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Sept 2020

Last Updated: 09/09/2020

Harrogate

Conservative councillor speaks out against James Street pedestrianisation

by Calvin Robinson

| 10 Sept, 2020

Cllr Nick Brown has said he is a "lone voice" in opposition to plans to temporarily pedestrianise James Street. He said it would be a "further body blow" for Harrogate town centre retail.

Cllr Nick Brown, a Conservative, has spoken out against plans to temporarily pedestrianise James Street.

A Conservative Harrogate borough councillor has spoken out against plans to temporarily pedestrianise James Street.

Cllr Nick Brown, who represents the Bishop Munkton and Newby ward, said it was “not the time to deliver a further body blow” to retail in the town.

While Cllr Brown has positioned himself as a "lone voice" in opposition to the plans, it is not the first time he has spoken out against the issue.

At an Overview and Scrutiny meeting last month, he told Conservative council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, that the coronavirus pandemic was not a reason to start the trial run for pedestrianisation.

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North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, is expected to implement a temporary pedestrianisation of James Street at the request of the borough council.

The measure has already been met with fierce criticism from landlords and store managers, including former England and Leeds United star Danny Mills.

Now, Cllr Brown has broken rank and criticised the move which forms a part of the council’s masterplan for the town centre.

He said:

"Much has changed in retail since 2016, with the rise of Internet shopping, accelerated by the covid lockdown since March this year.

"Sadly, retail in central Harrogate is suffering badly. Now is not the time to deliver it a further body blow by pedestrianising the town centre.

"I believe that the 2016 masterplan, which promotes further widespread pedestrianisation in central Harrogate, is totally out of date and will not serve local businesses well. It may be relevant and have merit sometime in the future but certainly not now, when our retailers need all the help from us that they can get."

Cllr Brown questioned what economic modelling had been done for the pedestrianisation and whether the consultation for the move was sufficient.

Harrogate Borough Council has maintained that the temporary pedestrianisation was for “social distancing and safety purposes”.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“The proposal to temporarily pedestrianise part of James Street, that already has parking restrictions in place, is to support existing social distancing measures during the continuing covid-19 pandemic and allow people to feel safe when visiting the town centre.

“There is also a wealth of evidence that suggests pedestrianisation supports town centres, increases footfall, reduces vacancy rates, supports local businesses and is viewed positively by visitors.”

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, previously defended the the measure and said it was "timely and appropriate".

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Conservative councillor speaks out against James Street pedestrianisation

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