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17
Aug 2023
Station Gateway: Andrew Jones calls for funding to be switched to 'other projects'
Andrew Jones has called for government funding for the Harrogate Station Gateway to be reallocated to other projects.
The Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said North Yorkshire Council should not waste time trying to keep the project alive, after it today announced it was "rescinding" its decision to proceed.
That announcement came following a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments, which had applied for a judicial review of the way the Station Gateway project had been managed.
Mr Jones said:
The project has been controversial, with business organisations raising concerns about its impact on footfall and therefore the viability of town centre shops.
The £11.2m scheme was to be funded by the Transforming Cities Fund, and would have seen Station Parade narrowed to one lane around the bus and railway stations.
A bus lane and cycle routes would have been introduced, as part of plans to encourage more active travel.
It would also have included the pedestrianisation of the eastern half of James Street, and changes to Lower Station Parade, with a bus lane added on its eastern side.
'Flip-flopping'
At a meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee in May, business owners raised concerns about the impact of the loss of 40 parking spaces and potential queues of traffic through the town centre.
After three hours, the committee voted by eight to three in favour of supporting the scheme.
All five Conservative councillors and most Liberal Democrats voted for it,
Liberal Democrat leader and committee chairman Cllr Pat Marsh said councillors had been given a free vote on the issue.
The public gallery at the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee meeting in MayHowever, Cllr Marsh then went to the meeting of North Yorkshire Council's executive to plead with its members not to proceed with the scheme.
The next month, the Lib Dems withdrew all its councillors' support, citing the lack of meaningful engagement with businesses and local residents over their concerns.
In today's statement on the issue, Mr Jones took aim at the Lib Dems for "flip-flopping" on the project:
Looking to the future, Mr Jones said there were elements of the Station Gateway project that could be carried forward into a new scheme.
He also said he had asked North Yorkshire Council to address concerns over other parts of the plan.
He added:
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