Traffic disruption expected in Killinghall next week

Delays are expected in Killinghall next week when new electricity cables are laid for the village’s forthcoming Tesco Express.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed and buses and lorries will be prevented from turning in and out of Otley Road from Ripon Road.

The measures will allow Northern Powergrid to excavate a trench and install cables beneath the pavement outside the Tesco on Ripon Road.

Northern Powergrid has written to residents saying work is expected to last 10 days. The letter says:

“There will be a certain amount of disruption during the implementation of this work but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum.”

The letter adds the traffic lights will “inevitably lengthen journey times” and buses will be affected.

A barrier and temporary walkway will operate outside the Tesco for pedestrians.

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A spokesman for The Harrogate Bus Company, which is part of the French company Transdev, said:

“This will mean our service 24 will be diverted in the Killinghall area, while journeys on our 36 route may also experience some delays.

“Full details of alternative arrangements are being advertised to keep our customers informed, including on our Twitter feed ‘@harrogatebus’ and on the free to download Transdev Go mobile app.”

The Stray Ferret asked Tesco when the store was due to open. All it would say was “early 2022”.

Stray Views: Harrogate Tesco would be ‘horrendous’ for nearby residents

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.

New Tesco would be ‘horrendous’ for nearby residents

We believe that it is not an appropriate or safe location for the supermarket.
Already Skipton Road is extremely busy with traffic and New Park roundabout is quite unsafe at times, due to the high volumes of traffic. The entrance to Tesco would require a roundabout to gain entrance to the store, therefore there would be two roundabouts extremely close together. We would argue that this is dangerous because there is also an entrance to Oak Beck trading estate to contend with (Aldi and B&Q). How would this be safe?
We believe that the level of traffic would increase dramatically on the roads if Tesco is built, adding to pollution in the area.
On the planned site there is an abundance of wildlife; bats, badgers, newts, hedgehogs and owls to name a few. A lot of trees would need to be cut down for this development, which would be a disaster for Harrogate with its increasing population. Green space and wildlife should be cherished.
Without our knowledge Tesco held a consultation process with the public and 70% were in favour. Why were the local residents (especially on Electric Avenue) not directly consulted and encouraged to take part? In Tesco’s application they claim that they notified local businesses in the area and local residents by distributing leaflets. We received nothing!
The majority of residents I have chatted to on Electric Avenue strongly object to Tesco and the delivery road located directly behind our properties. This would be horrendous for us, it would bring noise and air pollution to our area and disturb our peace.
Jennifer Dance, Electric Avenue, Harrogate 

Proud to be Harrogate, not London

I note that a new fitness studio wants it to bring ‘a London feel’ to Harrogate and recall that the restaurants associated with The Everyman Cinema was also intended to be ‘London-centric’, whatever that means.

Can someone enlighten me regarding this strange desire to be like London when Harrogate, and indeed Yorkshire as a whole, has so much distinctive to offer? It seems to me that this desire to be like London is a strange business proposition. Of course I wish all the local businesses concerned well, despite my feelings about their PR.

Tim Hurren, Harrogate

Speed limits should be reduced

I read your article about North Yorkshire County Council refusing a blanket introduction of a 20mph speed limit in built-up areas.

The council’s executive member for access, Cllr Don Mackenzie, said the county’s roads were becoming safer and safer, and 20mph zones should only be created on a case-by-case basis.

I have tried for years to get the speed limits reduced. I believe Councillor Mackenzie does not listen to anyone — where does he get his information from on safer roads? Cars around Harrogate are now more powerful and speeding is paramount throughout the town and on country roads. When is someone going to challenge this man and when will he listen?

Mike Fisher, Cornwall Road, Harrogate

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Gas supplier objects to Tesco plans in Harrogate

Northern Gas Networks has submitted an objection on Tesco’s plans to build a new supermarket in Harrogate.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store on the former gasworks in the New Park area of town.

Northern Gas Networks, which sold the site to Tesco for £2.8 million in 2003, is concerned about the potential impact on Harrogate’s gas supply.

Tesco site

The site of the proposed Tesco.

In its formal objection on the council planning portal, NGN said it retained legal rights on a high pressure pipeline at the site that was “instrumental in supplying gas to the town”. It says the legal rights enable it to prevent any building on or near the length of the pipeline.

The pipe cuts across the north-eastern side of the site from Skipton Road to Oak Beck.

It is standard practice for NGN to object to any plans which are close or over a high pressure pipeline. Its objection aims to ensure the company, which distributes gas to 2.7 million homes in northern England, will be involved in the planning process.

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A spokesperson for Tesco said:

“We will consider all feedback received on our application. We will have further discussions with Harrogate Borough Council about the issues raised.”

Artist impression of how the Tesco will look on Skipton Road.

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about traffic plus access to the site.

However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.

Tesco consultation results reveal support for new Harrogate store

Tesco has revealed the results of a consultation it held for a planned new supermarket on Harrogate’s Skipton Road.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store, five years after pulling out of a similar development.

If given the go-ahead, it would be built on the former gasworks at New Park and would include a 38,795 square feet store and a petrol filling station.

Tesco held an online consultation about the plans last year and the results have now been released.

According to documents submitted by the company to the council, 187 people responded. Of those, 74% said they wanted to see the derelict site brought back into use.

A total of 62% said they supported proposals for a new Tesco supermarket at the site.

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However, the consultation also saw people raise concerns about the development.

Sixteen respondents “expressed concern that providing access via a roundabout was inappropriate due to the existing roundabout at Skipton Road / Ripon Road”.

A total of 43 respondents also raised the issue of highways and traffic on the local area.

The issue of traffic has been raised by cycle groups, which have accused Tesco of “greenwashing” over claims about reduced car journeys.

Traffic concerns

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about the impact of extra traffic on what is already a busy area, plus access to the site.

However, the company has said in transport documents submitted to the council that the site would see fewer car journeys than under previous plans.

The document says that the store would attract a total of 908 fewer car journeys on a weekday peak time and 522 on a weekend compared with its previous application.

Tesco has said there are no “transport-related reasons” to turn the proposal down.

It added:

“This transport assessment has demonstrated that the development proposals will result in a decrease in the number of trips generated by the site compared to the extant permission for the A1 Tesco superstore.”

‘No transport reasons’ to reject new Harrogate store, says Tesco

There are no “transport-related reasons” to turn down a new Tesco on Skipton Road in Harrogate, according to the developers.

The supermarket giant has lodged proposals to Harrogate Borough Council for a new store, five years after pulling out of a similar development.

It would be built on the former gasworks at New Park and would include a 38,795 square feet store and a petrol filling station.

Tesco has harboured ambitions for a new store in the town for almost 20 years. The retailer previously had plans approved in 2009, but pulled out after opposition from local traders.

Although many people have welcomed the prospect of a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate, some are concerned about the impact of extra traffic on what is already a busy area, plus access to the site.

Tesco has commissioned London-based consultants Markides Associates to produce a range of reports, including a transport assessment, to support its planning application.

The assessment says “extensive pre-application discussions have taken place with North Yorkshire County Council” about the application and says “the safety of the local road network will not be compromised”.

New roundabout

For access to the store, a new roundabout would be created on Skipton Road.

The assessment also pointed out that the development would align with North Yorkshire County Council’s scheme to widen Old Beck Bridge, which is to the east of the site.

According to the report, Tesco’s new store would “result in a decrease in the number of trips” to the site compared with its previous proposal, which was for a larger store.

The document says that the store would attract a total of 908 fewer car journeys on a weekday peak time and 522 on a weekend compared with its previous application.

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Under its original plans, which included a larger store, 1,303 journeys would be made during the week and 1,032 on a weekend.

The report said that the current plan would be “significantly lower” than the previous Tesco proposal.

It added:

“This transport assessment has demonstrated that the development proposals will result in a decrease in the number of trips generated by the site compared to the extant permission for the A1 Tesco superstore.”

Online shopping affects traffic

The report also claims that there is likely to be a decline in the number of trips to the store because of a “step change” in customers using online shopping.

It says the number of car journeys to supermarkets have reduced over the last 10 years, which has coincided with lower car parking demand.

Using national data on trips to food stores, Tesco says in its report there has been a “51% reduction for Friday evenings and 24% across Saturdays” on journeys to supermarkets. It said this shows a “clear reduction in vehicle trips generated by supermarkets”.

It claimed that the covid pandemic has also contributed to online demand at its own stores.

As a result, Tesco said it expects to see the trend continue into the future.

The report said:

“It is impossible to predict the long-term effects of covid-19 on people’s supermarket shopping choices.

“However, Tesco have experienced a step-change in the demand for online food shopping over the last eighteen months and it is anticipated that this growth is likely to continue into the future, which may result in even lower traffic generation than estimated.”

Car parking

Tesco has proposed that 181 car parking spaces, nine parent and toddler spaces, six electric vehicle charging points and 24 cycle spaces are created.

Twelve blue badge parking spaces would also be provided.

The developer has said in its assessment that the car parking proposed would be appropriate as the maximum number of spaces occupied it expects at any one time is 110 on a weekday and 166 on a weekend.

Markides Associates concluded in its report that it believes there is no reason to reject the proposal on transport grounds.

It said:

“Markides Associates are of the view that there are no transport-related reasons why the development proposals should not be supported.”

Tesco submits plans for new Skipton Road supermarket

Tesco has submitted a planning application to build a new supermarket on the former gasworks site on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The new store would be 38,795 square feet and include a petrol filling station, 200 car parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and 24 cycle spaces. Tesco says 100 new jobs would be created.

For access, a new roundabout would be created on Skipton Road. It would be built close to the New Park roundabout.

Tesco ran two-week consultation on the plans in September and October and received feedback from 190 people. Tesco said 70% of respondents supported its proposals.

If Harrogate Borough Council approves the plans, Tesco said it hopes to open the store in 2023.

Andy Boucher, development executive at Tesco, said:

“We are thrilled with the response we have received from local residents to our consultation and I would like to thank all of those people who took part.

“Our consultation found a majority of local residents support the proposed new supermarket.

“We will now be working closely with Harrogate Borough Council and hope to receive planning permission next year.”

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A 20-year history

Tesco has harboured ambitions to build a supermarket on the site for almost 20 years.

The Stray Ferret obtained Land Registry documents that reveal Tesco bought the site for £2.8m in 2003.

It submitted a proposal to build a supermarket there in 2009, which was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2012.

However, Tesco pulled out in 2016 following a changing retail landscape and years of opposition from retailers, which said the supermarket would damage local trade. An Aldi supermarket opened on the retail park just off Skipton Road in 2016.

In 2021, Tesco has signalled its intention to return to opening new large-scale supermarkets in the UK.

This year, it opened its first new superstore in six years in Penwortham, Lancashire. Four more supermarkets are scheduled to open this year.

Killinghall resident looks into ways to reopen village pub

A Killinghall resident is looking to investigate what can be done to re-open the only remaining pub in the heart of the village.

The Greyhounds Inn, a Samuel Smith‘s pub at the junction of Ripon Road and Otley Road, has been closed for several years.

Its loss has been particularly keenly felt since the Three Horseshoes opposite was razed to the ground last year to make way for a new Tesco Express store, which is due to open next year.

It means the rapidly expanding village has gone from having two pubs in its centre to none.

Jonny Smith, who moved to Killinghall five years ago, recently floated the idea on social media of villagers getting together to see what could be done to re-open The Greyhounds.

Mr Smith said:

“I’m trying to understand where we stand, and whether as a collective we can do anything.

“It’s a nice old building with so much potential. It has a lovely old pub feel to it and just needs some TLC. Killinghall has more homes and families than ever so it could do well.”

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Sam Smith’s occasionally posts adverts looking for people to run the pub but it has been closed for about five years. Mr Smith said:

“I know others in the village want to see it re-open. I’m hoping somebody might have an idea on where we go from here but I don’t have a massive amount of hope.”

The Stray Ferret attempted to contact Samuel Smith’s but has not yet received a reply.

Tesco has begun advertising for 15 staff to work at the Express store that is being built on the site of the former Three Horseshoes pub.

The advert initially said the positions were for a Jack’s store, which is Tesco’s budget brand, but a spokesman for the company told the Stray Ferret this was an error and it would be an Express.

The Tesco spokesman also said a planning application for the proposed new full size Tesco store in Harrogate, about a mile from the site of the Killinghall Express, was “imminent”.

 

ATM outage frustrates Knaresborough stallholders

Stallholders have vented their frustration over an ATM outage in Knaresborough’s town centre where there is no longer a bank.

Both the cash machines at the Tesco Express and the Sainsbury’s Local on the High Street are out of service today. They have reportedly been out for the past five days.

Anyone in need of cash either have to queue up at the busy Post Office in the town or head out for a 40 minute round walk to the ATM at the Co-op petrol station on Manse Lane.

Halifax closed its Knaresborough branch in March 2021. Halifax blamed changing customer habits for the closure, which left the town’s 15,000 residents without a bank.

The lack of cash availability has been felt particularly keenly today at the Knaresborough market. The market is held every Wednesday from 7.30am to 3pm in the market square.

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Ted Wray, who has sold jewellery and old cash at his stall for the last three years, told the Stray Ferret:

“I think it has put people off buying things at the market today. Some of my potential customers ask if I take cards but it’s not possible when I am selling items for a couple of pounds.

“It has been very difficult. All of us in the market who do not use card machines have felt this as an issue.”

Paul Greene, who runs a fruit and vegetable stall under the name Paul Veg Man, also added:

“The ATMs have been out since Saturday. Customers have also been complaining about it, the machines don’t have any cash in them.

“It has been putting a lot of people off. We have no banks and only one post office where everyone has been sent.”

Jared Clark, who runs a bakery stall on the market with a card machine, said:

“We have had a few customers who have said they can’t get any cash, so it is not ideal. The only place is the Post Office where people often have to queue.

“Footfall is down at the moment so it is not great. Knaresborough deserves better, we need more cash points or a bank.”

The Stray Ferret asked both Tesco and Sainsbury’s why their ATMs are currently out of use. We had no response by the time of publication.

Update: A Tesco Bank spokesperson said:

“We are aware of an issue affecting the ATM at Tesco Knaresborough High Street that has caused the machine to be temporarily out of service. We are working hard to fix this and expect to have the ATM available for use again later this week. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused our customers.”

Skipton Road set for six months of disruption as new bridge plans approved

Motorists using Skipton Road will face six months of disruption after plans were approved to demolish and replace a footbridge near the New Park roundabout.

North Yorkshire County Council is behind the plans to replace Oak Beck Bridge, which the council says is in poor condition.

The road is heavily used by traffic, especially by people visiting Aldi, B&Q and Pets at Home on the Oak Beck retail park.

Works are set to take place from January 2022 until July 2022 and temporary traffic lights will be used throughout. The road will remain open to single-way traffic.

A council spokesperson said it would be able to say how much the works will cost once it has appointed a contractor.

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The bridge is close to where a new Tesco supermarket is proposed at the site of the old gas works.

Plans for the new store include a petrol station, 200 parking spaces and a new roundabout on Skipton Road.

A public consultation on the plans ended in October. A full planning application is expected to be submitted before the end of the year.

Stray Views: Station Gateway project a ‘haphazard whim’

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.

£11 million Station Gateway a ‘haphazard whim’

Despite all the consultations undertaken by North Yorkshire County Council and others, it seems as though Councillor Don Mackenzie’s scheme is to be implemented whether we like it, or not.

Buoyed by the cycling fraternity that requires cycle lanes everywhere, we are to spend £11million on what is essentially resurfacing of two streets. Oh and a hundred yards of cycle lane that links up to nothing and finishes nowhere.

NYCC spent big in Ripon city centre 20 years ago, it was an utter disaster from the start and still looks dreadful. The poor people of Ripon will, I’m sure testify as to what an ungodly mess NYCC has perpetrated upon them so the chances of getting an impressive out turn in Harrogate isn’t that promising.

But wait, if we are serious about cycling provision the thinking and implementation needs to be joined up, not just a haphazard whim of our local councillor and a couple of cycling pressure groups.

The Stray Act is outdated and needs reform to meet the modern world, the act needs amending to allow cycling on the Stray. We need to stop replacing every square inch of grass with a similar area near the Woodlands pub

Then install a cycleway from Knaresborough Road at the back of the hospital over Wetherby Road, Oatlands Drive, Stray Rein, the railway, and Leeds Road terminating at the Otley Road cycleway that is about to start.

Provide raised plateaus at each road crossing to give cyclists priority.

This arrangement will provide mega cycle route infrastructure through town from east to west and north to south, much safer than on road schemes, cause very little disruption during construction and will give a lasting legacy.

But do we have the bottle to even consider it?

David Howarth, Harrogate

Traffic evidence based on ‘flawed modelling’

Having watched and listened to the Station Gateway presentation on Thursday evening, the reason for the loss of the major A61 route through Harrogate is now clear.

It seems that all the modelling for this project was made using flow numbers taken during lockdown. No wonder pedestrian and vehicle numbers were so low and unrealistic, and the road had been made so narrow!

Before all this costly and wide-ranging change is passed and thrust upon us, please can we have a re-run using typical A61 working day traffic?

Living on this north/south A61 national highway, we are fully aware of the normal use of this main road, which became unusually quiet during pandemic restrictions and road renovations.

There is often heavy traffic in both directions and a real need for the central crossing bollards erected at needful places between the wide traffic lanes.

Half of this traffic will pass down Parliament Street, but the equivalent southbound traffic has to join the shoppers and bus/train users in Station Parade. The video seemed not to show any of this.

The question raised about access to the A61 from the conference centre car-park was scarcely addressed, except to infer that there was no need to cater for it.

It will certainly be a dangerous place for cyclists on either side of the road, let alone pedestrians.

So serious re-run, please, with realism. There is so much new building going on in and around our town that all numbers will surely soon outgrow this dream.

Beryl Dunsby, Harrogate

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Packed school buses explain Harrogate’s soaring covid rate

I’m not surprised the covid rate is rising. I accompanied my grandson on the school bus Harrogate to Knaresborough a few days ago and it was rammed. Children about 11-15/16 stood and sat shoulder to shoulder. Not one more person could have got on.

No windows were open and not one person except me had a mask on, not even the driver.

My friend in Brighton is suffering a bad dose of covid following an informal singing session. Out of the 70 there at least 30 have tested positive. They had ventilation and and all are double vaccinated.

I’ve read of a new variant, highly contagious, which is suspected in a few cases including a friend’s wife who is currently very ill in hospital down south. It’s been reported in Japan, six cases last I read a few days ago, and Australia, one case, similarly a few days ago, maybe a week.

I’ve heard nothing apart from that. I don’t follow news closely, it’s too depressing.

Teresa Liddell Shepherd, Harrogate

Double standards by cyclists

The Stray Ferret reported Harrogate District Cycle Action group commenting on Tesco’s arguments concerning sustainability:  “That is greenwash, and based on nothing more than a far-fetched hope” and that there should be “segregated, protected cycle tracks on either side of Skipton Road”.

This is the organisation who is actively supporting the Otley Road cycle way also based on nothing more than a far-fetched hope. They have never provided any evidence that it will see motorists on Otley Road forsaking their cars. Or that those motorists are happy to have a narrow pavement, become a shared non-segregated cycle path for Otley Road residents and pedestrians to negotiate.

Double standards?

Chris Dicken, Harrogate

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