Harrogate District Cycle Action has accused Tesco of greenwash over claims that its proposed new supermarket will reduce car journeys and CO2 emissions.

A Tesco online consultation about its plans to open a supermarket on Skipton Road closed yesterday.

The consultation website claims the new supermarket would reduce car journeys across Harrogate because residents in all the new homes on Skipton Road and Killinghall would have less distance to travel for shopping.

It adds:

“This new supermarket will help create more sustainable shopping patterns in Harrogate and reduce the number of long car journeys across the town.

“We anticipate a reduction in CO2 emissions from the shorter trips customers will be making.”

But HDCA, which campaigns for better cycling provision in the district, said on its website:

“That is greenwash, and based on nothing more than a far-fetched hope, or the desire to say something about sustainability without doing anything about sustainability.

“While some people might make shorter trips to Tesco, it is equally likely that other people will drive to Tesco from the other side of town, going further than before.

“The plans put forward by Tesco are totally car-centric. Doing the same as before will get the same result as before: ever more traffic.”

How the site would look

Read more:

• Tesco Skipton Road supermarket ‘could put us out of business’
• Tesco to revive controversial Skipton Road supermarket plans

Better cycling access

Plans for the new store include a petrol station, 200 parking spaces, 24 cycle spaces and a new roundabout on Skipton Road. Tesco says 100 new jobs would be created.

HDCA said segregated, protected cycle tracks on either side of Skipton Road, linking up to the new housing estates, would improve cycle access to the supermarket. It would also like to see the number of car parking spaces reduced.

The Stray Ferret asked Tesco to respond but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Tesco previously said:

“Our new proposals will deliver a much-needed new food store for the north of the town. This will reduce the number of long car journeys across Harrogate and we anticipate a reduction in CO2 emissions from the shorter trips customers will be making.”

Consultation ended 

A public consultation on the new Tesco ended yesterday. A full planning application is expected to be submitted before the end of the year.

Despite opposing Tesco’s bid to build a new supermarket on the site in the 2010s, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce told the Stray Ferret the housing landscape in the area has now changed and the supermarket could reduce traffic across town.

The Stray Ferret also spoke to Claire Lewis, who has run Number One Shop on Electric Avenue, near the proposed new supermarket, for the last seven years with her husband. She opposes the plan and fears the new supermarket, which would be built behind her small shop, could destroy trade.

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.

Night time noise in Harrogate is unacceptable 

The noise at night in the centre of Harrogate is unacceptable. People shouting and fast loud cars until 2am to 3am. Friends of mine from London couldn’t believe how noisy Harrogate is and they live in central London.

I agree so I’m moving. Every weekend it’s the same. I want people to enjoy themselves but the behaviour I hear is antisocial.

Can’t people be decent and realise that people/families have the right to a good night’s sleep? Honestly it’s not acceptable to be kept awake until 2am to 3am in the morning.

I have teenagers but they are aware of their surroundings and wouldn’t dream of shouting or playing loud music in their cars. Can’t something be done?

Annekin Emerson, Harrogate

New Tesco location ‘beggars belief’

I cannot believe that Tesco and the council are considering building a superstore with an entrance so close to one of the busiest junctions in Harrogate.

The thought of two roundabouts within close proximity beggars belief, traffic will back up from the entrance to Tesco and hold up all of Harrogate’s through traffic from the A59 and A61.

Clearly the ideal place for a Tesco superstore is on or near Otley Road, then traffic will head out of Harrogate or have easy access from all of the new estates on that side of town.

The problem at the moment is that ALL of the supermarkets are in town or the opposite end of town to Otley Road (except for Aldi, which is excellent but does not satisfy all requirements), so all the traffic has to go down Skipton Road to get to them causing constant traffic jams.

Why the council/house builders/Tesco cannot get round a table and come to an agreement where the Tesco land at the roundabout can be developed for housing, and more appropriate land on the outskirts of town can be used for the Tesco’s I do not know. Is that not Section 106 agreements are all about?

Stephen Readman, Harrogate

Read more:

• Tesco Skipton Road supermarket ‘could put us out of business’
• Highways boss: No ‘exact date’ for completion of Otley Road cycle path

Pedestrians needs are being ignored

May I voice support for your correspondent Angela Dicken and her comments on the cycle way on Otley Road?

I am a frequent pedestrian there and can wholly confirm what she says. Yesterday morning, for example, just after 9am, on which occasion I was actually in the car heading for Bradford (try it on public transport if you want to know why) I was waiting at the pelican crossing and saw a cyclist in all the gear absolutely hurtling down the pavement towards Leeds Road.

This at a time when the pavement is always busy with people. At the moment that is illegal, although nothing is ever done about it. Now we are being asked to share space with such people.

Nor was this an isolated incident as many will testify. Later that day I was passed by another equally speedy cyclist whilst walking on the pedestrianised section of Oxford Street. Later still, on East Parade, by which time it was dark, another pair were riding abreast without lights on that road. And so on. It is time certainly to think about the pedestrian and stop indulging a fantasy of responsible cycling.

Paul Jennings, Harrogate

Well done, Harrogate Borough Council

I must thank those at Harrogate Borough Council who have been responsible for removing the weeds from around the base of the Tewit Well’s dome.

In this, the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Harrogate’s first mineral well, it is particularly important to ensure that the Tewit Well appears cared for, in view of the passing visitors the site so regularly sees.

Malcolm Neesam, Harrogate

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.

The owner of convenience store Number One Shop on Electric Avenue fears a new Tesco superstore a stone’s throw away might destroy her business.

Plans for the new store, exclusively revealed by the Stray Ferret, include a petrol station, 200 parking spaces and a new roundabout on Skipton Road. Tesco says 100 new jobs would be created. Planning permission is yet to be granted.

Claire Lewis has run Number One Shop for the last seven years with her husband.  The new Tesco would be built almost directly behind her shop on the old gas works site.

Ms Lewis told the Stray Ferret that she had always heard rumours that Tesco had planned to revive its plan to build a supermarket on the site, “but now it’s official”

She said:

“I can’t compete with a massive superstore chain.

“I’ll lose a lot of business.”

Ms Lewis said trade at her shop took a hit when Aldi opened on Skipton Road in 2016. However, she was able to compete with the German chain due to Aldi selling primarily their own branded products.

But with Tesco selling branded products, she fears its buying power will mean it can sell the same products she sells but at a cheaper price.

Workers who would stop into her shop for a pie, some crisps and a drink may also decide to go to Tesco for their £3 meal deal.

“I can’t buy in bulk. I can’t lower my prices anymore.”

Read more:

• Tesco to revive controversial Skipton Road supermarket plans
• Business group: New housing means Harrogate Tesco could be needed
• Tesco launches plans for major Skipton Road supermarket

Since Tesco first proposed to build a supermarket on the site in the late 2000s, there has been an unprecedented level of housebuilding on Skipton Road and Killinghall in recent years and Tesco said the new supermarket would help reduce car journeys across Harrogate.

However, Ms Lewis expects traffic to increase on Skipton Road, which she said is already “manic” at times.

“There will be a lot of traffic. It’s already manic on Skipton Road at 4pm.”

Up against giant corporation, Ms Lewis believes one area they can compete with Tesco is community spirit.

Her husband was stuck in India for five months last year due to covid travel restrictions, and her regular customers rallied.

“With covid, everyone came together.

“Local people were so kind and gave me lifts. Most of my customers are elderly and even with the Tesco they’ll still come to the shop out of respect for me.”

Tesco has today launched a public consultation on plans to build a major new supermarket on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret revealed this month that the company had revived plans to open a supermarket on the former gasworks site close to the New Park Roundabout.

Further details of the proposals have now been published on the consultation website.

The new store, which is yet to be granted planning permission, 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.

The supermarket would be built here on Skipton Road

The website says:

“The proposals for this store are significantly different to the previous planning consent.

“A new planning application will be submitted and if granted, Tesco will start construction as soon as possible.”

Reduce car journeys

There has been an unprecedented level of housebuilding on Skipton Road and Killinghall in recent years and Tesco said the new supermarket would help reduce car journeys across Harrogate.

Andy Boucher, development executive at Tesco, said:

“We are delighted to share our plans with the public for our new store and we look forward to hearing the views of local residents.

“We know there is demand for a new supermarket in the north of Harrogate and this store will meet the needs of the local community.

“This will be fantastic new store which will provide a wide-range of high-quality food and non-food goods, cater for all budgets and deliver benefits for the local community.”

The public can comment on the proposals here until October 10.

Read more:

• Tesco to revive controversial Skipton Road supermarket plans

• Business group: New housing means Harrogate Tesco could be needed

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.

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has said a new Tesco on Skipton Road could be needed due to the “unprecedented” amount of new housing on that side of Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported this week that Tesco had revived plans to build a supermarket on the old gasworks close to the New Park roundabout. Multiple sources told us a formal planning application is expected before the end of the year.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber,  told the Stray Ferret the housing landscape around Skipton Road and Killinghall had changed since Tesco first submitted plans to build on the site over a decade ago.

Mr Simister said:

“Since Tesco first put in an application more than a decade ago, that side of Harrogate has seen an unprecedented amount of house building.

“At the moment, the only large supermarkets serving this area are Aldi, on Oak Beck Road, and the Co-Op on Jennyfield Drive, and having another big name may well cut down on car journeys across town.

“Until we see the planning application, it’s impossible to know if there are any other employment or retail opportunities for the site.”

Tesco received planning permission to build a supermarket there in 2011 but pulled out in 2016, citing market conditions. At the time it faced opposition from business groups, including the chamber, which represents many businesses in the district.

In 2014, the chamber’s then-vice president Peter Jesper called on the supermarket chain to pull out due to safety fears related to the old gasworks and its impact on local businesses.

He said:

“We still strongly believe that this is not a suitable place for a new superstore.”

It is believed the supermarket, which would be built on land between Electric Avenue and Oak Beck, would be smaller than the one previously proposed.

Read more:

• Findings of UCI review to be published before end of the year
• Lidl supermarket in Ripon set for go-ahead

A 20-year history

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

Land Registry documents reveal the supermarket bought the site for £2.8m in 2003 and still owns it.

It submitted a proposal to build a supermarket there in 2009, which was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2011.

However, Tesco pulled out in 2016. An Aldi supermarket opened on the retail park just off Skipton Road in 2016.

In a media statement in 2016, Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK chief executive at the time, said the site would be sold.

In 2018 Consolidated Property Group said it had agreed to buy the site from Tesco to develop a retail park but the plans never materialised, despite obtaining planning permission.

Tesco is to revive controversial plans to build a new supermarket on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

No formal planning application has been submitted but multiple well informed sources have told the Stray Ferret discussions have taken place between the supermarket and Harrogate Borough Council with a view to submitting a bid before the end of the year.

The supermarket would be built on the old gasworks close to the New Park roundabout, which is on the junction with Ripon Road.

It is believed the supermarket, which would be built on land between Electric Avenue and Oak Beck, would be smaller than the one previously proposed during the 2010s.

However, it would be Harrogate’s first full size Tesco. There are Tesco Express stores on Cambridge Road and Knaresborough Road and one is being constructed in Killinghall, about a mile from where the new one could be built.

A 20-year history

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

The Stray Ferret has 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 2011.

Read more:

• Findings of UCI review to be published before end of the year
• Lidl supermarket in Ripon set for go-ahead

However, Tesco pulled out in 2016 following 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.

A computer generated image of the abandoned 2009 plans.

In a media statement in 2016, Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK chief executive at the time, said the site would be sold. He said:

“Our priority now will be to ensure the site is sold so that it can play a positive part in Harrogate’s future development.”

In 2018 Consolidated Property Group said it had agreed to buy the site from Tesco to develop a retail park but the plans never materialised, despite obtaining planning permission.

Land Registry document reveals that Tesco held on to the site and is its current owner.

Tesco declined to comment when approached by the Stray Ferret.

Work has begun to demolish the historic Three Horseshoes pub in Killinghall.

The pub has stood on the site for 150 years but closed in September and will make way for a new Tesco Express supermarket and four flats.

When plans were first submitted in 2019, a petition was launched by residents to try to save the building.

It was signed by 124 people who agreed that to lose the pub would be a “travesty”. The petition read:

“The Three Horseshoes is the hub of our community and plays an important part of bringing people together.”

However, there were also many people who submitted comments to the council in favour of the redevelopment.

One person wrote:

“We have been without a grocery or convenience shop for many years which has been to the detriment of the community.”

Anna, who runs the Killinghall Village Community Facebook page, shared photos of the demolition with us.

Read more:

• Work on new Tesco set to begin on Monday

• New Tesco could open in Killinghall next year

A Tesco Express in Harrogate received the lowest mark of all supermarkets in the district when unannounced covid checks were carried out.

More than 230 supermarkets and shops were assessed in a joint operation between North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.

Trading standards and environmental health officers checked whether they had made their premises covid-secure and followed regulations.

Premises were graded using a traffic light system, with green lights given to the most compliant and red lights to businesses where a number of issues were flagged up.

All supermarkets received either green or amber lights, with the exception of Tesco Express on Knaresborough Road.

The inspector who visited that store on February 8 noted “poor and infrequent cleaning”, “lack of cleaning products for the in-store Costa Coffee” and “cashier not wearing mask but was advised she was exempt”. Another comment said:

“Felt I was being given lip service.”

Read more:

• Work on new Tesco set to begin on Monday
• Knaresborough vaccine centre opens at former supermarket

A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“With regards to the Tesco on Knaresborough Road; a follow up visit was undertaken, the site had followed up on the issues raised and it was found to be compliant and following government guidance.

“No further action was necessary and we were satisfied with the measures that had been put in place.”

A Tesco spokesman said:

“We are following government guidance in stores to ensure that all our colleagues are wearing face coverings, unless they cannot do so for medical or safety reasons.”

Information released after FoI request

North Yorkshire County Council issued a press release in February about the visit but initially refused to reveal details of individual inspections.

However, after a request made under the Freedom of Information Act by the Stray Ferret it did release its findings.

The Stray Ferret’s investigation focused solely on supermarkets.

Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, said in the press release:

“Many supermarkets and other essential retailers have made huge efforts during the whole of lockdown to make their shops covid-secure.

“Across the whole county we have found breaches by only a handful of retailers.

“North Yorkshire’s shoppers can have real confidence that the vast majority of retail premises are covid-safe in our county, that they carry out proper cleaning procedures and that regulations about the wearing of face masks, hand sanitising and keeping a social distance are properly applied and patrolled.”

Checks were carried out in December and January.

As 2020 draws to a close, the Stray Ferret looks back at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events.

Today, we reveal the most popular stories on our site since we launched at the beginning of March.

10. Events company folds after 46 years

Andrew Manby, director of Joe Manby Ltd.

The tenth most-read story on our site this year was a sad one for those involved – and for many others.

After months of uncertainty for the events industry, long-standing family firm Joe Manby Ltd was put into liquidation.

Director Andrew Manby had been warning for many months about the threat to the sector, with events unable to go ahead and no sign of improvement on the horizon.

Readers and fellow business owners expressed shock and sympathy after the news was announced.

9. Eat Out to Help Out

Restaurants and cafes took part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme

When the government scheme to encourage hospitality spending was launched, businesses in the Harrogate district signed up with enthusiasm.

Residents were also keen to show their support, as our ninth most popular story shows. With more than 100 businesses on the list, locals checked in to see where they could get a discount on dining out early in the week.

8. Six workers rescued from Ripon takeaway

In September, six people were rescued from a Ripon takeaway after local residents raised concerns about their living and working conditions.

Agencies including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, Immigration Enforcement, Harrogate Borough Council and the police and fire service swooped on the takeaway, which was not publicly identified.

As a result, six people were placed in temporary accommodation. Officers reported several possible indicators of labour abuse but could not find any signs of modern slavery offences.

The council and the fire service said they would investigate a number of housing and fire safety issues at the property.

The story was our eighth most-read of the year.

7. Many hospitality businesses will not reopen

In his first column for the Stray Ferret, Peter Banks, MD of Rudding Park, gave an honest account of his expectations for the future of his industry.

Writing in early May, he said the first week of the pandemic’s impact was the worst of his professional life. However, in a rapidly changing climate, he soon found himself trying to work out how the hotel would reopen – and concluding that, for many, it would never happen.

The column proved hugely popular, especially with our audience on social media, and is seventh on our list of most-read stories of the year.

Today, we published Mr Banks’s reflections on the year in hospitality – including the last-minute bombshell delivered by the government to scupper plans for New Year’s Eve.

6. Long queues outside Harrogate shop after pubs close

Queues formed outside the Tesco Express shop in Harrogate’s town centre just after 10pm.

When the 10pm curfew on hospitality came in, many said it would only lead to a rush of people onto the streets all at the same time.

This appeared to be true, as the queue outside Tesco on Cambridge Road showed on Saturday, October 24 just after 10pm.

The same happened again the following week, and both stories proved popular with local readers. It’s at number six on our list.

5. Harrogate district to enter tier two restrictions

As the second national lockdown ended in early December, the decision about which tier the Harrogate district would be placed in drew a lot of attention.

Readers were eager to find out what restrictions they would face – and local businesses were also keen to know if they could open and trade in the vital few weeks before Christmas.

The story was the fifth most-read of the year. Yesterday’s announcement of the district’s move into tier three from New Year’s Eve is the most-read story in December.

4. Coach and Horses has alcohol licence revoked

Police were called to the Coach and Horses pub by concerned locals in May

In July, long-standing West Park pub the Coach and Horses had its alcohol licence revoked by Harrogate Borough Council after a dispute over their compliance with lockdown rules in May.

The pub opened to sell take-out beer, but as crowds gathered on the pavement and across the road by the Stray, police and council enforcement staff arrived.

Their accounts of the situation suggested landlord John Nelson had been “aggressive and abusive”, though at the licensing hearing his lawyer said he accepted he had made a “chronic error of judgement”.

The committee revoked Mr Nelson’s licence with the support of North Yorkshire Police, and the report on the decision was our fourth most read story of the year.

Three months later, his daughter Samantha was successful in her application for a licence to reopen the pub.

3. Police attend serious incident near Harrogate town centre

A man died and another was treated in hospital after an incident on Harcourt Drive, on the edge of Harrogate town centre.

On a quiet Sunday evening in late August, the incident shocked neighbours and the wider community. It was the third most read story of 2020 on our website.

Police later confirmed the incident was not being treated as suspicious and an inquest would be held to examine the circumstances of the man’s death.

2. Harrogate’s Stray FM to close

Owners Greatest Hits Radio announced the end of Stray FM in May

Residents of the district were shocked by the announcement in May that Stray FM would be disappearing from the airwaves.

Though owners Greatest Hits Radio described the plans as a ‘rebrand’, the reality was that there would be mostly national programming on the station from September, with one regional show each day at drivetime.

As well as the ending of a familiar brand established in 1994, community groups expressed their sadness at the loss of the station’s valuable support.

The announcement of the plans was our second most-read story of 2020.

1. Town centre roads closed by police

Police closed off Mayfield Grove junction with Bower Road. Picture: Sharon Canavar.

A police incident near the centre of town on a Friday afternoon drew our biggest audience of the year.

A man was arrested for saying he had a knife and making threats to other residents.

Officers closed a number of roads around Strawberry Dale while they dealt with the situation, leading to congestion on surrounding routes. The roads were reopened after around 90 minutes.

A second man was arrested for obstructing the police, separately to the original incident.

Read more:

• Looking back: Happiness in Harrogate district amid the challenges of 2020
• Looking back: Clap for carers and scrubbing up for key workers

The new Tesco Express in Killinghall is unlikely to open until late next year at the earliest.

The store is due to be built on the site of The Three Horseshoes pub on the main Ripon Road in the middle of Killinghall.

The pub posted a message on its Facebook page on Saturday saying it will close on September 27. But it could be some time before the Tesco Express opens.

In July, Harrogate Borough Council approved plans by Ilkley developers Dynamic Capital Killinghall to convert the site to a convenience store.

The plans also involve constructing four flats and installing six electric vehicle charging points.

Read more:

• Historic Killinghall pub reopens
• Tesco moves forward with plans on Killinghall pub site

At a meeting of Killinghall Parish Council last week, Cllr John Moretta said the developers had suggested once work gets underway it is likely to take a year to complete.

Last month Tesco applied for an alcohol licence from 6am to 11pm seven days of the week at the site, which has hosted a pub for 150 years.

Tesco subsequently submitted three more planning applications for signage, lighting and an ATM machine. Work is unlikely to begin until these matters are resolved.

Fellow parish councillor George Novelli told last week’s meeting the store would be “absolutely vital for the village”, which has grown considerably in recent years. A Tesco spokesman said:

“We believe the new store will be a positive addition to the local community and we aim to be serving customers there in 2021.”

The Greyhounds Inn opposite The Three Horseshoes remains closed.