New street names for site in Pannal plus snow and floods.

Names suggested by Harrogate Borough Council for street names for housing on the Dunlopillo site. Their suggestions were Buckingham and Windsor. I did not agree with these names so I was asked to forward some names which I have done stating "If one is looking for a Royal connection Princess Royal Way (part of the A61 near Dunlopillo site) named for Princess Mary, Princess Royal who was the wife of Henry Lascelles Earl of Harewood. So we can have Lascelles or Harewood Drive/Street whatever. Other suggestions: Names of fields within this area in the 1800s. Whin Bank, Great Bank, High Laithe, Willow Garth. Pannal Park, Springfield, Buttersyke. Sandstone names of quarries in this area. Hullah Well just the other side of A61 near Dunlopillo site. Smithy Hill/Close/Drive - there was a blacksmiths same era in Pannal. Plants that grew there could be used as street names Broom, Teazle, Cedar (of Lebanon 2 of these endangered trees in Pannal. Also birds that were numerous when this area was fields and a farm. Skylarks, lapwings. Pavilion large one that was on the Sports Field on the old Bintex/Dunlopillo site.So I have given them plenty to work with.
Last Thursday a heavy fall of snow in the morning rush hour. Cars abandoned in Main Street. Three cars crashed into a fourth one. Police came and closed Church Lane where the accident happened. I had a late shower that morning as I was watching all the excitement. In the afternoon the sun came out and by evening snow all gone as if it had never happened. Then this week St Robert's Church and surrounding area flooded. I have a little stream - Pannal stream - at the bottom of my garden which turned into nearly a raging torrent. It plus Clarke Beck plus the River Crimple all joined so the damage was done. Fire Brigade to the rescue. This is the area Crimple Valley that HBC have earmarked for housing. It is on a flood plane. How many times do we have to tell them and it is no use saying they can "fix" the water. Yes maybe from part of the Crimple Valley but one does not have to be a genius to know that water will always find a way  to come back. I and others like me who have lived here a long time (me 52 years) remember the tragic floods of September 1968 when boats were out in Main Street rescuing people from the cottages near the church (some demolished now) and poor little Melville Guy Pullein Bentley aged only eight of Pannal Hall was tragically drowned having fallen into the River Crimple which was in spate just behind St Robert's Church, WE all pray that tragedies like this will never happen again.
I have been feeding the birds with fat balls, bird seed and bread much to my cats annoyance. As having ventured out from a warm house they put up with the pigeons and the pheasants from the Quarry but they were not prepared for the kite that flew down. A fast exit through the cat flap and they looked at me as if to say WHAT!

Can Pannal be saved

Can it? Are we going to be surrounded in Housing and lose all our green fields where we walk the footpaths? I am talking of the Crimple Valley. As Pannal's historian these fields belonged in far off days to King George 111 then passed on to The Earl of Harwood and William Bentley. Sold in 1952 and 1963 to Harrogate Borough Council and as "guardians" they created a Special Landscape Area. I have been in touch with the Duchy of Lancaster to see if they hold the mineral rights to this land.
Yesterdays meeting was well attended.I was there from 11am to 4.30pm.  Villagers are concerned. Not only are they concerned about losing this land but the traffic that goes through the village. Thursday and Friday last week particularly bad. Traffic queuing from the traffic light on Pannal Bank to All Saints Court from 4pm to 6.45pm non stop. It was like living on an island as we in Main Street could not get our cars out had we needed to. Everyone here times their outings. Do not go out until after 9.15am and be back by 2.45pm. Unfortunately I overshot this time on Friday and came home at 4.30pm. I could not get in my drive as the cars, vans etc were nose to tail - could not go forward or reverse- to let me in. Now this has happened before and I have gone down Rosedale and round to join the traffic coming down Main Street but Friday no I was not going to I stayed where I was and the cars behind me started hooting. I was so cross I felt like getting out the car and punching them and shouting I LIVE HERE AND YOU ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH. I am not alone in this as it has happened to my neighbours. Hopefully the burst water main on the A61 will be fixed and Thursday and Fridays chaos will be over but this happens every day. Not quite to 6.45pm but certainly starts at 4pm. OK rant over I will not go on about some of the rude mothers that park their cars over our drives and subject one to abuse when asked to move up a bit. None of us are bothered about the cars parking on the road (WE DO NOT WANT DOUBLE YELLOW LINES) just the stupid parking and the abuse.
A great number of villagers both far and near read this blog. Please Pannal readers object to the Local Plan. This is your only chance. HBC have made it particularly difficult to do so but if you feel strongly just write to them include your name and address and tell them what you object to. Before March 9th please. Anything received after that day they will disregard. They will you know.
On a happier note Tigs was sitting up the apple tree and Marble did not see her and passed below. Tigs jumped on top of her and Marble did a cartoon jump in the air all four legs stiff. Animals do have a sense of humour.

Important meeting at Pannal

Saturday 24th February is the date from 9am to 4pm there will be information on what is happening to Pannal. There are obviously villagers like me who have lived here a long time (me 52 years) and remember the green fields before Crimple Meadows, Walton Park and Pannal Green housing.Even where I live was a field belonging to Walter Hustler who lived at Rosehurst. A beautiful house that was demolished in 1967. I remember it very well it and its beautiful grounds where Rosedale houses now are.  I am happy with what we have but I honestly think enough is enough. What do we have left if the Crimple Valley is built upon. All those greenfields gone and as for the traffic we shall not be able to cope. It is bad enough now there have been times when we in Main Street have found it difficult to get in and out of our houses. There will be housing on the old Dunlopillo site and if the Ward Bros get their way there will be housing on the green belt that stretches from their housing site at Dunlopillo all the way to Buttersyke Bar. We need the Crimple Valley both sides of the A61 as a green lung that separates us from Harrogate and also leaves us somewhere to walk and use for recreation.
Will we win this fight I do not know as Harrogate Borough Council seem determined to put as much housing and light industry in Pannal as they can but we can have a show of force and try to protect what we hold dear. That is if you agree with my views. Come to the meeting on the 24th and put your objections in. Pannal needs all the help it can get.
I also know the numpty that put forward the suggestion of making Spring Lane (Woodcock Hill) from its junction with Rosedale to the top of Main Street into one way. Enough said.
Keep Pannal separate we do not want to be joined onto Harrogate. We are an ancient village Harrogate is not. We want to keep our identity. Only the people of Pannal can fight these proposals. WE STAND ALONE.

Pannal and the Local Plan

Please everyone respond to the Local Plan. If you are not sure about it I have asked the Parish Council  to put some details on their Facebook site or whatever they decide to do as it would be helpful for residents to see what to object to. I am objecting to the proposed housing on the Crimple Valley. This land belongs to Harrogate Borough Council who purchased it from William Bentley of Pannal Hall in the 1960s. He also owned Sandy Bank Quarry but sold that to the council too. THEY (HBC) were supposed to protect this area but their promises meant nothing as it is now being proposed for housing. Looking at this proposal from the residents point of view. There will be housing on the old Dunlopillo site and could be housing on Spring Lane Farm, Where are the open green spaces for us to walk? Behind St Robert's Church that is a lovely open space and one of the last places to lose the sun on a summer's evening. It is well used by walkers and dog walkers. As well as children playing. When the old oak tree came down a couple of years ago the children from Pannal Green and around had a wonderful time climbing all over it. I walk there and I love it. Loved it better when it was covered in wild flowers. It was so beautiful and it had orchids there. I do not feel Pannal needs anymore housing. If it does it won't be Pannal it will be Harrogate as we shall be joined up. We could lose our name and instead just be known as South Bilton. Poor Bilton went from being a village to having a massive amount of housing but there is plenty of open space to walk there much more than we have and ten times more if we lose the Crimple Valley to one side of the Leeds ~Road housing and the other side industry.
I have been doing some talks about Pannal these last few weeks. I enjoy doing them and people seems to enjoy hearing them, Also walking round the area. I enjoy walking at Starbeck, Knaresborough, Ripon and Otley. Have walked The Stray all of it for about the hundredth time. I would not want to live anywhere else Soon be able to get back to golf and gardening. Using these cold months to catch up with friends and have lovely lunches.
Tigs and Marble are fine and love being in the lounge when it gets dark.
One more rant. The volume of traffic that goes through Main Street starting at 4pm and carrying on until  6.15pm is horrendous. Feels as though we the residents are living on an island as at those times we cannot get out or in to our drives. Some of the car drivers are amazingly rude> I feel like getting out and shouting I live here you are only passing through. When I was doing the little patio, sorry I said little sometimes does not feel like that with the amount of leaves I have to shift I, for the third time, was nearly wiped out by a 4x4 avoiding the street humps and coming onto the grass and pavement. Marks still there of his tyres. What is the matter with people?? I have also brought it to the attention of the Parish Council that in the 1970s at the top of Main Street where it joins Church Lane Just before the Quarry entrance the road collapsed. It was judged to be the weight of the bus going up and down so it was diverted by way of Rosedale. Hope it has been well strengthened as the amount of cars - and heavy lorries that are not supposed to come through Pannal - that use it now. I have lived here 52 years and my parents lived in Hookstone so have seen all the changes. Are they for the better? I will leave you to judge that.

Pannal life after the festive season

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. I certainly did. All the family - there were 14 of us staying. A bit of a squeeze but it was fun. Good job I like cooking. Five grandchildren and only one disagreement when One was left out when the others were playing. Soon solved and pretty good for a week together. I went back to Cheltenham and Bristol for the New Year and my lovely neighbour looked after the cats. I left them food in the summer house and of course the feral (I think) ginger cat decided it was a cushy billet in the summerhouse. Something must of frightened him as he came out of the summerhouse via a large pane of glass in the door. Derek very kindly tidied it up and when I came back we did a bodged job with cardboard until it all dries and then we can get new glass etc. Does anyone know who the ginger cat belongs to? It has been around for a few years and comes in to the house via the cat flap and eats my cats food. They are frightened of him so just let him. Not only did I come back to that but the utility room was flooded as the central heating pipe thing (see how good I am at describing mechanical/engineering parts) had come undone. Safe Gas came out very quickly and all was sorted. Could have done without both.
Years ago we bought some conifer trees Miniature they were and planted them. Little did we know that they would grow tremendous. It was like Jack and the Beanstalk out there. My planting those far of years ago left a lot to be desired as I planted them too close. Remember they were supposed to be miniature and they more of less killed each other growing to the gigantic things they grew into. Lesson learnt there. Yesterday the chaps came to fell them and I have spent today clearing up this large space. Did not look all that large when they were there but I can tell you 30 bags later it was. Quite a few trips to the tip called for here.
All quiet at the moment re development in Pannal. The lull before the storm as we know it will all kick off soon and I will keep you informed.
Nice to see the tree lights on Pannal Green still on. Hopefully we shall have the conifer trees decorated next year as they are a good size and that is what they were planted for.

Pannal and Christmas

First warmish day we have had for ages. I am fed up defrosting my car so let it sit there covered this morning then looked out of the window and frost had all gone.
Hopefully everyone is ready for Christmas. Now do I buy a turkey now or do I wait? Waiting at the moment but will see as I would like a fresh one but if I buy now I shall have to put it in the freezer. Decisions, decisions.
I approached the CPRE with regard to the Crimple Valley asking if they could help as it is a Special Landscape Area as deemed by Harrogate Borough Council who now want to build on it. I have received a letter from them in London and the development plans that I sent them has been referred to their branch in Yorkshire. I shall pass this letter on to the Parish Council as I feel it would be worth joining to be able to have the benefit of their expertise. That reminds me. I went into Boots the other day and an assistant walked towards me and said "are you on benefit". I was taken aback thinking do I look as if I am on befit. I said "Excuse me what do you mean" and she said "Benefit is a range of makeup we are selling" .Honestly, that is true there is a range of make up called Benefit. I suggested that she should rephrase how she asks people in case she got thumped. As she very nearly was!!!
The lights are up on Pannal Green and very nice they look. When I was a member of the Pannal Village Society I asked members if Pannal Green should be lit up and they agreed and the money was raised. Then sadly three boys from Pannal Green were killed in a car crash and money was given from their paper round customers and blue and white lights were put on the trees nearest where they had lived on Pannal Green and they were all Leeds supporters. That was all a very long time ago and their parents do not live in Pannal Green now and the winds destroyed a number of lights last year. This year new ones have been put up and the Parish Council has taken over my job of arranging for the lights to be maintained and lit.
What will 2018 hold for Pannal. I do not know only that Harrogate Borough Council will do all in their power to destroy it. Am I saying this because I have lived here 52 years? Yes and no. I am thinking well yes of how I feel but also for the children and grandchildren and animals and birds, and butterflies and our lovely green space. If this area is built upon where will we go to walk, and exercise our dogs. It is a very well used area and if it is filled in just think we will have nothing left.
On a happier note a very Happy Christmas to you all and a Guid New Year and may all our wishes for lovely Pannal to be left alone come true.

Pannal or South Bilton

This heading is what we will become.. Pannal will not be a village. It is ancient. It will be part of Harrogate which is not. So sad. The planners did not take our objections into consideration at all. Completely ignored. Destruction of the lovely Crimple Valley which we all use. Where will all the wildlife go?  To their doom probably as the lethal A61 the Leeds Road is there. Years ago I was told that Harrogate Borough Council's plan was to make Pannal the same as Bilton and this seems to be coming into fruition. Bilton was once a village but is no longer and that is our fate. Of course not only us but Harrogate to and surrounding villages. Not only houses but how will Harrogate manage with all the cars that dwellings bring. Skipton Road, Leeds Road are practically gridlocked. We all despair of Harrogate Borough Council.
The telephone box we were going to turn into a little library. Since I raised this and said about elderly people not being able to get into town. No bus through the village only the 36 which one has to climb a steep hill to get. Some older people do not drive. There is a bus twice a week but one has to pay for it. Bus passes no use. Back to the telephone box it will remain and the Institute is thinking of having a library there. Now if this comes to pass it will be a good idea. All elderly people from Pannal /Green fear not the steep hill as there is a defibrillator at the Institute. Seriously it will be a good idea and I hope it happens.