Agenda item

Members to receive an update following the previous allocation of funding under the Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund, and 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 AC.

Rebecca Micallef (Senior Economic Development Officer) presented a report updating the committee on projects to which funding had been allocated from the Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund.  The projects had now been formally approved and work was under way to deliver these.  A more detailed update on the delivery of these projects would be provided at the next meeting.

Members heard that following the previous endorsement of projects at the 30 May 2024 meeting, £30,000 remained in the fund which needed to be spent by March 2025.  The report also included Project Scoping Forms for three further projects, and sought endorsement for two which would use the remainder of the fund by the specified date.

Two amendments to Item 6, Appendices 1a and 1b were highlighted to members, after clarification was sought over references to Knaresborough Town Council taking over the operation of the Land Train if the feasibility study were successful.  It had been clarified that the Town Council had not made any such decision to do so, and had not been asked to take over the scheme in the long term.  An apology to Knaresborough Town Council was made for the misunderstanding and the inadvertent reference made in the initial version of the report, which had been corrected and republished prior to the meeting.  The new versions highlighted that further work would be needed with partners to explore the future operation of the land train, and no decisions had yet been made.

During the discussion, members began to explore alternative options for installing air quality monitoring devices at Starbeck level crossing, allowing air quality particulates to be measured in real time rather than averaging over a longer period.  Officers confirmed that the existing monitoring for NO₂ does conform to standard government air quality monitoring guidelines, however, should more funding be available, additional monitoring devices would provide a wider range of air quality information, such as particulates monitoring and the ability to see peaks in concentrations. It was agreed that the ANPR sensors should be the priority within the budget currently available through the AC fund.

Members also discussed the proposed funding for the Knaresborough Land Train feasibility study, including the appetite for operating such a scheme in Knaresborough.  Cllr Lacey, in his capacity as an Executive Committee Member of the Chamber of Trade which was involved in commissioning the initial feasibility study, reported that feedback in response to a questionnaire had highlighted significant support.  Members also questioned the route and were keen to ensure the vehicle would have the capacity to travel up the steep hill from Waterside to the town, and that adequate consideration was given to ensure pedestrian safety.  It was reported that professional advice from a traffic management company would be sought to ensure the route was safe and efficient.

Resolved:

That the Committee:

a)    Note the progress on the previously approved projects as outlined in the report;

b)    Endorse the Project Scoping Forms for the following projects:

                      i.        Knaresborough Land Train Feasibility Study; and

                     ii.        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 AC funds to support this project, as there is likely to be other funding available.

c)    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 Committee budget allocation.

Note: 

Following the conclusion of this item, the Committee rose for a short break at 11:25am, returning at 11:45am.