This is how the areas round Harrogate, Selby and Skipton stations will be transformed thanks to £31m from the Transforming Cities Fund

Details are emerging of plans for major redevelopments in Harrogate, Selby and Skipton, to be paid for with £31m from the Government's Transforming Cities Fund, ahead of a public consultation to be launched next week.

The proposals - which could begin construction as early as next summer - include new entrances to railway stations, new public spaces linking stations to town centres and better access to education and employment sites.

At a briefing today local leaders in the towns told how the multi-million pound projects would give visitors a much better impression than they currently get on arriving at the stations. Artists' impressions have been released showing proposals under consideration.

In Selby, where the view of the historic abbey is blocked by an industrial unit when people leave the station, the unit will be removed and replaced with a new plaza, along with better links between the station, the bus station and the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists.

Leaders in Skipton say the station is a "poor representation" of what the town has to offer as visitors are greeted by a "sea of cars" when they exit. It is hoped that a £5.8m package of improvements will transform the nearby area, improve links with the nearby canal and offer safer facilities for walking and cycling.

In Harrogate, a senior councillor described how the "extremely important and exhilarating" scheme would replace the "dated and untidy" area around the spa town's station with a high quality mixed use development. It would involve a new flexible space being created for public events, which could feature a water feature with reflection pool and jet features.

The proposals follow a successful bid to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund by a partnership of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Craven District Council, Harrogate Borough Council and Selby District Council.

Because Selby, Harrogate and Craven are part of the Leeds City Region, they are benefitting from the £317m total allocation announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak a year ago when a devolution deal was agreed for West Yorkshire.

Kim Groves, who chairs the combined authority's transport committee, said the investment "will make it easier for people to move around the region, providing better transport links in key destinations".

She said: "These schemes will transform the centre of Harrogate, they will regenerate Selby and in Craven, provide much greater connectivity to employment and education centres.

"Transforming Cities will not only transform people's lives through greater connectivity to transport, it will see regeneration take place in all of these areas, providing employment and skills and links to education for future generations.

"It's a really exciting time that these schemes are going out to consultation, even more in this current climate that actually we're moving to transforming cities, £317m right across West Yorkshire out of the door to create employment for people at a really difficult time. So, it will create opportunities now but it will create so many opportunities in the future for future generations."

A public consultation on the proposals - some of which contain multiple options - will take place in February and March, with more engagement work over the spring and summer. The aim will be to finalise designs and for construction to begin by Summer 2022.

Don Mackenzie of North Yorkshire County Council said nobody involved in preparing the bids in 2019 realised what the pandemic would bring in terms of the restrictions on public transport use and the increased focus on active travel like walking and cycling.

He said: "Therefore it is extremely appropriate that we are now looking to develop three schemes in three of our town centres which will provide better facilities for pedestrians for cyclists, far better connections to bus and train services, once public transport is again recommended for use.

"But also I believe it will give an enormous economic boost to those three town centres, which frankly, over the last 12 months have suffered a great deal, because of the reduction in footfall, and the general drop in the economy.

"So, at North Yorkshire County Council, we're all for making a huge success of these three. At the same time, we know we've got to bring our residents with us. And many of these schemes are still simply known to them as gateway schemes. The actual details are as yet unknown. So this is the beginning of that process."

Simon Myers, Craven District Council’s Lead Member for Enterprising Craven, said: “This is an important scheme, which aims to encourage investment in Skipton and Craven, promote economic growth, and make the area more attractive for businesses and employees.

“These proposals will make walking, cycling and public transport more attractive for our residents, which is good news both for the environment and for the health and wellbeing of our communities.

“The scheme also aims to attract younger people and families to Craven, and improve access to employment and training opportunities."

Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said: “Through the Harrogate Congestion Study, it was clear the community wanted to see improvements to walking, cycling and public transport prioritised.

“The TCF project is the first step to delivering this and I’m pleased that the hard work and determination of council officers has paid off, and helped secure around £8million for the Harrogate bid.

“This funding will allow communities across the region to easily access a transport network which is hassle-free and offers realistic sustainable alternatives to the car. It will also deliver a 21st century travel network that is vital if we want to ensure economic growth around the region.”

“This is a once in a generation chance to totally re-design this part of Selby town centre,” explained David Buckle, Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development at Selby District Council.

“We want to create a new link between the station and our beautiful Abbey. We want a new footbridge over the River Ouse to the Olympia Park site to open up this area and we also want to improve links to the station from big new development sites, to make it easier for people to cycle and walk to the station."

Public consultations on the proposals for each of the three towns will be launched on 24 February. The authorities encourage as many people, businesses and organisations as possible to give their views by completing an online survey. From 24 February, people can read more about the proposals at and complete the surveys at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/northyorkshire