Harrogate Borough Council’s Planning Policy Team will be at St Peter’s Church in Harrogate this Saturday (26 September) to answer questions and discuss proposals for the future of the town centre.
The drop-in session is the latest in a series of events that are part of a six-week public consultation on the council’s Draft Harrogate Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan.
The main objective of the strategy and masterplan is to provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the town centre and develop a vision and design for the future that will ensure the area’s continued economic prosperity.
An exhibition displaying the draft vision for the town centre, as well as information panels and an artist’s impressions of what some of the proposals could look like will be available in the glazed foyer at St Peter’s Church on Cambridge Road in Harrogate between Tuesday 22 September and Sunday 4 October.
And on Saturday 26 September, officers from the council’s Planning Policy Team will be on hand to answer questions on the background and purpose of the strategy and masterplan and the various projects it contains, as well as providing details of how people can take part in the consultation.
Councillor Rebecca Burnett, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainable Transport, said:
Harrogate town centre plays a pivotal role in driving the local economy; by preparing a strategy and masterplan we are acknowledging that role, and the importance of maintaining a thriving centre that continues to compete strongly with its regional and national competitors.
It is crucial that we do all we can to ensure the future of Harrogate town centre, and part of this must be to look at the design of the town itself as well as how we can encourage more people to visit and improve their experience of the town.
Once the public consultation closes, the responses received will be carefully considered and the document amended to take account of these views. The strategy and masterplan will then be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document forming part of the development plan for the district and holding weight when making decisions on future planning applications in the town centre.
It will also play a key role in delivering town centre improvements and attracting inward investment to the centre.
The public consultation is available on the council’s website at http://consult.harrogate.gov.uk, where you can respond online.
Responses can also be sent to planningpolicy@harrogate.gov.uk or posted to Planning Policy, Planning and Development, Harrogate Borough Council, P.O. Box 787, Harrogate, HG1 9RW (please provide your name and postal address).
The closing date and time for responding to the consultation is 4.30pm on Friday 16 October 2015.
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