West Park Stray to turn blue as work starts to reinstate

This week, work will start to reinstate the West Park area of the Stray in Harrogate following a contractor being appointed.

Glendale Services, an award-winning grounds maintenance contractor, will start by rotovating (a form of breaking up and aerating the soil) as well as spraying the grass.

The spray, that is not harmful to humans or animals, is applied prior to harrowing and re-seeding. As part of this process the grass will turn blue for a period of time to help distinguish where has been sprayed.

The area is then left for a two-week period to take effect.

Glendale Services will return to undertake rolling, sub-soiling and further harrowing in preparation of seeding. This is likely to take just over a week, ahead of seeding at the end of May.

To avoid further disruption or delay, fencing will be placed around areas of the Stray, including the footpaths, as works progress and to allow the treatment to take effect.

The cost of the grass repairs will be £38,000. Yorkshire 2019, the organisers of the UCI Road World Championships, has contributed £35,500.

Once completed, Glendale Services will continue to maintain and monitor the site for the first few months before handing it back to the council.

In addition, the council will continue to carry out the extra work to make the West Park Stray look even better than it was before.

The uneven flagstones on West Park footpath have been either replaced or re-laid and the council is also taking the opportunity to address the historical drainage issues at the corner of Otley Road and West Park. This will involve a ground survey of the area to establish what infrastructure is underneath.

Once identified, appropriate drainage systems will be installed mid-May and will coincide with the overall restoration project. The cost of this long overdue work, that will address the problems at the corner of West Park and Otley Road, will be around £20,000.

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

It is great to see work start on West Park Stray this week. We hope, by the autumn, it will be returned to its former glory before it was affected by one of the wettest autumns since the 1970s.

We have decided to use opportunity to address the historic drainage issues at the corner of Otley Road and West Park. This has been an issue and frustration to local residents for a number of years and I’m pleased to announce this is also being addressed.

To fulfil its pledge to make the Stray better than ever, the council brought forward planned maintenance to the footpaths across the West Park Stray.

Councillor Cooper added:

So that we get everything done at once, we have also brought forward planned investment in the footpaths across the Stray. If things go to plan we should see our brilliant Stray better than it has ever been by September.

The expected costs of the entire project, including repairing the grassed areas are below:

• £38,105 for repairs to grassed areas of West Park Stray
• A contribution to the restoration of £35,500 from Yorkshire 2019
• £65,385 for pavement, footpaths, Heras fencing, bedding and verge repairs, reinstatement of bins and benches plus any additional council work
• £20,156 to fix longstanding drainage issues
• £6,325 project management and delivery costs

These are based on estimates provided by the contractors

Costs for the footpaths have been covered by existing programmes of works that were held off until after the event.