Funding of £31.2m has been awarded as part of the transforming cities fund.
The funding follows a successful bid to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund by a partnership of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Craven District Council, Harrogate Borough Council and Selby District Council.
Consultations will be launched shortly on proposals to enhance the gateways to the North Yorkshire towns of Harrogate, Selby and Skipton.
Proposals include new entrances to railway stations, new public spaces linking stations to town centres and better access to education and employment sites.
Background
- Funding of £31.2m was awarded following a successful bid
- £5.8m Skipton
- £17.5m Selby
- £7.9m Harrogate
- Funding is for Skipton, Selby and Harrogate as they are part of the Leeds city region
Proposals for Harrogate
- 3 options for James Street
- 1 and 2 lane options for Station Parade
- Trees, planting and other greenery
- Flexible spaces for public events
- An improved welcome from the bus and train stations
- Quicker and more reliable buses
- Safer walking and cycling
Timescales
- Funding approved – June 2020
- Public consultation – February/ March 2021
- Ongoing stakeholder engagement – Spring/ Summer 2021
- Finalise designs/ start of construction Spring 2022
It aims to connect people to economic and education opportunities through affordable, sustainable transport, boosting productivity and helping to create cleaner, happier and healthier communities for the future.
Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:
Through the Harrogate Congestion Study, it was clear the community wanted to see improvements to walking, cycling and public transport prioritised.
The TCF project is the first step to delivering this and I’m pleased that the hard work and determination of council officers has paid off, and helped secure around £8million for the Harrogate bid.
This funding will allow communities across the region to easily access a transport network which is hassle-free and offers realistic sustainable alternatives to the car. It will also deliver a 21st century travel network that is vital if we want to ensure economic growth around the region.
Cllr Mackenzie added:
This is your chance to have a say on major improvements to town centre environments in three of our North Yorkshire towns. The proposals are at an early stage and your feedback will help to shape the next stage of the project plans, which are due to be completed in autumn this year.
The consultation will be open until 24 March 2021.
This is completely half baked, no doubt some councilor in Northallerton came up with this and he’s never been to Harrogate himself. What is the point of narrowing the main road through Harrogate for a couple of cyclists? It’s not Cambridge or town in the Netherlands, no-one wants to cycle around Harrogate, and the buses here are woeful, unless there’s going to be a London level of bus service (and fares!) fat chance getting anyone to change their preferred means of transport.
Also James Street is dreadful, it’s gone downhill massively from being an upmarket shopping street 20 years ago and no amount of pot plants or bollards are going to help with that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hoopers followed the path of Debenhams pretty soon…
Fully agree with that statement.Build a bye pass that’ll improve congestion and emmisions.Yes they can!!
Sustainable….green….we don’t have the climate? I used to mountain bike, I wouldn’t cycle as a means of transport because I don’t want to arrive at my destination cold, wet or sweaty. Is that first image supposed to be Harrogate? Bewildering. Demonise cars and car drivers, unhelpful and misses the point that the people living in the villages around Harrogate have no alternative means of transport!