Pannal Ash residents call for 20mph zone for four schools

Residents in the Pannal Ash area are calling for a 20mph zone to be introduced around four Harrogate schools.

The petition calls for the speed limit, plus safe crossing points and signage, around Rossett Acre Primary School, Rossett School, Harrogate Grammar School and Ashville College.

Ruth Lily and Jenny Marks set up the petition amid concern that more houses in the Pannal Ash area would lead to increased traffic and safety issues for children attending the schools.

The area is earmarked for up to 4,000 new homes as part of housebuilding in the west of Harrogate.

The residents said in a statement:

“We have worked with schools and local people to develop a plan for our area designed to make our streets safe and useable for everyone. 

“Enabling more journeys without cars would also increase people’s health, improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and decrease carbon emissions.”

The petition also calls for North Yorkshire County Council to introduce speed bumps in the area, plus improved cycling provision.

The move comes as residents have called for 20mph zones elsewhere in Harrogate.

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Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council, raised the issue with Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner earlier this month.

Speaking at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee, Cllr Haslam asked Ms Metcalfe:

“In my area, Bilton and Woodfield, I would say the majority of residents want the whole area to be 20mph. At what stage will police enforce this?”

Campaigners across the country are calling for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres as part of the 20’s Plenty initiative.

You can read more on the petition for a 20mph zone in the Pannal Ash area here.

Business Breakfast: Pannal Ash Juniors receive £5,000 boost

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A company has awarded £5,000 towards a Harrogate football club’s ground maintenance work.

The Banks Group, which is an energy and property firm in Durham, has donated the money to Pannal Ash Junior Football Club.

It will help the club buy a new sit-on roller mower to maintain and drain its pitch.

Dr Kathryn Scott, fundraising lead at Pannal Ash Junior Football Club said: 

“Keeping our playing surfaces in playable condition has always been a challenge for us as the clay-based soil that we have doesn’t allow water to drain away easily and we’ve regularly lost fixtures during the wetter months due to waterlogging.

“The new machine means that the pitches can easily be cut, rolled, spiked and drained as required and it will allow us to get things done far more quickly than would otherwise be possible.”

Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at The Banks Group, added:

“As a developer that is investing in a number of property and renewable energy projects in Yorkshire, we’re actively supporting a wide range of projects in the communities across the county that host our developments through our community fund.

“Pannal Ash Junior Football Club’s impact on local young people goes far beyond the matches they play.  It helps them learn the value of teamwork, discipline and physical fitness, and we’re very pleased to be able to help them bring in this much-needed equipment.”

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Harrogate offices appoint new facilities assistant

Claire Lumb

Windsor House in Harrogate has appointed a new facilities assistant.

Claire Lumb (pictured) has been hired to oversee the running and maintenance of the office building on Cornwall Road.

She previously held facilities management and maintenance roles within the defence sector, working for both the RAF and British Army.

Claire said: 

“I look forward to using the skills I have learned over the last few years to help our tenants at Windsor House to have an enjoyable working environment.”

Karen Winspear, property manager at Boultbee Brooks, said: 

“We are delighted that Claire has accepted a role as part of our team, she has already hit the ground running and we are confident that she will excel in this new position.”

Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’

Residents in Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash have been told to expect 15 more years of disruption due to a wave of new housing developments in the area.

Concerns about traffic and disruption linked to around 4,000 new homes dominated Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Association’s (Hapara) annual general meeting this week.

Much of the discussion was centered around the 770-home Windmill Farm development after plans were submitted by Anwyl Land and national housebuilder Redrow Homes this month.

The homes and a new primary school would be built on green fields on the opposite side of the road from the charity-run nursery Horticap and behind RHS Harlow Carr.

David Siddans, Hapara’s secretary, told the room that a traffic report submitted by the developers had “seriously underestimated” the number of cars that are likely to leave the site during rush hour.

The report suggested that 450 vehicles will leave in the morning.

Mr Siddans warned the current road network around Otley Road will struggle to cope with Windmill Farm traffic as well as cars from large housing schemes at Bluecoat Wood, Whinney Lane and Pennypot Lane.

He said:

“They have seriously underestimated the total impact on the highways network. Pennypot Lane and all the other sites will feed traffic towards this direction. The totality of it will be huge.”

Sustainable transport

The Windmill Farm site includes a cycle path towards Harrogate and three bus stops. However, Mr Siddans said the plans don’t do enough to encourage residents to leave their cars at home.

“How many people can you persuade not to use a car? That isn’t explained. We know they are providing a bus route, they’ll provide some bus stops, but what about the bus? Who’s providing that?

“How many will cycle or use public transport? We simply don’t know the impact.”

At the meeting, Otley Road resident Chris Dicken also did a critical presentation on the Otley Road Cycle Path, which he called “a waste of money”.

David Rowe from Zero Carbon Harrogate gave a talk on the benefits of low traffic neighbourhoods, which is when a road is closed to through traffic to boost walking and cycling, as as the one currently on Beech Grove.

Windmill Farm proposals

Mr Rowe and the group’s chair, Jemima Parker, fielded questions from residents about the environmental impact of Windmill Farm.

The homes will be built with gas boilers, despite the government banning them from new builds from 2025.

Ms Parker queried the layout of the Windmill Farm and suggested it had been designed with the car in mind.

“The shop and the school are not next to each other, so when you go to pick your children up from school you can’t pop into the shop. It’s illogical and needs a different way of thinking.”

Parameters plan

Rene Dziabas

Rene Dziabas, chair of Hapara, expressed the group’s dismay at the delayed West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document the group had hoped would go some way to solving transport issues.

Mr Dziabas said the plan had been developed without much input from residents who have knowledge of the area.

He said:

“The only way we’ll make progreess is if the council genuinely starts interacting with the community, not gaming us and ticking boxes, but actually listening to us.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said previously:

“A number of suggestions have already helped shaped the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan and I’d like to thank those local resident groups and parish councils for their valuable feedback.”

Pannal Ash under-11s football team set for cup final

Pannal Ash Whites under-11s football team will play in the Leeds and District cup final tomorrow.

A total of 98 teams entered the competition in September 2021 and the road to the final has seen the team beat Leeds City, Pontefract Collieries, Farsley Celtic, Chapeltown and Whitkirk.

Pannal Ash have scored an impressive 34 goals and only conceded 3.

The team will play Hunslet Club in the final.

Head coach Andy Pears said:

‘’I am immensely proud of the boys on what they have achieved in reaching the cup final.’’

‘’Myself and Simon Evans started the Whites team last season and despite disruption due to the pandemic, the way they have progressed and developed is a credit to the group we have.

‘’A talented group that always want to learn, they have really matured this year.”

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The final will take place tomorrow at Whitkirk FC, Selby Road, Leeds, LS15 OAA.

Kick-off is at 10:30 and there is a small entrance fee for anyone that wants to come and support the team. It’s £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for concessions.

A good season for the club

It has been a good season for Pannal Ash as its under-14s and under-16s have also made cup finals.

The under-14s will play in the Leeds FA District cup final against Wortley FC on March 27. They will also play in the County Cup final against Yorkshire Amateur Juniors on April 24.

The under-16s will play in the Harrogate FA Final against Pannal Sports JFC on a to-be-confirmed date. They will also play in the County Cup final against Horsforth St Margarets on April 1.

Covid cases fall in Harrogate district after yesterday’s daily record surge

A total of 404 infections have been recorded in the Harrogate district today — down on yesterday’s daily record figure of 493.

However, the district’s seven-day average rate of infection has risen from 1,139 and now stands at 1,329 per 100,000 people.

North Yorkshire’s rate is 1,269 and the England rate is 1,508.

Harrogate West and Pannal Ash remains the worst hit area, with 163 cases in the last seven days.

The number of people who have received a third or booster vaccine in the district stands at 101.983. A total of 364,100 vaccines have been administered.

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Huge surge in covid sees new daily record of 493 infections in Harrogate district

The daily record for covid cases in the Harrogate district has been obliterated, with 493 new infections recorded today.

Yesterday’s decline from the previous record of 330 to 279 had suggested numbers could have peaked. But today’s surge has dashed hopes.

The seven-day rate has also set a new record, now standing at 1,139 per 100,000. The North Yorkshire average is 1,140 and the England rate is 1,456.

The growth rate has jumped to 2.2. Harrogate West and Pannal Ash remains the worst hit area, with 156 cases in the last seven days.

Covid has been recorded on the death certificates of 366 people in the district, including one in the last week.

A total of 101,823 booster or third jabs have now been administered in the district.

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Councillors weren’t ‘bullied’ into approving plans for 200 Harrogate homes, says council

Harrogate Borough Council has “entirely refuted” claims from its own councillors that they were “bullied” into approving plans for up to 200 homes at a former police training base.

The proposals for the Yew Tree Lane site in Pannal Ash were approved during a three-hour meeting last Tuesday when the applicant Homes England was accused of making legal “threats” over any further delays on the application first submitted in June 2020.

Councillors had initially rejected a recommendation of approval during the meeting before claiming they had been “bullied” into the final decision.

This claim was supported by residents who said councillors “were unduly influenced” by the “threat” of a costly appeal from Homes England – the government’s housing agency.

The council has now issued a statement saying planning committee members must base their decisions on local and national planning policy. It added:

“Although the committee initially voted not to accept the officer’s recommendation, it is incumbent of them to provide acceptable planning reasons to support their decision.

“The decision was discussed at length and committee members were unable to identify sound reasons to justify such a vote, explaining their return to the original vote on the recommendation before them.

“Views that members were bullied, misled or voted due to fatigue are entirely refuted.”

Formal complaint

The council’s handling of the application has led to it receiving a formal complaint from Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, and Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council.

David Oswin, deputy chair of the parish council, this week described the decision from councillors as “shambolic” and “embarrassing”.

He said:

“Coupled with threats of a legal challenge by the developer and misinformation from the officers, councillors were frankly bullied and bamboozled into reversing a decision that potentially sets a dangerous precedent for those with the deepest pockets to exploit.”

During last Tuesday’s meeting, it was also revealed that Homes England had written to the council claiming it acted “unlawfully” when councillors delayed a decision on the plans in summer.

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Homes England was asked to comment on this and the claims of “bullying,” but only provided a short statement explaining the council’s decision:

“Members of the Harrogate Borough Council planning committee approved our planning application at the former police training centre last week.

“The scheme will deliver 200 new homes – including 30% affordable homes.”

A decision on the plans was previously delayed to allow time for work on the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – a long-delayed document which sets out the infrastructure needs for the up to 4,000 new homes set to be built in the west of the district.

It was due to be completed last year, but will now not be published in draft form until at least February net year.

The plans from Homes England include the conversion of several former police buildings into 16 homes and the construction of 184 new properties at the former training centre which closed in 2011.

A reserved matters application is expected in spring 2022 and if approved, construction could start in autumn.

Residents submit formal complaint over 200 Pannal Ash homes

Residents in Pannal Ash have lodged a formal complaint to Harrogate Borough Council following its decision to approve a controversial plan for 200 homes on a former police training centre site.

The authority’s planning committee granted permission for the development last Tuesday after debating the application for almost three hours.

Homes England, which is the government housing agency, had permission to build 161 homes on the Yew Tree Lane site but wanted to increase this by 23% to 200 homes by building on a sports pitch.

Following the decision, Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association described the meeting as “shambolic” and “embarrassing”.

Now the group has lodged a formal complaint to the council over the conduct of the meeting.

In a statement, HAPARA said:

“The complaint refers to a chaotic and confusing session in which the committee first rejected the officer’s recommendation and, some three hours later, reversed their decision to approve the application.

“This followed a claim by the applicant that the committee had previously acted unlawfully, perceived threats from the applicant of costly appeals, constant reference to costs by officers, interruption by officers of members’ debates and inaccurate and misleading advice from the chair.

“Although much of the debate centred on the role of the emerging West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, no officer from that team was present to clarify the purpose and timetable for the plan and some misleading statements made at the meeting went uncorrected.”

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HAPARA added that it believed the committee was “unduly influenced by the threat of the costs” and had called on the council chief executive, Wallace Sampson, to comment on the “validity of the decision reached”.

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Last week, David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, warned councillors that while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body it was a route it was willing to take.

During the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh accused Homes England of “bullying” councillors into approving the plans.

Harrogate planning committee ‘shambles and embarrassing’, says residents group

The chair of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association has described yesterday’s planning committee meeting, at which councillors approved controversial plans to build 200 homes at the former police training centre, as a “shambles” and “embarrassing”.

Councillors debated the application from Homes England, the government’s housing agency, for three hours. Concerns were raised about traffic congestion and the loss of a football pitch on the site.

The planning committee had previously voted in June against a recommendation to approve the application.

Councillors said back then that the scheme should not be passed until publication of the West Harrogate Parameters Plan, a document that will assess transport and infrastructure needs associated with wider plans to build up to 4,000 homes on the western side of Harrogate.

Councillors were told this week a draft version of the parameters plan would not be published until February 2022 but, this time, they decided to approve the plans by seven votes to three.

Rene Dziabas, chair of HAPARA, criticised the decision of councillors on the committee, who he said were “badly briefed” by officers.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The meeting was a shambles. What communication was there between councillors and the planning department? Given this was a controversial deferral in June, you’d have thought there would have been a great deal of detail buttoned down, and a clear understanding from councillors about what the parameters plan is.

“I felt very let down [by the councillors]”.

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David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, warned councillors that while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body it was a route it was willing to take.

During the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh accused Homes England of “bullying” councillors into approving the plans.

Mr Dziabas said the decision to grant planning permission in the face of impending legal action from Homes England had damaged local democracy.

He added:

“There’s a great deal of talk about local democracy — this was not a good example of it.”

Homes England accused of ‘bullying’ tactics over 200 homes at Pannal Ash

The government’s housing agency has been accused of using “bullying” tactics over controversial plans for up to 200 homes at a former police training base in Harrogate.

Homes England was granted approval for the Pannal Ash site at a meeting on Tuesday when it emerged the body had written to senior officials at Harrogate Borough Council claiming the authority acted “unlawfully” when it delayed a decision on the plans in June.

The delay was taken after questions were raised over the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – a long-delayed document on infrastructure needs for the up to 4,000 new homes set to be built in the west of the district.

Members of the council’s planning committee had hoped for a further delay on Tuesday to allow time for the parameters plan to be completed, however, they claimed they were “bullied” into approving the homes due a “threat” of legal action.

David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, said while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body, it was a route it was willing to take.

He told yesterday’s meeting:

“We are trying to work with officers and have been doing so for a number of months to avoid an appeal – something Homes England does not want to do.

“But if this is deferred then unfortunately we will have very little options going forward.”

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The former police site on Yew Tree Lane (pictured below) was used as a base to train more than 1,200 officers a year before it closed in 2011.

The latest plans from Homes England include the conversion of several former police buildings into 16 homes and the construction of 184 new properties, while proposals for a sports pitch have been scrapped.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said a decision on whether the scheme should go ahead should not be taken until work on the parameters plan is completed as expected in February.

‘Grossly damaging accusation’

“We are talking two months here to make sure what is done on this site is right.

“I’m very saddened Homes England thinks it is right to bully us into this decision, because that is what is on the cards today – ‘approve it or we will appeal’.”

Councillor Jim Clark, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Harlow, also accused the body of having a “bullying attitude” and said its claim that the council acted “unlawfully” was a “grossly damaging accusation”.

The west side of Harrogate currently finds itself with around a quarter of the entire housing allocations in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

This equates to around 3,500 to 4,000 new houses and residents are worried how the area’s schools, roads and health services are going to cope with this population increase.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said he believed a precedent had been set for further housing in the area as the police site was allocated for 163 homes in the Local Plan, but has now gained approval for up to 200.
He said:

“We are strongly opposed to this near 25% uplift in housing numbers.

“We are also worried about the precedent this sets, the impacts that will arise and we ask – what is the point of the Local Plan?”