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01
Sept
Anticipation — and anger — mounts over looming Harrogate Station Gateway meeting
The £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway is rarely far from the news — and further headlines are expected this week.
New details about the controversial scheme are expected to be revealed at a business meeting on Tuesday.
Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Harrogate Business Improvement District have jointly organised the meeting, which will take place from 5.30pm to 7pm at the Cedar Court Hotel. Only chamber members and BID levy payers can attend.
At the time of writing, three senior council officers had confirmed their attendance, but organisers were still waiting to hear whether Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways with oversight of the scheme, had accepted his invitation.
A chamber spokesperson said:
A south facing visual of how Station Parade will look.
The meeting will feature a presentation from North Yorkshire Council representatives, providing a comprehensive update on the project's progress and proposed plans. Following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insights into the scheme's potential impact on Harrogate businesses.
Work is due to get underway within weeks even though the final plans have not been revealed and won’t go out to public consultation.
Three previous rounds of consultation discovered widespread opposition to the project, and considerable disquiet remains about North Yorkshire Council’s decision to plough ahead with an unpopular scheme.
This has been compounded by the fact that members of the public are unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting or have their say before the first tranche of work, which is expected to see One Arch pedestrian tunnel upgraded, begins in autumn.
Second petition
A second gateway petition organised by town centre resident Rachael Inchboard, a long-term opponent of the scheme, has now received 840 signatures. The petition says residents and business oppose the project and it should be stopped.
Ms Inchboard told the Stray Ferret concerns had been ignored by the council, adding:
The democratic thing would be to do another consultation.
Retired architect Barry Adams has also called for the scheme to be halted. He told the Stray Ferret it would turn Harrogate into a "concrete jungle". He said:
We want to see visuals from the ground level, as humans see them, rather than from above. This scheme is being imposed by consultants who know nothing about Harrogate. We need to see the details because we have learned we can't trust North Yorkshire Council
Station Parade in Harrogate.
What we know so far
The gateway scheme, which is mainly funded by central government, aims to improve the area around Harrogate’s rail and bus stations and encourage sustainable transport.
It has been scaled back since the council admitted its original proposals breached public law. However, costs have continued to rise, and £2,373,435 has been spent on consultants.
The latest plans include:
• A short southbound cycle lane on Station Parade
• A new bus lane
• Public realm improvements to the One Arch pedestrian tunnel and Station Square
• Retaining the taxi rank on Station Parade
The council released bird's-eye visuals and ‘concept drawings’ of the latest designs last month. But they are subject to change and the final, full plans won’t be consulted on. Cllr Duncan said previous feedback “has been used to develop a final scheme that provides benefits for all transport users”.
He added:
The two elements that attracted the most controversy have been removed, meaning two lanes would be retained on Station Parade and there will be no pedestrianisation of James Street.
We are now formally consulting on the traffic regulation orders required to deliver the final proposed scheme. We will also be holding an in-person meeting with local businesses in September and we will engage with residents situated within the proximity of the site area as a programme of works is developed to ensure that disruption is minimised.
Traffic regulation orders for the gateway, which can be viewed here, are currently subject to consultation. The concept drawings can be viewed here, here and here.
The taxi rank will remain on Station Parade but loading bays will be removed. Businesses will be able to load and unload on Beulah Street from 7.30am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6pm.
The tempietto on Station Square will be destroyed but the Victoria monument will remain. Cllr Duncan said:
We looked at relocating the structure, but it would cost significantly less to build a new one than it would to carefully dismantle and rebuild. As the structure was built in the early 1990s, it is not considered to be of heritage value and will be disposed of.
The council is overseeing gateway schemes in Harrogate Skipton and Selby at a combined cost of £44.6 million. They are mainly funded by the government's Transforming Cities Fund.
The Stray Ferret, which has followed the gateway saga closely, will attend Tuesday's meeting and provide coverage.
Let us know in the comments section below what you think of the gateway scheme and what you would like to see happen next.
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