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03
Jan
Transformation of ex-Harrogate council headquarters finally takes shape
Work to transform the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Harrogate is beginning to take shape.
Harrogate-based property investment first Impala Estates bought the Crescent Gardens building for £4 million in January 2020.
It plans to convert the site into offices with meeting rooms, a gym and a rooftop restaurant.
The plans were permitted by the now-defunct borough council in 2022 after former proposals for luxury apartments and an art gallery fell through.
The Georgian building was used by the council from the 1930s until 2017.
There was little discernible change to the building for years after the council vacated it until scaffolding and external sheeting were erected last October.
Less than three months later, the fruit of the work is becoming visible.
The sheeting and scaffolding have been removed on part of the site, unveiling a section of the new façade. Covers remain over the rest of the building.
Progress report
The Stray Ferret contacted Impala Estates about the update and asked what work has taken place beneath the sheets.
Director James Hartley today told the Stray Ferret Leeds-based company, Building, Restoration and Cleaning, is in the final stages of undertaking a full re-point and repair of the property using lime mortar.
This will bring the façade back to its former glory, Mr Hartley said.
He added triple-glazed windows have also been installed, and work is underway to install a 2000 kVa substation, which will provide power to the Crescent Gardens site and the surrounding area.
Mr Hartley previously told the Stray Ferret construction firm HACS Group has been appointed to build new EV charging points and the substation.
A computer-generated image of the substation area.
The Stray Ferret also asked Mr Hartley when the project is likely be completed, but he did not give a date.
An image of how Crescent Gardens will look. Pic: Impala Estates
Public road closure?
Impala Estates hopes to convert the road outside the building into a private road.
Cyclists, pedestrians and businesses based at the new site would still have access. However, a stopping-up order would prevent public traffic from using the short stretch of highway running between Swan Road and Montpellier Road.
North Yorkshire Council, which owns the road, approved plans to erect planters and bollards at both ends of the highway last June, paving the way for the company to apply for a stopping-up order from the Department for Transport.
The application will be subject to public consultation.
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