Business Breakfast: Ripon curry restaurant named among best in EnglandThe Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm.
The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
Jaflong restaurant in Ripon has been named as one of the top 10 Bangladeshi restaurants in the country.
The venue on Kirkgate was a finalist in the English Curry Awards 2023 in Birmingham on Monday.
The awards, which were held for the 12th time, celebrate the best curry houses and chefs.
Jaflong was a finalist in the category for Bangladeshi restaurant of the year.
Owner Salauddin Khan said:
“We are incredibly proud to have our restaurant recognised in these national awards. Thank you to everyone who voted for us and gave us excellent reviews!”
Masham brewery begins online tour bookings
T&R Theakston has begun providing online bookings for tours to its Masham visitor centre – the Black Bull In Paradise.
The tours enable cask ale and beer lovers to go behind the scenes of the near 200-year old brewery and sample its core range of ales.
The brewery’s visitor centre is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm from Monday to Saturday and holds guided one-hour tours throughout the day.
Bookings can be made here.
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Abandoned Ripon redevelopment site is up for auction
New life could be breathed into an abandoned Ripon redevelopment site, which formerly housed the city’s first public library.
The site at Skellgarths/Water Skellgate has planning approval for six terraced houses and is up for sale by auction, with a guide price of £500,000.
Harrogate-based estate agents FSS has described the plot as:
“An ideal opportunity to acquire a site with planning approval for six terraced houses, in two blocks of three, together with the freehold of 18 Water Skellgate, which comprises of a recently converted detached building containing five apartments.”
The online auction is due to take place at 3pm on September 14.
The site is in Ripon’s conservation area, in close proximity to Ripon Cathedral and on the route to prime tourist attractions — Fountains Abbey in one direction and Newby Hall in the other. It is also one of the main thoroughfares leading to the city centre.
Following demolition of the library nine years ago, a start was made on the proposed residential redevelopment of the plot, but this came to a halt and the site became an overgrown eyesore that was initially fenced off with steel barriers.
After a call for action by Ripon councillors, more permanent hoardings were erected in 2020 by Harrogate Borough Council workmen.
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Firefighters tackle combine blazeFirefighters were called to a field near Ripon last night when a combine harvester caught fire.
Crews from Thirsk and Ripon were called to Baldersby at 8.44pm.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said the combine was alight when the crews arrived.
It added:
“One hose reel jet was used to extinguish the contents and the combine was moved to a hard standing on the farm premises.
“The cause of the fire was overheating within the combine.”
Baldersby is situated between Ripon and Thirsk.
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Ripon Cathedral expansion: ‘Impractical’ to keep veteran beech treeRipon Cathedral has argued that retaining a veteran beech tree in proposals for a £6m annexe would be “unfeasible and impractical”.
In a submission to North Yorkshire Council, planning agent Rose Consulting has laid out the reasons why the cathedral feels the tree must be chopped down to make way for a new song school, cafe and toilet facilities on open space called Minster Gardens.
But the felling of 11 trees including the veteran beech has proved to be controversial and a petition protesting the move has now been signed by over 1,000 people.
The proposal is set to be decided by councillors this year and Rose Consulting has offered detailed policy reasons why it says the felling of the much-loved tree meets the strict tests for its removal as set out in Harrogate’s Local Plan.
It argues that given the “exceptional significance” of the cathedral, a case can be made that there is “overwhelming public benefit” in removing the tree, which it says could help secure the future of the historic site for many years to come.
According to the consultants, the council raised concerns about the loss of the beech tree during pre-application advice.
However, the cathedral judged that even if the tree had engineering support, keeping it would not be possible because it would be too near to the new annexe.
It said the construction process would also have a “significant impact” on the roots of the tree, which could potentially kill it.
The council asked if the proposed building could be redesigned to save the tree, with one option involving finding a different location for the storage part of the development.
It also asked if the proposed building could be moved back into the another part of the site called Mason’s Yard.
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But the cathedral has argued this would result in a longer building and the removal of three more trees.
They said this would adversely affect the Grade II listed hotel the Old Deanery as well as views of the cathedral from the car park.
The consultants finally said that the loss of the 11 trees would be compensated for with 21 “substantial” new trees planted round the development as well as more being planted at the nearby Studley Royal.
Jenni Holman who set up the petition to protest against the removal of the trees, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service today that the cathedral is “creating a rift” between themselves and the local community.
Ms Holman said:
“The Dean and Chapter has only referred to ideas which included changing the design of the building and why the Mason’s Yard is not suitable. I can take on board all those factors.
“I would however like to know why a redesigned or rebuilt Cathedral Hall cannot be utilised? As a two story building, access would be on a level with access through the south door of the cathedral. The toilets would then be a comparable distance from the cathedral as the proposed new build, but having the advantage of not having a road to cross. The Dean has never actually explained, to my knowledge, why this is not possible.
“A second option is within the grounds of the Dean’s residence. The house itself is of a considerable size and there is also a considerable-sized stable block which could be used for his desired storage.
“I would be interested to know why these options have not been mentioned or even considered.”
Flood-hit road near Ripon set to reopen on FridayA flood-hit road near Ripon is expected to reopen to traffic on Friday.
A section of Dishforth Road on Sharow Lane closed on Monday following a burst water main.
The incident caused some of the carriageway to collapse, leaving a hole in the road.
It means motorists travelling to and from Ripon and up to the A1 are having to use alternative routes along Berrygate Lane and New Road at Sharow and through Copt Hewick to avoid the blockage while workmen carry out repair work.
The road on Monday
The road remains closed today but a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:
“A team was sent to Dishforth Road to complete a repair following a leak.
“The repairs are underway, and we expect the road to be reinstated and opened on Friday.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused we thank customers for their patience.”
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Drainage channels installed in £10,000 scheme on Ripon streetConcrete drainage channels have been installed outside homes in Newby Street in Ripon to prevent flooding during wet weather.
The drainage improvement work, costing £10,000, was completed last week after being authorised as one of five additions to the North Yorkshire highways capital forward programme for structural highways maintenance.
The combined total for the additional works is £340,842 and includes an allocation of £60,000 for work on Hampsthwaite Bridge, which is currently closed and under repair.
The Newby Street work is designed to carry rainwater from downpipes and into drains in the street, preventing a back-up of water on pavements.
Prior to the installation rainwater from downpipes, serving 42 brick-built late-Victorian houses, was released directly onto the pavements.
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Business Breakfast: Ripon engineering firm appoints operations directorThe Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting is an after work drinks event on Thursday, August 31 at The West Park Hotel in Harrogate between 5-7pm.
The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
Ripon-based Econ Engineering has appointed a new operations director.
Gareth Legg, who was most recently managing director at Crossroads Truck & Bus Ltd, will take up the role.
Mr Legg will be tasked with overseeing all four of the company’s depots and ensure the smooth running of departmental activities.
He said:
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Econ which has a fantastic history, reputation, and product offering.
“When I first visited it was the attention to detail and obvious pride in everything they do which stood out to me and why this opportunity is so exciting.”
Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Econ Engineering, said:
“We’re excited to welcome Gareth and look forward to making the most of his skills and experience.
“He has a fantastic CV and is extremely knowledgeable in our field of expertise. He will bring insight and fresh ideas from the outside world, which will ensure we retain our position as the market leader.”
Small business networking session to be held in Harrogate
A networking event aimed at small and medium businesses will be held at Harrogate Convention Centre this month.
Connect Over a Cuppa aims to offer advice, funding opportunities and business ideas to SMEs.
The event is organised by North Yorkshire Council and will be held on August 17 at Co-Lab Harrogate in the convention centre.
More sessions are available on September 21, October 19 and November 16. All start from 9.30am and last for 90 minutes.
For more information on the networking events, visit the Eventbrite page here.
70 pheasants killed in blaze near RiponAbout 70 pheasants were killed today after gas cylinders caught fire near Ripon.
Firefighters from Ripon, Knaresborough and Harrogate rushed to Aldfield, which is about four miles west of Ripon, at 11.36am.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:
“Crews located five propane gas cylinders well alight that then spread to nearby pheasant sheds.
“Crews extinguished the fire before cooling the cylinders and damping down hotspots.
“The fire resulted in 100% fire damage to all of the cylinders, fire damage to a number of the pheasant sheds and approximately 70 pheasants died.”
Last month more than 32,000 chickens were killed in a fire at commercial premises near Upper Dunsforth in the Harrogate district.
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Police seek help into spate of vandalism on cars in RiponNorth Yorkshire Police is seeking assistance from the public following a spate of vandal attacks on vehicles in Ripon car parks and on residential streets.
Over the past week, cars have been deliberately damaged in the Cathedral and Morrisons car parks in the city, as well as on Quarry Moor Lane and Oak Road.
The vandalism, which has been reported on social media, has ranged from the smashing of windscreens to attacks on bodywork, windscreen wipers and mirrors.
Yesterday (Sunday) members of the Harrogate Outer policing team were on Ripon Market Square to promote the North Yorkshire Community Messaging service and, while there, Sgt Jeff Peel, told the Stray Ferret:
“We’ve had a number of people who have given us information that may be helpful in our on-going investigations into the recent vandalism incidents.
“We would urge anybody else who feels they can help to contact us in confidence.”
Anybody with information about the attacks or other suspicious behaviour that that they have witnessed, can call 101 or report online via www.northyorkshire.police.uk.
The North Yorkshire Community Messaging service, provides another means for the public to help in the fight against crime and those who sign up for it will receive localised email alerts about events, crime appeals and safety advice.
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Garden near Ripon to open its gates for charity this weekendFive decades of dedication will be on show in a village near Ripon this weekend as part of the national open gardens scheme.
David and Sally Walden have lived at Greencroft for 49 years, slowly transforming the one-acre garden and adding new features.
For the last 25 years, they have opened the gates to the garden on Pottery Lane as part of the National Garden Scheme, and will do so again this Sunday, from noon until 4pm.
Daughter Rachel Beadle told the Stray Ferret:
“When they bought the property it was just one field going right up to the back of a two-up, two-down house.
“My dad is a builder, now retired aged 80, and mum is the gardener, aged 79.
“They have built and gardened the whole thing over 49 years, adding bits on over the years. Mum spent many, many days mixing cement for dad!
“Dad has built every structure, wall and waterfall, from the log cabin to the the summer house. Mum still gardens the whole thing herself: there are no external gardeners.”
The annual open afternoon always raises money for charities chosen by the NGS. Over the years, Rachel said the couple have raised £35,000 for the likes of Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and the Carers’ Trust.
Entry is £5 for adults, while children go free, and there will be tea and cakes available.
Rachel added:
“My sisters, brother and I are all super proud of them.”