You can find koalas, kangaroos and kookaburras in Harrogate — a small rural township in Australia that is named after our district’s original one.
It’s located in the Adelaide Hills on the banks of the Bremer River and is around 55km away from the bustling city of Adelaide.
People who live there are called Harrogations and there are around 300 of them, happily living a more relaxed pace of life than we’re used to here in North Yorkshire.
Things don’t move in a hurry in the Aussie Harrogate and the post is delivered just three times a week. There is one street light and the nearest shop is 14km away, so locals call on ‘good neighbours’ if they run out of any necessities.
The Stray Ferret got in touch with some Harrogate residents Down Under who told us a bit about their town, which has a thriving community that has weathered the changes of time.
Di Gray said:
“Harrogations can enjoy the isolation, relaxation and calm that our town and surround brings to families and households, animals and local wildlife alike.”
Changing times
Harrogate used to be well-known for its old-style dances, tennis and table tennis clubs.
There was a school, church and corner shop too, which are now long gone.
But the tennis and table-tennis club remain and Harrogations enjoy playing games of ping pong against nearby towns such as Woodside and Nairne.
Harrogate has an annual Christmas party as well as a bonfire night when the whole community comes together.
The town rallied in December 2019 when bushfires enveloped Harrogate, and locals have spent the last few years regenerating farmland and helping wildlife heal from the devastation.
People in Harrogate enjoy a game of tennis.
Pamela Dashwood said she especially enjoys all the wildlife on her doorstep.
“We have a lot of birdlife, sulphur crested cockatoos, corellas, magpies, rosellas and galahs. Plus kookaburras who have the most gorgeous laugh.
“We have lots of kangaroos at the moment and the occasional koala. We do have brown and red belly black snakes in summer but I rarely see them. We do have lizards in the garden too sunning themselves on the lawn.”
Di Gray added:
“Families have grown and left and some have returned to raise the next generation here.
“We have all arrived for different reasons and the diversity is part of the charm along with the knowledge that it will never grow too big.”
Who named Harrogate?
Pioneers moved to Australia from Britain in the 19th century looking to find their fortune. Harrogate, Australia historian Shylie McInnes, told the Stray Ferret that three men staked a claim to naming the town.
The first is Thomas Carling who was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in 1820. He arrived in Australia in 1850 and tried his luck as a gold miner before marrying a local woman.
Thomas Carling
He tended to horses in the UK and eventually took up the 700 acres of land that became the township of Harrogate.
Carling won prizes for bushels of wheat grown on his land and his house was said to be filled with gold and silver trophies, cups, medals, diplomas and certificates related to farming.
An obituary published in the Adelaide Advertiser after his death in 1903 was called ‘Death of a Pioneer’.
It said “the ideal farmer” was “of a reserved nature was genial and hearty with associates, while uprightness and strict integrity were traits of his character.”
A man called Charles Young also claimed to have named Harrogate. He was employed to survey the land that is currently Harrogate by the Britannia Mining Company.
Gold mining greatly contributed to the development of Australia in the second half of the 19th century
Young was from Devon but claimed to have named Harrogate after its UK namesake.
Finally, the politician John Baker, who was born in Somerset, UK, bought the land in 1858 and authorised the township of Harrogate.
He was a major landowner around Adelaide and was the second Premier of the colony of South Australia.
John Baker
In 1869 he bred a thoroughbred racehorse named Don Juan that won the 1873 Melbourne Cup, which remains today one of Australia’s most famous horse races.
Ms McIness said all three men lived in the area around the same time and she has found documents that leads her to believe that they knew each other, but it’s a mystery which man named the town Harrogate as no official records remain.
Intertwined history
In the years those early pioneers were developing Harrogate, Australia around agriculture, Harrogate in the UK was experiencing a boom of its own thanks to the introduction of the railway in 1848. It helped establish the town as a Victorian spa destination.
In the following 170 years, the two towns have developed at different paces, but will always share an obvious connection.
When comparing the two Harrogates, Facebook shows that 1,825 people have ‘checked in’ at Harrogate, Australia — a lot less than the 550,000 that have visited Harrogate, UK.
And whilst Harrogate continues to grow with new housing developments , restaurants and bars — Harrogate, Australia will probably always be content with its laid-back place in the world.
The circular walking route around Swinsty Reservoir has reopened today, three months ahead of schedule.
Yorkshire Water closed the circular route around the reservoir In November 2020 to allow it to undertake £6 million safety works that were due to be completed in the summer.
The company introduced a temporary footpath, which drew some complaints for being too muddy.
https://twitter.com/YorkshireWater/status/1512387717430136845
The reservoir in the Washburn Valley is a popular location for families and dog walkers in the Harrogate district.
Alastair Harvey, lead recreation advisor at Yorkshire Water, said:
“Swinsty is one of our most popular reservoir sites, so it’s fantastic to have the full circular route open once again. We’re grateful for the patience of our visitors and local residents whilst the work took place.”
Read more:
Harrogate residents hope badgers will thwart housing scheme
Members of the Kingsley Ward Action Group (KWAG) hope the discovery of badgers will thwart a proposed housing development on Kingsley Road.
Redrow Homes won outline planning permission to build 133 homes on appeal in August 2020 after it was initially refused by councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.
A reserved matters application that gives a final rubber-stamp to development is yet to be signed off.
As part of the application, the developer submitted two ecology studies.
These found there were four badger setts in the area but only one or two were still actively used by the animal.
Members of KWAG bought a trail cam, which is a camera that is left outside and captures the movement of animals.
They claim their investigation found evidence of 11 badger setts, 6 of which it says are still active.
Mr Tremble said:
“How can complete amateurs spot this much badger activity so easily when so-called professionals failed completely?”.
KWAG has sent the results of their investigation to HBC councillors.
How the proposed development will look
Badgers and their setts are protected by law.
Developers must have a licence from Natural England to remove or modify a badger sett.
John Hansard from KWAG said the planning application must now be put on hold until the licence is approved, which could take months.
He said:
“There is proof of badgers on site. It’s the breeding season now so they can’t apply for a licence until the end of June. Nothing can happen until then.”
Redrow’s response
Traci Moore, land and planning director for Redrow (Yorkshire), said:
Fears in Scotton that gigantic solar farm will spoil picturesque village“We are committed to protecting wildlife in and around the proposed development. We have undertaken surveys of local wildlife and submitted ecological reports in line with the outline planning permission, including a detailed badger survey in 2021.
“We have also submitted proposals to reduce the impact of the development on the native badger population. These proposals are subject to ongoing discussion and agreement with the council’s ecologist.”
Residents in Scotton are mobilising against plans to build a solar farm the size of 150 football pitches that they believe will spoil their picturesque village.
UK energy firm Gridserve is behind a proposal to build the solar farm on fields belonging to Lawrence Moor Farm.
Thousands of solar panels would generate up to 49.9 megawatts of green energy that could power up to 14,000 homes.
The village on the outskirts of Knaresborough has a population of around 600 people.
Scotton resident Richard Tallis, who has lived in the village for 12 years, has distributed leaflets to villagers and said 165 people have responded to say they are opposed to the plans.
Two public footpaths would be surrounded by solar panels if they were passed.
Mr Tallis said:
“We’re not against solar farms, just put them in the right places.
“Agricultural land should be used for agricultural purposes.
“There’s a strength of opinion around the village opposing it.”
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The main site where Gridserve wants to put the solar panels is bound by the narrow country roads Low Moor Lane and High Moor Lane. It is also opposite the village primary school.
Mr Tallis said he fears the roads are ill-equipped to cope with eight months of construction traffic whilst the site is built.
He said he is not a “NIMBY” but feels that solar farms should be built on the edge of motorways and away from residential areas.
“I accept there will always be people that criticise us for opposing it.
“But there are other sites that are more suitable, not on the edge of a picturesque green village.”
Net-zero
This morning the UK government published its flagship energy strategy. It wants the country to produce most of the energy it uses through renewables.
It says the UK will increase current solar capacity by five times before 2035.
A spokesperson for Gridserve said:
Ring Ouzels return to Nidderdale moors from Africa to breed“Matters of proximity, visual impact and access throughout the construction and operation of the Scotton solar farm will be integral parts of the forthcoming planning and design process.
“We hope we are able to proceed with the next design phases in an open, collaborative approach that involves members of the local community and other statutory and non-statutory stakeholders”
Ring Ouzels have returned to the Nidderdale moors to breed after flying back from winter in the Atlas Mountains in North-West Africa.
The birds are a close relative of the Blackbird but are slightly smaller and slimmer with longer tails and a distinctive white crescent across the top of the breast.
In the UK, Ring Ouzels are of high conservation concern and are classified as ‘Red Listed’ after declining by almost 50% in the last 40 years.
The birds are known as the ‘Blackbirds of the mountains’ and enjoy eating juniper berries. The migration route of the birds follow where juniper berries grow.
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- ‘Somebody knows something’ — Killinghall peacock mystery deepens
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Nidderdale Moorland Group posted on its Facebook page that AONB gamekeepers work to ensure the ground-nesting birds can safely incubate and rear their young chicks when they arrive.
Nesting begins from mid-April when the female lays 3-5 eggs in a nest found on the ground or in moorland gullies, craggy screes or rocky areas.
The female will do most of the incubating, but both parents feed the chicks who fledge after 12-16 days.
AONB moorland gamekeepers recorded the birds’ distinctive call last weekend whilst watching a returning male on the moor.
The males like to find a prominent perch from which the strong, flutey song can be heard.
Listen below to the call of a Ring Ouzel.
‘Worried’ Tories dig up old Facebook posts of Harrogate Lib DemThe Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have said an article on a local Conservative Party website that digs up old Facebook posts from a prospective Lib Dem candidate “shows they are worried” about the upcoming council elections.
The article on Community News, which is run by Andrew Jones MP’s office, posted screenshots from the Facebook page of Michael Schofield, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harlow Hill & St Georges.
Mr Schofield is the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Otley Road.
The article included one of his Facebook posts in 2019, which the Conservatives called an ‘expletive-laden, bizarre online rant’ that referred to Brexit, Donald Trump and Guy Fawkes.
The post from March 2019 was written at the height of the wrangling in Parliament over Brexit. It said:
“This country needs one person to stand up! A Trump, a Thatcher, a Guy Fawkes. Politicians have shown their colours and let our country down. Nail your colours to either side but be Brexit or Remain not one of these self wanting a****** deserve a vote. GUY FAWKES WE NEED YOU”.
The article also posted a screenshot of Mr Schofield reposting a satirical article from December 2019, which said then-Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson should be in Bagpuss’s window with “all the other lost and broken things nobody wants anymore”.
Voters go to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to sit on North Yorkshire County Council and its successor authority, North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence in April 2023.
Read more:
- Full list of election candidates in Harrogate district revealed
- Harrogate pub landlord on why he’s standing for the new council
Responding, Mr Schofield said:
“My response is quite clear. I apologise if language was offensive however at that time no party had a leader of credibility and I do believe it was the vote of a lifetime to make a difference.”
David Goode, chair of Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, criticised the campaign tactics used by the Conservatives.
He said:
“It’s no more than we’ve come to expect. It’s very standard practice for them to try and besmirch the opposition. It shows they are worried about the election.
“This election is so important for a whole raft of different reasons and they will try every trick in the book. I’d like to think we’ll keep more to the issues. We’ll have a go at them on their record, not at individuals.”
Mr Goode defended the comments of the publican Mr Schofield, which he said makes him a “far stronger candidate” due to his “passion”.
“At the time there was a lot of emotion flying about Brexit. From Michael’s perspective, he probably used some language he shouldn’t have used. It reflects his passion and truly that’s what what we need. We need people with passion who care.
“With any political party people fall in and out out of love at certain times. We can’t always be 100% enthusiastic. In a way it makes him a far stronger candidate, he’s gone through bad times with the party and come back.”
What is Community News?
Community News launched in September 2020.
The home page makes no reference to the fact that it’s set up by the office of Andrew Jones.
This only becomes clear when you click on the “About” page, which also says the aim of the website is to provide news stories about Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge in a “positive” and “non-political way”.
Mr Jones’ office manager is current council leader Richard Cooper. The office also employs current Conservative councillors Matt Scott and Ed Darling.
Following the 2019 general election, Mr Jones commented on negative campaigning. He said: “politics needs to grow up” and “I don’t use these tactics”.
Mr Jones wrote on his website:
“I don’t like it when candidates spend much of their time demonising their opponents.
“I don’t use these tactics. I simply say what I do in the local area and describe how I represent local people and our communities. My literature and my team were positive about our achievements and our ambitions. We didn’t pull down opponents or manipulate people to vote differently to their beliefs to ‘stop someone else winning’.
“Politics needs to grow up and step away from this old-fashioned and frankly US-style attack ad approach. I hope over the next few years – at least locally – there will be agreement to adopt a more positive approach.”
The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, Richard Cooper and the Conservative candidate for Harlow Hill & St Georges, Steven Jackson, to respond to Mr Goode’s comments but we did not receive any responses.
Harrogate Hydro to close on Friday for £11m refurbishmentThe Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate will close for nine months on Friday ahead of a £11.8m refurbishment.
The facility will get a two-storey extension as well as a new entrance, cafe and reception area.
There will also be new diving board equipment, a new fitness suite and the changing areas will be upgraded.
A computer generated image of how the Hydro will look.
The existing gas boilers will be replaced with air source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.
The pool is run by Brimhams Active on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council.
It means until January, the nearest available council-run pools will be in Starbeck, Knaresborough, Patelely Bridge and Ripon. Opening times are available on the Brimhams Active website.
Read more:
- Harrogate Hydro renovations a long-term gain, says diving club
- Hot Seat: Leading the Harrogate district’s leisure revolution
The project will be carried out in phases, with the refurbished pool hall and changing rooms re-opening in January 2023 and the ‘dry side’ activity space by April 2023.
How the new Knaresborough Pool will look.
Work to build the new Knaresborough Pool will start on April 26. The current facility will remain open.
Wallace Sampson, Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive, said:
Council chiefs want ‘seamless transition’ to new North Yorkshire Council“This investment at both the Hydro in Harrogate and a new facility in Knaresborough follows our investment at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon and shows our commitment to providing first-class leisure facilities for Harrogate district residents.”
North Yorkshire residents should see a “seamless transition” of council services when a new unitary authority covering the whole county launches in April 2023, council chiefs have said.
The new North Yorkshire Council will replace the existing county and district councils – with elections set to take place on 5 May.
It will mark the biggest changes to local government in the county since 1974 and will see key services from bin collections to social care, and street cleaning to leisure centres, come under the control of the new council.
Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, told a virtual public meeting on Monday that the transition was now fast approaching and staff from all existing councils were working together to ensure services run smoothly from day one.
He said:
“There isn’t a lot of time to prepare for local government reorganisation and the new authority coming into force from 1 April 2023.
“All eight councils are really working hard to make sure the transition to the new North Yorkshire Council is as seamless as possible.”
The restructuring is linked to a devolution deal for North Yorkshire which could get millions of pounds in funding, more decision-making powers and an elected mayor by 2024.
The government had stipulated a key requirement of any deal was for the current two-tier councils system to be replaced by a single unitary authority.
Read more:
- How the Harrogate district’s wards will change ahead of local election
- Dispute over Harrogate council by-election raised in House of Lords
The aim is to streamline structures and save money, with some of the savings coming from a reduction in senior staff including the eight current chief executives.
Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Craven District Council, told yesterday’s meeting that another aim is to “keep the local in local government”.
He said each of the seven districts – including Craven, Harrogate, Selby, Scarborough, Richmondshire, Hambleton and Ryedale – would each still have a local council office under the reorganisation plans.
Mr Shevlin said:
“We need to look after not just the most vulnerable, but everybody in our society so a local office is going to be crucial.
“Some of the judgements on day one will be: Did you notice a difference? Could you access your local council?
“If the answer to those is yes, then we will have made a successful immediate transition.
“After that comes the transformation.”
Mr Shevlin also said six local area constituency committees were likely to be created on the new council – with 15 councillors on each given decision-making powers over services including licensing and planning.
In total, 90 councillors will be elected on 5 May to serve one year on North Yorkshire County Council before transitioning to the new unitary authority for a four-year term.
Mr Shevlin added:
“This really is the most important election in North Yorkshire since the last local government reorganisation in 1974.
“Please make sure you are registered to vote, and please do vote.”
A series of virtual events are being held this month for residents to find out more about the new North Yorkshire Council.
For more information go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/new-council-virtual-roadshows
Harrogate BID cleans gum and grime ‘hot spots’Harrogate BID (Business Improvement District) has sent a crew to steam clean and jet wash ‘hot spots’ across the town centre.
Ahead of the Easter holidays, the BID has paid a team from UK Nationwide Cleaning to spend ten nights removing grime and chewing gum.
Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:
“Walking around the town centre, it is clear to see where our cleaning team have been, giving pavements a much needed deep clean.
“Our cleaning crew is working across numerous areas, making sure the town centre looks in pristine condition for the traditional start of the 2022 tourism season.
“In the first ever survey asking Levy Payers what they wanted us to do, cleaning was the priority, and with our cleaning contractors, together with our Street Ranger, this is what we are delivering.
“This is the first of a number of visits this year for our cleaning crew, and they will be back on at least two more occasions cleaning different parts of the BID area.”
Harrogate was the first town in the district to form a BID in 2019. Almost 500 businesses pay 1.5% of their rateable value each year.
It’s estimated that the Harrogate BID brings in around £500,000 from levy payers annually.
Read more:
Report says former Harrogate Debenhams buildings should be saved
A report from the national charity SAVE Britain’s Heritage has named the former Debenhams buildings in Harrogate as one of 18 former ‘cathedrals of commerce’ that should be spared from demolition and repurposed.
Wetherby-based property company Stirling Prescient is behind a proposal to demolish the three buildings on Parliament Street and replace them with 50 flats and two commercial units.
The site on Parliament Street has been home to different retailers for over a century. Before Debenhams, it housed the Buckley’s and Busby’s stores.
But the developer has said there is no market for the building to be reoccupied as a department store, and the 1902 and 1920-era buildings should be torn down.
Departing stores
The report, called ‘Departing Stores’, sounds the warning klaxon for a group of former department stores across the UK that are at serious risk of being permanently lost.
As well as Harrogate’s Debenhams, it includes large empty buildings in Liverpool, Bristol and London.
The report says:
“In a new era when large-scale retail is no longer sustainable, these fine structures are at risk of dilapidation or even demolition. And as these hubs of daily life are erased from the map, local communities feel increasingly disenfranchised.
“Protecting and reviving these buildings is not only a matter of preserving precious and distinctive architecture; it is an opportunity to restore a sense of place.”
The report says the demise of Debenhams alone left a hole of 1.3 million square metres of space across the country, with 90% of stores still empty a year later.
Read more:
- Harrogate council conservation officer ‘cannot support’ Debenhams demolition
- Plans submitted to demolish former Harrogate Debenhams
A new fate
The developer Stirling Prescient said in planning documents that there was no scope to convert the Harrogate Debenhams into smaller units “due to its internal layout and the age of the building”.
It said its new plan will “strengthen the town’s vitality and viability, increasing footfall and contributing to the local economy.”
However, the report includes 14 case studies of former department stores that have been successfully regenerated.
These include Bournemouth’s former Debenhams building that closed as a department store in May 2021 and is now home to a wide range of community activities:
“Developers Verve Properties have been imaginative in their ideas for keeping the building in active use. Besides retail, the store now houses an art gallery, beauty parlour and Bobby’s, Bournemouth local makers’ market.
“Later this year a food hall and rooftop terrace bar will open. Several spaces have a social function, hosting knitting meet-ups and children’s entertainers. The varied mix of community-focussed uses seems most faithful to the original department store – a place where people from all walks of life can gather and enjoy themselves.”
Read the full report here.