Pedestrianisation of James Street will be delayed after concern from Harrogate businesses

County council backs pedestrianisation of James Street in Harrogate in run-up to Christmas

After announcing the trial closure to traffic of this key Harrogate shopping street from the Princes Street junction eastwards to the A61 Station Parade in August to run from autumn to Christmas, North Yorkshire County Council has now been decided to push the partial pedestrianisation back to 2021.

The Harrogate Advertiser understands that county council elected members leader Carl Les, leader and transport Don Mackenzie and senior officers chief executive Richard Flinton and director David Bowe met virtually with representatives of the Harrogate BID, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and several independent business persons and traders, last week.

After listening to their views, the county council; the area's highways authority, decided to postpone the experimental order until early January 2021 which has been requested by Harrogate Borough Council as part of its plans to support and transform the town centre.

Despite suggesting that the proposed partial pedestrianisation was intended to make James Street more attractive to shoppers, and assuring all those present the priority was to support businesses, the county council was forced to accept that retail outlet owners and managers had deep concerns about an idea which many of them believed might instead damage trading in the run-up to the critical pre-Christmas shopping season.

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