Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

When Harrogate Borough Council published the local plan, it gave the house building industry 35 Christmas presents at once as they massively over-provisioned for the housing needs of Harrogate and turned over vast swathes of previously protected countryside to be turned into building sites.

Yet it seems the developers are not satisfied with that. This site is outside the local plan land dedicated to new houses and is designated as Special Landscape Area.

There is absolutely no requirement for this development and no justification for allowing it.

I believe that people here who value nature and the countryside are sick of the constant bulldozing of green space and just view this as money grabbing greed – selling the soul of the town just so that someone can see a big number on their bank statement.

This is a completely insane place to build. These houses will be so disconnected to any other infrastructure close by — the main exit being the new junction at the base of Almsford Bank.

Anyone who has ever tried to cross the road at this point will recognise just how intimidating it is – cars going north taking a run up round the corner to get up the hill, cars going south with the foot of the brake accelerating downhill. Even if you lowered the speed limit few people would stick to it. It’s an accident blackspot in the making.

The environmental impact of this small estate would be considerable. Few people would be prepared to walk or cycle out of that junction with the footpath being on the opposite side of the A61, so every journey is likely to be by car. I understand there is provision to plant trees to replace those removed, but it will take 50 years for these new trees to sequester the carbon released by those that are to be taken out.

Ian Murdle, Harrogate

Boating lake madness

We’ll fight to keep Starbeck Baths

Starbeck Residents’ Association has already talked to the council and is in ongoing discussion to ensure our local pool is reopened as soon as possible. We’ve been assured that Starbeck Baths are important to North Yorkshire Council as we know they are to our local community.

The SRA successfully campaigned to save the pool when they were threatened a few years ago and I did the same to get it reopened when it was kept unnecessarily closed long after lockdown.

So the SRA will do everything we can to support our swimming pool.

Chris Watt 

Chair, Starbeck Residents’ Association

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Starbeck Baths looks set to be closed for several weeks due to an “unforeseen mechanical failure”.

The Victorian swimming pool closed on Thursday last week. Its website says an air leak in the pool plant equipment caused poor water clarity.

The timing was unfortunate because of the ongoing Easter school holidays as well as the long-term closure of The Hydro in nearby Harrogate for a delayed £11.8 million upgrade.

Brimhams Active, which was set up by Harrogate Borough Council but is now run by North Yorkshire Council, manages leisure facilities in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for culture, arts and leisure, Jo Ireland, said:

“We are working with Brimhams Active to resolve an unforeseen mechanical failure.

“The situation requires the expertise of specialist contractors, and a work schedule has been set to address the issue.

“During the downtime, other important planned maintenance work will also be carried out to ensure the facilities are in top condition when the baths reopen.

“Although we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, we anticipate that Starbeck swimming baths will be back in operation by late May.”

Read more:

• ‘No plan or intention’ to sell Starbeck Baths, says council
• Sneak Peek: New Starbeck pub aims to bring ‘community feel’ back

Swimming pools in the Harrogate district have received a national accreditation from Swim England.

The Water Wellbeing accreditation aims to transform community swimming pool into places for health, wellbeing and rehabilitation.

The award has been granted to Starbeck Baths, the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, Knaresborough Swimming Pool and Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre.

Brimhams Active, which runs the facilities, carried out changes to ensure all pools are accessible, inclusive and inviting to the local community in order to achieve the accreditation.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, said: 

“I’m delighted that through the hard work and dedication of the Brimhams Active team, with the support of Swim England, we have achieved Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation at our facilities.

“Inactivity and the determinants of poor health adversely impact on thousands of people in our communities. Our mission is to help address this by supporting people to move more, live well and feel great, and to do this we are creating an inclusive, holistic, health and wellbeing focused service offer.”

Read more:

• Harrogate leisure chief defends Ripon pool location amid ground stability concern
• Harrogate swimming club seeks sponsor to keep head above water 

As part of the accreditation, exercise referral instructors have received training to deliver Swim England’s aquatic activity for health programme, which allows the team to deliver pool-based group exercise for people living with long term health conditions.

Meanwhile, swimming will be able to lead adult swimming lessons for people with health conditions, and all customer facing members of the team have had additional customer experience training, with a focus on inclusivity.

Andrew Power, Swim England’s water wellbeing specialist, said: 

“Swim England have been supporting Brimhams Active this past year across a number of key areas, in order to maximise the long term sustainability and growth of their aquatic assets.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the Brimhams Active team at all levels, who have shown total commitment to the accreditation process and have gone beyond what was expected of them in doing so.

“I look forward to seeing the impact of this work and benefits to the local community, particularly around improved health and wellbeing for years to come.”

Harrogate Borough Council has said it has “no plans” to sell Starbeck Baths after the Hydro is refurbished and the new Knaresborough Leisure Centre is built.

The council is currently carrying out an £11 million refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro and building a new £17 million leisure centre in Knaresborough.

The move has led to speculation on social media the authority will sell the Victorian baths in Starbeck after the projects are finished.

However, Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the council, said there were no plans to offload the facility.

He said:

“I can confirm Harrogate Borough Council has no plan or intention to close or dispose of Starbeck pool, and our investment strategy building the new pool and wellness centres in Ripon and in Knaresborough and the extension and refurbishments at the Hydro is not reliant on closure of any site managed by Brimhams Active.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Hydro renovations a long-term gain, says diving club
• Hot Seat: Leading the Harrogate district’s leisure revolution

The facility is one of 10 centres run by the council-owned leisure company, Brimham’s Active.

The council has earmarked an opening date of May 2023 for the Harrogate Hydro.

It would be a month after the council is abolished and replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

Work on the Hydro, which is being led by Bristol-based Alliance Leisure, is ongoing to create a 400 square metre fitness suite, a sauna and steam suite, improved reception and café.

There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.

Meanwhile, the new leisure centre in Knaresborough is due to open in August 2023.

Construction is continuing on the project which will see a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage created.

Public leisure centres in the Harrogate district are experiencing their greatest investment ever.

Harrogate Borough Council is spending more than £40m on new pools in Ripon and Knaresborough and on a major refurbishment of The Hydro in Harrogate.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, oversees 250 staff responsible for delivering services at these sites as well as several others.

Brimhams is the council-owned company set up last year to promote health and wellbeing in the district.

It operates swimming pools in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Starbeck. All of these sites, except the magnificent old Starbeck Baths and the soon-to-be-rebuilt Knaresborough Pool, also have leisure or fitness centres.

Mark Tweedie with Jack Laugher at the opening of Ripon’s new facility.

Brimhams also oversees Fairfax Wellbeing and Community Hub in Harrogate, Jennyfield Styan Community Centre, a children’s nursery and the Harrogate Turkish Baths.

Mr Tweedie, 54, a former PE teacher with considerable experience of the leisure sector, was hired by the council in November 2020 to support the creation of Brimhams before transferring to his current role in July last year.

He says he was attracted by the council’s vision of using leisure to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the district, backed by its willingness to invest serious money to make it happen.

Difficult start

It hasn’t been an easy ride. There have been costly delays at the new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon due to sinkhole issues that long pre-date Mr Tweedie. A report due imminently will determine how much more work needs to be done before the site can fully open. He says:

“I’m absolutely confident it will be resolved. Yes, it’s been frustrating. I know customers have been desperate to come back since Spa Baths closed.”

There has been some discontent about the consultation and need for a new leisure centre in Knaresborough, where work is due to begin next month on a 65-week building programme due to finish in July next year.

How Knaresborough’s new pool will look.

Mr Tweedie says the transition from old to new site will be “seamless”, with the current facility operating until the new one opens — something that didn’t happen in Ripon, where the Spa Baths closed four months before the new pool opened due to delays.

Now there is the looming nine-month closure of The Hydro, which will leave Harrogate without a council-run pool.

Staffing has also been difficult — Brimhams has been consistently operating with 20 to 30 vacancies. Opening hours have been affected. Mr Tweedie says:

“It’s been a significant challenge, and it’s shared across the sector nationally.”

Read more:

• Ripon leisure centre named after local Olympic hero Jack Laugher
• £28m contracts for new Knaresborough pool and Harrogate Hydro upgrades approved
• Harrogate Hydro set to close for nine months

But there is little doubt that when all the projects are completed, the district’s facilities will be significantly better than they were pre-Brimhams. He says:

“We are through the worst and back on track and people in the Harrogate district and our staff have got a lot to look forward to.”

Aim to nearly double membership 

The aim is to increase total membership at the sites in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough to 5,000 within six months of the new facilities opening. Membership totalled about 3,000 at its pre-covid peak so it would be a considerable achievement but Mr Tweedie is “very confident” of achieving it. He says 400 people joined the Ripon centre in the fortnight after it opened.

How the refurbished Hydro will look.

Brimhams’s current monthly rate is £38.95. Customers at The Hydro are being offered a reduced rate of £32 to use the other sites while it is being refurbished. They will also be able to take part in group exercise sessions at the nearby Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.

Large private gym chains such as Pure Gym and Coach Gyms, which offer membership at about £20 a month, have extended their tentacles into the district, which can’t make life easy for council-run alternatives, but Mr Tweedie insists they are serving different markets.

“The private sector is dealing with the 15% that want to join a gym. The question is, what happens to the other 85%? How do we use public facilities to reach out to them?”

He talks about Brimhams taking “a more holistic approach” that leads to a “deeper and more purposeful relationship” with customers. People won’t come just to use the pool or gym, he says, but also to access a wider range of service that are being developed, such as mental health support, nutritional advice and mindfulness. It’s no coincidence that two Brimhams Active sites now include ‘wellbeing’ in their names — it’s clearly the way ahead.

A new software system, due to go live at the end of the month, will enable online booking and a “better digital relationship with customers”, as well as capturing footfall data that Brimhams can use to improve services.

Will it consider 24-hour opening, as many private gyms are? Mr Tweedie says:

“We have no plans for 24/7. We feel we can deal with our customer base between the hours of 6.30am and 10pm.”

Starbeck Baths

The scale of the council’s investment in leisure leads Mr Tweedie to say confidently there are no plans to reduce services or close Starbeck Baths, which is a constant threat to such an ageing facility. He adds:

“What the commercial approach is not about is reducing wages and staff and providing the bare bones of a service.”

All change next year

But his reassurances are tempered by the fact that Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year and control of Brimhams will transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Brimhams staff will have a new employer from April 1 and, in time, a new strategy run by different managers.

Mr Tweedie, who lives in Morpeth and divides his time working from home and in the Harrogate district, says it could take at least a couple of years to implement whatever model the new council introduces so his role could exist for some time yet. He says:

“I want to deliver our three-year strategic plan and I am already working with other district leisure service leaders and North Yorkshire colleagues to manage the transition to the unitary authority.”

The important thing, he adds, is that customers don’t notice any sudden changes next year and that frontline staff, such as lifeguards and receptionists, are looked after. He says:

“It’s business as usual for us. We have a vision. We have a strategy. We have a plan we will deliver on that with a high level of tenacity.

Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge.

The Hydro in Harrogate will close for nine months on April 8 to undergo an £11.8m refurbishment.

The leisure centre and pool is to get a two-storey extension as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.

There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.

Members will be offered reduced rates to use other council-run leisure facilities in the district, as well as the opportunity to participate in group exercise sessions at the nearby Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.

The current £38.95 monthly charge will go down to £32.

A computer generated image of how the Hydro will look.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, which Harrogate Borough Council set up last year to run its leisure facilities, said the plan was to reopen the pool first in nine months time.

The other facilities, including the new fitness suite, are expected to be ready three months later.

Extend opening hours

Mr Tweedie said the refurbishment would give Brimhams Active the opportunity to redeploy staff at its other sites, which could enable some to extend their opening hours.

However, it will leave Harrogate without a council-run swimming pool for the rest of the year.

Brimhams also operates the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon, Knaresborough Pool, Starbeck Baths and Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge.

It also operates the Turkish Baths in Harrogate, Fairfax Wellbeing and Community Hub in Harrogate, Jennyfield Styan Community Centre and Little Explorers Day Nursery at Harrogate Hydro.

Look for a full interview with Mark Tweedie about leisure services in the Harrogate district on the Stray Ferret this weekend.

There was an emotional return for visitors and staff at Starbeck Baths today, as it finally reopened following the easing of covid restrictions.

The pool, which was built in 1870, had been closed since December 2020 despite the government allowing pools to reopen on April 12.

Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the site, said the delay was due to staffing problems as well as social distancing restrictions.

The Stray Ferret visited this afternoon and spoke to staff as well as local resident Jean Padgett, who has been a regular swimmer at Starbeck Baths for over 40 years.

She described the baths as “small, warm, and ideal”, adding:

“I have missed this so much. I live locally, so if they close this it’s like signing my death warrant. My fitness has dropped over the last 18 months.”

There were murmurings in Starbeck that Harrogate Borough Council would never reopen the pool.

Ms Padgett added:

“I’d be devastated if it was closed.”

Read more:

• Knaresborough and Starbeck pools to reopen this month
• Calls for ‘dangerous’ Starbeck junction to be improved

Sarah Bowyer, who has worked at the baths for 26 years, described today as “emotional”.

She said the morning session was well attended and she was expecting to see more familiar faces in the coming days and weeks.

She added:

“We’ve had lots of phone calls from regulars.”

The baths are used not only for exercise but also for socialising too. Ms Bowyer said it was a lifeline for many residents in Starbeck, particularly older people who live on their own.

Jenny Paish worked at the baths for 30 years before recently retiring. She was helping out today and agreed it was a vital part of the community.

She said:

“It’s like a big family, it’s been massively missed.”

Residents are growing increasingly concerned that Starbeck Pool will not re-open as uncertainty surrounding its future drags on.

Other Harrogate Borough Council-run pools in the district have re-opened but the local authority is still unable to say when Starbeck Baths will do so.

Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank and local resident Chris Watt are growing increasingly frustrated.

Both question why Ripon Spa Baths has reopened but Starbeck hasn’t when they argue both have similar space restrictions.

Mr Watt says he and other residents fear the council is “planning to break its promises to keep the pool in use”. He added:

“The council’s silence around the future of Starbeck Baths is very worrying. People are increasingly concerned.

“Facilities have re-opened in Ripon, which is in a similarly sized building to Starbeck. A great deal has been spent on repairs at Knaresborough Pool and staff have been found for every other pool in the area.

“Why is the council treating Starbeck people like the poor relations?”

Cllr Philip Broadbank and local resident Chris Watt at Starbeck Baths.

The pool has been closed since December despite the government allowing pools to reopen on April 12.

Harrogate Hydro and Nidderdale Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge opened on April 12. Ripon Spa Baths opened a month later.

Knaresborough Pool has had new filters installed but is due to reopen this month.

Cllr Philip Broadbank said he did think Starbeck Baths would reopen but added:

“I can’t understand or accept that it’s remained closed when Ripon has reopened. The layouts are very similar.

“I get frustrated and keep raising it but the council tries to reassure me that the layouts are totally different. I’m not convinced.”

Read more:

• Ripon paddling pool to get toilets this summer after unanimous vote by city councillors
• Two men taken to hospital after car crash on Starbeck High Street

The Stray Ferret asked the council when Starbeck Baths will reopen. A council spokeswoman said:

“Starbeck Baths remains an important facility amongst the leisure services we provide.

“Due to the unique layout of the building, and the government’s existing social distancing measures, we are currently unable to open the baths.

“We will have further news in the coming weeks of when the baths will reopen.”

There are still no firm dates for the re-opening of Knaresborough Pool and Starbeck Baths.

Lockdown restrictions eased to permit swimming pools to re-open on April 12. However, 11 weeks on neither council-run pool has reopened since.

A problem with the pool filters at Knaresborough forced it to remain closed.

The manufacturer, based in Spain, was unable to send engineers to fix the equipment due to covid travel bans.

Harrogate Borough Council eventually decided to replace the filters, rather than delay the opening further, at a cost of £27,000.

In its latest monthly newsletter to residents, the council said Knaresborough Pool was “set to open in July ahead of the school summer holidays” although no precise date was given.

The council recently advertised for a new duty manager at the pool as well as new lifeguards.

Read more:

• Knaresborough pool stays closed with engineers stuck in Spain
• Calls to reopen Starbeck Baths heat up as restrictions ease

Meanwhile, there has been no update on when Starbeck Baths will reopen.

The council previously said the baths would open “shortly” after Ripon Spa Baths. The Ripon pool reopened in May and there has been no update on Starbeck since.

The Stray Ferret understands staffing may be an issue at Starbeck as a number of employees have either left or been seconded to new roles.

Harrogate behemoth Luke Richardson’s bid to become the youngest ever World’s Strongest Man has been ended by injury.

Luke, who weighs 330 lbs and will be 24 years old on Sunday, tore his biceps on the first day of heats yesterday in Sacramento, America.

He finished ninth last year and had high hopes of improving after good preparation.

But he was injured in the first event, a loading medley, which involved lifting and loading numerous heavy items.

He told his 71,000 Instagram followers:

“Unfortunately my World’s Strongest Man appearance this year was pretty much over before it even started with what seems to be a distal bicep tendon rupture.

“Obviously gutted as I felt in a really good position to improve on last year’s performance but it was not to be this time.

“Just a bump in what is going to be a long road but excited to test myself against a new challenge and grow closer to the athlete and person I am destined to be.

“Thank you all for your show of support and especially my loved ones and the guys here at WSM, you’re proper gents.”

Luke, a former lifeguard at Starbeck Baths, was crowned Europe’s Strongest Man last year and he will be hoping to defend his title in Leeds on September 4.

He has also been invited to compete at the first strongman event at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 120 years on July 24.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Luke Richardson flies to America for World’s Strongest Man
• Harrogate man finishes 9th at World’s Strongest Man

 

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