Harrogate congestion plan backed by councillors

A £10.9m plan to cut congestion in Harrogate has been approved despite claims from some residents the project will not deliver on its promises.

The scheme, which also includes new cycling and walking routes, was given the green light by North Yorkshire County Council on Tuesday.

Concerns had been raised the changes would not deal with the issues and do not reflect the town's character.

However, councillors said critics had not offered "realistic" alternatives.

Harrogate BID, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce and Independent Harrogate had all called for a delay to the vote.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber of commerce, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the views of the business community had been "continually ignored".

"As have those of other key organisations, in particular Harrogate Civic Society, residents' organisations and individuals who believe what is being proposed will not bring the benefits being espoused," he added.

The county council said those concerns had been listened to.

Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said he welcomed the participation of various groups.

However, he added: "None of them appear to be offering any realistic, alternative measures to combat congestion which in Harrogate is the worst of any urban centre in our county."

He said the 15,500 residents who responded to the Harrogate Congestion Study in 2019 had given a very "clear message".

"They wanted better measures for walking and cycling, for us to boost public transport and encourage people - especially for short journeys - to get out of their cars and onto their bikes, feet and public transport," he said.

Councillors also heard from a member of the town's civic society who said some of the proposals to improve Station Square were "poor" and did not "reflect the distinctive character of Harrogate."

The project is being backed by Harrogate Borough Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with funding coming from the government's Transforming Cities Fund.

The project will now move onto the detailed design stage before being submitted to West Yorkshire Combined Authority for final business case approval.

Similar projects are also planned for Selby and Skipton, which the council has also approved.

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