Cycling and climate change groups have backed measures to reduce traffic on Station Parade to one lane and fully pedestrianise James Street in Harrogate.

Harrogate and District Cycle Action (HDCA) and Zero Carbon Harrogate issued their comments as part of the consultation on the town’s £7.9 million Station Gateway proposals, which ends today.

Business organisations, including Independent Harrogate and Harrogate Business Improvement District, have expressed concern at some of the plans and rejected the one-lane option.

But both HDCA and Zero Carbon Harrogate support creating a single lane for traffic on Station Parade, which also includes cycle lanes.

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HDCA said in its response to the plans:

“We are in favour of the one-lane option, which reduces Station Parade to one lane. Through traffic is routed along Cheltenham Mount, Bower Road, East Parade, and over Station Bridge back to Station Parade.

“The two-lane option does much less to achieve the objective of creating a more welcoming environment for people arriving at the station, and the cycle provision on Station Parade has a missing link in that version.”

A proposal to pedestrianise James Street in Harrogate is being consulted on as part of the Station Gateway plans.

The two groups also support the pedestrianisation of James Street to improve cycling and walking in the town centre.

‘Safer and more pleasant’

Zero Carbon Harrogate said pedestrianisation, combined with a single lane of traffic on Station Parade, would reduce town centre traffic. It said:

“Sustainable travel will become safer, more convenient and more pleasant, whilst travel by private car will become a little less convenient.

“We anticipate that the latter point will generate some opposition but believe that both sides of the equation must be addressed in order to achieve traffic reduction.”

The proposal for James Street has also been backed by Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Old Bilton on Harrogate Borough Council.

Cllr Haslam, who has worked as a retail director and lecturer for the last 24 years, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it would be “the best thing that could ever happen to it”.

He said:

“I very much welcome the pedestrianisation of James Street although I am understanding of the concerns and misgivings from some businesses.

“The decline of high-street retail has become more and more true for Harrogate, and it has now been accelerated by covid, which has ultimately been the kiss of death for some businesses.

“One of the things we have got to stop this hollowing out of the town is the town centre plan. Within that we have the Gateway project, but also the conference centre refurbishment and more regular trains running from places like London to bring more people in.

“These are all part of a bigger picture and I believe the pedestrianisation of James Street will absolutely fit in and be perfect for the gateway project.”

Business concerns remain

The government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which aims to encourage sustainable transport, is funding the gateway scheme.

A partnership between North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority is delivering the initiative.

Businesses remain concerned that any measures to reduce traffic could harm trade.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association and a former Harrogate resident, said the measures included in the project would have a “negative impact” on its members’ businesses.

Sandra Doherty, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said a “well thought out plan” was needed for the town centre, which takes into the account the views of businesses, local people and visitors from further afield.

Richard Ellis inserted several covenants into the deed of gift when he presented the statue to the town, requiring that if any attempt were made to move it, the land should be offered back to the Ellis family.

A bus company has called for Harrogate to introduce a low emission zone as part of the debate about the proposed £7.9 million Station Gateway project.

If adopted, only low polluting hybrid and electric vehicles would have access to Lower Station Parade, which runs alongside the town’s bus station.

The Station Gateway project is a government-funded scheme to regenerate the town centre and promote sustainable travel.

Consultation is ongoing, and Alex Hornby, chief executive of the Harrogate Bus Company, a subsidiary of Transdev, said a low emission zone should be created covering the town’s bus station and Lower Station Parade alongside it.

Currently, Lower Station Parade is a one-way street with two lanes of traffic, both of which are open to all road users.

He said:

“While we see the Station Gateway proposals as a positive step towards our shared aim of a low emission town, we must go further for Harrogate’s future by making the most of this tremendous opportunity.

“The creation of a low emission zone, covering the current bus station, plus Lower Station Parade which currently divides the bus and rail stations from the main shopping area, is vital if we are serious about improving Harrogate’s air quality.”

Mr Hornby said the company’s electric buses had improved air quality but more needed to be done:

“The proposed bus priority measures at Lower Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade – the first such measures to be put forward in the town’s history – are a positive start, and are to be welcomed, but by themselves are unlikely to go far enough to achieve Harrogate Borough Council’s stated aim of creating a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.”

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Mr Hornby added previous consultations had shown a majority of the public supported non-car solutions to traffic problems and “now is the time for bold thinking”.

A partnership of North Yorkshire local authorities has secured £31 million from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities fund for three separate projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby.

The aim is to finalise designs and start construction work by summer 2022, with completion in 2023.

An online consultation into the Station Gateway proposals runs until Wednesday 24 March 2021. You can take part here:

The first consultation event into Harrogate’s Station Gateway project last night saw  concerns raised about the need for more cycling lanes as well as an increase in anti-social behaviour.

The online event enabled people to ask questions about the £7.8 million town centre project, which is being funded from the government’s £317 million Transforming Cities Fund.

Representatives from Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as engineering consultants, discussed the plans and answered questions.

If the current proposals are approved, the area around the town’s bus and train stations on Station Parade will look vastly different.

Traffic would be reduced a single lane to create more space for cycling, walking and public transport.

How Station Parade might look under the new Station Gateway proposals.

One member of the public asked if the design and reduced amount of traffic would increase anti-social behaviour.

Aidan Rayner, Transforming Cities Fund delivery project manager at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“One of the main parts of this proposal is to improve public experience. We don’t believe that these plans would impact public safety”.

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Another member of the public asked what evidence there was to support the increased demand for cycling. In response, Matthew Roberts an economy and transport officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Increasing recognition of the climate emergency and the need to make healthier choices is generating more demand. Faster cycling routes, I think, will mean more will choose to cycle.

“We have 79,000 people living within a 20-minute cycle ride to the town centre.”

Mr Roberts said high streets were changing and Harrogate needed to adapt to continue attracting visitors.

Those behind the proposals said the suggestions at the event would be taken forward in further discussions.

A second public consultation is due to take place next week on March 10.

The plans will then be considered in detail before work begins. Mr Rayner said he hoped construction could begin in spring next year.

He added disruption would be limited as much as possible.

Residents are being urged to engage with a consultation to help shape the future of Harrogate town centre.

The Station Gateway project could see funding of £7.8m spent transforming the bus and rail interchange and the public space around them.

Proposals also include reducing Station Parade to just one lane for cars, allowing more space for cycling lanes, to encourage more people to use public transport or to walk or cycle.

The plans have been put forward by North Yorkshire County and Harrogate Borough Councils, in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Craven and Selby district councils, as part of a £31m grant awarded through the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF). As well as the Harrogate proposals, the project includes changes for Selby and Skipton’s stations.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“Improving the gateways to these towns will not only make them more attractive, but will also provide infrastructure for sustainable travel. We have looked at barriers to people accessing public transport, cycling and walking and devised schemes to address these.

“I hope people will have their say through the consultation and take advantage of the online events to learn more and to ask questions.”

Read more:

• James Street pedestrianisation back on the cards in major town centre scheme
• Row breaks out on first day of ‘Station Gateway’ consultation

Public events are being held online for residents to hear more about the plans and to ask questions about them. The Harrogate events take place on Wednesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 10, both at 6pm.

The consultation runs until Wednesday, March 24, and anyone planning to take part is encouraged to engage with one of the online sessions beforehand. To find out more, click here.

Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:

“Through the Harrogate Congestion Study, it was clear the community wanted to see improvements to walking, cycling and public transport prioritised. The TCF project is the first step to delivering this and I’m pleased that the hard work and determination of council officers has paid off, and helped secure around £8million for the Harrogate bid.”

The authorities involved have promised that public feedback will be used to help shape the next stage of the plans.

They have already come under fire from business groups, including Harrogate BID, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Independent Harrogate, who said they money could be better spent improving other areas such as Cambridge Street. However, the TCF can only be used for projects relating to transport.

Retailers on Albert Row, which runs along Station Parade, have also raised concerns about how the proposals will affect the area nearest their businesses, saying they could not fairly comment without more information.

What’s your view of the Station Gateway proposal? Email letters@thestrayferret.co.uk with your thoughts and we may include it on our letters page, Stray Views, published each Sunday.