Reduction in Knaresborough retirement flats ‘unviable’, says developer

Developers behind plans for 61 retirement flats in Knaresborough have said reducing the size of the scheme would be “unviable”.

Adlington Retirement Living, part of the Gladman group, wants to build the flats with additional care facilities on land adjacent to the single-track Grimbald Bridge on Wetherby Road, alongside the River Nidd.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee have twice delayed making a decision on the proposals after concern over its size, flooding and impact on local health services.

Now, the developer has said reducing the scheme’s size and moving it further away to reduce flooding fears would not be “necessary or indeed achievable”.

In a letter to the council responding to its deferral, Robert Gaskell, planning manager at Gladman Retirement Living Ltd, said:

“The applicant has investigated both of these requests and concluded that neither are necessary or indeed achievable.

“A further reduction in the number of units (bearing in mind the loss of over 11,000 sq ft to date) would make the scheme unviable, mean care and support cannot be provided as efficiently, and lead to unaffordable service and well‐being charges.”

Mr Gaskell added:

“The applicant asks that the council decide on the application as it stands‐ which has been assessed to accord with every single relevant development plan policy and relevant elements of national policy, has no objections from any statutory consultee, has significant material benefits, and has continuously been recommended for approval.”

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The response follows concern at a planning committee meeting in May that the apartments amounted to “overdevelopment”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, a Liberal Democrat member of the committee, said at the time:

“It is the numbers that are being asked for on this site which are problematic.

“It is too large. If they want to do it, I would like to see them cut the numbers down considerably and move that building further away from the river.”

North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group also raised concern over the impact on local health services.

However, this objection was later withdrawn after a £40,000 developer contribution was agreed.

The scheme will now be considered by the borough council’s planning committee at a meeting on Tuesday, June 21.

Council officers have recommended that the development be approved.

Fans hopeful new Harrogate Town ticketing system will boost crowds

Harrogate Town fans are optimistic that a new deal with US ticketing giant Ticketmaster will solve some of last season’s problems at the turnstiles.

The club announced this week that Ticketmaster will become its official ticketing partner on a ‘long-term contract’ with immediate effect.

Last season, well-documented problems with the club’s ticketing system soured the matchday experience on occasions and left some fans unable to attend a home match against Stevenage in September.

Throughout the season, fans were unable to buy tickets at the ground after 11am on matchday and tickets were only available online until midnight the night before a game.

It meant the club’s shop on Commercial Street was the only place to pick up a ticket close to kick off.

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Jordan Ford, Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, called the previous system “not fit for purpose” and had put fans off going to games.

He said:

“An improvement in the ticketing system will be welcomed by all supporters. It was apparent that what was in place wasn’t fit for purpose, and no doubt impacted on the number of fans coming to the ground. It’s good to see the club recognising areas of improvement, and this is definitely a positive move for both the club and its fans.”

The club said details on ticket prices for next season will be announced soon.

The new ticketing system is part of a £3.5m investment by chairman Irving Weaver into the club’s EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Hamilton Mattock, Harrogate Town ticket office manager, said:

“We are delighted to have come to an agreement with Ticketmaster Sport and are looking forward to improving our ticket purchasing journey for supporters. Given the problems faced over the 21/22 season, Ticketmaster will make the entire ticketing process much smoother for both staff and supporters with their support and range of solutions. The platform will continue to develop and meet the needs of our fans as we continue with our ambition of growing the crowd.”

Harrogate council to award £40,000 pet crematorium contract

Harrogate Borough Council is set to award a £40,000 contract to create a pet crematorium at Stonefall Cemetery.

The crematorium will be built inside a converted shipping container at the crematorium on Wetherby Road.

The contract would cover the purchase and installation of a cremator, as well as five years maintenance.

Councillors backed plans for the district’s first pet crematorium in March 2022.

Stephen Hemsworth, bereavement services manager at the council, said at the time it was likely to cost about £50 for a rabbit to be cremated and over £200 for a dog.

The contract, which is being advertised on a government procurement website, is expected to start in June this year.

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It says:

“This contract includes the purchase of a pet cremator and container in which the cremator will be housed and operated, including delivery, installation, training and periodic maintenance.

“The anticipated contract value is £40,000.00 for the purchase, delivery, siting and installation of the containerised pet cremator including five years maintenance from the date of installation.”

The move to set up a pet crematorium follows in the footsteps of councils in North East Lincolnshire and Barnsley, which have built similar facilities.

The Harrogate facility will include a “goodbye room” in a converted garage where owners can say final farewells to their pets.

Knaresborough junction set for four weeks of roadworks

Drivers are warned to expect delays in Knaresborough for the next four weeks as roadworks start today.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place on the junction of Chain Lane, Wetherby Road and York Road.

North Yorkshire County Council is carrying out remedial work and replacing the kerbs at the junction.

Work will start today, May 3, and last for four weeks.

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The move comes after the road recently had temporary traffic lights for two weeks while Northern Gas Networks carried out work on the junction.

The gas distributor for the north of England replaced metal pipes with newer plastic versions.

It said in a press release the work would “ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas to customers now while getting the network ready to transport alternative greener fuels such as hydrogen in the future”.

Harrogate branded the ‘new Hollywood’ after film crews descend

The Harrogate district is rapidly becoming the new hotspot for film crews with the likes of Matt Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart and even a Barbados fire truck spotted locally this week.

The presence of so many cameras and stars suggests more and more producers recognise the district’s beauty and historic appeal.

Shaw Mills has been taken over by a film crew in recent weeks. Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has been in Nidderdale for a new horror movie, with numerous sightings of him in Pateley Bridge in between filming the adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel Starve Acre.

A separate film crew set up on Harrogate’s Cardale Park this week. Phil Sands who works in Mackenzies Deli on the estate said Yorkshire Tea was filming a new advert starring Sir Patrick Stewart.

The actor, best known for his role in the Star Trek and X-Men series, is believed to have been taking part in a two-day shoot for Yorkshire Tea, whose previous adverts featured Sean Bean.

Mr Sands, the manager at Mackenzies Deli, said:

“They were here Wednesday and Thursday and it looked like a big production. Having Sir Patrick Stewart here was pretty amazing. It’s like Harrogate is the new Hollywood!”

The Mackenzies Deli team posted this on Instagram yesterday. Photograph: @mackenziesdeli

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A few weeks ago new Netflix film ‘Bank of Dave’ with Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor was filmed at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Today eagle-eyed reader Jonathan Edwards sent us a picture today of a Barbados fire engine driving up Wetherby Road with a camera attached to the front, prompting speculation of yet more filming.

The Stray Ferret has been told a BBC drama is being filmed in Harrogate town centre currently, but it is not known if the fire engine’s appearance related to this.

Photograph: Jonathan Edwards

Harrogate Leon developer puts up another sign without permission

Developers behind a Leon drive-thru in Harrogate have put up another advertising sign before permission to do so has been granted.

Pictures from the Wetherby Road site show a sign for the restaurant, which will serve healthy fast food, being placed on top of the building this morning. The sign is one-metre tall and the lettering lights up red.

Euro Garages has applied for the installation of 15 advertising boards, which include drive-thru directions, menus and a height restrictor bar.

But Harrogate Borough Council has yet to approve the application.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“We are aware of the signage and are considering what action may be required.”

The move comes just three weeks after the developer erected an eight-metre tall sign outside the drive-thru.

Council officials ordered the sign be taken down and warned that any work undertaken on advertising signage before an application was approved would be at the developer’s “own risk”.

Euro Garages declined to comment.

Concern over Leon design

Local residents have raised concern that the building on the site will be different from that which was approved.

Initially, approval was granted for the site to become a Starbucks — but it has since emerged that the drive-thru will instead be a Leon.

Residents raised concern when it became clear that the design of the building was not the same as that lodged to the council.

Joe Shields, who lives next to the site and is a former marketing manager for companies including fast-food chains, told the Stray Ferret:

“I have opened a few drive-thrus, I’m not against them.

“It is opening a drive-thru here which is nuts.”

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Harrogate Borough Council has acknowledged that the building being constructed is not the same as the designs submitted to the authority.

However, it added that the developer has already submitted another application for the design, which is under consideration.

The drive-thru has long proved contentious since it was granted permission by a government planning inspector last year.

Last month, the Stray Ferret reported that Harrogate Borough Council had agreed to pay £25,000 in costs to Euro Garages following the appeal hearing.

Helen Hockenhull, the planning inspector, awarded costs against the council after she said it “demonstrated unreasonable behaviour”.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Roadworks on Wetherby Road, before Woodlands traffic lights, have closed a section of lane and caused delays into town

Roadworks to the new Leon Harrogate site are causing delays after a section of Wetherby Road had to be closed.

Due to works on the pavement and tree removal, a section of the lane Macham Close and Hookstone Drive has been closed.

The works are set to continue until June 19.

The new Leon Harrogate, just before the Woodlands traffic lights, was formally a dental surgery and although previously earmarked to be a Starbuck drive-thru is will a Leon, described as a healthy fast food chain.

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Harrogate Town’s longest-serving player to retire

Harrogate Town‘s longest-serving player, Lloyd Kerry, will retire at the end of the season and join the club’s staff.

The hard-working midfielder, 33, signed from Tamworth in 2014 and has been a key cog in the team’s rise up the divisions and into the English Football League for the first time.

He’s played over 220 times and helped the club win promotion from the National League North and the National League, starting in the memorable Wembley play-off final against Notts County in August 2020.

He lifted a trophy at Wembley again last year in the FA Trophy and manager Simon Weaver said in a statement he will go down as a “club legend” for his achievements and service.

Kerry’s last game will be on the final day of the season when Harrogate Town host Sutton United on May 7.

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He will take up a new role at the club as head of player recruitment, scouting players for the first team and the academy.

Kerry said:

“I look back to when I first joined this football club in 2014 to where it is now eight years on and it’s unbelievable how far we’ve come and the success we’ve had! I’m grateful to have been on that journey which has created so much history for this club, I can always look back with pride of what we achieved together.

“We’ve made memories that will last us a lifetime and to have played my part is something I’ll never forget.”

Chairman, Irving Weaver also paid tribute to the midfielder. He said:

“Together we have enjoyed some great moments, particularly promotions and winning the FA Trophy. Lloyd moves on to a new roll with the club, now responsible for scouting and recruiting new players and he’s already beginning to make his mark, just like he has in 220+ games for Town.”

No conditions for Wetherby Road drive-thru to be a Starbucks, says council

No conditions were set for a planned drive-thru on Wetherby Road to be a coffee shop, say Harrogate council officials.

Lancashire-based developer Euro Garages is currently building a Leon restaurant on the site, despite being given permission for a Starbucks drive-thru.

Local residents have raised concern that the building on the site will be different from that which was approved.

Harrogate Borough Council has acknowledged that the building being constructed is not the same as the designs submitted to the authority.

However, it added that the developer has already submitted another application for the design which is under consideration.

Opening a drive-thru on Wetherby Road is ‘nuts’

Joe Shields lives across from the former Dental surgery site where the Leon is being built.

He and other residents have objected to the drive-thru being built since is was first proposed as a Starbucks in 2019.

While he is not against redeveloping the site, he raised concern over the drive-thru and its affect on neighbouring residents.

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Mr Shields, who worked as a marketing manager for various companies including fast-food chains, said:

“I have opened a few drive-thrus, I’m not against them.

“It is opening a drive-thru here which is nuts.”

Mr Shields pointed to the fact that the building at the site does not look like its designs.

A Starbucks drive-thru normally has a slanted roof, while Leon schemes are flat.

(Left) Designs for the Starbucks as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and (right) the construction site of the Leon.

(Left) Designs for the Starbucks as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and (right) the construction site of the Leon.

He questioned how the developer can continue to build a Leon, despite the fact that a government planning inspector gave approval for a Starbucks coffee shop drive-thru.

Last week, Mr Shields was forced to alert the planning authorities when contractors at the site began to erect an eight-metre advertising sign without permission.

He said:

“There are changes at the site on a daily basis.

“My impression is that they will just continue wacking this [the Leon] up.”

Meanwhile, David Stephenson lives next door to the site on Coachman’s Court.

David Stephenson, whose house on Coachmans Court is next to the drive-thru site on Wetherby Road.

David Stephenson, whose house on Coachman’s Court is next to the drive-thru site on Wetherby Road.

Mr Stephenson has lived with his wife in the same house for six years and would be able to see the serving hatch from his lounge window.

He said that he has accepted the fact that a drive-thru will be built next door to his home.

However, Mr Stephenson said he was concerned that the building being built is not the same as the designs.

He said:

“We were resigned to a Starbucks, but this is a bit overbearing.

“Why apply for planning permission if you’re going to do another building?”

No specific conditions for a coffee shop

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council how the developer was able to build the scheme as a Leon drive-thru when the original approval for the site is for a Starbucks coffee shop.

A spokesperson said:

“Permission was granted by the Planning Inspectorate for a ‘coffee shop to include a drive-thru’, not specifically for a Starbucks. 

“The Inspectorate did not add any conditions to the permission they gave restricting the use of the premises solely to a coffee shop, so it can legally be used for any other use within the same use class, which includes a drive thru food and drink establishment. 

“So permission is not required for any change of use. However, the building being built differs from the one given planning permission. Therefore, a planning application has been submitted for these changes and is under consideration.”

The Stray Ferret also asked Euro Garages to respond to concerns over the building and erecting advertising without permission, but the company declined to comment.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Northern Gas Networks to start work in Knaresborough today

Drivers in Knaresborough should expect delays as Northern Gas Networks begins work on York Road today.

The company is carrying out work to replace ageing pipework on the street.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place on at the junction with Wetherby Road for the duration of the roadworks.

Engineers will be carrying out the improvements, which are in collaboration with North Yorkshire County Council, for the next two weeks.

Scott Kitchingman, business operations lead for Northern Gas Networks, said: 

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works. 

“However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to our customers in Knaresborough.”

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