‘Collective will’ at council to rescue £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

Senior councillors at North Yorkshire Council have agreed to consider different options to rescue the £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

At a meeting of the council’s Conservative-run executive in Northallerton this morning, executive member for highways Keane Duncan said there was a “collective will” to secure the “£11m prize” from government to deliver a transport scheme in Harrogate.

The original plans included reducing a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade to single lane to make space for cycle lanes, part-pedestrianising James Street and overhauling Station Square.

A report to councillors today said North Yorkshire Council may now focus on the most popular aspects of the scheme. It does not mention active travel or cycling.

The report added the project was likely to have been scaled-back due to inflationary pressures so some of the changes may have taken place anyway.

The meeting heard the other options were either continuing with the scheme as it is, which may bring more legal peril for the council, or scrapping it entirely.

The council paused the project last month due to a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments.

Cllr Duncan said today:

“There is a collective will across the council that we try and secure investment for Harrogate, this is an £11m prize.

“It’s right we don’t kill off the gateway at this point in time, it is important we take a step back to look at all of the options and see what is deliverable.

“Let’s secure investment, not for investment’s sake, we should exhaust all options to find a way forward.”

Councillors agreed to allow officers to work on detailed options for the scheme.

A decision on what the council intends to do is expected before November but time is running out as the government has said the money must be spent before March 2025.

Read more:

 

Knaresborough council has ‘long shopping list’ of services it could deliver

Knaresborough Town Council is optimistic it can run services and assets as part of North Yorkshire Council’s double devolution agenda.

North Yorkshire Council has promised to hand more powers to parish councils through its policy of double devolution — and a pilot scheme is set to start next year.

Town councillor David Goode said this week Knaresborough has a “long shopping list” of assets or services it could deliver as part of the programme.

It has already submitted an expression of interest in running the town’s weekly Wednesday market for the double devolution pilot.

Cllr Goode’s comments came during a presentation to North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on Thursday.

The town council, which is on the same level of local government as parish councils, currently charges a council tax precept of £25.85 per household a year for band D properties.

This allows it to provide services including Christmas lights, put on some local events and offer grant support to local charities. It also runs assets including two allotments, a playing field and Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub.

Cllr Goode said potential future options under double devolution included running public toilets, car parks, civic buildings like Conyngham Hall and Knaresborough House or leisure facilities like Knaresborough Pool.

Read more:

He also said the town council was considering utilising Localism Act 2011 legislation to take control of community assets.

But he added any asset transfer between North Yorkshire Council to Knaresborough Town Council must be supported by residents.

He said:

“If we’re going to keep community enthusiasm for this programme, residents have to see positive results. We need to walk before we can run. We need to balance services that are potential revenue generators with those that are just a cost on the council.

“This assumes any transfer from North Yorkshire Council comes with funding to maintain the current service levels that it’s run at. Where there is potential to invest, the cost has to be justified and taken only after full consultation with local residents.”

In November, North Yorkshire Council will choose up to six councils that will be part of the double devolution pilot.

‘Save the Station Gateway!’: Harrogate cycling campaigner issues plea

Cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis has appealed to councillors to save Harrogate’s under-threat £11.2m Station Gateway.

It follows the publication of a report ahead of a meeting of North Yorkshire Council‘s Conservative-run executive on Tuesday, which says the council may now focus on the most popular aspects of the scheme to get it back on track.

However, the report does not mention active travel or cycling and the council could still decide to abandon the project altogether.

The original plans included reducing a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade to single-lane traffic to make space for cycle lanes, part-pedestrianising James Street and overhauling Station Square.

The council paused work on the project last month due to a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments.

Mr Margolis spoke on behalf of Harrogate District Cycle Action campaign group at a meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee today.

He said:

“We are asking you for the good of our town to save Harrogate Station Gateway. Along with many others, we think the plans are very beneficial.

“Some of you think the same, others don’t. You agree with some key elements but not others such as making Station Parade one-way or part-pedestrianising James Street.”

Mr Margolis said scrapping the scheme or removing the active travel elements risked damaging the council’s reputation with government “for years to come”. when it came to winning active travel funding.

Other failed bids

He referred to other failed bids, including for cycle lanes on Victoria Avenue and Knaresborough Road, the scrapping of cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive and Otley Road as well as the decision to discontinue the Beech Grove Low-Traffic Neighbourhood.

Mr Margolis warned the council would be doing a “massive disservice” to Harrogate’s residents if the Station Gateway funding is not used.

Read more:

The campaigner also read out a letter he received from Conservative MP Andrew Jones in June 2023 when he described the project a “big test” for North Yorkshire Council to show that it can deliver projects. Mr Jones said the scheme had been the subject of “often inaccurate and vociferous criticism”.

However, after the judicial review was submitted by Hornbeam Park Developments in August, Mr Jones called the Station Gateway a “timed-out dead scheme”.

North Yorkshire Council officer Mark Codman read out a statement in response to Mr Margolis.

He said:

“The committee notes the statement from Harrogate District Cycle Action.

“The project is being considered by the executive on September 19 and area constituency committee members will be able to consider the next steps as appropriate at the executive meeting.”

Electric vehicles charging points in Knaresborough car park causing ‘significant harm’

A Knaresborough business owner has claimed 10 electric vehicle charging points installed in a car park have caused “significant harm” to the town and are driving shoppers away.

A petition signed by over 500 people protesting against how EV infrastructure has been introduced in Knaresborough was debated by North Yorkshire Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in Harrogate today.

Ten of the 56 regular parking bays in the town centre Chapel Street car park were turned into electric vehicle-only spaces with charge points at the end of 2022 by Harrogate Borough Council.

A further 12 spaces were given over to EVs in Conyngham Hall’s car park on the outskirts of the town centre but the charge points there have not yet been switched on.

However, at Chapel Street there have been reports of the spaces reserved for EVs laying empty, which has caused consternation to traders particularly on market days.

A statement was read out to councillors on behalf of hairdresser Kelly Teggin who launched the petition. The statement said:

“Like any market town there’s a recognition of the need for transition and charging points are attractive to residents and tourists if introduced at the right time and place.

“However, in this case, implementation of changing points at Chapel Street car park and at Conyngham Hall have been badly-handled in terms of consultation and choices made. They’ve caused significant negative impact on traders in the town centre, attractiveness to visitors and increased congestion.”

Read more:

A report prepared by officers ahead of the meeting said just five vehicles a day were using the charging spaces at Chapel Street.

But the council forecasts that after five years this will have increased to 22 cars a day and by year eight it will be 30 cars.

Electric vehicle EV Chapel Street car park parking

Electric vehicle charging bays in Chapel Street car park.

Dedicated EV bays require traffic regulation orders to restrict access to EVs only, which according to reports the spaces at Chapel Street do not have.

Matt Walker, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Knaresborough West who supports the petition, said any non-EV motorist who had received a ticket for parking in the reserved spaces should contact him as he would be “happy to defend and get those revoked”.

Arnold Warneken, the Green Party councillor for Ouseburn and an EV driver,  said he was “shocked and surprised” the council decided to put the spaces in Chapel Street, which is one of the town’s busiest car parks.

But he warned against an increasingly hostile movement against EVs on social media. He added:

“I’m totally behind having EV charging points. There’s an anxiety that infrastructure is not in place for people that drive EVs but there’s a movement out there that’s anti-EV”.

Paul Haslam, the Conservative councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said there was a “lack of understanding” about EVs but he hoped North Yorkshire Council used the changes in Knaresborough as a “learning opportunity on how we can do it better next time”.

Cllr Walker proposed a motion with nine different points, including a call for a full review into parking in Knaresborough and an assertion that the EV infrastructure had been implemented poorly in the town. It passed by six votes to four.

The area constituency committee is, however, only an advisory body to the Conservative-controlled council.

Concern about inflation on £68.8m Kex Gill road scheme

Concerns have been raised about what impact inflation might have on the overall cost of the A59 Kex Gill new road scheme between Harrogate and Skipton.

Council officials first said the Department for Transport-funded scheme would cost £61.6 million but this rose to £68.8m last year due to inflationary costs, with the council covering the £7.2m shortfall from its reserves.

Since last summer, inflation has remained high and at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee last week, Andrew Murday, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale,  asked Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, who would pick up the bill should costs increase again.

Cllr Murday said:

“One can assume a fair amount of overspend on that project due to cost of raw materials.

“Can we have an explanation on how that overspend might be met?”

In response, Mr Smith said he had not heard about any overspend.

He added:

“I was focused on getting that money locked down which it was earlier in the year.

“I haven’t had representation from the council that more money is required.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Cllr Murday said inflation should be a “worry” as construction on the new road progresses.

He said:

“Projects do overrun. There is wage inflation for the people who work there, the cost of raw materials, stone and energy requirements.

“I don’t know how much of that was taken into account when the money was awarded.

“It’s worth worrying about the increase in costs and how they are going to be met.”

A North Yorkshire Council spokesperson said the project is not currently running over budget.

Last month, contractors completed clearing an area next to the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton ahead of building a new three-mile stretch of road.

The A59 is a key link for North Yorkshire but the section that includes Kex Gill has had a long history of landslips which has caused lenghty diversions for motorists and extra costs for the council.

Read more:

 

North Yorkshire’s poor broadband making it harder to support domestic abuse victims

Poor broadband and mobile coverage in parts of North Yorkshire is making it more difficult to tackle domestic abuse, according to a charity.

IDAS has offices in Harrogate and Skipton and is the largest specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Olivia King and Kerry Rose from IDAS gave a presentation to councillors at a meeting of Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee last Thursday where they gave details about the services it provides, including safe accommodation, one-to-one support for survivors and a confidential helpline.

The charity received 25,000 calls to their helpline last year which is a figure they said is increasing every year.

But reaching people is made more difficult due to poor broadband or mobile phone connections in the Dales and other rural parts of North Yorkshire.

Ms Rose said: 

“It’s something rural communities really struggle with. We’re saying to people, if you’re in trouble, call the police, and they’re saying to us, we can’t because we’ve got no service and the broadband is rubbish — what can I do?

“So we have to be quite creative in trying to keep them safe when they can’t even call the police. That becomes a worry.”

Ms King said the issue of poor broadband is one that older clients struggle with in particular.

She said: 

“Some of these people have additional needs such as dementia which prevents them from accessing the internet, or they just don’t want to. They like their phone and they don’t have internet access because they don’t want it.

“That does make it more difficult in those further out communities where there are worse transport links. Some people have nothing for miles. Signal and broadband is one of the main things that crops up as feedback from survivors.”

North Yorkshire Council is aiming to complete the fourth phase of its Superfast Broadband programme by March next year, with 200,000 premises, many of which in rural areas, benefitting from vastly improved internet connections since the project was launched in 2012.

The IDAS helpline is 0300 0110 110.

Read more:

 

Harrogate’s Rudding Park expansion approved

Councillors have approved plans by Rudding Park Hotel and Spa near Harrogate to a build a new golf clubhouse, family hub and four tennis courts and reinstate a walled garden.

North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee met in Northallerton this morning to consider the application, which the resort said will result in an additional 75 full-time jobs and lead to an extra £14.3 million being spent in the local area every year.

Planning documents said the current clubhouse was originally built as a temporary facility but had outgrown its useful life and “considerably discredits the course”.

The new two-storey building will include swimming pools, restaurants, a gym and changing rooms.

How the new clubhouse will look.

Another visual of the new clubhouse.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park, told councillors the scheme would secure the future of the business.

He said:

“As owners, this application presents our family’s commitment to securing the long-term future of the site. The plans have been subject to much discussion with officers and consultees. It presents a unique opportunity to build on our past successes and provide high-quality facilities.”

The buildings will be constructed to the BREEAM ‘excellent’ environmental standard to put them in the top 10% of new buildings in the country.

Andy Brown, the Green Party councillor for Aire Valley, praised the scheme’s eco credentials.

He said:

“All too often we see developers pay lip service to biodiversity, sustainability and good design. I looked at this with a critical eye on those issues and was happy with what I saw.”

Green belt concerns

Rudding Park is a sprawling 300-acre estate three miles south of Harrogate. But because it sits on green belt land, planning policy only permits development in “very special circumstances”.

Neil Swannick, the Labour councillor for Whitby Streonshalh, said the positives did not outweigh the harm of building on the green belt.

He said:

“The economic benefits for the area are substantial, I recognise that, but will I support the building of a county club on the green belt? No, I won’t.”

However, Andrew Lee, the Conservatives and Independents group councillor for Appleton Roebuck and Church Fenton,  argued the strict tests for building on green belt had been met.

He said:

“Yes, it’s in the green built but Rudding Park is an important local site and they’ve demonstrated a commitment to sustainable development.

“The economic benefits mean more jobs for the local area, a £14m additional boost to local economy and securing the site for future generations and users. Taking all those things into account, I’m comfortable that the impact on the green built has been sufficiently mitigated.”

Councillors voted to approve the application with conditions by 12 votes to 1.

Read more:

 

Hopes to extend Nidderdale Greenway to Pateley Bridge

A survey has been launched to assess the popularity of extending the Nidderdale Geenway to Scar House Reservoir north of Pateley Bridge.

The idea to build an off-road path between Harrogate and Nidderdale was first proposed in 1996.

In 2014, the first four-mile section of the greenway was opened between Nidd Gorge in Bilton and Ripley and it’s proved to be a popular route for cyclists, wheelchair users, horse riders and pedestrians.

Backed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, the route follows an old railway track and extending it deeper into Nidderdale could give more parts of the area an economic boost, similar to how Ripley has benefited from the first section.

But an extension is problematic due to the fact that some of the tracks have now been built on.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale, Andrew Murday, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service discussions with landowners between Dacre Banks and Pateley Bridge revealed difficulties as it would require North Yorkshire Council to pay a a substantial amount of money up front to establish rights of way.

For example, he said creating a path along a former railway line in Upper Wensleydale is likely to cost the council several hundred thousand pounds.

He hopes the survey by action group the Hampsthwaite Pathfinders will show the public are behind the plans so it can be brought before North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Murday said public money wouldn’t be used to built the path and that it would come from Sustrans to the tune of between £10 million to £15 million.

He said:

“I know there are economic problems in the country. People have said how can we afford to do this when people can’t afford to eat. But in my own personal view, if this exists in 30 years’ time, people will say — it’s great.”

Rob Lloyd, a member of Hampsthwaite Pathfinders, said:

“Whilst the survey will help Hampsthwaite Pathfinders to focus on improving local paths the survey is open to all who have an interest in the greenway extension and whose comments may be used to shape our input to the North Yorkshire Council steering group.”

The survey is available here and closes on September 18.

The results will be published next month.

Read more:

 

Harrogate Station Gateway ‘on life support but not dead yet’

North Yorkshire Council’s transport leader Keane Duncan has said he remains hopeful that £11m of government money will be spent on a transport improvement scheme around Harrogate Station.

But he admits the troubled Station Gateway project will have to be altered for it to stand a chance of succeeding.

The Conservative councillor discussed the scheme, which was paused last month following a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments, in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cllr Duncan, who is standing for the Conservatives in next year’s first York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, talks about how the council got into this situation, whether it has failed cyclists and pedestrians in the town and what will happen now.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive will meet on Tuesday, September 19 to decide its next move regarding the project, which aims to improve walking and cycling.

Lay out the options for the Station Gateway and what the most realistic outcome is?

There are essentially three options now open to us. The first option is to push ahead with the current gateway plan – a plan that will almost certainly be challenged again and therefore time out.

The second option is to axe the gateway completely – a decision that will see £11m of investment lost and diverted elsewhere by the government.

The third is to produce an alternative scheme that achieves public support and has a realistic chance of success.

My sincere hope is to find a way forward that secures £11m of investment for Harrogate.

Did the council prepare contingency plans for the gateway money and could it be spent elsewhere in Harrogate?

The Transforming Cities Fund investment cannot be spent on anything other than some form of Transforming Cities Fund project. While it would be possible to revise the current gateway scheme, it is incorrect and insincere for anyone to suggest funding can be directed to entirely different projects.

We have never had that ability, and we do not have that ability now.

It is always easiest for politicians to walk away, to give up, to standstill. Doing nothing is always more expedient than trying to do something.
But I believe very strongly we should exhaust every avenue before rejecting £11 million out of hand.

This section of Station Parade would be reduced to single lane traffic under the scheme.

What do you think about Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones’s comment that the gateway is a “timed-out dead scheme”?

The Gateway is not timed out – yet. The gateway is not dead – yet. But it is fair to say the gateway is on life support. Andrew wants to secure investment for Harrogate. The Liberal Democrats say they want to secure investment for Harrogate. I do too, and I will do my best to deliver on that objective.

Will the Department for Transport extend the Transforming Cities Fund deadline if you decide to put forward a different scheme or make changes?

We must spend TCF funding by March 2025 at the absolute latest.
We are now in a race against time to meet this deadline and secure investment for Harrogate.

While the timetable is very tight, it does remain possible to deliver a scheme, albeit perhaps not necessarily exactly as first planned.

We are working very closely with the Department for Transport and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Their support will be absolutely critical.

Read more:

The council has admitted errors were made in the consultation stages. Who is being held accountable and do you feel let down?

The gateway decision was rescinded for the simple reason that the loading restrictions proposed for James Street require a public inquiry to be held if an objection is received.

Our legal team quickly accepted this requirement had not been met.
It is surprising that the legal counsel we engaged failed to advise us of this key, fundamental point and it is right that the council pursues that.

But my focus right now is not on apportioning blame or on looking back at the past. It is on the tricky challenge of determining what to do next.

As executive member you inherited the project from your predecessor Don Mackenzie. If you had the project from the beginning what would you have done differently?

I was not involved at the start. I wasn’t part of the discussions. When I inherited the scheme, I pursued the fairest and most democratic possible course of action I could. I made clear I would let Harrogate’s councillors decide the way forward.

The majority backed the scheme and I followed their will. The Liberal Democrats have since wobbled in the face of pressure and backtracked. They have shown they cannot provide leadership or direction for Harrogate. They cannot stand by a decision.

I am prepared to do what I takes to deliver investment. The Liberal Democrats are not being quite so clear and straightforward with the people of Harrogate.

James Street traffic order

Cllr Duncan says he’s “surprised’ the council’s legal counsel didn’t say the loading restrictions proposed for James Street required a public inquiry.

Harrogate District Cycle Action has criticised the council’s track record in delivering active travel in the town. Do you accept this criticism and will the gateway situation make it more difficult to win funding from government for future schemes?

While fair challenge and scrutiny is very much welcome, relentless criticism from some cycling campaigners is totally counterproductive to delivering the active travel improvements they are seeking.

A further, significant deterrent to progress is unhelpful division between motorists and cyclists, sometimes stirred up by deliberate provocation. It creates a very difficult context to deliver any change or progress in Harrogate.

I have attempted to heal divisions in my role. I removed Beech Grove so we could take a step back and think of an alternative. I halted phase two of the widely-condemned Otley Road cycleway. That’s allowed us to devise a £585,000 transport package with much wider benefit.

We can make progress and we are making progress, but this is never straight forward. We need a more strategic view and looking ahead to devolution we will have that opportunity.

Chris Bentley is a wealthy local businessman who owns Hornbeam Park Developments. He could effectively put a stop to £11m of investment, which narrowly has the support of the public, into Harrogate town centre. How do you feel about this?

Legal challenge is a risk to any project. It is a fact of reality. We cannot eliminate that risk, but we should be mindful of it and we should do what we can to minimise the risk as we seek to secure positive investment for Harrogate.

Since the Uxbridge by-election, the Prime Minister and the Conservatives have come out against some active travel schemes. If the gateway is shelved, will this help or hinder your hopes of becoming mayor?

My position on gateway will not be determined by whether it helps or hinders me electorally. Chasing popularity is not governing. It is not acting in the public interest. It is knee-jerk, reactionary politics that will continue to let Harrogate down.

I will be a mayor who is prepared to make decisions, even if they are tough, to fight for what I believe in, even if it may not be universally popular, and to be honest about the steps we need to take to address the very serious and growing transport issues Harrogate is facing.

Raw sewage spilled into North Yorkshire streets 600 times in five years

Yorkshire Water has admitted that raw sewage has spilled into the streets in the Skipton and Ripon constituency area 600 times over the last five years.

The figure was revealed during a meeting in Skipton yesterday when the company’s head of corporate affairs, Tim Myatt, was grilled by councillors about what the company is doing to stop sewage and other waste being discharged into rivers and public places.

Mr Myatt, who was a senior Harrogate councillor for the Conservatives until earlier this year, said Yorkshire Water was investing an extra £180 million to reduce discharges by at least 20% before 2025.

This is on top of a £147 million investment to reduce discharge at its wastewater treatment works.

But councillors said the company had not spent enough since privatisation in 1989.

Last month, the council’s planning committee refused an application for 23 homes in Bishop Monkton following fears the housing would exacerbate raw sewage being released into village streets during heavy rainfall.

Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, asked Mr Myatt how many reported incidents of sewage being spilled into Skipton and Ripon’s streets there had been in the last five years. Mr Myatt told him it was 600.

Read more:

However, this only includes details from the main postcodes in the constituency area so the actual number is likely to be higher.

A ‘monstrous’ figure

Cllr Brown described the figure as “monstrous” and said more investment was needed.

He said:

“Six hundred incidents of sewage in villages and towns is unbelievable. I find the lack of investment over a period of years is partially to blame for that. In future, the investment must be made sooner rather than later in curing these problems.”

Mr Myatt said Yorkshire Water has had teams in Bishop Monkton this week looking at the problem.

Conservative and Independent Group councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside, Andrew Williams, said the company has been providing an “effluent service” for customers.

He added:

“We raised the issue of effluent in the street in Ripon and received a fob-off. It’s not good enough.”

Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent, David Staveley, said Yorkshire Water had “stone-walled and come up with bad excuses” when faced with criticism from customers over raw sewage and other issues.

Mr Myatt said Yorkshire Water wanted a “step change in transparency”, including more monitoring of their infrastructure to help understand how to reduce overflows. He said he was aware the public wants the company to “vastly improve performance”.

He said:

“We have invested since privatisation. It’s important to not think that pre-privatisation there was lots of investment and now there is none. 

“There has been significant investment and improvements in certain areas.”

North Yorkshire Council is currently putting together a local plan that will map out where housing can be built across the county. 

Mr Myatt indicated Yorkshire Water would like to become a statutory consultee on planning applications and that the new local plan will help it target investment into infrastructure.

He added:

“Knowing where growth is likely to be enables us to plan for investment and make the case for that in those areas.”