Harrogate landlord to hold New Year stock clearance sale for good causeHarrogate to see three months of roadworks as Yorkshire Water fixes the leaksHarrogate clothes shop enters liquidationPlan approved to convert Harrogate listed building into a flat

Plans have been approved to convert the upper floors of a grade-II listed building in Harrogate into a flat.

Mercer House on Swan Road towers above the adjoining Mercer Art Gallery.

Under plans lodged by Colston Trustees Limited, the building would be changed from offices to residential and create a single flat. The ground floor retail unit is not included in the plan.

A previous proposal submitted in November 2022 would have seen two flats created.

However, in documents tabled to North Yorkshire Council, the developer said the revised plan would have “less impact upon the building than previously approved and be acceptable”.

Mercer House is historically and architecturally significant due to its gable-fronted, white and blue appearance.

North Yorkshire Council has approved the proposal.

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It will see the first, second and third floors turned into a single flat with living, dining and kitchen space and a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor.

The second floor would have three bedrooms, two en-suites and a bathroom while the third floor would be storage space.

In documents to the council, the developer said:

“The alterations required to the building are less than the previous approved scheme and retain more of the original openings and minimal alterations to original internal walls.

“The external alterations are limited to those at the rear of the building and are the same as those already approved, there are no changes to the front or sides of the building.”

Meet the local man behind a new Turkish restaurant in Harrogate

A young Harrogate man is taking his first solo steps in the family trade by launching a new restaurant.

Along with two business partners, Hakan Aydin has set up Efes Bar and Grill on the site formerly occupied by Fashion House Bistro on the corner of Swan Road.

It may be a new venture, but it is far from a new career for Hakan, whose father ran restaurants and gave him his first hospitality job. Hakan said:

“My dad is my role model. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

Hakan was raised in Harrogate, attending Harrogate High School, and still lives in the town, along with his brother and parents.

Since leaving school, the 29-year-old has travelled extensively, including a memorable spell teaching English to locals in Turkey:

“I had to have a fake name because it needed to sound English. Steven Gerrard is my hero, so I was Steven.”

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When home from travelling, Hakan was working with his father, who ran Istanbul Bar and Grill in Harrogate and is now based at Rubins on Cheltenham Parade.

It was his father who suggested the location for Hakan’s first restaurant and the turnaround has been quick: just three weeks from getting the keys to opening the doors.

Alongside business partners Yusef and Mehmet, responsible for front-of-house and kitchen respectively, Hakan is determined to make a success of a unit that has changed hands repeatedly in recent years.

The trio are adding more outdoor seating with a decking area at the front overlooking Swan Road, and have developed an extensive menu of Turkish and Mediterranean dishes.

They are confident there is space in the local market for what they offer, even though there are several established Mediterranean restaurants in Harrogate already, because Hakan believes people want to revisit a style of dining they have enjoyed on holiday.

Yusef and Hakan at Efes Turkish and Mediterranean Bar and GrillYusef and Hakan

The food at Efes is already going down well. Hakan’s friends from playing football and squash, along with people he knows from the gym, were among the first customers when Efes quietly opened its doors at the weekend.

Having already introduced himself to neighbours around Swan Road, Hakan has welcomed a few into the restaurant this week. He hopes it will become a regular spot for locals, as well as attracting visitors to the nearby Harrogate Convention Centre.

He said:

“Even if you don’t want to come for something to eat, just come for a conversation and a coffee. I like to meet different people of different backgrounds.

“I’d like to think people will come here as guests or customers and leave as friends.”

Efes – named after the ancient Turkish town Ephesius – will be open daily from noon until 10pm. Hakan, Yusef and Mehmet will be there every day, along with a small team of staff who Hakan hopes to give the same help into a career in hospitality that he had as a child.

He also wants the restaurant to give something back to his home town. He said:

“I love this town. I wanted something to link my heritage with my town.

“I’ve been lucky to travel the world – places like Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Greece – but I wouldn’t swap Harrogate for the world. If Harrogate wins, I win.”

Owners of missing dachshund Maggie joyful she’s back home

The owners of Maggie, the miniature dachshund who was taken from her home in Harrogate, said she’s well and fully recovered from her ordeal.

Maggie went missing from Laurie and Paul Smith’s home on Swan Road on Monday morning.  A neighbour’s CCTV had captured images of a woman the Smiths believed snatched her from the front garden.

The couple began a frantic hunt for their missing pet and posted the CCTV images on social media. A huge response led the couple to a house on Oakdale Avenue, half a mile from their home, where they believed Maggie was. The Smiths called the police who recovered their dog.

Paul told the Stray Ferret that Maggie is now safe but shaken by her ordeal:

“We are elated and enormously relieved. Number one we found her; number two she isn’t harmed. Last night Maggie was a bit disturbed – she wouldn’t sleep in her travel cage which is where she normally likes to sleep.

“This morning though she seems fine.”

The hunt for Maggie went viral with thousands of engagements on social media. Paul said he has had reservations about social media but on this occasion it was a fantastic tool:

“A lot of my opinions about social media have all been negative but this was one of ringing endorsement.

The community of Harrogate came together and even further afield across the UK. We’d like to thank everyone involved.”

The Smiths are now looking into how they can use GPS technology to keep Maggie safe and say their attitudes towards her have changed. They won’t let her trot about and give her as much freedom, they said.

Officers are speaking to a woman as they work to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to email Paul.Southgate@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference number 12220135089

Maggie resting on her pink blanket at home last night

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Harrogate couple’s desperate hunt for dog-napped Dachshund

UPDATE: since publishing this story we are happy to report that Maggie has been found and reunited with her very relieved owners Paul and Laurie Smith

Harrogate couple Paul and Laurie Smith have told the Stray Ferret how their miniature Dachshund was taken from their front garden yesterday morning.

Maggie, who is only 17 weeks old, was with Paul in the back garden of the home on Swan Road when she was coaxed down the drive at the side of the house to the front garden by a woman who then picked her up and stole her.

The couple say the incident was caught on a neighbour’s CCTV but the images are grainy and they are now trying to get them enhanced.

Paul said:

“We watched the woman come to the house, she comes to the drive and encourages the dog towards her.

“As soon as Maggie gets within arms length she picks her up, puts her under her right arm and sets off rapidly towards Valley Gardens.

“The was no hesitation, it is a very deliberate act.”

The couple are now frantic to find Maggie and have reported her theft to the police.  They’ve put up posters in the area and published the images of the woman on social media. Maggie is chipped, which has been alerted.

Laurie Smith said:

“It made me sick when we saw the CCTV, it’s absolutely desperate.  We don’t know where to look. She’s so friendly and socialised. She must be so frightened.”

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Fashion-inspired Harrogate restaurant reopens

A Harrogate restaurant inspired by fashion styles and food trends from around the world has reopened.

Fashion House, which was previously called Fashion House Bistro, has undergone a major refurbishment.

The restaurant on Swan Road is the concept of fashion photographer David Dresser and Leeds-based businessman Joel Feldman.

Fashion House

The kitchen will be run by Peruvian head chef Erika Ramos, who will be serving up dishes from her home country with an Italian twist.

Fashion House hosted a garden party to celebrate reopening this week.

A spokesperson for the restaurant said:

“From London to LA, Italy to Barcelona, this new restaurant has taken inspiration from fashion styles and food trends across the globe and streamlined it together to create Fashion House in Harrogate.”

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