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19
Mar
Tesco provides new photos and update on Harrogate site
After a delayed start last year, work to build a Tesco supermarket in Harrogate is progressing rapidly.
The company received planning permission in February 2023 to build a store, petrol station and a 209-space car park at the former gas works site at the junction of Skipton Road and Ripon Road.
Contractors KPS Limited have been clearing the site and construction work is underway.
Tesco was granted permission this week to amend the design and layout of the store.
We asked Tesco for an update amid the recent activity.
It supplied the images accompanying this article and a spokesperson said:
We’re making great progress on our new Harrogate superstore. All site levelling is now complete, and we have removed most of the excess material from the site. Our next step is to install the frame of the building which is when you’ll really start to see it taking shape. We look forward to welcoming customers to the new store later this year.
Construction is underway.
Amended plans
Tesco amended its plans last year to make the store more environmentally sustainable. The changes included using timber rather than steel frames, installing solar roof panels, creating a community garden next to Oak Beck, installing a rainwater harvesting tank and increasing the size of an external plant area in the service yard.
North Yorkshire Council approved the plans this week. The planning officer’s public report said:
No representations have been received to the application. However, a meeting was held with two local residents and the local councillor to discuss concerns. These related to the size of the plant area at the rear of the store increasing and potential noise implications, noise from the pump and substation, security of the external staircases, increase in the footprint of the store, operation and filling of the sprinkler tank.
Construction staff on site.
The report added Tesco had provided information that allayed these concerns, adding:
The appearance of the store will be improved through the use of reclaimed Yorkshire stone and Poplar timber cladding. The change in materials means a significantly lower carbon impact, increased durability and improved building performance in terms of heat loss.
The site is taking shape.
How the site will look
Ground clearance work, including tree felling, began last summer but was temporarily halted when contractor ISG entered administration in September. Site work resumed when KPS Limited was appointed to carry out the work.
As part of the plans, a vehicular access will be created from a roundabout on Skipton Road.
The existing road bridge on Skipton Road will be retained but the pedestrian bridge will be removed and replaced with a new 2.5-metre wide footbridge.
A cinder track will run from the new roundabout to the back of the car park.
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