Full plans to revive Harrogate high streets to be revealed as shops get ready to reopen

The government has handed down guidance to Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council detailing the drastic measures needed to safely allow non-essential retailers to reopen on June 15.

The plans, first sketched out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, are urging local authorities to overhaul their town centres with major changes such as a ban on cars - an idea which council bosses in Harrogate say they are still open to.

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It comes after the borough council was given more than £140,000 from the government's Reopening High Streets Safely Fund.

Barriers to widen pavements have already been introduced in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon - and the borough council is expected to announce more plans in the coming weeks.

This could include signs, street markings and marketing campaigns to explain changes and reassure the public.

Coun Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at Harrogate Borough Council, said: “We welcome this additional allocation of funding from the government and are currently working through the very specific guidance criteria as to what the money can be used for before developing a suitable plan.

"We will also work with partners across the district to ensure that the money is put to best use and hope to start implementing some of the measures over the coming weeks."

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National guidance to avoid the use of public transport where possible has also meant that people have chosen to use more active travel measures such as walking and cycling.

And Coun Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the measures will look to build on this where possible.

"We want to support traders in opening safely and we want the public to be able to visit shops with the confidence that measures are in place to help to protect them", he said.

“At the same time, we aim to ensure effective access for all road users, whether that be drivers, cyclists or pedestrians, workers, shoppers or delivery vehicles.

“In many of our market towns there are relatively few pedestrian areas and often quite narrow footpaths, so we are working on ways to ensure potential queues outside shops can maintain social distancing rules and accommodate pedestrians walking up and down the street.

“To achieve this safely we are looking at temporary solutions to effectively widen footpath areas and to accommodate safe pedestrian flow, so that people can access shops while remaining at a safe distance from other shoppers and other pedestrians.

“We have reviewed the measures already taken and, on the whole, feel they have worked well in achieving the required balance."

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter