A council and Galliford Try have ended their contractual relationship on a controversial scheme aimed at improving one of the North of England’s most popular tourist towns.
The tier one contractor was working on the design development stage of the Harrogate Station Gateway Project as part of a two-stage contract with North Yorkshire Council.
However, the £12m scheme, intended to improve pedestrian and cycling access to the town’s rail and bus stations, was hit in February by a legal challenge from angry residents and business owners.
Among the objections were claims the scheme will mean less parking and lower footfall in the town.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation councillor Malcolm Taylor told Construction News that “in light of current legal challenges brought about by objectors to the scheme, it has been decided that the contract (with Galliford Try) will terminate at the end of stage one”.
He added: “This is permitted under the terms of the two-stage contract and aims to avoid additional costs and associated time implications should the works need to be paused for any reason.”
Instead, NY Highways, a contractor owned by the council, had been “invited to submit a delivery plan and costings”, Taylor said.
He added: “NY Highways has worked on a number of high-profile developments and are currently on site delivering the Skipton Transforming Cities Fund project.”
The Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) is a £2.45bn central government initiative aimed at “driving up productivity through investments in public and sustainable transport infrastructure”. It was unveiled at the 2017 Autumn Budget and expanded the following year.
Galliford Try declined to comment.
The firm is also working for North Yorkshire Council on its TCF scheme in Selby.
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James Wilmore