Harrogate Advertiser: Inspirational vision of a new 'Harrogate Wildbelt' would include opening a bridleway at Crimple

Convened by Harrogate-based designer George Eglese, this week’s meeting at Pannal Village Hall saw 50 residents, councillors, landowners and environmental specialists gather to explore the creation of Crimple Common and a continuous greenway through the Crimple Valley.

George Eglese, who is also the founder of the Harrogate Cure initiative, a long-term programme exploring Harrogate’s renewal as ‘Britain’s Living Spa’, said: “I have long felt a need for Harrogate to do some pro-active and joined-up thinking around the town and its roots.

"Crimple Valley is one of Harrogate’s most important natural corridors, yet much of it remains fragmented and vulnerable.

"Crimple Commons is an opportunity to bring parts of the landscape into long-term community stewardship and restore its ecological function, while contributing to a wider Wildbelt around the town.”

In 2013, the Nidderdale Greenway opened as a walking and cycling path between Harrogate and Ripley, with the route later extended to the village of Clint.

The ambitious new initiative seeks to create another transformative greenway in Harrogate.

Early ideas for Crimple Commons also include the creation of a new community common on land west of Leeds Road, alongside habitat restoration such as wetlands, species-rich meadow and woodland, reflecting the valley’s historic role as floodplain and wet woodland.

A further ambition is the creation of a Crimple Greenway linking Pannal and Harrogate along the former railway corridor and viaduct, improving access while restoring ecological continuity through the valley.

George Eglese, who is also the founder of Fontis, a Harrogate-based practice working across culture, identity and living environments, said: “Crimple Commons forms part of a wider vision I have been working on known as the Harrogate Wildbelt.

"This is a long-term initiative to establish a continuous network of restored natural landscapes around Harrogate, connecting key ‘bioregions’ around the town such as Nidd Gorge, Oakdale, Crimple Valley.”

The meeting in Pannal marked the first step in a longer process of engagement and partnership-building, with further open sessions planned and discussions continuing with landowners and local organisations.