Council hoping to build £20 million Killinghall bypass

North Yorkshire Council has said it wants to build a £20 million bypass in Killinghall to alleviate congestion.

The authority published a report this week that offers updates into three transport projects in Harrogate, including a bypass in Killinghall, which has been mooted for years but is yet to move forward to a firm proposal.

An unpopular relief road scheme near Nidd Gorge was scrapped by North Yorkshire County Council in 2019 following widespread public opposition.

But the problem of congestion has not gone away and the council’s Harrogate Congestion Study in 2019 suggested a village bypass in Killinghall still had a level of support among residents.

At the time, the council’s Conservative-run executive said that it would consider developing the project further to see if it might be able to win government funding so it could be built.

Since then, officials working on the bypass have looked at a number of possible routes to reducing the impact of traffic in Killinghall.

The latest report does not offer details on possible routes, but the county council previously said the route which offered the best value for money would be one that bypasses Killinghall to the east and connects the B6161 south of the village to the A61 above it.

Several new housing developments have been built in or near Killinghall in recent years and traffic going between Harrogate and Ripon has to pass through the village.

There have also been safety concerns around the B6161/A61 junction that the council thinks the bypass could help improve.

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In the report, the council argues that due to “the more rural nature” of Killinghall there are fewer opportunities to create active travel schemes that promote walking or cycling.

The report recommends that the public is asked their opinion on the bypass and that a route is eventually recommended.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport and Conservative mayoral candidate, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he believes a Killinghall bypass is “absolutely critical” to tackling congestion and improving road safety in the village.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We still need to confirm the best route, but the principle of delivering new road infrastructure here is absolutely right.

“It is the only real solution to the serious safety issues raised in the recent audit of the B6161/A61 junction in the heart of the village.

“I am fully committed to delivering this long-awaited bypass and the fair deal the people of Killinghall so desperately deserve.

“Devolution gives fresh hope of finally delivering this project and if elected as North Yorkshire’s first mayor I will seek to secure the £20m needed.”

 

Killinghall bypass ‘yesterday’s solution’ to congestion

Proposals for a £20 million Killinghall bypass have been criticised by environmental group Zero Carbon Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council has put forward plans to build a bypass, with a likely route from the Old Spring Well pub on the A59 to the roundabout in Ripley that goes to Pateley Bridge and Ripon.

It would be one of range of measures, including a park and ride bus scheme and enhanced cycling routes, to ease congestion in the Harrogate district.

But Rod Beardshall, transport lead at ZCH, told the Stray Ferret awareness of climate change had increased locally and building a major new road would “send out the wrong message”.

Mr Beardshall described the decision to refuse Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans into Rotary Wood as a “tipping point” for the town, where environmental concerns outweighed other factors.

Rod Beardshall, from Zero Carbon Harrogate

He called a bypass “yesterday’s solution” to tackling congestion:

“It would take years to build and as the climate situation moves on the idea would end up being more anachronistic.”

Killinghall has been bedevilled by traffic for decades and the problem has worsened recently as new housing developments have swelled the size of the village.

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Mr Beardshall highlighted a 2017 study by countryside charity CPRE that suggests new roads actually increase traffic rather than ease congestion.

He described roads “a very clumsy tool to address congestion” and called on the council to focus on better bus services and walking and cycling access for Killinghall. He even suggested charging motorists to drive through the village:

“If you build a road, it’s there forever.

“By thinking about a bypass you take the eye off the ball for more imaginative solutions.”

Last month, councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the bypass would ease congestion in the “fastest-growing village in the county”.

He said:

“We have a duty to respond to the many residents and local members who feel that they want to take some of this traffic out of their village.

“That includes 44-tonne lorries, which could not be replaced by a person walking or cycling. That is why we firmly believe that certainly further consideration of a bypass to take this traffic out of the village is needed.”

Killinghall bypass ‘could cost in excess of £20 million’

A new bypass for Killinghall could cost in excess of £20 million, county council officers have said.

The project would come as part of a plan proposed by North Yorkshire County Council to tackle congestion in the Harrogate district.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee heard the proposals at a meeting today, along with other measures to cut traffic.

It comes after the county council conducted a study in 2019 to find ways to ease congestion in the district.

Initial proposals included building the bypass along with a western relief road. However, that idea has now been taken off the table and a standalone bypass has been suggested.

Allan McVeigh, senior highways officer at the authority, told the committee that the project is estimated to cost “in excess of £20 million”.

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But he added that the figure was a “high level estimate” at the moment and more work needed to be done on the scheme if it were to be taken forward.

A report before the committee said the current bypass proposal would cost less to construct than the relief road and would offer “high value for money”.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, speaking before the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access, speaking before the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee.

Meanwhile, concern was raised from residents and campaign groups over cycle routes and the increase in flow of traffic into Harrogate as part of the project.

Rod Beardshall, of Zero Carbon Harrogate, called on the county council to oppose the plan. He added that “all non-road solutions for Killinghall should be considered before a bypass.”.

In response to concerns, Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the authority, said a bypass was necessary to remove congestion from the “fastest growing village in the county”.

He added that the scheme would include active travel measures, such as cycle routes..

He said:

“We have a duty to respond to the many residents and local members who feel that they want to take some of this traffic out of their village. 

“That includes 44-tonne lorries which could not be replaced by a person walking or cycling. That is why we firmly believe that certainly further consideration of a bypass to take this traffic out of the village is needed.”

The bypass is set to be added to the county council’s list of major schemes, which would require funding from the Department for Transport.

Killinghall bypass proposed as part of plans to tackle congestion

Plans for a Killinghall bypass look set to be put forward as part of a wider set of measures to tackle congestion in the Harrogate district.

The other measures include improvements to the A61 and A59, closing off residential streets in Bilton and creating a park and ride for the south of Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council conducted a study last year to find ways to ease congestion in the Harrogate district.

The study found fierce opposition to building a western relief road that would have included bypassed Killinghall. That idea is now off the table.

But the idea of a standalone bypass for Killinghall will be put to the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee on January 7.

A report to the committee says the current bypass proposal would cost less to construct than the relief road and would offer “high value for money”.

It recommends councillors add the plan to the authority’s list of major projects, which would require funding from the Department for Transport.

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Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, told the Stray Ferret the scheme would need to develop a business case to secure funding.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“A relief road is what we were proposing but 80% of people did not want it.

“There will be various business cases. There is always funding available from government and we would expect the Killinghall bypass to be a separate business case.”

Closing Bilton streets

The committee will also consider closing some streets in Bilton to create low traffic neighbourhoods to encourage people to make shorter journeys by walking or cycling.

A park and ride to the south of Harrogate near to the A61 has also been identified. 

However, council officers are expected to develop the proposal further with an existing bus service in order for the scheme to be financially viable.

The county council also wants to improve the A59 and A61 for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

A further report on the finances of the projects is expected to brought before the county council in spring 2021.