Plans have been submitted to convert the former Golden Dry Cleaners on Cheltenham Crescent in Harrogate into a bar.

Designs drawn up by architect Reader Tinsley Designs suggest the bar could be called Elysian.

It would be split into four rooms to offer drinkers a bar area, booths, toilets and a seating area.

Also proposed is an outdoor patio with more tables.

The area is close to Harrogate Convention Centre and is home to several bars and restaurants.

The building, which has also been a women’s fashion shop, is next to Buon Gusto and opposite Jinnah.

Planning documents state the aim is to create a “relaxed comfortable place” for all ages.

Documents add:

“With three very different spaces there will be a choice of environment to suit different people, high stools, a place in the window to watch the world go by, a comfortable sofa and a cosy booth area. The more intimate feel of the different rooms will allow people to hold conversations with one another without over bearing music.

“If the premises were to get busy, they would employ a door person to regulate numbers and entry. High spec CCTV and alarms will be installed that will go directly to the police.”

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Harrogate‘s nightlife will offer even more choice from tonight, with the official launch of a new cocktail bar.

Locus Bar, on Cheltenham Crescent, is the brainchild of Flavia Milovi, who will run it with the help of bar manager Natasha Murray. The launch event starts at 6pm and everyone is welcome.

Natasha said:

“We want to give people a reason to get out of their homes and come to a nice, welcoming place that feels just as comfortable, but more stylish.

“We’re strong on wines and cocktails, with a range not just of the classics, but also of some that guests might not have tried before, like the Locus 21 and the Lost in Locus.

“In the future, we have plans to offer meat and cheese platters, live music and even singles nights, and we also have a private function room for hire.”

Locus Bar, which is in premises formerly occupied by Bijou & Wild, is named after a Leeds establishment owned by Flavia’s business partner, Gerti Masllavica, but this is Flavia’s first foray into Harrogate’s social scene. She said:

“We have a lot of friends here, and the people are nice. Harrogate really fits our style of venue, so I very much hope people will come along from 6pm tonight and see what we have to offer.”

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A restaurant which opened in central Harrogate earlier this year is understood to have closed permanently.

Samsons began welcoming customers in mid-March, offering fine dining with seasonal Yorkshire produce from the former home of Le Bistrot Pierre in Town Centre House on Cheltenham Crescent.

However, it closed in the summer, when a spokesperson said the closure was temporary for “essential works”.

Now, the Stray Ferret understands, the restaurant will not reopen.

Its website is still taking table bookings, but there have been no new posts on its social media feeds since the end of July.

The company was incorporated in March 7 this year by Thomas Shotton, Duncan Bell and Mark Morris, who was its general manager. Mr Morris resigned as a director on March 23.

On the same date, he resigned as a director of Harrogate Industries Ltd, a company he co-founded last October with Mr Shotton. Mr Bell was then appointed director.

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When the business launched, executive chef Josh Whitehead said it would offer “a taste of Harrogate”. He said, having begun his career in Harrogate, he was looking for a new challenge when he saw the Samsons role advertised and it “stuck out like a sore thumb”.

He was joined in the kitchen by his friend and former colleague Andy Castle, previously head chef at the Ox Club in Leeds.

The Stray Ferret approached Samsons for a comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Plans to build an extension at the back of the former Ali Raj restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent have been approved by Harrogate Borough Council.

The plans were submitted by the owners of the building, who also own the pub downstairs, The Little Ale House.

Richard Park and his wife Danni opened The Little Ale House in 2016 to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in the town centre.

The Ali Raj was a longstanding Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrogate that closed in 2021. It was the first Bangladeshi restaurant in town when it opened more than 35 years ago.

A change of use application was approved in February to turn the restaurant into a bar.

The latest plans will create improved back-of-house and toilet facilities and a roof terrace to increase seating capacity.

Mr Park told the Stray Ferret that building work is set to begin next summer when he will say which business will use the space.

He stressed the new venue will not be an extension of the Little Ale House, which will remain a separate business downstairs.

A CGI image of how the extension will look

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