A petition has been launched to stop an animal testing company from felling two semi-mature trees in Harrogate.

American healthcare firm Labcorp Drug Development, which was previously known as Covance and has a site on Otley Road, conducts tests on animals, including dogs and mice.

It is frequently the subject of animal rights activists’ protests.

The company has submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council to fell trees at its Harrogate site.

The application, submitted by agent Arbotech on behalf of the company, says both trees — a Swedish whitebeam and a grey alder — are protected by tree preservation orders, which requires applicants to provide a reason for felling to take place.

A tree report carried out by Boroughbridge environmental consultants Barnes Associates on behalf of Labcorp says the grey alder is “dead” and poses a “moderate risk”. The arboriculturists recommended the tree is felled.

It adds the Swedish whitebeam poses a “slight” risk, but also recommends the tree should be removed.

However, one Harrogate resident is taking action against the application.

Shelagh Dixon, who set up the petition yesterday, told the Stray Ferret she wants to alert people to Labcorp’s plans, as well as its animal testing work in general. She said:

“Labcorp is now hacking down protected trees. The destruction of these trees disrupts local eco-systems and contributes to climate change.

“We cannot stand by while this happens. We need your help. It’s time we hold Labcorp accountable for their actions.”

The proposed visual of the site extension, as submitted by Labcorp at the time.

Ms Dixon also said she fears the tree-felling could lead to plans to expand the drug development site, which she added would mean “more harm would ensue”.

Her concerns follows the former Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to approve plans to refurbish and expand the Otley Road site in February 2022.

Labcorp purchased six vacant buildings in December 2020 and planned to create a new entrance, a one-way system to access the car park and reconfigure the ground and first floors.

However, it is not known whether work has since started on the site.

The Stray Ferret approached Labcorp about the petition and the tree-felling plans, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Ms Dixon’s petition has already received more than 500 signatures. She hopes it will achieve at least 1,000.

North Yorkshire Council will decide on the application at a later date.

Read more:

• Heaven knows what Morrissey was doing back in Harrogate…
• Developer appeals to decision to refuse 53 homes in Harrogate

Senior Conservative councillors could be asked to reconsider the decision to close Fountains Earth primary school in Nidderdale.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive met last month in Northallerton to approve the closure following a consultation.

The school in Lofthouse, near Pateley Bridge, faced dwindling pupil numbers in recent years and had no pupils on its books.

The council’s executive member for education Cllr Annabel Wilkinson said “nobody wants to close a small school” and it was “a very hard decision”.

The decision to close the school was controversial in Nidderdale, with some former parents and local Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Murday pleading with the authority to delay its decision.

At the time, they unsuccessfully argued that an investigation should take place into the leadership of Upper Nidderdale Federation which controls the school.

At a meeting tomorrow in Northallerton, councillors on the children and families overview and scrutiny committee will meet to discuss ‘calling in’ the decision to close the school.

This would involve the committee referring the original decision back to either the executive or to a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council where all councillors would take a vote on the closure.

A report prepared for the meeting tomorrow gives three reasons for calling in the original decision. These are related to pupil numbers, educational standards and the financial situation at the school.

The report said:

“If the issues that led the parents to withdraw their children from the school were to be resolved, then pupils would return. There is a strong belief amongst the parents and the local community that conditions in the school deteriorated in order to depopulate it.

“The school received a ‘good’ rating on inspection in June 2022. It was strange, therefore, that the governing body of the Upper Nidderdale Federation requested a month later that North Yorkshire County Council should consider closing the school. Although that request was withdrawn, it spread the seeds of doubt, so that parents considered thereafter that the school was under threat. This rating is difficult to reconcile with the view that the education standard provided at the school was inadequate, another reason given for the closure.

“At the time of closure, the school had no permanent teaching staff. The cost of maintenance of the buildings over a relatively short period of time until it reopens would be minimal. Compared to this, the costs of home-to school transport from Lofthouse to other schools in Nidderdale will be substantial and will outweigh the maintenance cost. The burden for the children, some as young as 4 years old, of travelling many miles each day to attend a distant school will be considerable.”

The meeting will take place at 2pm on Wednesday at County Hall.

Read more:

• Concerns raised about leadership at Nidderdale primary schools
• Drivers face delays as four-week gasworks start

A property developer has launched an appeal after its bid to build 53 homes in Harrogate was refused.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee rejected plans for the homes off Knox Lane in the Bilton area in September last year.

Now Teesside developer Jomast has appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which means the council faces a potentially costly legal battle.

Jomast’s appeal form indicates it has opted for an inquiry rather than a hearing or written representations.

It expects the inquiry to last four days and to call witnesses in the fields of planning, highways, design, landscape and ecology

The document says the 3.2-hectare site is owned by the Greenbank family near Boroughbridge.

The council must now decide whether to contest the appeal.

It is the latest round in the long running campaign to build homes off Knox Lane, which has been fiercely resisted by local people.

The site earmarked for houses.

A 45-page report  by council case officer Andy Hough before last September’s planning meeting said the application was “considered to now be in compliance with development plan policy” and should be approved.

But councillors cited concerns about land contamination and the lack of a travel plan to go against Mr Hough’s recommendation. The site is alongside a narrow cul-de-sac and not close to a bus route.

Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, spoke on behalf of residents at the meeting. He said:

“There have been over 500 objections to this application from residents. Not because they are ‘nimbys’, but because they believe the council is making a mistake.”

Read more:

• Ex-James Bond star Pierce Brosnan spotted in Harrogate bar
• Councillors back plea to remove Knox Lane site from local plan

Independent candidate Keith Tordoff has said he will aim to pay compensation to businesses affected by the A59 closure if he becomes mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The main route between Skipton and Harrogate has been shut since February due to a landslip. It’s led to a lengthy diversion through Ilkley and Otley with the road not likely to reopen until June.

Last month the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited Dalesway Cafe near Skipton. Owner Kate Bailey described the current period as “heartbreaking” for her business. The closure has led to a £2,000 decrease in earnings, forced her to cut the opening hours and led to four members of staff being let go.

Other businesses that have been affected include Mackenzie’s Farm Shop in Blubberhouses, The Outside Inn near Harrogate, Billy Bob’s Parlour near Halton East and The Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey.

However, this month North Yorkshire Council poured cold water on any hopes of businesses receiving compensation and instead said it would offer “general business advice” to those affected.

Mr Tordoff, who is a former police detective and previously owned The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World in Pateley Bridge, told the LDRS that he plans to create a mayoral fund which businesses could apply for compensation from.

He said wealthy people, businesses and charities would pay into this pot of money that would be used to invest in the region.

It would be separate from the £18 million a year the mayor will get from the government and he hoped to raise £5m for the fund in his first year.

Mr Tordoff said he has already emailed Ms Bailey about her plight. He said compensation would likely be a “nominal” one-off amount but would show “that somebody actually does care”.

He said:

“My heart goes out to the business affected. It’s been an absolute disgrace. There are huge detours and the signage is terrible. There are so many issues. If I am elected, I’ll be fighting on their behalf.

“I will access funding and try and support them. There’s no guarantee, but as a small business owner myself it’s appalling what they’ve put up with.”

Alternatively, Mr Tordoff said he could also launch a crowdfunding campaign where individuals could pledge money that would be redistributed to affected businesses.

He accused North Yorkshire Council of “incompetence” regarding the closure.

Regarding compensation, the council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby said earlier this month:

“We appreciate that the closure of the A59 is having a significant impact on businesses, commuters and residents, and we sincerely apologise for this disruption.

“There is no legal requirement under the Highways Act to pay compensation as a result of disruption caused by highways works, but we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.

“In the meantime, we are speaking to individual local businesses to see if they would like general business advice. We will keep the public updated as work progresses.”

The York and North Yorkshire mayoral election will take place on May 2. The candidates are as follows:

• Conservatives: Keane Duncan
• Labour: David Skaith
• Liberal Democrats: Felicity Cunliffe-Lister
• Green Party: Kevin Foster
• Independent: Keith Tordoff
• Independent: Paul Haslam

Read more:

• Coffee shop on A59 calls for Kex Gill business support
• Harrogate businesses ‘trying their best to survive’ Kex Gill closure

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is being called on to speed up repairs to a length of riverside footpath in Ripon.

A section of the path that runs from Borrage Green Lane to High Cleugh is in danger of collapsing into the River Skell and has been blocked off with six foot high fencing at either end.

Parts of the path on the popular riverside route have been undercut by high and fast-running waters caused by higher than average rainfall.

Councillor Andrew Williams near the affected part of the path that has been fenced off.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council, told members at Monday night’s full meeting:

“A long section of path is in a dangerous state and is currently not safe to use, so the North Yorkshire rights of way team has made it as safe as possible.

“They have also agreed to repair the path, but will only be able to do this when they have a permit from the Environment Agency to go into the river to carry out the work.”

The recently-repaired wooden bridge over the Skell is part of the popular route.

Members agreed to Cllr Williams’ proposal to call on Mr Barclay and Ripon’s MP Julian Smith to intervene on the city’s behalf to ensure the Environment Agency issues the permit as soon as possible, so repairs can be carried out when  the river drops to a safe level.

Cllr Pauline McHardy, who seconded the proposal, said:

“This footpath is supposed to be accessible to wheelchair users and families with prams and buggies and we need to ensure that it is returned to a condition that enables it to be enjoyed by everyone.”

Ripon city centre is to get its first Changing Places toilet following the award of a £162,000 contract to Killinghall company Dalebuild Ltd.

The facility will be built on the site of the existing toilet block at the back of Sainsbury’s supermarket.

The toilets are larger and more accessible for people with disabilities and restricted mobility who cannot use standard accessible toilets. They include equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.

News of the contract awarded by North Yorkshire Council was announced at last night’s full meeting of Ripon City Council by Councillor Andrew Williams.

The new toilet will be built on the site of the existing block near the bus station

The city council leader and North Yorkshire Council member for the Minster and Moorside division that includes the city centre, said:

“Now that the contract has been confirmed, we look forward to seeing it built and in use as soon as possible.”

“With its proximity to the bus station, it is a great addition to Ripon, making the city centre more accessible for local residents and visitors.”

North Yorkshire Council has said it now does not expect to release plans for the £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway until summer.

Work is due to start on the town centre transport scheme in September — even though the full details have not been made public.

The council said previously the plans would be made available in spring.

This prompted Rachael Inchboard, a member of Granville Road Residents’ Association, to submit a freedom of information request to the local authority asking for the plans to be made available urgently so people could have their say. But the council has declined to do so.

Its response, seen by the Stray Ferret, acknowledged the council should be transparent, there was “local interest in the gateway project” and the public should be able to hold the council to account.

But it said the public interest would be met once the council published the information, adding:

“Publishing revisions to plans ahead of schedule would involve duplication of the effort necessary to prepare it for publication and create a significant separate workstream which would detract from the work currently being carried out in its preparation and completion. The information will be published as soon as it is practical to do so.

“There is a public interest in the information being ratified before publication so it can be ensured that the information is accurate. If inaccurate information is published it could cause unnecessary concern.”

The response also indicated the timeframe for releasing the plans had slipped from spring to summer. It said:

“The council intends to present the detailed design alongside the information made available for the Traffic Regulation Order that will be required. This is likely to be in the summer as the TRO requires detailed design to be complete.”

The scheme has been ‘descoped’ after the council admitted its previous plans, which included pedestrianising part of James Street and reducing a stretch of Station Parade to single lane traffic, were legally flawed.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority gave the green light for the revised scheme to proceed last month when it approved the full business case even though a report ahead of the meeting branded it “poor value for money” and said it would “mainly disbenefit highway users”.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and Conservative candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor, said preparatory work would begin soon after approval was granted.

Some details of the revised scheme have been revealed to the media: they include retaining two lanes of traffic and creating a southbound cycleway on Station Parade, creating a bus lane, junctional signal improvements and improvements to Station Square and the One Arch foot tunnel.

The council’s response to Ms Inchboard said the main elements “are unlikely to change” but “the detail may be subject to change”. It added the detailed design “is currently being progressed”.

Ms Inchboard was disappointed in the response. She said:

“Perhaps they are trying to delay any challenges by informing the public about the gateway plans very close to the deadline.”

Read more:

• Business case approved for £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway
• ‘Stop this madness,’ says anti-Station Gateway campaigner
• Harrogate’s ex-Tourist Information Centre goes on the market

The search to find tenants for Harrogate‘s former Tourist Information Centre has begun.

‘To Let’ signs were put up on Friday outside the building on Crescent Road, which is part of the Victorian Royal Baths complex.

The rental asking price is £40,000 a year, according to the website of Align Chartered Surveyors, which is marketing the 2,394 square foot property on behalf of North Yorkshire Council.

The website also says the property has a rateable value of £23,500 and a £24,300 service charge, which includes maintenance, waste collection and cleaning costs.

It says:

“The site is one of the most famous attractions of the affluent town, a town whereby domestic visitors alone provide over £640m of investment each year.

“The building is grade two listed comprising Yorkshire stone masonry elevations under multi-pitch and gabled roof. The windows are double glazed with timber framing.”

The Stray Ferret reported in February the council had decided to relocate the Tourist Information Centre in the nearby Royal Pump Room Museum.

Harrogate’s new tourist information service consists of leaflets.

It said in a report the move would enable it to save costs and generate income from the Royal Baths, which has been dogged by low investment returns since the council paid £9.5 million for it in 2018.

The report said the number of visitors to the Tourist Information Centre fell from 135,000 pre-covid in 2019 to 68,000 last year, mainly due to people seeking information online.

It added it was “important to maintain access to the service to support tourism within the area and to provide services for those who are unable or prefer not to use digital services”.

The report said relocation would “improve the tourist information service” and have “minimal” impact on customers.

However, the service has been downgraded to just a desk with leaflets of mainly council services within the Royal Pump Room Museum, which has prompted concern among local businesses.

It means three of the five commercial unites within the Royal Baths are vacant.

Two are occupied by the JD Wetherspoon pub and the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant but the former Viper Rooms nightclub and Potting Shed bar remain empty, even though the council said in February it had accepted an offer on the Viper Rooms.

Read more:

• What are the options for Harrogate Convention Centre?
• Local business raises concern about new Harrogate Tourist Information Centre

Friends of former Harrogate councillor Pat Marsh have paid tribute to a “hard-working, warm and conscientious” councillor and said her decades of public service should not be forgotten.

Ms Marsh resigned under a cloud in February following alleged antisemitic comments made on social media platform X related to the war in Gaza.

She was under suspension from the Liberal Democrats when she quit.
In a by-election on Thursday, April 11.

Lib Dem Andrew Timothy won her former North Yorkshire Council seat in the Stray, Hookstone and Woodlands division.

It marked the final chapter of Ms Marsh’s political career, which dates back to 1990 when she was first elected to Harrogate Borough Council as an independent for the Starbeck ward.

She became politicised during a battle to build a new Tesco supermarket near Stonefall cemetery in the late 1980s. It was one she was particularly proud of winning.

Long-time friend Cllr Philip Broadbank (Liberal Democrat, Fairfax and Starbeck) was three years below Ms Marsh at Woodlands Primary School and said she was always on the side of her residents.

Cllr Broadbank with Pat Marsh

He remembers evenings spent around the dinner table at the Marsh household plotting the campaign against the supermarket alongside her husband Reg Marsh, the Lib Dem councillor for Wedderburn who died in 2014.

Before they were both councillors, Reg was in the army and the family lived in Malaysia before returning to Harrogate.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“She was a fighter and was absolutely determined. She had strong opinions, was a very hard worker and was always prepared to advise.

“She wasn’t always successful but she never did anything for personal gain. There was nothing like that with Pat, she was straightforward and honest but was always pleasant to people.”

In the early 1990s, Ms Marsh allied with Cllr Arnold Warneken (Green, Ouseburn) in a coalition along with another Cllr David Rimmington.

Cllr Warneken said he looked up to her as a role model. He said:

“Pat Marsh showed us what a good councillor was. I got the benefit of that from following her for 30 years.

“She’s been a hard-working, warm and contentious councillor. People always spoke highly of her and she did a lot for the Harrogate district.”

Since 1990, Ms Marsh sat on the council’s planning committee and played a key role in how the Harrogate district has changed over the years.

She was sometimes on the end of criticism about the scale of housebuilding but as a non-car driver, she often tried to ensure that developments were served with proper bus routes.

The coalition helped the Lib Dems take control of the council in 1994 and ultimately led to council leader Phil Willis becoming the party’s first Harrogate and Knaresborough MP in 1997.

Ms Marsh joined her husband in the Lib Dems in 1996 and took charge of the leisure committee. She was instrumental in the move from Coppice Pool to the Hydro, which opened in 1999.

She was also involved in the battle to save the Sun Pavilion in Valley Gardens, worked to refurbish the Turkish baths, helped get Starbeck In Bloom off the ground and fought to improve safety outside schools in her ward.

Cllr Broadbank said Reg’s unexpected death in 2014 was a huge blow to the community as the couple were a popular double act on the doorstep.

He said:

“The pair of them were very hard-working. That’s partly why they kept getting re-elected. They were prepared to get stuck in.”

Ms Marsh became the leader of Harrogate Borough Council’s Lib Dem group in 2015 and regularly butted heads with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper.

With the demise of Harrogate Borough Council in 2022, Ms Marsh became an honorary alderwoman for the borough, a title bestowed on councillors with more than 20 years of service.

But she was almost blocked from receiving it due to disparaging comments she made about Andrew Jones MP and Mr Cooper while being secretly recorded. She eventually apologised.

Following Ms Marsh’s resignation, Cllr Warneken said she has been “hung out to dry” by her former colleagues in the Liberal Democrats.

She received no mention from her successor Andrew Timothy in his speech after winning the by-election.

However, both Ms Marsh’s friends hope she’s remembered more for her long tenure in Harrogate public life than how her political career ended.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“This isn’t how her life in local government was supposed to have finished.”

Read more:

• Lib Dems win Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election
• By-election suggests tactical voting may topple Tories in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

This letter follows an article about overflowing bins in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. Many readers were upset about the state of the bins over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The problem of overflowing waste bins in Harrogate is a recent problem.

We often commented on overflowing bins when visiting other towns, as it was so rare here. How lucky we were to have Harrogate Borough Council in charge, which took pride in this town.

But it all changed a year ago after our local council disappeared and we had North Yorkshire Council inflicted on us – a change that none of us voted for.

Anne Boodt, Harrogate

More grammatical errors on road signs in Harrogate

This letter is in response to a story about North Yorkshire Council eliminating apostrophes from road signs. The new format will be adopted when signs are replaced.

Regarding the missing apostrophe on St Mary’s Walk, there also should not be a full stop after St (as per one of the signs).

So, vigilantes looking to insert an apostrophe with their marker pens should also paint out the full stop.

Michael Clarke, Harrogate

Are we really planting trees as a tick box exercise?

This letter follows a story about 29,000 trees being planted in Masham to create new woodlands.

I am the last person on earth to criticise a tree planting initiative, as exemplified at Swinton Estate in Masham.

But what drives me to utter distraction is the wholly unnatural and mechanical way in which trees are planted in perfectly straight lines.

Are we seriously doing this as a box ticking exercise or trying to create new natural habitats?

Think about when these trees have matured. It will look ludicrously unnatural and probably end up serving as a sustainable source of wood or paper – NOT a habitat for wildlife or a place for people to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Trees do not grow in straight lines.

You might as well be part of a planting scheme along a motorway verge if that’s the approach you condone. Totally ignorant of natural habitats, but nonetheless giving oneself a pat on the back.

I am so frustrated by these examples of mass tree planting…

Mark Fuller, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Read more:

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