m not happy to share that. Sorry.”

Committee members were then asked to vote on whether the post should be shared. The five Conservatives all voted in favour, but were defeated by the seven Liberal Democrats who opposed the plan.

Instead, Pat Marsh was elected as chairman with seven votes in favour and five abstentions.

A bid for Cllr Haslam to be elected as vice chairman was also defeated by six votes to five with one abstention. Cllr Monika Slater, the Lib Dem representative of Bilton Grange and New Park, was chosen instead by seven votes in favour to none against and five abstentions.

Cllr Marsh is also chair of the planning committee for the area, where Cllr Haslam is vice chairman. Three other Liberal Democrats and two further Conservatives also sit on that committee.

Conservatives lose majority on North Yorkshire Council

The Conservatives have lost their majority on North Yorkshire Council following the defection of a councillor.

Mike Jordan resigned today from the Conservatives to become an independent.

He added he would support Pateley Bridge man Keith Tordoff, the Yorkshire Party candidate, in next year’s mayoral election for York and North Yorkshire and he also “might join the Yorkshire Party”.

It means the Tories now have 45 of the 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council — precisely half. However, if a vote is tied, the Tory chair David Ireton would get the casting vote.

Cllr Jordan said:

“I have listened to my constituents and I recognise their frustration with the Conservative Party and how their policies nationally and locally are affecting their health and wealth whilst destroying their communities.”

Yorkshire-born Cllr Jordan, who represents Camblesforth and Carlton, said his disillusionment with the Conservatives was more national than local, with the exception of the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign, which wants 20mph speed limits to be the norm on residential streets and in town and village centres.

He said he supported the initiative whereas “most of the Conservatives on north Yorkshire Council think it’s a waste of time”.

Cllr Jordan said the North Yorkshire Conservatives had not backed his bid to become the county’s first mayor next year and he would therefore support Mr Tordoff:

“I strongly believe Keith Tordoff, if elected mayor would make York and North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse, improve transport, whilst also through sustainability initiatives enrich the quality of the lives of people in the county.”

Plan to convert former Ripon dentist into flat

A plan has been lodged to convert a former dentist in Ripon into a flat.

The proposal, which has been lodged by Wilkinsons Properties Ltd, would see the former W&B Dental practice converted.

The dentists was formerly based at 12 High Skellgate in the city.

The practice has since moved to Phoenix Business Centre.

Under the plans, the first floor property would be converted into a one-bedroom flat and be accessed from High Skellgate.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Concerns over ‘undemocratic’ planning meeting on Knox Lane houses

Questions have been raised over whether the planning process is democratic after a controversial housing application in Harrogate was deferred for a third time.

The 53-home proposal for Knox Lane was discussed at a planning committee meeting at the end of May, but councillors were told this week that residents were unhappy about the way it had been conducted.

The plans were recommended for approval, but councillors did not follow planning officers’ advice.

Instead they voted to defer it again because the developer, Jomast, had not carried out the land contamination report requested at the last meeting.

This week, nearby resident Adele Laura Wilson asked North Yorkshire Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee why the report had been brought to the planning committee again by officers when the requested information was still not available.

She also said a motion was put forward at the meeting to reject the application, but officers advised them they needed to have planning reasons for turning the plans down otherwise the decision would be overturned at appeal, with costs to the council.

Ms Wilson added:

“That motion was not allowed to be voted on. This surely is in contravention of the democratic process.”

She also said incorrect information was given to the committee about the site, which an officer said was only partially in a special landscape area (SLA). The whole site was in fact part of the SLA, Ms Wilson said, but there was no opportunity for this to be corrected during the planning meeting.

She said:

“I would ask this committee to consider if the current planning committee is being given the powers to truly consider and question planning applications or are they redundant? And are planning applications being decided by just the planning officers and the solicitors?”

Resident Alison Hayward said she was addressing Thursday’s area constituency committee on behalf of residents in Knox and Bilton, who were “extremely disappointed and outraged” by the situation.

Ms Hayward said:

“We believe that it was unconstitutional and contrary to the principles of fair representation of the community.

“Although we are disappointed in the result [of the vote to defer the application again], this statement is relating to the process of the meeting rather than that result.

“We ask this constituency meeting to reflect on the failures and the conduct of the planning meeting and consider how to correct the injustice to the local community and democracy.”

She said the meeting had been held during the half-term holidays, when fewer local people were available to attend.

Ms Hayward also raised concerns about the fact the planning meeting had not been streamed live, as it would usually be, because of “technical problems” on the day. She said this meant there was no “proper record” of the meeting, as the minutes did not record everything discussed.

In a statement read by clerk Mark Codman, NYC’s legal, planning and democratic services departments responded:

“The council does apologise for the lack of a live stream. The issue was only discovered on the morning of the meeting and it couldn’t be resolved.”

The statement said there was no legal requirement for a meeting to be recorded and minutes were never verbatim. Live streaming was only introduced in Harrogate during the covid pandemic, and was not used for all meetings across North Yorkshire.

The statement also said:

“It was made clear to members of the committee that they were free to vote in whichever way they wanted, but were advised of the implications of their choosing to do so on the basis of inadequate material planning reasons.”

FoI reveals Harrogate council spent nearly £3,000 on booze for staff party

Harrogate Borough Council spent almost £3,000 of taxpayers’ money on booze for a staff party, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

The party was held to mark the abolition of the council at the end of March — even though nearly all staff transferred to the new North Yorkshire Council the following day on the same terms.

The Stray Ferret reported last month the party cost £14,910. But a full breakdown of the costs, including the amount spent on alcohol, was not known.

The FoI has now revealed the costs included £1,438 on beer, cider and lager, £630 on wine and £587 on spirits. Just £376 was spent on soft drinks.

The council also spent £4,745 on food, £450 on a DJ, £765 on event staff and £302 on decorations. A further £5,556 went on technical equipment for the event, which was held at the council-owned Harrogate Convention Centre on February 23.

The party was held at Harrogate Convention Centre.

The Stray Ferret was alerted to the party by an unnamed source who said they were “appalled, disgusted and downright annoyed that this amount was spent without the prior knowledge and consent of the people paying for it”.

Conor Holohan, media campaign manager of the pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, added:

“Taxpayers will be shocked to find they were funding parties for council staff.

“While residents were struggling with the cost of living crisis, town hall officials were charging them for dinner and drinks.”

Final day parties

Seven district councils and North Yorkshire County Council were abolished on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate Borough Council’s final day staff party cost the most.

Scarborough was the next highest, spending £9,004, followed by Hambleton at £3,783. Ryedale awarded staff a £148 bonus and spent £3,001 on a party. North Yorkshire County Council did not spend anything.

Staff from the district councils, except the chief executives and a handful of others, transferred to North Yorkshire Council on April 1. It said in a statement:

“The new council for North Yorkshire did not play any part in sanctioning or organising any parties.

“For any further comment you will need to ask the district and borough council decision-makers who were in place at those councils at the time.”

Former Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has declined to comment on council business since the authority was abolished.

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‘Quality and sustainable places to live’

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Final day parties

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