Work to repair potholes in Sharow has not been included in the North Yorkshire County Council programme for next year.
Villagers are set to face continuing bumpy rides after discovering the capital programme for the 2023/24 financial year does not include the repairs, estimated to cost around £200,000.
Village campaigner James Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:
“As well as being bad news for anybody who drives, cycles or walks along New Road or Sharow Lane, this has wider implications for people across the county waiting for work to be carried out on potholed and uneven roads.”
His disappointment follows an email response seen by the Stray Ferret in which Barrie Mason, NYCC’s assistant director of highways and transportation, said:
“The delivery programme for the 2023/24 capital programme has been determined and cost pressures in the budget due to construction price inflation means that a number of schemes that were already programmed have had to be put back and consequently a scheme for Sharow Lane and New Road will not be delivered in 2023/24, but will be considered again against priorities across the county network for the 2024/25 programme.”
He added:
“I can assure you that the team will in the meantime ensure that these roads are inspected and maintained in line with our Highways Safety Inspection Manual and responsibilities as the local highway authority to ensure that any safety defects are repaired.”
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The Stray Ferret approached Mr Mason to ask what other schemes in the the Harrogate district have been removed from the capital programme for 2023/24, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
In February, after raising Sharow’s pothole plight with NYCC’s chief executive Richard Flinton, Mr Thornborough felt reassured after receiving a rapid email response from the county’s head of highways operations Nigel Smith, who said:
“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.
“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.
“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review.”
Within days of the email, NYCC workmen identified 38 potholes in Sharow and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.
Now, with the full plane out and resurfacing works ruled out for the coming financial year, Mr Thornborough, said:
Residents call for Sharow pub reinstatement after latest council rejection“The council itself accepts that preventative maintenance is no longer an option for the affected roads in the village, but if they can’t find the £200,000 to do this job, it sends a worrying message about their ability to keep all roads across the county in an acceptable condition.”
Residents in Sharow have called for a local pub to be reinstated following a council decision to reject plans for it to be turned into a home.
The Half Moon Inn pub on Sharow Lane was opened in 1822 but closed down back in 2016.
Since then, a long running saga has unfolded over how best to put the building to use.
Harrogate Borough Council turned down latest plans by owner Mark Fitton to convert the pub into a house last month.
The Half Moon Inn at Sharow.
Now, residents are calling for the public house to be reinstated.
A spokesperson for the Half Moon Inn Pub Group, which campaigns to reopen the facility, said:
“Local residents are now calling for the Half Moon’s reinstatement, this time as a community hub, where food, drinks, cultural and community events can take place, free wifi can be provided, as well as a small shop that offers daily necessities so local residents don’t need to drive to Ripon.”
Asset of community value challenge
The move comes as the borough council awarded the pub asset of community status in November following a campaign by local residents and the parish council.
However, Mark Fitton, the owner of the pub has challenged the council’s decision and described it as “flawed”.
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Mr Fitton said no attempt has been made to reopen the pub as a community facility, despite the building being available.
In a letter to the borough council, he said:
“The Half Moon Inn has been openly available for a community take-over for five of the past seven years.
“During all of that time, no proposal has been put forward.”
Mr Fitton called for a review of the decision.
In a letter to Mr Fitton, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, the council confirmed that it expected to complete a review by January 29, 2023.
Developers plan 60 homes in SharowA housing association has lodged plans to build 60 new homes in Sharow.
Non-profit developer Broadacres Housing Association Limited, which is based in Northallerton, has submitted a joint proposal with V&A Homes (Yorkshire) this week to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Dishforth Road.
Sixty houses would be built in the area, 24 of which would be affordable homes and the rest open market.
The plans come after permission was granted for a housing scheme on the site in 2020, but has since lapsed.
The revised proposal sees a mix of one, two, three and four bed semi-detached houses as well as several three, four and five bed detached dwellings.
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All the houses would have parking provisions and a pocket park will be on site.
In documents submitted to the council, Broadacres said:
“Land to the south of Dishforth Road, Sharow offers a unique opportunity to provide housing and community uses in a logical and sustainable location that would bring benefits to the village and those who live there today and in the future.”
It added:
“The site represents an appropriate and sustainable location for new homes within the village. Proposals will meet with the vision of achieving a development of high quality and inclusive design of buildings, spaces and landscaping.
“Integrating well within its existing context, reinforcing local character and providing new connections to the village and surrounding countryside.”
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Firefighter photos reveal extent of Harrogate district field firePhotos released by Harrogate firefighters have revealed the extent of yesterday’s field fire near Ripon.
The blaze, which occurred just after 4pm at Hutton Bank, Sharow, was one of two crop fires in the district as the heatwave hits.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says:
“Ripon and Harrogate crews attended reports of a field of standing crops on fire.
“They requested a further four appliances due to the 300m fire front. Crews worked with the farmer to extinguish the fire. Incident has been scaled down now.”
Minutes later crews from York, Northallerton and Colburn attended a large field fire measuring approx 100 metres at Dishforth.
They used pitchforks and beaters and a hose reel to extinguish the flames.
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Man rescued from river near Ripon
A man was rescued from the River Ure at Sharow, near Ripon, today.
Firefighters were called to the river near Lowfield Lane at 9.39am this morning.
According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log, water crews from Ripon, Boroughbridge, Richmond, Harrogate and Selby “responded to a report of a male partially in the river”.
The incident log adds:
“The man was brought back up the embankment by fire crews and paramedics on a spinal board, to a waiting helicopter, for transfer to hospital with hypothermic symptoms.”
No further details have been provided.
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Sharow residents to carry out pub viability study
Residents behind a bid to save a Sharow pub are set to carry out their own viability study into taking on the building for community use.
The Half Moon Inn pub on Sharow Lane was opened in 1822 but closed down back in 2016.
Since then, a long running saga has unfolded over how best to put the building to use.
Mark Fitton, owner of the building, has applied to change the use of the former pub into a home.
However, the Half Moon pub group, which is made up of residents who object to the loss of the pub, has launched a campaign to save the building for community use.
The group is set to commission a viability study and valuation from York-based commercial property specialists MJD Hughes.
Dan Robinson, one of the volunteers at the pub group, said:
“Our proposed model is community ownership with free-of-ties lease or purchase.
“We’ll conduct business for the benefit of our community. Our next step is to look at a community share offer, to raise funds and to give locals a chance to own a stake in their pub and a say in its future. We know it’s possible.”
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The campaign comes as Mr Futon lodged an application to Harrogate Borough Council to turn the pub into a four-bedroom house.
In documents submitted to the council, Mr Fitton said “all avenues” had been explored to reopen the pub but had proved unviable.
In a planning statement, the developer said:
“It could hardly be clearer that there is no reasonable prospect of the Half Moon Inn re-opening as a viable hospitality venue.
“All avenues for such an opportunity have been fully explored, over an extended period of time, by agents with strong commercial credentials, unrivalled local coverage and a national licenced-premises specialism.”
However, proposals to convert the pub have been long opposed by the parish council.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the latest plan at a later date.
Sharow Parish Council continues village pub fightResidents in Sharow are continuing their fight to keep a former pub in the village for community use.
The Half Moon Inn pub on Sharow Lane was opened in 1822 but closed down back in 2016.
Since then, a long running saga has unfolded over how best to put the building to use.
A working group on the local parish council was set up to look into the viability of the pub for community use.
Alison Da Costa, who is part of the group, said a recent survey by the parish council found that a majority of people from around Sharow, Copt Hewick, Littlethorpe, Marton-le-Moor and Hutton Conyers wanted the former pub to be put to community use.
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The group said the survey received 234 responses via online and the post. Of that number, 95% said they wanted the pub to open with a cafe and shop.
The move comes after Mark Futon, owner of the building, has reapplied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the Half Moon Inn into a four bedroom house.
In documents submitted to the council, Mr Fitton said “all avenues” had been explored to reopen the pub but had proved unviable.
In a planing statement, the developer said:
“It could hardly be clearer that there is no reasonable prospect of the Half Moon Inn re-opening as a viable hospitality venue.
“All avenues for such an opportunity have been fully explored, over an extended period of time, by agents with strong commercial credentials, unrivalled local coverage and a national licenced-premises specialism.”
However, proposals to convert the pub have been long opposed by the parish council.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the latest plan at a later date.
Plan resubmitted to convert Sharow pub into housePlans have been resubmitted to convert a former Sharow pub into a house.
Owner Mark Fitton has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the Half Moon Inn into a four bedroom house.
A similar application was tabled by Mr Fitton in February 2021, but was later withdrawn.
The village pub and restaurant, on Sharow Lane, opened in 1822 but closed in 2016.
In documents submitted to the council, Mr Fitton said “all avenues” had been explored to reopen the pub but had proved unviable.
In a planing statement, the developer said:
“It could hardly be clearer that there is no reasonable prospect of the Half Moon Inn re-opening as a viable hospitality venue.
“All avenues for such an opportunity have been fully explored, over an extended period of time, by agents with strong commercial credentials, unrivalled local coverage and a national licenced-premises specialism.”
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The proposal to convert the pub into a home has long been opposed by Sharow Parish Council.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret previously, parish council clerk Nick Reed said many people in the village did not want to see the change of use granted.
The parish council set up a working group to link into the viability of using the pub for community use.
Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
Swift action to tackle Sharow’s pothole plightVillage campaigner James Thornborough, who highlighted the “shocking state” of roads in Sharow, has had a swift response from North Yorkshire County Council.
Mr Thornborough contacted council chief executive Richard Flinton on January 30 to raise concerns about the uneven and dangerous road surfaces in the village, near Ripon.
He said fear of damage to wheels and tyres was preventing motorists from ‘going green’ by swapping sturdy SUVs for smaller vehicles with less environmental impact.
Mr Flinton promised the condition of the roads would be investigated by the council’s highways team and within a matter of days, council workmen identified 38 potholes and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.
Before … Some of the 38 potholes in Sharow and after … with temporary tarmac patches in place (pictured below)
Following a site visit by members of the council highways team, Nigel Smith, the county’s head of highway operations, sent Mr Thornborough a detailed email. It said:
“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.
“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.
“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review.
“To that end I have asked the local area team to keep you apprised of matters with a further update at the end of March 2022 when we are reviewing our delivery programme for 2022/23.”
Mr Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:
“It was refreshing to receive such rapid and positive responses from senior county council officers and I just hope for the sake of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, that we will eventually see a more permanent fix for our patched-up roads.”
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‘Shocking state’ of Sharow roads prevents motorists from going green
The ‘shocking state’ of roads in Sharow is preventing motorists from going green, according to villager James Thornborough.
Mr Thornborough is so upset about the state of the roads that he has raised the matter with Skipton and Ripon Conservative MP Julian Smith and North Yorkshire County Council chief executive Richard Flinton.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“The road surfaces are in such a shocking state, that it is not safe to drive on them in smaller vehicles that use less fuel and produce fewer emissions.”
In email correspondence with Mr Smith and Mr Flinton, Mr Thornborough said:
“Given the national government wishes us at our expense to go green ASAP, how can that be achieved If you force village owners like myself to abandon my small commute car in favour of a mid-size SUV to traverse Sharow roads?
“Please note that I did not say navigate our roads because that is now impossible. Every journey stresses suspension parts, grazes tyre side walls, and forces one to meander from one side to another attempting to choose the path of least damage.”
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New Lane, in need of attention
Mr Thornborough’s email, which was copied to the Stray Ferret, added:
“The local Sharow roads consist of pot holes, fissures, and bald tarmac top interrupted by the occasional neat tarmac patch and useless NYCC highways tarmac toothpaste repairs. The tarmac toothpaste repairs started disintegrating the day after application.
“We still have large pot holes marked for repair but not filled.”
The uneven surface on Sharow Lane
In an emailed reply to Mr Thornborough, Mr Flinton, said:
“I have copied in Nigel Smith who is head of highway operations for the council, Mr Smith will look into the issues that you have raised and respond directly with you.”
At the time of publication, no response had been received from Julian Smith.