A plan to demolish buildings on a Harrogate Borough Council depot to make way for car parking space looks set to be approved.

The borough council plan would see six buildings on the Claro Road depot site flattened in order to create space for bin lorries and other council vehicles to park.

As part of the plan, 10 electric vehicle charging points would also be implemented in an effort to encourage the use of electric and hybrid cars.

A total of 47 car park spaces would be created, along with 36 for council vans and 36 for bin lorries. 

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The council also plans to build a new toilet and shower block on the site.

Officials at the authority have recommended that the plan is approved a planning committee meeting on Thursday, April 21.

A council report due before councillors next week says that the proposal would have a “positive impact” on the local area.

It says:

“The proposed development will have a positive impact on the character of the area and will have no significant impact highway safety, or residential amenity.”

Council officials added that the introduction of electric vehicle charging points would help to improve the “sustainability of the site and help reduce greenhouse gases”.

Parking spaces will be temporarily reduced in Ripon from next week while resurfacing work is carried out at the city’s biggest car park.

Work on the 193-bay Cathedral Car Park starts on Monday and is scheduled to be completed by February 11.

Signs say that over the three weeks, there will be ‘restricted parking’ available.

Other public car parks serving the city centre are at The Arcade, Market Place North (except on Thursdays) Victoria Grove, St Marygate and Marshall Way retail park.

Plea for wider bays

Before local company A. E. Duffield begins the £85,000 contract, Ripon City Council has reiterated its call for spaces on the car park to be widened to accommodate the larger vehicles that many people now drive.

At Monday evening’s city council meeting, members were told by town clerk Paula Benson that Harrogate Borough Council had not as yet responded to correspondence about the request for enlarged spaces.

It agreed to make further contact with Harrogate Borough Council after council leader Andrew Williams said:

“With the work due to start next week, we need an answer from them.”

Parking at railway stations across the Harrogate district could be expanded in a bid to encourage more train travel.

The proposal will be discussed by North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in March.

A report ahead of the meeting highlights the railway stations in Pannal, Hornbeam Park, Harrogate, Starbeck, Knaresborough, Weeton and Cattal for potential investment.

Councillors are set to identify which of the stations need extra car parking spaces and discuss how it could be funded.

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The problem of car parking at railway stations is most often felt away from towns and cities, according to the North Yorkshire Rural Commission.

A spokesperson for the commission highlighted the issue in a report published last year:

“The commission was told that often rural travellers do not go to their nearest railway station because they are not assured of a parking space.

“They travel further to the next station where they are guaranteed a parking space.

“Availability and cost of car-parking spaces at railway stations can be a major challenge for commuters.

“Expanding car parks on rural land is a challenge for transport providers. Accessibility for particular service users is still a major issue at many rural rail stations.”

Harrogate Borough Council has revealed a significant drop in car parking income during the covid pandemic.

Recently published figures show the council made £1,412,579 this past year in Harrogate from off-street parking.

The figure is in stark contrast with the previous 12 months when the authority made £3,284,221

The borough council is responsible for setting charges for off-street parking. Included in the figures are income from pay and display parking and fines.

Council officials said previously that part of its drop in income during the pandemic was due to car parking.

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During the national lockdowns, the nation was instructed to stay at home and retail, leisure and hospitality were all forced to close.

It left fewer people needing to pay to park in the district.

A range of ‘lost revenues’

The loss in car parking income was among a range of areas which contributed to the council’s £10 million shortfall due to covid.

Cllr Graham Swift, cabinet member for resources, told the council during the first lockdown that car parking would be just one area of “lost revenues” for the authority.

He said:

“We are going to be impacted by a variety of lost revenues in car parks, pools and other things that generate money for us.”

The borough council has since benefited from a range of government grants aimed at supporting local authorities with deficits due to the covid pandemic.

Council taxpayers also saw a hike in their bills by £5 last year – something which looks set to happen again in 2022/23.

A woman in Harrogate said she was “horrified” to be hit with a £100 parking ticket whilst she was collecting an NHS prescription from Well Pharmacy on Wetherby Road.

Shirley Hopkinson collects a repeat prescription from the pharmacy, which is part of Kingswood Medical Centre, twice a month. She said she always phones ahead to check it is ready to collect.

When she came to pick it up on November 17, the pharmacy was busy so she waited for 33 minutes.

This is longer than the 15 minutes free parking allowed in the adjoining car park.

Ten days later, Ms Hopkinson received a parking fine for £100 from a private company called Civil Enforcement, which it said would be reduced to £60 if paid straight away. 

She queried the fine with the pharmacy, which told her customers regularly received fines for overstaying in the car park. It added she could appeal, although there was no guarantee this would be successful.

Ms Hopkinson said:

“I am horrified that an NHS doctor’s surgery and pharmacy have allowed a privately owned parking enforcement company to issue patients, family and friends with huge fines for simply collecting prescriptions.”

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Ms Hopkinson said the car park should be free to use for longer than 15 minutes, which she said is not long enough if there is a queue or you need advice.

She added:

“Wetherby Road is a very busy road with next to no on-street parking available for people to use. 

“When I was in the pharmacy an elderly lady that was collecting her husband’s prescriptions told me she had also been fined. Why should people who are ill, elderly or simply collecting medication be penalised? The car park has a few signs stating a waiting period of 15 minutes.”

A spokesman for Well Pharmacy told the Stray Ferret that it does not own the car park, so it does not control how long people can park there or whether motorists receive fines.

It said it was “deeply regrettable” that Ms Hopkinson had to wait 33 minutes, but said the pharmacy was under extra pressure due to covid.

A one-hour free parking policy in Knaresborough town centre is to end in the week non-essential shops reopen.

North Yorkshire County Council doubled the length of time cars can park for free on Market Place from 30 minutes to an hour last summer.

The temporary move aimed to help businesses while social distancing measures were in place.

But the move will end on April 18 – six days after shops.

Council officials said parking data showed the majority of motorists left within the hour and that reverting back to 30 minutes would encourage a greater turnover of shoppers.

Karl Battersby, the county council’s corporate director of business and environmental services, said:

“While we accept that the current circumstances are not reflective of typical conditions, analysis of the performance of the one-hour free parking offers no basis for it to be introduced permanently.

“The anticipated easing of lockdown restrictions in the coming months supports a return to the normal operation to aid traffic management and to provide better turnover of spaces.”

The one-hour extension was agreed in July and then became operational in September.

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Councillor Ed Darling, who sits on both Knaresborough Town Council and Harrogate Borough Council, said while the return to 30 minutes may be “disappointing” for some, it was backed by data.

He urged shoppers to get behind the town by supporting local businesses when they reopen on April 12.

He said:

“The past year has been exceptionally difficult for town centre retailers who have been forced to close for the majority of the year.

“I do hope that our local community gets behind our town centre, supporting our local businesses and shops to kickstart our local economy once again.”

Bill Taylor, secretary of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, added:

“All town centres struggle with parking generally, and how to charge is a part of that.

“As shops reopen in April then moving back to the original charging system seems reasonable and allows for a higher turnover of shoppers for the greater variety of shops that are open.

“In addition, Knaresborough has a large, good value but under-utilised car park on York Place and Knaresborough Town Council has worked with the county council to install new signs around town for that car park.”

Shoppers at a retail park in Knaresborough who were fined for parking in unmarked trolley bays are to have their penalty notices written off.

People using St James Retail Park received fines from management company, HX Car Park Management Ltd, after parking in bays that did not have the usual barriers, markings or shelter.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, wrote to the company following complaints from angry constituents.

Now the company has said all appeals will be accepted and markings will be put in place to distinguish the bays from parking spaces.

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In a letter to Mr Jones, the company said:

“As we only recently began issuing tickets through a self-ticketer, our client received a high volume of complaints due to drivers parking here previously and not being issued a penalty charge notice.  

“Consequently, our client requested that all appeals be accepted and no further tickets issued until markings have been put in place to state ‘no parking’.”

The Stray Ferret contacted HX Car Park Management Ltd for further comment, but did not receive a response.

In a post on his website, Mr Jones said he welcomed the move from the company to waive the fines.

He said:

“I was pleased to help several constituents with their appeals. Thanks to the parking management company for being sympathetic to the appeals that were made.  

“They could simply have ignored them and implemented the fines but they properly considered the evidence we put before them and chose a fair way or resolving the problem. Credit where credit is due.

“The letter does end with the warning though that when the bays are marked up then fines will start again so I would urge everyone to make sure they are parking legally to avoid a nasty shock when they get back to their car.”

Councillors in Pateley Bridge are preparing for their first face-to-face meeting since March, when coronavirus brought a temporary end to physical gatherings.

Mike Holt, the town’s Mayor, told The Stray Ferret:

“Our next council meeting on August 4 is, hopefully, going to be a physical meeting in the Memorial Hall.

“Councillors and officers from Pateley Bridge Town Council and Bewerley Parish Council, assisted by staff from Nidderdale Plus, made the Memorial Hall covid-secure earlier this month.”

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The hygiene and social distancing measures enabled the hall to be used to sell resident car parking permits for the current financial year. The annual permits costing £12 are usually sold across four days, but Cllr Holt said:

“In the current circumstances it was felt that one day was enough. However, permits are still available for anyone who missed the sale day.”

The meeting in the Memorial Hall will also provide a safe venue to interview the four candidates who have put their names forward for co-option to the council.

There are two vacancies to fill, following the retirement in March of councillors Chris Hawkesworth and Christine Skaife, who between them served for more than 50 years.

• Local residents wishing to purchase a parking permit can obtain one by sending a stamped, addressed envelope, with a cheque for £12 per permit, and the vehicle registration numbers to the Town Council Clerk, The Council Chamber, King Street, Pateley Bridge, HG3 5LE

“Parking remains free for staff, visitors and patients. We already had in place the exemptions listed below for specific patient groups. We didn’t for staff on night shifts but then we put in place free parking for all staff (before the national directive came out) so that was a resolution.”

This news will be warmly welcomed by staff and visitors to the hospital.

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Harrogate Business Improvement District has backed calls for council bosses to listen to businesses over pedestrianisation plans in the town centre.

The organisation joins Independent Harrogate which has argued for local businesses to be listened to over the town centre which it says faces a serious economic crisis.

It comes as temporary pavement widening measures were put in place by North Yorkshire County Council on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street last week to help with social distancing.

But the bollards served to reignite opposition to permanently widen some footpaths and lose car parking as a result of a “gateway” plan for the town.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said it backed the call for businesses to be listened to and will also ask the county council to urgently review car parking signs in order to make it easier for people driving into the town.

She said: “The temporary measures to assist with social distancing are both necessary and welcomed. They will help make customers and workers more comfortable about returning to Harrogate town centre.

“However, at the same time, it’s imperative that those driving into town by car know where they can park – both on-street and in car parks – and at the same time are not penalised for doing so.

“Harrogate BID is here to represent every town centre business who, between them employ thousands of people. Any plans for further pedestrianisation need to be carefully considered, and must take into account the views of all town centre businesses.

“Another important factor within this needs to be improving traffic flow, which will enhance everyone’s experience driving in and around the town.”

“Our aim is to make Harrogate a must-visit destination; one that is accessible for people arriving by all means of transport, including on foot, public transport, cars, bicycles and scooters.

“In the meantime, we will be asking our partners North Yorkshire County Council for an urgent review into town centre parking signage.”