A crucial vote will be held today over whether the controversial Harrogate Station Gateway scheme should go ahead.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee will meet at 10am to decide whether to back the £11.2 million project.

While the final decision will be made by North Yorkshire Council’s leaders later this year, executive member for transport Cllr Keane Duncan has said he will abide by the vote given by local representatives.

The project, financed by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund, would see a bus lane and two-way cycle space introduced on Station Parade, with traffic reduced to one lane.

Cheltenham Mount would become a one-way street, while James Street would be partially pedestrianised from Princes Street eastwards

Improvements would be made to junctions and crossings on Cheltenham Parade and Station Parade, and to the roundabout near the Odeon cinema on East Parade. There would also be work to the One Arch underpass, Station Square and the length of Station Parade to create a more welcoming environment.

A report due before the committee today said:

“The scheme seeks to balance the needs of all modal users in ensuring continued access to businesses for loading and the ability to drive into and park within the town centre area, albeit with a predicted modest increase in average car journey times.

“The proposals aim to introduce a significant high-quality uplift to the public realm in the heart of the towns eastern side aimed at increasing retail footfall and quality of experience for residents and visitors.

“The project will also provide safe cycling infrastructure and improved footways which is key in promoting healthier and more sustainable travel choices originating from the rail station hub.”

A part-pedestrianised James Street

The meeting will hear from the council’s head of major projects and infrastructure Richard Binks and its economic and regeneration project manager Matt Roberts, as well as Tania Weston, Transforming Cities Fund programme manager.

Half an hour is allocated to public questions and statements, though these had to be submitted in advance of the deadline earlier this week.

The committee, meeting at the civic centre in St Luke’s Avenue, Harrogate, is made up of 13 councillors who represent divisions in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Of them, eight are Liberal Democrats and five are Conservatives.

Only two have so far declared their voting intentions: Michael Schofield, who represents the Harlow and St Georges division for the Lib Dems has said he will not support the plans.

Cllr Schofield argued the plans could damage local businesses, and said North Yorkshire Council has a poor track record in delivering active travel projects, citing the much-criticised Otley Road cycleway.

However, Conservative Paul Haslam, of the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, said he is planning to vote in favour.

He said the changes would be a step forward in encouraging active travel, and would also make for a better first impression for people arriving in Harrogate by bus or train.

Read more:

• Stray Views: Time for councillors to back Harrogate Station Gateway
• Dutch-style roundabout ditched from £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

Businesses have raised concerns about the potential impact of the changes on town centre trade, arguing fewer people would shop there if they could not park nearby.

A total of 40 parking spaces would be lost through the changes: 20 on Station Parade and 20 on James Street.

Four taxi spaces and three disabled bays would be lost on James Street, but one extra taxi space and three disabled bays would be added on Station Parade.

After a third consultation on the plans was held at the end of last year, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce said:

“It is going to have a massive impact on town centre business, many of whom are vehemently opposed to the scheme as they believe it will have a detrimental impact on their livelihoods.

“We recognise the impact of climate change and the need to encourage active travel, but it’s clear this project is not the correct way forward because the majority do not support it.”

However, the plans have found support among other groups and individuals.

In a letter to the Stray Ferret last month, former town centre business owner and cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis said:

“It’s true that many local businesses are noisily opposing it. It was the same in the 1980s when Cambridge, Oxford and Beulah streets were pedestrianised. A chorus of local business owners said it would be a disaster. It wasn’t.

“As the owner of a sports shop in Beulah Street I supported the changes. I thought they would be good for my business and they were. Our business increased appreciably because footfall increased.

“It also created a considerably more pleasant environment for our staff to work in – quieter and cleaner.”

Today’s meeting begins at 10am. The Stray Ferret will be covering the debate and vote live – keep an eye on our website for the latest updates.

Harrogate and Knareborough councillors will have the opportunity to back or oppose the Station Gateway scheme at a meeting on Friday.

The meeting has been specially arranged by North Yorkshire Council and the authority’s ruling Conservative executive has pledged to abide by whatever decision local councillors collectively make about the project.

A final decision on whether it goes ahead is expected in the summer.

The £11.2 million Station Gateway has been in development for three years after funding was won from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to make the town centre more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

But it’s proved to be controversial with the results of the latest round of public consultation, published in January, suggesting the Harrogate public are narrowly against it.

For or against?

This week’s meeting will include 13 councillors — eight Liberal Democrats and five Conservatives.

Conservative councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam, is a proponent of the Station Gateway.

He has argued it would give a boost for active travel in the town and the changes would result in a better first impression of Harrogate for people arriving by bus or train.

Station Gateway proposals show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Harlow and St Georges, Michael Schofield, came out against the project last week.

He questioned the council’s track record in delivering active travel schemes following the Otley Road cycle path saga and he believes the disruption caused around Station Parade during construction would hurt town centre businesses.

Public responds to traffic orders

The council’s head of major projects and infrastructure, Richard Binks, has prepared a report for councillors that includes details of proposed traffic regulation orders that were submitted last month in anticipation of the Gateway scheme going ahead.

The orders include making the section of Station Parade to the junction with Bower Road one-way and introducing a northbound one-way section on Cheltenham Mount between Cheltenham Parade and Mount Parade.

There is a proposed order to bring in a 24-hour bus lane on the northern section of Station Parade.

Another order has been proposed to part-pedestrianise James Street between Princes Street and Station Parade.

Since the orders were proposed in March, 41 comments have been received with most being negative. However, the report notes that letters of support about the orders are not usually expected.

Read more:

• Dutch-style roundabout ditched from £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway
• ‘It will hurt businesses’: Lib Dem councillor to vote against Harrogate’s Station Gateway

Concerns have been raised by residents about the potential for increased congestion due to Station Parade becoming single-lane.

In response, the council has said modelling has suggested the gateway could mean it takes just 50 additional seconds to travel across town during the evening rush hour.

However, it called this a relatively small increase and said it does not take into account “successful strategy modal switch outcomes”, which essentially means getting people out of their cars and onto bicycles — one of the key ambitions of the project.

How to watch the meeting

Next week’s meeting starts at 10am at the Civic Centre in Harrogate and it will be streamed live on YouTube.

Anyone who wishes to speak at the meeting or ask a question has until midday today to submit a request. More information on how to get in touch with the council can be found here.

A special meeting has been convened to discuss whether to proceed with the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway.

The new North Yorkshire Council has organised a meeting of its Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on May 5.

The sole item on the agenda is the gateway, which would see James Street partly pedestrianised and some of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to encourage cycling.

The 15-strong committee comprises of nine Liberal Democrats, five Conservatives and one Green.

Area constituency committees are advisory bodies to North Yorkshire Council, whose Conservative-controlled executive retains the final say.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative member for highways and transportation at the council, has pledged to abide by the area constituency committee’s decision.

Cllr Duncan said this would fulfil the council leadership’s pledge of “double devolution” whereby more decisions would be taken locally.

But some Liberal Democrats think the Conservatives have given them a hospital pass by passing on responsibility for such a hot political potato that has divided local opinion.

How James Street would look

To date the Liberal Democrats have been quiet on whether they will back the gateway.

The Stray Ferret asked area constituency committee chair, Cllr Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, whether her party would support the gateway.

On March 9, she said:

“Until we have a group meeting to discuss it I am not prepared to comment.”

We asked Cllr Marsh again on Friday whether the Lib Dems had formulated a position. She replied:

“We will let everyone know our opinions on May 5.”

Speaking at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 14, Cllr Duncan said:

“I will implement whatever decision is taken. It’s right that Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors have their say.”

He told the meeting the scheme would see the removal of 40 parking spaces — 20 on James Street and 20 on Station Parade.

He added the Station Square water feature had been removed from the scheme “due to practical and cost constraints”. It would have cost £500,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan (centre) at the chamber event

Cllr Duncan committed to four pledges if the scheme goes ahead:

1 To conduct a full review of car parking in Harrogate town centre.

2  To manage disruption, adding: “It cannot be denied there will be disruption. We will draw up a construction management plan.”

3 No compromise on quality of construction materials.

4 Traffic flows will be revisited and reassessed.

The meeting at the Civic Centre in Harrogate on May 5 will take place at 10am and is open to the public.

Paperchase in Harrogate will close tomorrow after the company went into administration last month.

The cards, gifts and stationery company has been holding a closing down sale since administrators Begbies Traynor took control of the business.

The James Street shop has already sealed off half of the unit as stocks run low. It is running a 70% off sale and selling some cards for as little as 10p.

Tesco bought the rights to the cards, gifts and stationery brand, entitling it to sell Paperchase items in its supermarkets, but did not buy the stores.

The move affected 106 Paperchase shops and more than 800 staff nationally.  All stores are due to cease trading by Monday.

Read more:

• Paperchase in Harrogate to close
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Womenswear chain Phase Eight has closed the doors to its James Street shop – but will not be leaving Harrogate entirely.

The brand is set to open a new concession on the first floor of Hoopers department store, just a few metres down the road, on April 3.

At more than 270m sq, the old premises has retail space on the ground and first floors, as well as staff facilities on the second floor.

The unit is now being marketed by Montpellier Property Consultants at £72,000 per annum on a full repairing and insuring lease, with the term to be agreed.

Phase Eight has not publicised its reasons for the move, nor confirmed whether any jobs will be lost as a result. It did not respond to a request for details from the Stray Ferret before publication.

The Harrogate branch is one of 350 across the UK and Ireland, alongside 200 elsewhere around the world. It already has concessions in Hoopers’ stores in Tunbridge Wells and Wilmslow.

It is owned by the Foschini Group, which is also home to Hobbs and Whistles – both of which have shops along Harrogate’s James Street.

The popular address has recently seen a new branch of Oliver Bonas arrive, alongside Pret a Manger, which opened its doors last May.

Read more:

• Traffic order issued to close part of Harrogate’s James Street to vehicles
• Harrogate council refuses James Street aparthotel plan

A traffic order has been issued for the closure of part of James Street to vehicles as part of the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway.

It is one of numerous orders published today as part of the controversial town centre scheme to boost walking and cycling.

If the proposals go ahead, traffic will be prohibited on James Street from the junction with Princes Street to Station Parade.

Traffic orders have also been published to remove town centre parking bays, reduce Station Parade to single lane traffic and make Cheltenham Mount one-way from its junction with Cheltenham Crescent to its junction with Mount Parade, which are also part of the scheme.

The traffic order at the James Street junction with Princes Street.

Cheltenham Mount would become one-way from Cheltenham Crescent to Mount Parade.

North Yorkshire County Council has yet to give the gateway approval and said the orders were a procedural move that would not prejudice its decision.

Richard Binks, head of major projects and infrastructure at the council, said:

“We are required to consult on traffic regulation orders relating to Harrogate’s Station Gateway. This is a statutory process we have to go through and is a requirement of the full business case submission to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

“This will not prejudice the decision on whether the scheme will proceed. We are committed to pressing ahead with the traffic regulation order as waiting until a decision is made on the scheme would result in further delays overall. A decision on the gateway scheme will be made in May.”

How Station Parade would look

But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, a Harrogate resident and business owner, said it was undemocratic of the council to proceed with the scheme when consultations had attracted more opposition than support.

She was also concerned about the impact of long-term roadworks on town centre businesses and people driving around Harrogate, adding:

“Many town centre businesses struggling back to life after covid would be knocked sideways by this.”

Lib Dems to decide?

Funding for the gateway scheme was secured in March 2020 and so far three consultations have taken place.

The council’s Conservative-controlled executive has now said the scheme will come before its Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee before a final decision is made in May.

Eight of the committee’s 14 members are Liberal Democrats and Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways and transportation at the council, has said it would be “very difficult for us to proceed” if the committee opposed it.

Committee member Cllr Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley — told a council meeting last night he was coming round to support the project.

People have four weeks to comment on the traffic orders, copies of which are available at Harrogate library, the Civic Centre and County Hall in Northallerton.

They are also due to be published here.

Comments should be submitted by April 6 by email to area6.boroughbridge@northyorks.gov.uk or in writing to North Yorkshire County Council, Customer Service Centre, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 5AD.

Paperchase in Harrogate is holding a closing down sale after the company went into administration this week.

Tesco bought the rights to the cards, gifts and stationery brand, entitling it to sell Paperchase items in its supermarkets, but did not buy the stores.

It means the shop on James Street is one of 106 stores facing uncertain futures. More than 800 staff nationally are affected.

Signs have now gone up in the window confirming the closure, although the final day of trading is not yet known.

In-store notices confirm administrators Begbies Traynor have been running the business since Tuesday.

They say no further gift cards will be sold and customers have until 5pm on February 14 to use existing gift cards.

Read more:

• Paperchase in Harrogate faces uncertain future as company goes into administration
• Valley Gardens visitors urged not to feed ducks

From Oxford Street to West Park, Harrogate has seen a flurry of recent planning applications to build flats above town centre shops.

Over the past few years, developers have turned their attention to local high streets – specifically to unused retail space.

It’s part of a trend across the UK which has grown since the covid pandemic.

Instead of new build estates on the outskirts of town, developers see town centres as key for both tackling the housing market and revitalising the high street.

Alex Goldstein, an independent property consultant who works in Harrogate and London, said the trend would be good for the town centre, particularly for younger people who want to live closer to their workplace.

He added that the move was also a chance to regenerate Harrogate’s high street, which has fallen on hard times in recent years along with other towns.

Alex Goldstein, property consultant in Harrogate.

Mr Goldstein said:

“I see this as a good thing. I have been banging on about it for years.

“We need to stop building new builds on the outskirts of town.”

Mr Goldstein added that the trend was replicated in bigger cities, such as London, where people want to be close to “cafe culture” and working remotely.

Harrogate following the trend

Cities such as Lincoln prepared for the changing high street as long ago as 2006, when City of Lincoln Council published its masterplan for the city centre.

It aimed to keep people in the city centre by offering a mixture of retail and “experience”, such as coffee shops and cinemas.

The move is a far cry from the usual consumer retail units, such as Primark and River Island, which high streets have become known for.

The aim of keeping people in the city centre would partly be done by creating more residential space, the council said.

Harrogate is not immune to this trend.

On West Park, space above the now closed Orvis store is proposed to be converted into six new flats.

Read more:

• Harrogate council refuses James Street aparthotel plan
• Plan approved to create five flats above Cambridge Street shops

Just a stone’s throw away on Cambridge Street, new apartments are proposed above a former phone shop and multiple applications have been submitted to convert the former post office on Cambridge Road into accommodation.

Meanwhile, the government recently stepped in to approve a redevelopment of the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street into three new flats.

A 17-bedroom aparthotel scheme on the floors above the new Oliver Bonas store on James Street was also planned, but was turned down by Harrogate Borough Council.

Left, the rear of the property on the former Thomas Cook unit on James Street currently; right, the proposed alteration.

In a report by estate agents Savills, Paul Wellman, residential researcher at the firm, estimated 36,000 new homes were built close to town centres across the UK in the five years to June 2020.

Since then, the move to think differently about retail on the high street has “accelerated” due to the covid pandemic.

Mr Wellman said:

“The truth is our towns and city centres were already changing.

“In 2020 these changes accelerated. As the need for particular uses and businesses usually found in the heart of towns and cities reduces, opportunities arise to remodel and revitalise those places.

“Whilst covid has given some the desire for countryside and green open spaces, for others it has meant convenience and being part of a community.”

An opportunity for young people

Much of the discussion around converting unused retail space into housing has centred on getting people in closer proximity to bars, restaurants and offices.

While cities such as Manchester and Leeds may have a wider retail offer to youngsters, Harrogate has its own selling point.

Allessandro Biraglia, associate professor of marketing at the University of Leeds, said Harrogate had its own independent retail sector, which bigger cities may not have due to expensive rates and bigger franchises dominating the high street.

As a result, he said living within a smaller town centre may offer an opportunity to “young professionals” who want to get their business ideas off the ground.

He said:

“Having the possibility to live above the shop and having everything in one place would be enticing for many young professionals.”

‘The high street is shifting’

The legacy of covid has led to estate agents, property developers and businesses rethinking how they use the space available to them in town centres.

While larger developers will continue to opt for strategic housing sites, others will see chances to create homes in the heart of the high street such as Harrogate.

For Mr Goldstein, the move is a good thing for town centres.

“The high street is shifting from the usual.”

This week’s photograph was taken by Nick Payne, capturing the lights and movement on the Ferris Wheel during this year’s Christmas Fraye.

Nick Payne

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

The £11.9m Harrogate Station Gateway scheme has been delayed again and is now not due to start for another year.

In an update yesterday, Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways, said it remained “committed” to the controversial project.

But he added the council was still evaluating the results of the third round of consultation, which ended in August, and would ask Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors for their views before deciding whether to proceed.

Information attached to the summer consultation said it was “anticipated that construction would begin in winter 2022/3 for approximately 12 months”.

The council is now, however, saying work will start in late 2023.

Cllr Keane Duncan

Cllr Duncan said:

“We remain committed to moving forward with the gateway scheme, which represents more than £11m of investment into Harrogate.

“The most recent consultation attracted more than 2,000 responses, almost twice the number from previous consultations, as well as more than 5,000 individual comments. We thank all those who took part.

“The results of this consultation show opinion is finely balanced. Full evaluation and consideration of the responses is being completed and we will publish these early in the New Year.

“Following this, we will ask Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors for views on their support for a scheme that could be transformational for the town, and whether they want it to go ahead.

“Subject to final approvals, it is anticipated construction will begin late in 2023.”

Read more:

• Transport chief denies inflation will lead to ‘cheap’ Harrogate Station Gateway
• Final consultation event on Harrogate Gateway to be held online today

The Stray Ferret asked the council about the scheme as there had been no updates since the summer consultation and work was due to begin anytime now.

We also asked whether the threat of a judicial review, which was raised by the owner of Hornbeam Park this year, remained but Cllr Duncan’s statement did not address this.

Latest delay in controversial saga

The Station Gateway was hailed as the “greatest investment in decades” in Harrogate town centre by Cllr Duncan’s predecessor, Cllr Don Mackenzie, when funding was secured from the Department for Transport.

It would see part of James Street pedestrianised and part of Station Parade made single lane, as well as significant changes to the public realm near the Victoria monument.

How Station Parade would look

The government department had set a deadline of March 2023 for completion and work was due to have started in spring this year and last for a year.

But in January this year it was announced the scheme had been pushed back a year and now the same thin has happened again.

The project is one of three in North Yorkshire, and 39 nationally, being funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund to promote active travel.

North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority all support the gateway.

It has divided opinion with supporters saying it would boost cycling and walking as well as modernise the area around the train station.

But critics argue it could increase traffic delays and disrupt town centre business.