Harrogate is not known for its high-end contemporary architecture, but the few examples that come up for sale tend to be rather special. 

Greenway, a detached four-bedroom property off Rossett Green Lane, is the latest of the genre to hit the market, and its price tag alone suggests something a little out of the ordinary. 

Its guide price of £1.5m is several times the average asking price for the district, but then, this is no average property. 

Accessed from a private road and standing behind solid-oak electric gates, Greenway is nothing if not exclusive. Once you’ve got past the intercom entry system, you find yourself in a light, spacious central reception hall with bespoke cupboarding, double-height window and a steel-spined handmade oak staircase with glass balustrade.

The hand-made oak staircase winds round a steel spine.

The L-shaped dining kitchen is state-of-the-art, with wine cooler and boiling water tap, and the dining and family areas open up onto the large outdoor terrace. There’s also a home office, an integral double garage, and a 25-foot-long living room with remote-controlled gas fire.

At the top of those oak stairs, there are four double bedrooms – three of them with en suite bathrooms, two with dressing rooms, and one with a balcony area. 

The kitchen includes integrated appliance, wine cooler and boiling water tap.

As if all that weren’t enough, what really gives this house an edge is its technology. There’s smart underfloor heating throughout, it’s fully networked with wireless access points and ethernet cabling, and all the windows have electric blinds which can also be controlled remotely. In fact, the whole property is protected by an intruder alarm and external camera system – which can also be controlled remotely.

There are also gardens with a hidden patio, which currently houses a rotating seven-seater garden pod.

The lounge in Greenway opens out via sliding glass doors onto the terrace.

Greenway came onto the market yesterday and is marketed by Harrogate agent North Residential. 

Director Harriet Cheshire told The Stray Ferret: 

“There’s not much out there at the moment in the £1.5m bracket, but there are a lot of people out there with cash for the £1.25-1.5m price range, so we expect this property to attract quite a bit of attention. 

“Its technology is a definite plus. A lot of people nowadays are very tech-savvy and want to be able to control everything in their home by phone, so some will really see the premium in it.” 

Read more:

• Harrogate councillors approve sixth Kingsley housing scheme
• Free security upgrades for some Harrogate district homes and farms
• Harrogate Knight Frank directors set up North Residential estate agency

This article is sponsored by Linley & Simpson.

An exclusive new development of luxury four-bedroom bungalows has gone on the market in the picturesque village of Rainton.

Boasting a cricket club, green and pub, the idyllic rural setting provides the perfect location for Grange Farm.

As village locations remain in huge demand, one property has already been sold.

However, there are two spacious detached homes with double garages remaining, with prices starting from £630,000.

They have been built by Harrogate-based independent developers JWK Developments Ltd.

Plot 1 at Grange Farm Barns, Rainton.

Lucy Collinge, new homes marketing executive at Linley & Simpson, the agent selling the properties, said:

“It is unusual for a development of bungalows to come to the market – particularly as new builds.

“These properties are around 1,800 sq ft. However, they are really energy efficient as they are fitted with air source heat pumps and underfloor heating.

“The specification is high quality with stunning contemporary open-plan fitted kitchens, french doors opening to a private garden and patio and tiled bathrooms and ensuites. There is also a feature oak handrail in the hallway.”

The homes boast a carefully considered layout, with living and sleeping accommodation shared on the ground floor, as well as featuring a principal bedroom to the first floor in a dormer bungalow style.

A bathroom at a similar development in Alne, near Easingwold, by JWK Developments.

A separate sitting room and optional study or snug allows for a second reception room, ensuring that these homes provide for versatile living accommodation.

The ground floor also provides a utility room, cloakroom WC, house bathroom, two further double bedrooms and a single fourth bedroom/study.

Ms Collinge said:

“They also feature large landscaped gardens, which have been planted with crabapple trees and are really pretty. They are very much in-keeping with the village landscape.”

Rainton is a quintessentially English village, nestled between Ripon and Thirsk.

It is close to the junction of the A1 and A168, providing the commuter with options when travelling by car. Central Harrogate and York are 16 and 25 miles to the south respectively and Leeds is 38 miles away.

A kitchen at a similar development in Alne, near Easingwold, by JWK Developments.

For longer journeys, the nearest train station is Thirsk which is just seven miles away. From here, it is possible to catch direct trains to Leeds, London, Manchester Airport, Sunderland and York.

Ms Collinge added:

“Rainton has got a lovely village green and a maypole and it certainly looks the part.

“You’ve also got great transport links on the doorstop giving seclusion without remoteness.

“Rainton really is a stunning village in a fabulous location – the perfect place to buy a new home.”

James Knight, director of JWK Developments, said:

“Grange Farm is a truly unique development and the importance of an energy efficient and sustainable home has been recognised.

“From Mitsubishi air source heat pumps, underfloor heating to the ground floor and electric vehicle charging points, this offers buyers luxury eco-friendly living.”

To enquire about plots 1 and 2 at Grange Farm Barns, call Linley & Simpson on 01423 540054

The value of Harrogate Royal Baths has fallen by £2.5m since it was acquired as a commercial investment by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018.

A council report reveals the Grade II listed building, built in the 1890s, was valued at £7m in March this year, compared with £9.5m when the local authority bought it. The council paid £9m but was prepared to pay £10m.

The report also reveals the Baths had only generated a 1.82% return on investment by September 30, which marked the end of the second quarter of the financial year.

The depreciation of the asset, along with the low rate of return on investment, has sparked fresh questions about the council’s decision to buy the Baths and its ability to manage commercial assets.

Last year Conservative county councillor Richard Musgrave said he was “absolutely speechless” to learn the council had paid £9m, adding “the performance looks very, very poor” and describing it as a “trophy investment”.

Speaking about the latest figures, Cllr Stuart Parsons, leader of the council’s Independent group, said local authorities should aim for investment returns of between five and 10 per cent and although times were hard the 1.82% figure was not acceptable. He added:

“The main problem is local authorities should not really own these properties because they don’t know what they are doing.

“I just don’t think there’s enough commercial nouse in the local authority to be running these sites.”

Figures contained on p134 of the council report.

Cllr Parsons said the new North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence in April, should “hire proper commercial people” to run key assets like the Baths and the loss-making Harrogate Convention Centre, which he said had been “a millstone around Harrogate Borough Council‘s neck for a long time” and in danger of becoming a “white elephant”.

He added:

“This should be the last chance. Give commercial people a couple of years to turn them around and if they can’t, the council should think about disposal. There has to be a proper policy.”

‘Severely impacted by covid’

Asked about the latest figures, North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate director for strategic resources, Gary Fielding, said:

“This particular investment was an opportunity to invest not only for a direct financial return but also in our locality. To the end of the last financial year, returns have been in excess of our standard treasury investments. The issues experienced have been the result of a global pandemic and more recently other issues beyond UK borders.

“Investments are made for the longer term — balancing risks that can reasonably be foreseen and having sufficient cash flow and reserves to deal with shorter term shocks.

“As we move towards a new unitary council from April 1, 2023, we will see the freehold of Harrogate baths pass to the new council. Whilst the investment from North Yorkshire County Council will cease at this point, the ongoing relationships with tenants will continue.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Royal Baths: the council’s under-performing ‘trophy investment’
• Council accused of ‘trophy investment’ for £9m purchase of Harrogate’s Royal Baths

Mr Fielding indicated the council would take a tougher line on commercial tenants to maximise income.

“The hospitality sector has been severely impacted by the covid pandemic and the council has done all it reasonably can to support its tenants through these difficult times for the benefit of the local economy and taxpayers generally.

“We work with our tenants to understand their circumstances in order to maximise the income into the council. However, it is not the council’s responsibility to support tenants indefinitely, and if businesses are not sustainable then we work with tenants to bring tenancies to a close.

“We have seen improvement over the last six months which is encouraging. However, with the ongoing cost of living crisis, the hospitality sector may unfortunately experience further pressures.”

This article is sponsored by Myrings.

Harrogate’s leading family estate agents Myrings has scooped four prestigious titles at the biggest awards in the UK property industry.

The independent agency received the Gold Estate Agent Award, Gold Landlord Award, Silver Tenant Award and Best in County for North Yorkshire at the prestigious ESTAS Customer Service Awards 2022.

The team from Myrings, which is based on Princes Square, collected the award at a glittering ceremony in London.

The winners were announced by Phil Spencer, who co-presents Location, Location, Location with Kirstie Allsopp.

The awards are powered by the ESTAS customer review platform that highlights the best agents, conveyors and brokers for customer service in the UK.

Gemma Myring, Managing Director of the family-run business, which was established in 1998, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised in this year’s ESTAS.

“It means so much to us as we know it’s our customers who have judged our performance. We take our levels of customer service very seriously because we know clients have a choice. We have always been very proud of the personal service, and this proves we are delivering what we promise.”

Ms Myring put the continued success of the agency, which is ranked in the top 2% for sales in the country, down to the hard-working team.

She said:

“The staff have pulled out all the stops and I’m so proud of all of them. A good team is what sets you apart.

“We are going into our 25th year really proud of what we have achieved.”

Phil Spencer, who has hosted The ESTAS every year since their inception in 2003, addressed the audience at the awards.

He said:

“I’ve said it many times but the work of agents, conveyancers and brokers is vastly underrated by the general public and it’s only when clients go through the process that they understand the effort, complexity and hard work that goes into your job.

“It’s your passion for what you do that makes The ESTAS the most important day in the property calendar every year.”

To find out more, visit the Myrings website. You can call the sales department on 01423 566400, or contact the lettings team on 01423  569007.

This article is sponsored by Craven-Holmes.

Boroughbridge estate agents Craven-Holmes has been named a finalist in one of the most prestigious awards in the UK property industry.

The independent family-run business is one of 38 agencies shortlisted in the Small Estate Agency of the Year category at The Negotiator Awards 2022.

The winner will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at London’s Grosvenor Hotel on Friday, November 25.

Owner Tracey Wrigglesworth, who bought the agency in 2018, said it was a huge honour to be nominated.

She said:

“The Negotiator Awards are like the Oscars of the industry. Just to be shortlisted is massive.

“The criteria is incredibly tough. You have got to prove your worth.

“When I got the email to say I’d been shortlisted, I’m surprised you couldn’t hear me screaming in Harrogate!”

Tracey, who has more than 20 years experience in the local property market, runs the business with her daughter Mahalah Mulholland. Her friend Pauline Wardman also works at the agency and her son also gets involved when needed.

The sales, lettings and property agency works across the region in the Boroughbridge, Ripon, Thirsk, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Bedale and Wetherby areas.

Tracey and her team have all lived and worked in the area for many years and therefore have an in-depth knowledge of the local market.

Tracey said:

“We pride ourselves on our relationships and our customer service, as well as trust and integrity. We are really proud of what we do.

“We are an independent on Boroughbridge High Street and we are very much a supporter of the local community.

“I’m so proud of what we have achieved. The support that I’ve had has just been lovely with continued repeat business and recommendations.”

Whether you’re buying, selling, renting or letting, Tracey and her team are ready to help. Get in touch by emailing sales@craven-holmes.co.uk or lettings@craven-holmes.co.uk

For more information, visit www.craven-holmes.co.uk

The directors of Harrogate-based estate agency Knight Frank have set up an independent business.

The change will see the directors launch a new company with a fresh identity called North Residential.

Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg secured independent ownership of the business after operating in Harrogate for 15 years.

The team will continue to be located on Harrogate’s Albert Street, with the office currently undergoing refurbishment.

Emma Kingham has been promoted to director, Harriet Cheshire has also become a director and Fiona Lippell, who has been with the business for over 15 years, remains office manager.

A statement by North Residential said that although it was independent, it would “maintain an amicable working relationship and continue to collaborate as necessary” with Knight Frank, which operates internationally.

Mr Pollitt said:

“Whilst retaining our position as the leading estate agent in Harrogate, we have plans to invest considerably to expand into more regions over the next few years.

“We are thrilled that our existing, highly valued team, that have become known and respected within the local community over many years, will each have an incentive in helping to make it even more successful.”

Read more:

• Harrogate estate agent records £15m turnover
• Harrogate gym to lift one million kilos in memory of Jamie Leese

When Libby Watt was a little girl growing up in Harrogate, she remembers playing ‘estate agents’, showing her friend around imaginary houses.

The childhood dream became a reality and she has enjoyed a long, illustrious career in property, which has seen her sell some of London’s most exclusive homes.

Now, she has returned to her roots and is three months into running her new estate agency, Barclay Watt Estates.

‘The most perfect cottage’

She said:

“I’ve just sold the most perfect cottage in Bishop Thornton and I’ll actually be really sad I won’t be going there any more. It has been a joy showing people.

“I’ve also got one due to complete next week and I’ve sold a couple off market.

“I’m really excited about it. I think Harrogate will be slower than London, but I am enjoying it and I love property.”

Ms Watt was brought up on Hookstone Road and moved to London in 1999.

She said:

“I was the administrator for a big corporate company. Unbeknown to me at the time my two managers there were setting up on their own, so they were out of the office all the time.

“Applicants would come in and say they had viewing books, so I told them to hop in my little Clio and drove them down to see the properties.

“I kept getting offers on them and I thought ‘I really love this’.”

Read more:

• Yorkshire School of Garden Design set to launch at Harewood House
• Jules B to open in Harrogate in September

She went on to work for a number of property firms in the capital, including Featherstone Leigh, Hamptons International and Manors.

She said:

“One Saturday I kept getting calls from former clients asking where I had gone. I remember, I was driving and thinking ‘I can do this for myself. Why am I working for other people I’ve got the contacts, the knowledge and enthusiasm’.”

In 2010, she set up her own successful agency called Napier Watt in Mayfair.

Back to her roots

After selling the business, she went into property acquisition, before making the decision to move back to Harrogate to be closer to her parents.

After being unimpressed by the service when she was buying a property, she decided to launch her own firm.

She said:

“I was surprised at the level of service. Friends and family told me I should open an estate agency here as I would do well. So I thought ‘why not?’

“I started doing all the branding and paperwork and in March I was up and running.”

Ms Watt is focusing on sales, lettings, management and property acquisitions. She also works with interior designers and offers a global relocation service.

Female bosses

She said:

“I have noticed there don’t seem to be many female bosses of property firms up here. I am so pro women doing well.

“I was lucky enough to have some great mentors.

I went to Harrogate Grammar School and actually only got two GCSEs, because I’m just not academic. I just can’t retain things that I don’t find interesting.

“So I always tell clients I’m not taking notes, as I have photographic memory. I could draw a floor plan of a house I saw 20 years ago.

“As long as you have got a work ethic, you can do anything.”

This article is sponsored by the Oakapple Group.

Nestled between Ripon and Thirsk lies the quintessentially English village of Rainton, complete with a cricket club, green and pub.

This idyllic rural setting provides the perfect location for Robinson’s Fold, a small development of 15 three, four and five-bedroom family homes.

As village locations remain in huge demand, the majority of the properties have now sold.

However, there is still an opportunity to own your dream house in the country, with three beautiful new spacious homes available to move into late next month.

Lucy Collinge, new homes marketing executive at Linley & Simpson, the agent selling the properties, said:

“The developers – Oakapple Homes – have done some incredible builds around North Yorkshire. They are known for building large, quality family homes.

“Internally the proportions of the houses at Robinson’s Fold are really quite substantial. The specification is high quality with stunning fitted kitchens, tiled bathrooms and ensuites, oak flooring in the hallway and one reception room, underfloor heating to the ground floor and bi-fold doors all coming as standard.”

A showstopper kitchen and dining room space.

The Newburgh – Plot 12

The Newburgh is a stylish four-double bedroom home with an adjoining garage.

Key features

• 4 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with Bosch integrated appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room

The Studley – Plot 13

Constructed in artstone, The Studley is a superb executive home with five double bedrooms and an integral garage.

Key features

• 5 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with integrated Bosch appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room and dressing room

The Studley is available now.

The Studley – Plot 14

Constructed in brick with artsone cills, this is also a substantial executive home with five double bedrooms and an integral garage.

This home backs onto open countryside and enjoys unspoilt and open views from the rear bedrooms.

Key features

• 5 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with integrated Bosch appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room and dressing room

A beautiful entrance and staircase.

When it comes to deciding what type of property to buy, Miss Collinge said the benefits of new homes “are endless”. She said:

“They have 10-year warranties. That’s two years with the builder, where they will come out and address any issues that might arise. For the next eight years it’s covered by an insurance backed warranty picking up anything structural.

“Another benefit is the affordable running costs. I think that’s such an important factor for purchasers at the moment with the cost of living continuing to rise. New build properties also come with all manufacturers guarantees on these appliances and heating systems.

“Self-builds, home improvements and renovations are difficult at the moment due to the cost. So new builds are fantastic in terms of buying something you can go straight into, live in and enjoy.

“All the evidence, as well as our own research, highlight that flexible working patterns are very much here to stay. No longer is working from home a novelty – it’s now very much a growing lifestyle choice. The majority of the properties incorporate a home office and super-fast broadband in response to this.

“In Yorkshire and across the UK, COVID-19 has rebooted the property market. One of the few positives of the pandemic is that it has catapulted the idea of home-working from the edge of employment activity, into the mainstream.”

A living room perfect for those cosy nights in.

Sean Mayes Development Director at Oakapple said:

“Recent events have made us all reflect on what is important in our lives. A sense of community, work/life balance and the need for open space away from the crowd are still very much at the forefront of our minds.

However, as the world starts to open up again, connectivity is also high on the checklist. Rainton offers the best of both worlds thanks to its convenient location.

It is close to the junction of the A1 and A168, providing the commuter with options when travelling by car. Central Harrogate and York are 16 and 25 miles to the south respectively and Leeds is 38 miles away.

For longer journeys, the nearest train station is Thirsk which is just 7 miles away. From here, it is possible to catch direct trains to Leeds, London, Manchester Airport, Sunderland and York”.

In conclusion, Miss Collinge added:

“Rainton has got a lovely village green and a maypole and it certainly looks the part.

“You head over the bridge back to Ripon and you’re also a stone’s throw away from Thirsk. You’re bang in the middle. You’ve also got great transport links on the doorstop giving seclusion without remoteness. Rainton really is a stunning village in a fabulous location – the perfect place to buy a new home.”

Businesses in Yorkshire’s tourism industry are being invited to an online event to ask them what they want from a new tourism organisation.

In March the troubled tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire went into administration as council leaders withdrew funding for it.

The Yorkshire Leaders Board, which is made up of local authority leaders, says there now needs to be a new approach to marketing the county. It plans to set up a new organisation to replace WTY and will meet in May to agree a timeline for its creation.

In a statement on the new website Yorkshire Tourism it said:

“We would like to ensure that Yorkshire’s tourism and hospitality businesses, and local destination managers are involved in the development of this organisation. We believe in the power of collaboration and open communication, and look forward to creating a more positive future for the Yorkshire tourism industry.”

If you want to be part of the free Zoom discussion contact Yorkshire Tourism here. 

Property firm, Artium Group, launches in Harrogate

A new Harrogate firm specialising in property development, investment, construction, and asset management is to launch.

Artium Group is headed by property developer Thomas Shotton and chartered surveyor Sam Colley, owner of Ousebank Consultancy.

The firm will have three subsidiaries; Artium Investments, Artium Construction and Artium Asset Management.

The pair have already secured projects totalling almost £30m in gross development value including two high-end residential conversion schemes, a leisure conversion with a rooftop in Harrogate and a residential new build scheme in York.

Mr Colley said:

“We are thrilled to announce the establishment of Artium Group.

“Operating initially in Yorkshire and the Humber, we are positive about the prospect of owning and operating a portfolio, focussing on occupiers and their requirements which drive quality throughout and give our investors added confidence.”

The booming housing market in the Harrogate district led to a record number of homes sold above £1million last year.

Land Registry data reveals 84 property deals passed the seven-figure threshold, more than any other previous year.

The number includes all detached and semi-detached homes as well as apartments.

The most expensive part of Harrogate is an area off Leeds Road —Fulwith Mill Lane, Fulwith Grove, Fulwith Drive and Fulwith Road — where five homes sold for over a million in 2021.

The Harrogate district beats large metropolitan areas in the North (Leeds, 55, York, 27, Manchester, 17) when it comes to bumper property deals.

Knaresborough

The two most expensive homes sold last year in the district were in Knaresborough.

Staveley Court in the village of Staveley sold for £3m and a property on Lands Lane went for £2.9m.

Staveley Court. The most expensive property in the Harrogate district last year

In a sign of just how buoyant the property market is currently, the website Move Market suggests Staveley Court’s value has increased by a whopping £449,000 since it was sold in January 2021.

Its price tag has trebled in two decades. It was sold in 2001 in a deal worth £950,000.

Peter Lacey is from Knaresborough Community Land Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that is hoping to develop a site in the town into affordable housing.

He said the record year for million pound houses indicates the market is currently imbalanced:

“The pace in which affordable housing is growing is being outstripped by the rate we are selling million pound houses.

“It’s a product of supply and demand, but an awful lot of people, including my own kids, can’t get on the property ladder.

“We haven’t got the balance right but you can’t criticise anyone for buying or selling house at market value.”

Mr Lacey said he is worried that expensive property deals will inflate the market and make it even more unaffordable for people earning average wages to buy a home here.

He added:

“That’s what id be concerned about. If market is distorted, that becomes an issue.”

Booming market

David Waddington, director at Linley & Simpson, described the current housing market in the district as a “frenzy”.

He said the average value of a property in Harrogate is going up by 1% a month.

He added:

“There has been really strong activity over the last three years. Selling homes for over a million is not uncommon nowadays.”

“Increasingly, buyers are wanting houses with all the bells and whistles, but to be able to afford a million, Harrogate is the jewel in the crown.”

Last week The Sunday Times named Harrogate as one of the best places to live in the UK.

Judges cited the town’s schools, parks, shops, cafes and restaurants as among its attractions, describing it as “all the fun and fresh air of Yorkshire without any of the gritty bits”.

Mr Waddington said around 25% of Linley & Simpson’s sales are from people moving up to the district from down south, which he said could be pushing prices up.

He expects a downturn in the market later this year but for those who can afford a £1m price tag, he said they are less likely to be affected by factors like the cost of living crisis and inflation.