Agenda item

Considered – Report of the Corporate Director – Business and Environmental Services, introducing an update on the delivery of major transport schemes across North Yorkshire.

Some of the key points highlighted in the report are as summarised below:

·     Details of the bids made to the Levelling Up Fund for £39.3m on behalf of the county council to improve access to Thirsk, Seamer and Scarborough railway stations, plus other separate bids in North Yorkshire, including a £19.9m plan to redevelop Malton railway station and a £20m bid to regenerate part of Catterick Garrison town centre.

·       The rail improvement scheme in Harrogate to enable two trains per hour in each direction between Harrogate and York is ongoing. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 impacts and train crew resourcing issues, the timetable had been scaled back, with the County Council working with partners to find a solution.

Key road schemes in progress include:

·       Junction 47 of the A1(M) remains a big and complex scheme.

·       The A66 dualling is an important strategic network for the county. It is expected to go through an Examination in Public from October 2022 up to March 2023. Construction is currently expected in Spring 2024 with an accelerated programme of works to be completed within five years.

·       On the A64 Hopgrove to Barton Hill dualling, NYCC officers are heavily involved with National Highways in the public consultation exercise running from the end of July to September 2022. A preferred route option is expected to be confirmed by April 2023.

·       The A59 Kex Gill is the biggest major project scheme for the county council, due to the subsidence issues causing regular monitoring of movement of the road. The scheme is currently at outline business case proposal, with a full business case to be developed for the reconstruction of the road. It is hoped to give contractors as much certainty as possible on the price of the scheme, but this may not be possible with high inflation.

·       In North Northallerton, the ring road scheme is in the final stages.

·       The Transforming Cities Fund programme projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby are into the process of consultation.

There is an aim to develop a pipeline of projects that is ready to go as and when funding opportunities arise.

There followed a discussion with the key points as summarised below:

·       The Junction 47 improvements on the A1(M) were seen to be a major improvement.

·       The A64 dualling public consultation should be undertaken with the widest possible area, to cover communities living within a 2 to 3 mile radius of the A64 corridor.

·       Reassurance that any traffic modelling for the A64 dualling would take into account the planned upgrades to the York Outer Ring Road.

·       Progress with developing East-West links and need to upgrade the A66/A64 links. A66 works are hoped to begin on site in 2024, as part of the Project Speed to accelerate the delivery timescales. On the A64, progress has been made, with the potential to develop as part of the Route Improvement Strategy.

·       The ‘Restoring your Railways’ campaign through the Department for Transport is ongoing to champion the reopening of lines closed under the Beeching cuts.

·       It was noted that high inflation and cost pressures which are not built into current contracts could rise and see schemes go over budget.

·       County Councillor George Jabbour asked on behalf of County Councillor Paul Haslam about the Harrogate Rail Station Gateway project, as part of the Transforming Cities Fund, and why the public / stakeholder consultation to date had not detailed how the project fits in with other schemes, and whether a wider consultation would take place in the future.

·       County Councillor Steve Watson noted on the North Northallerton scheme that there were outstanding issues, but it is hoped the remaining work can be finished smoothly, up to standard and completed as quickly as possible.

Resolved – That the report be noted.