A fundraising appeal has been launched to improve Staveley Nature Reserve.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which owns the wetlands site between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, plans to introduce new features and increase the number of visitors.

The proposals include the creation of a butterfly bank — a type of chalk grassland habitat — so people will be able to see more butterflies across the wildflower meadows.

The trust also wants to create a dipping pond and platform at the edge of one of the pools so it can run pond-dipping sessions, which are popular with children.

There are also plans to install a toilet so the site can cater for school visits and events and enable volunteers to work longer.

Pic: Jono Leadley (10)

A barn owl at Staveley. Pic: Carl Watts

The reserve, which is close to the River Tutt just outside Staveley, is one of 111 sites owned by the trust and attracts almost 40,000 visitors a year. Entry is free.

Staveley is home to hundreds of species including otters, water shrews, foxes, roe deer and more than 150 species of bird including bitterns and barn owls.

Over autumn and winter the reserve hosts spectacular starling murmurations, bats and kites.

Staveley. Pic: Paul Fox

A goldfinch and linnet flock. Pic: Carl Watts

The trust hopes to raise £20,000 from a public fundraising appeal and will also apply for grants.

The goal is to raise funds before February next year so work can begin in spring.

Staveley reserve manager Laura Harman said:

“Staveley is hugely important for Yorkshire’s wildlife, but also offers a unique space for local people and visitors to experience and enjoy the benefits of being in nature.

“As well as creating even more habitat space for wildlife such as butterflies and breeding birds, we want to improve routes and information, facilities like pond dipping and activities for schools – to make Staveley nature reserve a welcoming, easily accessible and inspiring place for everyone.”

Read more:

• Photo of the Week: Staveley Nature Reserve
• Allerton Park incinerator near Knaresborough hailed a success at scrutiny meeting

This week’s photograph was taken by Michael White, capturing a Blue tit in Staveley Nature Reserve.

Michael White

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Villagers in Staveley demonstrated last weekend against a planned scheme for 73 homes near a nature reserve.

Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.

The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built in the village, which is between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.

However, residents armed with placards took to the village green on Saturday to protest against the plan which they say would be “utter madness”.

Graham Bowland, from Staveley Residents Action Group, said residents had also written to the council to object to the scheme.

He said:

“As of today there are 130 resident objection letters with Harrogate Borough Council – either processed or being processed.

“We bombarded them with actual letters given the lack of opportunity to use the planning portal over the past couple of weeks.”

The portal, which allows people to comment on planning applications, was down for over a week until last week.

Read more:

• Plans for 73 homes near nature reserve in Harrogate district village
• Fears for vulnerable families after changes to Harrogate district children’s centres

Residents previously raised objections at a village hall meeting this month.

The developer said in its plans the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.

It said:

“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”

Residents in Staveley are set to hold a demonstration over a 73-home plan near a nature reserve.

Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.

The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built in the village, which is between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.

The site is allocated for housing in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-2035, which details where development can take place.

However, residents in the village say the move would be “utter madness”.

Graham Bowland, from the Staveley Residents Action Group, said a demonstration will be held on the village green at 11am on Saturday (March 25).

He said:

“It’s utter madness to bolt on 35% increase in houses to a village with no shops, no infrastructure, no bus service of use to those working a normal five day week in the major towns.”

Read more:

• Plans for 73 homes near nature reserve in Harrogate district village
• Lost planning appeals have cost Harrogate district taxpayers £209,000 in legal fees

The move comes as residents raised their objection to the plan at a village hall meeting earlier this month.

The developer said in its plans that the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.

It said:

“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”

Residents have raised frustration over Harrogate Borough Council’s planning portal being down for more than a week.

The portal allows people to check and comment on pending planning applications in the district.

The council advertised planned maintenance would be carried out on the site from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15 and then from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, March 22.

However, residents have reported the portal has been inaccessible since March 13.

Graham Bowland, from Staveley, told the Stray Ferret the matter had been frustrating for locals in the village.

Some have been trying to comment on a pending proposal for 73 homes on land off Minskip Road near Staveley Nature Reserve.

Mr Bowland said:

“How are we expected to view documents relating to the application?

“This issue has galvanised the residents into submitting letters of objection which we are batching up and delivering by hand.”

Read more:

• New settlement plans ‘paused’ after land withdrawn near Cattal
• Plans confirm football pitches will be lost in 200-home Harrogate scheme

Other residents raised concern they may miss the deadline for comments on applications due to the portal being down.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the maintenance was needed.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“Our online register of planning applications (public access) is currently unavailable due to essential maintenance.

“Comments on planning applications will be accepted after the end of any formal consultation periods. Applications will also be considered on a case-by-case basis when they are ready for determination and, where they may have been affected by the downtime, we will make individual assessments as to whether members of the public have been given sufficient time to comment.

“We anticipate the system returning later today, but anyone with any concerns or has an urgent need to view plans and/or make comments can email dmst@harrogate.gov.uk.”

A developer has submitted plans to build 73 homes in a Harrogate district village.

Thomas Alexander Homes, which is based in Leeds, has tabled the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council for land off Minskip Road near to Staveley Nature Reserve.

Staveley is midway between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge and has a population of about 440.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says the nature reserve, which the charity owns, is a “superb wetland” containing otters and orchids.

The plan would see a mixture of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom houses built. The developer has also earmarked 40% of the homes as affordable.

The site is allocated for housing in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-2035, which details where development can take place.

The developer said in its plans that the site represented a “logical extension” to the village.

It said:

“The proposal forms a logical extension to Staveley, the local authority concurred with this assessment by allocating the site for residential development to the scale of approximately 72 dwellings.”

Read more:

• Staveley villagers begin fight against 22-home development
• Lost planning appeals have cost Harrogate district taxpayers £209,000 in legal fees

However, residents have raised concern over potential housing on the site.

Graham Bowland, from the Staveley Residents Action Group, said a meeting was held at the village hall this week to raise objections to the plan.

He said:

“We successfully fought off development before and now we have an application for 73 homes on the field known as SV1 on the Minskip Road opposite the Staveley Nature Reserve.

“It will increase the size of the village by 35%, but sadly despite significant objections from residents and the parish council at the time, it still went into the local plan.”

A decision on the plan will be made at a later date.

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.”

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.