Plans for a new 36-flat supported housing development in Harrogate have been given the go-ahead today.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of the Harrogate charity Disability Action Yorkshire, made an impassioned plea to councillors for the scheme to go ahead. She said disabled people wanted to be given more control of their lives.

Ms Snape told Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning meeting that the need for supported housing was growing ever greater as disabled people “want so much more than residential care”.

She was speaking in support of plans to replace the charity’s existing Claro Road care home with 36 flats, which will allow residents to live more independently.

Ms Snape said:

“Disability Action Yorkshire has provided residential care for disabled people in the Harrogate area for the past 60 years, and for at least the last six years we have been working towards stopping that part of our service.

“The reason for this is that the disabled people we work with are telling us very loudly that they don’t want residential care.

“I asked the young disabled people currently living in 34 Claro Road what they thought I should say to you today.

“They said ‘just tell them we are ready, we want choice and control over our own lives, we just want our own front doors, we want what everyone else has.’”

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Disability Action Yorkshire, which this year celebrates its 85th anniversary, is working with Highstone Housing Association to build three apartment blocks at the Claro Road site.

Residents ‘no longer want residential care’

Ms Snape said the need for this type of accommodation has been growing over the last decade, but became in even greater demand during the pandemic which “solidified the resolve” of Claro Road residents that they no longer want residential care.

She said:

“For the past two years they have been treated differently to the rest of society, at one point not being able to have visits from friends and family while the rest of the country went out to eat out.

“Nearly every day somebody said we wouldn’t be in this situation if we had a home of our own.”

The charity’s plans – which included a mix of one and two-bed flats – were approved with “open arms” by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today.

Works will now start later this month to construct the first of the flats on the grounds of the current home and on a derelict playground which was sold off by the council last year.

The existing care home will be replaced with flats, as well as a base for support staff who will be on site 24-hours-a-day.

Speaking at today’s meeting, councillor Stuart Martin said:

“This is exactly the sort of development we should be building and it’s one of the easiest decisions I’ve taken on this planning committee.”

New details have emerged about Harrogate Spring Water’s rental agreements with the borough council, as the company has still yet to reveal latest expansion plans for its bottled water plant.

After being refused permission to expand onto Rotary Wood in January 2021, the company said it would submit new plans “in the coming weeks”.

But eight months on after that statement last July, there is still no sign of another planning application from the firm which faced a backlash from campaigners, residents and councillors after having its proposals recommended for approval by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council has now revealed new details of a turnover-based rent agreement that it has had with Harrogate Spring Water since the company first opened its Harlow Hill site in 2002.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the council refused to say how much money it has received as the details are deemed to be of “commercial value”.

But it did disclose for the first time that it receives 0.5% of Harrogate Spring Water’s annual turnover.

And when calculated using the company’s turnover figures, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has found that the council has received an estimated £853,033 over an 18-year period.

This is on top of an annual base rent which was initially agreed at £10,000 in 2002 and has since climbed to £15,232 following a review every five years.

Aerial view of Harrogate Spring Water. Pic: Pinewoods Conservation Group

Conflict of interest questions

These financial benefits for the council have previously raised questions over a potential conflict of interest in its decision-making for Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans.

But the council has repeatedly said there is no such risk and that it has followed the correct procedures when dealing with the proposals.

A council spokesperson said:

“As we’ve said numerous times, there is no conflict of interest.

“Land/site ownership is not a material consideration when an application is considered.

“It is normal practice for planning authorities to take decisions on planning applications relating to land in its own ownership.

“There are no requirements nationally for a planning application – whether it is on council-owned land or not – to be determined by another local planning authority or other mechanism.”

The council also confirmed it has no other turnover-based rent agreements with any other of its tenants.

And it said the rent from Harrogate Spring Water is used to “deliver valuable front-line services across the Harrogate district.”

125-year lease

This comes as emails obtained in a separate Freedom of Information request show the council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring Water.

The site is subject to a 125-year lease which is reportedly worth £1.13 million.

When the council recommended the company’s expansion plans for approval last year, it said there were “significant economic benefits of the proposed development, including job creation, other financial benefits to the district and the enhancement of the Harrogate brand.”

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But this was not a view shared by campaigners who argued that in the face of a climate emergency, it was vital that the council preserved green spaces and not replaced them with a larger factory producing plastic bottled water.

This argument was backed by members of the council’s own planning committee who accused the authority of putting “profit and plastic before impact on the environment”.

Harrogate Spring Water was first granted outline planning permission to expand its bottling site onto Rotary Wood – which was planted by children and forms part of the 40-hectare Pinewoods forest – in 2017.

Two years later, the company submitted a revised application that was 40% larger than the one originally approved, but then failed to win full permission.

In a new statement issued this week, Harrogate Spring Water said it is currently “evaluating its plans” but did not hint at when its latest proposals could be revealed.

The company also said it is “committed to working with the public” and “will continue to keep people engaged and informed as part of the process”.

Rotary Wood plans

Pinewoods Conservation Group – the charity responsible for the conservation of the Pinewoods forest – has been at the forefront of the objections to the company’s expansion over Rotary Wood.

The charity said there have been “no proactive discussions” from Harrogate Spring Water over its latest plans which it said should be scrapped altogether.

A charity spokesperson said:

“With each year that passes the Rotary Wood area of the Pinewoods becomes a more mature woodland with increasing bird and plant life, improving the biodiversity of the area and improving air quality.

“The continued delays are however now impacting on any future plans for that area of the Pinewoods. We know, for example, that footpath works are much needed but are reluctant to potentially waste limited charity funds.

“We hope that with continued public pressure on unsustainable businesses such as Harrogate Spring Water, and this community site specifically, that any expansion plans are now abandoned.”

Two potential plans for housing at Harlow Nurseries in Harrogate have emerged.

The site next to the Pinewoods is owned by Harrogate Borough Council and sells plants, pots and compost to the public.

However, the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, says 40 homes can be built there. The nursery will relocate if a development goes ahead.

Two options for how it could look were displayed at Pinewoods Conservation Group‘s annual general meeting on Monday by the charity’s chair Neil Hind. Both contain more than 40 homes.

The plans were drawn up by consultants on behalf of the council.

The first option includes 57 homes that are a mix of family homes and apartments.

The second option includes 62 homes and apartments and has less garden space than option one.

Both options include 30% ‘affordable’ homes. The two plans also say the development could achieve net-zero emissions, but don’t give further details on how this might be achieved.

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In September 2020, the council appointed three external consultants to draw up plans for the nurseries, as well as for two other brownfield sites in Harrogate.

The consultants will be paid with funding secured by the council in 2018.

The council received £200,000 from the Leeds City Region Business Rates Pool and £36,000 from the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Impact on Pinewoods

The plans could still change before the final report is published in May.

It would need to be rubber-stamped by councillors before moving to the next stage, which could involve the sale of the site to a developer.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Hind said:

“My view is there is no point objecting, it’s in the Local Plan, it’s a brownfield site and it’s going to happen. Our role is to ensure it has as little impact on the Pinewoods as it can have.”

Pinewoods Conservation Group’s AGM on Monday evening.

Harrogate Spring Water

The AGM was attended by around 25 people. Also on the agenda was Harrogate Spring Water’s hopes to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The Stray Ferret reported this week that Harrogate Borough Council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to the company, which is preparing to submit a new planning application.

Mr Hind told the meeting that Pinewoods Conservation Group had lawyers on hand to ensure due process on any sale was followed.

Plans to demolish a 20-bed care home on Claro Road in Harrogate and replace it with a new facility have been recommended for approval.

Disability Action Yorkshire has submitted the proposal, which would see a 34-bed facility built on its current site and on adjacent disused land.

The new home would be built in three three-storey blocks and would ease the shortage of accessible supported housing for local disabled people.

Senior Harrogate Borough Council officers have recommended that the scheme is approved at a planning committee meeting next week.

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The proposal consists of 24 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom flats.

Should it be approved, Disability Action Yorkshire plans to complete the scheme in partnership with Highstone Housing Association.

The council agreed to sell the adjacent land to the housing association for an undisclosed sum in November 2021.

It is hoped the project will be completed by the end of 2023.

Masterplan of the care home development on Claro Road as proposed by Disability Action Yorkshire.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire, said previously:

“Our vision is to empower disabled people to live the lifestyle of their choosing, and independent living is at the heart of this.

“This is an incredibly exciting move for us, and something we have been planning for a number of years. Our partners, Highstone Housing Association, are experts in building supported housing.

“Whilst they will develop the site, it will be our staff supporting the residents, all of whom will have tailor-made care packages put in place before moving in.

“Our customers at 34 Claro Road have been fully consulted, and they looking forward to having their own front doors.”

Harrogate Borough Council has said it would consider selling Rotary Wood to Harrogate Spring Water, as the company looks to expand its bottling plant on Harlow Moor Road.

The move was revealed in an email sent by Trevor Watson, the council’s director of economy and culture, to HSW in October 2021. It was obtained via a freedom of information request.

HSW leases the land where it is based, on Harlow Moor Road, from the council. The company pays the council ground rent of £13,000 a year plus turnover rent revenue, but this figure has never been publicly revealed.

The council is also the planning authority and in January last year councillors rejected a bid by HSW to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood.

The woodland was planted by the Rotary Club of Harrogate and local schoolchildren and is part of the council-owned Pinewoods.

In July 2021, Harrogate Spring Water said it would table new proposals to expand the bottling plant ‘within weeks’ but eight months on it has yet to do so.

Asset of Community Value

Pinewoods Conservation Group successfully registered the Pinewoods as an Asset of Community Value in 2015.

This means if the council decided to sell any of it, it must pause any sale for six months whilst it gives local community groups the chance to make an offer to buy it.

The email from the HSW employee, whose name is redacted, to Mr Watson reveals that representatives from HSW had a ‘helpful’ meeting with Conservative council leader Richard Cooper and deputy leader Graham Swift in September 2021. The ACV status of the woodland was discussed.

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In the email to Mr Watson, the HSW employee asked about the process for “releasing the land of this status”.

The email says as HSW decided to ‘do right by the town’ by not appealing last January’s refusal to grant planning permission, it asks the council to ‘lend your assistance’ around the ACV status of the wood, which it would like removed to speed up its planning application. It adds:

“A key element of the new application would be to try to expediate the process of releasing this land of its status, in order to avoid an unnecessarily protracted period of consultation and media scrutiny. I firmly believe this would be in the best interest of both parties.”

Open to offers

Mr Watson’s reply said that any sale of land with ACV status must follow due process but the authority would be open to offers.

Mr Watson added:

“The timing of all this therefore largely rests with HSW, in terms of how soon you wish to commence negotiations for the land and ultimately whether an in-principle agreement can be reached on potential disposal terms.”

He said informal discussions between the council and the business about buying the land took place “a number of years ago” but terms could not be reached.

Harrogate Spring Water’s head office on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Mr Watson said if a bid came in from HSW for the land, it would be subject to the usual six-month consultation period.

“We would therefore see the ball being in the HSW court in terms of formally approaching the council with a new, meaningful proposal for our consideration.

“If and when disposal terms are agreed in principle, the ACV process would then be formally triggered and we would carefully follow all the legal processes required, including public consultation as appropriate.”

Planning process ‘needs to be followed’

A Harrogate Spring Water spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is evaluating its plans for the site and will communicate any update as and when that occurs. We are committed to working with the public and we will continue to keep people engaged and informed as part of the process”.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokeswoman said:

“This matter remains entirely in the hands of Harrogate Spring Water.  We wrote to them back in Autumn 2021 setting out a factual response to questions that they asked us about our decision-making processes.  We made very clear that there are distinct, statutory processes that we need to follow and that planning and land disposal processes are, quite rightly, dealt with as very separate matters. We have not had a response or any further discussions with the company on either the planning or land ownership situation”.

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said

“With each year that passes the Rotary Wood area of The Pinewoods becomes a more mature woodland with increasing bird and plant life, improving the biodiversity of the area and improving air quality.

“We are aware that Cllr Swift has been vocal in his support of this planned development but would be very concerned if any promises had been made to expedite any part of this complicated process and avoid full transparency and consultation. We also note that Cllr Cooper has recently been attending planning committee meeting and would hope he would now excuse himself from any future planning committee that considered these planning matters.

“However, we are somewhat comforted by comments from council officers restating the legal and planning processes that needs to be followed with respect to disposal of public land, and land that is protected as an ‘asset of community value’.

“Our lawyers will continue to monitor progress with interest.”

Plans have been submitted to convert the disused Church of St Mary on Harlow Terrace in Harrogate into seven homes and office space.

The homes would have either two or three bedrooms and 9 car parking spaces would be added.

The grade II* listed Gothic building was built in 1916 but has structural problems.

Mineral felt in the roof is leaking and the stone is deteriorating. It was designed by renowned architect Sir Walter Tapper.

In October 2020 it was placed on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ register.

Previous plans

A different application to convert the church into office space was granted by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017 but it never materialised.

Shaw and Jagger Architects bought the church in November 2018 with the intention of turning part of the church into its offices with a business partner. 

These plans were approved in 2020 but building work did not start.

The latest proposals for the church still include office space intended for the architect firm, but most of the building would now be turned into housing.

The council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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The guardians of Nidderdale’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be handed greater powers to determine the future shape of the landscape, it has been claimed.

Community leaders in both the Nidderdale AONB and the Howardian Hills AONB said while the areas were almost indistinguishable from their neighbouring national parks, they did not have the same protections.

National parks can make their own planning decisions, but decisions about AONBs are made remotely, often by people lacking local knowledge or expertise, they said.

Nidderdale AONB board member Keith Tordoff said the area had its own environmental and economic ecosystem to consider, but key decisions were being made by Harrogate Borough Council. He said:

“Harrogate is too remote from what is going on in Nidderdale. I would say it’s more important for the AONB to have input in planning decisions than planning officers who are based in Harrogate.

“Planning is something that should have been part and parcel of AONBs when they were established, like national parks, and there’s an argument that Nidderdale should have been included in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

“For planning issues it’s very important that it should be people who are already working in the AONB area and understand the issues.”

However, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, whose Masham division includes part of Nidderdale AONB, which covers 233 square miles, said she hoped the views the AONB’s executive provided about planning applications were already taken into account.

She added she was confident the formation of a unitary authority and ‘double devolution’, where extra powers will be offered to local areas, would see greater local expertise in dealing with rural issues.

Equivalent recognition

The comments come as the government considers proposals to strengthen AONBs planning powers to recognise AONBs are just as important for people and nature, but lack equivalent recognition in law or support in resources.

The government consultation follows the Glover Landscapes Review finding AONBs do not always have the resources to meaningfully engage with the planning system, and that their advice is sometimes given limited weight in planning decisions.

A government spokesman said it recognised weighing up planning decisions needed to be carried out differently in protected landscapes, to ensure their statutory purposes and special qualities are meaningfully protected.

One suggestion includes granting AONBs statutory consultee status, alongside bodies such as highways authorities and water firms, for planning applications to ensure greater weight is given to their special qualities in
planning policies, procedures, and decisions.

Councillors representing the Howardian Hills AONB said elevating its status in the planning process would help with specific issues, such as significantly higher house prices to the surrounding area and poor access to services.

A North York Moors National Park spokesman said it supported strengthening the AONB team’s planning powers as it was likely to be beneficial to delivering objectives in the national park.

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Harrogate Borough Council‘s conservation officer has objected to the demolition of the former Debenhams building on Parliament Street.

Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient is behind a proposal to demolish the three buildings that Debenhams was situated in and replace them with 50 flats and two commercial units.

The site on Parliament Street has been home to different retailers for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.

But the developer has said there is no market for the building to be reoccupied as a department store, and the 1902 and 1920-era buildings should be torn down.

‘Harmful to the streetscene’

The council’s objection was submitted last month by Emma Gibbens, principal conservation officer.

Ms Gibbens wrote:

“The loss of the traditional building form and architectural detail would be harmful to the streetscene and character and special interest of the conservation area, the building forming part of the designated heritage asset in a manner that contributes positively to its character.”

Ms Gibbens added that the developer needed to prove that the demolition was justified.

She wrote that redevelopment of the site was possible in a way that did not involve the demolition of historic buildings.

She added:

“If demolition can be proven to be required, then a revised scheme would be required for a replacement building; otherwise, the historic buildings should be retained and the later parts replaced with buildings that enhance the conservation area.”

The council’s planning committee will decide on the proposal but the objection by a senior council official is a blow to the developers.

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The council joins two influential heritage groups in submitting objections to the plans.

In January, Save Britain’s Heritage said the developer had failed to provide “clear or adequate justification” for demolishing the buildings.

The public body Historic England has also submitted an objection to the plans. Whilst welcoming the regeneration of the site, it said there should be a “sensitive conversion” of the two older department store buildings.

But the demolition has been supported by Harrogate Civic Society, which said it accepted the building was “very difficult to convert in a logical and practical way”.

However, the group objected to the height of the replacement building, which it said was “overpowering.”

Strengthen the town

A CGI view of the new apartments on Parliament Street.

The developer Stirling Prescient said in planning documents that there was no scope to convert the building into smaller units “due to its internal layout and the age of the building”.

Stirling Prescient said:

“The proposals as a whole will strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.

“The proposal represents a sustainable form of development and therefore benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning planning permission should be granted without delay.”

Harrogate Golf Club on Knaresborough Road has submitted plans to build a covered driving range.

The club, which was formed in 1892 and is the oldest golf club in Harrogate, says it will allow members to practice during poor weather.

The proposals include six practice bays as well as a dedicated training bay for the club professionals.

There would also be a golf ball cleaner and dispenser housed in a small attached building.

Planning documents state the building would be similar to other driving ranges found throughout the country. The driving range would be on a part of the course that is currently used for members to practice longer shots.

Harrogate Borough Council will decide on the plans at a later date.

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The owners of Husk Beer Emporium in Harrogate hope to open a bar this summer that showcases the best craft beers from the UK and abroad.

Danny Duckworth and Tom Gill, both 33, opened the shop on King’s Road just before the first covid lockdown. It sells a wide array of craft beers with idiosyncratic branding and flavours.

They said the next step is opening their own bar and they recently submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to do this.

The bar would be in a unit that was previously home to Greek restaurant Souvlaki on Station Square, opposite the Queen Victoria monument.

If all goes to plan, they said the venture could open by May. It will offer live music, meet the brewery nights, food, outdoor seating and an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of unique beers.

The bar would open in this empty unit on Station Square

‘Weird and wonderful’ beers

The friends met as students at St Aidan’s Church of England High School and are excited by the prospect of moving into a more prominent location in the town.

Mr Duckworth believes craft beer can offer a more immersive experience for drinkers than traditional real ale, due to its taste combinations and flavours.

He said variety was the key to what they offer.

“We pride ourselves on weird and wonderful beers”

As well as selling more traditionally brewed craft beers, Husk also has a well-stocked range of alcohol-free and gluten-free options.

Mr Duckworth said:

“People come here on a Friday and buy eight bottles of beer and they will all taste different.”

Inside Husk Beer Emporium

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Craft beer trail

Craft beer muscled its way onto the drinking scene several years ago and the trend has proved that it has staying power.

Harrogate was once not known for alternative, DIY-style bars, but Mr Duckworth said Major Tom’s Social opened the door for places like the Disappearing Chin, North Bar and themselves.

Mr Gill said he hopes Husk bar can be part of a Harrogate craft beer trail, boosted by the Station Gateway scheme that would see the outside area at the end of James Street pedestrianised to allow for al-fresco summer drinking.

He said:

“More and more people are seeking places like this out.”

Mr Duckworth added:

“The craft beer scene in Harrogate is buzzing for us to open, we hope they can support us.”