Revealed: Harrogate's Bogs Lane will not be closed to traffic despite new housing developments
Residents groups in a Harrogate area swamped by new housing developments are breathing a sigh of relief that a key road is unlikely to be closed permanently.
Although North Yorkshire County Council began moves in early 2023 to ban through-traffic on Bogs Lane in order to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists in what was already a well-known rat run, that was put on hold while new paths and road infrastructure changes were introduced to cope with new housing.
The resultant 18-month closure of Bogs Lane ended nearly a year ago, before a new closure began at the start of 2025 to allow utility works at its the junction with Forest Lane and Knaresborough Road.
Residents and local councillors believe Bogs Lane should be left as it is, following the improvements to paths and roads introduced by North Yorkshire Council.
The council’s highways department now says there is no immediate funding available to close Bogs Lane as a long-term measure or make it one-way.
In particular, it seems the housing developers’ S106 monies, financial contributions made by developers to local authorities as part of planning permission, have already been used to provide the traffic signals, footway, kerbing, drainage and other improvements.
If any work was to come forward in this regard in the foreseeable future, it would have to be funded from other sources.
All this will come as good news to Kingsley Ward Action Group, which was formed by residents in 2020 in response to concerns about housing developments, particularly regarding infrastructure, transport, green space loss, and potential flooding risks.
Gary Tremble of KWAG believes turning Bogs Lane into a one-way system would simply make the traffic situation worse.
"This road has always been a ‘rat run’ and will always be a ‘rat run’ which was clearly stated in objections for all the current housing developments,” he said.
"The current situation is working perfectly with no accidents, near misses or complaints from residents to our knowledge.
"Closing this road will only lead to more congestion and pollution on neighbouring Knaresborough Road which is already at breaking point."