This story is sponsored by OctaPlus.

A Yorkshire company says it can provide hyperfast broadband at a lower price than any available via the well-known price comparison websites. 

OctaPlus is offering a huge speed of 900Mbps – download and upload – for just £1 for the first three months and £27 a month thereafter, beating its competitors on both speed and price by a considerable margin for those who have the install completed before December 31, 2023.

The deal, which comes with no upfront costs, is available only on two- or three-year contracts, but the price for a one-year contract is just £32 per month, which is still cheaper than the company’s rivals. 

Gladstone Gonsalves, who founded Hull-based OctaPlus after partnering with award-winning broadband business CityFibre, said: 

“Other companies simply cannot beat us on value for money. Energy bills, mortgages, groceries – they’ve all gone crazy – but we’re here to lower your costs and help you move over to fibre.” 

He added: 

“All the old copper-wire connections are going to be decommissioned – the government intends to replace them all by 2030 – and all too often they only give you 5-10Mb of the 60-70Mbps promised by the provider anyway. 

“With full fibre, you get higher speeds for a lower price – so what’s stopping you from moving?” 

Hyperfast broadband is commonly considered to refer to connections exceeding 500Mbps – far faster than superfast (30 to 300Mbps) or ultrafast (300 to 500Mbps) – and enables users to download movies in seconds. 

But, says Gladstone, hyperfast broadband is merely a taste of greater things to come: 

“Full-fibre broadband is totally scalable. We can provide 900Mbps today, but our partner, CityFibre, have already tested their network and proved it’s ready for 2,500Mbps – that’s an upto 2.5 Gigabytes service. In the near future, even faster speeds will be available as they develop their multi-gig portfolio.  

“By moving over to full fibre now, you’ll supercharge your connection – with higher speeds, a lower price, and you’ll be ready for the next generation of gigabyte broadband that’s just around the corner. It’s a no-brainer.” 

OctaPlus broadband is available across the Harrogate district. To find out if you can supercharge your connection, visit the OctaPlus website. 

A civil engineering company involved in the installation of a £46 million all-fibre broadband network in the Harrogate district has ceased trading with the loss of 165 jobs.

Leeds-based Makehappen Group Limited, which was working for CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent fibre infrastructure provider, appointed administrators Interpath Advisory last week.

The huge installation programme covering Harrogate, Knaresborough and latterly Ripon, was announced in 2020 and has been carried out on a street by street basis.

In response to the news, a spokesperson for CityFibre, said:

“We have been made aware that Makehappen Group has entered into administration.

“We would like to assure residents that work sites have been made safe, and we will remain in close conversation with our local authority stakeholders while we review our plans.”

Neil Morley and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators of Makehappen Group Limited on July 18.

A statement from Interpath Advisory said:

“In recent months, Makehappen experienced significant pressure on cashflow after a number of contracts were withdrawn by their customers. 

“As a result, the company was unable to continue trading and service its liabilities as they fell due, so after considering their options, the directors sought the appointment of the administrators.

“The company ceased to trade shortly prior to the appointment of the administrators. With no prospect of trade resuming, it is with regret that the joint administrators have made all of the company’s 165 members of staff redundant.”

Meanwhile, Mr Morley, said:

“There continues to be a number of opportunities, but also challenges for businesses involved in the building of fibreoptic broadband infrastructure across the UK and unfortunately, Makehappen was the latest casualty of these challenges.

“As we commence an orderly wind-down of the business, our priority will be to provide support to all of Makehappen’s employees, including providing them with all of the information they require to make claims from the Redundancy Payments Office.”

Read more:

• Ilke Homes: More than 1,000 staff made redundant
• New muffin cafe opens in Harrogate

This story is sponsored by Vodafone Pro Broadband.

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Vodafone Pro Broadband is available now in Harrogate and Knaresborough, and is coming to Ripon very soon.

The company rolling out fibre broadband infrastructure across Harrogate has reassured residents that replacement pavement markings are only temporary.

CityFibre said the bicycle signs on Otley Road should be replaced within the next two weeks with a more permanent finish.

The paths were dug up last month to install fibre optic broadband cables as part of a district-wide project.

The trench was filled with tarmac, which partially removed the markings for the shared cycle path. A can of white spray paint was reportedly used by workers to mark up what was previously in place.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at CityFibre, said:

“The restoration works are ongoing, with the current cycle marking a temporary measure. We expect work to be completed on or around April 18, dependant on permit approval.

“We would like to thank residents for their patience and reassure them of our commitment to leaving the area in the same way we found it. Works on Otley Road are part of our £46m full fibre rollout in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, which is set to future-proof the area’s digital infrastructure for decades to come.”

According to the North Yorkshire Council roadworks map, CityFibre is expected to return to the area from April 11 to 18 for the work, with temporary traffic lights to be used around the junctions of Harlow Moor Road and Pannal Ash Road.

Read more:

• Otley Road to be closed for cycle route improvements
• Confirmed: second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route scrapped

Separately, North Yorkshire Council had previously said the road would be closed between 7pm and 3am from April 24 to 28 for remedial works to the cycle route.

It has now confirmed that daytime work is also expected to take place between Monday, April 24, and Wednesday, May 3, from 7.30am to 5pm.

The work had been due to take place last year, but was delayed until after the CityFibre project was complete.

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire Council’s highways area manager for Harrogate, said:

“CityFibre have agreed to reinstate the cycle route and any associated lining back to appropriate standards. Officers are in discussion with CityFibre to ensure this is addressed.

“After phase one of the cycle path was completed, the need for some remedial work was identified. That included resurfacing junctions between Otley Road and side roads, to the tactile paving and grass verges. It was also recognised that additional signs and street furniture were needed.”

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Number Thirteen Coffee House & Cakery – a retro-inspired, eco-conscious coffee shop in Knaresborough, is set to open a second, larger store.

Number Thirteen opened in January 2018 when operator Sarah Ward took over a small vacant shop unit on Castlegate.

Five years on, Number Thirteen is set to open a second, larger premises on the first floor space above Donkey’s Years Antiques on Silver Street.  The new space will have all the hallmarks of Number Thirteen’s signature retro styling, but will be more of a social space, with room for larger groups.

Ms Ward said:

“It’s very exciting to be opening a second shop in Knaresborough.  The town has such a strong, friendly business community and our customers are so loyal and supportive.  I just wanted to be able to give them all something to be proud of.

“Each shop will have its own identity but will work in harmony with each other too. We saw little point creating something that was exactly the same, just made bigger, and instead we’ve kept all of the best bits and built on them, trying out new things that we otherwise didn’t have the space to do in our Castlegate shop. ”

Number Thirteen on Silver Street will be opening on April 1 to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

Read More:

• Stray Ferret Business Awards: The winners
• Business Breakfast: National firm acquires Harrogate accountants

Transport chief in Harrogate tonight

Tonight’s meeting of the Harrogate Chamber of Commerce will focus on broadband and town centre connectivity.

Entitled “The Highway — super and public”,  the meeting with hear from NYnet about business broadband CityFibre about domestic broadband.

David Simister, the chamber’s chief executive said:

“Obviously businesses rely on high speed broadband — if they don’t have it they will be disadvantaged from other parts of the country that do.

“We live in a world where nothing less than superfast is acceptable.”

The meeting will also hear from councillor Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transportation, on updates about the controversial Station Gateway project in Harrogate and wider highways issues in the town centre.

The meeting, at the Harrogate Convention Centre starts at 5.30pm.

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The third in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is a lunch event on March 30 from 12.30pm.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Two Harrogate based companies have won awards at the regional Small Business Federation’s Yorkshire and Humber Awards 2023.

Robotas Technologies Ltd won the Business & Product Innovation Award – and The Harrogate Brewing Company won the Family Business of the Year Award.

Robotas Technologies, which is about to move to carbon zero premises in Pannal, is a family-owned business which has been a leader in the field of optimising the PCB assembly process for customers all over the world.

Managing Director of Robotas Technologies, Nick Walters said:

“I couldn’t be prouder of our incredible team of talented engineers for their non-stop innovation which has led us to winning this award.

“This recognition is well deserved for the excellent work that you carry out every single day. Thank you Guys, this is your award, and it is very much well deserved!!

“Now, on to the National Awards in May!!”

Joe Joyce, who co-owns the Harrogate Brewing Company with his wife Julie, said:

“We’re equally delighted and surprised at this award. As a family business it is a validation that we are doing more things right than wrong.

Thank you all in our team.”

Joe and Julie Joyce (centre) receiving their award 

Read More:

• Business Breakfast: Future of farming to be focus of Harrogate event
• Business Breakfast: Small indies to pop up on Harrogate high street
• Business Breakfast: Harrogate company builds robots to help tackle leaking pipes

The next Harrogate Chamber of Commerce meeting will focus on connectivity and superfast broadband.

The meeting  entitled, “The Highway – super and public”,  will hear from NYnet, CityFibre and North Yorkshire County Council’s member for highways and connectivity, Cllr Keane Duncan.

The event is at the Harrogate Convention Centre and starts at 5.30pm.

To attend click here.

Thousands of homes and businesses in Harrogate have just been connected to full fibre-enabled broadband services

Fibre optic company CityFibre said yesterday it had made homes in reach of its network in Bilton, Woodlands, Rossett Green, Pannal, Valley Gardens and New Park ‘ready for service’, which means people can choose to connect to full fibre-enabled broadband services.

CityFibre is investing £46 million on upgrading connectivity Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

The rollout is due to be completed in Harrogate this year and will mean almost every home and business locally will have access to full fibre services from a range of internet service providers. The rollout is also now progressing into new areas in Ripon.

Kim Johnston, CityFibre area manager said:

“Our rollout to date has helped transform Harrogate and Ripon’s digital capabilities for both residents and businesses, making them some of the best-connected towns in Britain. We have almost finished in Harrogate and just have a small amount left to do along Otley Road.

“Digital infrastructure has become the cornerstone of modern day-life, and the people we have spoken to say they are already reaping the benefits of lightning fast and more reliable broadband.”

Unlike copper-based fibre broadband services, full fibre networks use 100% fibre optic infrastructure to carry data at lightning speed from the home to the point of connection.

This gives users consistently faster speeds for upload and download and near limitless bandwidth.

Construction is being delivered by Makehappen Group on behalf of CityFibre.

Read more:

• Full Fibre broadband is coming to Harrogate, what does this mean?
• Plan to convert former Harrogate post office into 11 flats approved

A Ripon councillor has called for action following complaints about the disruption caused by contractors involved in the installation of a full fibre broadband network.

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council and North Yorkshire county councillor for the Minster and Moorside division, told the Stray Ferret the works by the Make Happen Group on behalf of CityFibre had brought complaints from more than a dozen residents living on Whitcliffe Lane, Whitcliffe Drive and Elm Road.

He added:

“They are concerned about the potential dangers for both pedestrians and motorists, of accessing and leaving their properties on streets where construction work is ongoing, that have blocked off footpaths and are lined with barriers.”

A closed section of footpath on Whitcliffe Lane

Cllr Williams, who has called for intervention from North Yorkshire County Council’s highways department, which issued permits for the work to go ahead, said:

“When I visited the area at the weekend there were no road closed signs, no diversion signs in place. It was a complete mess. I even witnessed a motorist having to drive on a footpath to get around one of the contractors’ vehicles.

“On Whitcliffe Lane one side of the pavement is unavailable and on the opposite side of the road they have put the signage on the pavement advising of the roadworks thus preventing people in wheelchairs or with a pram from using it.

“They are working in three locations at once, but these are not urgent works and therefore proper road closure signs should be in place with diversions and advance warning given to local residents.”

David Black, one of the agents overlooking the installation on behalf of Make Happen Group, said:

“We operate to the the highest possible standards and our work is independently assessed, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.

“Our aim is to complete the installation quickly, efficiently and safely in a way designed to minimise disruption to residents.”

Mr Black added:

“Our work on Elm Road is now complete and will be completed soon on Whitcliffe Lane and Whitcliffe Drive.

“I have been in contact with Cllr Williams and invited him to meet with me on site. That invitation remains open.”

Read more:

• Bishop of Ripon says farewell
• Sharow roads earmarked for £200,000 resurfacing works

Temporary traffic lights are causing delays on Ripon Road coming into Harrogate this morning.

Drivers are urged to avoid the area as the lights are causing queues.

The lights are in place just past Jennyfield Drive coming into Harrogate and have been installed by CityFibre as part of maintenance work.

According to North Yorkshire County Council, the lights will be in place until tomorrow.

Read more:

• Harrogate rail campaigner ‘optimistic’ early morning train could be reinstated
• Traffic order to discourage cars on two Knaresborough streets begins today