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22
Jul 2024
Labour mayor intervenes on controversial Harrogate College rebuild
New Labour mayor David Skaith has intervened to support Harrogate College's bid to rebuild its campus on Hornbeam Park.
Harrogate College's planned £22 million redevelopment has been put on hold following a legal challenge.
The project would involve the construction of a new main building and a renewable energy skills hub.
It has been made possible by a £20 million grant from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund.
To access the funds, the project needs to be completed by the end of March 2026.
However, a judicial review launched by Harrogate property developer Chris Bentley, who owns most of Hornbeam Park, means the rebuild will be delayed and may miss the deadline by six months, disqualifying it from the funding.
The Stray Ferret previously reported that Mr Bentley has objected to the project because he says the college has made inadequate provision for car-parking during the construction period, forcing drivers to park on his tenants’ premises.
The campus redevelopment was due to start this year and complete in 2025.
Mr Skaith, who was elected York and North Yorkshire Mayor in May, has written to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson requesting an extension to the time limit attached to funding.
Harrogate College, on Hornbeam Park.
In his letter, Mr Skaith said:
North Yorkshire Council had granted the college planning permission…and preparations were being made for construction to begin. However, an application for judicial review has been made by a local individual opposed to the rebuild. This is highly unusual given the new college is being built on the current site.
The council remains confident that the project will still be granted planning permission, albeit at a delayed pace. This delay does mean, however, that the funding underpinning the rebuild is now threatened as a result of the expected completion date being delayed until September 2026.
Missing this valuable window of opportunity to redevelop Harrogate’s only general further education college would be a damaging outcome for local people, employers and the regional economy
The mayor’s letter to Ms Phillipson is signed by local headteachers as well as Tom Gordon, the newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who submitted his own letter requesting the extension, as previously reported by The Stray Ferret.
College principal Danny Wild said:
I hope the levels of local and regional support for the project are recognised by the new Secretary of State for Education and our request for an extension to the funding timeline is approved.
The redevelopment of the campus will present new opportunities for training and education that will help deliver the growth aspirations for North Yorkshire. Losing this valuable opportunity to redevelop Harrogate’s only further education college will have a long-term detrimental impact on our local people, employers and the regional economy
Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Mr Gordon said:
Harrogate College needs this redevelopment to ensure it has the facilities to keep delivering the evolving skills our region needs as we go forward - particularly in the rapidly growing green skills sector.
The redevelopment would see the main college building replaced with new facilities, including a mock hospital ward and digital technology suite.
Read the Mayor’s letter below:
Letter from David Skaith to SoS Education
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