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31
Jul
EXCLUSIVE: New visuals revealed for £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway
New designs have been released today for the revised £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.
North Yorkshire Council has also published traffic regulation orders as it prepares to begin work on the scheme in autumn.
However, the full plans are not expected to be released to the public until next month.
The gateway scheme, which is mainly funded by the government's Transforming Cities Fund, aims to boost access to Harrogate’s rail and bus stations and deliver improvements to nearby public spaces.
The revised scheme, which has been scaled back after the council admitted its previous proposals breached public law, include:
- A 'short' southbound cycle lane on Station Parade
- A new bus lane
- Public realm improvements to the One Arch pedestrian tunnel and Station Square
- Retaining the taxi rank on Station Parade
It is part of a £44.6 million investment in North Yorkshire, which will also see a series of improvements in Selby and Skipton.
Cllr Keane Duncan on Station Parade
Cllr Keane Duncan, the council's executive member for highways and transport, said he hoped the project would "deliver high-quality public realm improvements to transform this key area of the town centre".
He added:
We have listened to public views and worked extensively on a cross-party basis with local councillors to revise the gateway plan. The original scheme has been reviewed following this feedback, with Station Parade remaining open to two lanes of traffic and with no pedestrianisation of James Street. It represents a proposal that is deliverable and with significant benefits for all transport users: motorists, cyclists, public transport passengers and pedestrians.
We plan to introduce improvements for pedestrians, a short southbound cycle lane on Station Parade and a new bus lane to allow easier and quicker access to the station. Meanwhile, we will use innovative technology to improve the flow of traffic in this congested corridor. It means that the many crossings and traffic lights will be improved and coordinated.
A north facing visual of how Station Parade will look.
According to today's media announcement, the gateway will also introduce additional cycle parking, including covered parking close to the bus and railway stations, greater use of high-quality materials, such as Yorkshire stone paving, and feature lighting to make the town centre more appealing in the evening.
It "maintains taxi ranks in Station Parade, prioritises disabled parking and makes key improvements for pedestrians so access to the stations is easier and more direct", the statement added.
The advertisement of traffic regulation orders, which can be viewed here, is one the final stages before work can begin.
Following the completion of the TRO process, the scheme will need formal sign off from the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority before work can begin in the autumn.
Work is anticipated to be completed by spring 2026.
Today's announcement said "work will be planned to keep disruption to a minimum, hence the longer timeframe for completion".
The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects to have received £44.6 million from the Transforming Cities Fund. Other schemes are due to begin in Selby and Skipton.
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