Harrogate would lose millions of pounds if Station Gateway project cancelled, council chief warns

The Get Away campaign says its solicitors have served notice on both North Yorkshire Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority as it bids to stop the £12m improvement scheme from going ahead.

The group claims North Yorkshire Council failed to consider the wider impacts of the proposal and to consult fully with the public meaning its issuing of traffic regulation orders, which paved the way for some of the work, was illegal.

But North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Councillor Keane Duncan, said the authority “strongly refuted” the grounds for the legal challenge.

He added: “The proposed scheme has been subject to extensive consultation over many months, above and beyond what is required.

“We gained thousands of responses from the public across the three rounds and reflected on this feedback, amending the scheme to remove the most controversial elements.

“As a result, there will now be no reduction in lanes on Station Parade and no pedestrianisation.

“The new scheme focusses on key benefits such as high-quality paving, the transformation of One Arch and a short bus lane to improve access to the station.”

Councillor Duncan said the scheme aimed to coordinate traffic signals to help traffic flow better and reduce congestion.

The senior councillor said old artist’s impressions of the scheme were being shared online, featuring aspects of the project which have already been removed.

“This is inevitably giving people an inaccurate and unhelpful view of it.

“It is important to ensure people understand exactly what the revised scheme now includes, and the key fact that the funding is ring-fenced.”

Councillor Duncan said conditions set by the government meant the money could not be diverted to services such as policing and the NHS, as he said had been suggested.

“If the scheme is blocked, Harrogate will lose out on this multi-million-pound investment to improve the town.

"The funds would need to be returned to government and spent elsewhere.

“We have made a democratic decision to support this scheme and we remain focussed on working to deliver it for the benefit of our residents and businesses.”

On the serving of the notice to the local authorities, Steven Baines, Harrogate business owner and spokesperson for the Get Away campaign, said “battle has now commenced”.

He added: “The legal challenge has been filed and issued by the court and our solicitors have served papers on both North Yorkshire Council and WYCA.

“Not only is there anger from the Harrogate business and trade community that this is the wrong scheme for the town but there is outrage at the way it was pushed through without adequate consultation.

“This is simply not good enough and this is why we want the whole matter to be out in the open and heard by the High Court so we can get to the bottom of what has gone on here.”

North Yorkshire Council was awarded more than £38m in funding from the Transforming Cities Fund programme for projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby three town centres.

Councillors have given authority for officers to enter into construction contracts and accept grants for the Selby and Skipton schemes, with work due to start within weeks.

But the legal action has prevented council chiefs from giving the go-ahead for the Harrogate scheme.