New restaurant opens at Grantley Hall near RiponHarrogate survey: Nearly 80% want to keep alfresco dining

Nearly 80% of Harrogate residents want the town centre to keep alfresco dining on a permanent basis.

The Stray Ferret worked with Your Poll by Judge Service to survey nearly 1,500 people in Harrogate.

All surveys with more than 1,000 respondents are statistically valid. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out.

Should alfresco dining become permanent in Harrogate?

More than 1,100 of respondents (77%) said they want the relaxed rules around alfresco dining to be made permanent.

The other 300 votes were split between “not sure” at 13% and “no” at 9% – giving “yes” the clear majority.

“The pleasure of visiting the town comes from its small size, ease of access and facility for short trips. More alfresco dining gives the town a good atmosphere.” – anon.

“Alfresco dining is the way forward more outdoor spaces should be used. Take a look at the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells a great example.” – anon.

North Yorkshire County Council has already said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for alfresco dining.

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David Bowe, the corporate director for business and environmental services at the county council, previously said the authority has received “really positive feedback”.

Should alfresco dining become permanent?

“Create a park & ride facility to allow residents to park outside homes and encourage visitors to use buses into town and encourage alfresco dining and drinking.” – anon.

“I believe Harrogate should embrace the alfresco cafes and bars, also thinking about disabled access and access for people with prams.” – anon.

There seems to be a real strength of feeling from Harrogate residents about alfresco dining. That was clearly reflected when the Blues Bar and The Empress faced the threat of losing all their tables and chairs.

The Blues Bar eventually needed to remove their tables and chairs but not before it got 3000 people to back their fight in an online petition.

We will publish the full results of our survey on Wednesday. 

Outdoor tables set to remain at The Empress

Harrogate Borough Council appears to have withdrawn its threat to remove tables and chairs outside The Empress.

More than 3,000 people in a week signed a petition by owners Simon and Sharon Colgan calling on the council to reverse its decision.

The Colgans say they now only needed to reduce the distance between the outside tables and chairs, while still adhering to two metre social distancing guidelines.

The couple have also been told to remove tables and chairs from outside The Blues Bar, which they also own but that situation remains under review.

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The council had given both pubs one week to remove all of their tables and chairs over fears they could damage the Stray.

Ms Colgan told the Stray Ferret the latest development was good news for her workforce and for customers:

“We would like to thank the customers who went out of their way to sign our petition from last Friday. It has been incredible. Even some of our old customers who now live in America took the time to help. It means that we can serve more customers and keep more people in work.”

The Stray Ferret approached Harrogate Borough Council for comment today but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Update: A council spokesman said: “Following a positive meeting with the Empress public house, we have agreed to provide a temporary licence that allows them to use an area outside to maintain social distancing.”

More than 2,000 call for council to leave tables outside Harrogate bars

Two Harrogate bars are fighting back against the council’s threat to remove their outside tables and chairs with a week’s notice.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to reverse its decision.

Simon and Sharon Colgan run both The Blues Bar and The Empress, and took advantage of the relaxed rules on outdoor dining in recent months.

Now, the council said it will remove any tables and chairs left on the grass after this Thursday. It raised fears that Stray land could be damaged when the weather changes.

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Dozens of messages of support were posted after the Stray Ferret shared the news that the outdoor chairs and tables would have to be removed.

Sharon said she has around 2,000 signatures behind the bar and nearly 600 on the change.org website over the weekend. The website reads:

“Please sign a petition to keep the tables and chairs outside The Blues Bar and The Empress. The area has allowed us to keep our patrons safe and our staff employed. Without this space we won’t be able to attract the number of customers we need to keep our staff employed.”

Simon and Sharon Colgan are the owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress.

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:

“Given the time of year and the impending bad weather, we are now asking all businesses who have been using Stray land for tables and chairs to remove them. This is to prevent damage to the Stray and also reduce the risk of injury should it become wet and muddy.”

The owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress have said that they would contribute towards maintenance of the Stray if it became an issue. They are meeting with council officers later in the week to discuss the situation.

North Yorkshire County Council had previously said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for al fresco dining.

Harrogate council threatens to remove tables from outside bars

Harrogate Borough Council has told the owners of two bars in the town that they must remove their outside tables and chairs by next week.

Simon and Sharon Colgan run both The Blues Bar and The Empress, and took advantage of the relaxed rules on outdoor dining in recent months.

The couple told the Stray Ferret recently that the alfresco-style dining had doubled bar sales compared to the same time last year.

But the party appears to be over. Mr and Mrs Colgan said they received an “aggressive” letter from the council telling them that they can no longer use Stray land.

The letter said the changing weather in autumn meant the Stray could be damaged, or customers could be put at risk, if the grass continues to be used. It advised that unless furniture was removed by next Thursday, the council would remove it and dispose of it.

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Sharon told the Stray Ferret that she would be willing to contribute towards maintenance of the Stray if it became an issue:

“There can be a small amount of damage from tables and chairs but we are willing to look after the grass. If the council had a conversation with us then we would have made that clear, but they have just sent us a letter out of the blue with a week’s deadline.”

Yorkshire Hotel has taken full advantage of the temporary outdoor seating rules.

The Blues Bar and The Empress appear to be the only businesses affected. Simon Cotton, the group managing director at The Yorkshire Hotel, said he has not seen any such letter after using the grass along West Park.

A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:

“Over the summer we have taken a pragmatic view of allowing businesses to use public open spaces so that they can operate while adhering to social distancing requirements.

“Given the time of year and the impending bad weather, we are now asking all businesses who have been using Stray land for tables and chairs to remove them. This is to prevent damage to the Stray and also reduce the risk of injury should it become wet and muddy.”

North Yorkshire County Council had previously said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for alfresco dining.