Issue - meetings

Recommendations:

That, subject to any comments Members may have, it be recommended to the Chief Executive Officer under his emergency delegated decision-making powers, that:

(i)     The proposals for the Transforming Cities Fund projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby are taken forward through detailed design and a Final Business Case is presented to WYCA for each project.

(ii)    Approval of the detail of the Final Business Cases for submission to WYCA is delegated to the Corporate Director Business and Environmental Services in consultation with the Executive Member for Access.

Considered - A report of the Corporate Director – Business and Environmental Services seeking approval to submit a Final Business Case to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and proceed to implementation of the Transforming Cities Fund programme following the latest round of Public Consultation.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie introduced the report confirming the total value of the three travel gateway schemes was £42m, which were the result of a successful bid made to the Governments’s Transforming Cities Fund though the Leeds City Region.  

County Councillor Don Mackenzie thanked NYCC officers for their work on the schemes to date, and paid tribute to members and officers of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and to Harrogate Borough Council, Selby District Council and Craven District Council, for the work in support of the bids.  He also.

Specifically in regard to the Harrogate Scheme, County Councillor Don Mackenzie noted the Leader of Harrogate Borough Council had given it his full support, and drew attention to:

·            Objections to the Harrogate Scheme from town centre businesses, who had consistently called for the scheme to be shelved; 

·            A 700-signature petition recently presented to the Harrogate Area Constituency Committee asking that Committee to call upon the County Council to cancel the Harrogate Gateway Scheme.  He confirmed the ACC had given its unanimous cross-party support for the scheme and chose not to take up the petitioners request;

·            A small group of local residents living close to the Harrogate Scheme area who had objected to the measures proposed for Station Parade on the A61 southbound, which they felt would affect congestion in their residential streets;

·            The lack of any real alternative options being put forward by the objectors to the Scheme

·            The County Council’s mandate for the scheme arising from the findings of the Harrogate Congestion Study carried out in 2019 which showed that residents did not want new highways to combat congestion, but instead wanted better measures for walking and cycling, improved public transport and less car use.

Karl Battersby, Corporate Director – Business & Environmental Services provided an overview of the report, and some additional context around the national picture.  He noted that all three Schemes aimed to improve the environment by making walking, cycling and connectivity better, and would result in significant investment in to improving the public realm, the latter shown to be important to improving the economic viability of town centres.  

He went on to provide an overview of the work undertaken to inform the three schemes, and the key elements of each scheme, and confirmed a construction management plan would be developed for each Scheme to reduce any potential disruption during implementation – to be shared with local businesses and residents.

Finally, he noted there would be a number of traffic regulation orders required to implement the three schemes, which would be subject to statutory consultation at the appropriate time.

The Leader welcomed the members of the public who had registered to speak at the meeting.

Mr David Simister, CEO of Harrogate District Chamber of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 695