The Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has written to an energy company to ask if it intends to go ahead with plans to build a huge solar farm on farmland north of Scotton.
Andrew Jones was prompted into action by residents in Scotton, Farnham and Brearton who contacted him concerned about the lack of any information about the proposals.
Sustainable energy company Gridserve is proposing to build the solar plant on an 88-hectare site belonging to Lawrence Moor Farm.
Its plans envisage thousands of solar panels generating up to 49.9 megawatts of green energy that could power up to 14,000 homes.
Gridserve, which is headquartered in Buckinghamshire, applied to Harrogate Borough Council for a scoping opinion to see if it felt a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
There were objections from nearby parish councils, the Harrogate Ramblers and the Harrogate and Dales Horse Riding Association, as well as the local Green Party, which opposes such developments on agricultural land.
At the end of July 2021, Harrogate Borough Council confirmed that a detailed EIA would be required, but Gridserve has taken no action since.
Mr Jones said:
“I have been in touch with the council’s planning department and no planning application has been submitted since that date. From talking to many local people, I know that residents feel very much like the threat of an application is hanging over them. No-one disputes the need for renewable energy. It is primarily the location and effect on agricultural land which is the issue.
“I have therefore written to Gridserve to ask their intentions for the land. I hope, given the local opposition, that they will be reconsidering the plans, but I will let residents know the position when I receive a response.”
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Fire crews tackle blaze at Scotton caravan storage site
Fire fighters were called to a major blaze at a caravan storage site in Scotton last night.
Crews from Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Harrogate and Ripon responded to the fire on Market Flat Lane.
An incident response unit from Malton was also called to the blaze.
Local resident Ed Marshall captured the below video from the fire, which happened at around 7.30pm.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said in an incident log that multiple vehicles were affected by the blaze.
The service added:
“Crews used hose reel jets and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire which had affected multiple vehicles.
“The cause of this fire is to be confirmed.”
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Junior football club created to meet growing demand in Knaresborough area
A new junior football club has been set up to meet a growing demand for the sport in the Knaresborough area.
The club at Staveley, known as the Staveley Scorchers, is aimed at children aged six to nine and is based at the village’s former cricket ground.
It has been set up by Scotton Scorchers, which has been working with Staveley Sports Association to bring the cricket club facilities back to life.
Staveley Cricket Club’s ground will host Staveley Scorchers junior football club.
Mike Collier, from Scotton Scorchers, said:
“It came to our attention that the former cricket club was no longer used as the cricket team now plays at Boroughbridge.
“With waiting lists at our club, it seems such a shame we couldn’t find space for local children. So we put the two together to create a new junior football club so local children get the chance to play. The demand is definitely there.”
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The club will initially be run and subsidised by Scotton and the first season will consist of friendly matches. It will then aim to join the Nidderdale Junior Football League next year.
The teams are U8s (school years 2 and 3) and an U10s (school years 4 and 5).
The club meets on Saturdays from 9am until 10am.
To find out more contact Mike Collier at mikeandjanec@googlemail.com, text 07979 682670 or simply register at the Scotton Scorchers website.
UK’s largest weir removal project begins on River Nidd at ScottonThe largest weir removal project ever in the UK has begun on the River Nidd at Scotton.
The scheme, which costs about 80,000 euros, will open up another 18km of river to migratory fish such as salmon, sea trout and European eel.
If Nidd tributaries are also included then 35km of rivers will be made available for salmon and sea trout spawning.
The project is being led by river conservation charity the Wild Trout Trust and funded by the European Open Rivers Programme – a grant-giving organisation dedicated to restoring rivers.
It started last week with the creation of an access ramp down to the weir and is expected to get underway properly this week. Work removing the dam is expected to last up to two weeks before further work restoring the bank takes place.
Scotton Weir is at the entrance to Nidd Gorge, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
It was built at the end of the 18th century to power the nearby mill. At 75m wide and 4m high, it is thought to be the largest weir removal project ever in the UK.
The weir breached in the floods of 2019 so is already partly demolished. Leaving it to disintegrate gradually over time would have reduced the risk of bankside damage.
Removing Scotton Weir will benefit more than just migratory fish. All fish move up and downstream to some extent as part of their life cycles and the weir removal will help to restore natural processes to the river.
Currently only 16% of rivers are rated as being in ‘good’ condition by the EU Water Framework Directive. A significant cause of failure is man-made barriers interrupting a river’s flow, such as Scotton Weir on the Nidd.
Jonathan Grey, a part-time professor in practice at Lancaster University who is project managing the Scotton Weir removal for the Wild Trout Trust, said:
“The weir has been impounding about 800m of channel for over 100 years, creating deep, sluggish water in a section of the Nidd gorge where the flow should be swift and shallow.
“Think of a river as a conveyor belt of sediment as well as water. Boulder, cobble and gravel that is vital to the health of the bed of the river has been trapped upstream of the weir, unable to resupply that which has been transported away downstream. So the physical habitat downstream has become simplified, dominated by large boulders.
“Then there is fish passage to consider. All fish have to move up and downstream during different stages of their life for a variety of reasons. The weir has made it nigh on impossible to move upstream, and much more difficult to move downstream, and then only under specific flow conditions, so populations have become fragmented or isolated.”
The weir is already damaged.
Prof Grey said although it was not certain that salmon or sea trout got as far as Scotton Weir, nearby surveys suggested it was “very likely”.
He added:
“There are still more barriers further upstream, the next being at Birstwith 11km away, so there is still work to be done to restore the natural heritage of the river.
“We are aiming to reinstate the natural flow regime to the river by removing the barrier.”
Dr Marie Taylor, operations director for the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, said:
“This project is a great example of partnership working between landowners, experts from the Wild Trout Trust and government bodies, which will deliver benefits to angling groups along the River Nidd as well as wider benefits to nature gained from improving the connectivity of one of Yorkshire’s iconic rivers.”
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Woman bids farewell to pub industry to open Harrogate tanning salon
A Harrogate woman has swapped the bar for beds after leaving the pub industry and opening her own tanning salon.
Jade Lacey, 27, launched Be Bronze & Beauty…Ful, on Skipton Road, this week.
The new salon, which is above McCanns barbers, has three sunbeds and offers a range of beauty treatments, including lashes, brows and spray tans.
It has been completely refurbished, thanks to her “handy” dad, and she hopes to employ a nail technician in the coming weeks.
Ms Lacey decided to take the leap and open her own business after working in hospitality for many years.
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She was a familiar face at So! Bar and Eats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as the Devonshire Tap House, on Devonshire Place, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Scotton.
But after completing a number of beauty courses during the pandemic, she decided to launch the salon after her dad’s friend offered her the premises.
Inside the salon, which has been refurbished.
Ms Lacey said:
“This came up and I thought why wouldn’t you want to be your own boss? It was a bit daunting completely changing careers, but now I’m up and running, I’m really loving it.”
The irony of opening a sunbed shop on the hottest day of the year was not lost on her.
She laughed:
Harrogate family firm sold to international company“I had to close the sunbeds on Monday and Tuesday as it was too hot!”
A family firm formed in Harrogate 20 years ago, which now employs 45 staff, has been sold to a large international company.
Keith Swales founded civil engineering business S&B Utilities in 2002. Based at Kestia House in Lingerfield, near Scotton.
The firm has been acquired by Hargreaves Industrial Services, which is a subsidiary of international land, property and infrastructure development company Hargreaves Services.
The sum has not been disclosed.
Managing director Mr Swales, who is 77, and finance director Karen Cocker will exit the business. All other staff will be retained.
Kestia House
S&B Utilities, which constructs water projects and other civil engineering schemes, is a framework contractor with Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water. It also works on military bases.
Locally, its projects have included undertaking structural concrete work for the Esplanade tower block in Harrogate and for the Tower Street car park.
Mr Swales, a civil engineer who worked for Yorkshire Water before setting up the company, said negotiations had taken eight months to complete. He added:
“We’ve been a family orientated business from day one and we believe the move to Hargreaves will enhance that.”
He thanked past and present employees for their help over the last 20 years.
Darren Swales, Will Griffin and Lee Swales will continue as directors of S&B Utilities and will be joined on the board by Sean Hager and John Samuel, who are directors of Hargreaves Industrial Services.
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Man dies after three-car crash at Scotton
A man in his 80s has died after a three-car collision on Ripley Road at Scotton.
A Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta and Seat Ibiza were involved in the crash, which happened at about 6.15pm on Sunday.
Police, fire crews and and an air ambulance were summoned to help.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the driver and passenger of the Focus, who were a man and woman in their 50s, were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The man in his 80s, who has not been named, was driving the Fiesta.
A police statement added:
“North Yorkshire Police’s major collision investigation team has launched an investigation.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet come forward, or anyone with dashcam footage, is asked to email marie.williams@northyorkshire.police.uk
“You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Marie Williams.
Please quote reference 12220115083.”
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Ripon construction worker’s death an accident, inquest concludes
An inquest into the death of Dean Christopher Myers, who was struck by a digger on a Ripon construction site, has concluded it was an accident.
Mr Myers, 56, died on January 13 last year whilst working as a ground worker for the HACS group at a site on Whitcliffe Avenue.
The Scotton man’s cause of death was a severe head injury due to blunt force trauma. Today’s hearing at Pavilions of Harrogate examined the circumstances surrounding his death.
It heard that at the time of his death, Mr Myers was stationed in a manhole in a three metre-deep trench, which had been dug for sewage pipes.
Fellow construction workers Lee James and Andrew Temple said it was not unusual for workers to be positioned in the manhole.
Mr James was standing at the top of the trench, acting as a guide for machine operator Mr Temple. Both said the arm of the digger had got stuck, probably on some limestone in the ground, and this was when Mr James saw Mr Myers put his head out of the manhole to look at what was stopping the digger.
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Mr James said he shouted to Mr Myers twice but got no response so he urged Mr Temple to stop before getting into the trench to check on Mr Myers.
The court heard the digger had become unstuck and started to move again, which was when it struck Mr Myers.
‘No sign of negligence’
A statement read out by police officers at the scene said:
“This was an unfortunate accident caused by Mr Myers putting his head out of the hole at the wrong time. There was no sign of negligent or criminal activity.”
In a witness statement, health and safety inspector Benjamin Cairns said it was a typical construction site set-up with no obvious safety concerns.
When asked by coroner Jonathan Leach whether it was appropriate for Mr Myers to be in the manhole, he said:
“If I witnessed that [a construction worker in the man hole] on site I would have asked the person to leave.”
Mr Myers’ work colleagues at the inquest described him as “more conscious than most” about safety and an experienced construction worker. They said they were unsure why he stuck his head out.
After hearing multiple statements, the nine-person jury concluded Mr Myers’ death was an accident.
Mark Smith, managing director of the HACS group, which employed Mr Myers for eight years, told the Stray Ferret afterwards:
Chimney fire warning after blaze in Scotton“We would like to say how sorry we are at the loss of a valued colleague and our thoughts are with the family at this time.”
Firefighters urged people to have their chimneys swept regularly after being summoned to a blaze in Scotton last night.
A crew from Knaresborough dealt with the incident at a home in the village at around 9pm.
Using the aerial ladder platform from Harrogate, firefighters were able to extinguish the flames and make safe the chimney pot.
Harrogate Fire Station said in a social media post the cause is believed to be an accumulation of flammable materials within the flue. It added:
“Please do make sure you regularly sweep your chimneys to prevent fires from happening.
“We recommend that your chimney should be swept at least once a year for smokeless fuel, at least twice a year for bituminous coal, and quarterly for wood.”
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Fears in Scotton that gigantic solar farm will spoil picturesque village
Residents in Scotton are mobilising against plans to build a solar farm the size of 150 football pitches that they believe will spoil their picturesque village.
UK energy firm Gridserve is behind a proposal to build the solar farm on fields belonging to Lawrence Moor Farm.
Thousands of solar panels would generate up to 49.9 megawatts of green energy that could power up to 14,000 homes.
The village on the outskirts of Knaresborough has a population of around 600 people.
Scotton resident Richard Tallis, who has lived in the village for 12 years, has distributed leaflets to villagers and said 165 people have responded to say they are opposed to the plans.
Two public footpaths would be surrounded by solar panels if they were passed.
Mr Tallis said:
“We’re not against solar farms, just put them in the right places.
“Agricultural land should be used for agricultural purposes.
“There’s a strength of opinion around the village opposing it.”
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The main site where Gridserve wants to put the solar panels is bound by the narrow country roads Low Moor Lane and High Moor Lane. It is also opposite the village primary school.
Mr Tallis said he fears the roads are ill-equipped to cope with eight months of construction traffic whilst the site is built.
He said he is not a “NIMBY” but feels that solar farms should be built on the edge of motorways and away from residential areas.
“I accept there will always be people that criticise us for opposing it.
“But there are other sites that are more suitable, not on the edge of a picturesque green village.”
Net-zero
This morning the UK government published its flagship energy strategy. It wants the country to produce most of the energy it uses through renewables.
It says the UK will increase current solar capacity by five times before 2035.
A spokesperson for Gridserve said:
“Matters of proximity, visual impact and access throughout the construction and operation of the Scotton solar farm will be integral parts of the forthcoming planning and design process.
“We hope we are able to proceed with the next design phases in an open, collaborative approach that involves members of the local community and other statutory and non-statutory stakeholders”