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10
Jul 2024
Secret £12 million Harrogate gateway scheme set to begin in autumn
The Harrogate Station Gateway looks set to begin in autumn — even though the full plans still haven’t been made public or a contractor appointed.
North Yorkshire Council said the main work would start early next year “with an advance start on One Arch in autumn 2024”.
One Arch is the pedestrian tunnel alongside the bus station.
When the Stray Ferret asked for further details about what this work would entail, Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said in a statement:
Mr Mason said:
The initial works at the One Arch underpass involve drainage improvements and paving and will begin in the autumn. A contractor will be appointed before they can be carried out.
One Arch
The gateway project aims to enhance the area around the train and bus stations and encourage more sustainable transport.
The Stray Ferret submitted a freedom of information request to find out which firm would carry out the work and the value of the contract.
The council, which has spent more than £2 million on consultants for the scheme, appointed Uxbridge construction firm Galliford Try on a two-stage ‘early contractor involvement’ basis, which means it has had input into designing and planning the scheme. But a decision on who will carry out the construction work has not yet been made.
In response to our freedom of information request, the council said:
The project is still in the stage 1 phase and no award has currently been made to commission the works commencement under a stage 2 advancement.
Development works are currently focused upon working towards an Approval to Proceed grant funding submission to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is predicated upon the final works target price being supplied by contractor. Timeframes for this output is November 24, with a programmed main works start in early 2025 coupled with an advance start on One Arch in autumn 2024.
The full plans have not been released but this map shows the elements that have been scaled back.
The council was forced to abandon some of the key elements of the scheme, such as reducing a section of Station Parade to single-lane traffic and pedestrianising part of James Street, when it admitted it breached public law when local property firm Hornbeam Park Developments mounted a legal challenge.
However, the cost of the scheme has continued to rise. Last month the Stray Ferret revealed the council planned to bid for £500,000 from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which would increase the cost to £12.7 million.
But it has yet to release full details of the scheme. A council spokesperson said “the latest plans will be available later this summer”.
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