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13
Mar 2023
The councillor in charge of transport in North Yorkshire was in Harrogate tonight to give business leaders an update on various schemes, including the £11.2 million Station Gateway..
Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council attended Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting.
He gave an update on the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway after traffic orders were published last week, one of which was for the closure of part of James Street. Here's how the evening went:
Some Lib Dems feel they've been delivered a hospital pass because the area constituency committee is an advisory body and the Conservatives want to avoid making an unpopular decision.
Cllr Duncan has said previously that "with power comes responsibility" and the Lib Dems are being empowered as part of the new council's commitment to "double devolution" whereby local decisions will be taken locally.
If the gateway goes ahead, Cllr Duncan says the council will "look to start construction in winter this year and finish in winter 2024".
He says the Station Square water feature has been removed from the scheme "due to practical and cost constraints". It would have cost £500,00 he says.
But he adds there will be "no compromising" on high quality materials despite soaring building costs.
As for delays caused by road closures and reducing Station Parade to single lane, he says the "worst case scenario" is that an average 15-minute journey around Harrogate will take an extra 53 seconds if the gateway goes ahead.
He then takes a swipe at some cyclists.
Cllr Duncan (centre) at tonight's meeting
Cllr Duncan starts by giving a speech before facing questions. He says the new North Yorkshire Council will provide a "renewed vision and focus on Harrogate".
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