Plans to increase outdoor dining space at West Park Hotel in Harrogate

Plans to increase outdoor dining space at West Park Hotel

Outdoor dining areas could be created in front of shops along West Park if plans by West Park Hotel are approved.

The owners of the hotel and restaurant have applied to place six tables and 19 chairs in front of 17a and 18 West Park, where Moda in Pelle and Georgie’s trade.

The furniture would only be used outside the shops’ opening hours, no later than 10pm, and would be in addition to the furniture already outside West Park Hotel itself.

As part of the application, the owners said:

“The outside dining does create a pleasant ambience and enhance the attractiveness of the street, thereby making a positive contribution to the vitality and vibrancy of the area…

“The portable barriers will prevent encroachment into this pedestrian space.

“The facilities for pedestrians are maintained. Additional outside dining serviced by the West Park Hotel will help meet the increased demand from customers concerned about, or with vulnerability to, Covid 19. Allowing access for all to outside dining in an attractive and serviced location.”

Full details of the proposal can be found via Harrogate Borough Council’s planning website, using reference 22/01593/FUL.

Director leaves accountancy firm to pursue financial coaching role

Teresa Hitchens, left, and Kelly Chadwick of CCF Accountancy

The founder of a Harrogate accountancy firm is stepping down in order to take on a new challenge.

Teresa Hitchens, pictured left, who founded CCF Accountancy in 2010, will be turning her hand to financial coaching, after building up her own company for more than a decade.

She said:

“This is all about helping people get their business and personal finances in order and using this as the base to help them get to the position they want to be in their business, either working smarter, working less, or exiting and doing something completely different.”

CCF Accountancy will continue trading under the direction of co-owner and operations director Kelly Chadwick, pictured right, and Andy Lock.

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Hospitality businesses hopeful of summer boom in Budget

Hospitality businesses across the Harrogate district say they are optimistic about their prospects over the coming months.

As Chancellor Rishi Sunak prepares to unveil the details of his Budget tomorrow, restaurant owners and business leaders say the summer could see a bounce back in their fortunes after months of uncertainty.

With restrictions set to ease, local businesses are anticipating high demand as case numbers fall and the vaccination programme brings renewed confidence.

Jo Straker, who runs William & Victoria restaurant in Harrogate with her husband David, said there was “light at the end of the tunnel” after a very difficult start to the year:

“We expect to be busy when we reopen and I think the local economy will be buoyant with people desperate to socialise, have some pampering, go shopping, enjoy sport, culture and freedom of going further afield. We will be more appreciative of the things we couldn’t have during lockdown and desperate to get out and enjoy living life again.

“The summer is looking promising with many choosing to holiday in Britain this year. Harrogate and North Yorkshire will be a big draw for domestic tourism so I am optimistic that the local economy will start to recover if everything goes to plan, we take the necessary precautions to keep each other safe and get the financial support to help us recover.”

Mrs Straker also said last summer’s Eat Out to Help Out had been positive for the restaurant, though it meant the beginning of the week was very busy before a drop-off in demand on Thursday. She said she hoped for a similar scheme including more days of the week, or perhaps a voucher scheme which would encourage people to spend locally over a period of time.

David and Jo Straker, owners of William and Victoria restaurant in Harrogate

There are also broader measures across all sectors which she said would help the business to survive the coming weeks and months.

“We are hoping, and expecting, the Budget to announce the continued VAT reduction at 5% and business rates holiday as well as an extension to flexible furlough.

“All these have been critical to the survival of the business. Takeaway keeps us ticking along but it’s not enough to cover all our fixed costs.

“We’re expecting Corporation Tax to go up. Although this is something we usually dread, it won’t have a huge impact on our business this year since we have only been able to open for five months of this financial year and that’s with considerable restrictions, so would be fortunate to break even.

“Despite all this, we are optimistic for the future and a full recovery over time with the correct financial help put in place and the continued support of our customers.”

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Across the Harrogate district, as well as businesses directly involved in hospitality, there are many which work with them and have been hit by their lack of trade in the last year. Paul Berwin, senior partner at Berwins solicitors, said it was not just the hotels, cafes and restaurants that needed help to get back on their feet.

“Those businesses which have been unable to operate, or only able to do so spasmodically, need proper funding so that reopening is sustained, and beneficial.

“With a local economy so heavily focussed on hospitality and tourism, which I think will recover, the businesses serving those sectors need to be helped.” 

The latest statistics show that the Harrogate district is bucking the national trend in terms of employment, with the number of people out of work sitting at 3.7% compared to a UK-wide figure of 6.2%.

For Teresa Bowe, owner of CCF Accountancy, this could help to support the hospitality industry as it tries to get back on its feet. She said:

“From what I have seen in my own clients’ situations, there are more people better off or the same, rather than worse off as a result of the covid situation.

“I think a lot of working practices that came in as a result of the lockdowns will stay, such as flexibility on working. I expect things to bounce back reasonably quickly.

“I think the prospects for the next 12 months are good, assuming that the virus is kept at bay.”