A benefactor is being sought to get plans to launch a land train service in Knaresborough back on track.
The appeal has been issued after an application to York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for a £24,000 grant for the project was rejected due to concerns over the scheme’s viability.
The grant from the Mayor’s High Street Fund would have paid for a ten-day trial to test whether a land train service would work in the town.
Knaresborough and District Chamber, which submitted the bid, is now seeking alternative funding to kickstart the service.
It is hoped the service will increase the number of visitors travelling between the riverside and the town centre, with a study finding that only one in five visitors to Knaresborough went to both.
Councillor Peter Lacey, a member of the Chamber’s executive team, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, that the steep walk from the river to the town centre limited pedestrian movement in the town.
“We get a lot of coach visits who come into the car park at the top end, wander around the marketplace, occasionally find the castle, but they’re not going to venture down to the riverside because they’ll struggle to get back up.
“So the land train is a potential solution to run a land train, and that’s been recommended in various reports over many years.”
One of the stumbling blocks for the project is permission from the Highways Authority to run a passenger-carrying landtrain in the town.
As well as the hire of a vehicle for the trial, the High Street Fund grant would have paid for a risk assessment to secure the necessary permission.
Cllr Lacey said the project was “in the sidings” at present, but funding of £2,000 could help deliver the scheme.
“It’s been demonstrated to be desirable, almost certainly commercially viable, and of benefit to the town, but we can’t nudge it onto the tracks just yet.
“We’ve identified a professional company that could come and do that risk assessment, but we need to find £2,000 as we don’t have that money.
“Delivery of the next stage would require a further investment, but this first investment might stimulate the same or a different benefactor, commercial or otherwise, to say ‘okay now that we’ve got permission, we can work with the community and get it done’.”
Funding of £15,000 was agreed last year by North Yorkshire Council towards a trial of the service, but this money had to be returned to the authority due to delays with the project.
Anyone wanting more information should contact the Chamber by email at hello@knaresboroughchamber.org.
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