North Yorkshire Council
Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee
28 November 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 a completed Project Scoping Form for a project from the longlist and seek endorsement 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 meetings on 30 May 2024 and 12 September 2024, the Committee endorsed three projects, as detailed in the Table 1 below:
Table 1 Projects endorsed by the ACC.
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Summary Description |
Value of Budget Requested |
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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 |
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To complete preliminary design work for Corridor 2 of the Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan (HCIP), from Bilton to Hornbeam. |
£40k |
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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 |
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To provide a feasibility study and trial service for a land train for residents and visitors of Knaresborough. |
£15k |
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.
2.7 Officers have since commenced work on all of the above projects and progress has been made on each project.
Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan: Corridor 2
2.8 Harrogate Cycling Infrastructure Plan: Corridor 2 is being delivered by the Council’s Transport team, with Align Property Partners. Transport Officers attended an Active Travel design workshop in November facilitated by Sustrans on behalf of Active Travel England to talk through the scheme proposals in detail and discuss specific challenges and opportunities with the scheme. Following the workshop, officers are looking at options within the designs to improve likelihood of delivery and potential phasing of the route. In addition, the scheme will have an impact on several junctions due to the proposed reassignment of road space to cyclists and traffic modelling has been commissioned at three junctions (not previously modelled) to test the proposals. Design work continues.
A59 Harrogate to Knaresborough missing link – cycle route
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. In addition to discussing the scheme at the aforementioned Active Travel Design workshop, officers are nearing completion of the concept design. The design is quite complex and a number of design iterations have been issued to discuss internally before confirming and moving to a preliminary design stage in the coming weeks.
Decarbonising the Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub and creating green energy
2.10 The Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) panel met on 8th November and although formal feedback has not yet been circulated, we understand that they are still maintaining a waiting list so it’s unlikely that there will be any funding immediately available. It may be that funds do become available over the coming months, or there may be alternative pots of funding for the solar panels, battery storage and EV chargers that we are now beginning to explore. Despite this disappointment about the SPF fund, a number of other measures that we have been discussing to improve the Knaresborough Wellbeing Hub fully support the decarbonisation aim and will put the project in a better position for securing future funding. Along with the “fabric first” improvements to support the project, which NYC Property have agreed to fund, additional complimentary works to be funded with the contribution from the Area Committee are now being progressed. This will include enhanced heating controls for the new boiler, a green roof cycle shelter and water saving measures.
Knaresborough Land Train
2.10 NYC Highway Officers are working closely with the consultant appointed by the Knaresborough and District Chamber to resolve the remaining issues before the trial service of the land train can proceed. The outstanding matters include hours of operation, access to Waterside, and mitigating risks related to low temperatures affecting road conditions. It is likely that the trial service will be delayed until after the New Year, in which case a new date will be agreed with local stakeholders in Knaresborough.
3.0 RECONSIDERATION OF STARBECK LEVEL CROSSING
3.1 At the September 2024 meeting of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee, the Starbeck Level Crossing project, which includes the installation of two traffic sensors, was approved.
3.3 The completed Scoping Form for project is available to view in Appendix A.
3.4 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 project 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 and it is practically impossible to seek further suggestion at this stage.
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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i) Note the progress of the previously approved projects
ii) Endorse the Project Scoping Form for the Starbeck Level Crossing project
iii) 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
· Starbeck Level Crossing Scoping Form
Appendix B
· Equalities Impact Assessment Screening Form for Starbeck Level Crossing
Appendix C
· Climate Change Screening Form for Starbeck Level Crossing
Nic Harne
Corporate Director – Community Development
County Hall
Northallerton
28 November 2024
Report Author – Marcin Dane, Principal Regeneration Officer
Presenter of Report – Marcin Dane, Principal Regeneration Officer
Note: Members are invited to contact the authors in advance of the meeting with any detailed queries or questions.