North Yorkshire County Council has said it will review the design of the second phase of the Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate.

It follows criticism of the first phase from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue/Cold Bath Road, which was completed in January.

Some businesses, pedestrians and cycle groups, including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Hedgehog Cycling, have expressed concerns over the design of the cycle path, particularly that some parts are unsegregated and shared with pedestrians.

Safety concerns for cyclists have also been raised about the Harlow Moor Road junction.

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two, which will extend the path to Beech Grove, in April.

But a news release yesterday was more vague, saying work was due to begin at some point in “the next financial year” whilst it takes another look at the designs.

A contractor to build phase two is yet to be appointed.

New guidance

New government guidance on cycle lanes in July 2020 said any new infrastructure should be “high quality, with a strong preference for segregated lanes”.

It warned against councils building routes that require a lot of stopping and starting from cyclists.

The guidance was introduced after the designs for phase one and phase two were published in November 2019.

Read more:

• Cycling group to meet council to raise concerns about Otley Road cycle path
• Harrogate residents group raises concerns over ‘dangerous’ cycle path

Council officers met with members of Harrogate District Cycle Action for a “walk-through” of the route last month to listen to their concerns and take on board feedback for phase two.

Creating a safe route

Melissa Burnham, area highways manager at the council, said it recognised there may be parts of the route where the 2020 government guidance “cannot be fully applied”.

Ms Burnham said officers would meet local groups again to review the designs of phase two “in light of this new guidance”.

Work on phase one finished in January.

A council spokesperson stressed that this review would not put the project in doubt, but they did not give further details of what changes might be made, or if they would involve more trees being felled on Otley Road to make room for segregated lanes.

Ms Burnham added:

“We recognise the new cycling guidance and the benefits this brings to users. Where there are such constraints along Otley Road we use the guidance as a starting point to create a safe route.”

The third and final phase, connecting Cardale Park, relies on developer funding and will require detailed planning, including a feasibility study.

Leeds Bradford Airport has abandoned plans to build a new £150m terminal, blaming “excessive delays” around a decision on whether it could go ahead.

In February 2021, the airport was granted planning permission by Leeds City Council to build the facility that would have replaced its current terminal.

The airport said it would help increase annual passenger numbers from four million to seven million and extend flight hours.

The company claimed the proposals would “deliver one of the UK’s most environmentally efficient airport buildings” but the plans faced criticism from environmental groups, including Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Following the council’s approval, the government decided to “call-in” the plans, which meant it would have had the final say on whether it would go ahead.

A public inquiry was announced by the government’s Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, in January, but no dates had been set.

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LBA said “excessive delays” around the government’s decision to call in the plans led them to withdraw its plans.

Instead, the airport will focus on refurbishing its existing terminal.

Vincent Hodder, chief executive of LBA, said:

New business opens in Ripon

A new environmentally and ecologically-focused business will open in Ripon next week 

The Green House, at 11 North Street, is being opened on Tuesday by Patricio Maglio, one of Ripon’s hornlblowers, and his partner Rebecca Crallan.

With a planet-friendly ethos, the store will sell home and garden supplies designed to have minimal impact on the environment. 

Patricio Maglio

Ms Crallan said:  

“Our aim is to make it easier for people in the city and surrounding villages to make greener choices without compromising on aesthetics or function,

“We have done our research on refillables that do the job, along with plastic-free sponges that don’t disintegrate and compostable cloths that have a luxury feel.”

Harrogate start-up launches sustainable skincare range

Anna Daniels

Harrogate firm Josie Rose has launched a luxury overnight face mask.

Anna Daniels founded skincare brand Josie Rose in 2019 and has now entered the emerging ‘skin minimalism’ market with its first product: a hydrating retinol overnight face mask.

The new product has already appealed to local retailers, such as Hoopers in Harrogate, and sells direct to the consumer via its website.

Anna Daniels, managing director and founder said:

“Multifunctional products such as our overnight face mask deliver great results due to the concentrated formulas, this enables a simpler skincare and beauty routine, saving customers time and money and of course meaning less products, which is a more sustainable option.

Harrogate firm wins major NHS contract

A Harrogate-based company has won an NHS contract to scale up remote patient monitoring across Scotland.

Under the three-year contract, Inhealthcare will provide technology to enable people to record relevant information in the comfort of their own homes and relay readings to NHS teams for analysis.

inhealthcare CEO Bryn Sage

The technology is being rolled out across Scotland’s health boards. The service can be used to manage illnesses including hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, depression, malnutrition, cancer and Covid.

Georgia Nelson, senior business development manager at Inhealthcare, said:

“Winning this contract represents another major validation of technology-enabled care and provides the foundations for many more citizens to benefit from improved health and wellbeing at home and better quality of life.”

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Ilkley-based property developer Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have been granted planning permission from Harrogate Borough Council to build a 600,000 square feet business park near Flaxby.

The business park will be called ‘Harrogate 47’ as it will be built close to junction 47 of the A1 (M). The developer believes it could support 2,000 jobs.

It’s allocated as the main strategic employment site in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan and already has existing planning permission for more than half a million square feet of employment space.

The new plans include up to 130,000 sq ft of office accommodation, about 75,000 sq ft of tech starter units and approximately 430,000 sq ft for logistics and warehouses.

Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, said:

“This development is key for the Harrogate and wider North Yorkshire economy due to its capacity to transform vacant land into office and industrial space for local, regional and national occupiers, and the vast job-creating potential it has.

“The delivery of Harrogate 47 will allow local companies to expand and grow within the region in addition to attracting inward investment into the district and we are delighted that its potential has been recognised through the positive planning outcome.”

Electric vehicle show comes to Harrogate

A global event that promotes clean energy and electric vehicles will come to Harrogate’s Yorkshire Event Centre in May 2023.

The event is called Fully Charged, the World’s no.1 Electric Vehicle and Clean Energy Show, and is expected to attract 10,000 visitors from May 19 to May 21.

The event will be hosted by Red Dwarf actor and YouTuber Robert Llewellyn.

There will be 120 exhibitors and visitors will be able to test drive some of the latest electric vehicles on sale in the UK.

Dan Caesar, joint chief executive of Fully Charged Live, said:

“Fully Charged Live has been a huge global success, and we are delighted to be bringing the show to the north of England at last. Harrogate is a great location, and the Yorkshire Event Centre, with its indoor and outdoor space, and its sustainability credentials, is a natural partner.”

(L to R) presenter Robert Llewellyn, Richard Moorhouse operations manager at the YEC, Dan Caesar, joint CEO of Fully Charged Live and Ben Chatburn sales manager at the YEC.

Grants of up to £100,000 available for Yorkshire social enterprises

The Social Enterprise Support Fund is now open for the second round of funding and will provide grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 for social enterprises that have been impacted by covid.

This follows the first round of applications in December that saw over 800 applications from enterprises across England, requesting grants worth over £37m.

The fund is available to social enterprises if most of their beneficiaries are in England, and their annual income has been between £20,000 and £1.8m in either of the last two financial years.

Sheffield-based Key Fund supports social enterprises across Yorkshire. Its chief executive, Matt Smith, said:

“The UK’s social enterprises have been at the heart of community survival and recovery during the pandemic. In a post-covid world, where the inequalities within society are even starker, the work of these organisations will be needed more than ever.

“This grant funding has already proven to be a lifeline to many social enterprises and the communities they work in, and so we welcome this second round of financial support.”

Matt Smith, CEO of Key Fund

Harrogate College will turn green in March for a series of environmentally-focused events and activities.

For its first Green Month, the college on Hornbeam Park will offer wildflower planting, an art exhibition, a climate café and educational webinars.

The activities will kick off with a business presentation on sustainable technology, plus a litter pick, on March 8.

Last year the college hosted the launch event for the Harrogate district’s’s first climate action festival.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development manager at the college, said:

“The festival proved to be a real catalyst for environmental action both for ourselves and the wider community, and our Green Month is the latest example of that.

“We have worked hard to put together a schedule that includes something for everyone and a number of events that are open to residents as well as our students and staff.

“We hope to see lot of people taking part, both to make a difference and to find out more about how we can all work together to secure a more sustainable future.”

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Boroughbridge heat pump engineer on his environmental ‘obsession’
• Green Shoots: The Harrogate wind farm that powers 8,000 homes

The college has also teamed up with several local businesses and organisations for Green Month.

They include Techbuyer and Ortial, who will be holding a discussion on sustainable technology.

Social impact company Too Good To Go, will explain how they connect businesses with people in need so they can put their surplus food to good use, instead of going to waste.

Harrogate District schools, colleges and sixth forms will also be involved as pupils and students are being invited to design a poster, or piece of art, that will inspire positive environmental action.

For dates, times and more details on all of Harrogate College’s Green Month activities visit harrogate-college.ac.uk/partners/green-agenda/.