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13
May 2023
8 takeaways from the Harrogate Station Gateway meeting
Councillors voted by 10 to 3 in favour of proceeding with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway last week.
The heated three-hour meeting saw members of the public and North Yorkshire councillors speak for and against the scheme.
It would see the biggest change to the town centre for decades, including traffic on a 300-metre stretch of Station Parade being reduced to single lane so cycle lanes can be built and part of James Street pedestrianised.
But the meeting revealed far more than that. Here are eight key takeaways.
1 The project looks certain to go-ahead
North Yorkshire Council is expected to ratify the decision to proceed with the gateway when its ruling executive meets on May 30.
The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which met last week, is only an advisory body to the executive but the council's Conservative transport chief Cllr Keane Duncan pledged in advance of the meeting to abide by its decision. The 10-3 vote in favour appears to have sealed its fate.
Cllr Duncan told the meeting the council was "up against it" if it didn't want to lose the £10.9 million pledged by the Department for Transport towards the £11.2 million scheme. He said:
He added the "majority of spend" must take place in 2023/24 budgets, so expect roadworks this winter.
Station Square is many visitors' first impression of Harrogate.
2 Supporters say it will halt town centre decline
Although the gateway is mainly regarded as a transport scheme, supporters are keen to portray its potential for regenerating Lower Station Parade and the area around the bus and train stations.
Matthew Roberts, economic development officer at the council, displayed a slide at the committee meeting showing the number of shops in Harrogate declined from 539 in September 2013 to 474 in September 2021. The meeting also heard evidence that pedestrianisation often led to an increase in spending.
Mr Roberts concluded his presentation by saying:
3 Otley Road cycle route has undermined confidence
The spectre of the Otley Road cycle route loomed over the meeting.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Monika Slater, who represents Bilton Grange and New Park, told officers the much-criticised cycle route had “taken away the public confidence” in the council's ability to deliver infrastructure schemes.
The prospect of a part-pedestrianised James Street also raised concerns that Harrogate's premier retail street could become a soulless shopping experience, as some feel Cambridge Street has become, rather than the pleasant oasis portrayed in council designs.
Cambridge Street - bland?
4 Divided Lib Dems enabled the go-ahead
The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, which advises North Yorkshire Council, consists of eight Lib Dems and five Conservatives — so the Lib Dems could have halted the scheme.
But there was no party whip and a wide range of views emerged. Committee chair and Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, was scathing:
Fellow Lib Dem Matt Walker, who represents Knaresborough West, and Michael Schofield, who represents Harlow and St Georges, described it as a "vanity project". But the other five Lib Dems voted in favour, as did all five Conservatives, after receiving vague assurances the committee would be involved in the scheme going forward.
5 There are fears of Harrogate turning into Peterborough or Milton Keynes
Former Harrogate borough mayor Caroline Bayliss was one of many anti-gateway speakers at the start of the meeting. She said the project was "bland enough to suit Peterborough, Milton Keynes or Croydon", adding:
Former architect Barry Adams, who handed out details of an alternative approach, described it as a "blinkered and contrived highways-led solution".
By contrast, gateway supporters say it will breathe new life into a run-down part of town that provides the first impression for visitors by bus and train.
There are fears land near the train and bus stations will be developed.
6 Tower block fears
There are fears that the gateway could pave the way for other developments in the vicinity.
Martin Mann, acting chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, even said:
Businesses recovering from covid are also more concerned about the disruption caused by months, or years, of roadworks rather than long-term vision of improvement presented by gateway supporters.
Harrogate has 7,000 parking spaces
7 Just 0.6% of parking spaces will be lost
The loss of parking spaces on James Street is one of the gateway's most controversial aspects.
Richard Binks, head of major projects and development at the council, said 40 parking spaces would be lost in total because of the scheme
He said Harrogate had more than 7,000 parking spaces, if Asda and Waitrose are included, and therefore only 0.6% of spaces would be lost.
8 Cheltenham Parade bus lane scrapped
Mr Binks revealed plans to introduce a bus lane on Cheltenham Parade had been removed from the scheme.
But he added a bus lane on Lower Station Parade remained part of the plans. He said 44 buses an hour used that stretch of road and "each bus would gain 17 to 20 seconds" because of the lane.
Mr Binks added the project had been amended to allay business fears about unloading on Lower Station Parade after the owner of Party Fever raised concerns the business and customers would no longer be able to park outside. He said:
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