Vicky Carr is a journalist turned writer who grew up in Harrogate and returned in her late 20s to raise her family here. Find her on Instagram @vickycarrwrites.

I have a confession.

I’ve been keeping a secret – one that it just doesn’t feel acceptable to share.

But I’m going to be brave and admit it. Here we go:

I quite liked the original Station Gateway proposal.

It’s a difficult thing to say to other people in Harrogate. The accepted wisdom (OK, what people say on Facebook) is that it’s an utterly flawed scheme with no merit whatsoever, and it’s being forced on Harrogate against the people’s will for nefarious, though somewhat hazy, reasons.

When it was first announced, the Station Gateway had some really interesting features and aims. Priority lanes for public transport? More space for cyclists? Pavement seating and lots of greenery? Sign me up!  

I quickly discovered that not everyone felt the same way.

Many people raised very valid concerns about the proposals – not least, the impact on local businesses. However, Facebook being what it is, the mere mention of the words ‘Station Gateway’ has now become enough to create a pile-on of people claiming nobody wants it and Harrogate is perfectly fine as it is.

Hmmm.

Who would look at Harrogate and think, ‘Yep, that’s as good as a town can possibly get – I wouldn’t change anything’?

Next time you’re in town, try to see it through the eyes of a visitor.

You step out of the grey, depressing railway station, and you’re immediately towered over by the brutish Copthall Tower, a bafflingly incongruous structure amid the surrounding Victorian architecture.

Then you come face to face with a two-lane A-road, traffic haring past you as buses attempt to navigate their way into the stream of cars.

Once you manage to cross over, there’s concrete as far as the eye can see. The Victoria Shopping Centre Piazza is a soulless expanse of faded terracotta paving, leading into the equally charmless centre itself.

Cambridge Street, meanwhile, is a shining example of the worst of pedestrianisation, lacking in greenery, personality and purpose. The bland shop fronts mask the beautiful, historic buildings, traces of which linger morosely in the upper floors.

However, it is a beacon of beauty when compared to its ugly neighbour, Oxford Street, where charming independent businesses along one side are oppressed by function on the other: the delivery entrance to Primark. Sadly, the single tree in its proximity does little to soften this neglected, unwelcoming corner of our town.

Meanwhile, the whole central island of Harrogate is surrounded by a racetrack – though one which more often resembles a car park. Traffic constantly backs up from the bottom of Station Parade, down Cheltenham Crescent, along Kings Road and round to Parliament Street, until it reaches the Stray.

Perfect as it is? Far from it.

The original Station Gateway proposal wasn’t a complete solution to Harrogate’s problems – but what I liked was that it accepted there is significant room for improvement.

Sadly, in the intervening years, my enthusiasm has waned rapidly. 

The most recent iteration has been so watered down as to be ineffective. The only thing that hasn’t been diluted is the price, which has risen from £7.9 million (hard to imagine how anyone thought they could complete such a monumental scheme on such a relatively low budget) to £14.6 million, for what now seems to amount to little more than installing yet more hard paving at various locations around the town.

In my view, the whole thing should be abandoned now – but not in favour of the status quo.

Instead, it’s time for more radical thinking in Harrogate.

Firstly, we have to accept the need for change. Harrogate is far from perfect. Let’s keep the good bits, and be more imaginative in how to tackle the bad.

Secondly, let’s stop trying to turn back the clock. Calls to resurrect the old market hall come thick and fast whenever the town centre is discussed, but the world has moved on since the 1980s and people simply don’t shop that way any more. Build it if you want, but they won’t come.

Thirdly, we’ve got to stop thinking of the town centre as purely for retail. People can shop online, and the stats show they’re very happy doing so. If we want to tempt locals and visitors into Harrogate, we have to offer something they want that they can’t get online.

That might be independent shops with quirky products or outstanding service. It might be interesting dining, entertainment, activities, or just a nice environment in which to spend time. It’s likely residential space will be a significant part of the mix, too.

Finally, we’ve got to do something about the traffic. Having an A-road running either side of your main shopping area, dividing it from transport, housing, and one of its biggest attractions, the Stray, is far from ideal. With a lower volume of traffic, it would at least be a less oppressive presence.

Above all, let’s not be ambitious. Let’s come up with ideas that break the mould, that will make a real difference, and that will breathe new life into the town centre.

Those are my views on the Station Gateway and the town centre. What would you do?

The Stray Ferret is currently running a poll through independent platform Suffrago to find out how people actually feel about the Station Gateway, beyond arguments on social media. Click here to take part.