After all the argument - should Harrogate Station Gateway go ahead? Vote now

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A new opinion poll has been launched to find out just how many people back the controversial Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

The latest poll, which has been created by Harrogate-based online polling company Suffrago, asks ‘Should the £14.6m Harrogate Station Gateway project go ahead?’, and members of the public are invited to have their say by voting on the issue here.

The purpose of the station gateway scheme, which has been promoted by North Yorkshire Council, is to create a "key travel gateway" for the town by improving Station Parade and Station Square, enhancing One Arch pedestrian tunnel, and installing cycle lanes.

The aim is to regenerate the station area, reduce congestion, and encourage green travel.

No consensus found yet

But opinion on the scheme is deeply divided. In 2025, Get Away, a group formed specifically to campaign against the plans, launched a legal challenge to the plans, which was rejected in the High Court. An appeal earlier this year also failed.

But against a backdrop of bitter division, a reliable gauge of public sentiment has yet to emerge.

At the third public consultation on the issue in 2022, there was a near even split, with 44% of respondents "positive" or "very positive" about the plans, and 46% "negative" or "very negative".

Yet early last year, Get Away polled local businesses and found that 91% were against the scheme, while just 5% were for it.

This latest poll seeks to measure current public levels of approval or disapproval regarding the scheme.

The result will be revealed when voting closes towards the middle of May.

Harrogate lawyer Andrew Grey set up Suffrago in 2022 after becoming disenchanted with the tone of political debate on online forums. The aim is to find unbiased local consensus on various issues through the use of AI-assisted polling software.

The latest poll marks sees Suffrago come full circle – its very first poll also focused on the Station Gateway scheme.

Do you agree with the Station Gateway project? VOTE HERE