No 2: Ripon Cathedral planning application – are you for or against?

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at Ripon Cathedral’s controversial planning application for a £6 million development.

What a difference a year makes for Ripon Cathedral.

In 2022, the iconic grade I listed building was both the focus point and venue for numerous events to celebrate the 1,350th anniversary of its foundation.

Its crypt dating back to 672 AD means that Wilfrid’s creation contains the oldest surviving structure of any cathedral in England.

In June 2022, the Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, hosted North Yorkshire’s civic service of celebration for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and just 13 weeks later, was a fitting place for members of the community to grieve Her Late Majesty’s death.

The Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, greeted visitors and civic guests who attended the Platinum Jubilee service for North Yorkshire held at the cathedral

At Easter 1985, Queen Elizabeth distributed Maundy money to Ripon citizens and her visit was remembered in fine style 37 years later as the cathedral celebrated its Royal connection.

Visitor figures for the ‘Cathedral of the Dales’ rose to a record 100,000 and included in that number were regular churchgoers, tourists, pilgrims and people who came to worship and/or attend events ranging from arts displays and exhibitions, to classical concerts, lectures and even a silent disco.

After such a successful year, in which the cathedral was undeniably the city’s top attraction, all it needed to do to bring more people through its doors, was to provide them with the 21st century facilities that the building lacks.

That would see the end of portable toilets on its piazza and remove the need to hire outside caterers for its hospitality events.

The proposed annex building plan includes a Changing Places toilet to increase accessibility to the cathedral for people with limited mobility. The public toilets currently on Minster Gardens (pictured above) would be demolished.

What happened next?

Last December, the Dean and Chapter’s plans to extend and enhance facilities for users of the building, were submitted nine days before Christmas to the then Harrogate Borough Council.

Since being open to public scrutiny in January, when the application was validated, the annex plan has been the subject of heated debate and acrimonious claims and counter claims on social media.

Among the hundreds of supporting and explanatory documents that could be seen on the Council planning portal, was details of a business  plan centred on an 80-seat refectory, large enough to cater for visitors arriving in coach parties throughout the day.

The Cathedral Choir, with director of Music Dr Ronny Krippner (pictured left), is among the best in the country

Included in the proposed two-storey 1,000 square metres annex is a song school for the cathedral’s top-class choristers, a gift shop, toilets, and additional storage space for chairs and other equipment,

The planning application documents, including letters of support and objection could be found from January 20 on the Harrogate Borough Council planning portal, which subsequently became the North Yorkshire Council portal in April, when Harrogate council was abolished and subsumed into the new unitary authority.

The veteran beech has become the emblem of the protestors’ campaign

The Stray Ferret was first to report that, to make way for the annex, 11 mature trees, including a beech with veteran status, would need to be felled.

The objections begin

Among the early objectors to the scheme, were the planning authority’s own senior officers, including the ecologist and arboriculturist, who pointed out that removal of a veteran tree considered to be ‘irreplaceable’ should be resisted and planning permission only allowed if no other options are open to the applicant.

Objections from Statutory consultees the Woodland Trust and the Yorkshire Gardens Trust followed, but then came a letter of support from Historic England – the government’s expert  adviser on the historic environment.

Its conclusion on the suitability of the proposed siting of the  building, was at odds with the response from local heritage watchdog, Ripon Civic Society.

Following the cathedral’s pre-application presentation to Ripon City Council in December 2022, ten of its 12 members voted to support the ‘general principle’ of the plan, while saying it would comment further on the proposal, once detailed plans had been seen.

In February, owners of hospitality businesses in Kirkgate, attended a city council meeting to tell members that the proposed refectory would ‘funnel’ trade away from them and straight into the annex building.

The cathedral, has claimed from the outset that an uplift of up to 50% more footfall generated by the new development would be beneficial for all of the city’s businesses.

The Dean, who was at the council meeting, along with members of the cathedral chapter, told traders that they had no reason for ‘anxiety’ but a paragraph in the design and access document prepared on behalf of the cathedral said, in black and white:

“Cathedral Refectory: for this to be a financially viable part of the cathedral business plan it needs to be a certain size, to accommodate a coach party, and be very close to the cathedral. This is required to prevent visitors from drifting away from the cathedral and using the various cafés in the city.”

Through the words of the cathedral’s own adviser, the fears of traders were confirmed as being correct and, along with the threat of lost trees, a two-pronged campaign opposing the annex plans gained momentum.

Traders and tree campaigners raise objections

Since April, Ripon resident Jenni Holman, has been raising a petition to save the trees and green space of Minster Gardens.

Her paper petition, supplied in 20 tranches to North Yorkshire planners had, before the Christmas holiday, collected 2078 signatures including new signatories who gathered with dozens of fellow objectors, in a peaceful protest under the bough of the beech that has become the emblem of their campaign.

Ripon City Council’s withdraws support

The growing number of protestors with fears for trade and trees, was not lost on Ripon City Council and at its December meeting, members voted narrowly by 4 votes to 3 to withdraw support for the annex plan and raise an objection to it.  The move came as a surprise to the Cathedral. 

The peaceful protest took place by the veteran beech

The ‘save our trees’ campaign and November 25 protest, which has received support from the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, attracted wide media coverage, including items broadcast by Yorkshire’s Calendar News and Tyne Tees news and BBC Radio North Yorkshire.

A Christmas break

In the season of goodwill on earth and peace to all men, women and children, the cathedral and its burgeoning choir, painstakingly built by its highly-accomplished director of music, Dr Ronny Krippner, has been at the centre of much-loved and very well-attended traditional Christmas services.

But come the New Year, when those in favour and opposed to the planning application have taken down their festival decorations, the battle for hearts and minds will rage on – much of it through posts on social media.

The planning application will be considered by the Skipton and Ripon Constituency Planning Committee at a meeting to be held in Ripon, because of the strong local interest in it.

With the committee’s next meeting due to be held in Skipton on January 16, the earliest date for consideration of the cathedral’s application would be February.

Main image: An aerial cgi, showing where the annex would sit in relation to the cathedral: Picture Ripon Cathedral Renewed.

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No.3: Leisure centre revolution in Harrogate and Knaresborough

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we’re looking at the council’s £47.9 million investment into local leisure centres.

The Harrogate district has undergone something of a council leisure centre revolution in recent years – with Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon all boasting multi-million pound developments.

The process has certainly not been plain sailing. From sink holes and temporary gyms to delays, North Yorkshire Council’s fitness projects have rarely been out of the Stray Ferret news.

But by the end of the year it was hard to dispute the view of Mark Tweedie, the managing director of Brimhams Active, which runs leisure facilities on behalf of the council, that the district’s facilities were the envy of North Yorkshire.

In a further twist, however, the new North Yorkshire Council has now said it is to scrap Brimhams and bring all of the county’s leisure services back in-house.

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre

The former Harrogate Hydro, now known as the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, opened in September following an almost 18-month transformation.

The £13.5 million refurbishment included a 400-square metre fitness centre, a new sauna and steam room, improved reception area and café, as well as an overhaul of the existing gym, spin, leisure and swimming facilities.

The Brimhams Active-run site boasts three swimming pools: a 25-metre lane pool, a diving pool and a children’s pool.

People can also attend fitness classes, including an immersive spin class, pilates and yoga.

The opening was well-received. When the Stray Ferret reported on it, one person’s comment on social media summed up how many felt:

“It’s amazing, we are so lucky to have theses facilities in Harrogate.”

In May, North Yorkshire Council said the cost of the scheme had increased from a budgeted £11.9 million.

Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre

The long-awaited Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre opened its doors in December.

Work began on the site, which is next to the former Knaresborough Pool, in April 2022 after plans were approved the month before.

It was originally expected to open in summer, however, the opening date was repeatedly delayed until this month.

The transformed centre now offers a six-lane 25-metre pool, a leisure pool and slide, and a 60-station fitness suite.

Like the Harrogate site, there is also a sauna and steam room, a café, a group cycling studio and a studio for fitness classes.

The outdoor children’s play area is still in the works but is expected to open in January.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for arts, culture and housing, Cllr Simon Myers, told the Stray Ferret ahead of its opening:

“You come over the brow of the hill in Knaresborough and see the leisure centre building – it is such an attractive building.

“It sits so well in its space, it’s full of light and the facilities are fantastic.

“This is what local authorities can achieve. It’s a real asset to Knaresborough.”

Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, Ripon

The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, in Ripon, has not only faced the most bumps – or holes – in the road, but also the biggest expenditure of the three.

Although the site officially reopened in March last year, Ripon residents are yet to see the full transformation.

The old part of the site is locked in a sinkhole groundhog day of never-ending work on a “void” beneath the building, which remains closed.

Following the discovery of the void, which is believed to have been there for several years, the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council submitted a planning application to install a temporary gym in the centre’s car park in July 2022.

This was to enable the closure of the existing gym on the upper floor of the 28-year-old building, which was found to require £3.5 million worth of ground stabilisation works.

The temporary structure was supposed to open that autumn – just months after the application was submitted – however, the installation was continually delayed.

It was not until April this year that the £300,000 building, which houses the temporary gym, was installed.

The stabilisation work, which began in June, brought the cost to £18 million — £8 million over budget.

However, that too has not come without challenges.

North Yorkshire Council said in October its movement checks revealed multiple cracks up to 10mm long.

It said the cracks have affected the “weather tightness of the building and the operation of doors and windows” but added specialists had said there were no safety concerns.

The council said at the time the estimated completion date and costs were “under review”.

Works at the site.

‘Stop throwing good money after bad’

Councillor Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group at the council and leader of Ripon City Council, said last year it was time to stop “throwing good money after bad” and to “look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land”.

In response to the discovery of the cracks, Cllr Williams said:

“The building is under very close monitoring to ensure that there is no movement as the works progress, if there is movement then the position will have to be reviewed in the light of that information.

“The situation is far from ideal and I hope that it will prove possible to complete these works because the bottom line is that Ripon needs a functioning leisure centre.”

The new building, which includes the swimming pool, sauna and steam room, has remained open throughout.

However, it looks like members will be using the temporary gym and attending group classes at Hugh Ripley Hall in the city centre well into 2024…

Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre

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No 4: New council, new agenda

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at the formation of North Yorkshire Council and its new agenda.

The past 12 months have seen a seismic change in how the Harrogate district is governed.

In April, we said goodbye to Harrogate Borough Council as it was swept aside to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council.

Along the way, many of the local senior politicians also left. Borough council leader, Richard Cooper, stepped away from politics and Graham Swift failed in a bid to represent his Duchy division.

Instead, the last eight months have seen a shift in both how the district is governed and who calls the shots.

The new council has wasted little time in imposing its vision on the county.

Recently, it announced a new shake-up of leisure services – the second time in three years for facilities in the Harrogate area.

Planning decisions have also been divided up into constituency areas.

Although, if you ask some councillors in Harrogate, they’ll point out that there hasn’t been any decisions to make since September.

It has also introduced a new taxi licensing policy, scrapping the previous seven district zones in favour of one county-wide zone.

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However, some areas remain the same.

Residents, campaigners and the council remain at loggerheads over the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

The scheme has been rolled back, but remains in limbo.

The major housing project known as Maltkiln has not progressed since the borough council was abolished, partly due to landowners withdrawing land.

Devolution on the horizon

Meanwhile, the change in the political landscape is expected to change further.

A combined authority for York and North Yorkshire is expected to come into force in the new year as part of a devolution deal for the county.

There is also an election on the horizon for a Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, which will be held in May.

Some may argue that, when it comes to the new council, the new boss is the same as the old boss. 

But, whatever the perception of the new authority, the governance of the district has changed in 2023.

 

Tory council leader Carl Les receives OBE

Carl Les, the leader of North Yorkshire Council, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List.

The Conservative politician was made leader of the former North Yorkshire County Council in 2015 and has represented the Catterick area for more than 20 years.

He led local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire this year, which saw eight former councils – including Harrogate Borough Council – become one unitary authority on April 1.

Cllr Les said:

“Like many endeavours you can only achieve the best for people and businesses in local government through team effort.

“Whilst I am delighted, though humbled, to receive such an award I see it as a reflection of the teams I have had the privilege to lead.

“I am every bit as honoured to have worked with such committed and hardworking elected members and officers at the former county council and the new unitary, North Yorkshire Council.”

North Yorkshire Council is now the largest council in England by geography and third largest by population.

It is also the first council in England to pursue unitary status and devolution at the same time.

Cllr Les added:

“Through our collective efforts and strong partnership working across York and North Yorkshire we have achieved the unprecedented, landing single council status alongside a devolution deal.

“Together these are a game-changer for our region. Presenting us with the best possible opportunity to protect the most valued and essential public services for our residents, while unleashing the local powers and funds which will drive economic growth and deliver better job opportunities for people and businesses here.”

He had also been a member of the North Yorkshire Police authority for 15 years and now chairs the police, fire and crime panel.

Outside of his work as a councillor, Cllr Les is also a volunteer director and currently interim chairman of Wensleydale Railway plc.

He managed his family business, which was in the tourism sector, before selling it and retiring in 2014.

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North Yorkshire hospice CEOs warn of worsening funding crisis

The bosses of three North Yorkshire hospices – including St Michael’s in Harrogate – have met with council officials to highlight a worsening funding crisis in end-of-life care.

The chief executives of St Leonard’s Hospice in York, St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough, and North Yorkshire Hospice Care – which includes Saint Michael’s and Herriot Hospice in Thirsk – told North Yorkshire Council’s scrutiny of health committee that some services could be in jeopardy if more were not done to close a widening funding gap. 

The cost of providing the services across the three hospice organisations is currently around £20 million a year, and only 27% of that comes from the NHS. The remainder has to be raised through fundraising.  

The CEOs – Tony Collins of North Yorkshire Hospice Care, Emma Johnson of St Leonards Hospice, and Ray Baird of St Catherine’s Hospice – warned the problem stood to get worse as more people from the Baby Boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) increasingly needed the hospices’ services. 

Tony Collins told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re planning to extend our existing services, as well as introducing some new services, simply because there’s so much need out there.

“It’s almost harmful to introduce new services that you can’t sustain, so we shall be working very hard to get a fairer funding formula to enable us to do all this.

“The provision of palliative and end-of-life care is statutory, so we’re hoping for an increase in statutory funding from the NHS.

“Over the last year, the increase in our small amount of statutory funding has been just 1.8%, but during that time staff costs have risen by 7% and utility bills have seen double-digit percentage rises.

“Something needs to happen within the next one to two years.”

He said the charity would try its best to raise as much as it could through traditional channels, but that had become increasingly difficult. He said:

“It’s been a really tough year. People have less money in their pockets, and corporate funding has also been pinched. Legacy funding, from people’s wills, is holding its own, but probate can take a long time, so we never know when we’re going to get it.

The chair of NYC’s scrutiny of health committee, Cllr Andrew Lee, said:  

“I think I speak for the whole committee when I say how shocked, saddened and concerned we are upon hearing the situation within our local hospices and the funding shortfall they face. 

“These hospices, and many others, provide a very important and much-needed support network both for patients and their families at a very sad and vulnerable time. 

“We must do all we can to raise awareness and support them to allow them to continue to provide this essential service.” 

The committee heard a number of factors were contributing to the situation, including lack of funding, increased running costs, reduced income from fundraising and differing funding models and contracts that provide income from the NHS. 

Cllr Lee said: 

“The committee and I fully appreciate that the country faces huge financial challenges. The cost of providing services across these three hospices is about £20 million, with more than 70 per cent of that having to be raised through fundraising alone. 

“I shall be highlighting this with my colleagues in the NHS as we need to ensure we are all doing our utmost to support and raise awareness of this situation.”

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No 6: Harrogate Station Gateway ‘descoped’ after legal flaws and political rows

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at the Harrogate Station Gateway saga in 2023.

The year 2023 was supposed to be the year when the Harrogate Station Gateway started to happen.

After years of talk, work would begin on reducing a section of Station Parade to single lane and James Street would be partly pedestrianised. But not a single shovel has entered the ground and the scheme remains mired in mess.

A meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee was supposed to bring clarity in May.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s Conservative executive member for transport, turned the heat up on the Liberal Democrat-controlled committee beforehand by warning the scheme would be dead if the committee didn’t back it. The “majority of spend”, he added, must take place in 2023/24 budgets so there could be no delay.

Councillors voted 10-3 in favour, which paved the way for Cllr Duncan and the rest of the council’s ruling Conservative executive to press the go button. But the political consensus didn’t last long. The Lib Dems quickly withdrew their support, claiming the council had not engaged in meaningful consultation as promised in May.

Keane Duncan at Harrogate chamber

Cllr Keane Duncan talks about the Station Gateway to Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

They called on Cllr Duncan, who would later win the Conservative nomination to stand in next year’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, to resign. He accused the Lib Dems of “weak and inconsistent leadership” and “playing games with the scheme”.

Meanwhile, local property firm Hornbeam Park Developments, which owns some buildings on James Street, launched a judicial review to challenge the council’s decision making.

Lawyers claimed there were six grounds for challenge, including the council’s failure to hold a public inquiry before issuing traffic regulation orders for the scheme. In August, the council confirmed it had “quashed” its May decision to proceed with the gateway. It conceded:

“Due to the necessity of having a public inquiry before confirming the relevant traffic regulation order, it was considered prudent to accept this ground of challenge.”

A computer visualisation of part of the Harrogate Station Gateway scheme, with large red x's over elements that have been scrapped.

A Harrogate District Cycle Action graphic showing the scrapped elements.

This prompted Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, to say the gateway was a” timed-out dead scheme” and offer to intervene to help retain the funding locally.

But the council, which had previously insisted the scheme would be dead if it wasn’t approved, ploughed on and began hastily assembling new proposals.

By November, they suggested public realm improvements to Station Square and One Arch, which is 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.

The political wrangling continued when Lib Dem leader Cllr Pat Marsh accused Cllr Duncan of “pinching” their ideas.

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

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By the end of the year all three had been “de-scoped” because “cost estimates have significantly increased during the detailed design development period”, according to a council report.

The council was keen to gloss over questions about its handling of a scheme, and how it had breached public law by failing to issue traffic regulation orders — particularly as it had awarded £2 million to consultants for help.

Cyclists were frustrated by the loss of what was once hailed as a key project in establishing a secure route from the town centre to Cardale Park. The gateway lexicon had also changed from being about active travel to sustainable transport, suggesting it’s more about better traffic lights than encouraging walking and cycling.

Councillors are expected to decide early in 2024 whether to accept the smaller Harrogate scheme — assuming the government lets the deadline slip. It appears smaller and less controversial than the original plans — but little about the gateway is ever straightforward.

Consultation on whether to permanently close Boroughbridge sixth form

Boroughbridge High School could close its sixth form permanently, depending on the outcome of a consultation requested by its governors. 

North Yorkshire Council is due to discuss the proposal to change the age range at the school by closing the sixth form at a meeting on Tuesday, January 9. If approved, the new arrangements would come into effect on August 31, 2024. 

The sixth form at Boroughbridge High School has been temporarily suspended since September 2022. 

The school has worked in collaboration with other schools since 2016 to try to maintain sixth-form provision.

Initially, it worked with Easingwold and Thirsk Schools, but this collaboration ended when Easingwold School joined the Outwood multi-academy trust. Since then, the school has collaborated with King James’s School in Knaresborough, and the two schools federated in January 2021. 

But due to the demographics of the area, pupil numbers at Boroughbridge High have decreased by more than 40% – from 756 in 2013-14 to 438 in 2022-23. During the same period, numbers in the sixth form have plummeted by 97%, from 131 to just 4, according to figures published by the council. 

Consequently, the federated governing board of Boroughbridge High School and King James’s School suspended the sixth form at Boroughbridge from September 2022. 

The latest request by the board would make that arrangement permanent. 

A council document published ahead of the meeting notes that “the school population is now stabilising and is projected to increase in future”, partly due to housebuilding in the area. But the school’s the governing body does not feel that numbers would be large enough to attract enough government funding that would enable a financially viable sixth form. 

The consultation as proposed would open on January 19 and close on March 1, and a final decision on the sixth form’s fate would be made by North Yorkshire Council on May 28 or June 18. 

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No.7: A bumpy year for road safety

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we’re looking at road safety.

The issue of road safety came under the Stray Ferret’s spotlight a lot this year.

With several fatal and serious crashes, campaigns for 20mph speed limit zones and “landmark” road safety packages, it has been a year of ups and downs on our highways.

20mph speed limits

Pannal Ash and Oatlands

A collision that left two school students with serious injuries prompted a group of Harrogate parents to bolster plans to implement 20mph speed zones around parts of the town.

The incident, which happened in February, left two 15-year-old Rossett School pupils requiring several operations and hospital treatment for months after.

Following the collision, the group, who were already campaigning for such change, amped up their efforts.

They set up a petition, which called for a ‘safe streets zone’, consisting of a blanket 20mph speed limit across the Rossett, Pannal Ash, Oatlands, Woodlands and Hookstone areas.

It attracted more than 900 signatures and caught the attention of 13 education leader and local councillors, who joined forces with the group and urged North Yorkshire Council to take action.

The petition was delivered to the council in May.

Hazel Peacock, who spearheaded the campaign and delivered the petition on behalf of the group, told the Stray Ferret on the day:

“We’re just delighted we’ve got this number of signatures. It shows the support for the proposal of this change, which could bring such positive benefits from a road safety perspective.

“Once you have that, it will change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users.”

The road safety group.

Woodfield Road

The council also recommended a separate 20mph speed limit plan for Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate.

The project, funded through the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s AJ1 project road safety fund, will see the introduction of traffic calming measures, including speed cushions and a 20mph speed limit.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, told the Stray Ferret in November the measures were being taken “for the safety of children” ahead of the former Woodfield Road Community Primary School re-opening.

The school, which closed at the end of last year, is due to reopen as a secondary school for 80 autistic children in September 2024.

No further updates have been revealed since publication.

‘Landmark’ package unveiled

Following calls for change, North Yorkshire Council unveiled plans for the county’s largest ever “landmark” 20mph zone in September.

It proposed extensive reduced speed limit zones across the Pannal Ash and Oatlands areas of the town, which included Arthurs Avenue, Oatlands Drive, Yew Tree Lane and Cromwell Road.

It covered seven Harrogate schools in line with the parents’ wishes.

These were Harrogate Grammar School, Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Ashville College, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Oatlands Junior School and Oatlands Infants School.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said at the time:

“This is the most significant 20mph zone the council has ever introduced.

“Our plan will see 20mph limits introduced outside seven more schools and on nearby residential streets, meaning thousands of children can enjoy safer journeys every day.

“This landmark proposal is testament to the collective determination of schools, families and councillors to respond to public concerns and deliver ambitious action. It sets a positive example and leads the way for communities across North Yorkshire.”

Cllr Keane Duncan.

Headteacher called for Otley Road to be included

After the package was announced, Neil Renton, headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School (HGS), called for a section of Otley Road to also be included in the 20mph zone.

Arthurs Avenue and surrounding side roads were set to be included in the reduced speed limit zone to protect HGS pupils, however Mr Renton said the zone should be extended to include the busy B6162 Otley Road where pupils enter the school.

He said this is a key route in-and-out of town and currently has a limit of 30mph.

The call came after council officers published a report ahead of a Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency meeting, during which Mr Renton’s concerns were expressed, which stated the “volume of traffic” on the road would mean it would not be possible to implement the 20mph speed limit.

Plans rejected

Despite hopes of change from teachers, councillors and campaigners, North Yorkshire Council rejected plans to include some of the main roads in the 20mph zone.

Following a December meeting, it appeared Leeds Road, Wetherby Road, Otley Road, Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, York Place and Leadhall Lane would not be included in the plan.

A report due before Cllr Duncan said the main roads were either identified as “strategic distributor” or “main distributor” roads, adding:

“Practically given the recognised role in the strategic network and their function to carry high volumes of traffic between primary destinations it is not considered appropriate to implement physical traffic calming features and an associated speed reduction to 20mph.”

Meanwhile, the council said Leadhall Lane  “does not have identified destination points such as schools, shops or sports centre” and a 20mph limit would be “difficult to achieve”.

A map of the 20mph areas in Pannal and Oatlands. Picture: NYC.

A map of the 20mph areas in Pannal and Oatlands. Picture: North Yorkshire Council.

‘Incredibly disappointed’

Christopher Harrison, headteacher at Oatlands Infant School, said he was “incredibly disappointed” with the news.

He hoped the council would reconsider and reduce the speed limit on Hookstone Road to 20mph from 30mph, adding:

“As headteacher of Oatlands Infant School, I am incredibly disappointed by the decision to keep Hookstone Road at 30mph.

“We have a healthy, active school community who love to walk, cycle and scooter to school alongside Hookstone Road on a daily basis.

“We worry that the current speed limit of 30mph is not safe enough for our children, and that a reduction to 20mph would enable more families to travel to school in safety. We hope that North Yorkshire Council reconsider this decision with our youngest, most vulnerable members of our community in mind.”

But Mr Harrison was not alone in his concern, as campaigner Hazel Peacock also urged the council to reconsider. She said:

“For the safety and well-being of the 9,000 school children and the wider community in Oatlands and Pannal Ash we urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Leadhall Lane, part of Leeds Rd (A61), Otley Rd (B6162), Wetherby Road (A661) and York Place (A6040) as 20mph in the Harrogate (south and west) 20mph Speed Limit review to be considered by Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation and mayoral candidate, on Monday 18th December.

“Without the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Otley Road and part of Wetherby Road specifically only five of the nine schools in the zone will be fully covered with 20mph roads immediately surrounding them; leaving St John Fishers Catholic High School and Willow Tree Primary School on 30mph roads and a combination of 30mph and 20mph in the case of Harrogate Grammar School and Oatlands Infant School.”

Next steps

The authority recommended the scheme, which is estimated to cost £200,000, proceed to consultation on traffic regulation orders for the areas proposed to be reduced to 20mph.

The recommendation was approved following an environmental meeting on Monday, December 18.

The council said in its decision:

“Approval given to allow officers to proceed; with the necessary consultations and Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process to seek to implement a 20mph speed limit, together with associated traffic calming measures as identified in the residential roads as outlined in Appendix A of the report and with signing and lining reviews of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive and Wetherby Road.”

It said officers are to provide the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee progress updates in Spring 2024.

The authority added:

“The recommendation aligns with several of the Council’s priorities linked with Highway Safety, Place and Environment and Health and Well Being.

“By introducing a reduced speed limit from 30mph to 20mph in these areas it is hoped that a safer and healthier environment will encourage enhanced active travel opportunities for all ages of the community, this may be walking, wheeling, accessibility to the bus or cycling.

“The introduction of such measures is subject to satisfactory consultation and the completion of the formal Traffic Regulation Order advertising process.”

A bad year for fatal collisions

The Harrogate district has seen several fatal crashes throughout this year, with one road becoming a common denominator in the incidents.

Four out of six fatal collisions happened on the A61, which runs between Ripon and Harrogate, two of which occurred within just eight days of each other.

A 59-year-old motorcyclist was killed on the road on August 29. Officers believe that the motorcyclist was travelling with a group of unknown motorcycles immediately before the collision and he was at the rear of the group.

Just a few days later, three members of a Ukrainian family were killed in a three-vehicle crash that involved a double decker bus on Sunday, September 3. A teenage girl was left orphaned.

Following the collisions, residents of South Stainley called for a speed limit reduction from 60mph to 50mph in October.

Rebecca Brewins, who lives alongside the road and lost her parents in a crash at South Stainley 11 years ago, led the campaign.

She and other residents met Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, who subsequently urged North Yorkshire Council to act.

Richard Flinton, the council’s chief executive, indicated at the time the authority considered taking action.

In a letter to Mr Smith, seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Flinton wrote:

“The reports for the recent fatal collisions are currently being drafted, but I am able to advise that the road environment was not considered to have been a factor in the cause of either fatal collision

“Therefore, the recommendations are limited to small scale localised improvements, such as the cleaning of road signs and refreshing of white lines.

“Nevertheless, in recognition of community concerns, North Yorkshire Council is currently carrying out a series of speed surveys along the A61, with a view to reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph.

“Whilst mean speeds are unlikely to be excessive, the intention here is to set the expectations of the motorist, of the lack of overtaking opportunities, bends and other hazards associated with a high speed rural road.”

Police at the scene of the triple fatality on Sep 3 2023

Mr Flinton added the council was expected to consult on introducing a traffic regulation order to reduce the speed limit from the national default speed limit of 60mph.

He also said engineers will undertake “a full route analysis of the A61” to identify what else can be done to make the road safer.

Despite hopes of action being taken, another person was killed on the fated road just weeks later.

90-year-old Lucjan Wilk was hit by a car on the road, near Killinghall, after getting off the 36 bus.

His daughter, Paulina, whom he lived with, contacted the Stray Ferret to voice her concerns following her father’s death.

She urged North Yorkshire Council to reduce the speed limit on the “horrendous road”.

As well as suggesting a 30mph speed limit – instead of the current 40mph – Paulina also insisted the council should install proper lighting and introduce other traffic-calming measures, such as speed-indicator display signs.

It appears the requested measures are yet to come to fruition.

Lucjan Wilk was killed on the A61 near Killinghall.

Fatal collisions also happened on Brimham Rocks Road, near Pateley Bridge, North Park Road in Harrogate and the B6265 near Boroughbridge.

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225 Harrogate district schemes included in council road repair budget

The retaining wall on Briggate in Knaresborough has been added to the long list of road and bridge repairs recommended for approval by members of North Yorkshire Council environment executive.

The work has been budgeted at £150,000 and is one of nearly 1,000 schemes across the county included in the £45.8 million highways capital programme 2024/25. 

The programme includes 225 schemes in the Harrogate district, ranging from the resurfacing of York Place in the heart of Harrogate to patching work right on the district boundary near Angram reservoir at the top end of Nidderdale. 

The cost of the schemes ranges from various road surface patching works in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate at £362 each, to the resurfacing of Ripon’s Market Place at £330,000. 

The schemes also include work on the bridge over Scot Beck at Thornthwaite, and further work on the landslip on the A59 to Skipton, both costed at £100,000. 

The other scheme in our district that has been added to the list is the resurfacing work on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, budgeted at £170,000. 

Schemes worth £3.27 million have been deferred to future years from the 2023/24 annual programme. Those in the Harrogate district include drainage projects at Darley and Beckwithshaw (budgeted at £10,000 and £48,000 respectively) and construction work on Oak Beck Bridge in Harrogate, which has a budget of £1.5 million – by far the most expensive of all the schemes across the whole county. 

The Highways Capital Programme covers the whole of North Yorkshire – which consists of Richmondshire, Hambleton, Scarborough, Ryedale, Craven, Harrogate and Selby areas – and is based on a funding settlement of £40.07 million from the Department of Transport. 

The council’s environment executive recommended that the corporate director for environment approve the programme, in consultation with environment executive member for highways and transportation.

The list of schemes is available here.

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More homes to get blue lidded recycling bins in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Council is set to spend £500,000 on an extension to a blue recycling bin roll out in Harrogate.

The move comes the former Harrogate Borough Council launched a trial of the bins to 12,000 residents in May 2022.

The bin, which are the same size as refuse wheelie bins (240 litre deep), replaced multiple recycling boxes.

A trial was launched shortly after the Stray Ferret highlighted concerns by residents about the amount of recycling left out for collection being blown across streets. It prompted many people to call for the introduction of the more stable bins.

Now, North Yorkshire Council is expected to procure a further 18,000 of the blue bins to be distributed to residents up until April 2024.

A spokesperson for the authority said:

“This is part of our ongoing project to roll out wheeled bins to residents, where required.

“When the seven waste collection authorities came together as part of the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1, 2023, multiple live procurement processes with varying end dates were in place for the supply of waste and recycling containers.

“In 2022/23, the former Harrogate Borough Council conducted a trial of replacing the multiple 55ltr boxes that 12,000 residents had to a 240ltr blue lidded wheeled bin. This was a success with positive feedback from residents, reduced manual handling for collection crews, and a reduction of litter in the trailed areas following windy conditions.”

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The move comes after the borough council launched a trial in Knaresborough in May 2022.

Blue-lidded wheelie bin replaced the black box and will be used for glass bottles and jars, tin cans and foil, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles and tubs.

However, blue bags for recycling all paper, card and cardboard continued to be used. These were be replaced with heavy-duty bags for properties that don’t have them.

The authority is also set to procure 1,500 black general waste bins and 732 brown garden waste bins, which will both be used for replacement and new properties.