Serious accident closes A1 southbound between junction 47 and 48

The A1 southbound between junction 47 and 48, near Boroughbridge, is closed following a serious accident.

North Yorkshire Police has said emergency services are at the scene of the incident that happened at 7.48am this morning.

The driver and passengers are believed to have serious, but not life threatening injuries. The accident involved a single vehicle.

The closure is in place on the southbound carriageway between junction 47, with exits to Knaresborough and the A59 and junction 48, for Boroughbridge.

Delays of over 30 minutes are being reported.

The police is asking for any witness to call 101 and press 1 and pass any information of the force control room.

They have also urged drivers to avoid the area.

J47 and J48

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Will Grigg’s on fire, 92 miles per hour

A Sunderland A.F.C player has received a six month driving ban and a fine after he was caught speeding on the A1 (M) in 2019.

William Grigg was driving at speeds of up to 92 mph on the motorway in November 2019 near Ingmanthorpe.

North Yorkshire Police stopped Mr Grigg in his Audi A6 after he exceeded the 70mph speed limit.

He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge but later changed this to guilty .

Sentenced at North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court last week, he was given a six month driving ban, four penalty points and a fine of £1,000.

The Magistrates’ Court deemed a disqualification necessary as it was a repeat offence for Mr Grigg.

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As well as the £1,000 fine he must also pay £100 surcharge to victim services and pay costs of £85.

The 29-year-old currently lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon and has been ordered to pay the £1,185 by May 12.

The striker is currently on loan at League One side Milton Keynes Dons.

Police appeal after A1 near Knaresborough closure

Police are appealing for information following an incident which closed the A1 southbound near Knaresborough.

North Yorkshire Police closed the road between junctions 47 and 48 earlier this morning.

Officers said the incident involved a single vehicle and have appealed for anyone who saw a Black VW estate car with hazard lights on which was on the southbound carriageway.

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A police statement said:

“The road closed shortly after 6.25am due to an incident involving a single vehicle.

“Officers are appealing for anyone who saw a  Black VW estate car with hazard lights on and was stationary, on the southbound carriageway between 5am and 6.30am, to come forward. 

“Officers also request that anyone with any dashcam footage from the area at that time gets in touch.

“Dial 101, press 2 and ask for Traffic Constable 174 David Minto. Alternatively you can email David.minto@northyorkshire.police.uk

“Please use reference number 12210091937 when passing on any information.”

The A1 southbound between junctions 47 and 48 has now been reopened.

‘There is a need’ for A1 service station near Kirby Hill, inquiry told

The company behind a proposed motorway service station on the A1 near Kirby Hill has told a public inquiry there is an “established need” for the facility.

Applegreen Plc, a Dublin-based company which runs filling stations in the USA, UK and Ireland, is appealing a decision by Harrogate Borough Council to reject its plan in 2019.

It is the fourth time the development, just north of Boroughbridge, has been brought before a planning inquiry in 25 years.

David Rose, the government’s planning inspector, opened the inquiry this morning.

The inquiry is also hearing an appeal from Moto Hospitality for a service station at junction 50 near Ripon. The borough council refused the plan in October last year.

The hearings are being held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Opening statements were heard from Applegreen, the borough council, Moto Hospitality and Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services today.

‘Urgent’ need for services

Rhodri Price Lewis, who is representing Applegreen, said there was an “established need” for a new motorway service area between Wetherby services and Leeming Bar.

He said the “primary function” of services is to support safety and welfare of drivers.

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Mr Price Lewis argued that government policy now required services to be located no more than 28 miles apart and that the distance between Wetherby and Leeming Bar exceeded this.

He told the inquiry:

“There is a need for a motorway service area and the Applegreen site is well placed to meet that need.”

He added the £40 million Applegreen site would create a “substantial amount” of new jobs.

Addressing concerns the site would encroach into the open countryside, Mr Price Lewis said it was “inevitable” and “inescapable” that agricultural land would have to be used “if the need is to be met”.

The site off the A1 northbound between junctions 48 and 49, where multiple plans for a motorway service station have been submitted.

The site off the A1 northbound between junctions 48 and 49, where multiple plans for a motorway service station have been submitted.

Meanwhile, Peter Dixon, speaking on behalf of Moto Hospitality, said the proposed services near Ripon would better serve the A1.

He told the inquiry that a delay in the upgrade at Leeming Bar, which was given permission in 2012, demonstrated an “urgent” need for a new service station.

Developers “will not take no for an answer”

Stephen Wale, representing Harrogate Borough Council, told the inquiry there was no need for the services.

He added the Applegreen site would encroach into open countryside and harm the landscape.

Mr Wale said drivers already had the benefit of two services within a short distance of each other and that the proposed site was not allocated in the council’s Local Plan, which is the blueprint for future planning in the district.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

He said:

“In short, there is no need for either of the appeal schemes.

“There is an existing motorway service area at Wetherby. There is a motorway rest area at Leeming Bar, controlled by Moto, and development has begun there with respect to a planning permission granted for a motorway service area.”

The inquiry also heard from Gareth Owens, chair of Kirby Hill RAMS, who spoke on behalf of residents.

He said the Applegreen site had already been rejected by councillors, inspectors and the High Court multiple times over the last 25 years.

Mr Owens said: 

“The question that local people are asking, sir, is ‘why are we even here again’? 

“The answer, sadly, is that this site has a recalcitrant promoter who, despite 25 years of refusal, will not take ‘no’ for an answer, because they have no respect for the properly-taken decisions of the planning system.”

He added that the residents’ group disagreed with claims from the developer that the distance between the two current services was 28 miles.

Mr Owens said the service station was not needed and would be an “unnecessary development”.

The inquiry is expected to continue for 11 days.

A1 service station plan to enter fourth inquiry

After 25 years of multiple inquiries and court hearings, another inquiry into building a motorway service station A1 near Kirby Hill is set to open today.

It will be the fourth time the proposal has gone before a planning inspector since 1996.

The ongoing saga has left residents feeling battle weary. They have described it as “a burden on the village”.

Quarter of a century of hearings

In October 1996, Heaver Ive Associates, a property developer, submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for a 24/7 service station between junctions 48 and 49 on the A1 northbound.

It would become the first in a long running saga pitting residents against developers that would eventually reach London’s High Court and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

After initially seeing permission granted after a public inquiry in 1999, a High Court judge quashed the decision just 12 months later.

From there, the plans failed to convince both Harrogate Borough Councillors and planning inspectors in 2005 and 2012.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

On both occasions, the Secretary of State opted to approve a different service station to serve the A1.

In 2005, Wetherby services were given the green light to be built. Approval to upgrade Leeming Bar followed seven years later.

After successive refusals by Harrogate Borough Council, Dublin-based Applegreen Plc, which runs petrol stations in the UK, United States and Ireland, submitted a fresh proposal.

The company’s plans in 2018 promised creating a spot to “refresh in a comfortable and welcoming environment”.

But, a year later, councillors denied permission again on the grounds that the site was not suitable for a service station and was not included in the district Local Plan.

The authority said in a decision notice that the development was “unsustainable” and would encroach into the open countryside resulting in “harm to the landscape and irreversible damage to agricultural land”.

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Applegreen appealed the decision in January last year, but the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic delayed the subsequent inquiry until this year.

What is the latest proposal?

The latest plans would see a service station built on the west side of the A1(M) north of the B6265 between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

A bridge would connect the site on the northbound carriageway with the southbound, while roundabouts with slip roads would connect the site with the A1.

Included in the application is a filling station, hot and cold food outlets and a drive-through coffee shop.

It also includes parking spaces for 364 cars, 90 heavy goods vehicles, 20 motorcycles, 18 coaches and 13 caravans.

What happens now?

The government’s Planning Inspectorate will open a public inquiry today.

The inspector will hear both the Applegreen and an application from Moto Hospitality for a service station near Ripon at junction 50, which was also refused.

A spokesperson for the Planning Inspectorate said that both would be considered by one inspector “in the interests of efficiency” because they have common issues and are within the same local authority area.

An inspector will hear the case and publish a judgement at a later date.

Villagers battle weary as fourth inquiry into A1 service station starts

Residents in Kirby Hill have said plans for a motorway service station have been “a burden” on the village for the past 25 years.

Kirkby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services (RAMS) have campaigned against four applications on the site on the A1 northbound, which is just 500 yards from the village.

In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, the application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced three public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

Now, residents are set for a fourth public inquiry tomorrow after Applegreen, the latest developer to have submitted a proposal, has appealed against another rejection by Harrogate Borough Council.

Gareth Owens, chair of the RAMS since 2002, said the village is tired of fighting the proposals and expect them to come back every five years.

He said:

“The thing people say to me is ‘when will no mean no?’.

“This is the fourth public inquiry in 25 years and it’s a burden on the village.”

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

Mr Owens and his team will once again mobilise for the inquiry tomorrow.

Twenty-two residents will give evidence to the inquiry, which is being held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Residents are expected to argue that there is no need for another service station on the A1 and that the development would do more harm than good.

In evidence due before the inquiry, they will say that the Secretary of State refused permission for the Kirby Hill site twice in favour of a station at Wetherby in 2003 and an upgrade to Leeming Bar in 2012. They will also say that the development is contrary to the newly adopted Harrogate district local plan.

Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, speaking against the application at Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee. Picture: Kirby Hill RAMS

Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, speaking against the application at Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee. Picture: Kirby Hill RAMS

While the last quarter of a century has been difficult for residents, Mr Owens said they are determined to see off another attempt to build on the site.

He said:

“It’s taken up a large amount of time and effort.

“One of the things we say is what we could have done to benefit the community if we were not fighting this.

“But we are determined to see this off. That been said, it has brought the community closer together.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Applegreen for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication. The company said previously that it would not be appropriate to comment until the appeal had been heard.

Overnight closures planned for A1 junction 47 upgrade

A series of overnight closures, beginning this month, will affect motorists using junction 47 of the A1 (M).

A £7.7m North Yorkshire County Council project to upgrade the junction, near Flaxby, began in September and is due to continue until autumn.

Slip roads from the A1 (M) will be closed for four weeks from 8pm to 6am Mondays to Fridays, beginning on January 25.

The council, which gave the update today, said not all slip roads will be affected at the same time.

The upgrade will ease congestion, improve road safety and support the development of local towns, such as Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The council said the number of housing developments in the area also increased the need for these works to improve connections across the county.

Three of the roundabout’s four slip roads will be widened to increase capacity and traffic lights will be installed.

Following completion of this work, the upgrading of the A59/A168 slip road will necessitate a full closure of the slip road.

This could be in place for up to 16 weeks, but the council said “every effort will be made to minimise the duration of the work”.

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County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access and member for Harrogate Saltergate, said:

“At busy times, congestion is an issue at this junction, particularly for traffic coming off the southbound carriageway of the A1.

“We understand that the closures will cause inconvenience and necessitate significant diversions for some drivers. Our contractor will do everything they can to ensure closures are as short as possible.

“We apologise for the disruption and thank drivers in advance for their patience during what will be short-term inconvenience for long-term improvement to traffic flow.”

The £7.7 million project has received £2.47 million of funding from the governments’s Local Growth Fund, plus contributions from the county council, Highways England and Harrogate-based developer Forward Investment LLP.

Two A1 service station appeals to be heard in New Year

The government is set to hear two appeals for motorway service stations to be built in the Harrogate district.

Separate proposals would see services built along the A1(M): one at Kirby Hill, between junctions 48 and 49 and the other near Ripon at junction 50.

Both developers, Applegreen and Moto Hospitality, have appealed the decisions by Harrogate Borough Council to refuse the plans.

A spokesperson for the Planning Inspectorate, the government agency that deals with planning appeals, said the first inquiry for Kirby will be held in February and the second will follow shortly afterwards.

The spokesperson said that both would be considered by one inspector “in the interests of efficiency” as they have common issues and are within the same authority area.

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Both applications were met with a backlash from residents.

Kirky Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, a residents group set up to oppose a service station near the village, says the scheme is “socially and environmentally irresponsible” and has called for Applegreen to drop its plans.

The plan was rejected in November 2019 and an appeal was due to be heard this year, but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Moto Hospitality’s plans for a new filling station, small hotel, food and retail unit were rejected by councillors in October.

Hewick and Hutton Parish Council objected to the plans and said there was “no need” for another service station.

In a decision notice explaining its refusal, the borough council said:

“The proposal is outside development limits and represents an unsustainable development that would result in a significant encroachment into open countryside causing harm to the landscape in conflict with policies EC3 (A & C), GS3 and NE4 of the Harrogate District Local Plan.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Moto for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Applegreen said previously it was not appropriate to comment until the appeal had been heard.

A1 (M) near Knaresborough faces 12 months of disruption

Roadworks are due to begin today at junction 47 of the A1(M) near Knaresborough, with the £7.7m project set to continue until autumn 2021.

Three of the four slip roads onto and off the roundabout will be widened to increase capacity and traffic lights will be installed to improve the traffic flow. North Yorkshire County Council hopes this will reduce the number of vehicles queuing on the A1 slip road.

Traffic lights will also be added to the T-junction between the A168 and the A59, a short distance from Junction 47 on the York side.

To the west of Junction 47, between the A1 and the Flaxby roundabout, a lane will be added for traffic travelling east, so there will be two lanes in each direction between those two roundabouts.

County Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for roads at NYCC said the council will work with the contractor to minimise disruption for motorists.

He said:

“At busy times, congestion is an issue at this junction, particularly for traffic coming off the southbound carriageway of the A1. The upgrades we will put in place will address this congestion, improve road safety and support development in the towns.”

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There are several major housing developments planned for Knaresborough, including 600 homes at Manse Farm, which Cllr Mackenzie said the roadworks will support.

He added:

“We are looking ahead and helping to support sustainable growth by considering future housing developments, particularly along the A59 corridor between Knaresborough and York.

“Inevitably there will be inconvenience for drivers at certain times during the project, but we will give as much notice as possible and ask people to be patient.”

The project is being funded with £2.47m from the government’s Local Growth Fund along with contributions from NYCC, Highways England and developer Forward Investment LLP.

A1 (M) Junction 47 works 50% over budget but gets green light

Works to improve the A1 (M) Junction 47 have been given the green light despite already being 50% over budget.

The junction will be upgraded to include traffic signals and to widen the slip roads.

Additionally, an extra traffic lane will be installed on the eastbound A59 between the Flaxby roundabout and the A1(M) junction.

Traffic signals will also be installed at the A59/A168 junction just to the east of the A1(M) junction.

North Yorkshire County Council has approved the scheme and is working with Highways England to deliver the project by March 2021.

The original estimated costs were £5.03 million but that has now been revised up to £7.766 million – which is 54% over budget.

However, the work will still go-ahead with surplus money from the Harrogate to York rail improvements being moved to fill the A1 (M) Junction 47 shortfall.

Council documents reveal that the work will take the Nightingale Hospital into account when phasing the carriageway works and that the costs could increase further by another £200,000.

The documents also highlight how coronavirus social distancing measures are “likely” to have an impact on start dates and the project costs.