Harrogate councillor apologises for ongoing Kirkby Malzeard road closureA senior Harrogate councillor has apologised for a two-year road closure in Kirkby Malzeard and indicated it could reopen in the new year.
The closure was put in place on Church Street due to a collapsed wall at St Andrew’s Church in the village following heavy rainfall in February 2020.
Since then, Harrogate Borough Council has committed to repair the damage — which is set to cost £491,670.
However, the collapse has left the road closed for two years to the inconvenience of local residents.
At a full council meeting this month, Cllr Nigel Simms, who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard on the borough council, asked when the road would reopen.
Reconstructed church wall at St Andrew’s in Kirkby Malzeard.
In response, Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the authority, said the closure had been an “extremely long time” and apologised for the inconvenience.
He added that work was in progress on the repairs and indicated that the road could reopen in January.
Cllr Swift said:
“I apologise that people in the area have been extremely inconvenienced.
“But I think that those of you who have seen the extent of the damage and indeed, bluntly, the extent of some of the graves that were exposed to the public, will see it has been an incredibly complicated and detailed programme.
“Throughout the time of which was coronavirus and a considerable amount of that time prevented people getting to the site and doing the work that they needed to do.”
He added:
“My indications are that January is the working date.”
£500,000 repair bill
The final bill for the repair is set to cost the council nearly £500,000. Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves.
The repair works which have followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by more than two years of delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.
Read more:
End in sight for Kirkby Malzeard’s long-awaited wall repairMore than 32 months after part of St Andrew’s Church wall in Kirkby Malzeard collapsed, repair and reconstruction works costing almost £500,000 are ongoing.
In addition to rebuilding and reinforcing the 10-metre section that fell onto Church Street following heavy overnight rain in February 2020, a further 30-metre length is being refurbished and reinforced.
The road, which runs past St Andrew’s and is part of a route from the village to Masham, has remained closed since the collapse.
Harrogate Borough Council initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February this year.
However, the final bill will be almost double that amount at £491,670 after council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves.
The collapsed section of wall, which is being rebuilt and reinforced.
A report to the council urgency committee in May said:
“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.”
The repair works which have followed came after residents and parish councillors frustrated by more than two years of delays, urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall.
Read more:
Wall repair costs to Harrogate council double to nearly £500,000Harrogate Borough Council is set to spend almost double what it planned to repair a collapsed wall in Kirkby Malzeard.
The council is due to appoint construction firm Keir to repair and rebuild the wall at St Andrew’s Church, which collapsed due to heavy rain in February 2020.
Officials at the authority had initially earmarked £250,000 to fund the project, which was given planning approval in February this year.
However, a report due before the council’s urgency committee next week says the project will now cost £491,670.
Council officials said the cost reflected the “volatile nature of the construction market at the moment”.
Jonathan Dunk, executive officer for strategic property and major projects, said in his report:
“The work was not able to be contracted until the planning process was concluded and permissions put in place.
“Any further delay now would create the additional risk of further wall collapse and would mean that the work could not take place over the coming summer months.”
Read more:
The increased cost is set to be funded from the council’s investment reserves. If approved, work on the wall is scheduled to start this month and end in September.
The move to repair the wall comes after residents and parish councillors urged the council to end the “farce” of the church wall earlier this year.
Cllr Peter Saxon, of Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council, told the borough council’s planning committee in February:
“Kirkby Malzeard as a community is no stranger to controversial planning decisions. This is not one of them.
“Speaking as the parish council, we presented a unanimous view, as with every resident I have spoken to, to ask you to please, please end this farce.”