A consultation will begin on Monday on new plans to promote cycling and walking in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council also revealed today it now “hopes” to start phase two of the Otley Road cycle route in summer next year — more than a year after it had planned to begin.

Monday’s consultation will ask for suggestions to improve active travel in and around Oatlands Drive, as well as for views on the Otley Road cycle route, its links with Beech Grove and the town centre.

Previous plans to reduce congestion in Oatlands, which included introducing a one-way system on Oatlands Drive, were shelved in spring last year after numerous complaints.

As part of its latest plans, the county council will undertake a traffic survey looking at parking, modes of transport and the volume and speed of traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“We are looking at options for active travel and traffic calming improvements in the Oatlands area as part of our aim to encourage cycling and walking, easing congestion and improving air quality in Harrogate.

“Previous consultations about the Oatlands area have generated a lot of comments, so we have made a commitment to carry out a more detailed study to assess possible improvements there.

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

Cllr Duncan said he hoped “potential options” would be presented by the end of the year “so they will be ready when further funding becomes available”.

Read more:

• Plan to cut congestion on Oatlands Drive won’t be ready until autumn
• ‘Nightmare’ and ‘flawed’: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path under further fire

Further public engagement on phase two of Otley Road cycle route, its links with Beech Grove and the town centre will run alongside that of Oatlands Drive, focusing on the final designs.

‘Pros and cons for all designs’

Three options for the cycle route are being considered. A meet the designer event will also be held for local stakeholder groups and residents, allowing them the opportunity to discuss the options in further detail.

Cllr Duncan added:

“There are pros and cons for all of the proposed designs which is why we need to engage with local residents and stakeholders.

“It’s important to consider the possibility of conflict between road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the impact on properties along the route and parking.”

The interactive map showing proposed town centre cycle routes.

An interactive map giving an overview of active travel projects in Harrogate and how they link together is available here.

The consultation will run from Monday until November 28. Further details will be available here.

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.

Residents of the Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash areas of Harrogate will gather tomorrow night to discuss the issues they face as a community.

From housing developments and cycle lanes to the upcoming reorganisation of local government in North Yorkshire, Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA) has a busy agenda for its AGM.

Chairman Rene Dziabas said the long-delayed West Harrogate Parameters Plan – setting out a plan for infrastructure to support thousands of new homes in the area – was likely to be among the topics generating the most interest.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We still have over-riding concerns about the infrastructure for these successive developments – public transport, paths, cycle paths, hospitals, schools.

“We work with a number of parish councils and they hold similar views to us.”

This will be the first time HAPARA has held an in-person AGM since 2019, thanks to the covid pandemic. In the intervening three years, many new households have arrived in the area, and the group is keen to welcome them alongside long-standing residents.

Though it encourages people to sign up as members, anyone can go along to the AGM and, unlike a parish council, it has no defined geographical boundary, so is open to anyone who wants to join.

Read more:

• Contractor for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route to be appointed in autumn
• Council approves long-awaited West Harrogate Parameters Plan

As well as the changes that have taken place in the area in recent years, the group will look at what is ahead for local residents.

While phase one of the Otley Road cycle path has been largely completed, and phase two is scheduled to begin “shortly”, according to North Yorkshire County Council, phase three – from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park – remains contentious among residents, according to a survey of residents by HAPARA this year.

Mr Dziabas said he hoped the new North Yorkshire Council would keep to its word of engaging added:

“We are also trying to introduce some local issues. A couple of residents are doing a presentation on low traffic neighbourhoods.

“If we can get something like that, an idea from grass roots, and if we can make the beginnings of something, that would be nice.

“Money is going to be tight and there is going to be less money around over the next few years than there is now.

“If you engage with local organisations, the people you are engaging with are doing it for free and there’s a lot of knowledge and a lot of professional people in those organisations. If you keep an open mind, you can tap into it.’

The HAPARA AGM takes place at Harlow Community Centre (The Green Hut) on Harlow Avenue on Wednesday, October 12 from 7pm. The full agenda is available here.

A cycling group has expressed frustration amid ongoing uncertainty over the timetable to increase active travel in the Harrogate district.

The council previously said designs to create better cycling routes on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were “likely” to be revealed this summer. It also said a consultation on Oatlands Drive cycling improvements was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

But a fortnight ago Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said an Oatlands consultation was now likely to start in October and a consultation on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were due in the New Year.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the consultations had been delayed.

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council’s area highways manager, said in a statement:

“We want to ensure that all road users fully understand the strategic links between all the proposed projects in Harrogate to enable them to comment with a clear voice.

“To ensure this, we have taken the time necessary to draft detailed engagement papers. Details of the consultation will be announced soon. We have explained this situation to interested parties.”

Victoria Avenue is one of the routes designated for cycling improvements.

Councillors frequently talk about creating a joined-up, off-road cycle route from Harrogate train station to Cardale Park, which would require completion of the Station Gateway scheme and the Otley Road and Victoria Avenue cycle routes, as well as the prohibition of traffic on Beech Grove. None of these projects is making noticeable progress.

Read more:

• Beech Grove decision leaves Harrogate in slow lane for cycling
• Contractor for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route to be appointed in autumn

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the speed of change was particularly disappointing because funding for projects was in place. He said:

“We have been waiting so long for this. It’s frustrating that every time we seem to be making progress, the dates slip back.

“We need to see resources dedicated to carrying out the work as soon as possible.”

Still no word about the Beech Grove & Otley Road consultation promised in September 2022.
Countdown: 6 days late https://t.co/tvpBidDlsF

— Harrogate Cycle Action (@cycle_harrogate) October 7, 2022

Mr Douglas also highlighted how, in contrast to delays on cycling schemes, work was due to start on the £68m scheme to realign Kex Gill for motorists. He added:

“All we can do is keep pressing for change and hope things start to move more quickly.”

There are yet more delays for Harrogate’s active travel schemes, which have yet to produce final designs despite being awarded government cash almost two years ago.

North Yorkshire County Council won £1 million for cycling and walking improvements on Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough in November 2020, but final designs have yet to be revealed as part of more consultations.

The 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.

However, this has now been pushed back until at least the New Year.

Victoria Avenue is one of the routes earmarked for better cycling.

And for the Oatlands Drive plans, the council previously said a consultation was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

Three months on, the council says it now hopes to ask the public for their views from the start of October.

This comes after original plans for a one-way traffic system on Oatlands Drive were scrapped after a backlash from residents who warned the changes would be “disastrous”.

Read more:

• Transport chief denies inflation will lead to ‘cheap’ Harrogate Station Gateway 
• Beech Grove decision leaves Harrogate in slow lane for cycling

It was later agreed that the funding would instead be used for a feasibility study looking into improvements for the wider area.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at the council, said in a statement this week:

“We are still in the detailed design stage for active travel schemes on Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough.

“Following discussions and guidance from Active Travel England we would like to amend the designs further for improved pedestrian and cycling use.

“A public consultation with final designs is likely to take place in the New Year.

“The study of Oatlands Drive will review the existing designs and prepare new ones, based on the data we collect, to give us some options for active travel and traffic calming improvements in the Oatlands area that could be trialled.

“We hope to launch the public consultation at the start of October.”

The latest delays come on top of several setbacks for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path project which was first awarded funding in 2017. A first phase of the project was completed earlier this year, but a start date for phase two remains unclear.

Otley Road cycle path

There have also been setbacks for the town’s £11.2 million Gateway project which has been hit by a legal threat from a leading property company.

Hornbeam Park Developments made a proposed claim for a judicial review against the council this year over claims that it “failed conscientiously” to take into account the feedback of a previous survey.

This sparked the launch of yet another consultation, which was held in summer and gathered over 2,000 responses ahead of a council decision over whether to submit a final business case for funding.

Elsewhere, plans for a 7km cycleway in Knaresborough and other active travel improvements in Ripon were shelved altogether in summer when a council bid for £1.5 million was rejected by government.

North Yorkshire County Council officials have said they are monitoring the cost of major projects amid soaring inflation levels.

The council was this week forced to plug a £7.2 million shortfall for its Kex Gill realignment after the overall cost of the scheme soared due to inflation.

The project is now set to cost £68.6 million – a 12% hike from its original figure.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council whether it now expected to find more funding for other projects, such as the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway scheme and the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route.

Gary Fielding, director of strategic resources at the council, said:

“We can’t speculate about future inflation rates and global and national impacts on the economy, but like other organisations and businesses we continue to monitor costs and market conditions when embarking on projects.

“At present inflation is a pressure across the board and North Yorkshire County Council will continue to work to mitigate the impact it has.”

The A59 at Kex Gill, which is to be realigned after historic problems with landslips.

Mr Fielding this week warned senior councillors that the authority faced “high risks” as the cost of projects, such as Kex Gill, increased in price.

He told councillors that the “burden of risk” would fall on the council should any “unforeseen events” see additional cost for schemes.

This additional cost would come at a time when government funding is either being cut or capped.

Mr Fielding said:

“In terms of capital, you are seeing two things happening in general and I think it is right that members are aware of the risks.

“We have got allocations in government funding across the board actually reducing in quantum for the forthcoming period and in parallel with that we have got inflation rates taking off.

“So what you have actually got is a much reduced spending power going forward and a higher profile of risk based upon major schemes where the burden of risk will fall 100% with the council.”

Otley Road and Station Gateway

The comments come as the county council looks to press ahead with some of its major highways schemes.

The authority is due to procure a contractor for the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route this month.

The cost for the first phase of the scheme was £827,000.

Read more:

• Kex Gill realignment cost increases to £68m
• Delayed A59 Kex Gill reroute now set to start next year and finish in 2025

However, soaring inflation could see the figure for the second phase be higher than anticipated.

Melissa Burnham, highway area manager at the county council, told the Stray Ferret last month:

“Final detailed designs for phase two of the Otley Road cycle route are due to be approved within the next few weeks, with the contract expected to go out to tender during August.

“It is expected the contract will be awarded to the successful provider during the autumn.”

Inflation and the cost of living crisis has also raised concern over Harrogate’s Station Gateway project.

While the county council would not be drawn on any potential increases to the cost of the scheme, officials said previously that cheaper materials could be used.

Both county council and Harrogate Borough Council officials have remained committed to the scheme and recently pledged a further £300,000 to the project.

People in the Ripon area have woken up to a water outage for the second time in a week.

North Road in Ripon is flooded, with pictures of it on Blow Your Horn Facebook page prompting comments by people in Ripon, Melmerby, Dishforth and Sharow they have no water.

Ripon and surrounding villages were hit by an outage last Thursday after a pipe burst on North Street.

In Harrogate, a burst main in Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.

Follow our live coverage below.

5.45pm – Engineers ‘recharging the system’

The Stray Ferret asked a Yorkshire Water spokesperson if the burst main could leave some households without water into tomorrow.

He was unable to give any timescales but said engineers are working to ‘recharge the system’ which should restore the water supply. However, he said this needs to be done carefully to manage water pressure.

The spokesperson said he expects water will be ‘back on soon’.

5.20pm – Still no water for parts of Ripon

There is still no water for some properties in Ripon following this morning’s burst water main on North Street.

Yorkshire Water has arranged a bottled water station in Market Place, where anyone is free to come and collect bottles of water.

2.00pm – Yorkshire Water pumping water into Ripon network

Yorkshire Water is currently pumping water into its network via tankers. It’s so the city centre remains with water whilst engineers work to fix the burst main. No time has been given for when water will return back to normal.

The company is also looking for somewhere in the city for customers to collect bottles of water.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“We are on-site fixing the issue and working hard to restore water supply as soon as possible.

“Our teams are delivering bottled water to customers on our priority service register, additional vulnerable customers and care homes. We’re also working with our partners to deliver bottled water to rural communities and set up a bottled water collection point for customers in Ripon. We will update as soon as we have a location for that.

“We’ve also put measures in place – such as tankering into our network – to make sure we can restore supply to as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible.”

12.05pm – Water restored in Harrogate, but Ripon awaiting a fix

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson has said the burst water main in Otley Road, Harrogate has now been fixed with customers back to their normal supply.

However, in Ripon engineers are still working to fix the burst pipe on North Street. It happened because last week’s burst, also on North Street, weakened another part of the pipe today causing it to burst.

Bottled water is being delivered to vulnerable customers and a bottled water station will be set up soon.

“Last week there was a burst on a 12-inch main on North Street, Ripon – we fixed the issue on the same day, but unfortunately it weakened another area of the pipe, which burst this morning. The new burst is around 20m away from the original burst.

“We’re on site working on the fix this morning – with temporary traffic lights and the same diversion still in place. We’re currently delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers, care homes and those on our priority services register. We will be setting up a bottled water station for other customers shortly.”

10.05am – Works on Otley Road

This is the current scene on Otley Road near to the junction with Pannal Ash Road where work is being carried out to restore water in the HG2 area.

9.55am – Ripon residents pitch in to prevent flooding

Barry Dolan, who helped to clear the drains.

A group of residents of North Road whose houses are beyond the clock tower junction when heading out of the city, ensured that their gardens and those of neighbours across the road, were not flooded for long, as they worked to unblock drains full of straw debris and fallen leaves. 

Barry Dolan (pictured) said: 

“The reason that the gardens were flooded by the water from the burst main, was because of the blocked drains (see photo) that get jammed up with straw that comes off passing trailers whose loads get caught by overhanging branches.

“When we woke to see what had happened a number of us joined in to clear the blockages and the water subsided.”

One of the blocked drains on North Road, Ripon.

Mr Dolan added: 

“Because the drains are not cleared out regularly, we also get flooding along this section when there is heavy rain.”

9.45am – Ripon retirement apartment manager hopes water can be restored quickly

Yvonne Mulholland, outside McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange.

For the second time in four days, Yvonne Mulholland, the manager of McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange retirement apartments on North Street (pictured) had to call Yorkshire Water for an emergency supply of bottled water. 

She told the Stray Ferret:

“We have residents in 28 apartments, some of whom are vulnerable and needing to keep hydrated. 

“Yorkshire Water were very good last week and supplied us with 40 bottles to give to residents and I have spoken with them again this morning. 

“With the burst main immediately outside our premises, I just hope that the problem can be sorted out quickly and with the minimum of disruption to our residents and neighbours.”

9.40am – Temporary lights on Pannal Ash Road

Temporary lights have been put in place between the junction of Pannal Ash Road and Pannal Ash Drive.

Yorkshire Water said this morning that technicians were on site to carry out repairs and return water to residents.

8.45am – Water could be off for up to six hours

Yorkshire Water is reporting on its social media that water in Ripon could be off for between four to six hours.

The company added that it will “aim to get the water back as soon as possible”.

https://twitter.com/YWHelp/status/1561596914608619521?s=20&t=a4N3hfvun0oDwQWv6NjV-g

8.20am – Technicians on Otely Road

Yorkshire Water has confirmed that technicians are on site at Otley Road to try and get water back on for residents.

https://twitter.com/YorkshireWater/status/1561608712887930880?s=20&t=RJa7hFCYZHV6nTLeUeZ1tQ

8.10am – Pictures from North Street

This is the current scene at North Street in Ripon, where a burst pipe is causing a water outage for residents in the area.

7.55am – Yorkshire Water confirms burst pipe

Yorkshire Water has tweeted this morning to say a burst pipe on North Street is causing the outage in Ripon.

⚠️ #HG4 #Northstreet ⚠️ I am sorry to inform. Customers may have low pressure or no water due to a repair of a main needed due to a burst pipe. Apologies for any inconvenience. Updates to follow. -Laura pic.twitter.com/jAqfVMoKmr

— Yorkshire Water Help (@YWHelp) August 22, 2022

7.52am – Ripon resident: ‘This is ridiculous’

One resident in Ripon has got in touch with the Stray Ferret to report the outage.

They said:

“The burst water main in North Street has gone again, this morning it’s flooding the road again. We live on a residential park on Palace Road and had no information the first time.

“This is ridiculous, how are pensioners supposed to carry four litres of water to their homes.”

7.48am – Bishop of Ripon reports outage

The Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, tweeted to Yorkshire Water:

“No water in Ripon again. Any idea how long this time? Will more bottled water and information be forthcoming, especially to outlying villages please?”

7.45am – Reports of water outage

Reports have come in from Harrogate and Ripon of a water outage and low pressure in the areas.

Yorkshire Water said on its website:

“Customers may have no water or low pressure due to a burst main. We are working to restore supplies back to normal as soon as possible.”

In Harrogate, a burst main n Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.

One person affected received the following response from Yorkshire Water:

“Our technicians are on site dealing with the repair, however it could be 4-6 hours before the water comes back on and when it does it may be a little cloudy and discoloured.”

Read more:

• Water returns to some properties in Ripon

• Ripon area hit by water outage

A Harrogate gym has launched strength training sessions for women over 40 in an bid to “change the narrative” around menopause.

The sessions will be held at Eleven Eleven Sports Performance, which launched a studio on Otley Road in May.

The programme will focus on heavy lifting and increasing strength training to stimulate and build muscles to make up for the decline in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. It will also include sprint interval training, plyometrics and stabilising exercises.

Information will also be given on how to lead a healthier lifestyle to help lower cortisol levels, which is known as the stress hormone.

The sessions will be led by coaches Mark Nel and Kelly Loe, who moved to Harrogate from South Africa a year ago.

The couple co-own Eleven Eleven with Liz and Dean Kemp.

Empowering women

Ms Kemp said:

“Lifting weights is going to be good for anyone over the age of 40, but for women specifically because of the imbalances in hormones and the massive impact it has. Estrogen is a muscle-building hormone, so if that’s dropping you need to replace it.

“It’s trying to empower women to say you can do something about it. You can lift heavy and you will get the same effect and you will be able to build that lean muscle mass. This is even more important when you get older.

“It’s turning something negative into something positive. It’s about getting the narrative out there that you can pick up a barbell at any age if you are coached in the right way.”

The semi-private classes are limited to four participants to allow them develop their technique and lift safely.

They are being held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes from 12-1pm and 1pm-2pm.

Read more:

• Plans to set up temporary gym at Ripon Leisure Centre
• New group launches for Harrogate women with menopause

New skills

It is hoped that under the guidance of Mr Nel and Ms Loe, who are both skilled weightlifters, the sessions will encourage women to try something new and gain new skills.

Ms Kemp said:

“I turned 50 this year and I’m a control freak. I didn’t like the changes going on in my life without knowing how I could help and take back control. I think that was where it started from.

“You can’t control what your hormone levels are doing, but there are so many ways you can improve your health and body composition.

“I was training with Mark and Kelly and I realised what they were doing is what the over 40s need in their life to create a healthier and fitter lifestyle going forward.

“It’s about changing the conversation and mindset around it and focussing on the positive.

“It’s being in the right environment to be able to train safely and do what we need to do to replace what our hormones used to with nutrition, healthy living, sprint training and jumping and not being scared of doing it.”

Age is just a number

Mr Nel, who has 24 years experience in the fitness industry, said no matter what age you are, you should still be able to achieve the same ability as someone who is younger if you are taught correctly.

He said:

“You might not lift the same weight or speed, but you are not restricted to ‘you can’t do that because you are this age’. To me it doesn’t matter if you take the right approach. There are athletes doing it at 70.”

Mr Nel, who has a string of accolades under his belt in both CrossFit and weightlifting, added that programmes can be modified for individuals depending on their ability.

He said:

“If your ability is just a barbell, you have that option to go through. If you are someone who is a fit 67-year-old and you want a little bit more intensity that option is there as well.”

Foundations

There will be a focus on mastering three basic foundations of bench, squats and deadlifts before advancing further.

Ms Kemp said:

“The other thing that makes it unique is you are benchmarked. So you have your set standard and until you reach the next level you don’t progress. It allows you to understand what your weaknesses are and what you need to work on.”

Ms Loe, who has been coaching since 2015 and specialises in CrossFit, added:

“I think we have created an environment where we respect more of the technique side of it than lifting heavy. We cheer on the person who is coming last and trying the hardest, as opposed to the person coming first. We do not tolerate massive egos.”

Ms Kemp said there was so much information out there about menopause that it could be overwhelming.

She added:

“That’s what we want to strip back to the bare functions of what you can do to take control and turn the difficult transition into something positive.”

Council officials have said a contractor to build the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route in Harrogate is expected to be appointed in the autumn.

But it is still unclear when work on the project will start.

The first phase of the route, which runs from Harlow Moor Road to Cold Bath Road, was completed in January.

However, residents raised concerns over its design and the length of time it took to complete the project.

As a result, county council officials delayed progress on the second phase to review its designs.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council when the next phase of the route will be built and whether a contractor had been procured.

Melissa Burnham, highway area manager at the county council, said:

“Final detailed designs for phase two of the Otley Road cycle route are due to be approved within the next few weeks, with the contract expected to go out to tender during August.

“It is expected the contract will be awarded to the successful provider during the autumn.”

Read more:

• Fears for trees in next Otley Road cycle path phase
• Calls to reduce ‘plethora’ of Otley Road cycle path signs
• Residents may ask council to reconsider Otley Road cycle path

However, she did not respond to another question enquiring when construction is expected to start.

Council officials had previously set that procurement for a contractor would begin in June.

The second phase of the cycle lane will run from Arthurs Avenue to Beech Grove.

Costs have yet to be revealed for the next section of the route, but Hull-based PBS Construction was awarded a contract worth £827,000 for the first phase.

The third and final phase of the scheme, which will run from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, is expected to be funded via contributions from housing developers.

A final decision on whether to make the Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood in Harrogate permanent is looming, according to the new county council highways chief.

Cllr Keane Duncan, who succeeded Don Mackenzie as the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said a decision was “upcoming” on the closure.

The measure was controversially introduced in February 2021 as a temporary one-year to closure in an effort to encourage walking and cycling.

County council officials later extended the trial until August this year.

Cllr Duncan told the Stray Ferret a decision will be taken in the coming months as to whether it stays or not.

He said:

“There’s an upcoming decision on Beech Grove as to whether it is made permanent or whether it comes out. We can’t really extend it any further on a temporary basis.

“It is either that it is there or it isn’t.”

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways on North Yorkshire County Council.

He added that further consultation would be carried out if the decision to make the closure permanent and seek a traffic regulation order was taken.

Cllr Duncan said:

“For me, with the benefit of the time that it has been in place, it’s about seeing what people think about it now to see if their views have changed.”

Station Gateway

In a wide-ranging interview, the Stray Ferret asked Cllr Duncan about his views on the many multi-million pound highways schemes in the district.

On the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, Cllr Duncan said he was fully supportive of the the scheme.

He added, however, that he was willing to listen to cyclists, businesses and people ahead of the the third round of consultation this year.

Cllr Duncan said:

“I’m personally supportive of that scheme and we are wanting to progress it.

“We are going out to a third round of public consultation to ensure that everyone can have their say and their opinions.

“For me, my test on the ground is what do the local councillors think and feel? They are the representatives of their local community.”

Read more:

• Another consultation to take place on £10.9m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Under-fire infrastructure plans for west Harrogate will cost taxpayers £25,000

Meanwhile, Cllr Duncan said he was keen to press ahead with the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route.

County council officials were due to go out to tender on a construction contract this month with a view to starting work in the autumn.

Cllr Duncan said:

“We are pushing ahead with delivery of the Otley Road scheme.

“It is important to recognise that there is £4.6 million of funding for that scheme. It does connect in with all the other schemes ongoing within Harrogate.

“It is important to not look at every individual location in isolation. We have got to look at how this adds up to the bigger picture.”

‘Getting the balance right’

Cllr Duncan said he felt that that “on the whole” the council was trying to get the balance right on the various schemes across the district.

However, he added that he was aware of concerns over some of the schemes such as the gateway project.

He added:

“It’s about getting that balance right and recognising that at the moment most journeys are via car in and around Harrogate.

“It’s people trying to get to work, people trying to see friends and family and people visiting the town because Harrogate is a major tourist destination.

“We’re trying to encourage where we can for people to use other modes of transport. That’s not always possible, so we have to make sure we get that balanced approach.”

Look out for an in depth profile with Cllr Keane Duncan on the Stray Ferret later this week.