Seven weeks of roadworks begin today in Harrogate

Seven weeks of roadworks are due to get underway in Harrogate town centre today.

Some of the main routes in town are likely to be subject to traffic lights and delays.

Parliament Street, Ripon Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road are among the roads affected.

The disruption will enable gas distributor Northern Gas Networks to replace metal pipes with plastic pipes.

Cold Bath Road could be the worst affected route, with “multiple lights” operating for five weeks.

The roadworks are the second phase of delayed works  that were “paused” a year ago.

Here’s what motorists can expect.

Crescent Road lane closure and traffic lights 

A lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road and Ripon Road along with four-way lights at the junction of Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road for two weeks. The existing lights will be bagged, and temporary traffic lights will be in operation from 7am to 7pm.

Montpellier Road (roundabout) & Montpellier Hill Lane closure

A lane closure will be implemented on Montpellier Road (roundabout) and Montpellier Hill Lane for two weeks.

Cold Bath Road traffic lights and parking suspensions

Multiple two and three-way lights will be introduced on Cold Bath Road for five weeks starting from Monday.


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Wellington Square Road closure

A road closure will be implemented on Wellington Square for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks saud traffic lights will be manned seven days a week between 7am and 7pm “to ensure a smooth flow of traffic”.

Seven weeks of roadworks set to begin in Harrogate town centre

Roadworks are to begin next week on some of Harrogate town centre’s busiest routes.

The work, which is due to start on Monday and last for seven weeks, will see traffic lights on key routes including Parliament Street, Ripon Road, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

The disruption will enable gas distributor Northern Gas Networks to replace metal pipes with plastic pipes.

Cold Bath Road could be the worst affected route, with “multiple lights” operating for five weeks.

It is the continuation of road works that were “paused” a year ago following delays.

Northern Gas Networks said last week it would be digging up Skipton Road in a separate scheme over half-term.

Here’s what the company said is involved with the latest work starting next week.

Crescent Road lane closure and traffic lights 

A lane closure will be introduced on Crescent Road and Ripon Road along with four-way lights at the junction of Crescent Road, Parliament Street, Ripon Road and Kings Road for two weeks. The existing lights will be bagged, and temporary traffic lights will be in operation from 7am to 7pm.

Traffic on Parliament Street is likely to be affected.

Montpellier Road (roundabout) & Montpellier Hill Lane closure

A lane closure will be implemented on Montpellier Road (roundabout) and Montpellier Hill Lane for two weeks.

Cold Bath Road traffic lights and parking suspensions

Multiple two and three-way lights will be introduced on Cold Bath Road for five weeks starting from Monday.

Multiple traffic lights will be on Cold Bath Road.

Wellington Square Road closure

A road closure will be implemented on Wellington Square for two weeks.

Northern Gas Networks said traffic lights will be manned seven days a week between 7am and 7pm “to ensure a smooth flow of traffic”.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said the work was vital “to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Harrogate” and apologised for any inconvenienced.

He added:

“We completed phase one of this project in autumn 2022. It was a complex scheme during which we faced multiple engineering challenges because of the depth of the gas main.

“This caused a delay to our timescales and meant we were unable to complete the following phase within a reasonable timeframe without impacting customers and businesses during the busy Christmas period.

“Collaborating closely with North Yorkshire County Council, we’ve worked hard to review the remaining work and plan this final phase in a way that minimises impact to residents and local businesses as much as possible.”


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Harrogate Mojo plans bar extension

Mojo in Harrogate has submitted plans to extend its bar area.

Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, has tabled the proposal to North Yorkshire Council which would see additional seating downstairs and upstairs.

The plan includes converting current commercial office space on the first floor into additional seating space.

In documents submitted to the council, the company said the move would help to cope with demand at the bar.

It said:

“The proposed extended customer floor space seeks to address demand and reflects the success of the business in Harrogate and as such will positively contribute to the character and vitality of the town centre.”

Drawings of the first floor extension, as coloured in red.

Drawings of the first floor extension, as coloured in red.

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

The move comes after Mojo was granted an extension to its opening hours at its Parliament Street bar until 6.30am. A council licensing committee approved the move in March.

At the time, Martin Greenhow, managing director of Mojo, told councillors that part of the reason for extending the hours was so the business can recover from the covid pandemic.

He said:

“One of the reasons that we’re here asking for these extra hours is that the business has found challenges since we have returned.

“We have accrued an awful lot of debt in just getting through lockdowns.”

The Mojo chain also has bars in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham.


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New salon opens in Harrogate as longstanding one bids farewell

A new salon will open in Harrogate on Tuesday — days after a longstanding one closes.

Charles Hanson, a unisex salon, will welcome customers in Westminster Arcade on Parliament Street.

Owner Marcus Charles Hanson was previously style director at Dangerfield & Keane on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road, which will close tomorrow after 15 years.

Several staff at Dangerfield & Keane, including owner Gerri Dangerfield, are involved in the new venture.

Charles Hanson’s premises in Westminster Arcade.

Mr Hanson said:

“For my entire hairdressing career, I have wanted my own business. From when I was just a Saturday boy to recent months as a manager and trainer with a loyal clientele, telling clients that my dream was to have my own salon.

“I have worked at Dangerfield & Keane in Harrogate with some of the most talented hairstylists and I have watched them progress through their journeys. After watching them its now time to start my own. I cannot wait to open the doors to Charles Hanson.”

Gerri Dangerfield and stylist Gill Hawley-Jefferson are renting chairs in the new salon. Two other Dangerfield & Keane staff have also transferred to Charles Hanson.

Mr Dangerfield announced in May he planned to close the salon “to address my work-life balance and spend more time with my husband, Andrew”.

The business was expected to continue until October but Mr Dangerfield said on Instagram “while this is ahead of our previous schedule, the time is now right for the next move”.

He added:

“We want to assure you that we are all very excited to be moving to the next chapter of our careers and lives.”


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Plans lodged to convert former Parliament Street shop and nightclub into flats

Plans have been lodged to convert a former retail unit and part of a nightclub on Parliament Street into flats.

JC Robinson Ltd has tabled the plans to North Yorkshire Council which would see seven apartments created at the Grade-II listed building.

The proposal would see the former Sofa Workshop, which is next to the now closed Bijouled store, converted.

It would also see the upper floor of the former Moko nightclub and office space adapted to become flats.

In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the application would cause no harm to the listed building.

It added:

“Subject to further detailing of internal and external works including the design of new window and door openings to the exterior of the building, it is considered that the development can be undertaken without giving rise to harm to the significance of the listed building.”

The move comes as the retail units at the site have been empty for some time.

The Bijouled unit, which would be retained under the plan, closed its doors in February this year.

Meanwhile, the former Sofa Workshop shut in April last year after the company entered administration.


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Man with ‘flagrant disregard for people’ jailed for crimes in Harrogate

A man has been jailed for a year for a string of offences in Harrogate, including threatening to kill a policeman.

Christopher Layton, 36, admitted carrying out the threat at Harrogate police station on June 7 this year.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for that offence when he appeared in front of magistrates in York on Tuesday.

Layton, of no fixed abode, received other consecutive custodial sentences for further crimes.

They included assaulting the same police officer and assaulting a man on Parliament Street in Harrogate on June 18. He also threatened police and paramedics.

Layton, who was subject to supervision requirements imposed after a previous jail sentence, also pleaded guilty to threatening a man on Queens Road in Harrogate on June 7, which court documents said “was motivated by hostility towards persons who are of a particular sexual orientation”.

The documents also said the offences were so serious because “the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property” and involved attacks on emergency workers.


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Viper Rooms owner says Harrogate landlords need to ‘get real’ with rent

The man who owned Harrogate’s last nightclub has spoken of his frustration at trying to operate in the town.

It is now six months since Viper Rooms was re-possessed by landlord North Yorkshire County Council.

It has remained empty since, despite repeated claims by the council of “significant interest from potential tenants”.

Viper Rooms owner Paul Kinsey said he had been in protracted negotiations over a new lease with the council before it re-possessed the building.

Mr Kinsey added he still owned the fixtures and fittings and had continued to negotiate with the council about re-occupying the site.

But a deal has not materialised and his frustration has prompted him to speak out.

The Viper Rooms unit was part of the grade two listed Royal Baths, which the council bought for £9 million in 2018. The baths also includes the former Potting Shed unit, which has been vacant for five years.

Viper Rooms and Potting Shed

Still vacant: the former Potting Shed and Viper Rooms — both part of the Royal Baths.

Their ongoing closure led Mr Kinsey to claim councillors “haven’t got the commercial experience or knowledge” to run large commercial assets and they were making unrealistic demands on tenants.

He said he spent £370,000 refurbishing the club pre-covid and the council was now requesting £150,000 a year on rent and service charge even though the landscape had changed post-pandemic. He said:

“If they think they can get £150,000, good luck to them. It’s a difficult market. The council grossly overpaid for the Royal Baths without doing proper due diligence. It was a trophy asset.

“I can understand them wanting to get a good deal because of that but they have to get real.”


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‘Crippling overheads’ on Parliament Street

Mr Kinsey, who lives near Wetherby, said he still wanted to have a venue in Harrogate and had his eye on one site.

But he questioned the appeal of the town to leisure operators, adding the main reason he was so keen to return to the Royal Baths was because he owned the fixtures and fittings and had spent so much on refurbishing it pre-covid.

He said many commercial landlords over-estimated the value of Harrogate and pointed to the number of failed ventures on Parliament Street as evidence of “crippling overheads”.

“I don’t think Harrogate is on many people’s target list. You get more bang for your bucks in other places.

“People who don’t know the area believe the streets are paved with gold. There is a good wealth profile but they spend elsewhere — Leeds, London or abroad.

“Look at how many businesses haven’t been able to make it work on Parliament Street. These are good operators, not cowboys, but even they couldn’t make it work.”

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded North Yorkshire County Council on April 1, if it had a response to Mr Kinsey’s claims but it did not issue one.

The Viper Rooms site is being advertised

Asked for an update on the Viper Rooms, which is now being advertised by agents Savills, and the Potting Shed, it said it had nothing to add to its last statement two months ago, when Gary Fielding, the council’s corporate director for strategic resources, said:

“A unit which did house the Viper Rooms is continuing to attract significant interest, and an agent has been appointed to co-ordinate discussions with potential tenants.

“A lease has been signed for the final unit and a dialogue with the tenant is continuing to establish when the new venture will be launched.”

The council’s £9 million spending on the Royal Baths also included the JD Wetherspoon pub and the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant.

Harrogate restaurant relaunches following £30,000 refurbishment

An Italian restaurant in Harrogate town centre is set to relaunch next Thursday (April 27) following a £30,000 overhaul. 

The refurbishment of Piccolino on Parliament Street sees the return of the ground-floor bar that was popular when the site was run as Restaurant Bar & Grill.

When it became a Gino D’Acampo restaurant in 2017, the ground floor was turned into a deli, but owner Individual Restaurants rebranded it to Piccolino in January 2022 and is now bringing back the bar area in response to local demand. 

Andrew Garton, CEO of Individual Restaurants, said: 

“I spent 10 years of my life living in Harrogate and enjoyed every minute of it. On taking my position as CEO at Individual Restaurants, bringing the bar back to Harrogate was the top request from my friends and contacts – and this is exactly what we have done. We look forward to bringing back the buzz to the local community as well as ensuring that we continue to serve the finest Italian food and drink. 

“I encourage everyone in Harrogate to come and relive the good times and experience the best venue in Harrogate.” 

The re-launched bar will serve cocktails and host sets by local DJs. The roof-top terrace and private dining room will also be reopening. 

Seated customers laughing and chatting in a busy Piccolino Italian restaurant in Harrogate.

The Harrogate restaurant is one of 18 Piccolino sites around England, most of which are in the North.

The venue will be led by a new general manager, Salvatore Cataldi, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, including stints at San Carlo and Grantley Hall. He said: 

“I am super excited to be joining the Piccolino Harrogate team as general manager. I can already see how this will soon become the ‘go to’ place for dinner and late evening drinks in our new bar. 

“I also have a strong business network within the local community, and I think our private dining room and rooftop terrace space will be a hit with local businesses looking to surprise and delight their teams and clients! I look forward to welcoming our guests to the restaurant over the coming months.” 

The Manchester-based Individual Restaurants group has 18 Piccolino sites across the UK, including Harrogate, Ilkley, Collingham, Sheffield, Bramhall, Birmingham, Chester, Didsbury, Hale, Knutsford, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Stockton Heath, Bristol, London and Virginia Water. It also has restaurants operating under other brands in Leeds, Hull and Marlow. 


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Harrogate Mojo bid to open until 6.30am approved

Mojo in Harrogate has had its bid to stay open until 6.30am approved by councillors.

Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, has submitted the licensing request to Harrogate Borough Council for the Parliament Street bar In January.

It includes amending the permitted sale of alcohol from 11am until 4am to 11am to 6am each day of the week.

The proposal would also see the permitted hours for regulated live music, which is currently 11am until 4.30am, changed to 11am to 6am the following morning Monday to Sunday.

The opening hours would be 11am until 6.30am.

A council licensing committee approved the proposal this morning.

Martin Greenhow, managing director of Mojo, told councillors that part of the reason for extending the hours was so the business can recover from the covid pandemic.

He said:

“One of the reasons that we’re here asking for these extra hours is that the business has found challenges since we have returned.

“We have accrued an awful lot of debt in just getting through lockdowns.”


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The chain already has three bars in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool which are open until 6am.

The committee also heard that Mojo has never had enforcement action taken against it or had a licence revoked.

However, David Birtles, a resident who lives at Harrogate House on Parliament Street, objected to the extension.

He said:

“I do not want to be picking my way with my four-year-old grandson through urine, vomit and broken glass as left on our entrance doorway to the street on a regular basis.”

Officials from Mojo said the concerns over anti-social behaviour and late night disturbance were addressed as part of the licence conditions.

The licence will be reviewed in 12 months time.

The move to extend the hours at Mojo comes three months after nearby Viper Rooms, which had opening hours until 4.30am, closed last month.

Best Bar, which is also on Parliament Street, applied to extend its opening hours to 6.30am on Fridays and Saturdays last month.

Woman’s lip needs stitches after being hit in face in Harrogate bar

Police have launched an appeal for witnesses after a woman was hit in the face in a Harrogate nightclub.

The female, in her 20s, received a large cut to her lip that required several stitches.

The incident happened at Revolucion de Cuba on Parliament Street on December 10.

North Yorkshire Police, which issued the appeal today, said the assault has only recently been reported “due to the distress and anxiety that the victim felt following the incident”.

It added the victim had “bravely allowed us to share a photograph of her injury” to aid the appeal.

According to police, the assault happened at about midnight as the victim went to retrieve her coat from behind a chair in the upstairs area of the club. Shortly after the attack, a group of woman spoke to the victim.

Investigating officer, PC Sylvia Matla said:

“I am appealing to the group of women to come forward along with any witnesses who saw what happened or can help us identify the suspect.

“This attack caused the victim apprehension and distress but more importantly, anxiety causing her fear of reporting this incident to the police for some time. I would like to reassure anyone who is the victim of crime, that North Yorkshire Police will investigate all crimes regardless of the time passed since it happened.”

If you have information you can email Sylvia.Matla@northyorkshire.police.uk or call her by dialling 101, selecting option 2, and asking to speak to her.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230024522.


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