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Article Link George Eglese runs Fontis Studio, a design studio working across culture, identity and living environments. He has been involved in developing contemporary approaches to Harrogate’s spa heritage, is the non-councillor lead for natural environment on the Harrogate Town Plan Committee, and has been involved in the 100-acre community land acquisition between Harrogate and Knaresborough. I agree with much of Iain Patton’s ambition. Harrogate should be healthier, greener and easier to move around. But the debate becomes too simple when it turns into cars versus people. The real question is what kind of place Harrogate wants to be. Too many projects risk being treated separately: traffic, planting, signage, cycling, seating and public realm. Without a clear place narrative they become piecemeal. Harrogate needs to distil its deeper sense of self, so future projects grow from the town rather than sitting on top of it like generic improvements. Harrogate is car-centric. Much of its catchment is suburban, rural and used to driving in, parking, shopping and meeting friends. If the centre feels harder to access before it is more attractive to spend time in, many may simply shop online or go elsewhere. That does not mean nothing should change. It means change should be led by place, not punishment. The deeper problem is not simply too many cars. It is that Harrogate does not give people enough reasons to dwell, or a story to connect with as they move through it. The task is to make the centre more beautiful, comfortable, green and distinctive, while giving its streets, gardens and public spaces a clearer sense of self. That sense of self is Harrogate’s real advantage: water, health, gardens, architecture, walking, ecology, sociability and landscape. This is not about treating spa heritage as a museum piece, but asking how Harrogate becomes a living spa town again. Spa towns have always evolved with the needs of their time. Today, wellbeing, nature connection, ecology and quality of place have never been higher on the agenda. Harrogate should think at the scale of Europe’s great spa towns. But to reach that stage, we first need to look beneath our feet. That ambition will not come from banning cars and importing generic street furniture. It will come through identity, quality and care. We should look honestly at the pedestrianised streets we already have. They warn against treating the removal of cars as a magic answer. Before taking cars away elsewhere, surely we should make those spaces work better. Bishopthorpe Road in York shows how a street can be strengthened through independents, cafés, events and a clear sense of itself. Harrogate should learn from that, not copy it. I grew up in Harrogate and work across design, culture, heritage and environment, helping bring its spa heritage to life in contemporary contexts and leading on natural environment for the Town Plan. The opportunity is less about one grand transport gesture and more about careful urban acupuncture: improving the passages, gardens, squares, thresholds and streets that hold the town together. James Street does not need a car ban to become better. Trees, planters, parklets and spill-out spaces could turn a few parking spaces into places to sit. Princess Square could become a small piazza. Library Gardens could work harder with the library, Prince Albert Row and Victoria Avenue. Prospect Terrace, or Pier Head, opposite the Cenotaph, was designed to take in the prospect across Low Harrogate and towards Nidderdale. The pétanque club has acknowledged that its current location, so close to the road, is not ideal. A better setting for the club could allow the terrace to recover its original purpose. The Stray will be 250 years old in 2028. It exists because of Harrogate’s springs and wells, and was protected to safeguard the waters and health-giving landscape that made the town famous. That anniversary is an opportunity to look again at why The Stray exists and allow that to inform its future. For many coming from the south, it could be more than a space to cross. It could become a landscape that connects more deeply with the ecology, heritage and culture that shaped Harrogate when it was first protected. Active travel will work best when born from desire, not punishment. People should walk because the route is beautiful and spend time in town because the spaces are worth it. The future should not be anti-car or pro-car. It should be pro-place. Every new project should help express Harrogate’s identity. That is how a place becomes confident, distinctive and strong.

We have secured £18,000 from National Lottery Awards for All to help protect and strengthen our town-centre community cafe in Knaresborough. The funding will support Buttercup’s next stage of development as a warm, informal civic room where people can meet, share food, exchange ideas and find support in a friendly setting. Based in the heart of the town, Buttercup has quickly become an important local space for people who may feel isolated, excluded or less comfortable in more commercial settings. The award will help cover essential running costs and support the development of the café’s wider community role, including volunteer activity, local signposting, small gatherings and future uses of the flexible rooms above the café. Buttercup operates on a “pay as you feel” basis, creating a welcoming place where people can come together without financial pressure. The café is already used by a wide mix of local people, community groups and support networks, and the funding will help give the project a more secure foundation as it grows. Bill Rigby, CIC director for Buttercup said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this support from National Lottery Awards for All. Buttercup is a small place, but it means a great deal to many people. This funding gives us the breathing space to secure the base, support the people who use it and develop the café as a generous, welcoming civic room for Knaresborough.” The project will run through to September 2027, helping Buttercup continue to provide a safe, friendly and useful space for the town.

Around 50 residents, councillors, landowners and environmental specialists gathered at Pannal Village Hall to begin a conversation about the future of Crimple Valley. The meeting explored the emerging idea of Crimple Commons. A long-term initiative to protect, restore and reconnect the valley as a shared landscape for nature, climate resilience and public access. Early proposals include a new community common around Weeton’s and Leeds Road, alongside the restoration of wetlands, species-rich meadow and woodland. These interventions would reflect the valley’s historic character as floodplain and wet woodland, while helping it respond to present-day pressures around flooding, habitat loss and development. A further ambition is the Crimple Greenway. A continuous walking and cycling route between Pannal and Harrogate, following the former railway corridor and viaduct where possible. Done well, it could improve everyday access between the two places while restoring ecological continuity through the valley. Crimple Commons is one part of the wider Harrogate Wildbelt vision. This is a long-term framework for a connected network of restored natural landscapes around Harrogate, linking the three surrounding valleys of Crimple, Oak and Nidd. Wildbelt is not about treating these landscapes as separate pockets of green space but is about recognising them as an interdependent living system around the town: strengthening biodiversity, improving access to nature, supporting flood resilience, and protecting the setting that gives Harrogate much of its distinct character. Crimple Valley is one of Harrogate’s most important natural corridors, but it is fragmented and increasingly vulnerable. Crimple Commons offers an opportunity to bring parts of the landscape into long-term community stewardship, restore ecological function and build a clearer shared vision for its future. The meeting was an encouraging first step. Conversations with landowners, local organisations and the wider community will now continue, with further opportunities for people to contribute as the ideas develop. Open drop-in sessions will be held at Pannal Scout Hut, from 10am to 4pm, on Wednesday 4 March and Monday 16 March 2026.

After more than three decades of community action, Save Crimple Valley has closed. Its remaining funds will now support Crimple Commons, carrying forward a remarkable tradition of protecting and caring for the valley. On 18 June 2026, former officers of Save Crimple Valley met with us to mark a significant moment in the history of one of Harrogate’s most valued landscapes. After more than three decades of voluntary action, Save Crimple Valley has formally closed. The decision was a practical one. Like many longstanding unincorporated associations, the group depended upon volunteers willing to take on its officer roles. When new officers could not be found, its members had to consider how best to bring the organisation’s work to a close. Rather than allow its remaining resources to disperse, the group agreed that its funds should be passed to the team developing Crimple Commons. The meeting brought together Save Crimple Valley’s former chairman Peter Wrigley and treasurer Paul Cole with George Eglese, Shan Oakes and Bill Rigby, our directors, who have been leading the development of Harrogate Wildbelt and Crimple Commons. Former members and supporters of Save Crimple Valley will now be invited to remain connected with the landscape and contribute to the next stage of its story. Save Crimple Valley emerged in the early 1990s, alongside a second organisation, Protect Crimple Valley, in response to development proposals that threatened to transform the open character of the valley. The late Fred Willis chaired Save Crimple Valley, while Peter Rix chaired Protect Crimple Valley during these formative years. Together, the two groups successfully opposed proposals for a supermarket on the site now occupied by Weetons and plans for the local rugby club to take over the open field opposite, stretching north towards the River Crimple and Almsford Bank. The two campaigns later came together under the Save Crimple Valley name. Derek Wilkinson served as secretary, Mike Lowsley as vice-chairman and Paul Cole as treasurer. At its height, the group had around 500 members, reflecting the depth of local attachment to the valley. Its influence extended far beyond any single planning application as Save Crimple Valley became a consistent and informed voice in local planning, responding to proposals, participating in consultations and keeping the importance of the landscape firmly in public view. Council records show Derek Wilkinson representing the group in planning matters in 2005, while Save Crimple Valley was listed as a formal stakeholder in a further council consultation in 2010. One of the most important outcomes of this wider period of community advocacy was the recognition of Crimple Valley as a Special Landscape Area. First designated in the Local Plan in 2001, the area is valued both for its landscape quality and for the vital buffer it provides between Harrogate and Pannal. Current planning policy continues to recognise its sensitivity to inappropriate development. The work did not end with the campaigns of the 1990s. Over subsequent decades, speculative housing proposals continued to appear around the valley slopes, particularly near Almsford Bank. Applications were challenged, withdrawn, refused and sometimes resubmitted in altered forms. Save Crimple Valley continued to mobilise objections and maintain public awareness of what was at risk. The valley that remains today was not preserved by accident but, survives as an open landscape because generations of residents organised, studied plans, wrote letters, attended meetings and refused to accept that development was inevitable. Crimple Commons builds upon that inheritance while beginning a different kind of work. The original campaigns were necessarily defensive as they responded to individual proposals as they appeared and made the case for what should not be lost. Crimple Commons seeks to complement that legacy with a positive, long-term vision for the landscape, bringing together community stewardship, nature recovery, water, access and the continued separation of Harrogate and Pannal. This does not mean that the need for vigilance has disappeared, nor does it diminish the importance of the campaigns that came before. It recognises that lasting protection can also come from developing a shared and ambitious plan for what the valley could become. Crimple Commons will honour it by carrying its purpose forward. One organisation has closed, but the community’s commitment to Crimple Valley continues.

A radical new vision that puts nature and water at the heart of Harrogate’s development was laid out on Tuesday evening at the latest meeting of the Harrogate Town Plan Forum. The forum is a group of volunteers who have come together to create a comprehensive plan for Harrogate’s development that could potentially be adopted by the new Harrogate Town Council when its first councillors are elected in May. Over the last few months, around 30 people have met regularly at the United Reformed Church on West Park to discuss various aspects of the plan, and last night’s session focused on the environment. Following a brief introduction by forum chair Stuart Holland, George Eglese, creative director at design studio FONTIS, took to the floor to give a presentation setting out his vision for a greener town, reinvigorated by allowing its waters to play a more prominent role in the urban environment. Mr Eglese – who is a coordinator at Harrogate 250, an initiative to “revitalise Harrogate as a 21st-century spa town” – started by explaining the unique geology that gives rise to Harrogate’s diverse springs, and by recounting the main events in the town’s early history, including the Great Award: the setting aside of 200 acres of land we now call the Stray. He said: The Stray was originally moorland, with rocks, heather, gorse, trees and wetland, but these were all ‘tidied up’ throughout the Victorian age. Then in the 1830s, plans were drawn up to drain the area ‘to render it more productive for grazing purposes’. The drive to "improve" the Stray was not without its opponents, such as local hotelier John Greeves, whose arguments, said Mr Eglese, "resonate with current ecological values". In 1834, he said: The removal of these natural features [trees, ponds etc] would be a great loss to the character of Harrogate, leaving nothing but an artificial landscape where once nature thrived. The urge to tame the Stray continued throughout the 20th century, and only recently has the council allowed even wildflowers to grow around the fringes. Mr Eglese envisages a more natural-looking Stray, where the water is not drained, but left to behave as it used to, filling ponds and following ancient watercourses. He has also used Yorkshire Water data and advanced mapping tools to show where water currently settles, for example on parts of the Stray after heavy rain, and where it used to flow – in becks, now culverted, flowing down what are now Cold Bath Road and Montpellier Hill. Another beck, albeit heavily modified, can still be seen flowing through the Valley Gardens before it disappears below street level near the main entrance. Mr Eglese, who also sits on the board of Long Lands Common and is a trustee at Knaresborough Civic Society, told the Stray Ferret that the chance to create a town plan for Harrogate was an opportunity to place nature and the town’s waters at heart of its rebirth as a modern spa town. He said: To me, this is an opportunity to rally the community around an integrated strategy to recognise the value of our spa heritage and its relevance in the 21st century. The opportunity is huge. We have something nowhere else has. I was speaking to Unesco, to ask why Harrogate was not included in its list of Great Spa Towns of Europe. They said Harrogate is unique – other spa towns don’t have the diversity of waters we have – but we don’t use that. The town does not have ‘continuing spa function’, which was a critical criterion when qualifying [for the Unesco list]. We do have the Turkish Baths, yes, but they don’t go far enough or utilise our mineral waters. This was the primary point, so if we could come up with a plan to open up the springs, big tick. Another option might be to mark the courses of the town’s hidden becks so that residents and visitors could see where they run beneath the ground. Mr Eglese added: We have an opportunity to put water back at the heart of the town. Harrogate can be a beacon of health and well-being once again. The next meeting of the Harrogate Town Plan Forum is free to attend and will focus on Health and Well-being. It will be held at the United Reformed church on West Park in Harrogate on Wednesday, March 12.

Article Link Over 30 attendees, including senior officers from North Yorkshire Council’s Regeneration and Parks teams, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, and Leeds University, as well as representatives from heritage, environmental, and community groups, including Long Lands Common and the Nidd Action Group, gathered for a landmark workshop titled “Growing the 21st Century Spa Town.” The event was led by George Eglese, an associate of the Institute of Place Management and local business owner, and Sarah Lonsdale, project manager for river enhancement at the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust (YDRT). The workshop took participants on a fascinating journey through Harrogate’s history and the profound influence of its waters, which Eglese described as “a wonder of the world hidden right beneath our feet.” He traced Harrogate’s evolution from its geological beginnings to its rise as a foremost European spa town, once competing amongst the top- ranking spa destinations across the continent. Drawing on this rich heritage, the environmental challenges facing Harrogate, and its rivers was discussed, along with the deteriorating state of Harrogate’s three major tributaries; Crimple, Oak and Bilton Beck. Sarah Lonsdale said: Harrogate’s becks, including the hidden underground river network flowing beneath the town, are integral to its future prosperity. In good condition, they have amazing potential to support local people and wildlife. Yet unfortunately, Yorkshire has lost over 80% of its wetlands, along with all the ecosystem services they provide. Both presenters emphasised how these issues stem from a fundamental disconnect between people and nature, positioning them as a superlative opportunity for Harrogate to reaffirm its position in the 21st century as a beacon of health, nature, and prosperity. Eglese said: Harrogate has the potential to once again attain world-class status by embracing a holistic vision that encompasses its environmental, cultural, and community assets. This isn’t just about environmental amelioration. It’s about reimagining what it means to be a spa town – a town that illustrates its heritage in an immersive and vibrant way, celebrates its natural phenomena, and recognises the value of its essence in the wellbeing renaissance happening today. This is the time for a true renaissance, Harrogate’s renaissance. Following the presentation, participants engaged in dynamic discussions centred around four core themes: Protected Water, Abundant Nature, Vibrant Heritage, and Thriving Community. They explored ideas and proposals that are the early beginnings of some very exciting and innovative cultural and environmental projects for the town. Reflecting on the workshop, Lonsdale said: We were blown away by the enthusiasm and inspiration today. We still have many groups to engage with and urge anyone interested in being involved to get in touch. We are also planning a series of public in-person and online consultations to help shape the programme. All participants have agreed to join a newly formed partnership aimed at bringing the project to life.

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.

Today we hosted the first of three drop-in sessions at Pannal Scout to come and learn about our emerging ideas, contribute and get involved in how the community can protect and enhance Crimple Valley for both nature and people. There was a great buzz all day and lots of stopped by to chat and explore the plans. The next session will be on the 4th March (10am until 4:30pm) and then 16th March (10am until 4:30pm).We hope to see you then!

The sun was out as we set off into Crimple Valley, walking the land owned by North Yorkshire Council. A light breeze moved through the trees, carrying the hum of insects and the occasional burst of birdsong. It was the kind of day where nature seemed to lean in, inviting us to slow down, look closer, and listen. Crimple Valley sits due south of Harrogate, forming a natural boundary between the town and the historic village of Pannal. It is part of what is now being recognised as the Harrogate Wildbelt - a corridor of green space that buffers the urban fringe, giving wildlife room to move and thrive. But like so many places on the edge, it has always been under threat. Walking alongside Dr. Kevin Walker, Head of Science at the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, the conversation turned to how landscapes evolve - how they hold traces of the past and clues for the future. We passed through old meadows, where veteran oaks and ashes stood like sentinels. “Many of these trees are likely centuries old,” Kevin noted, “they should be valued not just as wildlife features, but as seed sources for regenerating the surrounding land.” Their roots have held this valley together through generations - living records of change, resilience, and adaptation. The group is beginning to understand the landscape better Further on, we reached Sandy Bank Wood, where patches of heather and bilberry hinted at what this landscape might have looked like before clearance. A nearby pond shimmered in the afternoon light, home to newts, toads, and a wealth of invertebrates - a rare, undisturbed pocket of life. By the time we reached the River Crimple, the light was shifting. It’s a largely unmodified, fast-flowing stream, a rare thing in today’s landscapes. There have been localised impacts from development, but for now, it remains a stronghold for kingfishers, dippers, and even breeding otters. Crimple Valley, despite its importance, has long faced pressure from development. But places like this are more than just scenery - they are working landscapes, deeply connected to community, nature, and heritage. The valley is not a wilderness, but a living system, one that has shaped Harrogate’s identity for centuries. If we listen to the land, it tells us exactly what it needs. The question is... will we listen in time?

On the 3rd April, we presented the Harrogate Wildbelt to the quarterly meeting of the Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership at Harrogate Civic Centre. The partnership has worked to protect the Nidd Gorge and Bilton Fields since 1983. It was originally formed by Harrogate Borough Council with conservation groups, recreational interests, landowners and local representatives. Over four decades, it has provided a forum for balancing nature conservation, agriculture, woodland management, recreation and public access. Now administered by North Yorkshire Council, the partnership brings together community groups, landowners, councillors, naturalists and walking and cycling representatives. Its members include Bilton Conservation Group, Bilton Historical Society, Harrogate and District Naturalists’ Society, Knaresborough Town Council, Knox Valley Residents Association, Long Lands Community and The Woodland Trust. Its purpose closely aligns with the Wildbelt, particularly around wildlife, heritage, recreation, access and public enjoyment. We introduced the work undertaken so far and explained the need for a more joined-up vision for the landscapes surrounding Harrogate and Knaresborough. Wildbelt proposes three connected landscape areas around the town. The Nidd, Crimple and Oak belts. Together, they could provide a framework for nature recovery, walking and cycling, heritage, water management and public wellbeing. We also explained how these landscapes form part of Harrogate’s wider therapeutic spa environment. The town’s healing landscape has always extended beyond its wells and baths into its valleys, woodlands, waterways and surrounding countryside. Early work is already beginning in the Crimple Valley. The Nidd Gorge Advisory Partnership offers an established forum through which similar ambitions can be developed in the Nidd area, drawing on more than 40 years of local knowledge and collaboration. The meeting was an opportunity to introduce the concept and begin a conversation about how the partnership and the Wildbelt might work together in future.