Two Harrogate-based contractors have questioned why the council is bringing in contractors from Lancashire to restore the Stray.

Harrogate Borough Council this week outlined details of its £130,000 plan to be carried out by Glendale Services, from Chorley.

Representatives from HACS Construction Group and Ray Skelton, firms with significant experience in groundworks and landscaping, wanted the council to look closer to home at a time when many are struggling financially.

Mark Smith, from HACS, told the Stray Ferret that he is “absolutely disgusted”  that the council did not ask local firms to tender for the work.

“They are bringing in workers from Chorley in Lancashire and not supporting local firms. 70% of my staff are furloughed and I have all the equipment to do the work. It’s a disgrace. Local firms should have had the opportunity to price for the main work – the only thing I was asked to price for was the corner work”

They feel that part of the problem with the UCI Championships last year was because the organisers did not understand that the Stray is more than a patch of grass to the residents of Harrogate. Stuart Skelton also said that the council did not ask his firm to tender for the work.

“How do they know if it’s best value? Why get a company outside Harrogate? A local firm understands how important the Stray is to the town.”

The Stray Ferret took these concerns to Harrogate Borough Council. The council responded by saying it welcomes any local businesses that wish to join its database and sent us information about how to register as a supplier.

Both companies pointed out that they have been doing work for the council for decades.

Will the year-long restoration be enough?

HACS Construction and the Stray Defence Association have also questioned whether the restoration, which is estimated to be complete a year after the UCI, will be a long term solution.

Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret that, before any re-seeding, the main area of West Park Stray that was damaged needs to be properly drained.

He has also warned that what’s being done is “cosmetic” and any big event held thereafter next year could see a repeat of the problem. He outlined what he felt needs to be done:

• £150,000 to drain the main area of the Stray that is damaged
• £60,000 to replace the topsoil
• £10,000 to reseed
• £8,000 for aeration
• £34,000 a year to dress the area in round particle sports sand

The Stray Defence Association has made a statement in which it questions whether the work will be enough:

“After seven months without use of West Park Stray, eight if you include the usage by the UCI, we are pleased that at long last something appears to be happening after many weeks of spring weather when, surely,  work could have begun. Whether what is planned will be both proficient and sufficient remains to be seen. We were told initially that the ‘drainage issues’ were going to be resolved prior to any restoration. Has this in fact been done or will the Stray be dug up again for future work?

“Also, other experts have given details of much more complex renovations which they believe should be undertaken. Will our Stray actually be properly restored? This was a clearly stipulated condition, asked for by the SDA and granted, when the government agreed to the Stray being used for this event last year. Whatever the case Harrogate’s people, to whom the Stray belongs, must be told the truth.”

Yorkshire 2019, the organisers of the UCI Road World Championships, has agreed to pay £35,500 to help restore the Stray, with the council leader promising that it will be back “better than ever” in September.

Harrogate Borough Council has appointed contractor Glendale Services to start this week. They will start by breaking up and aerating the affected soil as well as treating the grass with a spray that will turn it blue temporarily.

The council said grass will be left for two weeks for the treatment to take effect before the contractors return to undertake rolling, sub-soiling, and further harrowing in preparation for seeding over a week. Seeding will take place at the end of May.

To avoid further disruption, workers will fence off badly affected areas, including the footpaths.

They will also fix uneven flagstones and address the historical drainage issues at the corner of West Park and Otley Road.

Overall, the council believes that the works will cost £129,971, broken down into:

• £38,105 for repairs to grassed areas of West Park Stray
• £65,385 for pavement, footpaths, Heras fencing, bedding and verge repairs, reinstatement of bins and benches plus any additional council work
• £20,156 to fix longstanding drainage issues
• £6,325 project management and delivery costs

That figure is based on estimates provided by the contractors with the council saying the costs for footpaths is covered by the “existing programmes of works that were held off until after the event.”

Harrogate Borough Council released these details a day after an exclusive report from the Stray Ferret which revealed that the council has set aside £150,000 for Stray repair work this year on top of the £51,000 already spent

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“It is great to see work start on West Park Stray this week. We hope, by the autumn, it will be returned to its former glory before it was affected by one of the wettest autumns since the 1970s. We have decided to use opportunity to address the historic drainage issues at the corner of Otley Road and West Park. This has been an issue and frustration to local residents for a number of years and I’m pleased to announce this is also being addressed.”