There are yet more delays for Harrogate’s active travel schemes, which have yet to produce final designs despite being awarded government cash almost two years ago.

North Yorkshire County Council won £1 million for cycling and walking improvements on Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough in November 2020, but final designs have yet to be revealed as part of more consultations.

The council previously said designs for the Victoria Avenue and A59 schemes – which include cycle lanes, improved crossings and reduced speed limits – were “likely” to be revealed this summer.

However, this has now been pushed back until at least the New Year.

Victoria Avenue is one of the routes earmarked for better cycling.

And for the Oatlands Drive plans, the council previously said a consultation was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

Three months on, the council says it now hopes to ask the public for their views from the start of October.

This comes after original plans for a one-way traffic system on Oatlands Drive were scrapped after a backlash from residents who warned the changes would be “disastrous”.

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It was later agreed that the funding would instead be used for a feasibility study looking into improvements for the wider area.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at the council, said in a statement this week:

“We are still in the detailed design stage for active travel schemes on Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough.

“Following discussions and guidance from Active Travel England we would like to amend the designs further for improved pedestrian and cycling use.

“A public consultation with final designs is likely to take place in the New Year.

“The study of Oatlands Drive will review the existing designs and prepare new ones, based on the data we collect, to give us some options for active travel and traffic calming improvements in the Oatlands area that could be trialled.

“We hope to launch the public consultation at the start of October.”

The latest delays come on top of several setbacks for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path project which was first awarded funding in 2017. A first phase of the project was completed earlier this year, but a start date for phase two remains unclear.

Otley Road cycle path

There have also been setbacks for the town’s £11.2 million Gateway project which has been hit by a legal threat from a leading property company.

Hornbeam Park Developments made a proposed claim for a judicial review against the council this year over claims that it “failed conscientiously” to take into account the feedback of a previous survey.

This sparked the launch of yet another consultation, which was held in summer and gathered over 2,000 responses ahead of a council decision over whether to submit a final business case for funding.

Elsewhere, plans for a 7km cycleway in Knaresborough and other active travel improvements in Ripon were shelved altogether in summer when a council bid for £1.5 million was rejected by government.

A suspected thief has been arrested after police responded to reports of a man trying car door handles in Harrogate.

Officers spotted the suspect inside a vehicle in the Knaresborough Road area at about 8.20pm last night.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the man ran off when he saw police and was detained following a short foot chase. Officers then found what are believed to be stolen items in his possession.

Further enquiries showed he was also wanted by police in connection with burglaries and he had only just been released from prison.

The man, who is in his 20s and of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle, vehicle interference and burglary.

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He has been taken into custody where he remains while enquiries continue.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“We regularly patrol areas where vehicle crime has been reported, both on foot and with vehicle patrols.

“The two officers who dealt with this incident were able to apprehend a suspect very quickly and a full investigation is now under way.

“Anyone who has had items stolen from their vehicle, or has seen anyone acting suspiciously or trying door handles, should contact us on 101. If you witness a crime taking place, it’s 999.”

Harrogate’s The Secret Bakery has expanded and launched a second branch in Knaresborough.

The shop and cafe, in Market Place, sells baked goods, including artisan bread, cakes and sandwiches, which are all made at the Knaresborough Road site.

The new outlet, which also serves drinks, including coffee, is being run by the bakery’s co-owner Jane Spencer, a former teacher from Keighley.

She said:

“This shop used to be The Reading Room and we used to deliver bread here from our shop in Harrogate. When they decided to close, we thought it was a great opportunity for us to open in Knaresborough

“A lot of our Harrogate customers come from Knaresborough, so it’s nice that we can be here.

“I would say our most popular product is our bread, particularly our sourdough. People come from all over to buy it. Our cakes and scones are also really popular.”

Jane Spencer (right), co-owner of The Secret Bakery, Knaresborough and Aime McNaught in the new shop and cafe.

Opening hours are currently under review, but the aim is to eventually open seven days a week, from 8am until around 4pm and from 10am on a Sunday.

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Mrs Spencer and her husband James bought The Secret Bakery in November 2020.

The business is continuing to grow, with work starting next week to develop the Harrogate site.

Mrs Spencer said:

“It will give us some more space in the back to make all the bread and cakes and everything.

“We are also going to be opening later from Thursday through to Sunday and offering things like bread and dips. We will also be serving alcohol.”

The cafe area at The Secret Bakery, Knaresborough.

Drone shots of the new Lidl on Knaresborough Road reveal work is progressing ahead of opening later this year.

They were sent to us by Stray Ferret reader Darren Leeming and show that the supermarket looks almost complete from the outside, with solar panels also installed on the roof.

It will be the first Lidl to open in Harrogate, following the branch in Knaresborough.

The multi-million-pound building includes a 1,263 square metre sales area, an in-store bakery, customer toilets and 94 parking spaces.

Credit: Darren Leeming

The new store will be open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

The German-owned company is currently on a recruitment drive for the new store. A Lidl spokesperson said:

“We are delighted to confirm that construction of our new Lidl store on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, is well under way.

“The store is due to open this autumn and we are currently hiring for open vacancies, so would encourage anyone interested to visit our careers website.

“We look forward to sharing more information with the local community closer to the time.”

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Two appliances from Harrogate Fire Station and North Yorkshire Police have attended an incident involving a milk tanker this morning.

The emergency services were called to Knaresborough road after one of the tanker’s tyres burst and the wheel then started to over-heat.

No injuries have been reported.

Fire officers and police directed traffic on the road, while other fire officers tended to the overheated wheel.

The incident occurred close to the junction with Lancaster Park Road used by ambulances and other visitors to Harrogate Hospital. Traffic is moving in the area.

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A 17-year-old male has admitted robbing a male on the Stray and possessing a zombie knife in Harrogate.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with stealing a mobile phone, cash and credit cards during the robbery.

It took place on the Stray at Knaresborough Road on July 23.

He also admitted possessing a zombie knife the following day on The Ginnel in Harrogate.

The youth denied assaulting a police officer on The Ginnel on July 24 and the charge was dismissed. But he admitted resisting arrest by the same officer that day.

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The teenager, from Sheffield, was remanded into the care of the local authority until August 19, when he is due to appear in front of Harrogate magistrates again.

He was given a doorstep curfew between 7pm and 7am, told to attend three appointments a week with the Youth Justice Service and not to enter Harrogate before the court appearance.

Three teenagers have appeared before York Magistrates Court charged with a robbery and possessing offensive weapons in Harrogate.

Dillan Bahia, 18, and Jamie Richardson, 18, both of Leeds, indicated a guilty plea to carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel, off Parliament Street, on Saturday, July 23.

Mr Bahia, of Mexborough Avenue, Chapeltown, also indicated a guilty plea to being found carrying a homemade cosh when arrested by police.

However, both entered no plea to the charge of robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards near to the Stray on Knaresborough Road on the same day.

Mr Richardson lives at Grange View in Chapeltown.

A 17-year-old boy from Sheffield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards on Knaresborough Road on July 23 and carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel.

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But, he denied assaulting a police officer on The Ginnel on the same day.

Both Mr Bahia and Mr Richardson will appear before York Crown Court for sentencing for carrying weapons in a public place on August 22, 2022.

They will also appear for trial on the robbery charge on the same date.

The 17-year-old boy will appear before youth court in Harrogate on August 5 to determine a “suitable method of determining the case”.

Temporary lights on Harrogate’s Wetherby road and Knaresborough road will remain in place until Thursday, Yorkshire Water said this afternoon.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair pipes near Harrogate Town AFC on Wetherby road and near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop on Knaresborough Road.  Both have caused traffic delays.

The work comes as the problem was first identified by the company yesterday, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

The company issued a statement:

“Both bursts caused significant consequential damage to the road surfaces, which will need to be repaired before the roads can reopen.

“We are expecting both roads to reopen on Thursday.

“We apologise for the inconvenience and are working hard to keep the disruption to a minimum with manned operation of the lights throughout the day”.

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Work on the water main on Wetherby Road.

Temporary lights on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road continue to cause delays for drivers as work enters a second day.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair a pipe in the area near to Harrogate Town AFC and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The work comes as a problem was first identified by the company yesterday, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Temporary lights were also in place on Knaresborough Road, but the company said it expected to complete work in the area by today.

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The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water for an update on the works, but has yet to receive a response.

Last night, the company issued the following statement:

“We’ve experienced two burst water mains in the centre of Harrogate over the last few days.

“Our teams are working hard to minimise disruptions, but to allow them to work on the repairs safely, traffic management will be in place on Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road.

We apologise for the inconvenience while we carry out the work.”

Temporary lights have been put up on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road in Harrogate this evening after burst water mains were reported in both locations.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair both pipes and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The Wetherby Road lights are outside Harrogate Town’s Envirovent Stadium, while on Knaresborough Road the affected stretch is near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop.

The works are likely to cause some delays during this evening’s rush hour.  Yorkshire Water said it expected Knaresborough Road to re-open tomorrow morning.

A problem was first identified by the company earlier today, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Tonight Yorkshire Water issued this statement: