Regeneration project at fire-ravaged Victorian building 'brings hope' to Harrogate residents after eight long years

Harrogate residents were surprised to see a giant crane in the skies above a prominent High Street site left derelict eight years ago by a major blaze.

For the first time since 2018 when McColl’s convenience store was ravaged by fire, long-awaited regeneration is clearly taking place at the roofless three-storey building at 60–64 High Street located next to Grade II listed St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck.

To residents living in the area, the situation has not always seemed so positive.

Originally Harper's grocery store before being taken over in 1945 by Jacksons, this prominent Victorian building then became a Sainsburys and, finally, a McColls.

The major blaze in 2018 closed the area’s main road for hours while firefighters fought the blaze.

For nearly six months afterwards, a nearby footpath and pedestrian crossing were closed to residents for safety reasons.

Both the then Harrogate MP Andrew Jones and local councillor Philip Broadbank complained that this was an “eyesore” and called on the site’s owners, Bates & Hemingborough, to create a better future for the ruined building.

That never happened.

But the last year has seen things move in the right direction on Starbeck High Street which is part of the A59, the main road from Knaresborough.

Full planning permission was granted for the comprehensive refurbishment of the site to secure its long-term future.

Although outside the Conservation Area, the building was recognised by the Local Planning Authority as a non-designated heritage asset due to its historic contribution to Starbeck’s commercial development.

The plans retains and restores the existing structure while introducing nine new residential apartments within the upper floors and roof space.

The ground floor commercial unit will be reinstated under Class E use, reactivating this key frontage and supporting the vitality of the local centre.

The remaining parts of the damaged roof have been removed and new beams put in place where McColl’s roof once was.

Now, the appearance of a giant crane at the site points to a new future for this historic building.