Councillors from Harrogate and Knaresborough have reiterated calls for “meaningful” involvement in the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

The request followed the news that representatives of the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority visited Harrogate yesterday.

They were given a tour of the town centre and shown through plans for major changes to Station Parade and surrounding routes.

Speaking at today’s meeting of Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee, North Yorkshire Council‘s head of major projects and infrastructure Richard Binks said:

“It was the first time they had actually visited the site in person. They were really taken with what they saw.

“They really think the scheme’s fantastic and were showing a great deal of support for the project.”

However, members of the committee expressed surprise that they were unaware the visit was taking place.

At a heated meeting on May, the same committee had agreed to support the project, provided the committee was given “meaningful involvement” in its execution.

NYC’s officers were also asked to meet face-to-face with local residents and businesses, which today’s meeting also heard had not yet happened.

The committee members were presented with a petition of 2,000 signatures opposing the Station Gateway project by local resident Rachel Inchborough, who told the meeting:

“We feel we’ve had a lack of any in-person consultation for residents and it is of a key significance. We’ve been offered a quick Zoom session online, at short notice, to tick boxes.

“Residents feel this was a complete insult.”

Councillors voted in May to support the Station Gateway scheme

Some of the committee members queried the petition’s veracity, saying its signatories included people from as far away as South Africa.

They also pointed out that even 500 local signatures – the threshold needed to have the petition debated by the committee – were not representative of all views from local residents.

Several Conservative members of the committee said they did not want to undermine the original vote in May to support the proposal.

Cllr Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, added:

“There’s a fundamental point here that this committee passed a resolution that we wanted a meaningful role in the implementation of the scheme.

“The chair is against the scheme. The chair wants to stop the scheme. The chair, despite what this committee said, went to the executive committee and implored them to stop the scheme. The petition wants to stop the scheme. The two things are at odds.

“We’re talking about people who want to stop the scheme, not who want meaningful input in the scheme. You can say what you like, but that’s the fact of the matter.

“I’m quite happy to have a meaningful role in implementing the scheme but we’re kidding ourselves if we think this is what this is.”

Read more:

• North Yorkshire councillors back £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway project
• As it happened: Councillors vote to SUPPORT Harrogate Station Gateway scheme

However, other councillors called for officers to uphold the wishes of the committee to engage with the community about the detail of the proposal.

Cllr Monika Slater, a Liberal Democrat who represents Bilton Grange and New Park, said:

“This isn’t about trying to overthrow a motion we already passed at the previous meeting.

“This is genuinely about looking at the concerns of specific individuals and seeing if there are ways of mitigating and therefore bringing more of the public on side of actually supporting a scheme and involving the local councillors much more in that process.”

Councillors voted by eight to four in favour of asking for a full list of meetings to be held with local groups and for committee members to be invited as well. They also supported the proposal of a working group being set up, with representation from both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, to focus on the Station Gateway project.

Cllr Chris Aldred, the Lib Dem representative for High Harrogate and Kingsley who put forward the motion, said:

“This is not designed to stop the scheme. It is designed for a scheme to continue.

“I voted for the original proposal and I’ve always said there are some parts of this scheme I find really attractive, One Arch being one of them.

“I do sincerely believe that we need to demonstrate that we’ve listened to the voices of the people who came to the last meeting, the people who’ve signed this petition.”

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:

“We will have to make a decision as an executive on May 30 if we want to ensure we deliver this scheme in line with DfT requirements.”

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:

“Change is often daunting but in Harrogate’s case, much needed.”

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:

“I’m totally against this scheme – it’s the wrong scheme. We need to get around the table and look at a more connected plan.”

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:

“It takes away more of our distinct character to be replaced by concrete.”

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:

“There are also concerns about the development of the land next to the station, potentially into a tower block, which may overshadow Station Parade and this redevelopment to the public realm.”

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:

“We are proposing to truncate the length of the lead in the taper to the bus lane over the length of Bower House and make that double yellow line like it is now. That would avail you the opportunity to load as you do now, It would avail customers 30-minute pick up and drop off time.”

“You have a very valid point, we will take it on board and adjust the project to suit.”

Read more:

• Council in discussions with Harrogate Station Gateway contractor
• Station Gateway: Highways boss welcomes ‘positive’ backing from councillors
• As it happened: Councillors vote to SUPPORT Harrogate Station Gateway scheme

A Liberal Democrat councillor in Harrogate says he will not be voting in favour of the controversial Station Gateway proposal next month.

Michael Schofield, who represents Harlow & St Georges, is the first local councillor and first Liberal Democrat to confirm which way he will vote when the decision is made by the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee in May.

The controversial £11.2 million project has been in development for three years after funding was won from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to make the town centre more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative executive member for highways Keane Duncan has said the council will follow whatever decision Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors take at a meeting on May 5 regarding the scheme.

But Cllr Schofield, whose division includes the troubled Otley Road cycle path, says he will not be voting for the gateway to go ahead “in its current guise”.

He cited concerns over its design, cost, and impact on businesses.

The councillor is also the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Harlow Hill and said the disruption during construction could lead to financial hardship for town centre shops, bars and restaurants. He said:

“Our independents were once thriving; they have have had to deal with covid and the cost of living crisis. I therefore cannot vote for something that may potentially deal them yet another blow.”

Since the scheme was announced, the cost of building materials has rocketed and inflation has topped 10%.

Cllr Duncan has said the scheme’s build quality will not be compromised but Cllr Schofield said this could result in higher costs for taxpayers. He said:

“Unless corners are cut, who will pay? It is unfair to ask other towns within North Yorkshire to foot the bill at the expense of their residents as it is also unfair to expect the good people of Harrogate to foot the bill.”

Read more:

• D-Day looms for £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway
• £3m from parking fines won’t be spent on Harrogate Station Gateway if costs rise

The gateway scheme would see Station Parade reduced to one lane which has been unpopular with some residents and businesses as has the proposed part-pedestrianisation of James Street. Cllr Schofield said other designs should have been considered. He added:

“It is my belief that there are other plans out there created by retired professionals in the field of urban design that have not been considered and are more sympathetic to not only the public realm but also the businesses in the town centre.

“We have been told it is the plan on the table or nothing which is very undemocratic when other plans are available that should be considered.”

A third round of public consultation about the scheme was published in January and showed 46% of views were negative and 45% were positive.

Cllr Duncan said previously:

“While overall opinion of the scheme is split almost 50:50, key elements of the scheme received positive support from the public who took part.

“They told us they believe the scheme will be positive for business, make getting around the town centre safer and encourage more people to walk and cycle.”

A special meeting has been convened to discuss whether to proceed with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway.

The new North Yorkshire Council has organised a meeting of its Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on May 5.

The sole item on the agenda is the gateway, which would see James Street partly pedestrianised and some of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to encourage cycling.

The 15-strong committee comprises of nine Liberal Democrats, five Conservatives and one Green.

Area constituency committees are advisory bodies to North Yorkshire Council, whose Conservative-controlled executive retains the final say.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative member for highways and transportation at the council, has pledged to abide by the area constituency committee’s decision.

Cllr Duncan said this would fulfil the council leadership’s pledge of “double devolution” whereby more decisions would be taken locally.

But some Liberal Democrats think the Conservatives have given them a hospital pass by passing on responsibility for such a hot political potato that has divided local opinion.

How James Street would look

To date the Liberal Democrats have been quiet on whether they will back the gateway.

The Stray Ferret asked area constituency committee chair, Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, whether her party would support the gateway.

On March 9, she said:

“Until we have a group meeting to discuss it I am not prepared to comment.”

We asked Cllr Marsh again on Friday whether the Lib Dems had formulated a position. She replied:

“We will let everyone know our opinions on May 5.”

Speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 14, Cllr Duncan said:

“I will implement whatever decision is taken. It’s right that Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors have their say.”

He told the meeting the scheme would see the removal of 40 parking spaces — 20 on James Street and 20 on Station Parade.

He added the Station Square water feature had been removed from the scheme “due to practical and cost constraints”. It would have cost £500,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan (centre) at the chamber event

Cllr Duncan committed to four pledges if the scheme goes ahead:

1 To conduct a full review of car parking in Harrogate town centre.

2  To manage disruption, adding: “It cannot be denied there will be disruption. We will draw up a construction management plan.”

3 No compromise on quality of construction materials.

4 Traffic flows will be revisited and reassessed.

The meeting at the Civic Centre in Harrogate on May 5 will take place at 10am and is open to the public.

Planning regulations should change to require developers to include infrastructure to support new homes, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP has said.

Andrew Jones told North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee yesterday he had raised the issue in parliament.

He was asked by Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, whose Ouseburn division includes the planned up to 4,000-home Maltkiln settlement, whether more should be done to ensure infrastructure could cope with a sudden rise in the population.

Cllr Warneken said:

“When I’ve had meetings with the developers for Maltkiln, it has become apparent that they are going to use existing infrastructure until it bursts before they do anything about it.

“In reference to the sewage they are going to use an existing, archaic sewage system until it’s up to bursting level and then they’re going to put efforts in to have new infrastructure put in and new sewage, working with the water authority.

“I would like to see the planning system changed that allows us to say, if you are going to build something as big as 4,000 houses, that the road infrastructure, the sewage infrastructure, has to be put in place as part of that process.

“I know it sounds naive, because who is going to pick up that tab? But if we make it that it’s part of the planning process, we can maybe enforce the investment in it before it actually happens.”

Mr Jones said the development was not in his constituency but in Selby and Ainsty, represented by fellow Conservative MP, Nigel Adams.

However, he said he agreed with the principle of ensuring infrastructure was fit for new development, digital connectivity, micro-generation of power and insulation of new homes.

He added:

“I have raised the issue of building standards in parliament. I agree with the basic point that we need to have build standards that are fit for the future.

“It’s significantly easier to construct things during the earliest phases of a construction project rather than go back and retro-fit.

“That applies to more than just water but it certainly applies to water.”

Read more:

• Parliament debates bathing water status for River Nidd at Knaresborough
• Call to restart consultation on new Harrogate district town

‘Over-developed’

Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Aldred said he was frequently asked by people in his High Harrogate and Kingsley division about the amount of house-building.

He said there seemed to be too many large homes being built that were unaffordable to most local people, with no public transport, healthcare facilities or other provisions to support the growing population.

Cllr Aldred said he did not feel the planning system in the UK was fit for purpose and was too heavily weighted in favour of making profits for developers. He added:

“I really do think Harrogate and Knaresborough are over-developed. There are far too many people living in the area.

“The residents who have been here long-term are suffering because of this over-development.”

In response, Mr Jones said he had “no doubt” that more homes were needed across the country, with many people struggling to get onto the property ladder.

He said the local plan had provision for starter homes, but even creating that took a long time and would not always be popular with people who did not want to see their areas change.

He added:

“Getting the balance right between protecting areas and allowing people to get on the property ladder isn’t easy.

“I’m not sure we can say it’s over-developed. We’re certainly in a period where we have been under-developing across the country and people, I think, are very uneasy about all the work that has been done catching up on that.

“But I think if we get the right mix of houses so local people get a chance to put their roots down in their home areas and we see infrastructure developed in parallel then I think we can meet people’s needs and aspirations.”

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path project has come under further fire from residents who have described the first phase as a “nightmare” and “fundamentally flawed”.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, said the group carried out a survey of residents and businesses along the street and that feedback was “very heavily negative” with only two positive comments received.

He told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee today that serious safety concerns were raised over the works completed so far which were also described as like “crazy golf construction”.

He said:

“The general feeling is that this scheme will do very little – if anything – to offset the huge housing to the west of Harrogate and that nothing proposed so far convinces us that the core traffic problem will in any way be mitigated.”

Mr Dziabas called on the county council to carry out a “meaningful and proper” consultation on the next two stages of the cycle path which is facing yet more delays after first securing funding in 2017.

A first stage opened to cyclists at the start of this year, however, it has yet to be fully completed after a safety audit found faults with the works carried out.
Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told today’s meeting that the “necessary amendments” to the cycle path would now be made.

Read more:

• Cycle path, housing and more on agenda for Harlow Hill residents
• Will Harrogate cycling schemes ever get out of first gear?

However, it is currently unclear what works this will involve and when they will be completed with contractors hoping to start in early November.
Ms Neal also said a consultation on phase two of the project will be held this month and that residents and businesses will be able to meet with the designers to share their views. She said

“This additional engagement and further consultation is to ensure that all user groups and residents’ views have been carefully considered.”

Lack of progress

The fresh criticism of the county council’s progress comes as other active travel schemes have yet to produce final designs despite being awarded government cash almost two years ago.

This includes cycling and walking improvements on Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said his “major concern” was that this accumulation of delayed projects could mean the county council fails to secure future funding for other improvements to tackle Harrogate’s congested roads. He told the meeting:

“We believe this lack of progress will impact on potential future funding bids.”

“We also see the major problem as a lack of an officer who leads in the cycle agenda in the local area and who has local knowledge and authority to deliver these schemes.”

The county council previously said designs for the Victoria Avenue and A59 schemes – which include cycle lanes, improved crossings and reduced speed limits – were “likely” to be revealed this summer.

This has now been pushed back until at least the New Year.

For the Oatlands Drive plans, the county council previously said a consultation was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

This is now scheduled to take place this month after original plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped after a backlash from residents.

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is set to face further scrutiny over plans to cut the number of night-time fire engines in Harrogate to just one.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe will face councillors at a special meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee next Thursday.

The plans, which are currently out to consultation, have already been criticised as “putting money before lives”.

The Fire Brigades Union also described the proposals as “seriously concerning”.

The plans would see Harrogate fire station continue to have two fire engines during the day, but just one between 10pm and 9am when fewer incidents usually occur.

The move would also mean some of the fire station’s 40 crew members are moved to different stations or roles.

Harrogate Fire Station on Skipton Road

A report to Thursday’s meeting said Harrogate is of a “predominantly low combined fire risk” and that this “does not warrant” two 24-hour fire engines.

Commissioner Metcalfe has also insisted the fire service would “continue to provide an immediate emergency response” during the night.

Yet concerns remain that the move would increase response times if multiple emergencies occur during late hours and back-up vehicles have to travel further from outside of Harrogate.

Steve Howley, secretary of the North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union, previously urged the public to reject the proposals which he said would “put lives at risk.” He said:

“The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner needs to fight for the correct funding from government, not simply mask underfunding by slashing services and providing the public of North Yorkshire with a second-rate emergency response service.”

Save £1.5m a year

Ms Metcalfe said the plans – which also include cuts to services in York and Scarborough – would save over £1.5 million a year, yet she insisted they are not cost-cutting measures.

She also said the savings would allow for investment in fire prevention.

Read more:

• Harrogate firefighters battle extreme heat as five fields go up in flames
• Harrogate fire station changes won’t increase risk to life, says commissioner

The proposals are part of the fire service’s Risk and Resource Model which sets out how it will deploy staff and equipment across North Yorkshire over the next three years.

The consultation will run until August 14 and residents are being urged to give their feedback online.

Commissioner Metcalfe said in a statement:

“The role of a fire and rescue service has changed and continues to change, with only 26% of our incidents last year relating to a fire emergency.

“We want to ensure we are addressing our current and future challenges and that we have the capacity to prevent and stop incidents happening in the first place.

“Inevitably, there are some areas where the setup of the service would change but I’m confident the right people, right equipment and the right support would continue to be available to everyone.”

To have your say go to www.TellCommissionerZoe.co.uk

A Harrogate councillor has questioned why secondary schools in the county receive less funding per pupil than most other places.

North Yorkshire secondary schools are placed 138 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding per pupil.

On average, a school in North Yorkshire has received £5,570 per pupil for 2021-22 compared to the national average of £5,935.

A report to councillors at today’s meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee said that for a 1,500-pupil secondary school, this equated to a difference in funding of £0.5m.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the county council, described the situation as unacceptable and wanted to know why the figure for North Yorkshire was “way below” that of other local authority areas.

He told the meeting:

“I just wondered what we as councillors can do to help because this clearly is not an acceptable position.”

Andrew Jones to be asked to help

Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck, suggested Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, could lobby national government on behalf of local schools.

Mr Jones is due to attend the council’s next Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in March.

Mr Broadbank said:

“Our MPs are there to lobby. This is something we can ask Andrew about at our next meeting.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district schools see ‘large rise’ in obesity since covid
• Harrogate headteachers ‘nervous’ as schools return during covid surge

Sally Dunn, head of finance for early years and high need at the council, said school funding was based on the Department for Education’s national funding formula.

She added the formula was based on factors such as deprivation and prior attainment and the DfE was in the process of transitioning the criteria.

Ms Dunn added it was “an issue we continue to lobby on and we continue to speak to the DfE on a very regular basis”, adding that there was most concern for small rural secondary schools, which faced “significant financial pressures”.

Primary schools fare better

North Yorkshire primary schools fare better: they are placed 35 out of 150 local authorities in terms of funding.

Primary schools in the county receive on average £4,715 per pupil compared to the national average of £4,611.