New survey reveals ‘heavy toll’ on Harrogate residents’ health of four years of house building

After conducting a survey of households on Kingsley Road off Knaresborough Road showing 58% of residents had considered moving to another area to live, Kingsley Ward Action Group said the tide of heavy lorries was taking a heavy toll on the physical and mental wellbeing of the inhabitants.

"Our residents health survey provided some truly shocking results.

"We have been complaining to Harrogate Borough Council since August 2019 and to North Yorkshire County Council since September of the same year," said a spokesperson for KWAG.

"Our local authorities are failing to protect Kingsley Road residents from the multiple health dangers of heavy, open-topped wagons, despite strict laws to ensure we come to no harm."

The Harrogate Advertiser approached both councils for a comment after receiving the survey results pulled together by Kingsley Ward Action Group.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said it had taken all necessary steps to address the issue.

“We are aware of concerns relating to dust from HGVs entering and exiting the developments on Kingsley Road and have allocated a case officer to address these concerns," said the Harrogate council spokesperson.

“We have discussed the matter with the county council - as they are responsible for matters pertaining to highways and their use - and the developer and have reminded the latter of actions they must maintain as per the conditions of the planning permission.

“These have been actioned - as well as some further recommendation, including road sweeping - by the developer and we will continue to closely assess this situation to ensure they continue to do so.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council told the Harrogate Advertiser it had nothing to add to Harrogate council's statement.

The Kingsley ward is one of the busiest areas for new builds in Harrogate with around 700 new homes already built or currently under construction - and more in the pipeline.Construction work in the area first began in early 2019 and it is expected to carry on for most of the remainder of this decade.

As part of its recent residents health survey, Kingsley Ward Action Group handed out 148 questionnaires to households on Kingsley Road.

In total 49% responded.

Among the results were:

Have you seen construction wagons covered in mud - 89%

Have you seen construction wagons with uncovered loads 83%

Has dirt from the construction traffic been regularly deposited near your house - 86%

Do you struggle to breathe on days with heavy construction traffic - 32%

Have you suffered a shortage of breath recently -36%

Have you been or nearly been in an accident with construction traffic - 28%

Would the removal of construction traffic improve how you feel and your wellbeing - 88%

Have you considered moving to a safer area - 58%

To judge how bad the situation was on Kingsley Road, campaigners also surveyed neighbouring Leyland Road which is not currently used by lorries.

The difference in outcome was significant, they said.

Of the 150 questionnaires handed out to households on Leyland Road, only nine - 6% - were returned.

A spokesperson for Kingsley Ward Action Group said: "It is clear when you compare the results of the two roads that the residents who do not have any issues also have very little construction traffic - the fact that very few responded highlights this.

"The difference in the quality of life for Kingsley Road residents compared to the other roads in the ward is clear to see.

"These wagons are taking a heavy toll on the physical and mental wellbeing of the inhabitants."

As well as answers to specific questions, Kingsley Ward Action Group’s questionnaire included space for comments by residents.

Among the individual responses were

The house often shakes when heavy vehicles pass.We’ve moved to back bedroom to avoid early construction traffic.

This road was not built to take 30-tonne wagons - as you can see it is sinking.

I no longer enjoy living in my own home.

I feel totally let down and failed by all the bodies who are meant to help. No one bothers about our quality of life and health.

Deposits of mud, debris and dust are a huge problem.

We get eye irritation with the dust, which also affects our pets.

Several properties have cracks due to construction traffic vibration and when it rains, several gardens flood with sewage from drains.

No effort has been made by contractors or the authorities to protect residents from the effects of polluting and speeding construction traffic despite complaints.

The Harrogate Advertiser has in the past reported that Harrogate Borough Council was having having regular meetings with developers and North Yorkshire County Council in an effort to encourage builders and utility firms and the county council to work together better to help mitigate the impact of their development on the residents and road users.

But campaigner’s patience is clearly running out.

Kingsley Ward Action Group now says it is looking at the legal implications of the situation in the Kingsley/Bogs Lane area, in particular, whether measures to mitigate the impact on health and the environment for residents are being followed in Section 122 of the Road Traffic Act 1984 and Section 80 of the Environment Act 1995.