Work to chop down 500 trees in the Nidd Gorge has been delayed until next week.

The Woodlands Trust, which is a conservation charity that owns Nidd Gorge, says the trees are infected and need to be felled.

They have a disease called phytophthora ramorum, which is having a devastating impact on native trees.

Government body Forestry England has given the trust permission to fell the trees before the disease spreads further.

Work, which will be accompanied by footpath closures, was due to begin yesterday.

A map showing the first planned footpath closure.

But it is now expected to start on Monday next week and will take between four to six weeks, the trust has said.

As part of the tree felling, a footpath between Bilton Beck footbridge and Milers Fork will be closed.

Paul Bunton, community engagement officer at the trust, said previously:

“It is devastating news for our site team and visitors that we are having to reluctantly fell these diseased trees at Nidd Gorge to protect others. Phytophthora ramorum, while of no risk to the public, is one of the biggest threats to our native tree species at the site.

“Nidd Gorge is and will remain a really popular and cherished woodland close to Harrogate and Knaresborough and we ask the public to bear with us while we carry out the work.”

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Children at Springwater School in Starbeck have been busy planting fruit trees, edible herbs and wildflowers in a new community garden.

The special needs school on Starbeck High Street offers a modified curriculum for young people aged two to 19 with special needs.

The community garden was the brainchild of Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group, which wanted to collaborate on a new green space in Starbeck where produce can be enjoyed by the local community.

The herbs and fruit trees that were planted will be used in the school’s curriculum cooking sessions. Food will also be donated to the food bank that takes place at the church.

Around 80 students spent a day working on the area last week along with Andrew Hart from Starbeck Community Group and Jeremy Fennings from the church.

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Kelly Tomlinson, RE lead at Springwater School, said:

“It will create a wonderful area of greenery in Starbeck that can be enjoyed into the future. All students shared the common goal of supporting the community in a project that cares for our planet.

“Andrew and Jeremy were fantastic at guiding students throughout the day and we continue to work with them, developing the area further. “

Andrew Hart added:

“A smaller group of Springwater students are now attending the garden weekly with Life Destiny Church and Starbeck Community Group to bring this garden to fruition. The produce will all go to Springwater School and the vulnerable in the community. It’s another great example of the community working together in Starbeck.”

Harrogate businessman Guy Tweedy has offered to pay for new trees on the Stray to replace the ones vandalised.

The Stray Ferret published a video last week showing teenagers ripping up two young trees.

They were part of a batch of 55 cherry trees paid for by Mr Tweedy to commemorate thalidomide victims, two babies and a local headteacher. They were planted six or seven years ago.

Mr Tweedy, who is also a thalidomide campaigner, has emailed Harrogate Borough Council offering to pay for replacement trees. He said:

“I wonder if whoever did this realises the significance of the trees and how upsetting it is to people.

“Sadly this is not the first time this has happened. How do we stop people from doing it? I don’t know what the answer is.”

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Harrogate Borough Council is pushing ahead with proposals to build a new plant nursery as a replacement for its Harlow Hill site, which will become new housing.

However, the council has refused to reveal its preferred location for the new nursery.

Around 60 homes are set to be built at the existing site, which was allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 two years ago, although a planning application has yet to be submitted.

The plans have previously been met with anger from residents who objected to the closure of the Harlow Hill nursery where thousands of plants are grown each year for the district’s award-winning gardens.

In March, the Stray Ferret revealed two proposals for the site.

£50,000 consultants’ fee

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s new cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, has this week signed off £50,000 for “in-depth professional advice,” site surveys and other works to progress the replacement nursery plans.

A council spokesperson said these proposals are in the early stages and that it wanted to see whether the unnamed preferred site is “viable”.

The spokesperson said:

“To ensure we can continue to deliver and develop the award winning floral displays for which the Harrogate district is well known for and attracts thousands of visitors every year, alternative locations are now being explored.

“Following a successful bid for funding, the council has commissioned consultants to look at master planning and delivery options for the site with a focus on achieving innovative, quality design.

“The development will not be progressed in advance of certainty regarding the relocation of the nursery.”

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The spokesperson also said the housing plans will include “a range of private and affordable homes”.

The council previously spent another £50,000 on a “professional site appraisal” for the new nursery plans after holding a consultation on the future of the Harlow Hill site

One resident responded to the survey to say:

“I hope this nursery is not going to close. Don’t ruin anything with more houses please.”

Another said:

“It would be a very, very sad day if the site was sold off for housing.”

A secure 3-acre woodland and meadow where dogs can safely roam off-lead away opens today at Hopewell Dog Park.

The dog park, which is located in a rural setting to the north of the Knaresborough, was set up by Rebekah Mudd two years ago for nervous dogs to play away from other dogs or people.

Owners can hire the woodland and will have the whole area to themselves.

The site has secure 6ft high fencing so dogs with little or no recall can’t escape. It means they are free to wander, play and sniff without the owner worrying.

The woodland and meadow is the latest addition to the dog park. It already has an adventure field with obstacles, an obedience field with agility equipment and an indoor barn.

For the new wooded area, owners pay a fee of £9 for 30 minutes or £15 for an hour. To hire the fields, prices start at £6.50 for 30 minutes.

All the areas are completely private, so you won’t have to share them with other dogs.

Ms Mudd said:

“People love the security and privacy of it. You can let the dog run around and have a picnic and the owner knows the dog is not going to escape.

“It’s for everyone, even if you have a well-behaved dog who has good recall, there is lots to do and lots to sniff”.

For more information about the dog park or to book a session, visit its website.

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A group of teenagers have been filmed ripping trees from the ground on the Stray last night.

Sara and John Scott were walking home from town along the footpath adjacent to the railway line when they saw the group of teenagers ripping the trees from their roots.

The pair were so angry they chose to film what was happening. The video shows a small group of three teens tearing the trees down at 7.30pm.

Ms Scott said:

“There was a lot of them down there earlier, as I think it was the last day of the exams but at the time of this video, there was about 10 left. They were all drunk and doing this. Playing music, drinking and they ripped down 2 different trees that we saw.”

The couple live close by and often walk through the Stray, they said it was “infuriating” to see people treat it in such a way.

The Stray Ferret visited the area today and could see two young trees on the ground with just a stump remaining.

These images, taken today, show the remaining stumps of the two trees reportedly torn down last night

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the actions of a few young people were “appalling”. She said the Stray is respected by thousands of people young and old and the actions of a few were a huge disappointment.

She said:

“Why did they feel the need to do that? We are blessed with the Stray so why is it deemed a celebration to destroy nature? It’s appalling to be actively destroying the Stray like this.”

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Harrogate Borough Council, which is the caretaker of the Stray, said:

“Our parks and grounds maintenance teams work year round to ensure we have a beautiful district to live or work in and for visitors to enjoy.

“To see this pointless destruction and disregard for our lovely natural environment is shocking. Unfortunately the individuals don’t seem to realise that their behaviour doesn’t just impact on them but the enjoyment of others.

“We urge anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet reported it to North Yorkshire Police, to do so.”

The Stray Ferret also spoke to North Yorkshire Police, it said the incident had been reported at 7.40pm last night. In a statement the police said:

“We would advise anyone who witnessed the incident but has not reported it to the police to get in touch.

“Incident number 12220108383.”

Pinewoods Conservation Group is to meet representatives from Harrogate Spring Water to discuss the company’s plans to expand its bottling plant.

The French-owned firm announced last month it will revert to its original 2017 planning application, which involves felling trees in a section of the Pinewoods called Rotary Wood.

However, the number of trees felled would be less than contained in plans rejected last year by Harrogate Borough Council.

Harrogate Spring Water’s new application will propose how the lost trees will be compensated for.

The meeting is set to take place within the next few weeks. It will be the first time the charity, which protects the council-owned woodland, has met the company since it announced it was pressing ahead with the expansion.

Online platform

The charity has used online polling platform Harrogate District Consensus to find out what is and isn’t acceptable to residents with the new planning application.

At the time of publication, over 420 people have given their thoughts on issues such as how many trees the company should replant and plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.

Neil Hind, chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group, said it would bring some of the most popular statements that people have submitted to the meeting in the hopes of presenting a consensus.

He said:

“We know this is a very emotive subject, so we need a way to gather some more scientific based views from our members, visitors to the Pinewoods and Harrogate residents. This system allows people to agree or disagree with statements but also add new statements to express their own feeling on the subject.

“We hope that this will form a consensus of views and even some new thinking on this issue. We would really encourage people to get involved and make their views known. These views will then be shared with the Harrogate Spring Water and Danone management when we meet and will also be used as part of our submission to the consultation process.”

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Harrogate Spring Water’s new chief executive Richard Hall recently told the Stray Ferret the company would be “much more open” about its latest plans, which are yet to be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

A series of meetings with local stakeholder groups are planned and there will be an open consultation event next month.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water, whose headquarters is on Harlow Moor Road. said:

“We are starting our consultation process this month via meetings with community stakeholder groups prior to an open public consultation event which we plan to hold in July.

“We will announce details of this event shortly, but anyone who cannot come along can still have their say via a dedicated webpage at https://www.harrogatespring.com/facility-extension/”

Few local chief executives face a trickier task in the months ahead than the one confronting the new man in charge of Harrogate Spring Water.

Richard Hall has to convince a sceptical public and councillors that they should support plans to fell trees in the Pinewoods so the company can expand its factory and produce more plastic bottles.

Trees, plastic and a climate crisis are a volatile mix, as shown last year when more than 400 people objected to a larger expansion scheme put forward by the company that was ultimately rejected.

The campaign attracted national media coverage and a high profile champion in TV presenter Julia Bradbury.

Mr Hall hopes the outcome will be different this time and is keen to strike a conciliatory tone as the company prepares to consult on its revised plans before submitting a planning application.

He says:

“Expansion plans can often be challenged by local communities and that’s something that is not unusual per se, but we could have handled it better and we could have consulted better with the local community so there’s definitely a lesson to learn for us.

“We’ve got an opportunity to be much more open. There is an opportunity for people to come and talk to us, look at the plan and give us feedback.”

Richard Hall, at the company’s Harrogate factory.

Mr Hall is also keen to frame the debate in a wider context than trees versus plastic.

“It’s not really a question of how water is packaged — it’s a question of how food and other beverages are packaged. So if we are asked what are we doing to reduce the impact of packaging, I’d be very happy to respond to that because we are doing significant things.”

He mentions several environmental initiatives Harrogate Spring Water supports and says the main issue is recycling rates. Harrogate Spring Water’s bottles are made using 50% recycled plastic and glass and Mr Hall says this would increase if more recycled products were available.

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Water, he says, is “the healthiest beverage” and the company’s national reputation should be a source of local pride, not to mention the fact that expansion would create 30 jobs.

Packaging, he adds, is a separate debate. But he knows the argument will be tough.

“I accept there will be some discussion around it. It’s a hot topic. People are passionate about the climate. I just hope we get a balanced debate.”

New era

Mr Hall’s appointment marks a new era at Harrogate Spring Water, which can produce 36,000 bottles of 500 millilitre water per hour at its factory.

The company was bought two years ago by French multinational Danone but former managing director James Cain, who had been in charge for 15 years, continued to lead the business until Mr Hall arrived. Mr Cain is now a minority shareholder.

The takeover and expansion plans haven’t been the only issues to contend with lately.

Covid hit hard. According to Harrogate Spring Water’s latest annual accounts, gross profit for the year ending March 31, 2020, was £8.3m but crashed to £1.9m for the nine months to December 31, 2020 due to the closure of many places that sell bottled water, such as convenience stores, hotels, airports and train stations.

Mr Hall says business is now “recovering to pre-covid levels”.

Brexit, he says, impacted the company “a little bit” but nowhere near as much as covid. Inflation is a major concern now.

The company has stopped exporting water to Russia since the Ukraine war started but overseas sales account for only a fraction of business.

Last year the business withdrew its sponsorship of Yorkshire County Cricket Club amid the club’s racism row and has not renewed it, but it continues to be the official water of Royal Ascot.

Despite its national reputation, Mr Hall describes Harrogate Spring Water, which employs 78 staff, as a “small, local brand” compared with international brands like Volvic, and he doesn’t see that changing.

“We will look at expansion plans in the UK and Ireland. There’s lots of space to grow.”

Harrogate, he says, should be proud of its spa heritage.

“There are not many towns in the UK that can talk about their spa heritage. Harrogate is the top one. The water you find here is delicious.”

Danone all his life

Mr Hall, a keen runner, joined Danone in Tokyo a month after finishing university in Japan. He has remained with the company since. He is fluent in Japanese, where he lived for 25 years and has a Japanese wife.

As vice-president of Danone’s UK and Ireland business, his remit extends far beyond Harrogate Spring Water’s factory on Harlow Moor Road (pictured below).

Mr Hall lives in Oxford and expects to visit Harrogate twice a month.

His credentials are impeccable, having worked on other Danone water brands Evian and Volvic, as well as Yakult.

Being part of Danone, he says, brings “access to expertise and knowledge” but he constantly stresses the importance of the company retaining the local feel nurtured by the Cains. A new strategic plan is being created.

“The Cain family did a great job in building the brand. I want to look after it and grow it further. We are talking about a premium brand; we are not talking about a mass market brand.”

But how much the company grows will depend largely on whether its planning application to expand by two acres in the Pinewoods is successful.

It plans to revive a 2017 application that was granted outline permission, which means the principle of development is already established but the final details are not.

A banner protest this month.

Having outline permission will make the process easier but little is likely to be straightforward in such emotional terrain. Last year, protestor Sarah Gibbs stood outside the council offices dressed as a tree, and she has been back putting up banners around the town, saying there can be no mitigation for the loss of woodland.

Mr Hall reiterates he welcomes debate and that the company will listen. Would he talk to Julia Bradbury? He looks at his PR adviser who says he can’t see why not.

There is likely to be plenty of talking and listening before councillors decide whether the plant can be extended. Mr Hall will have to call on all his skill, expertise and years of experience if the company is to secure the outcome it wants.

Energy regulator Ofgem has today published a damning report into how Northern Powergrid handled Storm Arwen.

The storm battered the Harrogate district and much of the UK in November and caused widespread disruption to homes and businesses. Over one million customers lost power as winds hit 98mph.

The storm struck during bitterly cold weather and left some rural homes in the district, including in Beckwithshaw and parts of Nidderdale, unable to cook or heat their homes.

Northern Powergrid is the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

Six-month review

Ofgem published its findings after a six-month review into how Northern Powergrid, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Electricity North West responded to the storm.

The review focused on whether the power outages could have been prevented and whether correct and timely information was given to customers.

A fallen tree in Jennyfields during the storm.

It also looked at whether power was restored quickly enough and how customers were supported after the storm including the processing of compensation payments.

It found some households remained off power for an “unacceptable” amount of time, received poor communication from their network operator and compensation payments took too long.

It highlighted Northern Powergrid in particular for not contacting vulnerable customers prior to the storm.

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Below standards

The report warned Northern Powergrid that the performance at its call centre fell below standards, which could be a breach of licence conditions.

It also suggested that some of the electricity poles that fell onto power lines were susceptible to damage because of their age, although it said this needs further investigation.

Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said:

“The frequency of extreme weather events is only set to increase so it is really important that industry, and those involved more widely, learn from Storm Arwen to better respond in future.”

The three energy firms have already agreed to pay nearly £30m in compensation to affected customers but following the report, they have agreed to pay a further £10.3m.

Read the report in full here.

Northern Powergrid’s response

Phil Jones, chief executive of Northern Powergrid, has published a full response to the Ofgem report on its website.

Mr Jones said:

“As we said at the time, we understand how challenging Storm Arwen was for our customers and we are sorry for the difficulty and disruption it caused to their lives. We appreciate the patience that they showed and the dedication of our team who worked through some of the most difficult conditions we have ever faced.

“The extreme nature of the event meant we learned some difficult lessons. It highlighted some limitations in our systems and showed us things we can do to be able to provide a stronger response to more extreme storms. We are committed to doing those things to make the communities that we serve more resilient to extreme weather events.”

A new woodland in Bilton will be planted next month with trees dedicated to lives lost during the covid pandemic.

Around 500 trees will be planted by Bilton Conservation Group volunteers in Bilton Fields close to the viaduct.

It will be called Victory Wood, as it was originally intended to mark VE Day, with the trees planted in the shape of a V.

However, covid has delayed the planting by several years. Keith Wilkinson, chair of the group, said planters can dedicate a tree to a friend or family member that has died from the virus.

The dedication will be private as trees will not be identified with a plaque.

Read more:

• ‘Devastating news’ as 500 trees to be chopped down in Nidd Gorge
• Green Shoots: Keeping Harrogate district trees healthy

Planting will take place on Saturday May 21 from 10.00am.

Twelve species will be planted, including oak, cherry and hazel trees.

If you’d like to plant a tree and make a dedication, contact Mr Wilkinson: niddgorge2016@icloud.com

The woodland has been sponsored by the Harrogate Lions.