Night roadworks in Harrogate residential area preventing sleep, says mum14 nights of roadworks announced for Harrogate town centre streetsVisual of Harrogate’s first mosque released as £50,000 appeal launched

Harrogate Islamic Association has launched a £50,000 fundraising appeal for the next phase of its scheme to create the district’s first mosque.

It has also published a visual showing how the building on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road will look once the makeover is completed.

The association bought the dilapidated former Home Guard building in April last year.

It has already undergone extensive repairs to fix the roof and remove asbestos.

The next phase of the project, which is underway, will ensure the building is structurally sound and will focus on stripping the interior and undertaking structural works.

How the building looks now.

In a crowdfunding appeal post, the association said:

“It’s difficult to convey how deteriorated the building interior is, but we’re determined to make it right.”

“This phase will see a removal and replacement of both the ground and first floors, each of which have suffered extensive rot and degradation.

“The floors will be replaced with steel framing and timber infrastructure to match the existing levels. The steel infrastructure will also help brace the existing masonry walls.”

https://twitter.com/HarrogateIA/status/1694010495445897311?s=20

 

The crowdfunding appeal post said further funds will need to be raised for a final phase, which will involve installing electricity, heating, security and plumbing systems, along with interior walls, doors, and amenities.

The post said the association was minimising disruption by not erecting scaffolding or conducting exterior work during the current phase so traffic and businesses on Tower Street and Belford Road will not be disrupted.

It added:

“Our intent is for this process to be a model that other communities can follow in terms of outreach, management, safety, and engagement with the wider community.”

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Zahed Amanullah, outreach coordinator at the association, said the mosque was likely to open early next year. He added:

“It’s a very old building with a lot of issues so we are moving carefully and methodically. We are not rushing.”

The association published these images showing the state of the building inside.

 

 

Police on West Park after attempted muggings in Harrogate

Police have been dealing with an incident in Harrogate this evening after a number of people were reported to have been attacked.

Officers were called to the area near the parade of shops on West Park, close to the junction with Tower Street, where witnesses said a man had attempted to mug several people.

A local resident called police after hearing one of the victims screaming for help on West Park.

Two police cars, two vans and an ambulance were at the scene shortly after 7pm.

The Stray Ferret understands a man has been arrested. We will update this story when more information is available.

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‘Over the moon’ as sale completes on planned Harrogate mosque

A new mosque will be created in central Harrogate after the sale of the former Home Guard club completed today.

Harrogate Islamic Association has collected the keys for its new Tower Street premises after raising the £500,000 needed to buy the now-dilapidated building.

However, the hard work is not over: the group will continue to raise funds throughout Ramadan, which started today, to fund the renovations needed to bring the property back into use.

Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are just over the moon — we’re so excited.

“Other communities in Yorkshire are looking this way and are really impressed with what they have seen.

“It’s a great example of how to establish a community within a wider society that is really harmonious and supportive.”

Mr Amanullah said Friday prayers for members of the association had been celebratory, with many having moved to Harrogate a decade or more ago and been searching for a place for a mosque ever since.

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Harrogate Borough Council granted planning permission in March for changes to the building to create a place of worship.

HIA then began a crowdfunding campaign to raise £200,000, alongside loans, to complete the purchase and to carry out repairs. Mr Amanullah said the first priority was to repair the roof and ensure the building was water-tight before any further work was carried out.

Zahed Amanullah of Harrogate Islamic Association

Then, he hopes some space can be refurbished and opened later this year while the remainder of the building is renovated. He added:

“There are some real architectural surprises in there – we’re looking forward to having a good look around. We had just one or two walks through the building in total darkness so far!

“We’ve had people offering in-kind support. That alone is hugely helpful — we’ve got tradesmen and women offering their services.

“We’ll be using an architect, and we’ll be working with Harrogate Civic Society on our plans.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming people into the building. We will have some sort of public open house when it’s safe to do so.”

Harrogate Islamic Association confident of mosque purchase as deadline looms

Harrogate Islamic Association has said it is confident of raising enough money to buy the former Home Guard Club and convert it into the town’s first mosque.

A price of £500,000 was agreed to buy the building, which is on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road, before the association obtained planning permission.

The current owner set a deadline of Monday next week to complete the sale.

The group already has several hundred thousand pounds set aside to buy the building but does not yet have enough to pay the full asking price.

After planning permission was granted last month by Harrogate Borough Council, the association launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise the extra money needed to buy the building as well as for much-needed repairs, setting a target of £200,000.

With days to go until the owner’s deadline, the crowdfunder is currently on just £18,000.

However, Zahed Amanullah, a member of the association, said there was no risk the deal could fall through because it had loans in place to cover any shortfall.

Mr Amanullah said:

“We are on our way to getting the money. It’s not all reflected in the crowdfunding campaign, which we’re extending to the end of April, which is the month of Ramadan, and will be used to pay back loans.

“We’ve been raising money from other sources, such as pledges from the community directly.

“Where there might be a shortfall, we have people to loan us the difference, so we can pay them back. Our intention is to make the payment in time with a combination of loans and crowdfunding.”

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The association, which was set up in 2011, has been looking for a permanent home for several years, with previous attempts at securing a site falling through. Around 100 Muslim worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

The association also organises prayer sessions at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

Mr Amanullah said once the group has the keys to the building, the immediate focus will be on repairs and restoring original features.

All being well, it could open to the public by the end of the summer.

Covid testing sites in Harrogate district to close next week

Covid testing sites across North Yorkshire, including on Tower Street in Harrogate and Ripon’s coach park, will be closed next week.

As free testing comes to an end from Friday, April 1, the last day for the testing sites to operate will be Wednesday, March 30, North Yorkshire County Council‘s Outbreak Management Advisory Board heard today.

Cllr Michael Harrison, the county council’s executive member for adult services and health integration, asked whether testing would still be made available for care homes and other key groups, such as schools, but was told an announcement on this had not been made yet. There was also no information about any free testing for care and education settings.

Public health consultant Victoria Turner said:

“I think it’s fair to say that is the one we are going to be looking at most closely. We are expecting care guidance coming out next week as well on this.

“From what was said in February we expect there to be some symptomatic testing remaining for care home staff but that’s about as detailed a picture as we get at the moment. Care homes are going to be the one area we still have a particular focus on from April 1.

“We are still seeing quite a lot of outbreaks in care settings, or rather whenever there’s a high degree of community transmission there’s an inevitability that that does affect care settings as well.

“We were hoping that we could have done some of that planning before April 1 but unfortunately the guidance just isn’t out yet.”

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The outbreak management advisory board, which was set up to recommend on the county’s covid response and communications, has also been stood down. It had been meeting monthly but members agreed there was little need to continue as national restrictions were removed.

However, the group said it will remain in abeyance, rather than being disbanded, so it can be brought back into action if required, such as with the emergence of a new variant.

Infection rate almost trebles this month

At present, cases are still rising, though at a slower rate than previously.

The Harrogate district’s infection rate, which was 343 per 100,000 people at the start of the month, is now at 923.

Hospitalisations are also rising at a slower rate, with 30 patients with covid currently being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

Deaths among people who have tested positive for covid within the last 28 days remain steady, at an average of one each day across North Yorkshire.

Richard Webb, corporate director of health and adult services, said:

“Many of us are continuing to work on the impact of acute and long-term covid in many different ways.”

Meanwhile, covid vaccination centres are preparing to begin giving spring booster jabs to over-75s, and vulnerable children aged between five and 11 in the county are now being given their first doses.

Plans for Harrogate’s first mosque approved

Harrogate Borough Council has approved an application to convert the former Home Guard club in Harrogate into the town’s first mosque.

The building on the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road has stood derelict for several years but Harrogate Islamic Association plans to bring it back into use as a place of worship for Muslims.

The association, which was set up in 2011, has been looking for a permanent home for several years, with previous attempts at securing a site falling through. Around 100 Muslim worshippers currently meet in the Quakers’ Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.

The association also organises prayer sessions at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

Sustainable travel

The planning application was submitted in December and received 107 letters of support and 68 objections.

Several objections said the Mosque would increase traffic in the area and that there would be a lack of car parking spaces, but these points were dismissed by council officer Arthama Lakhanpall in his report.

He wrote:

“The site is well connected to transport links and lies within a sustainable location for travel and access. It would promote walking, cycling and sustainable travel in this town centre location. It would therefore be accessible.

“There is no requirement for the proposal to provide off-street parking provision, although the site benefits from nearby short stay and long stay parking areas including the West Park pay and display and multi-storey car parks, and on-street parking on Belford Place, Belford Road and Victoria Avenue.”

The council tweeted the news this morning.

We know there has been a lot of interest surrounding planning application 21/04557/FUL (conversion of vacant former home guards club to place of worship).

We can confirm approval was given (subject to conditions) today under delegated powers. pic.twitter.com/BdMBtQXmWd

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) March 4, 2022

The HIA will run religious, community and charitable events at the building. It will also support Syrian and Afghan refugees who have moved to the area.

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Whilst the HIA has obtained planning approval, the next stage is raising money to purchase the building from the current owner.

£200,000 fundraiser

It hopes to raise £200,000 and has set up a fundraising page here where people can donate.

Harrogate Islamic Association said:

“We are grateful to everyone in the Harrogate community who supported us, including those at Harrogate Borough Council who engaged with us regularly to alleviate any concerns during the process.

“We view this as a success for everyone in Harrogate, not just ourselves. We can’t wait to welcome one and all for a cuppa.

“Our next step is to raise the balance of funds necessary for us to purchase the property outright. Although we have raised most of what we need, we had a number of pledges that were dependent upon planning permission being granted.

“So for the next 30 days, we will be collecting these pledges, inshallah. We are also re-launching a crowdfunding campaign to make up the difference.”

Malcolm Neesam History: the colourful past of what could become Harrogate’s first mosque

Malcolm Neesam

 

This history is written for The Stray Ferret by celebrated Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam.  

 

 

The first hospital for the people of Harrogate, as distinct from the Bath Hospital in Cornwall Road, was opened in 1870 in three cottages in Tower Street after an appeal by the Vicar of old St. Mary’s Church.

Placed under the supervision of Dr. Loy, patients paid from three shillings to seven and six a week, depending on their means.

Within a space of only two years, the new “Cottage Hospital” was found to be too small, so its governors investigated some property on the opposite side of Tower Street that belonged to a Mr. Hudson, which they purchased for £550, and after refitting, the hospital moved into these new premises in 1873.

The numbers of patients dealt with at the Cottage Hospital increased throughout the decade. During the half year between 13th September 1870 to 14th March 1871, 25 patients were admitted as bed cases and 63 as out patients. During the year 1877-8, the annual total numbered 66 bed cases and 213 out patients.

The former Home Guard club and potential mosque.

In June 1878 the highly esteemed Dr. Loy died. His successor was a Mr. Hartley, who did not remain in position for very long. He was succeeded in 1879 by Dr. Neville Williams as the institution’s medical officer. By the end of the decade, patient numbers had increased to 75 bed cases and 292 out patients.

Charge of the Light Brigade

Perhaps the Cottage Hospital’s most famous patient was Sergeant-Major Robert Johnston, who had participated in the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, consequently receiving the Crimean medal, which later included clasps for his service at the battles of Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman.

In all, Sergeant-Major Johnston served his country for 22 years, 336 days, during which time his health deteriorated, which was probably why he came to the celebrated health resort of Harrogate.

When Sergeant-Major Johnston died at the Cottage Hospital on 28th November 1882, his funeral was attended by an estimated 20,000 people at a time when Harrogate’s population was around 12,000. He is buried in Grove Road cemetery.

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The following year, the hospital moved into new, purpose-built premises that now contain St. Peter’s School.

The Masons move in

In December 1883, the press reported that the old hospital premises had been purchased by John Richardson and Moses Perkin on behalf of the Harrogate and Claro Lodge of Freemasons, who paid £560 for the building.

They subsequently doubled the size of the building, adding to the older Tower Street section, which dates from the 1840s, the wing that now stands next to St. Peter’s School.

The Masons remained there until moving into their new Station Avenue building in 1931. A little later, the building at the corner of Tower Street and Belford Road was occupied by the Home Guard Club.

Home Guard members would play snooker at the club.

Today, the building presents a somewhat forlorn appearance to the passer-by, as its windows have been covered, the walls are badly stained, much of the external decoration has vanished, and pigeons have left unmistakable signs of their presence.

I was therefore not surprised to see an application to convert the building. I may be alone in this, but I would be sorry to lose this piece of Harrogate’s medical history, particularly in view of its connection with our Charge of the Light Brigade resident, if demolition occurs.

The building, even in its present condition, is an original feature of an especially delightful Victorian townscape, which if restored — assuming restoration is possible — would enhance, rather than diminish, the whole locality.

Harrogate Islamic Association hopes to see off anti-mosque campaign

Harrogate Islamic Association has said it is confident of seeing off an anti-mosque campaign fronted by a Bristol-based planning expert who calls himself the “Mosquebuster”.

Gavin Boby takes credit for the rejection of 47 out of 73 planning applications for UK mosques he has contested in the last 10 years.

In his latest video, Mr Boby said plans to convert the former Home Guard club on Harrogate’s Tower Street into a mosque “get under his skin”. He then goes on to make comments about the plan many would deem to be Islamophobic.

Mr Boby, who according to the Daily Mail has the support of the far-right English Defence League, suggests that people emphasise concerns about parking, traffic and pollution when objecting to plans for the mosque.

Since the start of the anti-mosque campaign, households across Harrogate have reported receiving leaflets through their doors encouraging them to oppose the plans with a guide on how to word the objection.

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Harrogate Islamic Association, which is behind the plans for the new mosque, which would be the first in the Harrogate district, has received one of the leaflets and addressed the concerns raised on its social media channels.

Zahed Amanullah, from HIA, told the Stray Ferret:

“Harrogate is a tolerant and welcoming place. That is why we live here and why I do not think a campaign like this will work here.

“For the most part when we have seen comments from Harrogate residents they are supportive. It’s people from outside the area who seem to object the most.

“I think this campaign and these leaflets will backfire on those who oppose the mosque. Residents who have received a leaflet have been in touch to tell us that they will now officially support our plans.”

The consultation period for the mosque plans on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning portal ends on Sunday, February 6.