Harrogate planners warned of 'huge' traffic worries over Tesco's proposals for a new superstore

Tesco’s plans to build a supermarket on Skipton Road in Harrogate have been recommended for approval in a council report.

The giant supermarket chain has wanted to build on the site of an old gasworks for more than 10 years but its progress now rests on Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

With only 24 hours until the vote, residents of Electric Avenue and surrounding areas have published a lengthy list of objections.

The proposed new store would be 3,651 square metres and include a petrol station, 200 car parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points.

Tesco argues the supermarket is needed because of successive waves of new housing around Skipton Road and Killinghall.

It says a new roundabout would be built on the A59 to ease access for shoppers coming by car.

In addition, a new footpath would be built along the northern edge of the roundabout and a segregated cycle lane would also be added along part of Skipton Road.

But residents in the Electric Avenue area have produced their own report with a detailed list of major concerns.

These include the following:

The location on the A59 near New Park on Skipton Road has a history of traffic congestion and is well known for being a main route through Harrogate to Knaresborough, York and the East coast.

The plans submitted by Tesco state that they propose on changing the structure of the road system on Skipton Road, adding a roundabout at the entrance to the site and widening the road.

This would mean two roundabouts and two busy road junction in this small stretch of road.

Residents say they have conducted their own traffic study during the hours of 11.30am-12.30pm at the entrance to the Oak Beck site.

The results, they claim, show Tesco's calculations for the impact of the new superstore on car use are under-estimated.

They claim the impact that the increase of traffic will have on this already congested area is huge and it will have an even greater knock-on effect to the Electric Avenue junction leading onto Skipton Road.

The introduction of another supermarket on this main route is going to cause increased air pollution and increased hazards to pedestrians and cyclists.

Many residents have previously raised concerns about the safety of children walking to and from school to New Park primary.

They say pupils already have busy junctions and a round about to contend with, this would add significant hazard and risk to their already treacherous journey.

The new superstore would increase noise and light pollution for local residents.

It would also, they claim, undermine the wildlife which have made the old gas works their home, feeding ground and safe space.

Tesco originally won planning permission on the Skipton Road in 2012 but never progressed with the development, citing changing market conditions.

This time around, the proposal is smaller than what was intended a decade ago.

A recent report by Harrogate Borough Council concludes that a new Tesco would give an overall boost to Harrogate.

Residents opposed to the plans admit there is some public support in the area for the new store.