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18
Feb
Campaigners tell government 91% of businesses oppose Harrogate Station Gateway
The group campaigning against Harrogate's Station Gateway scheme has written to the government saying 91% of local businesses are against the scheme.
Steve Baines from the Getaway group has written to the Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, saying the £12.1m project, which is funded by the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, ‘removes key parking spaces, increases congestion on major routes and disrupts access to Harrogate’s rail and bus stations’.
The group has conducted a survey of local businesses to assess their views on the project.
174 traders responded -asked whether they supported or opposed the scheme- 91% were against it, 5% were for it and 3% didn’t know.
The letter to Mr Lightwood highlights the results of a question to businesses about any benefits Gateway will deliver:
We have conducted a survey of local businesses, and with over 150 responses, 94% of respondents believe the Station Gateway will not benefit the local people or visitors and only 10 respondents said they supported the scheme.
More than 80% cited concerns about the lack of consultation, the negative impact they fear it would have on Harrogate and whether the scheme was needed at all.
In the letter Mr Baines tells the minister that he and others launched the 'Getaway from Gateway' campaign to highlight the "growing groundswell of opposition to the proposals and feel that businesses have not been properly consulted during the planning process".
In January the group instructed lawyers to challenge North Yorkshire Council in the High Court over a revised version of the scheme.
The council has denied it did not consult on the revised plans. Keane Duncan, who is North Yorkshire Council's executive member for highways, has branded Mr Baines' legal challenge as "weak" and said it contained claims that were "spurious at best".
Cllr Duncan has said the council has listened to gateway concerns and compromised, and the latest plans represent the biggest town centre investment for 30 years.
However, Mr Baines' letter says there has been no updated economic impact assessment on the revised scheme and the council hasn’t carried out any meaningful engagement with transport groups, businesses, or commuters.
He calls on the minister to rethink the project:
Given the state of the national economy and that spending by local authorities up and down the country is being increasingly scrutinised, this is now the time to question whether this is a good use of public funds.
Our survey shows that Harrogate businesses certainly feel money would be better spent on more pressing local issues such as road repairs, lack of car parking, better policing and attracting more shoppers and visitors to the town centre.
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