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M&S to give ‘golden tickets’ to first 200 people at Oatlands foodhall tomorrow

Marks & Spencer is to award ‘golden tickets’ to the first 200 customers at its Harrogate Oatlands foodhall tomorrow to mark the store’s official re-opening.

The foodhall on Leeds Road has undergone a major refurbishment and extension. It is now 60% bigger, and includes a bakery and wine shop — but the customer cafe is much smaller.

Although it is currently trading, tomorrow’s official reopening will see Percy Pig award golden tickets to the first shoppers at 9am. Each ticket guarantees a prize ranging from a free bag of sweets or cookies to a £200 voucher.

Store manager David Anderson said:

“We can’t wait until Tuesday morning when we can welcome customers through our doors.

“It’s been a busy few weeks behind the scenes working hard to put things together and we’re excited for everyone to see what the new store has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch on the go or doing your big weekly shop – we’ve got you covered.”

The store, which employs 125 staff on Oatlands Retail Park, is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9pm and on Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

Long awaited Oatlands Drive cycling survey launched

A long awaited survey on cycling and walking plans for the Oatlands Drive area of Harrogate has finally been launched more than a year-and-a-half after original proposals for one-way traffic were scrapped.

Residents are being asked to make suggestions via an online map ahead of plans being presented by North Yorkshire County Council later this year.

The consultation comes after the council was awarded government funding, but later binned its plans for a one-way traffic system in March 2021 following widespread opposition from residents who said the changes would be “disastrous” for the wider Saints area.

A 20mph limit and traffic filters were then proposed, however, residents were still unhappy.

The council then announced it would use the £200,000 it was awarded from the government’s Active Travel Fund to carry out a review which includes the survey launched today.

But progress up until now has been slow and it could still be some time before any road changes are introduced as the council said it will have to wait for further funding opportunities.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the delays for all active travel schemes in Harrogate have been “incredibly frustrating” and that he believes there has been some “muddled thinking” on the Oatlands Drive area.

He said:

“We have said all along that there needs to be a segregated cycleway on Oatlands Drive to encourage people to link with the Harrogate gateway project.

“But whatever they decide to do, they are going to have to get on and have the backbone to deliver.”

As well as the survey, the council is also gathering traffic data looking at parking and how people choose to travel in the Oatlands Drive area which includes St. John Fisher Catholic High School and St. Aidan’s Church of England High School.

The council said this will capture the volume and speed of traffic, as well as what type of vehicles are used.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the authority, added:

“We are looking at options for active travel and traffic calming improvements in the Oatlands area as part of our aim to encourage cycling and walking, easing congestion and improving air quality in Harrogate.

“Previous consultations about the Oatlands area have generated a lot of comments, so we have made a commitment to carry out a more detailed study to assess possible improvements there.

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

Under other active travel schemes, the council previously said final designs for Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough – which include cycle lanes, improved crossings and reduced speed limits – were “likely” to be revealed this summer.

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

To have your say on proposals for Oatlands Drive here.

Cycling and walking plans ‘not a top priority’ for county council, says campaign group

A campaign group has claimed that improvements for cycling and walking in Harrogate are not a top priority for the county council which has revealed more delays for key projects.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said transport officials have found more time for infrastructure upgrades for cars than active travel.

His comments come after North Yorkshire County Council announced it is preparing to launch a consultation on plans for Oatlands Drive and phase two of the Otley Road cycle path which now won’t be built until at least next summer.

Mr Douglas said the latest delays were “incredibly frustrating” and that it is now “vital” that progress is made.

He said:

“Unfortunately we know the priorities tend to be on issues around car transport – and that can be seen in the time it has taken to get these active travel schemes moving.

“Some of the first consultations on these schemes were held in January 2019 and yet here we are still doing the same thing now.

“The most disappointing thing of course is the latest on the Otley Road cycle path. There are no firm dates and it just keeps flipping away from us.

“But I’m not surprised as vague deadlines seem to be the order of the day.”

This coming Monday will see the launch of the long-awaited consultation on new proposals for Oatlands Drive after original plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped after a backlash from residents.

This came after government funding for the scheme was awarded in November 2020.

But the delays for the Otley Road cycle path stretch back much further after the project first secured cash in 2017.

Five years on, the first phase of the route has yet to be completed as some sections need to be rebuilt, whilst final designs for phase two have not been revealed.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the county council, said three design options are being considered for the second phase and that the consultation results will be presented in November. He said:

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.

“There are pros and cons for all of the proposed designs which is why we need to engage with local residents and stakeholders.

“It’s important to consider the possibility of conflict between road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the impact on properties along the route and parking.”

Councillor Duncan added:

“Previous consultations about the Oatlands area have generated a lot of comments, so we have made a commitment to carry out a more detailed study to assess possible improvements there.

“Once completed, we will assess public responses along with the traffic data to develop potential options.”

The first phase of the Otley Road cycle path opened at the start of this year, but some sections are to be rebuilt following safety complaints. This includes the junction with Harlow Moor Road, although the county council has yet to purchase a plot of land to make the junction bigger.

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

Consultations on final designs for cycling and walking improvements on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough have also been pushed back until at least the New Year.

And there have been further setbacks for Harroagte’s Gateway project which has been hit by a legal threat.

This sparked a third consultation on the £11.2 million project and over 2,000 responses were received in summer ahead of a pending decision from the county council on whether to submit a final business case for funding.

New plans to promote cycling in Harrogate to be revealed on Monday

A consultation will begin on Monday on new plans to promote cycling and walking in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council also revealed today it now “hopes” to start phase two of the Otley Road cycle route in summer next year — more than a year after it had planned to begin.

Monday’s consultation will ask for suggestions to improve active travel in and around Oatlands Drive, as well as for views on the Otley Road cycle route, its links with Beech Grove and the town centre.

Previous plans to reduce congestion in Oatlands, which included introducing a one-way system on Oatlands Drive, were shelved in spring last year after numerous complaints.

As part of its latest plans, the county council will undertake a traffic survey looking at parking, modes of transport and the volume and speed of traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“We are looking at options for active travel and traffic calming improvements in the Oatlands area as part of our aim to encourage cycling and walking, easing congestion and improving air quality in Harrogate.

“Previous consultations about the Oatlands area have generated a lot of comments, so we have made a commitment to carry out a more detailed study to assess possible improvements there.

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

Cllr Duncan said he hoped “potential options” would be presented by the end of the year “so they will be ready when further funding becomes available”.

Further public engagement on phase two of Otley Road cycle route, its links with Beech Grove and the town centre will run alongside that of Oatlands Drive, focusing on the final designs.

‘Pros and cons for all designs’

Three options for the cycle route are being considered. A meet the designer event will also be held for local stakeholder groups and residents, allowing them the opportunity to discuss the options in further detail.

Cllr Duncan added:

“There are pros and cons for all of the proposed designs which is why we need to engage with local residents and stakeholders.

“It’s important to consider the possibility of conflict between road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the impact on properties along the route and parking.”

The interactive map showing proposed town centre cycle routes.

An interactive map giving an overview of active travel projects in Harrogate and how they link together is available here.

The consultation will run from Monday until November 28. Further details will be available here.

Business Breakfast: Harrogate’s Christmas plans revealed this week

Harrogate Business Improvement District will be joined by representatives from Market Place Europe and Destination Harrogate to share plans for Christmas 2022 to businesses.

Last Christmas saw a change to previous years with the creation of the first Harrogate Christmas Fayre, in the town centre from December 3 to 12. Festivities included a free road train called the Candy Cane Express, a carousel, helter skelter and ferris wheel.

It followed Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to deny a licence to the former market organised by the Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill.

The meeting this Thursday is at the Yorkshire Hotel’s Sky Bar at 5.30pm.

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“At Thursday’s BID Club, we will be informing businesses what will be happening within the town centre this festive season.

“We will be joined by Destination Harrogate and Market Place Europe, who will update us on this year’s Christmas Fayre, including location and number of stalls.

“This meeting is open to all businesses within the BID area, and will be an opportunity for them to ask questions, and to find out how that can get involved with making Christmas 2022 a festive season to remember.”

To reserve a space email info@harrogatebid.co.uk..

M&S temporarily closes cafe at Harrogate Oatlands

How the food hall will look.

Marks and Spencer has temporarily closed its cafe at its Oatlands food hall in Harrogate.

The company planned to close the cafe for good as part of an expansion of its Leeds Road site, but decided to retain it after a customer petition.

But a smaller, new-look cafe will open when the expanded site is launched.

The rest of the food hall will continue to trade throughout with some areas blocked off while the work is underway.

Store manager David Anderson said:

“We’re delighted to confirm that as part of the upcoming extension and refresh of our Harrogate Oatlands store, customers will be able enjoy a new-look M&S cafe alongside a fresh-market style food hall, offering a bigger range of M&S food products than ever before.

“We expect to complete the works later this year and will keep the local community updated as they progress. We would also like to thank local residents around us for their ongoing support as we work to improve the store.”

M&S café in Harrogate saved after U-turn

Marks & Spencer has decided to retain a café at its Leeds Road food hall in Harrogate after previously saying it would close.

The company announced in December it planned to increase the size of its food hall at Oatlands by more than 70% and extend into the neighbouring Sofa.com retail unit.

It said the scheme would enable it to ‘deliver a bigger, better and fresher new-look food hall’ but that it would mean closing the in-store café.

How the Oatlands food hall will look.

The café is a popular meeting point and the news prompted a petition calling for it to be retained.

M&S has now confirmed to the Stray Ferret that its new look food hall will include a café.

The woman who organised the petition, who lives near the food hall but asked not to be named, said the manager of the store had contacted her to say the café would be retained but would be smaller. She said she understood it was likely to be similar in size to the new Pret shop in Harrogate town centre.

But she welcomed the decision to retain the café:

“I’m pleased. There isn’t a café like it in the area. It’s a place people go to meet friends, especially older people.

“I think they recognise the whole community uses it and a lot of people said they wouldn’t go there any more if it closed.”

Harrogate petanque player triumphs in national competition

A Harrogate petanque player has won a prestigious national competition as part of a team from Yorkshire.

Charles Stewart was one of three players who travelled to Leicester for the Petanque England National Veterans Triples competition.

Along with Alan Swift from Wetherby and Richard Burrow from Leeds, he took part in the league stages of the contest before going on to the knock-out rounds.

“Our main aim was to qualify for the main knock-out, getting through to the last eight. We achieved that last year but got knocked out in the quarter final.

“This time we went and played the quarter final, then the semi, and got through to the final where we played three ex-international players. I imagine we were probably the solid underdogs on paper, playing the pedigree of the people we were up against!

“It was one of those great occasions where things go your way. We were 11-1 or 12-1 up and said to each other, ‘it’s not over yet’. They had a little flurry of activity but we managed to nip it in the bud and the final score was 13-5.

“It was certainly worth the trip to Leicester!”

The team of three, who play under the name Le Dragon, are now set to represent Yorkshire in Lowestoft at an inter-regional contest in September. Yorkshire has just been promoted back into the first division so the trio know they will face strong competition across the two-day event.

Despite the high level they play at, Mr Stewart said the events retain the friendly, sociable feel of local, informal games, which is one of the attractions for participants.

Mr Stewart, who was a founding member of Harrogate Montpellier Petanque Club and is now president of Yorkshire Petanque, said interest in the sport across the Harrogate district has never been higher.

A new terrain has been built in Darley, while the Harrogate club has created a new headquarters with 10 courts in the grounds of Pannal Ash Junior Football Club next to Oatlands Junior School.

Meanwhile, local club members often travel to play in Ilkley, Wetherby, Horsforth and Leeds.

Mr Stewart said:

“Terrains are popping up everywhere, usually on a smaller scale because it’s often an enthusiastic group of individuals who get the ball rolling.

“In lockdown, when it was permitted to play socially distanced sport outside, it was perfect. Every club I’m aware of grew during the last two years.

“We’re trying our best to motivate and get these small clubs enthused. When you are playing in a highly visible site, like the pierhead in central Harrogate, it attracts people to stop and watch. It goes from six or eight people involved to now around 50 members in Harrogate.

“A lot of clubs suffer from being hidden away behind a hedge or a fence. The more people see it’s a game for all ages and there’s no restriction on who can play, the better.”

Harrogate club chairman Nigel Clay added:

“We are delighted for Charles and his success at becoming a national champion. As the regional chairman, Charles is also working very hard to help develop the sport across Yorkshire, and with increasing interest across the county.”

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.

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.

Travellers arrive on Oatlands Park in Harrogate

Travellers have set up a camp on Oatlands Park in Harrogate.

Vehicles, which arrived last night, are believed to have gained access from Hookstone Road.

A post preventing traffic from entering the park was lying on the ground this morning.

Where the vehicles are believed to have entered.

Almost 20 vehicles are parked on the grass, at the side of the field.

The Harrogate Borough Council-maintained park includes public toilets, a play area for children and is a popular place for football matches.

The Stray Ferret has approached Harrogate Borough Council to ask if it is taking any action.

Travellers on Oatlands Park

Dozens of objections to ‘ludicrous’ Crimple Valley housing plan

Almost 70 objections have been submitted in two weeks after plans were put forward to build 35 homes in the Crimple Valley.

The outline proposal for Almsford Bank Stables includes 14 affordable homes, seven first homes and 14 self or custom build (SCB) plots.

However, 69 public comments have been received since Monday, June 20, all of which oppose the plans.

Among them, nearby resident Jules Sibson said:

“This application is ludicrous. There is no way the access here would be safe.

“Only a few weeks ago the road was closed for some period of time to a major road traffic accident. The traffic is stacked back on a regular basis, and if it’s not then people speed up and down the hill. A junction here would surely lead to disaster.

“As a local who also regularly enjoys the beautiful walks along here with my children I am literally dumbfounded this planning would even be re-considered.”

The proposed site, outlined in red, lies in the Crimple Valley

Another from Judith Hooper 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.”

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

It is the third application for the site 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.

The site is not included in Harrogate Borough Council’s local plan, which guides where development can take place in the district.

One objection to the latest proposal by the same applicant said the repeated applications were a “waste of everyone’s time”.

However, the application argues that the district does not have a sufficient supply of SCB sites to meet its obligations.

Consultees have also submitted their responses, with National Highways (formerly Highways England) saying it had no objections to the proposals.

However, some have opposed the plans. The Harrogate branch of the Ramblers’ Association said:

“We object strongly to this latest outline application to develop this site. Any housing development here would seriously damage public amenity…

“We object to the building of houses in this special landscape. We object to this area of countryside being urbanised.

“The indicative layout shows the bridleway diverted onto a new estate road for part of its length. We object because there has been no provision made for the bridleway to be kept separate from the proposed access road to the houses.

“We do not accept a right of way being incorporated into a vehicular access road for a housing development. There is no provision to keep the non-motorised route separate from the housing estate road, but it is unlikely this can be achieved on this site.”

The plans have been submitted by Square Feet Ltd, whose registered address is on nearby Fulwith Mill Lane, and Antela Developments Ltd, two of whose three directors also live on Fulwith Mill Lane.

To view or comment on the plans, visit the Harrogate Borough Council planning website and use reference 22/02233/OUTMAJ.

The consultation ends on Sunday, July 10. A date for the application to be decided by the council has yet to be set.

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‘Pros and cons for all designs’

M&S temporarily closes cafe at Harrogate Oatlands

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Off work for 24 weeks

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