Refurbishment Archives - Page 3 of 7

Valley Gardens ceremony to mark Harrogate’s 70 years of links with New Zealand

A sculpture symbolising eternal friendship and loyalty will be unveiled in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens this weekend.

The Maori pikorua symbol forms part of the newly-refurbished New Zealand Gardens, along with a new bench and an information board.

The garden was created in 1953 to mark the links between Harrogate and Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, forged during the Second World War. Four men from Wellington are among the 23 New Zealand Air Force crew buried in the Commonwealth war graves at Stonefall cemetery.

The refurbishment – the first work for more than a decade – has been funded by individual donors, along with support from North Yorkshire Council, including local councillors Sam Gibbs and Peter Lacey.

It follows the deterioration of the previous installations in the area, including wooden sculptures and a bench which were affected by the weather and targeted by vandals in 2020.

Dennis Richards, chair of Harrogate International Partnerships, which oversees Harrogate’s twinning programme, said:

“It’s not a memorial garden, but the trigger for it was the New Zealand air crew buried at Stonefall. It was a vision of the two towns to create this garden which celebrates history, culture and friendship.

“It has taken a long, long time to get the money together to do the refurbishment.”

The unveiling of the garden will take place at 11am tomorrow, Saturday.

Flt Lt Dan Channon of the Royal New Zealand Air Force will represent his country and its capital, Wellington, at the ceremony.

Tewit Intermediate Band will play from 10.40am before the ceremony is opened by Mr Richards at 11am.

It will include short speeches about the history of the garden, its links to Stonefall, and the significance of the pikorua sculpture.

Among those speaking will be Fran Pride, the daughter of Tony Sissons who was instrumental in its development through his roles with the Friends of Valley Gardens and Harrogate in Bloom.

His widow, Bobbie, will officially reveal a new information board explaining the links between the towns, before Virginia Partridge, whose late father Alan Rollinson had strong links with both Harrogate and New Zealand, unveils the new sculpture.

The national anthems of both countries will be performed, with soloist Amelia McQuire singing New Zealand’s.

Alongside the garden refurbishment, Harrogate International Partnerships is working to build stronger links between the people of Harrogate and the communities in their twinned towns.

As well as Wellington, Harrogate has twinning agreements with Barrie in Canada, Bagneres de Luchon in France, and the Unesco world heritage site of Montecatini Terme in Italy.

Ripon paddling pool refurbishment is under way

The children’s paddling pool at Borrage Green Lane playground in Ripon is being refurbished, with funding from North Yorkshire Council.

City council leader Andrew Williams, who also represents the Ripon Minster and Moorside division as an Independent on North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“The work on re-lining the pool is being carried out to prevent future leaks.

“The aim is to have it re-opened ahead of the school summer holidays. so that families can use it once more.”

A new concrete base has been put in place as part of the refurbishment.

In addition to the re-lining of the pool in time for the arrival of warmer weather, Ripon City Council is arranging for portable toilets to be put in place at the playground for the third consecutive summer.

Local Tories and Lib Dems urge new council to back £49m Harrogate Convention Centre upgrade

Local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are to put aside political rivalries this week and urge North Yorkshire Council to support the £49 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

North Yorkshire Council will assume control of the conference and events centre when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of the month.

Harrogate Borough Council has staunchly defended the venue, even though it has often made an annual loss, on the grounds that it supports shops, hospitality and tourism across the district.

But there are fears the new council, based in Northallerton, might not be as keen — particularly at a time when the centre requires a huge investment to remain competitive.

A notice of motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat Chris Aldred and seconded by Conservative Sam Gibbs, will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

Councillors Aldred (left) and Gibbs

The motion says “a thriving Harrogate Convention Centre is central to the ongoing economic prosperity of the Harrogate district” and urges North Yorkshire Council to urgently set up a new management board for it. It adds:

“Council asks the new unitary authority to confirm its in principle support for the redevelopment plan for the centre and further asks that North Yorkshire councillors representing divisions within the Harrogate district are consulted during this ongoing process.”

Cllr Aldred, who represents Harrogate Fairfax, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am worried. People from outside the district will be making big decisions about the future of the district.

“We are all conscious of the enormous impact the centre has on Harrogate economically and the new council has this major development project that needs funding.

“”We don’t know what North Yorkshire Council is planning and want some urgency.”

Guesthouses and B&Bs near Harrogate Convention Centre

Bed and breakfasts near the convention centre rely heavily on it.

The motion is expected to be approved as it has cross-party support. But some councillors in Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge, which are further away from the centre and feel less benefit, may rebel.

If it is voted through one of Harrogate Borough Council’s final acts will be to write to North Yorkshire Council asking it to commit to supporting the redevelopment. But it is far from certain whether the new authority will do so.

In January, Richard Flinton, the incoming chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, said the venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

The same month, the UK government rejected Harrogate Borough Council’s bid for £20 million levelling up funds to support the redevelopment.

Work to create Harrogate district’s first mosque continues after asbestos delay

Work on turning Harrogate’s former Home Guard Club into the district’s first mosque is finally going ahead after a delay caused by the discovery of asbestos.

Harrogate Islamic Association bought the premises at the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road last April and has since been focusing on fixing the roof and making it weather-proof.

But repair work uncovered unknown quantities of asbestos, which is carcinogenic but had not been identified by any survey at the time of purchase.

The substance has had to be carefully removed and disposed of by licensed professionals before further work on the building could progress.

Reda Djamaa, trustee and spokesperson for Harrogate Islamic Association, said:

“We’ve dealt with that problem and now we can carry on with refurbishing the building. Our main aim is to get the ground floor ready for use.”

Harrogate Islamic Association raised half a million pounds to purchase the building, which stands next to St Peter’s CE Primary School, and must now raise a further £200,000 to gut the building and replace all its timbers.

Phase three will see a complete refit of the interior, including a new staircase, plasterwork, doors, windows and wiring, as well as new toilets and ablution areas, all at a cost of £250,000.

The final phase, costing another £50,000, will add a kitchen, outdoor bollards and railings, and security and lighting systems.

Mr Djamaa said:

“We have weekly prayer and we pass round a bucket, and we get some funds from other mosques, but it’s a mosque for the community here in Harrogate, and so most of the money will be coming from the community here too.

“We hope we’ll be able to get to the next stage within the year, but we’re doing it bit by bit. We’re not in a hurry.”

In the meantime, the 100-plus members of Harrogate’s Muslim community will continue to meet at in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

Picture of the front door of the former Home Guard Club in Harrogate.

The mosque premises have served the community in various ways over the last one-and-a-half centuries.

The former Home Guard Club has served the community in various capacities over the last 150 years. Originally built around 1870 as two cottages, it was converted shortly afterwards into Harrogate’s first cottage hospital until 1883, before serving as Harrogate’s Masonic Hall from 1884 to about 1930.

At the end of the Second World War it became the home of the 5th West Riding Battalion (Home Guard) Old Comrades Association and Club.

Harrogate’s Royal Pump Room Museum closes for refurbishment

The Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate has closed for a fortnight for refurbishment.

The domed grade two listed building, which was originally a spa water pump house and now tells the story of Harrogate’s spa past, will look different when it re-opens on March 7.

Most notably, the welcome desk that visitors see when they walk in will be returned to its original location in the octagonal room. The Egyptology exhibits have been sent for study at Cardiff University and are not expected to return for two years.

The building, whose notable visitors include Tsarina Alexandra of Russia and novelist Charles Dickens, is operated by Harrogate Borough Council.

The Stray Ferret asked why the refurbishment was being carried out and the cost.

A council spokesperson said:

“This year marks the 70th anniversary since Harrogate’s pump room opened as a local history museum.

“We want to ensure the museum remains open and enjoyable for residents and visitors for another 70, and are excited to announce that we are restoring the original welcome desk back into its position in the octagonal room for which it was designed.

“We are also creating a glass floor above the wells so that these can be seen more clearly and redesigning some existing displays to tell more fascinating stories of Harrogate’s past.”

Harrogate hotel begins recruiting — three weeks after laying off 76 staff

The St George Hotel in Harrogate is recruiting staff — just three weeks after it closed with the loss of 76 jobs.

The hotel is due to re-open in about 13 weeks as a pub with rooms rather than a traditional hotel. That is the preferred model of The Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that bought the historic venue in February last year.

The company is now advertising for a general manager on a salary from £45,000 and a head chef on a salary from £42,000.

A spokesman said the venue was still due to re-open in mid-summer. Scaffolding has gone up outside the building.

Asked about the decision to recruit so soon after making redundancies, the spokesman said:

“There were unfortunately delays to our refurbishment programmes as a result of problems within the construction industry and associated supply chain having a knock-on effect.

“This unfortunately meant in some cases we have had to make some redundancies in order to secure the long-term future for the sites.”

The Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel, Dower House in Knaresborough and Dean Court in York, among others.

The St George Hotel, which is opposite the Royal Hall on Ripon Road, grew out of the Chequers Inn and was renamed after George III’s gift of the Stray to the people of Harrogate in 1778.

It was enlarged several times during the 19th century and renamed the St George shortly before the First World War.

It was badly damaged by fire in 1927 and requisitioned by the Post Office and Air Ministry during the Second World War before re-opening as a hotel in 1952. It acquired a spa facility in 1985.

Harewood bird garden to close in just nine days’ time

The bird garden at Harewood House will close for the final time at the end of February half term.

The Harewood House Trust announced in January that the attraction would close in the face of a £4 million bill to bring it up to modern standards.

At the time, the charity said the birds would be re-homed over a six-month period, with a final closure date to be confirmed later in the year.

Now, that date has been set: Sunday, February 19 will be the last opening day.

The only exception is the penguin pool, which the trust said it hoped could remain open until the summer.

A spokesperson said:

“Over the next few weeks, the birds – many of which are exotic or endangered – will be re-homed in licensed zoos in the UK better equipped long-term to ensure they continue to have comfortable and enriched lives and to ensure their life-long care.”

The Harewood House Trust said it had faced a difficult few years, particularly with the covid pandemic, and its trustees were “acutely aware of the financial pressures” on the historic estate.

The bird garden was first opened more than 50 years ago and while its last zoo inspection praised the health and care of the birds, it also identified problems with the site’s infrastructure.

The trustees investigated refurbishment and potential sources of funding but, in the face of a £4 million investment, decided to close the bird garden. It will be replaced with a woodland garden with opportunities to see native species of birds and animals.

The farm experience will remain on site, and the trustees are hoping to improve the area around the courtyard for visitors, opening up views across the estate.

A statement today expressed the trust’s sadness at closing the bird garden, which it said had been a favourite experience for many generations of visitors, but said it could not make the bird garden the experience it should be.

The spokesperson added:

“We realise that many of Harewood’s visitors love the Bird Garden and have children who love it too. It has been an incredibly difficult conclusion to reach but it is the most responsible and ethical decision to make, to ensure the health and care of these beautiful creatures, but also to ensure Harewood can stand the test of time and be here for as long as it has stood already…

“Thank you to all our members, visitors, volunteers and supporters for your continued support and your understanding. Harewood looks forward to welcoming you throughout 2023 and beyond.”

Council appoints contractor to design £49m Harrogate Convention Centre revamp

Harrogate Borough Council has appointed a contractor to draw up designs and “cost certainty” for its £49 million Harrogate Convention Centre revamp.

The authority has commissioned Hertfordshire company BAM Construction Limited to provide it with technical designs for the project at a cost of £3.3 million.

The convention centre is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council, which will hand over ownership of the venue on April 1 to North Yorkshire Council.

Senior borough council officials have previously warned the venue could lose up to £250 million over the next 40 years unless the redevelopment is carried out.

However, there is no guarantee the upgrade will go ahead.

Following the appointment of a contractor, a spokesperson for the council said:

“Under the YORbuild3 Major Works framework, we have appointed BAM – a leading construction, facilities management and property developer with offices in Leeds – to provide the design and delivery for the refurbishment and redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre (Phase 1) to RIBA Stage 4.

“The value of this early contractor involvement contract is £3.3million and will provide us with the technical design information and cost certainty required to take us to the next stage of the proposed multi-million investment project.”

Amid the transition to the new council on April 1, the borough council required consent from North Yorkshire County Council to appoint BAM Construction.

The county council told the Stray Ferret it had consented to the award of the contract for technical designs, but any approval for construction would be made at a later date.

Gary Fielding, director for strategic resources at the council, said:

“We have given consent for the first stage of the contract to carry out extensive improvements to the Harrogate Convention Centre.

“This initial stage of the contract is intended to lead to detailed designs for the project.

“However, a further decision will need to be taken as to whether the scheme progresses to the other stages of the contract.”

Funding struggles

The move comes shortly after the borough council was dealt a blow in its efforts to fund the project.

Last month, the government rejected the authority’s bid of £20 million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ flagship levelling up fund.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of the council, said he was “disappointed” and “slightly surprised” at the decision.

Meanwhile, Richard Flinton, who will be chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, has refused to commit to the £49 million redevelopment.

Speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting in January, he said the conference and events venue needed to be vibrant and relevant in the face of competition from a new venue in Leeds rather than “an enormous drain on public finances”.

New name and coat of arms for Knaresborough hotel

A long-standing Knaresborough hotel is set to be renamed as part of a revamp by its new owners.

The Dower House on Bond End will become The Knaresborough Inn, in line with other premises in The Inn Collection Group‘s portfolio.

The chain is currently carrying out a refurbishment to turn the building into a “pub with rooms”, and has even been given its own coat of arms to fit in with its stablemates.

A spokesperson for ICG said:

“Following the brand style being adopted for all sites belonging to The Inn Collection Group, a new coat of arms has been created for the inn with iconography relevant to the history of both the town and the building itself.

“Made up of a shield flanked by two griffins, acknowledging the links of the building to the Slingsby family, the design sees the left-hand side contain a recurring pattern that combines a historical emblem related to St. Robert of Knaresborough and the white rose of Yorkshire.

“The right-hand side of the shield features further reference to the builders of the original Dower House with a white chevron, and a leopard’s head taken from the Slingsby family crest.”

ICG acquired the Dower House in December 2021 and announced it would close its gym and spa last summer.

A planning application was submitted last year to extend the building and replace its leisure facilities and increase the total number of bedrooms to 57.

The hotel is currently closed while refurbishment work is carried out, with a planned completion and reopening date around the end of the summer this year.

ICG’s marketing manager Zoe Cooper said:

“We’re excited to confirm the new identity of The Knaresborough Inn as its reopening draws closer.

“We have embraced the history of the building and the site, as well as the wider area and we hope the new look will create a talking point that serves as a link to the past while the site embarks on an exciting future.”

The Inn Collection Group has also acquired Ripon Spa Hotel and the St George Hotel in Harrogate in the last two years.

The latter closed for refurbishment this week, with the loss of all of its 76 staff. The company said the work is expected to take 16 weeks.

Ripon Spa Hotel is due to reopen this spring.

Refurbished church aims to meet needs of growing Killinghall community

A community building is set to reopen in Killinghall next weekend after a £248,000 refurbishment.

Killinghall Methodist Church has made the investment to help it meet the needs of the village’s growing community.

As well as providing a more modern space, it has reduced the building’s carbon footprint, as part of the Methodist aim to achieve net zero status.

Rev Ron Hicks from the church said:

“It’s becoming an eco-friendly church building. There’s air source heat pumps, and solar panels on the roof.

“Internally we have reconfigured the worship area, taken bits of the partitioning out and opened it up to be one big place for the community to use.”

The first chapel on the Ripon Road site was built in 1793, and its foundation stone still remains in the present building, which was built as a school in 1937. In 1973 the original chapel was demolished and the school room was refurbished, with an extension built around the same time.

The latest work has seen a new kitchen installed along with new windows, carpets, heating, insulation and a cycle rack. The building has also been redecorated.

Before and after photos inside Killinghall Methodist Church

It has been funded by Methodist Church sources, along with a grant of almost £100,000 from the FCC Communities Foundation, a not-for-profit business that awards grants through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Additional money was provided by the Benefact Trust and the Congregational and General Charitable Trust.

Rev Hicks said:

“Now, we’re into the next phase of the building’s life.

“It’s a really good congregation of all ages, from youngsters through to people in their 30s and 40s, right through to much older.

“Upgrading the facilities now is important because there are people coming in who are new to the village. We want a modern building that suits their needs.”

The church is also set to become home to a new community cafe run by Resurrected Bites.

The food waste organisation will open its third pay-as-you-feel cafe this spring, using food that would otherwise go to landfill to deliver a menu of breakfasts, lunches, cakes and drinks.

Founder Michelle Hayes said:

“We hope it will be the perfect opportunity for people to congregate and get to know other people from Killinghall.

“We are hoping to find someone to run a great toddler group on Thursday mornings as we are particularly concerned about loneliness for stay-at-home parents or carers. The café will also be a nice venue for people working from home to have their lunch and a chat with people.”

Resurrected Bites is seeking a cafe manager for the new venue. The paid role of eight hours a week involves an hour of prep on a Wednesday and seven hours leading the team on Thursdays.

Volunteers are also being recruited to help prepare, serve and clear away in the cafe each week.

For more information, email Heather Memmott at Resurrected Bites.

An official reopening of the church will be held on Saturday, February 4, from 1pm to 3pm, when the community will have the chance to look at the new facilities.

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