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21
Feb
Harrogate on brink of losing 'multi-million-pound investment’, warns transport chief
Transport chief Keane Duncan has warned Harrogate will miss out on millions of pounds of investment if the legal challenge to the £12.1 million Station Gateway scheme succeeds.
In a strongly worded statement this afternoon, Councillor Duncan said North Yorkshire Council “strongly refuted the proposed grounds for challenge”.
The Stray Ferret revealed this week a decision on whether the gateway proceeds could be decided by London’s High Court of Justice after the anti-gateway business group Get Away instigated legal proceedings.
Get Away claims the council’s failure to consider the wider impacts of the proposal and to consult fully with the public have rendered the scheme’s Traffic Regulation Orders illegal.
But Cllr Duncan, the council’s Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said today (February 21):
The proposed scheme has been subject to extensive consultation over many months, above and beyond what is required.
We gained thousands of responses from the public across the three rounds and reflected on this feedback, amending the scheme to remove the most controversial elements. As a result, there will now be no reduction in lanes on Station Parade and no pedestrianisation.
The new scheme focusses on key benefits such as high-quality paving, the transformation of One Arch and a short bus lane to improve access to the station. In addition, we are seeking to coordinate the many traffic signals to help traffic flow better and reduce congestion.
A south facing visual of how Station Parade will look.
Funding 'cannot be diverted'
Cllr Duncan said outdated visualisations of the scheme, referencing aspects which have already been removed, were being shared online and giving people an inaccurate view.
He added:
It is important to ensure people understand exactly what the revised scheme now includes, and the key fact that the funding is ringfenced. Conditions set by central government mean it cannot be diverted to other measures, like policing and healthcare, as has been suggested.
If the scheme is blocked, Harrogate will lose out on this multi-million-pound investment to improve the town. The funds would need to be returned to government and spent elsewhere. We have made a democratic decision to support this scheme and we remain focussed on working to deliver it for the benefit of our residents and businesses.
Steven Baines on lower Station Parade.
Steven Baines, a local business owner and Get Away spokesperson, said this week that “battle has commenced” with the start of legal proceedings.
He said at the time:
Not only is there anger from the Harrogate business and trade community that this is the wrong scheme for the town but there is outrage at the way it was pushed through without adequate consultation.
This is simply not good enough and this is why we want the whole matter to be out in the open and heard by the High Court so we can get to the bottom of what has gone on here.
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