Tesco story
There are plans for a new Tesco superstore which will be open 24 hours in Harrogate. The expected completion time will hopefully be by Christmas 2013. Harrogate was the only post code area without a major Tesco store in Britain. The new Tesco superstore will cover a whole 7,354m sq and it will be situated at the junction between Skipton Road and Ripon Road.
Supporters of the new superstore will say that it will create up to 360 job opportunities in the Harrogate area and it may help regenerate the area, however, on the other hand it could mean bad news for local businesses as they simply cannot compete against such a large store.
There is also a lot being done in order to reduce the traffic in the nearby area. For instance a new park roundabout will be built which will help the traffic flow in and out of Tesco. There will also be pedestrian and cyclist access. There will be spaces for up to 70 bicycles; a footpath next to Ripon road will also be widened by 2m. a foot bridge will also be built linking the footpath to the store. Not only this but Tesco will also be providing public transport. The new bus service will allow people to get the bus straight to the store. This new idea will cost around £94,500 a year. The buses will come every 30 minutes between 6am-9pm.
Police centre job losses
It has been said that a decision made at the Harrogate’s national police training college has said that there is concern over the jobs of more than 180 people who attend the centre. The NPIA (the national policing improvement agency) has said that it needs to move the academy away from where it currently resides and to move to a new location, this will reduce property costs by 50%. However no final decision has been made about whether or not they should move to a new location. The current location of the police college currently trains up to 1,200 police officers a year, is part of the phasing out process which has been set by the NPIA which is set to close in March 2012.
Harlow Carr story
The Bramall learning centre which is situated at Harlow Carr has been nominated for a prestigious award by the institution of structural engineers. The sited which is a school for children and academics has often been praised for its design quality. The building contains three classrooms or “teaching spaces” as well as the Northern Library of the royal horticulture. This centre will join other nominees such as the helix in Singapore, the London Velodrome and terminal 2 at Dublin airport. All we can do now is to wait for the final outcome and to hope that the Bramall learning centre will win.
Work starts at Pinocchio’s
Work is currently underway at the old Pinocchio’s building on Mount parade, contractors are not confirming to which company is behind the development but there are rumours that Pinocchio’s will become a bar or restaurant. Two firms thought to have been interested in the site have already denied that they are behind the new project. It is also said that the highly popular chicken chain Nandos has been looking in to locating in that area, however the company stressed that they have yet to find the right site.
Valley Gardens play park bunt down
On Friday night fire crews were sent to put out the castle which was up in flames in valley gardens play area. The fire service said that there was 100% fire damage to the structure. All that remains of the castle structure is charcoaled remains. Trees up to 20 feet away had been reported that they had minor burning damage on the branches and leaves; this just shows the ferocity of the fire. The area has currently been cordoned of and is being investigated by the CSI (crime scene investigation) and fire service inspectors. Police have also been are also collecting information and asking for statements from people. It is clear that the police and the Harrogate council are taking this case very seriously.
A member of the council says “this is one of the best children’s play areas in the country and we are just very shocked and sorry for what has happened. The council will do all we can to replace it as soon as possible”
Police are urging people to get in touch if they know anything about the incident. If you do know something then pleases call the Harrogate police at 0845 60 60 247
Diamond story
Stoners of Harrogate jewellers, which is located on Princes street will be showing off the largest collection of fancy coloured diamond jewellery. This collection will also contain some of the worlds rarest diamonds (including pink and blue varieties ) the event will go on tomorrow from 9:30-5:30 pm.
Road Story
A major programme of road works to repair the ravages of last winter will get under way in Harrogate and Knaresborough next month.
Between October and February North Yorkshire County Council will be carrying out extensive repairs and resurfacing schemes to the value of £2 million across the Harrogate and Knaresborough area following last winter’s damage to the highway network.
Exact dates for each scheme are yet to be confirmed but the sites concerned have been finalised, as well as time restrictions on working time at each location.
Highways officers have been working closely with representatives from Harrogate Borough Council, the Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce and local bus and taxi companies to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum for highway users. Although there will inevitably be some inconvenience to motorists these are substantial works which will extend the life of the existing roads and reduce the need for future repairs.
Police dog story
The north Yorkshire police have revealed 3 new trainees for the police. 3 puppys tyke, sam and toby who are new members of the forces dog section. These puppies will join 34 other dogs who are in the crime fighting unit. They currently reside with north Yorkshire dog trainers who will train and take care of them for the next 13 months. Tyke is the rising star of the group and it has already been decided that he’ll be replacing top dog Troy, who is due to retire by 2013. Don’t worry about the other two pups though. Sam and toby will be trained as specialist detection dogs, these are the dogs who will sniff out things such as drugs, explosives and weapons. Tykes training will take a total time of 13 weeks whereas sam and toby’s training will take around 6-8 weeks
