Councillors have deferred a decision on plans to erect bollards and planters outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens, leading to the eventual closure of the road.

Impala Estates, which bought the building from the council for £4m in 2020, wants to block traffic from entering to the front of the building, running between Swan Road to the west and Montpellier Road to the east.

The developer already has planning permission to convert Crescent Gardens into office and restaurant space.

However, to close the road in front of the building would also require a separate ‘stopping up order’ from the Department for Transport, requiring a public consultation.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee considered the application to erect the planters and bollards this afternoon in Harrogate but were uneasy at the potential ramifications of their decision.

The road would be closed to the public.

Local resident Patrick Turner urged councillors to refuse the scheme and said he and other residents use the road to get to their homes.

He said:

“It’s a useful road providing access to and from the Duchy estate and beyond. It also takes some traffic away from busy roads nearby. It’s a quiet road, so why is there a need to stop it up?”

Planning agent Hamish Robertshaw spoke on behalf of Impala and described how measures would be put in place to stop vehicles from entering.

He added:

“[The application] conforms to relevant policy, causes no harm or impact and provides benefits to town centre and Crescent Gardens development.”

But Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge and Claro, said he didn’t understand why the application had been recommended for approval by a council officer in a report.

He said:

“Are we going to be anti-car totally so we don’t let cars down roads? There have been numerous objections to this. A lot of people feel very strongly. It’s absolutely bizarre.”

Cllr Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Fairfax and Starbeck, added his concerns and said a public right of way that has existed for almost a century could be lost.

Councillors heard that a deal had been agreed between Harrogate Borough Council and Impala Estates to sell the road but Cllr Paul Haslam (Independent, Bilton and Nidd Gorge) said he wanted the plans to be deferred so more information could be received about the deal and whether the restrictions would be limited to vehicles.

He added:

“We will make a small decision with potentially enormous consequences.”

Councillors unanimously voted to defer the application to a future planning committee pending another report.

Meanwhile, at the same meeting councillors were due to consider a plan for 8 apartments at Stockwell Road in Knaresborough but the developer withdrew the application before the meeting.

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A bid to close Crescent Gardens road in Harrogate to the public looks set to clear its first hurdle next week.

North Yorkshire Council has recommended councillors approve an application to install bollards and planters at either end of the road to prevent public access.

The move would involve the loss of 35 public car parking bays and could also eventually lead to the closure of the pedestrian footpath on Crescent Gardens.

Impala Estates, which bought the former Harrogate Borough Council headquarters for £4 million in 2020, submitted plans to close the road to the public last year.

The firm was granted planning permission to convert the building into offices, a gym and a restaurant / bar, and to construct a two-storey roof-top extension in May 2022. However, work has yet to begin.

The public parking bays lost would be retained for the private use of businesses using the building.

A 12-page report by case officer Gerard Walsh to councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee recommends they approve the scheme when they meet on Tuesday, May 7.

The planning application would see the road running between Swan Road to the west and Montpellier Road to the east closed. Block paving would be installed on the road in front of the building to “form a clear pedestrian connection between the building and the Crescent Gardens park opposite”, the report said.

If approved, the Secretary of State for Transport could then issue a stopping up order extinguishing the public right of way.

The report said:

“Officers consider that the proposed development will have a minor positive impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area and no significant impact on the setting of nearby listed buildings.”

It added:

“The council’s highways team have no objection to the proposed development subject to proposed conditions requiring the submission of a bollard and access management plan, a construction phase management plan, and provision of a tactile pedestrian crossing at the junction of Crescent Gardens / Swan Road to improve the pedestrian facilities on the remaining highway.”

The view from the Swan Road junction.

The report said the loss of parking bays “is not a significant concern and would not warrant refusal, as there are sufficient alternative on-street parking facilities nearby, in addition to an abundance of available off-street parking options in the town centre”.

But Harrogate Civic Society, which lodged one of seven objections, said:

“Loss of public access to the parking spaces on the road would compound the previous loss of parking beside the Royal Hall.

“Crescent Gardens is important as a highway for two-way traffic to ease the passage of vehicles to Ripon Road and to and from Swan Road and the Duchy estate etc. The fact that a route other than Crescent Gardens exists is not a reason for stopping up this right of way.”

The planning committee will vote whether to accept Mr Walsh’s recommendation.

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