Mice found in ‘dirty throughout’ Harrogate district pub

A mice infestation, a dirty kitchen and cross-contamination between raw and cooked food led to the closure of the kitchen at The Black Swan Inn at Fearby, near Masham.

In a statement today, Harrogate Borough Council said a routine investigation by its food safety team found the pub to be “dirty throughout” with “potentially serious hygiene issues”.

Along with the mice and cross-contamination of food, the statement added that staff were unable to wash their hands after handling raw food.

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday that York Magistrates Court had granted the council an Emergency Hygiene Prohibition Order for the kitchen on Friday. The council will need to be satisfied it no longer poses a health risk before it can reopen.

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The court also ordered the pub to pay £697 in costs to the council on or before September 10.

Conservative councillor Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:

“It is imperative that food businesses maintain hygiene and food safety at all times, even more so during the current covid pandemic.

“The council’s environmental health officers work hard to provide guidance and advice to businesses in ensuring that they can operate safely.

“Any business failing to heed and act on such advice – which then subsequently fails an inspection which identifies a risk to public health – needs to understand that we will, when necessary, not hesitate to take formal action which could well result in prosecution.”

The pub has received ‘good’ or ‘very good’ food hygiene ratings in the past five years from the council.

The Stray Ferret contacted The Black Swan for a response by telephone today but there was no answer.

Famous Knaresborough pub to reopen after eight month refurbishment

A Knaresborough pub is preparing to welcome back customers after it closed for eight months to do a major £160,000 refurbishment.

The Worlds End Pub closed for the work in December 2020. After a few bumps in the road, the pub will open to customers for the first time in months today.

When the customers return they will find that the venue has effectively doubled its seating offering.

Some of the most noticeable changes are outside. The pub has created a completely new outdoor seating area where the old conservatory and toilets used to be.

Indoors there is also plenty to see. The bar has been extended with a new overhang from the set of the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost film which is also called The Worlds End.

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The main seating area indoors has also had a big refresh. It is now much bigger with a stone floor, big traditional beams and bi-fold doors which lead outside.

Simon Colgan told the Stray Ferret ahead of the opening:

“Since we moved here in 2006 I knew it could be so much bigger, so much brighter and so much more Knaresborough.

“It was important that we didn’t just give it a lick of paint. We needed to erase all the bad things and create a lot more space with an extra 120 seats.

“I am absolutely over the moon. We could only dream at the beginning but people have come in and added their own ideas.

“We didn’t want to polish all of the character out of it. The pub is still quirky and olde worlde but hoepfully on a much better level now.”

With an extra 120 seats at the pub, it means that the pub has employed 30 new staff.

More pictures from The Worlds End:

The overhang from the set of the film The Worlds End.

The new seating area inside.

The new seating area outside.

The Worlds End has quite a view over the River Nidd.

Police object to Knaresborough pub’s plans to serve late drinks outside

A Knaresborough pub could be granted permission to serve customers alcohol outside until 10pm if an objection from police is withdrawn.

The Cricketers, located on Thistle Hill, Calcutt, wants approval to extend its premises licence to include an outdoor bar but North Yorkshire Police says it must agree to rules around CCTV.

Licensing officer PC Jackie Allen said in an objection to the application that while cameras were being installed to cover the outdoor area they must be of a high quality, recording at all times when the pub is open and with the footage made available within 48 hours of any request. She said:

“North Yorkshire Police believe that the following conditions need to be placed onto the premises licence for the purposes of strengthening and promoting the prevention of crime and disorder and public nuisance.

“If the applicant is in agreement with the proposed conditions set by North Yorkshire Police, the representation will be retracted.”

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The pub is located at the former Union Hotel and is owned by national brewing and pub retailing business Marston’s.

Currently, it has a licence to serve customers from the indoor bar until midnight Sunday to Thursday and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The new application, set to be decided by Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee at a meeting next Tuesday, will cover service from a new outdoor bar.

No other objections other than from North Yorkshire Police have been received.

The Red Lion at South Stainley to reopen with new name and owners

The Red Lion pub on the A61 in South Stainley is to reopen on Wednesday under new owners and with a new name.

Partners Graham Usher and Matt Rose have bought the pub, which has been renamed The Inn South Stainley, reflecting its village location between Harrogate and Ripon.

For years, the pub was popular with families because of its Wacky Warehouse soft play area.

The previous owners of The Inn South Stainley, which closed in March last year, invested £1.5m on converting the original standalone building into eight bedrooms, refurbishing the interior and creating another four guest rooms on its first floor.

The venue will offer accommodation and serve gastro pub meals, drinks and snacks. It is planned to open the restaurant and function suite in July.

There are also plans for two teepees with fire pits in different parts of the inn’s extensive grounds, to host private functions, including private wedding parties.

On 36 bus route

The Inn South Stainley will be managed by Mr Usher and Mr Rose’s hospitality consultancy, Mattgray Hospitality.

Launched in January 2019, the business already operates Selby pubs The Castle Inn and the Drovers Arms.

To replicate their formula at South Stainley, the two men have brought with them the Drovers’ long-standing head chef, Shane White, and recruited Chris Lawton as general manager.

Mr Usher said the pub was “exactly what we were looking for”, adding:

“It had recently been refurbished to a very high standard and included guest rooms. And with the number 36 Ripon, Harrogate, Leeds bus stopping right outside, it’s ideal for staff and customers who want to leave the car at home.”

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Mr Rose said:

“Many people still call it by its previous name, The Red Lion, and talk about it being the place to go to eat and drink. Our intention is to make this well-known pub a must visit destination again for those who love great food, great drinks and a great atmosphere.”

More information about The Inn South Stainley is available here.

 

 

Court bans former Coach and Horses landlord from driving over drugs

A court has banned the former landlord of the Coach and Horses pub from driving after police pulled him over with cocaine in his system and Class A drugs in his jacket.

John Nelson, who held the pub’s licence for 33 years until last summer, had his court hearing today at the Harrogate Justice Centre after missing it two weeks ago.

The court issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to show but later withdrew it.

Police arrested Nelson on October 30, the day after the council gave his daughter the licence, on Leeds Road and tested him for drugs.

Officers were acting on a report that the car Nelson was driving was being used by a drug dealer. They searched the car and tested him for drugs.

The test found that he had 30 micrograms of cocaine per litre of blood in his system. The limit is 10 micrograms. Officers also found three bottles of methadone in his car.

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As a result, officers charged him with drug driving and with possession of a class A drug. Nelson, 65, entered a guilty plea to both charges today.

In defence for Nelson, barrister Andrew Thompson, said:

“Mr Nelson had gone to Leeds to collect the bottles of methadone and was bringing them back to Harrogate to the same friend.

“The police did not stop him for bad driving. Mr Nelson told me today that he felt fine to drive and that he co-operated fully. In his police interview he said he had bipolar disorder.

“That may partly explain why he committed this offence. It is a well known fact locally what happened with the pub he used to run. He has had a difficult year and has retired with no intention of going back.”

The court banned John Nelson from driving for 18 months and ordered him to pay £334 in a fine, surcharge and court costs.

Nelson lost his licence after North Yorkshire Police found customers drinking outside the Coach and Horses and not observing social distancing over the weekend of May 30.

Customers of the pub launched a petition to grant the licence to his daughter Samantha Nelson, which the council did in October last year.

She said she would refurbish and reopen but there has been no movement at the pub ever since. The Stray Ferret has made several enquiries but has received no reply.

Knaresborough train station bar is a ‘labour of love’

The owners of a new bar arriving at Knaresborough’s train station next month say the project has become a “labour of love”.

Jason White and Phil Paling of Gorilla Brothers Ltd already own a brewery and bar near Doncaster that focuses on craft ales.

The Track & Sleeper will open on platform two by the last week of May, serving a selection of real ales, ciders and gins.

Its two large rooms allow for plenty of seating, 20 outside and 70 inside.

The owners have made the most of the generous space and installed a large bar, made out of sleepers, to hold 12 pumps. They are hoping to use four of these for guest ales from local breweries.

Mr White said:

“We want to be part of the bar scene in Knaresborough and hopefully people will buy into it. It’s been a labour of love for us.

“We have fallen in love with the town and who’s to say we wouldn’t open another bar locally.”

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It has taken the men more than a year to get to this point after originally submitting their business plan to Northern in January 2020 and only getting into the building to start renovations three weeks ago.

The Grade II listed station dates back to Victorian times. The Track & Sleeper’s design is said to be in keeping with its history by using period colours and maintaining some original features.

Mr White added:

“We’re trying to go along the lines of how things would have looked 100 years ago.”

Six-month planning wait ruins Starbeck micropub plan

Plans to open a new micropub called the Office Ale House in Starbeck have fallen through.

IT consultant Kevin Jones previously said he hoped to get the venue at 67d High Street up and running by May, subject to planning permission.

He applied for a change of use planning permission on September 22, but nearly six months later Harrogate Borough Council was still to consider the application.

Mr Jones said the landlord of the building has now decided to offer the building to a different tenant.

He said he was “seriously upset about it” and criticised the council’s planning department:

“Starbeck has lost what would have been a community asset.”

“Now all the money I have spent on it has been wasted.”

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A council spokesperson blamed the covid pandemic for the delay:

“We would normally endeavour to determine an application for a change of use within eight weeks. This can sometimes take longer should revisions to a scheme be needed and/or further information required.

“But, like all local authorities, the planning application process was disrupted considerably last year due to the on-going global pandemic and the numerous lockdown and social distancing measures introduced.

“Once remote meeting were introduced, along with government measures for carrying out the planning process safely, we have successfully reinstated this process. However, as a result of the aforementioned issues, some application decisions are taking longer to determine.”

A different building on Starbeck High Street will be turned into a pub called the Waiting Room, after Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee granted it a licence to sell alcohol last month.

The premises was previously occupied by Greenalls and Your Factory Bed Shop.

New Starbeck bar granted alcohol licence

A new bar is set to open in Starbeck after Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee granted it a licence to sell alcohol.

Robert Thompson, director of Appetite for Life, hopes to have The Waiting Room open in May, covid restrictions permitting.

The building at 34 High Street was previously occupied by Greenalls and Your Factory Bed Shop, but has stood empty for some time. The name of the bar ties in to its location near Starbeck railway station.

Mr Thompson told the committee this morning that he hopes the bar will attract a different clientele to the nearby Prince of Wales pub.

He said:

“We see Starbeck as an up and coming area that lacks a high-quality, modern hospitality venue. We want to change that through an investment of up to £100,000.”

Appetite for Life’ already runs a number of bars in the Harrogate district including the So Bars in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, and the Tap on Tower Street.

The bar will also sell coffee from 7am Monday to Saturday and from 9am on Sunday, with a deli counter open during each day. It will close at 11.30pm Monday to Wednesday and 00.30am during the rest of the week.

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Starbeck is currently served by one pub, the Prince of Wales, plus two clubs.

However, the high street could see the addition of a second new bar called The Office Ale House, which submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council last year.

Owner Kevin Jones told the Stray Ferret that he is confident that Starbeck is big enough for the two new venues, and thinks covid has highlighted how important pubs are for local communities.

New bar could open in former Starbeck carpet shop

Starbeck could have an addition to its high street if planning permission is approved to open a new bar.

Local pub company Appetite for Life is planning to open its eighth bar at the former Greenalls carpet shop at the junction with Spa Lane.

It already runs a number of bars in the Harrogate district including the So Bars in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, and the Tap on Tower Street.

The owners said they hope to be open in May if covid restrictions are eased and that the new venue will offer something for everyone, including live music.

The building, 34 High Street, was previously occupied by Greenalls and Your Factory Bed Shop, but has stood empty for some time.

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Robert Thompson, director of Appetite for Life, hopes to open a brand new “quality independent cafe bar” called The Waiting Room, tying in to its location near Starbeck railway station.

If all plans are approved, the space will become a licensed craft beer and coffee shop, with a deli counter open during the day. At night the owners say it will have more of a bar feel.

Mr Thompson said it will have a modern feel which he hopes will appeal to people from across the district and create a buzz in Starbeck, adding:

“We have had Starbeck in our sights for a long time. We see it as a bustling, up-and-coming area within Harrogate that offers a vibrant retail, commercial and residential market for us to expand in.

“We feel that there is an opportunity to open a quality independent cafe bar and really add to the development of Starbeck.”

If approved, the plans will see the unit returned to one open space with the removal of a partition wall. An area to the rear will also be converted into a storage room from a bathroom.

Mr Thompson’s application for an alcohol and music licence will be heard by Harrogate Borough Council next week. An application has also been submitted for a change of use of the building from a shop to a restaurant/cafe and take-away.

Plans to convert Half Moon pub in Sharow into a home

Plans have been submitted to convert the Half Moon pub in Sharow, near Ripon, into a four-bedroom home.

The village pub and restaurant, on Sharow Lane, opened in 1822 and closed four years ago.

Owner Mark Fitton was, until recently, advertising for a tenant to take on the pub.

He has now submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the premises.

A planning statement attached to the application claims three separate couples have run the pub in recent years but all suffered insolvency due to “a lack of custom”.

It reads:

“For at least 20 years everyone who has tried to run the Half Moon as a hospitality venue has found it to be extremely difficult.

“Since 2009 various people have tried to run it as a village pub or a high-quality restaurant, but all have failed due to a lack of custom.

“Three separate couples have, over the past 12 years, suffered insolvency as a result of trying to run the Half Moon as a commercial venture; none has managed to last beyond two years.”

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Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Sharow Parish Council clerk Nick Reed said the planning application was unpopular with villagers, and the parish council would submit a formal objection letter in the coming days.

The parish council previously said it was hoping to register the building as an asset of community value in the hope that it could re-open as a pub.

However, Mr Reed said Harrogate Borough Council has asked for more evidence if its bid is to be successful.

He said:

“They told us it would be unlikely to be granted in its current state, so we have been going around the village asking people what the pub means to people, what it could be in the future and what we are missing by not having it.”

Villagers in Sharow were encouraged last year when residents in Kirkby Malzeard raised more than £200,000 in a bid to prevent residential redevelopment of a site occupied by The Henry Jenkins Inn.

However, the campaign was dealt a hammer blow last month when The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency that deals with planning appeals, overturned Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for conversion of the eastern part of the site into a single dwelling.