The committee behind the scheme to buy Long Lands Common has said it hopes to open the site to public access this summer.

The Long Lands Common appeal raised £375,000 to purchase 30 acres of land near Nidderdale Greenway and protect it from development. About 3,000 people bought shares in the land.

Shareholders were due to take ownership of the land yesterday but a delay in legal proceedings means this has been put back until the end of the month.

Despite this, Long Lands Common Ltd, the community benefit society overseeing the project, still expects to welcome visitors this summer, when lockdown restrictions ease.

An access track near the green bridge on the Nidderdale Greenway will be used by visitors. The current access point on Bogs Lane will be restricted to disabled people and maintenance and emergency vehicles.

No permanent paths will be laid this year — the committee has said it wants people to get used to the land and give their opinions before implementing changes.

Read more:

• WATCH as members of the Long Lands committee give the Stray Ferret a tour of the land.
• We asked shareholders why they got involved in the project.

Chris Kitson, secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd, said the delay in shareholders taking ownership was “not a drastic setback”, adding:

“We need to make sure all these agreements are in place to make sure we do what we say we will.

“We are extremely pleased with the way things are going. The first aim is to get safe access so people can enjoy the area by the end of spring.”

The future of Long Lands Common, once earmarked for a relief road, finally looks secure for wildlife.

It is first and foremost a nature reserve but the goal is for the public to enjoy it too.

Ideas for the land include a duck pond but shareholders are invited to submit their own proposals.

The countdown is on to buy the remaining shares in Harrogate’s first community woodland.

Long Lands Common Ltd reached its initial £300,000 target to buy the 30 acres of land in November but appealed for a further £75,000.

These are the final shares the committee expects to offer for a few years and it is eager to meet the final target of £375,000.

The additional £75,000 is earmarked for improved access.

The current total is just over £340,000 and the cut off point is this Sunday. It says some of its donations are yet to be added to the totaliser.

It is hoped the committee will have taken ownership of the land in late January and can then organise an open day for March to let people see the land.

Read more:

• WATCH as the Long Lands committee give the Stray Ferret a tour of the land. 
• The community woodland is secured. 

Secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd, Chris Kitson, said:

“It’ll be the last chance for a while, maybe a few years, until we set up an open membership. All in all it’s been quite a challenge with covid but it may have helped because people wanted optimism and something to look forward to.

“Hopefully we can inspire others to do the same it could be quite a movement standing up and taking action.”

Some of the ideas for the land include a duck pond and a sensory garden with shareholders invited to offer their own ideas too.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

The people behind the campaign to buy Harrogate’s first community woodland have appealed for volunteers to help plant trees after achieving their fundraising target.

Rick Brewis and Trish Sanders have been part of the Long Lands Common Ltd committee from the beginning of the ambitious venture.

The pair are local landowners and were passionate about stopping plans for a bypass through green land.

They supported the move to buy 30 acres of local land for £300,000 and turn it into a community woodland.

So far the initiative has raised almost £320,000, allowing the group to begin planning the next steps.

Rick and Trish say plans are in place to begin infrastructure work in Spring 2021 – this will include footpaths and working on a disability access point. Tree planting is due to begin next autumn.

Trish and Rick are looking forward to starting work on the woodland.

The committee has been blown away by the response and is now encouraging shareholders to volunteer to help with planting.

Long Lands Common Ltd is continuing to fundraise until December 20 to try and reach its final target of £375,000.

The initial £300,000 target enabled the group to buy the land; funds raised beyond that will go towards the infrastructure work.

Read more:

• We asked people why they bought shares in Long Lands Common.
• Dreams become a reality as Long Lands Common Ltd reach their target to buy the land. 

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Great news for the residents of Spofforth; the relentless encroachment of concrete on countryside has been stopped, or at least paused.  Harrogate Borough Council planning committee made what sounds like a good decision this week to reject a planning application to build 72 homes in the village.

Having given outline approval for the scheme in March 2019, sight of final detailed plans for the development clearly spooked the council horse, with the planning committee voting it down 6-3 in the face of a council report recommending the application be granted.  Hurray.  Local residents had described the development as “a carbuncle of urban sprawl” and had mobilised an effective campaign to block it.  Historic England, Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the council’s principal ecologist, North Yorkshire’s highways, the Lead Local Flood Authority and Spofforth Parish Council joined 300 residents in raising concerns about the scheme.  This is local democracy in action and is why we need more of it.  It demonstrates that politicians can do the right thing, if we pay enough attention, get organised and fight for a just cause.

Meanwhile, up the road on Long Lands Common, People Power has also won out.  A campaign to raise funds for the creation of a community forest, community owned and to be accessible for all, reached a key milestone of £300k.  This means the land can be bought, ensure we can enjoy verdant space and, of course, protect our environment. This is just brilliant news and further demonstrates what people can achieve when they act together for the common good.

One politician whom it seems can be guaranteed not to do the right thing is Priti Patel.  It turns out our hectoring, reactionary Home Secretary is a bully, so says Sir Alex Allan, the government’s independent advisors on standards.  It seems that in her dealings with her civil servants, including toward her Permanent Secretary Sir Philip Rutman, Ms. Patel’s behaviour (allegedly harassing and belittling) broke the ministerial code.  Sir Philip resigned (very publicly) in a huff and is now suing for wrongful dismissal.

Although I wish he wouldn’t, Boris will stand by her I suspect.  The Prime Minister is fast running out of political friends and allies, particularly those Brexiteer fellow travellers primarily responsible for his elevation.  Friends he chose at the very last when he wrote two versions of his referendum coming out article, one Remain, one Brexit, before sniffing the wind and throwing in with the Little Englanders.  With Cummings and Cain gone he can’t afford to lose Patel in close succession.  If Patel had any honour she would resign.  She doesn’t and she won’t.

(While writing I have just received a news notification on my mobile phone to report that Sir Alex Allan has resigned following Boris Johnson’s ruling that the Home Secretary had, in his view, not broken the ministerial code. The Prime Minister has, in effect, officially sanctioned bullying in his government.  It really is a world gone mad. Black is white. Up is down. White slacks after November 1^st.  Red wine with fish.  It’s sickening). 

It isn’t as if the the Home Secretary doesn’t have form.  She had to resign her previous cabinet post as International Development Secretary in 2017, having been caught out freelancing in Israel with the Conservative Friends thereof (the CFI).  Forced to fly home in disgrace, on arrival she was photographed grinning like a Cheshire Cat from the front seat of a Jag.  Shameless.

Patel claimed she had been on a private holiday, although she had been accompanied on the trip by Lord Stuart Polak, the Chair of CFI.  They held upwards of a dozen meetings with Israeli government officials and political leaders.  Some holiday.  An even if you buy her version of events, what of her judgment?

This week’s further revelations of the way the government procured PPE equipment during the panic created by the advent of Covid are shocking.  A Spanish businessman, Gabriel Gonzalez Andersson, was paid a £21m commission by a Floridian Jeweller, Michael Saiger, to secure contracts worth a staggering quarter of a billion pounds for providing PPE at the height of the crisis.

I can forgive not buying British, what mattered then (as now) was saving lives.  I can forgive too using emergency powers, rather than the usual strangled, extended and often painful procurement processes.  What I can’t forgive is awarding contracts to suppliers with no prior experience in manufacturing essential medical equipment.  Saiger is a jewellery designer and owns a fashion brand for goodness sake.  Although the makers of novelty face coverings might beg to differ, looking good is not top priority during a pandemic.

Saiger is now reportedly suing Andersson for his middle-man money back.  Here at home The Good Law Group is on the case and is set to challenge the legality of the deal with the Department of Health and Social Care.  I hope the case succeeds, exposing as it does a total breakdown in good governance, a blithe disregard for the way taxpayers (yours and mine) money is spent and a supine acceptance of the worst consequences of the untrammelled market economy.  It drains the last reserves of my support for the Conservative supply-side ‘ideals’.  I’m currently reading a book called by Paul Collier and John Kay called “Greed is Dead; Politics After Individualism.”  All evidence to the contrary it seems.  Freedom should not be this expensive.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Read More: 

• Spofforth: a broken planning system that’s failed a village
• Controversial housing development in Spofforth rejected 
• Strayside Sunday: bailing out Welcome to Yorkshire was the right thing to do

The Stray Ferret has been investigating the unprecedented amount of housing development in the district and examining the impact of Harrogate Borough Council’s failure to have a Local Development Plan up to March 2020. 

In a series of special reports each morning from tomorrow we will be asking: 

Building Boom or Housing Crisis– have the wrong homes been built, in the wrong places at the wrong price? 

“Leaving a legacy” and ensuring “safe areas for wildlife” were some of the driving forces that have encouraged people to buy shares in the district’s first community woodland.

Today, the Long Lands Common Ltd announced thousands of local people’s dreams had become a reality as it raised the funds to buy 30 acres of land in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The project’s aim was provide an area for the whole community to enjoy and create a wildlife haven.

But for many shareholders it gave them the opportunity to pass something on to future generations and ensure there was always some green space for them to enjoy.

“The shares are for them”

Dave Hamilton, Harrogate, said:

“I have four grandchildren and I wanted them to grow up with the hope of green space. I wanted to improve their awareness of the natural world around them. The shares are for them.”

Tracey Davison-Franks, Harrogate, said:

“I wanted to know what legacy I could give to my grandson and this felt just right. The value of the great outdoors is something we have lost a little with technology but we can make memories with him here. We wanted something we could pass down. This was our opportunity to do something meaningful and benefit those future generations.”

James McKay, an artist from Knaresborough drew what proposed plans for the 30 acres could look like.

For others it was their determination to protect natural habitats that encouraged them to buy shares.

“I think it’s worth saving”

Ben Thompson, Harrogate, said:

“For me it was my love of nature and natural history and the need to preserve the natural world. Things like this will help make the proposed road difficult, we are preserving what we’ve got for future generations. I think it’s worth saving.”

Gillie McAvoy, Harrogate, said:

“We are huge wildlife lovers in our house, we have lived along the Nidd Gorge for 30 years. It was really important for us to provide those safe areas wildlife especially with all the development going on.”

Read more:

• Planning decision for a proposed development in the Pinewoods has been delayed. 
• Green groups in Harrogate have united to increase the pressure on the borough council to tackle climate change.

After four months of community share sales the target has been reached. Thanks to a huge response from people in the district and beyond the local community has a space to call their own.

“Given the community a reason to smile”

Faye Harris-Frost, Harrogate, said:

“Having so much natural beauty on our doorstep is something that we are extremely thankful for. The idea that some of these areas may not still be around when our children are fully grown is incredibly sad and so we were keen to sign up.

At a time when many people feel disillusioned and let down by the powers that be, the scheme has not only given the community a reason to smile and hope for the future but has shown what we can all achieve when we work together to drive change.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough will have a community woodland after the Long Lands Common group reached its target to buy 30 acres of local land.

Today, the volunteers announced the £300,000 target had been reached thanks to a huge response from people in the district and beyond buying shares.

The Long Lands Common group, ran solely by volunteers, can now buy the greenbelt land and begin its plans to turn it into an area for all to use. One of its main aim is to improve the biodiversity of the land and make it a woodland nature reserve.

The group made an agreement a year ago to raise the money to buy the two large fields to deter a bypass being built in the future.

The area will be managed by the Long Lands Common Ltd, a community benefit society.

A bird’s eye view of the area bought by Long Lands Common Ltd. Photograph: Gary Lawson.

After four months of community share sales Chris Kitson, secretary of Long Lands Common Ltd,  said he was thrilled:

“It’s all systems go, we’re absolutely delighted. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. It’s a community empowerment project and hopefully it’ll encourage others to do the same.

“It is proof that there is great enthusiasm and demand for a greener, more sustainable way of life. Record numbers of local people responded to show that they want a nature reserve instead of a road and they have funded it from their own pockets. It shows we can think and act for ourselves and be the change we wish to see in the world”

The share offer will be extended until December 20 to attempt to reach the maximum target of £375,000. This funding will be used for infrastructure projects to make it a publicly accessible green space.

Further funding will allow the construction of an access ramp, a new site entrance to the site from the Nidderdale Greenway, footpaths, ponds and a compost toilet can be built.

Read more:

• Planning decision, that includes the felling of local trees, has been delayed.
• There are now two climate coalitions groups in Harrogate   – is the town big enough for both?

The following six months will be used to put together the final plans for the 30 acres, previous ideas have included a duck pond and a sensory garden. Long Lands Common Ltd says it will consult with ecologists and take on the views of the local community.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

The organisation behind plans to build the Harrogate district’s first community-owned woodland has just 10 days left to raise the final £50,000.

The Long Lands Common Community Benefit Society, which aims to buy open farmland between Harrogate and Knaresborough, has so far secured £252,400 of its £300,000 target.

It has set a deadline of November 20 to reach the target.

The society recently delivered 48,000 leaflets to local homes encouraging people to buy shares in the scheme.

It now plans to take news of the appeal national and offer people “their own piece of Yorkshire land”.

The greenbelt section of land sits between the Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck.

A duck pond and a sensory garden are just some of the ideas for the land. Photograph: Gary Lawson.

It consists of 30 acres of farmland that was previously looked at by North Yorkshire County Council as a location for a bypass.

The society hopes buying the land will prevent another bid for a bypass, create a green space local people can enjoy and increase the biodiversity in the area.

Chris Kitson, one of the organisers, said:

“We want to be part of the solution. Habitats are being lost by local developments and we want to address that imbalance.

“We are very hopeful about reaching our target. We just need more people to buy shares and help make a positive change.”

Read more:

• WATCH as we look at the land hoped to be used for the community woodland. 
• The local green party has began a petition against Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to expand its site. 

One of the first items on the society’s agenda is to improve access to the woodland by creating an accessible entrance suitable for wheelchairs and prams.

Once the money is raised the Long Lands Common team will consider other plans, including creating a duck pond, wildflower meadow and a sensory garden.

The volunteers hope that through further social media campaigning and word of mouth the target will be reached and plans can get underway.

To learn more and buy shares, head to the website here.

Plans for a 30-acre community-owned woodland are dependent on public support to meet an ambitious financial deadline.

Harrogate community project, Long Lands Common, has to raise £300,000 by mid-November if it is to succeed. Currently the amount raised stands at just over £60,000, less than a third of what is required. It would mean 4,765 individual purchases of a £50.00 share are needed.

The greenbelt plot of land stands between Bilton Triangle and The Avenue in Starbeck. An official shareholding scheme was launched last week to allow people to buy into the community project.

Jo Smalley, Membership Secretary of Long Lands Common, said:

“Our fundraising target to purchase the land is currently November 20 as agreed by the landowner. Despite the encouraging response so far, we know we cannot be complacent and must continue to push on with determination. There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes by our experienced team of volunteers to put us in the best position to make the project a success. It is humbling to be working alongside such a committed team of local people.”

Long Lands Common Limited (LLCL) is made up of volunteers from the Nidd Gorge Community Action Group, the team responsible for blocking North Yorkshire County Council’s plans to build a relief road through Nidd Gorge.

The committee’s vision is for the Harrogate community to come together to create an accessible space for families, future generations and wildlife habitats.

Read More:

• Environmental campaigner quits Harrogate Climate Coalition
• Communities must step in to save red phone boxes in Harrogate district

LLCL have said the space will be hugely beneficial for the Harrogate district’s mental health. The project will also support the Northern Forest’s goal which is to plant 50 million trees across Northern England.

A duck pond, wildflower meadow, sensory garden and woodlands craft area has been included in visionary plans. Sights are also set on a children’s woodland and educational area to support learning. Over 1500 people have pledged their interest to date.

Ms Smalley said:

“A £300,000 target is of course an ambitious one but we are feeling confident given the support we have received so far from the communities of Harrogate and Knaresborough in the pledging stage, and those people who have already gone on to buy their shares since they went on sale just two weeks ago. We appreciate the support very much and look forward to seeing the rest of our pledges turned into pounds!”

Volunteers are asking for all who have shown an interest to further their support by buying shares. Shares have to be bought in £50 lots, with the minimum amount set at £50 up to £37,500.

Shares can be bought on behalf of an organisation, business, as a gift or donated as inheritance wishes. Anyone buying shares has to be at least 16 years of age.

To learn more and buy shares, go to the Long Lands Common website.