Vicky Carr is a journalist turned writer who grew up in Harrogate and returned in her late 20s to raise her family here. Find her on Instagram @vickycarrwrites

When the possibility of scrapping the tempietto in Station Square was first mooted, I wasn’t the only one up in arms. How dare the council steamroller our history in order to make more space for cyclists?

Then someone remembered that the tempietto was only as old as the Victoria Shopping Centre, which went up at the beginning of the 1990s. Not exactly equivalent to tearing down the Royal Hall or dismantling the statue of Queen Victoria.

Yet somehow, that knowledge didn’t assuage the anger. I’ve been wondering why I feel so strongly about the removal of a decorative structure that’s younger than I am.

It’s hard to think of many other structures of that era that we’d be falling over ourselves to save. Marks & Spencer’s on Cambridge Street? Unlikely. Morrisons at Plumpton Park? I’d quite like to see it replaced with something that doesn’t feel like a dungeon. The St George’s housing estate? Not exactly worthy of Grade II listing, is it?

In fact, the Victoria Shopping Centre itself is a prime candidate for the bulldozer treatment in my book. I’m just old enough to recall its opening and the excitement I felt at whizzing from basement to rooftop in the Great Glass Elevator – not to mention the fun of racing up and down the tiered seating at the front, under the spray of the fountains.

The centre held such promise in those days: space for stalls in the basement, small units along the open hallways of its upper floors, and light flooding in from the large windows through the vast atrium at its heart.

And now? It’s a windowless box filled with generic brands and artificial lighting. The tiered seating and performance space have long since been paved over. The claustrophobic basement unit has remained unoccupied since the departure of New Look post-Covid, and the whole place has felt like it’s on its last legs for even longer.

Does anyone actually enjoy shopping there? I know I don’t: it’s necessity rather than pleasure.

So why do I love the tempietto? What is it about this “little temple” that, despite its links to a much-derided building, has captured my heart?

Its design harks back to Harrogate’s spa heritage, of course. It’s a simple yet pleasing structure that fits Harrogate in a way that, arguably, many other buildings of its era do not.

But, perhaps more importantly, it has become part of our family history. Adorned in fairy lights every Christmas, it is a striking landmark of the festive season – and not just for me.

How many children have been pictured smiling between its columns, their faces lit by the glow of the lights and the excitement of the season? How many couples have marked a trip into Harrogate with a romantic photograph together in the tempietto? How often have families or groups of friends arranged to meet there before heading to the shops, to the theatre, or for dinner?

The loss of the structure itself is not significant. What it represents is. If North Yorkshire Council wants support for its plans to revitalise Station Square, it must make more effort to understand the parts of town that, despite their lack of historical significance, hold a place in our hearts.

And, crucially, council officers must take care to create schemes that include features like this, that will become part of our shared history in future. Where my children will take pictures of their children in 30 years’ time, faces glowing among the fairy lights.

What do you think? Give us your views below ..