‘The serviced offices are well maintained and offer exactly what we need for our business’Plan to turn central Harrogate offices into flats

A new planning application in Harrogate has further highlighted the trend towards town centre living. 

An applicant named as Govind wants to turn the offices on the first, second and third floors of 5 Cambridge Road into three flats.

Each apartment will take up a whole floor and have two double bedrooms – one of them with en suite shower room – as well as an open-plan kitchen, living room and dining area. 

The property stands between William Hill and the Cambridge Café, opposite The Den. 

Changing the use of town centre properties from class E – the term used by planners to denote commercial, business and service usage – to C3, residential, has become increasingly common in recent years.

In 2021, the government introduced a new permitted development right  to allow changes from E to C3 without planning permission in most cases.

The aim was to reverse the decline of town and city centres that have experienced an exodus of retailers and company offices in the wake of covid. The increase in online shopping has led to falling footfall on shopping streets and the trend for home-working has resulted in less demand for office space.

The decision on this latest application, which is being handled by agent Elite Dwellings Ltd, will determine whether the conversion falls under the permitted development rules or whether the applicant needs to give prior notification of development.

The consultation period on the application will run until Monday, April 8, and council planning officers aim to make a decision on the case by Friday, May 3. 

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Still no timeframe on refurbishment of Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens

The company behind plans to transform Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens with a two-storey extension has said it still plans to go ahead with the scheme.

Harrogate-based property developers Impala Estates plans to turn the building into offices, a rooftop restaurant and a gym. But there is still no timeframe on when it will happen.

Impala bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters for £4 million in 2020.

The council, which vacated the building in 2016, approved Impala’s plans in May last year. But since then work has not started and there has been no further update.

The Stray Ferret asked Impala why the redevelopment had been delayed and what the latest timeframe was, and also whether its plans had been revised.

James Hartley, a director of Impala, said:

“Planning was granted with conditions attached in which myself and my design team are working through with the council.

“The plans for the development have not been revised since planning.”

David Hartley, a director of Impala, told a council meeting last year the plans would bring “significant public benefits” to the town, “which include bringing an empty building back into use and creating quality office space”.

Crescent Gardens was vacated by the council when it moved into its Knapping Mount headquarters in 2017.

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Future of ex-Harrogate council building could be decided this month

A decision on the future of Harrogate Borough Council’s former Crescent Gardens offices is set to be made this month, according to site owner Impala Estates.

The Harrogate-based property investment company bought the building in January 2020 for £4m.

It submitted a planning application in March 2021 to transform the site into offices, a gym and a rooftop restaurant.

Under the plans, the empty building, which was built in the 1890s, would be extended by adding two floors.

James Hartley, director at Impala Estates, told the Stray Ferret in an email today that it expected the proposal to be considered by councillors on the planning committee on April 21.

‘Much-needed’ office space

Documents submitted by the developer in November said the conversion would add “much-needed” office space into the town centre.

It said:

“It has been noted that there is a significant lack of high quality office space within the centre of Harrogate along with more office buildings being approved for conversion to residential within the town centre, this being exacerbated by changes in permitted development rules”.

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In December, the public body Historic England said it objected to the two-storey roof-top extension and would prefer a “suitably designed” single-storey extension instead.

It said:

“Whilst we remain supportive of the proposals to sustainability reuse the former council offices, the revised scheme does not address our previous concerns and our position remains unchanged. Unfortunately, the two storey upward extension is still being pursued.”

The Stray Ferret asked the council to confirm whether Crescent Gardens will be on the agenda at the next planning committee meeting but we had not yet received a response by the time of publication.

The saga of the former council site

The future of Crescent Gardens, which has been empty for five years since the council relocated to Knapping Mount in 2017, has become a long-running saga.

Harrogate Borough Council announced when it moved into its new offices that local developer Adam Thorpe would buy the site for £6.31 million.

Mr Thorpe said he would spend £75 million on a refurbishment, which would include an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool, restaurant and luxury apartments.

Two years later he said he had agreed the sale of 10 of the 12 properties but Mr Thorpe’s company, ATP Ltd, then collapsed with debts of almost £11million, including £24,394 to the council.

The site then went back on the market and was eventually sold to Impala Estates.

It set up a website outlining its vision for the building. The ‘project updates’ section has not been updated since April 1 last year.

Harrogate’s former registry office demolished ahead of rebuild

A Victorian villa in Harrogate that was formerly a registry office and a Citizens Advice Bureau has been demolished.

Hornbeam Park Developments has planning permission to build new grade A offices on the site of Victoria Park House on Victoria Avenue.

The developer will rebuild the facade and some walls as part of the new building, which will include a two-storey extension.

It was previously owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which sold it for £1m in 2016 to help fund its move to new headquarters at Knapping Mount.

A report in 2017 said the building suffered from extensive subsidence, mould and was no longer fit-for-purpose.

Computer generated images of how the building will look.

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A plan to demolish the villa and replace it with a modern-looking office block, submitted later that year, received an objection from Historic England.

The public body said the building, which was built in 1864, “epitomises the special character and identity” of Harrogate. It said plans to demolish it would “strike at the heart” of what makes the town unique.

Plans to build this modern office block on the site were scrapped after objections.

Following this, the council said it would no longer support the application and the developer withdrew it.

New proposals, which retained the facade of the existing building, were approved in November 2018 by the council’s planning committee.

Harrogate town centre Sainsbury’s to open in next two months

Sainsbury’s is planning to open its new Harrogate’s town centre store in the next couple of months.

The supermarket chain had hoped for a late summer opening but only managed to get permission from Harrogate Borough Council in late July.

When the new Sainsbury’s Local shop opens it will create 25 new jobs and also bring the former Topshop unit at 33-37 Cambridge Street back into use after four years.

While there’s not been too much movement at the store in recent weeks, the internal fit out is due to start before the end of November.

The developer plans to split the building into three seperate units. Sainsbury’s would occupy the largest on the left side.

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Skipton Building Society is also planning to move in but it is unclear at this stage which business will take on the third unit.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property Director, said:

“We’ll soon be moving to the next stage in the fitout of our new convenience store for Harrogate and I’m looking forward to seeing it take shape as it really starts to look like a Sainsbury’s Local.

“It won’t be long now until residents, workers and shoppers in the town centre will be able to enjoy great value, high quality products as well as the improved convenience and choice that a new Sainsbury’s store will bring.”

Mr Dunne added that his team is also in the process of finding a charity to donate excess food to.

Sainsbury’s already has four stores in Harrogate: a large store on Wetherby Road and smaller Local stores on Leeds Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

Still no decision on future of Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens

A decision on the future of Harrogate Borough Council’s former Crescent Gardens offices is still to be made, almost two years after the building was sold.

Impala Estates, a property investment company in Harrogate, bought the building in January 2020 for £4 million.

It submitted a planning application in March this year to transform the building into offices, a gym and a rooftop restaurant.

Under the plans, the empty building, which was built in the 1890s, would be refurbished and extended by adding two floors.

The Stray Ferret approached Impala Estates to ask how the plans were progressing. However, the developer did not reply by the time of publication. It has not provided an update on its Crescent Gardens website since April 1.

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Harrogate Borough Council confirmed that its planning committee had not yet set a date to hear the plans.

The council planning portal, which has 120 documents relating to the document, indicates that the developers are currently responding to concerns from consultees, such as Yorkshire Water and North Yorkshire County Council.

How the rooftop restaurant would look. Photo: S+SA Architects.

The saga of Harrogate Borough Council’s former offices

The future of Crescent Gardens, which has been empty for four years since the council relocated to Knapping Mount in 2017, has become a long-running saga.

Harrogate Borough Council announced when it moved into its new offices that local developer Adam Thorpe would buy the site for £6.31 million.

Mr Thorpe said he would spend £75 million on a refurbishment, which would include an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool, restaurant and luxury apartments.

Two years later he said he had agreed the sale of 10 of the 12 properties but Mr Thorpe’s company, ATP Ltd, then collapsed with debts of almost £11million, including £24,394 to the council.

The site then went back on the market and was eventually sold to Impala Estates.