Skipton station revamp cued up
One of nine priority gateway projects in the Leeds city region’s transport plans, sign-off is expected next week for the overhaul of all parking, pick-up and other facilities.
Supported by cash from the Transforming Cities Fund programme administered for the Leeds City Region by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the project had gone before North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton & Ripon area committee at the start of October, only to be deferred by a month.
The TCF programme is based around £317m from the Department for Transport, with up to £140m coming from local authorities.
Included within the proposals are improving the access between the car park and Morrisons, and improvements to the Black Walk footway as the council looks to improve the travel experience in south-west Skipton.
The project includes the relocation of a substation, changing access to a one-way system, a new bus/coach drop-off immediately outside the station entrance, more disabled parking, better cycling/pedestrian access, and a new taxi shelter with a green roof.
Although 12 trees will be removed, 19 will be introduced, and a further 12 planted at Aireville Park.
The station arrival element forms part of a wider Skipton TCF scheme “ultimately providing a transformational change in the region’s transport system by providing opportunities to make reliable, safe, and attractive journeys by using public transport and cycling and walking,” breaking down like this:
- Scheme component 1 – Skipton railway station gateway
- Scheme component 2 – Broughton Road (A59) active travel corridor
- Scheme component 3 – Railway station to Auction Mart canal footpath Improvement
- Scheme component 4 – Railway station to bus station active travel improvements.
With a Morrisons and a Tesco close by, the wider land use surrounding the site is characterised by residential, commercial, and recreational land, with large areas of greenspace to the north of the site and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, along with areas of woodland associated with Aireville Park.
North Yorkshire Council is itself the applicant, advised by WSP. Two rounds of consultation took place in 2021.
Approval is recommended for the project, which can be viewed on North Yorkshire’s planning portal with the reference 2022/24304/FUL.
