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11
Sept
Revealed: Communications cock-up over major roadworks in ‘massively congested’ Harrogate
Harrogate motorists were narrowly spared six months of more misery on the roads this autumn following a communications cock-up between North Yorkshire Council and Yorkshire Water.
The revelation emerged following a Stray Ferret freedom of information request to the council, which is responsible for granting roadworks permits.
Yorkshire Water contractors M Group were due to begin a £1.8 million project to replace over 1.2km of water mains on August 26, starting on Ripon Road.
The water company published a press release announcing the scheme on July 18 but 12 days later the council’s head of network strategy said in an email to Yorkshire Water it had “just been made aware” of the news.
They added:
I understand Yorkshire Water has known about these works for the last year and you’ve already been in touch with the BID and local MPs. Apparently, a public meeting has been planned for tomorrow as well, which the media is attending.
This is the first we’ve heard, with no advance warning, high level programme or initial contact to scope out what is possible.
Harrogate is already massively congested and we’re currently juggling multiple competing demands from utilities and others, who have followed the process and already have permits in place.
If what we’ve just been advised is actually the case, Yorkshire Water has a comms and expectations management issue; given the Yorkshire Water programme is classed as major works with three months’ advanced notice required and with the demands that we already know about later this year and then the Christmas embargo, you’re realistically looking at 2026 before the works can commence.
We’re a pragmatic authority and will always look to work with the grain, but there is only so much we can do with the notice we’ve been given on this one.
'We're familiar with the congestion'
A Yorkshire Water employee replied the same day saying they “were familiar with the amount of work that's been going on (and the congestion!)” and they would look into the matter.
On August 11, Yorkshire Water announced it had postponed the scheme "following continued conversations with the local council".
Yorkshire Water carrying out work
The sudden postponement of such a major programme, at a time of heightened concern about roadworks on main routes around Harrogate, prompted the Stray Ferret to ask the council for its correspondence with Yorkshire Water relating to the decision.
After receiving the correspondence, we asked Yorkshire Water why it had not notified the council on such a major project, which is part of a programme to replace 238km of water mains in Yorkshire.
A spokesperson said:
Our contractors have shared our high level plans with all local authorities through the forward planning portal almost 12 months ago. Despite our contractors engaging with the local authority, local community groups and the MP, there may have been missed opportunities to communicate in the final stages of planning.
We are now working even closer with the council on our plans for Harrogate to ensure this work is carried out in a timely fashion, while keeping disruption to a minimum during other work planned for the town centre. We are hoping to begin some of the work in the coming months and will be scheduling the remaining work in 2026.
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