Transport leader calls on Harrogate councillors to 'be bold' as pressure builds on controversial £11.2m Gateway project

In theory, the vote on Friday by councillors from Harrogate and Knaresborough on North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee will not be binding.

The committee, which now boasts a Liberal Democrat majority with eight Lib Dems and five Conservatives, has no formal role in a decision which must be taken by North Yorkshire Council’s executive based in Northallerton.

But the county’s transport chief has made it plain that, if the project is to proceed with funding from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, it now requires a ‘yes’ vote from the local committee.

Speaking in March, Coun Keane Duncan said: "We have plans finalised, traffic regulation orders are out for consultation and full funding for the project is secured.

"Councillors will say if they want it to proceed, or whether they want the.£11.2m to be spent elsewhere."

After three public consultations which have led to more, not less, division over North Yorkshire Council’s plans for sustainable transport measures in Harrogate town centre, the four-year battle over whether to introduce new pedestrianisations and partial road closures may itself finally be closed – or not, as the case may be.

Placing the ball firmly in the hands of Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors, Coun Keane this week said the stakes “could not be any higher”.

“Doing nothing may often seem like the easiest route for councillors, but this would be the worst scenario for Harrogate residents and businesses.

"The status quo is simply unsustainable.

"I remain hopeful that councillors will ultimately pull together - across the political divide - to allow the Gateway investment opportunity to be realised,” said Coun Keane.

"The stakes could not be higher. This week’s meeting will determine Harrogate’s direction in the decades ahead.

“Working together, moving forward together, I hope we can be bold and work collectively to deliver the transformational change Harrogate so desperately needs.

“The alternative will see £11.2m lost, future funding opportunities jeopardised and Harrogate without any meaningful plan to address issues now and into the future.”

The stakes are, indeed, high for Harrogate.

Recent years have seen every major sustainable transport policy and/or experiment floated by North Yorkshire Council being diluted or dropped in the face of fierce opposition from sections of the Harrogate public and business world.

Five key unanswered questions remain in a saga which has divided the town.

1 If Harrogate Gateway is dropped does that spell the end for new cycle lanes, pedestrianisation and priority lanes for buses in Harrogate?

2 If the pro-cycling lobby in Harrogate is as strong as has been made out at times, why has so little progress been made on the ground on sustainable transport issues?

3 Has North Yorkshire Council shown the courage of its own convictions on the issue or is its behaviour merely a reflection of public sentiment in Harrogate?

4 Has the recent abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and the handing of power to North Yorkshire Council made the latter more wary of standing up to opposition within a Harrogate awash in keyboard warriors and different interest groups?

5 What way will the Lib-Dem dominated Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee swing on the Gateway project in Friday’s vote?

The chair of the area constituency committee chair, Coun Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, has been keeping her cards held close when it comes her views on Gateway.

But at least one Liberal Democrat has already said he will not be voting in favour of Harrogate’s Station Gateway project.

Last month saw Michael Schofield, councillor for Harlow and St Georges, say, among a range of concerns, he feared it would impact negatively on businesses.

Ahead of Friday’s vote, Richard Binks, Head of Major Projects and Infrastructure at North Yorkshire Council, has prepared a report for councillors with details of the proposed Gateway changes.

These include:

Part-pedestrianising James Street between Princes Street and Station Parade.

Making the section of Station Parade to the junction with Bower Road one-way

Creating a northbound one-way section on Cheltenham Mount between Cheltenham Parade and Mount Parade.

Introducing a a 24-hour bus lane on the northern section of Station Parade.

Even before the vote takes place, an array of important Harrogate groups are lined up to oppose the Gateway project, including Harrogate Civic Society, Harrogate Chamber of Commerce,. Harrogate BID, Harrogate Residents Association and Granville Road Residents Association.

Transport chief Coun Keane Duncan says he recognises the pressure local councillors are under- without doing anything to ease it.

“Future proofing the town centre and promoting more sustainable travel is essential, but with the vocal opposition we have so often seen, this is not always easy to deliver in practical terms" said Coun Keane.

“I know councillors are under immense pressure, but it is right that the new council consults local councillors, elected by the people of Harrogate, and gives them chance to have their say.

“We know the immense challenges the town is facing in terms of congestion, air quality and road safety.

"We know the challenges facing retail and how town centres must adapt to survive and thrive.

“Unless elected representatives are proactive and take action to rise to Harrogate’s challenges, these issues will only grow."