This meeting was to advise the Corporate Director for Environment, Councillor Keane Duncan, in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, of the outcome of the public consultation and statutory advertisement for a range of traffic regulation orders (TROs). These TROs are proposed to facilitate the Harrogate Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) project proposals. The Corporate Director was asked to decide whether to proceed with the making of the Orders in view of the comments received.

Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders for Harrogate Town Centre

North Yorkshire Council has been awarded funding from the Government's Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) to deliver an infrastructure project that will improve sustainable travel in Harrogate Town Centre. The proposals will:

• Provide better bus access into the bus station with a new bus lane on Station Parade, • Introduce cycling infrastructure between Bower Road and Station Bridge, • Improve pedestrian accessibility with raised table crossing points, • Improve pedestrian and vehicle movements with linked signals, • Retain two motor vehicles lanes between the bus and railway stations, and • Improve the public realm at One Arch and Station Square.

The report pack included a recommendation not to introduce a loading/unloading bay on the east side of Station Parade North. The council claim this will allow buses to enter the proposed bus lane earlier more often and also improve safety for cyclists.

The report pack also included a recommendation not to implement the parking and waiting amendments south of Station Bridge. The report states that officers would re-assess the design and inclusion of this area within the TCF scheme, claiming carriageway and footway widths are constrained to the extent that an unsegregated advisory cycle lane was proposed in this section with narrower footways to compensate.

The report pack explained that the consultation on an order to prohibit all driving except for access on the delivery route from Station Square to Market Place and behind Princes Street and James Street was not accompanied by drawn plans and, therefore, must be re-advertised.

Responses to the Consultation

Seven responses were received in the consultation period specific to the proposed TROs. In addition, several residents submitted an identical letter that objected to the scheme in general two weeks after the TRO consultation period closed. A further letter was received in late November from a solicitor representing a group of respondents, named in the report as Get Away , that objected to the proposals. In total, around 4,500 responses were received to the scheme across three rounds of consultation, as well as input from stakeholder events.

Justification for the Orders

The report pack stated that officers were satisfied that all of the TROs would meet a qualifying purpose under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The report states that the benefits of the proposals are that they will create improved infrastructure for all road users by:

making better use of available highway space in the interests of balancing the needs of all vehicles (including buses) pedestrians and cyclists.

The report goes on to say that:

Currently the highway arrangements prioritise the private motor vehicle above other users – to re-balance this priority, mitigation is also required to maintain the expeditious safe and convenient movement of these private vehicles through the network and the proposals for a bus lane, cycle lane and improved pedestrian facilities seek to achieve this re-balancing.

Equalities

The report pack explained that an Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out to ensure that the Council has the information required to have due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out at s.149 of the Equality Act. The report acknowledges that:

the recommendation could have an adverse impact on one of the protected characteristics identified in the Equalities Act 2010.

Specifically, the report states that:

An objection was raised as to the removal of disabled parking spaces next to the opticians on Station Parade.

The report states that the Harrogate Disability Forum were consulted on the proposals and had no objections.

Public Inquiry

The report considered the necessity of holding a Public Inquiry. The report stated that:

The current proposals do not include permanent restrictions on loading and unloading, or other elements which would make it a requirement to hold a public inquiry before a decision on the TRO’s is taken.

It went on to say that a limited number of objections have been received and:

it would not be proportionate or appropriate to hold a public Inquiry in respect of any of the Orders numbered 1-4 in section 3.

Climate Change

The report pack states that the embodied carbon impact from construction of the scheme

derives an overall negative impact however, in this case, the council is seeking to offset that impact by encouraging a shift to more sustainable modes of travel.

The report pack concludes that the proposed changes:

do not have an adverse impact on Climate Change.

Recommendations

The report pack included a recommendation that the Corporate Director, Environment, in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, approves the making of TROs numbered 1 to 4 in Section 3.0 of the report. It also included a recommendation that the proposed Traffic Regulation Order numbered 5 is modified in line with the proposals as set out in section 3.0 of the report. Finally, it included a recommendation that the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) be authorised to seal the relevant Traffic Regulation Order by the Corporate Director, Environment in consultation with the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation in light of the objections received and that the objectors are notified within 14 days of the order being made.