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07
Oct
Two-year roadworks scheduled for £14.6m Harrogate Station Gateway
A roadworks notice has been issued for the £14.6 million Harrogate Station Gateway.
North Yorkshire Council has hailed the gateway as the biggest town centre transformation for 30 years.
It will see major changes to Station Parade, Station Square and One Arch, including the creation of cycle and bus lanes.
Butt it has attracted strong opposition, with many businesses fearing the impact of long-term roadworks on trade.
Now, the council has published details of roadworks to take place on Station Parade, Station Bridge, Station Square, Albert Street, Bower Street and James Street.
One of the traffic regulation orders on the council's roadworks map.
According to the council’s roadworks map, work is due to last until August 2028.
However, the authority has yet to reveal a precise date for when the work will start.
A spokesperson for the council said:
The roadworks map shows a Traffic Regulation Order which is a statutory process used by highways authorities. The order for the Transforming Cities Fund scheme is required for work to take place during this time. Dates are yet to be confirmed and we will be issuing proactive comms when we can.
The council has sought to get the ball rolling on the project after overcoming a legal challenge in March this year.
The Stray Ferret revealed last month that a planning application has been lodged to the council to temporarily change the use of Dragon Road car park to a construction compound for the Station Gateway for three years.
Station Parade and Station Square are at the heart of the scheme.
Align Property Services, which the council owns, has tabled the plan. It said the compound would be a “practical and necessary measure to support the safe and efficient delivery of the Harrogate Transforming Cities Fund works”.
The gateway is one of three government-funded Transforming Cities Fund schemes overseen by North Yorkshire Council. The other two are in Selby and Skipton.
However, the cost of the Harrogate scheme has almost doubled, with local taxpayers having to pick up the tab.
Despite making moves to get the project started, those against the scheme claim the council has “gone into lockdown” over the gateway.
In an opinion article for the Stray Ferret, Barry Adams, a local resident who is against the Station Gateway, said the lack of “considered response or ongoing information” from the council’s leadership about the project was “concerning for local democracy”.
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