North Yorkshire Council
Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee
12 September 2024
Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund for the Area Constituency Committees
Report of the Corporate Director (Community Development)
1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 To provide an update following the previous allocation of funding under the Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund.
1.2 To present completed Project Scoping Forms for three projects from the longlist and seek endorsement for two of these projects from the Harrogate and Knaresborough ACC.
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 At the meeting of North Yorkshire County Council on 22 February 2023 (Council Minute
83p), in respect of the 2023/24 Revenue Budget for North Yorkshire Council, it was resolved that, “£50k be provided annually for each Area Constituency Committee to commission works they feel appropriate for their local area”. At the meeting of the 20 February 2024 (draft Minute 403.c) the Executive agreed the carry forward of any unallocated sums for each of the Area Constituency Committees into 2024/25 for one year only.
2.2 The purpose of the fund is to support activities that help to deliver the North Yorkshire Council ‘Council Plan’, Economic Growth Strategy, Destination Management Plan and other locally important plans and strategies. It aims to stimulate and directly support a pipeline of locally important economic, regeneration and tourism destination development projects that will benefit from existing and future funding and delivery opportunities (whether core or external funding) within the area covered by the respective Area Constituency Committee.
2.3 The scope of activity to be supported, within the purpose of the fund, is at the discretion of
the specific Area Constituency Committee (ACC) but could include:
· activity to further develop locally important projects that would form part of a wider capital project pipeline including surveys, feasibility studies, outline or detailed design and market demand analysis. It can also fund business case development of locally important projects or contribute to the ongoing development of larger, major projects so the Council is well placed to secure funding (core or external) and to assist in developing grant-ready applications.
· targeted contributions that add value to existing or planned physical regeneration or tourism activity and show tangible benefits to address a locally important issue or priority in that area.
2.4 Following an initial discussion about the fund at an informal meeting of the Harrogate and
Knaresborough ACC on 2 February 2024, Members were invited to submit project ideas. A long list was created to include all ideas raised at the initial meeting as well as those subsequently submitted. A follow-up informal meeting was held on 23 April 2024 to discuss the long list and agree priorities.
2.5 During the previous ACC meeting on 30 May 2024, the Committee endorsed three projects, as detailed in the Table 1 below:
Table 1 Projects endorsed by the ACC on 30 May 2024
|
Summary Description |
Value of Budget Requested |
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Decarbonising the Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub and creating green energy |
To carry out some ‘fabric first’ works at the Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub. This will support a project to reduce the carbon footprint of the building by updating its infrastructure and installing solar panels and EV chargers. |
£20k |
|
Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan: Corridor 2 |
To complete preliminary design work for Corridor 2 of the Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan (HCIP), from Bilton to Hornbeam. |
£40k |
|
A59 Harrogate to Knaresborough missing link – cycle route |
To complete preliminary design work on the A59 cycle path link to provide continuous walking, wheeling and cycling route between High Bridge, Knaresborough and A59, near the Golf Club, Harrogate. |
£10k |
2.6 Projects endorsed by the ACC were submitted to the Executive Member for Open to Business in June and the Assistant Director for Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism and Skills formally signed these off in August 2024.
2.7 Officers have since commenced work on all of the above projects and progress has been made on each project.
2.8 Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan: Corridor 2 is being delivered by the Council’s Transport team, with Align Property Partners. It is expected that this will be completed by the end of 2024 and a more detailed update can be made at November’s ACC meeting.
2.9 The preliminary design of the missing cycling link between Harrogate and Knaresborough is being delivered by the Transport team, in cooperation with Align Property Partners. This work will be completed by the end of October and an update will be provided at the next ACC meeting.
2.10 The NYC Property team have now agreed to fund some initial “fabric first” improvements to support the project at Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub. An application to the Shared Prosperity Fund has been submitted by Knaresborough Town Council for solar PV, battery storage and EV chargers and is due to be considered at the next panel meeting in October. Additional elements to support the remit of the decarbonisation project, including enhanced heating controls for the boiler, a green roof cycle shelter and water saving measures are also being considered for inclusion.
3.0 CONSIDERATION OF ADDITIONAL PROJECTS FROM THE LONGLIST
3.1 Harrogate and Knaresborough ACC Elected Members discussed how best to utilise the remaining £30,000 from the current budget at the ACC meeting in May and were invited to submit any further ideas or proposals. During informal meetings with councillors in July and August, three projects were selected from the long list. Scoping Forms have now been completed for these three projects.
3.2 The completed Scoping Forms for each of these projects are available to view in Appendix A.
3.3 It should be highlighted that the remaining ACC budget is £30,000 and if all three projects are endorsed, this will result in overallocation of funding, as outlined in Table 2:
|
Project Title |
Summary Description |
Value of Budget Requested |
|
Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study |
Undertake a feasibility study for the provision of a land train operation that will benefit the local community and visitors alike. The proposed train will run for a period of one week (including a weekend) to assess suitability of introducing a regular service. |
£14,988 |
|
Starbeck and Belmont Level Crossing |
Gather evidence for building a case for improvements for traffic movement through Starbeck crossing and to identify the potential barrier down time reduction in Starbeck and Belmont crossings. |
£7,543 - £35k |
|
Harrogate Station Mural Artwork |
Create and install a captivating and inspiring mural to adorn a prominent wall outside car parking at Station Parage in Harrogate. The artwork will reflect the unique character, history, and spirit of the town. |
£15k-£20k |
3.4 Considering there isn’t sufficient funding available to endorse all three projects, it is recommended that the Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study is endorsed in its full scope (at a cost of £14,988) and Starbeck and Bellmont Level Crossing is supported partially by supporting allocation to fund two ANPR monitoring equipment sensors to work with an existing sensor on the A59 to collect journey times information split by mode (at a cost of c.£15,000).
3.5 Whilst the station mural in Harrogate complies with the requirements of this fund, officers are working with internal and external partners to progress this project without fund allocation from this Committee.
3.6 The above allocation will allow for the full use of the £100,000 allocated and delivery of all projects by the end of March 2025.
4.0 CONSULTATION UNDERTAKEN AND RESPONSES
4.1 Members of this Committee have been consulted throughout the process.
5.0 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED
5.1 Members may choose not to formally endorse the priority projects presented in this report.
5.2 Member may choose not to progress any of the schemes outlined in this report and may choose to seek further suggestions from the Elected Members or Officers. It should however be noted that all funds must be spent by the end of March 2025.
6.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from the recommendations of this report.
Subject to the endorsement of this Committee, the proformas at Appendix A will be presented to the Corporate Director for allocation of the budget.
7.0 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
7.1 There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendations of this report.
However, it is noted that any procurement going forward will be carried out in accordance with the council’s procurement and contract procedure rules.
8.0 EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS
11.1 There are no direct equality implications from the recommendations in this report. Initial Equality Impact Assessment Screening Forms for the projects that have undergone the Project Scoping process are included at Appendix B.
9.0 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS
9.1 There are no long term, direct climate change implications from the recommendations in this report. Climate Change Screening Forms / Impact Assessments for the projects that have undergone the Project Scoping process are included at Appendix C.
10.0 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
10.1 To enable allocation of the Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project
Development Fund available to this Committee.
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11.0 |
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the Committee:
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|
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i) Note the progress of the previously approved projects
ii) Endorse the Project Scoping Forms for the following projects: · Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study; and · Starbeck and Belmont Level Crossing, with delivery of two traffic measuring sensors only
iii) Note the Project Scoping Form for Harrogate Station Mural Artwork but not allocate ACC funds to support this project, as there is likely to be other funding available to support this project
iv) Subject to endorsement, request that the agreed Scoping Proformas are presented to the Corporate Director (Community Development) for the relevant projects to be funded from the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee budget allocation.
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APPENDICES:
Appendix A
· Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study Scoping Form
· Starbeck and Belmont Level Crossing Scoping Form
· Harrogate Station Mural Artwork Scoping Form
Appendix B
· Equalities Impact Assessment Screening Form for Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study
· Equalities Impact Assessment Screening Form for Starbeck and Belmont Level Crossing
· Equalities Impact Assessment Screening Form for Harrogate Station Mural Artwork
Appendix C
· Climate Change Impact Assessment for Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study
· Climate Change Screening Form for Starbeck and Belmont Level Crossing
· Climate Change Impact Assessment for Harrogate Station Mural Artwork
Nic Harne
Corporate Director – Community Development
County Hall
Northallerton
12 September 2024
Report Author – Marcin Dane, Principal Regeneration Officer; Rebecca Micallef, Senior Economic Development Officer
Presenter of Report – Rebecca Micallef, Senior Economic Development Officer
Note: Members are invited to contact the authors in advance of the meeting with any detailed queries or questions.