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May 2023

Last Updated: 05/05/2023

Transport

£11.2m Station Gateway set to go ahead after crucial Harrogate area vote

by Vicky Carr

| 05 May, 2023

Councillors across Harrogate and Knaresborough have today voted to support plans for the £11.2m Station Gateway project.

The scheme, which would see Station Parade reduced to one lane of traffic in favour of a bus lane and cycle route, received 10 votes in favour and three against.

Members of North Yorkshire Council's Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee heard views and evidence and debated the project for more than three hours before making their decision.

They voted on a motion to support the scheme, on condition that the council would engage further with local businesses and residents to address their concerns.

The heated meeting began with time for members of the public to address the committee.

Sue Savill, owner of Party Fever, raised the issue of lack of access to businesses on the east side of Lower Station Parade. She said the scheme would remove parking spaces immediately outside the front in favour of a bus lane and cycling path, adding:

"The cost to local businesses would be devastating. It would make Harrogate less attractive to visit."

William Woods, of Independent Harrogate, said it, Harrogate BID, Harrogate Chamber and Harrogate Residents Association opposed the plans, adding:

"You must ask yourselves, can all these businesses really be wrong?"

He said the Station Gateway project would do "absolutely nothing" to reduce queues on the main approaches to Harrogate, such as Wetherby Road.

There was raucous laughter when Judy D'Arcy-Thompson, of the Stray Defence Association, said a report supporting the plans highlighted the lack of cycling connection between the railway and bus stations, which she pointed out were just "20 paces" apart.

She said the "largely intelligent, conscientious population" was already aware of the need to protect the local environment without the scheme being needed. She concluded:

"Please do not bring down the portcullis and tear the heart out of Harrogate."

Just two members of the public spoke in favour of the scheme: Kevin Douglas, of Harrogate District Cycle Action, and Jemima Parker, of Zero Carbon Harrogate.

There were loud shouts from the public against them. Committee chairman Pat Marsh had to ask several times for people to be quiet to allow the speakers to be heard.

There were snorts of derision as Harrogate District Cycle Action leader Kevin Douglas told the meeting:

"To make cycling an option for all, including children, we do need dedicated cycle tracks...

"Of course this scheme does not prevent people from driving in the town centre if they choose to."

Evidence from officers

After statements from the public, the meeting moved on to hear from councillors and officers putting forward the plans.

North Yorkshire's executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, said the scheme was not "total and perfect" but was an "opportunity" to address the issues Harrogate was facing.

He said he was not trying to pass the buck of a controversial decision to the committee, but was willing to listen to their views and look at any concerns they raised.

Richard Binks, the council's head of major projects and infrastructure, addressed concerns about the loss of parking spaces. With a total of 6,789 parking spaces - and around 7,500 if nearby supermarkets were included - he said the impact of losing 40 spaces across James Street and Station Parade would be minimal.

Tania Weston, programme manager of the Transforming Cities Fund, added:

"This is not just a cycling scheme - it's about accessibility. It's not about preventing driving, it's giving people options."

Economic and regeneration manager Matt Roberts told the meeting:

"Change is often daunting but in Harrogate's case is much needed."

Otley Road cycle route fears

After the presentations, the meeting moved to debate among the 13 councillors on the committee.

Cllr Michael Schofield, the Lib Dem representative of Harlow and St Georges, said businesses felt the consultation on the scheme was insufficient. He questioned the authority's ability to deliver on a sustainable travel scheme, given the recent problems with the Otley Road cycle route.

"These people are really worried about their livelihoods. Why haven't they been consulted properly and why hasn't a business impact report been carried out with them?"

Matt Roberts said it was not usual for schemes like that to include that, but an economic impact report had been completed.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Matt Walker, of Knaresborough West, said he welcomed investment, and the council's offers to meet with residents and businesses, but said:

"This scheme is actually an £11m vanity project. It delivers nothing more than an expensive landscaping project...

"It does not sit within a wider strategic plan. Nobody is going to visit the gateway project. People visit for thriving independent shops, along with the Valley Gardens... and others."

However, speaking in support of the plans and addressing the public gallery, Green party Cllr Arnold Warneken of the Ouseburn division, said:

"I find it very difficult to sit here and listen to how impolite some of you have been. I feel some members of this committee might have wanted to say something but the hostile atmosphere might have prevented them."

He said most people wanted to protect the environment and called on councillors to "have the courage" to vote for something that would do that.

Cllr Paul Haslam, the Conservative representative for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, supported the scheme. His view was that the town needed to be a welcoming place to support businesses of all kinds, in order "to retain quality people" and reduce the number of young people leaving for "more exciting" towns.

As a long-standing businessman and retailer, he said there was already a changing retail landscape thanks to the internet, exacerbated by covid. He argued Harrogate had to "create a USP to attract shoppers", adding:

"It's a serious planned investment in our home that will enrich the economy for years to come."

Cllr Monika Slater (Lib Dem, Bilton Grange and New Park) welcomed officers' and Cllr Duncan's assurances that they were open to developing the plans and willing to speak to businesses and individuals about their concerns. She said:

"I really feel that the Otley Road cycle scheme has caused a big problem... It has taken away the public's confidence in North Yorkshire."

Lib Dem Cllr Hannah Gostlow, of Knaresborough East, said she supported measures to support active travel but they needed to be joined up. She said it regularly took her 45 minutes to travel from Knaresborough to Harrogate.

"We need a holistic approach to active travel in the constituency.

"We need inspiring schemes that celebrate our heritage and win the support of residents and businesses."

She called on the area committee to drive through measures to improve active travel with support from the community.

'Deeply divided'

Holding a leaflet handed to her by a member of the public who had earlier spoken against the scheme, Lib Dem committee chairman Pat Marsh said she was "totally against" the Station Gateway, adding:

"I actually think this alternative solution that connects into my own community and into Bilton, Knaresborough and Starbeck – why aren't solutions like that being looked at instead of one that's sending idling traffic up through our town?"

Cllr Peter Lacey (Lib Dem, Coppice Valley and Duchy) said the town was "deeply divided" over the plans. He said:

"This scheme is caught in a sea of disgruntlement and disappointment that I personally share."

Cllr Lacey put forward a motion to support the scheme, with conditions which would see council officers work with residents and businesses to find the best use of the money. He added:

"This is a test of our ability to work together to deliver the best possible scheme."

Cllr Duncan said there were time pressures to proceed with the scheme and submit a business case, but he was happy to undertake to follow the councillors' wishes.

Three councillors – Matt Walker, Michael Schofield and Pat Marsh – voted to oppose the plans, while Cllr Arnold Warneken was ineligible to vote. The rest supported taking the plans forward.

The scheme, including any amendments, will be put before North Yorkshire Council's executive on May 30 for a final vote.