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23
May 2024
Harrogate College taking ‘massive gamble’ with parking space reduction, councillor says
A local councillor has said Harrogate College is taking a “massive gamble” by reducing the number of on-site parking spaces to accommodate a £22 million re-build.
Conservative councillor John Mann, who represents Oatlands and Pannal – which Hornbeam Park narrowly falls into – told the Stray Ferret he has received concerns from residents about college pupils and staff parking on residential roads.
It comes after North Yorkshire Council last month approved the plans to demolish the main college building and build a state-of-the-art technology hub.
The new building would include a mock hospital ward, a digital technology suite, an electric vehicle workshop and a construction centre focussed on modern building methods.
The college hopes to move into the new building by July 2025, after which the existing building will be demolished.
Harrogate College last month said the existing car park would be closed from April 22 to allow work to continue, with no available spaces during the construction period.
The car park was used by staff and students daily, and the new site will see parking spaces drop from 242 to just 88.
College principal, Danny Wild, told the Stray Ferret at the time staff and students were advised to “make alternative travel arrangements” or “park responsibly in the local area”.
Main contractor Caddick Construction also encouraged "use of the nearby station car-park".
But Cllr Mann said he will be "closely monitoring" the parking situation following residents' concerns.
In a letter to Cllr Mann, seen by the Stray Ferret, one couple, who live adjacent to Hornbeam Park railway station, said the loss of parking spaces will have a "detrimental impact locally", adding:
"It is vital that our road does not return to being a dangerous environment for school children".
Cllr Mann said:
It’s a huge reduction in parking spaces at our local college, both during the re-build and afterwards. I hope the new parking arrangements work out - I have had quite a few emails from worried residents.
I will be closely monitoring the parking situation at the college and in nearby streets both during the construction period and thereafter. I have asked local residents not to hesitate to get in touch with me if any issues arise.
He added while the college provides a “fantastic educational experience for students”, he feels it is taking a “massive gamble” by temporarily scrapping parking provisions, adding:
Where for instance are all the builders’ vans going to park? We all know that builders like to park as close as possible to the building site so as to have access to the tools in their vans.
Also, although the college can ask their staff not to come to work in their cars, how can they prevent students from parking as close as possible to the college?
Cllr Mann’s comments come after several concerns were raised by Hornbeam Park tenants and director of Hornbeam Park Developments Ltd, Chris Bentley.
Mr Bentley said he was “not objecting to the new college” and “applauded” the new facility. However, he felt the move would "cause chaos":
What I am objecting to is the displacement of car-parking without thought to the businesses here at Hornbeam. They are also encouraging their car-users to park at the rail halt or around the nearby residential area.
It’ll cause chaos to the businesses here – there is no extra available parking on the site and the Hornbeam Park railway station car park is always full.
When the project was originally proposed, we were given to understand that a new college car-park would be rebuilt on the old building’s site.
Now we find that they are reducing the allocation by a third from 242 currently available down to 88, based on a one-day survey taken as we came out of covid.
The college disputes this claim and says the assessment around projected levels of required car parking was established through a series of surveys that were taken throughout 2023. .
Harrogate College is a member of Luminate Education Group, which submitted the plans for the new technology hub.
£16m of funding has come from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund.
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