It seemed apt that former Coronation Street actor Tracy Brabin, who is now Mayor of West Yorkshire, starred in this week’s latest episode of the Harrogate Station Gateway soap opera, which saw West Yorkshire Combined Authority approve the business case.

The cost may keep rising and the full plans remain secret, but the gateway reports written by council officers are producing some memorable language. After the original plans were ‘de-scoped’ the latest report says the scheme will ‘mainly disbenefit highway users’.

There appears to be more chance of a cannabis farm being found on Haywra Street in Harrogate than this storyline ending amicably.

Mayor Tracy Brabin

It takes something remarkable to quieten a well lubricated audience of 350 people at an awards ceremony at 11pm at night. But Justin Kitson did precisely that at this week’s Stray Ferret Business Awards when he talked movingly about how Northern Energy had gone beyond the call of duty to help his sister, who worked for the company, when she was terminally ill.

It was the highlight of a fantastic night at the Pavilions of Harrogate. Check out the winners.

Northern Energy celebrates its Employer of the Year award.

The previous night, Knaresborough firefighter Bruce Reid, who is best known for organising free Christmas meals for up to 100 people in the town, appealed to Knaresborough & District Chamber’s for help raising funds to treat his son’s brain tumour. Bruce has raised tens of thousands of pounds for good causes over the years and chamber members agreed to do all they could to help. Donations can be made here.

We report on various attempts by communities to buy pubs, such as the Henry Jenkins Inn at Kirkby Malzeard and the Half Moon Inn at Sharow, but few come to fruition. So it was heartening to report on a successful community campaign to save the Black Swan at Skelton-on-Ure.

The Black Lion pub

This weekend sees the BEAM Light Festival in Harrogate and excitement is mounting for the annual Knaresborough Tractor Run on Sunday. It’s become one of the biggest events on the calendar — do check it out.

Read more:

• Business case approved for £12.1m Harrogate Station Gateway
• Ripon garden centre now equipped to look after hearts and flowers
• Knaresborough hero Bruce Reid seeks help for son

Preparatory work on the £12.1 million Harrogate Station Gateway is set to begin soon after the full business case was approved today.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority nodded through the scheme, along with other similar gateway projects in Selby and Skipton, in just two minutes at a meeting.

It followed a lengthy debate that resulted in buses in West Yorkshire being brought back under public control, which Labour mayor Tracy Brabin described as a “historic moment”.

Ben Still, chief executive of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, suggested administration of the three North Yorkshire gateway schemes could be transferred to the newly formed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which will be led by whoever is elected mayor on May 2.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council and Conservative candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor, said last week preparatory work would begin soon on the Harrogate gateway if approval was granted today. Construction is due to start in September and last one year.

He added:

“This is a very exciting time for the regeneration of all three town centres.”

Today’s decision is unlikely to be welcomed by gateway opponents, especially after the cost of the Harrogate scheme increased again from £11.2 million to £12.1 million and the plans are not expected to be made public for months.

The scheme has also been branded “poor value for money” that will “mainly disbenefit highway users”.

North Yorkshire Council is contributing £1.1 million and the remainder is from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

The project has been ‘de-scoped’ after North Yorkshire Council admitted its previous plans, which included pedestrianising part of James Street and reducing a stretch of Station Parade to single lane traffic, were legally flawed.

The council has said it will include:

• Pedestrian improvements along Station Parade, including raised crossings and signal junction improvements.
• A bus lane from Bower Road into the bus station and a south-bound segregated cycle lane.
• Public realm improvements to One Arch and Station Square.
• New cycle parking at the railway station.

But the full plans have not been made public, which prompted retired Harrogate architect and anti-gateway campaigner Barry Adams to renew his plea for the scheme to be halted.

Mr Adam said:

“The gateway plan achieves absolutely nothing but disruption to the town. We need to get this madness stopped.”

Read more:

• Work set to begin soon on ‘poor value’ Harrogate Station Gateway
• ‘Stop this madness’ says anti-Station Gateway campaigner

A cycleway looks set to be built on Harrogate’s Station Parade as part of the reduced £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council‘s executive member for highways and transport, said today the full business case for the scheme had been submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

He said it included a southbound cycleway on the same side of the road as the bus station, and maintaining two lanes of traffic.

The details have not been released but the decision to keep two lanes of traffic and build a cycleway raises questions about the future of the taxi rank and loading bay on the other side of Station Parade.

The taxi rank

The loading bay

The council scrapped its previous proposals, which included reducing some of Station Parade to single lane and part-pedestrianising James Street, after admitting its plans were legally flawed.

The original scheme was hailed as a key active travel scheme that would be part of a cycle route to Cardale Park so its abandonment disappointed cyclists.

The revised scheme includes better coordinated traffic signals, footways and crossings, public realm improvements to areas including the One Arch tunnel, a bus lane and a southbound cycleway along Station Parade.

Cllr Duncan, who has been chosen to represent the Conservatives in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election on May 2, said:

“This represents a significant cross-party effort and many hours of discussions.

“While there has been inevitable compromise, there is encouraging agreement on key elements of the revised scheme which takes us closer to securing £11 million of investment for Harrogate.

“Station Parade will remain two lanes, with no pedestrianisation of James Street.”

Cllr Keane Duncan

He added the revised plan “delivers key benefits to all road users”, adding:

“We now standby for approval of the business case before construction can begin, hopefully later this year.

“There will be further public engagement and consultation on the detail of the plan in coming months.”

Read more:

• Cyclists brand scaled-back Harrogate gateway plans a’huge disappointment’
• Harrogate streets reopen after bomb scare
• Four Harrogate firefighters to be axed in April

Andrew Jones MP has said he hopes North Yorkshire Council will use money earmarked for the £11.2m Station Gateway to create a more welcoming space in Harrogate.

Last week, senior Conservative councillors in Northallerton agreed to consider different options in an attempt to rescue the troubled transport scheme.

In August, the council pressed pause on the project due to a legal challenge from Hornbeam Park Developments and Mr Jones described it as a “timed-out dead scheme”.

However, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he is still wanted the government’s Transforming Cities Fund money to be spent in the town.

A report prepared for councillors last week said one option could be to reallocate funds to other gateway schemes in Skipton and Selby if a solution in Harrogate is not found.

Should government give permission to modify the scheme in Harrogate, it appears the council will focus on its less controversial aspects, which might include public realm improvements at Station Square and One Arch.

The MP said he has lobbied government ministers about allowing the gateway money to be spent in Harrogate.

Mr Jones said:

“I fully support using the Transforming Cities Fund monies in Harrogate. This funding was allocated to Harrogate and I have urged ministers to allow the funding to be spent in Harrogate.

“The council’s decision to consider options for Station Gateway is not unexpected. Some aspects of the scheme were very positive, not least the public realm improvements. I would urge the council to fund the public realm improvements as a priority to create a more welcoming space in the town centre for residents and visitors.”

Read more:

• ‘Save the Station Gateway!’: Harrogate cycling campaigner issues plea
• ‘Collective will’ at council to rescue £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

In an interview with the LDRS earlier this month, the council’s executive member for highways Keane Duncan said the Gateway is “not dead – yet, but it is fair to say it’s on life support”.

He added: 

“Andrew [Jones] wants to secure investment for Harrogate. The Liberal Democrats say they want to secure investment for Harrogate. I do too, and I will do my best to deliver on that objective.”

North Yorkshire Council has said it will make a decision on what happens next with the Station Gateway before November.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which won the initial funding from government, has said it has accepted the principle of a modified scheme. The Department for Transport has also indicated initial support for a modified scheme but has not yet formally responded.

The DfT has reiterated that the Transforming Cities Fund money must be spent before March 2025 at the latest.

The Harrogate rail line is “close to capacity” and should be electrified, according to a West Yorkshire Combined Authority report.

The line carries passengers between Leeds and York and includes stations in Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough.

However, a draft report to inform West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s rail strategy says the line is close to full capacity for services.

It adds the line between Harrogate and Leeds “may struggle to accommodate new services” in future.

The report before Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, adds that in 2019 it had peak-time demand greater than the total seating and standing capacity of the trains.

It says:

“Most lines will see demand greater than seating and standing capacity in the future, meaning that some passengers will not be able to get on their chosen service unless capacity is enhanced.

“Additional train capacity will therefore be needed to provide enough space for everyone and make travelling by train a more comfortable experience.”

Read more:

• Councillor outlines plans for new train station in Harrogate
• Harrogate Station Gateway: new report reveals financial risks

The report, which was published as part of the ongoing consultation into West Yorkshire’s rail strategy, adds that an electrifying the Harrogate line should be considered. It mentions Harrogate because of its connection with Leeds in West Yorkshire.

It says the line is one of three, alongside Calder Valley and Wakefield Westgate/Deame Valley, that would benefit the most from electrification and should be a “high priority” route.

The report adds that electrifying the Harrogate line would help with flexibility on services.

It says:

“Many neighbouring routes are electrified, so electrification would enable more flexibility of local service patterns, and high numbers of diesel vehicles would be removed.”

Brian Dunsby, of the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said the move would be beneficial for services.

He said:

“I would expect the operator to be able to provide four-coach trains in place of the current three-coach Class 170. But it will not be in the near future.”

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to use its finalised rail strategy to lobby government for investment in rail infrastructure in the region.