Controversial plan for 35 homes in Crimple Valley rejected

A controversial plan to build 35 homes in Harrogate’s Crimple Valley has been refused.

The application by Square Feet Ltd and Antela Developments Ltd would have seen homes built at Almsford Bank Stables on Leeds Road.

It included plans for 14 affordable homes, seven first homes and 14 self or custom build plots.

The proposal was objected to by residents, who described it as “ludicrous” and unsafe.

A total of 247 letters of objection were submitted to Harrogate Borough Council against the scheme.

The council rejected the development on the grounds that the site was not allocated for housing under the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, and “would result in harm to the character and appearance of its surroundings”.

It said in its reasons for refusal:

“The proposed development would result in harm to the character and appearance of its surroundings, including the Crimple Valley Special Landscape Area, through the loss of open fields and woodland and the introduction of unacceptable and incongruous (sub)urban development into an area of high landscape value, important to the setting of Harrogate and the grade II* listed Crimple Valley viaduct.”

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The application was the third for the site since 2018, when plans for 65 homes were put forward but withdrawn. 

The following year, a reduced proposal of 35 homes was submitted, but again withdrawn in the face of extensive objections.

Campaign group Save Crimple Valley urged the public to submit objections to the new proposal.

Among them was Judith Hooper, who told the council that the site was unsafe for such a housing scheme.

She said:

“In the time we have been resident in Harrogate there have been numerous car accidents on Almsford bank, the most recent very serious one being only a few weeks ago.

“Cars accelerate down the bank on reaching the 50mph sign and already have to contend with traffic coming out of Crimple Hall.

“Putting access at the bottom of such a busy section of road, on a bend, seems to invite accidents. At night there are many cars clearly speeding on this stretch. At busy periods traffic is queuing both up and down the hill.”

Former teacher set to open coffee shop on Harrogate’s Leeds Road

A former teacher is set to fulfil a long-standing dream by opening her own coffee shop in Harrogate this month.

Sally Lumsden, who taught in a Leeds school for 19 years, is renovating the former florist shop on Leeds Road to create Folk Coffee House.

A self-confessed coffee snob, she said her interest was sparked when she was travelling in Australia when she was younger and experienced the thriving coffee culture.

She said:

“I got into teaching and loved it, and it ticked lots of boxes when my kids were younger.

“But it wasn’t the same after covid. It was horrific. We thought we worked long hours before, but having to do everything remotely and on Zoom was horrible.

“I thought, ‘I’m not getting any younger. Other people can do this – why not me?'”

Ms Lumsden has been supported in her plans by Dark Woods Coffee, which has helped transform the space and given her training.

Her baking enthusiast friend will be delivering cakes to be sold in the coffee house and she’s using independent bakeries Manna and Baltzersen’s to add to her menu.

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However, food and drink won’t be the only things on offer: she is also planning to introduce a programme of workshops to build a sense of community around the coffee shop.

“I want it to be a meeting place where it’s friendly and the staff know you. You can come and meet up with all ages, all folk. If there’s anything you fancy on the programme, you can give it a go.

“I’m not precious about a model for the business. I’m open to what people want and we’ll constantly evolve.”

The coffee shop will initially be open from Monday to Saturday, in line with many of the other shops along Leeds Road. However, Ms Lumsden said she may open on Sundays in the run-up to Christmas if there is sufficient demand.

Ms Lumsden has already recruited a team of staff who approached her with “impressive initiative” after seeing work taking place at the coffee shop.

Support has also been on offer from nearby businesses and passing residents, who have given a warm welcome to Sally and Folk. She added:

“I’ve been bowled over with how lovely everyone has been.”

Don’t forget Wetherby Road and Skipton Road in congestion plans, say Harrogate councillors

Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.

North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.

This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.

The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.

Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.

Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.

But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.

Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:

“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.

“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”

Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.

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After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.

‘It just goes on forever’

Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.

Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:

“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.

“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.

“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.

It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.

M&S employee in Harrogate unfairly dismissed after face mask confrontation

A Marks and Spencer employee in Harrogate was unfairly dismissed following an altercation with a customer over a face mask, a tribunal has found.

Deborah Daisy, who worked part-time at M&S Food on Leeds Road in Harrogate, went off work with anxiety in late January 2021.

She told her employer it was down to the covid pandemic in general, but was also caused by an incident in which she asked a customer to put on a face mask in the shop. The customer was then aggressive towards her, she said.

The report from an employment tribunal in Leeds said:

“Adjustments were discussed to facilitate a return to work. Specifically, they discuss the claimant not working on the door of the store as a store host which involved controlling the numbers of people entering the store and reminding them to wear a mask.

“[Marks and Spencer] was asked whether or not she could think of any other adjustments and replied that she could not.”

However, Ms Daisy then told her employer she would feel comfortable to return to work once she was fully vaccinated.

She was referred to occupational health and, during meetings with them, referred to a previous armed robbery and an incident when she confronted a shoplifter as making her feel unprotected in her workplace.

Following a meeting in early March, an occupational health officer said:

“This employee is not fit for work in any capacity at present and timescales for recovery are unclear, therefore it is unlikely that a return will be feasible in the reasonably foreseeable future.

“Should the business have exhausted all reasonable support and all reasonable adjustments have proven unsuccessful, I would recommend formal consideration for ill health retirement with submission of the relevant pension scheme documentation.”

Mrs Daisy had several further phone appointments with her employer over the following months, at each reiterating that she did not feel safe to return to work. Company representatives asked if any adjustments could be made to help her, but she said no.

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In a meeting in June 2021, Ms Daisy was told that she could not be given an update about what action had been taken against the abusive customer “due to GDPR”. She asked about the previous incidents which had made her feel unsafe and was told they had been discussed at previous meetings.

Off work for 24 weeks

At the end of the meeting, Ms Daisy was dismissed on the grounds that she had been off work for 24 weeks and was not able to return.

She submitted an appeal the following month, but another M&S employee concluded her dismissal had not been unfair. However, the tribunal held in Leeds in May found it had been.

The report published at the end of June said:

“Although the respondent [M&S] has produced a standard operating procedure for dealing with external crime, there was no evidence of specific training in this, or in handling abusive customers, in the claimant’s case. There is no evidence before of recording threats to staff or any specific processes for reporting abuse to staff.”

In the report, Employment Judge Knowles said M&S had said Ms Daisy had not submitted an official complaint about any of the incidents. However, the report said Ms Daisy had not been trained in making these and it was unclear why, when she reported them to her manager, they were not treated as official complaints.

The report added:

“Although the number of meetings is indicative of [Mrs Daisy] being adequately consulted from the interview notes it can be seen that they did not discuss the investigations due to vague reasoning concerning GDPR.

“Throughout the process, the claimant [Mrs Daisy] raises incidents, workplace violence, and the respondent [M&S] clearly failed to establish the facts and investigate those incidents which led to the absence and perpetuate the absence.

“This was not even close to a reasonable investigation. The respondent failed to consider reasonable adjustments, stopping shoplifters, locking the doors after hours, investigating her complaints, and there could have been a return to work.”

Judge Knowles found M&S could have engaged more with its employee over its investigation into the incidents and ways of overcoming her safety fears, saying the company could have been expected to wait longer before dismissing her if that process failed to enable her to return to work.

He said:

“It is not for me to comment upon how the respondent might have taken steps to address [Mrs Daisy]’s safety concerns.

“I am surprised that those matters were not explored with [Mrs Daisy] given that [M&S] is a well-resourced retailer in the UK and given that the plight of shopworkers and the abuse they suffer at work is generally well known.”

The compensation to be given to Ms Daisy will be decided at a future date, but will be reduced by 25% on the grounds that she could have been dismissed in future anyway.

‘I am utterly clueless when it comes to cycling’: How The Personal Cyclist helped me conquer my fear

I consider myself a pretty active person and I have given pretty much everything a go – from climbing and surfing to running and roller skating.

But for some reason, I have always been intimidated by cycling.

I’m fine with a stationary bike at the gym. I used to love a bit of spinning and I don’t mind a BikeErg.

But when it comes to letting me loose on the road, the confidence just isn’t there. I have no idea what bike I would get, what size, what equipment I would need. I am utterly clueless when it comes to cycling.

So when I was invited to an event collaboration between The Personal Cyclist, Sweaty Betty, Hustle & Co and the Electric Bike Shop, I snapped up the opportunity. It is about time I conquered my cycling demons.

The Personal Cyclist

I met Kate Auld, owner of The Personal Cyclist, outside Sweaty Betty. Her passion for cycling is truly infectious.

She said:

“The weekend is all about empowering women in particular to feel more confident on bikes. By taking this experience out of a bike shop, it makes it less intimidating. The number of women who ride bikes is really low.

“Harrogate has got such an amazing cycling heritage and it’s a fantastic town to be in the great outdoors, so why wouldn’t you want to try it?”

Kate said the cycling event had revealed that women in particular are nervous of the roads or unsure what to do.

Cycling

She said:

“It is all about confidence and practice, and that can be learned.

“I’ve seen women of all different ages, experiences and bikes. The one thing they have all got in common is a spirit of adventure to try something new.

“With lockdown, a lot of our worlds have become quite small. So just doing this with your hand held a little bit is getting people off to the right start.”

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I was given a shiny blue Raleigh e-bike to ride from the Electric Bike Shop, which opened a store on Harrogate’s Leeds Road earlier this year.

My first thought was it looked far too big for my small stature, but it turns out it’s the battery that makes it look intimidating.

Getting kitted out with an e-bike.

I put on my helmet, which Kate explained needed to fit snugly with space for two fingers between my eyebrows and the base.

We walked the bikes through town to Beech Grove, which was closed to through traffic in February to encourage walking and cycling.

Like riding a bike

I then had a go at actually riding the bike under Kate’s watchful gaze and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came back to me. It was like riding a bike…

I actually thought an e-bike was like an electric scooter, in that you pressed a button and it moved. But it actually just gives you more pedal power – perfect for those hilly commutes to work.

I practised gear changes, turns and the all-important breaking, and actually felt pretty steady. I also learned how to stop, come out of the saddle and prepare myself to set off again at traffic lights.

It was actually quite a freeing feeling, empowering almost, and I can see how people get hooked on cycling.

Kate said:

“I don’t want people to feel intimidated. When I first started riding, which wasn’t until my 30s, I didn’t know where to go to get a bike.

“Going into a bike shop can be pretty scary. So actually if I can help people to have a positive experience, it’s great.”

Bike2Work scheme

As efforts continue to combat climate change and also tackle obesity, Kate said she had been approached by companies who wanted to encourage their employees to ride more.

She said:

“The government Bike2Work scheme is fantastic for getting hold of bikes.

“Some of my clients say, ‘I don’t want to use my car as much. It’s costing me an arm or a leg to run the car. I only live a mile from town. I don’t know how on earth I’m going to get in and out of town and navigate the traffic. What do I need? What if it’s pouring with rain?’, and there’s not really necessarily someone to ask.

“I want to help people make that a reality and say, ‘this is what you need, here are some routes’.

“Now one of my ladies, who hadn’t ever ridden a bike, is now doing all her errands on a bike and takes the kids.”

I told Kate that I wanted to get out on a bike with my kids and also to escape from my kids.

Hybrid

She said:

“If you’re sporty and active and you have a sense of adventure, that’s a great head start.

“I would recommend a hybrid. This can be ridden through town and you can ride it on the trails, so it’s great for family bike rides.”

When I rode the bike back to Sweaty Betty – using some of my new stopping-at-traffic-lights skills – Kate analysed my technique. Apparently my head position was great, but I needed to work on the positioning of my feet.

Memories of my cycling proficiency test at primary school started to come flooding back…

Kate’s top tips on buying a first bike:

Man seriously injured in crash on Harrogate’s Leeds Road

Three people had to be freed from their vehicles after a two-car collision on Leeds Road between Pannal and Harrogate last night.

One man was taken to hospital in an ambulance after the smash, which led to the road being closed.

It is now known how bad his injuries are.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, three people were out of the vehicles when they were called at about 9pm.

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A further three people needed help to escape.

Firefighters used cutting gear and other tools to release them.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted about the road closure last night.

⚠️Road closure in Harrogate. Emergency services are at the scene of a serious collision on the A61, Leeds Road, between Pannal and Harrogate. The road is closed with diversions in place. Motorists are advised to avoid the area at this time. pic.twitter.com/ppGakP1SK2

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) May 16, 2022

They issued further details today, saying the collision occurred at 7.36pm and involved a red Volkswagen Golf and a black Range Rover.

“The Golf was travelling from Harrogate towards Pannal and the Range Rover was travelling from the Pannal direction towards Harrogate.

“The sole occupant of the Golf was taken to hospital with serious, potentially life changing injuries.

“The five occupants of the Range Rover were also taken to hospital with injuries.

“Road closures were put in place for around six hours while emergency crews attended the scene and an initial investigation was carried out.”

Witnesses can email Paul.Buckley@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Paul Buckley.

Crane catches fire on Harrogate’s Leeds Road

A crane caught fire on the busy Leeds Road in Harrogate this afternoon.

Two crews from Harrogate fire station were summoned to deal with the incident at 3.54pm.

Fortunately the fire was already out by the time they arrived thanks to the crane driver using an extinguisher.

The fire station said in a social media post:

“An extinguisher had been used prior to arrival and crews used a hose reel to cool the overheated wheel bearings.”

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A fire station spokesperson said the incident occurred at the Stone Crop Lane junction on Leeds Road.

Police directed traffic but the road remained open.

At 15:54 on Leeds Road, Harrogate, two crews from Harrogate attended a report of a crane on fire, an extinguisher had been used prior to arrival and crews used a hose reel to cool the overheated wheel bearings pic.twitter.com/f0rne18T8Z

— Harrogate Fire station (@Harrogate_NYFRS) May 16, 2022

 

Harrogate drug dealers sentenced after being caught with £2,500 worth of cocaine

Two drug dealers have been sentenced after being caught in Harrogate with cocaine worth £2,500.

Darren Walker, 44, and Hannah Sharrett, 32, admitted to possessing the drugs and a small amount of cannabis.

The pair were stopped by police in a car on Leeds Road on April 16, 2020, heading into Harrogate.

A search located two bags of cocaine in the glove box and a further bag under the passenger seat – with a street value of more than £2,500. 

A further small amount of cocaine was found in Sharratt’s possession, and a small amount of cannabis in a car door pocket.

Police seized and examined Walker’s phone, which showed him arranging the sale and transportation of drugs for street-level distribution.

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Walker, of Darley, Harrogate, was sentenced to 44 months in jail for possession with intent to supply cocaine. 

He was also disqualified from driving after being found to be under the influence of cocaine.

Sharratt, of Fairfax Avenue, Harrogate, was given a suspended sentence totalling 24 months for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and possession of cocaine and cannabis.

PC George Frost, from North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite Team in Harrogate, said: 

“We are working tirelessly to combat criminal exploitation and drug supply in the area, and will continue to proactively target those who would seek to gain from the sale of harmful illegal drugs in our communities.

“This court result sends a clear and robust message that the sale of Class A drugs on the streets of North Yorkshire will not be tolerated.”

Refurbishment reveals ‘ghost sign’ of former Harrogate library

Refurbishment of a former Chinese takeaway on Leeds Road, Harrogate, has unveiled a “ghost sign” of a tiny library that closed around 50 years ago.

Liberty Library was a subscription library where readers paid a nominal fee to rent books. It’s believed it was there from the 1930s until the early 1970s.

Subscription libraries were popular alternatives to larger public libraries in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Harrogate’s Boots chemist also offered a subscription library service in the town at the time.

Pannal and Harrogate historian, Anne Smith, said she remembers visiting Liberty Library in the early 1960s.

She said the books were not “highfalutin” and catered mainly to the female reader. It also sold toys, sweets, stationery, stamps and newspapers.

Ms Smith said:

“It was very useful. There was a big table the back with all different books on it. The books were tremendous.”

The sign was made by a business called Wilson Signs

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Leeds Road

Liberty Library also sold annuals for children such as School Friend, Dandy, Beano, Knock Out and Film Fun. Children would save up their pocket money throughout the year and come before Christmas to pick up the end-of-year editions.

Ms Smith said the section of Leeds Road looked different in those days. Some of the buildings that are shops today were houses and had gardens where there are now usually parked cars.

Other notable Leeds Road businesses at the time included Paul’s Bakery, Padgett’s greengrocers and Scott’s.

Leeds Road in 1955, with Liberty Library on the left. Photo credit: unknown.

Liberty Library closed in the early 1970s as subscription libraries went out of fashion.

Two people on social media shared their memories of Liberty Library with the Stray Ferret.

Brian Skinner said:

“I remember visiting it and borrowing books before I joined the children’s library in town. It must have been in the late 40s. We also ordered our Christmas annuals, paying for them over a period before Christmas. Happy days.”

John Carr said:

“I remember the Liberty Library from growing up in the area in the 50s & 60s. I used to buy my matchbox cars and other toys from it.”

Mr Carr has a directory of businesses from 1948 that lists Mrs E Worfolk as the proprietress of Liberty Library.

He added:

“I recall an elderly (weren’t they all when we were little?) man who ran it but didn’t know his name.”

The sign was spotted by Ghost Signs, a website and social media account that is dedicated to the fading remains of hand-painted advertising.

Anyone else spotted this find from @speccy2?

Would love to know more about the library, and what the tiny lettering bottom right is, likely a signwriter's signature…#ghostsigns #ghostsign #libertylibrary #harrogate #shopfront https://t.co/9ixNCusoLv

— Ghostsigns (Sam Roberts) (@ghostsigns) March 8, 2022

 

Sneak Peek: New electric bike shop opens in Harrogate

The Electric Bike Shop opened in Harrogate today, hoping to capitalise on cycling’s increased popularity since lockdown.

The shop, situated in the former Fulton’s Food unit on Leeds Road, has about 50 electric bikes in store, with more coming soon. Brands include Raleigh, Cube and Moustache.

It also sells cycling accessories and has an in-store workshop that undertakes repairs for electric and non-electric bikes.

Some of the bikes for sale.

The bikes range in price from £1,600 to £8,000 and contain rechargeable batteries that can last for between 20 and 70 miles.

It is The Electric Bike Shop’s ninth shop in England. Five have opened in the last 18 months, highlighting the impact of covid and environmental concerns on cycling participation.

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Kurt Davison, who manages the Harrogate branch, has been working in the electric bike market for eight years. He said:

“I’ve seen the industry grow and grow and it is now at a stage where it is no longer pigeon-holed as something for older people or people who don’t usually ride. Electric bikes make hills and headwind enjoyable!”

Harrogate Electric Bikes already operates in Harrogate and some other bike shops also include a selection of electric bikes.

The shop is in the former Fulton’s Foods unit on Leeds Road.

Alan Fowler, retail director of the Electric Bike Shop, said the quality of electric bikes had improved significantly in the last five years.

He added the product was well suited to Harrogate because it contained commuters to York and Leeds as well as pleasure riders in the Yorkshire Dales. He said:

“Harrogate suits our demographic really well.”

The shop employs three staff and plans to recruit one more.