Harrogate Summary

[Leeds No.1]

If you hate Tesco, Harrogate is the place to be I don't hate Tesco though =/

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.u...ut-.3927771.jp

The last town without a Tesco

Jo Rostron
HARROGATE is the last remaining area in the UK without a Tesco supermarket.


The national chain has taken a step closer to complete retail conquest of the country after buying stores on several remote Scottish isles.

The move means the retailer now has branches in every Scottish postcode area.

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But Harrogate has been earmarked for a store as Tesco is re-drawing proposals for a huge new supermarket on the north side of the town.

It withdrew its original scheme for a 107,000 sq ft store on the former gasworks site off Ripon Road and Skipton Road.

But it will come back with a revised version with a decision date set for November 27.

The purchase of the six Somerfield stores takes Britain's biggest retailer into the Northern and Western Isles, which had previously been without a Tesco.

The retailer has faced accusations that it has a near monopoly of the UK grocery market, with protest groups forming across the country.

In Inverness – which has been dubbed "Tesco Town" – a bid by the retailer last year to build a fourth store in the Highland capital prompted more than 1,000 people to sign a petition opposing the application, which was rejected by councillors.

In the latest deal, stores in Orkney, Shetland, Lewis and Wester Ross were purchased, along with Aberdeen and Paisley.

The full article contains 260 words and appears in n/a newspaper.Last Updated: 29 March 2008 5:49 PM

[Val Verde]

Another article from the BBC on the never ending story of Tesco's attempts of opening a store to the west of Harrogate: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7596328.stm They now propose a smaller and greener store (I presume standard sized Tesco as opposed to Tesco Extra). I wonder if they would finally be successful in getting planning or would it be blocked again?

Also staying in the Harrogate Council area (although it is actually near Ripon) could the Lightwater Valley Theme Park be at risk of closure if they don't get their way with a holiday village development? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/7594174.stm

Future 'uncertain' for theme park

Lightwater Valley theme park wants to develop its site.
The future of a North Yorkshire theme park appealing against a decision to stop expansion plans is "uncertain" without development, an inquiry heard.

Lightwater Valley was told by Harrogate Borough Council last July it could not build holiday lodges and caravan sites.

Barrister for the park, Stephen Whale, said: "The proposed development is a way to secure the future of the park."

The council had said the proposal would significantly change the character of the area, which is open countryside.

The plans include building 136 lodges, a site for 204 caravans and a reception complex.

Plans 'critical'

Mr Whale said: "The planning permission is critical to the future success of Lightwater Valley and the considerable benefit it provides for the wider area."

The council has concerns about the sustainability of the extension and public transport connections.

Paul Brown, barrister for the council, said: "New building development in open countryside away from existing settlements should be strictly controlled."

"A limited bus service to Ripon and no direct service to other nearby attractions on a proposal of this scale shows this is a site patently not well connected."

The inquiry is due to last three days and a decision expected from the planning inspector in the next couple of weeks.

I guess something does need doing at Lightwater Valley which does seem to have had little development since around 1991 when its flagship ride The Ultimate was opened whilst other Theme Parks have had new rides all the time to encourage custom.

It would surely need investment in more rides and stuff if it is to compete with larger more successful theme parks across the UK and further afield such as Alton Towers or Thorpe Park although that would surely need very deep pockets especially when numerous theme parks such as American Adventure in the East Midlands, Pleasureland Southport (although that reopened), Dreamland in Kent have all closed with other theme parks such as Camelot in Lancashire also at risk of closure. Regarding improved public transport could the 36 bus service from Leeds be extended from Ripon to Lightwater Valley perhaps and I guess a holiday village could be reasonable for this site considering it doesn't ruin anything particularly attactive and it has amenities such as shops, restaurants etc.

[Leeds No.1]

I don't really see why Lightwater Valley wasw refused the permission to do this. There are already a number of shopping and leisure buildings on site. I can't see the 36 being extended but a simple seasonal shuttle bus shouldn't be a problem I wouldn't have thought. It's quite a busy theme park; it's only real competition is Flamingo Land. Thorpe Park and Alton Towers are visited occasionally, but their distance means Lightwater Valley is still a popular park.

As for Tesco... I'm personally in support of a Tesco Extra; actually north Harrogate (near the A61/A59 junction). Now a smaller Tesco is being proposed though, it is more likely to get through planning. Having said that, I still think a huge amount of opposition will face the scheme. Harrogate is NIMBY heartland. It's strange though, as a huge FOCUS DIY warehouse type thing has just opened on greenfield site just across the road. So other than traffic, I don't see why there is so much opposition to it.

Harrogate's biggest supermarket is probably Sainsburys or maybe ASDA, but none are really of the size expected in a large town serving an extensive rural area too.

[Val Verde]

Article on the approval given to the plan to redevelop the Harrogate International Centre: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/7656484.stm

Approval for exhibition site plan


The entire project is expected to take about six years to complete
The first phase of a £45m plan to redevelop the Harrogate International Centre (HIC) has been approved.

The proposed project will eventually provide more exhibition space and includes major cosmetic improvements.

HIC has won permission to build an exhibition hall with parking facilities on the car park behind the centre.

Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee approved the plans unanimously. Building work is expected to take two years.

The second phase of the plan would see a new service road built between the Royal Hall and the new building.

The three-storey exhibition hall will provide 1,600 sq m (17,200 sq ft) of exhibition space on the first floor, with a car park at basement level and a lorry holding park at ground floor level.

A report to the committee said there were concerns over the loss of trees on the site.

But it the council said it recognised "the importance of the exhibition and conference trade to the economy of the town and region".

Ultimately, HIC wants to replace five exhibition halls which were built in the 1950s.

The centre already boosts the local economy by about £150m and attracts more than 350,000 business visitors to the region each year.

Good news for Harrogate to expand this convention centre which is clearly such an important events space for Yorkshire. Is funding in place for this redevelopment and when will the works start?

[Leeds No.1]

I found information about funding below, but I don't think HIC are short of cash. They've been gradually rebuilding the centre over the last decade, and plan to continue. Hall M was the first to be built, on what was an open air car park. One of the halls nearer the main entrance was rebuilt; I think it's Hall Q and the Queens Suite. In between those two halls is one awaiting a rebuild. There's also the Royal Hall now reopened and restore which improves HIC. It's now the 3rd largest integrated venue in the UK.

www.hicvision.co.uk has a video and more information about the project.*

The Restaurant Bar and Grill, Parliament Street opens Friday 31st October. The hoardings have been taken down on the unit that was formerly Flares.

Bettys extension is now also open.
------

*Main information
-Replacing Halls A, B, C, E and F
-Increase exhibition hall space from a current total of 16,500 metres square to 18,500 metres square.
-Cosmetic Improvements
-If the scheme is approved (which it has been), work is likely to commence in 2008 and be completed in 2014.
-Funding:
The estimated cost of the scheme will cost £45million. It is intended these costs will be shared via loans and approaches to external funding agencies.

The nature of funding for this scheme envisages that there will be no impact on the
local taxpayer or nor will it impact on other high priority District public schemes. The business itself is forecast to be able to service the cost of loans raised through Harrogate Borough Council.

[Leeds No.1]

An older proposal but one with more information now.

http://www.theflaxby.com/_skelwith/index.html
The Flaxby, a £100m hotel outside Harrogate (just off the A1(M) junction for Harrogate around the golf course). It will have more than 300 5 star rooms, 4 helipads and three restaurants. They hope the Ryder Cup will come to Flaxby in 2022.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...00m.4020081.jp (older article)

[Rob]

I saw that on Look North last night, looks impressive.

[Leeds No.1]

Yes does rather. Apparently they already have planning permission for it so should go ahead soon I expect. When the golf course is mature it'll make Rudding Park look like an Etap!

On the note of planning apps, Tesco should be resubmitting an application next month.

Also in the exciting world of Harrogate is the news that the new fire station was officially opened the other day

[Leeds No.1]

Val Verde reported on a Tesco store in Harrogate earlier this week.

harrogatetoday.co.uk
Tesco store approved for Harrogate

Published Date: 24 October 2008
TESCO may still be hoping to bring a supermarket to the northern edge of Harrogate, but this week it secured planning permission for its smaller 'Express' store in the town centre.
The 365m sq store will combine two units at Nidderdale House in Cambridge Road and will sit between Costa Coffee and Superdrug.

The Tesco Express store, which will be open between 6am and 11pm seven days a week, will replace the Ponden Mill soft furnishing store and the adjacent vacant unit.

Tesco applied for planning consent in September, and Harrogate Council approved the scheme on Monday.

It is expected that the store will serve a range of convenience items and sandwiches and will take deliveries three times a day.
------------------------
In other news:

http://www.harrogateadvertiser.net/h...ial.4624057.jp
Harrogate people live longer: official

Published Date: 24 October 2008
HARROGATE people have the longest life span in Yorkshire, according to a report published this week.
The Grim Reaper's Road Map, an atlas charting death rates across the UK, found that people in Harrogate can expect to live almost nine years longer than in some parts of the county.

Women have a life expectancy of 81.9 years, and men can expect to live to 74.6 years, beating the national average by four-and-a-half-years for women and three-and-a-half for men.

The report, produced by Sheffield and Bristol universities, charts the causes of death in more than 1,200 communities nationwide, analysing almost 15m death records over 24 years.

They found stark differences in cause of death from north to south, rich and poor, and men and women.

Co-author Prof Danny Dorling said: "Where you are born, where you live and where you can move to, how much money you have, the type of work you do and the life you lead become visible in these amazing maps which show not just where and how people in Britain die, but also tell a story about how they live."

The worst death rates in Yorkshire are in 'Hull West', where mortality was 35 per cent above average from 1981 to 2004.

Four districts of Bradford and parts of Sheffield, Leeds and Wakefield also figure in the worst 10 areas in the region.

[Leeds No.1]

Originally Posted by Smoggie_Si

Agreed although ironically enough I've recently found Harrogate more intimidating on a weekend evening than any night out in Leeds or London. I think it's that in a smallish town centre everyone gets crammed into one area whereas in a larger centre there are different zones, for example go around Boar Lane for 10 pints, a kebab and a fight whereas around the Calls or North Street for a classier night out. In Harrogate it's all mixed together.

Just came across this post from ages ago while reading back through this thread.

Absolutely. I feel much safer walking around the centre of Leeds/London than Harrogate. Which is ridiculous as in reality Harrogate is far safer, but it doesn't feel it at all. It's because Central Leeds is well lit and relatively busy through the night- at least The Calls/City Square/Park Row/Headrow/Albion Street-Woodhouse Lane etc

[Chris Silverwood]

What Harrogate needs is a karaoke bar. It is a well known fact that the presence of a karaoke bar makes a town/city a safer place. Fact!

[MattN]

The presence of Chambers in Nottingham has never made me feel much safer

[Leeds No.1]

Originally Posted by Chris Silverwood

What Harrogate needs is a karaoke bar. It is a well known fact that the presence of a karaoke bar makes a town/city a safer place. Fact!

How would you define a karaoke bar? There's Blues Bar already, and Viper Lounge hosts singers/bands regularly, as does No.19 Bar & Grill.

In terms of safety:
http://www.harrogateadvertiser.net/h...ate.5177883.jp
New crime figures for Harrogate show drastic fall
19 April 2009

THE number of burglaries and assaults in Harrogate continues to drop and crime in North Yorkshire has fallen to the lowest level for a decade, latest figures reveal.
The new statistics show that overall crime in Harrogate is down 7.5 per cent against a county-wide reduction of three per cent since last year.

Burglaries in Harrogate have decreased by almost 18 per cent for the three-month period of December to February compared to the same period in 2007/08, and instances of violent crime have dropped by nearly 20 per cent.

One less crime every day

The results of these reductions mean one less crime every other day across the town, while the North Yorkshire figures represent the lowest crime rate since 1998.

Deputy Chief Constable Adam Briggs welcomed the news but insisted there would be no complacency in the bid to cut crime even further.

"This latest fall in crime is a tribute to the hard work of our officers and staff. It is great news for the police and our partners but most of all for the people of North Yorkshire," said DCC Briggs.

"It's remarkable to think that in the past 12 months there were well over 22,000 fewer victims of crime in North Yorkshire than just five years ago.

Impact of new teams

"The introduction of Safer Neighbourhoods teams has definitely had an impact. The public want police officers on the streets, not stuck behind desks, and that is what we have targeted our resources towards.

"Every community now has the name and number of their local officer and access to crime maps showing exactly what is going on in their areas.

"Of course there is still more that can be done and we have a number of initiatives lined up."
--------------------------------

It follows the news that crime has dropped more than 40% in Central Harrogate on Friday and Saturday nights since the introduction of the Town Pastors.

[cmj]

Originally Posted by Chris Silverwood

What Harrogate needs is a karaoke bar. It is a well known fact that the presence of a karaoke bar makes a town/city a safer place. Fact!

That's 'cause by the time you're drunk enough to do karaoke, you're too p*ssed to realise any sort of danger

[Chris Silverwood]

Hi,

I would define a karaoke bar as www.okkaraoke.co.uk!

I live in Harrogate and absolutely love the place. My reference to there being a correlation between the presence of a karaoke bar in a location and the safety of the place, was merely to further my own ends.......

Chris

[Leeds No.1]

Oh ok. I see.

Well Harrogate seems to do quite well in attracting names you tend to only find in cities (probably because of the conference/business trade and more than average disposable income) so you never know!

[Leeds No.1]

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/local...-to.5325009.jp
Cut-price store chain seeking to plug gap in town discount sector

02 June 2009
Brian Dooks

THE cut-price supermarket chain Aldi is hoping to exploit a gap in food retailing in Harrogate after a study commissioned by the borough council in 2007 highlighted a major deficiency in the discount
sector.

Aldi sells 850 lines compared with 2,500 to 20,000 stocked by other supermarkets and up to 60,000 by superstores.

The company together with Gregory Projects (Oak Beck) Ltd wants to enlarge a recently constructed but vacant building adjoining the DIY Focus store at Oak Beck Park off Skipton Road to 13,875sq ft.

A front extension of 775 sq ft would provide additional floorspace and another 3,068 sq ft on the side would give an internal service and storage area.

More than 25 years ago the wider Oak Beck Road site was a used as a quarry and waste disposal tip and the site has a complex planning history.

In November last year the council approved an application from Gregory Projects for the construction of a food store with a new access road.

The applicants say talks have been held with Mark Williams of the council's planning unit and he has advised that the additional floor space would not be considered significant and is not materially different to the level of food retail floor space in the original.

A legal agreement signed by Gregory Project and Harrogate Council was attached to the 2008 consent. It restricted use of the food store to discount operators including Lidl, Aldi and Netto.

Gregory and Aldi say the proposed occupation of the unit is consistent with the legal agreement and is in accordance with the findings of the 2007 retail study which said that within Harrogate "there is a major deficiency in the provision of food retailing regarding the discount sector".

The agreement reached in talks with Mr Williams means that it is not considered necessary to submit a further Retail Impact Assessment with the planning application because the principle of food retailing has been established.

Gregory and Aldi say: "The proposed development seeks only to increase the gross external flood area of the existing unit by 3,843 sq ft to 13,874 sq ft. Of this the sales floorspace will be 10,031 sq ft.

"The development seeks a marginal increase of 280 sq ft which is not considered
significant. On this basis, the findings of the Retail Impact Assessment remain valid and it is not considered necessary to undertake further retail analysis."

The applicants have also examined the impact of additional traffic generation on Skipton Road close to the major northern and western access to Harrogate at New Park roundabout, which is already congested at peak hours.

Gregory and Aldi say their analysis of traffic generated by the extended store shows a maximum increase of approximately one additional two-way movement every two minutes during a typical Saturday morning peak between 11am and noon.

Although minor amendment will be made to the layout of the car park to allow changes to the entrance, they say the 132 parking spaces will accommodate the maximum demand from the food store and the existing DIY Focus store. During the week the maximum use is expected to be 73 parking spaces with a maximum of 110 between 2pm and 3pm on a Saturday.

Aldi has told the council that it expects one delivery lorry a day which should have no impact on residential properties on Eastville and Southville Terrace, the rear of which overlook the site from Ripon Road to the east.

The application for the Aldi store has now been lodged with the council, which will determine it in the next few weeks after public consultation has taken place.

[Leeds No.1]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.u...old.5347599.jp

Department store is sold
09 June 2009

A HARROGATE department store has been sold for more than £4.5m.

A London-based institutional investor has sold Hoopers department store in James Street, Harrogate. Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) sold the 20,500 sq ft landmark store in the heart of Harrogate's high end retail area to a private family trust.

The deal represents a net initial yield of 6.5 per cent. Hoopers have a lease on the property paying £315,500 rent per annum for a further 5.5 years

Challenging climate

Rebecca Farnsworth of the Leeds office of property consultancy Knight Frank advised RLAM.

She said: "James Street in Harrogate has avoided the vagaries which are hitting many high streets. This transaction, involving one of the town's most famous stores, proves that deals can be done in this challenging climate, if the product is right.

In this case, the location in particular generated significant competitive interest for the property."

Orme Retail advised the private family trust.

[Leeds No.1]

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/local...eme.5366140.jp
Second launch for hotel scheme at town centre bowling alley site

15 June 2009
Brian Dooks

A SECOND attempt is being made to create a hotel on the site of a bowling alley in the centre of Harrogate which developers say would bring much- needed beds to support the town's conference and exhibition business.

The UK Bowl in Tower Street, which adjoins the council-owned multi-storey car park, would be demolished and a 69-bedroom hotel built in its place. A new 10-lane bowling alley would be provided in the basement of the hotel.

The original scheme for a 48-bedroom hotel plus 14 one- and two-bedroom apartments was rejected in July last year because Harrogate Council said the size and design would be harmful to the conservation area and there were concerns about the delivery and service arrangements.

ISG Developments have redesigned the scheme without the apartments which reduces the height of the part of the building adjoining the multi-storey car park by one storey. The western end of the building is now three-and-a-half storeys in height.

Estate agents Carter Jonas, who advise the company, say this has reduced the scale and mass considerably. In addition the front elevation has been revised. The frontage has been set back from the road to allow for a drop-off point to allow guests to load and unload luggage without disrupting traffic.

Internally the bowling alley would be in the basement with three-and-a-half floors of hotel rooms above. The ground floor would have lobby areas for both the hotel and bowling alley, along with the hotel reception, restaurant and further ancillary rooms. The bowling alley would be reached via a separate entrance at the front of the building.

UK Bowling Services Ltd leases the site from ISG Developments.

A partner in Carter Jonas, John Goodwin has previously said the existing buildings are "worn out" and not worthy of retention, adding: "Recent requirements for the building to be adapted to comply with new legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act will require very substantial investment to an already fundamentally poor building. The investment required would mean that the activity would no longer be financially viable."

The site of just over a quarter of an acres is within walking distance of Harrogate's train and bus stations as well as the Harrogate International Centre, the focus of the town's conference and exhibition business.

Mr Goodwin said the hotel would have a positive impact on the vitality and viability of Harrogate by encouraging visitors. "Additional bed spaces are much needed in Harrogate to support the Conference Centre. This is especially relevant following the withdrawal of the CIPD conference, Harrogate's second largest, due to in part a lack of accommodation."

Nearly 50 members of the public had an opportunity to see the revised plans in April.

Mr Goodwin said there was overwhelming support in principle for redevelopment of the site and further fine tuning had taken place following some of the comments which had been made.

The lift tower had been redesigned to reduce the width of the glazing and changes had been made to the stone detailing to blend better with the rest of the building. ISG Developments anticipated being able to negotiate with Harrogate Council then availabillty of further car parking spaces on the nearby surface level park.

Mr Goodwin added: "The amendments to the scheme have been discussed with Mark Williams, Ann Johnson and Dave Street of Harrogate Council and it is considered that the submitted scheme overcomes all concerns expressed."

The application will be considered by Harrogate Council's planning committee in the next few weeks.

[Leeds No.1]

River Island are to open a new store on Cambridge Street.

Boots shouldn't be far off their relocation to the former Woolworths unit either.

Harrogate 31 Cambridge Street - Installation of new shop front. for River Island
Clothing Co Ltd (09/02449/FUL) [2]