Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Andy Brown.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2024 as a correct record.

Considered

The minutes of the meeting of the Skipton and Ripon Area Committee held on 21 November 2024.

Resolved

a)     That the Minutes of the meeting of the Skipton and Ripon Area Committee held on 21 November 2024, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

There were none.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice (including the text of the question/statement) to David Smith of Democratic and Scrutiny Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Monday, 9 December 2024, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item.  Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak

·          at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);

·          when the relevant Agenda item is being considered if they wish to speak on a matter which is on the Agenda for this meeting.

If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chairman who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

Two public statements were received.

1)     The Chair declared that the public statement received from Gareth Adams, Bentham Town Mayor, would be dealt with under Item 9 of the agenda.

2)     A statement was received from Edwin Rothwell and the wording was as follows.

Hello, my name is Edwin Rothwell and I have set up a Community Interest Company called Heart of Skipton, with a primary aim of supporting community events. I will be taking the lead on the Pride celebrations for 2025 in Skipton, and I’m pleased to say that planning for this event is coming together.

The CIC that I run has a vision to move into community housing and regeneration projects in Skipton.

I would like to draw the Committee’s attention to the regeneration area identified in the Craven Local Plan as SK139. (Refer to Image 1). I believe now is the right time for site assembly to take place, to ensure that Regeneration happens.

Why now? The lease on B&M Retail is due to expire in July 2026. This site represents about 50% of the SK139 Regeneration area. If B&M Retail renews the lease for another 10 years, we will not be able to see Regeneration take place, because the Local Plan will not permit a piecemeal approach. Failure to act now, will see the town lose the advantages of Regeneration, lose the economic potential of the site, and lose a housing opportunity.

The Craven Local Plan stated, and I quote, “Site assembly powers will be considered for use where it is expedient, appropriate and necessary for regeneration to succeed.” We have a need for housing, and all the best development land in Skipton is council owned, and tied up with car parking. The car parks are sprawling surface-level sites which are relatively economically inefficient.

The north and west sides of Coach Street car park could become an area of housing. (Refer to Image 2). We would create this housing by taking control of SK139, and building a public multi-story car park, on the B&M site, where we can decant the car parking from Coach Street to enable housing. This would be combined with the wholesale Regeneration of Cavendish Street, Waller Hill bus station, a wheelchair-accessible Gallows Bridge.

The creation of a Civic Square on either Waller Hill or Cavendish Street, would provide a much needed events space. This will reduce High Street closures, and boost economic activity by allowing large scale events to take place on the same day as the market, providing a double hit of visitors.

The economic advantages are huge, and I would like to ask that you would work with me to look into feasibility and community engagement around this Regeneration project. I believe these new uses will satisfy the usage criteria set out in the Craven Local Plan, to; and I quote, “complement and underpin the role and function of this part of Skipton whilst supporting the town centre as a whole”.

Thank you!

The following response  ...  view the full minutes text for item 154.

Members are recommended to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of each of the items of business listed in Column 1 of the following table on the grounds that they each involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraph(s) specified in column 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to information)(Variation) Order 2006.

Resolved

That the public is excluded from the meeting for the duration of Item 12 on the agenda as the information relates to the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information).

To update Members on the Airedale Hospital Rebuild.

Eleanor Nossiter provided an update on the progress of the Airedale Hospital rebuild. Members were informed that in order to allow the current hospital to continue to provide high quality services throughout the process, work is currently being done to develop areas where the existing hospital doesn’t lie. This includes the development of a multi-storey car park, new access road, new electricity substation and nursery.

The following key points were raised during the discussion.

·        It was confirmed that as Airedale Hospital has reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), it’s rebuild is outside of the review of the New Hospital Programme.

·        Members were informed that there were currently no planned changes for other hospitals within the area (e.g. Skipton General Hospital and Castleberg Community Hospital). The Airedale Hospital rebuild is going ahead primarily due to the RAAC and other provisions will be reviewed in the future. Members asked that they be kept informed of any changes regarding these other hospitals. Comments were made in support of providing more care at these hospitals.

·        Regarding public transport, Members were informed that there were no plans to change the current bus services to the hospital and that improvements to the access of Steeton and Silsden railway station are being explored. There was a particular focus on improving bus services between the railway station and hospital. There were also comments on building a new railway station to service the hospital. Overall, feedback suggested that the majority of people want to travel to the hospital by car.

·        There were comments regarding the environmental commitment, with some Members suggesting that a firmer promise could be given.

·        Comments were made regarding paying for parking and whether the cost of this could be reduced. It was reported that there was positive feedback for paying on exit as people would only be charged for what they had used.

·        It was reported that work is being done to improve access for wheelchair accessible vehicles and to include drop-off and short-stay parking.

·        There were concerns regarding the increase in hard surfacing and the required flood alleviation, but Members were reassured that this had been investigated and was taken account of.

Resolved

a)     That the update be noted.

To provide Members with an update on the development at Kex Gill.

Richard Binks presented a works progress update on the A59 Kex Gill capital project. The following key points were raised during his presentation:

·        Members were informed that this is the biggest highways scheme that North Yorkshire Council, or it’s predecessor North Yorkshire County Council, has ever undertaken.

·        The full length of the highway has been stripped back and most of the below-ground work has been finished. The cut and fill operations are almost complete. A new outfall pond has been produced for drainage, and this will create a new wetland habitat for wildlife.

·        In March 2025, the above-ground earthworks operation will start.

·        The current focus is on the drainage work.

·        A temporary haul road has been built, but will be removed upon completion of the project.

·        Large amounts of dry-stone walling has been removed and rebuilt in a new location.

·        The beck in the bottom of the valley has been diverted. The bottom of the valley was a flood plain and so significant work has been done to replace unsatisfactory material.

·        Concrete piling has been put in place to support the banking. Members were informed that following work, the ground must be left to stabilise for a period of time.

·        Band drains, which absorb the water, have been put in place.

·        Information was provided on the serious land slips seen in 2024 where the new road will be joining the current road. Whilst the work following this slip costed circa £2million, it was essential to future-proof the area for the new road. This expenditure was not planned, but would have been essential for the new road.

·        The new highway is on track to be opened in June 2026.

The following key points were raised during the discussion:

·        The new road is future-proofed and so should not slip.

·        The current road will need to be completely closed for a short period at the end of the process in order for the final surfacing to take place. Local people and businesses will be given at least six weeks notice before the closure. There will be temporary traffic lights as the new road is linked in with the current road.

·        Where possible, underground infrastructure, such as utility ducts, has been placed to the side of the new road to avoid frequent re-surfacing. Drainage infrastructure must be under the road.

·        Local dry stone wallers were used, but as it is an Irish firm doing the work, some workers were imported.

·        Potential overspend is being monitored predominantly by the NEC supervisory team who monitor the additional expenditure.

·        Once the new road is complete, the current road will be completely closed, other than local access to a lodge currently situated there. Members suggested that the current road be used as a foot or cycle path, but it was reported that it is too unstable and would be liability for NYC Highways.

Resolved

a)     That the update is noted. 

To provide an update on Community Safety & CCTV across North Yorkshire including a focus on Community Safety Hubs, CCTV and the wider strategic Community Safety Partnership work.

Julia Stack introduced the report, provided a presentation and a discussion followed, the key points of which are highlighted below.

·        Officers are looking to get North Yorkshire Police to AC meetings. There was a discussion on whether updates should be reported to NYC or to Parish and Town Council meetings and it was felt that updates should come to the AC.

·        Craven District Council found it hard to roll out CCTV across the rural area, but hopefully NYC can succeed.

·        Members queried why knife bins had been implemented and whether there is a knife crime issue in North Yorkshire. It was explained that knife bins aren’t only to combat criminal activity, but to promote the responsible disposal of knives. Whilst there has been knife crime in North Yorkshire, it is not as prevalent as in more urban areas.

·        The Rural Watch programmes, led by North Yorkshire Police, are ongoing and updates on these can be provided to a future meeting.

·        There is proactive surveillance of the CCTV. Control rooms are in contact with the police and receive live updates to assist. Harrogate and Scarborough control rooms are 24/7.

·        CCTV is in place to detect crime as a principal purpose, and so whilst Officers won’t be obstructive if other NYC services request access, they must be careful. Harrogate has a sub-control room at Boroughbridge where NYC Highways can monitor traffic on a number of cameras.

·        Regarding a specific query about CCTV in Boroughbridge, Members were informed that this CCTV is maintained by the Town Council but, as it is not monitored, requests for information would come after an event has taken place.

·        Officers were thanked for the work that they do with Ripon BID.

·        The Prevent Programme is still a priority in the Skipton and Ripon area.

Resolved

a)     That the update be noted.

To advise of a petition containing more than 500 signatures and ask the Committee to consider a response.

The Chair called upon Gareth Adams, Bentham Town Mayor, to read his below statement.

Good morning, my name is Gareth Adams and I’m the Chair of Bentham Town Council.

I wish to speak on item 9 on your agenda “Receipt of Petition Titled '20mph speed limit for High and Low Bentham”

During my time on Bentham Town Council we have continually tried to improve road safety within the Bentham parish, particularly in respect of that of pedestrians.

We have been disappointed on a number of occasions but we have had some successes such as:

·        Repetitive requests for enforcement cameras for problem areas.

·        Partaking in a scheme to use vehicle activated signs when available, although sadly not currently.

·        Changes to parking arrangements.

·        The road narrowed and a pavement installed on the B6480 at Mount Pleasant, unfortunately, after a member of the public was hit by a vehicle.

·        And some works to provide safe routes to school, when the new primary school was built.

Most of these have been hard to achieve, financial restrictions, practicalities on the ground and policy and protocol all playing their part. Bizarrely it would seem we need injuries and worse to back up requests, rather than gut feeling, chat in the street and near misses, some significant. When the school was to be built for example, countless meetings between the Town Council, Highways Engineers, Education Department and town planners took place, ultimately leading to the Town Council accepting the current arrangement which was the best achieved at the time, but knew would be questioned in years to come.

The Council received notice of the petition on the agenda today from residents of Bentham. It also received a significant number of letters from the primary school pupils detailing their concerns about speeding. Our local Bentham News is regularly full of the topic. In response to this we commissioned 5 sites to be surveyed. These were chosen by Council with a view to being suitable for 20mph limits to be implemented. The criteria being that of a mean speed of 24mph or less. These were duly surveyed and the results presented in your paper. It’s interesting to note that the same data was presented to Bentham Town Council, but recommends that 4 out of the 5 are not suited. Hopefully the recommendations of your officers suggesting potentially 4 out of 5 sites are suitable can be upheld today.

North Yorkshire seems to be a bit of an outlier in response to road safety, whether it be that of 20mph zones, improved pedestrian safety or enforcement. As we move towards nippy practically silent electric vehicles, an increasingly vulnerable population of increasing numbers, we need policy and improvements to reflect that and not of infrequent clattery, steady away Austin 7s and Model T Fords.

Bentham Town Council has put a small amount of money in its precept for next year hopefully to use for items such as vehicle activated signs or more surveys if that’s what is needed. But we  ...  view the full minutes text for item 159.

A presentation on the NYC Housing Strategy, Partnerships, Enabling and affordable housing.

Sharon Graham, Angela Walmsley and Sarah Close provided a presentation, raising the following key points.

·        The Housing Strategy, set by Full Council in May 2024, sets out three themes – People, Places and Homes.

·        Money raised from the additional second homes council tax will aim to address housing needs and affordable housing will be a priority.

·        Figures for the number of affordable homes built in Craven were provided.

o   For 2023/24, 28 affordable rent and 27 shared ownership.

o   Mid-year for 2024/25, 10 affordable rent and 9 shared ownership.

·        Figures for the number of affordable homes built in the Harrogate area were provided.

o   For 2023/24, 275 affordable rent, 120 social rent, 21 rent to buy and 130 shared ownership.

o   Mid-year for 2024/25, 121 affordable rent, 15 social rent, 6 rent to buy and 52 shared ownership.

Following the presentation, the following points were raised during a discussion.

·        The higher cost of developing affordable housing in rural villages was highlighted.

·        Organisations and community groups are held to account to ensure that funding is well spent.

·        Organisations that have had success in the past are being asked to assist their peers. Community Led Housing helps to address the gaps that NYC and developers cannot fill.

·        It was discussed whether land where redundant council house garages are situated could be built on. Officers informed Members that, in most cases, this had already been done in the Craven and Harrogate areas.

·        The discussion highlighted the potential of local occupancy restrictions or rural exception policies to maintain property affordability for local residents.

·        It was highlighted that Members have some responsibility in speaking to landowners and searching for sites to be included on the Local Plan.

Resolved

a)     That the update be noted.

Councillors Williams, Barrett and Hull left the meeting at 12.12, 12.36 and 12.58 respectively.

To highlight concerns previously raised by the Committee and suggest potential ways to progress.

Members discussed how to progress with their concerns regarding the impact of tourism. The following points were raised.

·        Members suggested that an update on the recommendations included in the Craven District Council report should be sought.

·        It was noted that parishes with a higher number of second homes will receive increased funding from their precept due to the rise in council tax on second homes.

·        Members expressed concerns about preserving North Yorkshire's reputation as a beautiful tourist destination.

Resolved

a)     That an update on the recommendations included in the Craven District Council report be sought.

To provide an update on care homes within the Skipton and Ripon Constituency.

Members of the public were excluded from the meeting for the duration of this item.

Adam Gray introduced an exempt report and a discussion followed. A brief summary of the discussion is below.

·        There was a discussion on services that could be provided in the community, rather than by care homes.

·        There was a discussion on what can be done to help areas if they are struggling with care home capacity.

·        It was suggested that housing around care homes should be suitable for elderly people that may need to rely on a care home in the near future. There should also be housing suitable for staff at the care home and suitable infrastructure in the surrounding area. Members asked that this be fed back into the new NYC Local Plan.

Resolved

a)     That the update be noted.

David Smith invited Members to consider, amend and add to the Committee’s work programme.

Members made the following amendments to the work programme:

·        The Community Safety update to include updates on Rural Watch programmes.

·        There was interest in an update on hospitals within the Skipton and Ripon area.

Resolved

a)     That the above amendments be made to the work programme.

Any other items which the Chair agrees should be considered as a matter of urgency because of special circumstances.

There were none.

Formal Public Meetings –

Thursday, 6 March 2025 at 10.00am.

Informal Private Meetings –

Monday, 13 January 2025 at 1.00pm – Budget

Monday, 27 January 2025 at 10.00am – Lets’ Talk Active

Thursday, 6 February 2025 at 2.00pm – Economic Development and Regeneration

Thursday, 6 March 2025 at 10.00am.