Harrogate business leaders have urged the local authority to press ahead tomorrow with plans for a £46.8m renovation of the town’s convention centre.
Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet will recommend spending £1.1m on a detailed feasibility study and a full economic impact assessment, according to confidential cabinet documents seen by The Stray Ferret.
The prospect of this leading to such a huge investment in the centre of Harrogate has alarmed some people in Ripon, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, who fear their locations won’t reap the benefits.
But businesses in Harrogate have said investment is necessary for the survival of the town’s hotels, restaurants and bars.
Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, whose properties include the Yorkshire Hotel, the White Hart Hotel and the Fat Badger pub, said the visitor economy was “massively driven” by the centre, which is currently being used as a Nightingale hospital. He added:
“The hotels are really feeling the effects of it being closed. Some are asking whether they can afford to stay open.
“I absolutely support investment. I don’t see an alternative.”
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A spokesperson for Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Association said redevelopment “will help Harrogate attract new events and drive even more business to the town, which is great for local restaurants, retailers and the hotel and accommodation sector”.
Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the “backbone of the town” would change if Harrogate lost the centre.
But Ms Doherty said the centre was “far behind its rivals, which offer more adaptive space to include breakout rooms, the ability to offer smaller conference space and the technology to support it”. She added:
“The need to invest should be part of a rolling programme rather than years of little to no investment, which results in the big ticket option we are faced with today.”
Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said:
“It’s vital we have a modern facility, one that will continue to attract major clients from not just within the UK, but from abroad too.”
