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19
May
Council set to appoint itself as contractor for £12.6 million Harrogate Station Gateway
North Yorkshire Council looks set to hire its own internal company to carry out work on the £12.6 million Harrogate Station Gateway.
British construction firm Galliford Try was appointed first phase contractor for the town centre redevelopment scheme and had been expected to complete the job.
But Councillor Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said choosing NY Highways would reduce the risk of escalating costs caused by the ongoing legal challenge launched by the anti-gateway Get Away business group in Harrogate.
Cllr Duncan’s comments come days after the council confirmed the cost of the A59 road realignment scheme at Kex Gill had spiralled from £68.8 million to £82.5 million due to having to pay compensation to contractors for delays and other issues.
The decision to choose NY Highways, which is wholly owned by the council, appears to reduce the risk of this happening with the gateway, which will see major changes to Station Parade, Station Square and the One Arch pedestrian tunnel.
Cllr Duncan said the gateway project “will bring major benefits for both residents of the town and its many visitors”.
He added:
While a contractor has yet to be appointed to carry out construction, NY Highways has been invited to submit a delivery plan and costings.
We have been working with Galliford Try on the initial designs for the scheme, but in light of current legal challenges brought about by objectors to the scheme, it has been decided that that contract will terminate at the end of Stage 1.
This is permitted under the terms of the two-stage contract and aims to avoid additional costs and associated time implications should the works need to be paused for any reason.
One Arch
The Stray Ferret revealed in November the council was considering replacing Galliford Try with NY Highways, which is part of its Brierley Group of companies.
The decision to replace a major construction firm that employs almost 4,000 staff with an internal firm that has about 250 employees has raised concerns about whether it will be able to handle a major project like the gateway.
Asked about this, Cllr Duncan said:
NY Highways has worked on a number of high-profile developments and are currently on site delivering the Skipton Transforming Cities Fund project. Should they be chosen, we have every faith in the company’s ability to successfully deliver the Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.
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