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22
Apr
Harrogate residents angry over sudden cancellation of road resurfacing
Residents of a Harrogate street have expressed anger and disappointment after the sudden cancellation of a road resurfacing scheme.
The residents on Wayside Close, and their councillor Andrew Timothy, met the Stray Ferret this week to discuss their frustration.
The rest of the Saints area, with the exception of St Clement's Road, has been resurfaced in recent weeks. Wayside Close was included in the programme but withdrawn.
Alan and Sue Firth said they had lived on the street for 40 years and could not remember it ever being fully resurfaced.
They said they had been lobbying the council for action for over 20 years, and felt betrayed by the U-turn.
They added:
The kerb appeal of the street has gradually been getting worse and worse. The potholes have been bad for a long time.
We’re very disappointed that the council has decided to leave out our street.
Work due to start in March
The couple received a letter from North Yorkshire Council on January 28 informing them their street would be resurfaced.
It said:
Wayside Close, Harrogate – Resurfacing of Carriageway
This letter is to inform you that North Yorkshire Council will be undertaking resurfacing works at the above location.
The works are currently programmed to commence on 10/03/2025 and will be carried out under a full road closure between the hours of 07:30 to 17:30 for a period of 2 weeks. A plan showing the extent of the works is enclosed for your information.
The council attached a plan to the letter showing Wayside Close would be resurfaced.
The kerbstones were marked to signal where work was going to take place.
However, when work began in the Saints area on March 10, Wayside Close was left out.
The Firths initially thought it was a mistake, or that work would begin once the other roads were completed.
After sending another email to the council asking what had happened, the couple received the following response on March 26 informing them that the concrete surface was to blame:
Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that this has now been removed from the current resurfacing works package.
When the resurfacing contractor got to site, it became clear that the solution proposed by the designers was not viable, and the contractor has advised that they cannot guarantee the effectiveness or longevity of the works.
Given this, we have made the decision to remove Wayside Close —along with a few other concrete roads — from the current package and instead designate them for a specialist redesign along with some other areas of the network where this has occurred.
Our priority is to ensure that any resurfacing work carried out provides a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix. As such, we will be working on a revised approach specifically tailored to roads like yours to ensure durability and value for investment.
We apologise for any confusion or breakdown in communication regarding this matter and understand the frustration this may cause. While we are unable to confirm when the works will take place, please know that we are actively looking into a more sustainable solution.
The state of the roads on Wayside Close.
'We are designing new, cost-effective schemes'
The Stray Ferret asked the council why concrete roads could not be resurfaced, and why this had not been planned for in the first place.
Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said:
After detailed investigations, the resurfacing works on Wayside Close have been postponed as the road surface is not deep enough for what we had planned.
Concrete roads have different depths of tarmac which affects what work can be carried out.
We aim to ensure that all resurfacing has long-term benefits. Wayside Close and Wetherby Road were affected, and we will be writing to residents living in the area to explain the situation.
We are designing new, cost-effective schemes for both to be added to a future programme.
The council did not provide a date for when the works would begin.
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