A senior councillor has offered to meet members of a campaign group trying to stop work on the £12m Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.
Councillor Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council executive member for highways and transport, said he wanted to address the concerns of members of the Get Away campaign, which has filed papers with the High Court in a bid to halt the project.
The move comes after the campaign group questioned Cllr Duncan’s recent statements saying some work on the scheme can progress despite the legal challenge.
Harrogate businessman David Waddington, from the campaign group, said:
“There are elements within the overall Gateway scheme that we support, such as new traffic light sequencing to improve traffic flows in the town.”
But he added:
“We are not talking about a pick and mix counter where we can take what we like and leave what we don’t on the shelf.
“This is public money being spent in a way that isn’t in the interest of the public.
“It strikes me as a big gamble on the part of North Yorkshire Council if it decided to go ahead with elements of the scheme and run up huge construction costs before the money is in the bank.
“By jumping the gun, the council surely risks recklessly wasting taxpayer funds that could be better invested elsewhere.”
Get Away has submitted several questions to North Yorkshire Council about its plans, including a request for the true cost of the scheme and whether taxpayers will be asked to meet any shortfall.
Steven Baines, from the campaign group, said:
“The improvements that Cllr Duncan initially wants to move forward are good for the town but not with the additional baggage and cost that comes from the wider Gateway project.
“We are all for developments that are good for the town but spending millions on an unwanted project where many businesses fear they will not survive the construction phase, is not a price worth paying.
“Cllr Duncan talks about protecting the democratic process but where is the democracy of ignoring objections of the local business community who will be most impacted by this project and pressing on regardless with a gamble which could cost them dearly.”
In response, Cllr Duncan, said the authority was working to deliver the Gateway project in two phases, with the first covering elements of the scheme that fall outside of the traffic regulation orders (TRO) which are the subject of the legal challenge.
This includes improvements to Station Square, One Arch and the traffic signals.
Cllr Duncan said the authority welcomed “the positive comments” from Get Away’s representatives regarding the key elements of the Gateway scheme which the council planned to proceed with.
He added:
“The main concern now seems to be about disruption during construction. We recognise this concern and have sought to address it previously via meetings with the business community.
“One key point to emphasise again is our commitment to ensuring that Station Parade remains open to vehicles throughout the construction period.
“We would like to discuss further our plans to limit the impact on local businesses, and we have today written to the Get Away campaigners to offer a direct meeting with them. We would like to use this opportunity to answer any questions the group has and address their concerns.
“By working together, we believe we can find a way forward that delivers the scheme’s key benefits while minimising disruption to local trade.”
More than £38m in funding has been allocated to the council from the Transforming Cities Fund programme for projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby town centres.
Senior councillors have already given authority for officers to enter into construction contracts and accept grants for the Selby and Skipton schemes, with work due to start within weeks.
But the legal action had prevented council chiefs from giving the Harrogate scheme the green light.
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