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08
Apr 2023
Renewed call to move Harrogate 'little temple' to Starbeck
A Starbeck community group has made a renewed call to bring Harrogate’s “little temple” to the area.
An application was tabled by North Yorkshire County Council in November last year to remove the tempietto in Station Square to make way for the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.
The proposal was approved by Harrogate Borough Council prior to its abolition on Friday.
The new North Yorkshire Council has said no work on the tempietto will take place until a decision has been made on the gateway project.
However, Andrew Hart, a postmaster, has reiterated a call to bring the structure to Starbeck in order to “rejuvenate” the area.
Mr Hart, who also founded the Starbeck Community Group, wrote to the borough council in November last year requesting that the tempietto be moved to Belmont Field.
He told the Stray Ferret that any move to demolish the structure would be “shameful”.
Mr Hart said:
Read more:
- Transport chief faces Harrogate businesses on Station Gateway
- Local Liberal Democrats could determine fate of £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway
- Plan to demolish Harrogate tempietto approved
The tempietto, which is inside Harrogate Conservation Area, was built between 1988 and 1992 as part of the redevelopment of the area to create the Victoria Shopping Centre.
Made of Jedburgh sandstone, its classical design was based on the work of 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio’s basilica at Vicenza in Italy.
The government-funded gateway scheme would see major changes to the public realm opposite the train station to make the gateway to Harrogate more attractive to visitors and more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.
It would also see part of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to accommodate cycle routes and James Street partly pedestrianised. Business groups and residents have voiced concerns about the impact on trade and traffic.
In an email seen by the Stray Ferret, North Yorkshire Council officials said the relocation of the tempietto had been raised with council contractors. However, the move would need to be costed and require planning permission.
Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council, said the authority was aware of requests to move the tempietto.
He said:
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