AUTUMN 2019 NEWSLETTER
The
Parish Council has decided to join and support the Western Arc of Harrogate
Cooperation (WAHCG). WAHCG is a lobbying group established to serve the
residents on the Western Boundary of Harrogate by making its voice heard by
NYCC in respect both the Congestion Study and other traffic related issues and
that HBC does not neglect local infrastructure investment. The group is an association of Parish
Councils and Residents associations.
WAHCG
will primarily pursue the hard and/or green solutions proposed in the
Congestion Study positioning paper. These solutions fall into two broad
categories:
·
‘Hard
solutions/infrastructure investment i.e. road humps, road/bridge widening,
junction improvements.
·
‘Green
solutions i.e. cycle lanes, improved public transport systems leading zero
carbon emissions.
Benefits to our area are to increase the
awareness of NYCC and HBC that traffic does not operate in isolation. The
recent Congestion Study proposes little that would resolve Western Harrogate
Traffic issues due to its primary focus being on the north, north east, and
Harrogate centre. This coalition of groups working together on
traffic/congestion issues and the anticipated increases arising from the
largely car-dependent developments proposed within the Western Arc area we hope
to have a greater influence on proposals that affect Beckwithshaw residents.
We
have successfully negotiated a grant from The Knabs
Ridge Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund 2019 supported by a further grant from County Councillor Stan
Lumley to provide a solar powered VAS speed recognition sign. We are
currently finalising our negotiations with the supplier. We have been advised
by NYCC to locate the sign on the B6161 near the junction with Shaw Lane (This
gives the capability of monitoring vehicles both entering and leaving the
village on the routes to the west of the village.)
We have contacted the Community Pay back scheme who have cut back
the summer growth and cleared weeds in the copse. They have also cleared the overgrowth from
the pavement adjacent to the copse. In the coming weeks and months we are
hopeful that they will start clearing the overgrowth and muddy deposits from
the pavement from the roundabout to the old vicarage and possibly beyond to the
new Charles Church development. We are very grateful for this help. We have
made many attempts to persuade NYCC to undertake the clearance of this footpath
but are constantly told that the work ‘does not meet their criteria’.
We will be having our Autumn litter pick on Saturday 2nd
of November meeting in the Village Hall car park for 10.00A.M. start and we
look forward to seeing as many volunteers as possible to help complete the
task. For more detail please contact the Parish clerk, details below.
Kind regards.
Derek Spence
Chairman