A multi-million pound scheme to better connect Skipton’s rail and bus stations is set to begin next month.
The £7.8 million Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) project aims to encourage more people to travel sustainably, and improve access to jobs, education, healthcare, and leisure facilities through greater use of rail, bus and active travel.
The improvements to public spaces and key routes also aim to boost Skipton’s thriving visitor economy, which is already worth £207 million every year, with the town attracting 1.7 million visitors annually.
The scheme includes pedestrian improvements on Black Walk, Carleton Street and Gas Street, resurfacing more than one kilometre of canal footpath and installing a new 300-metre path connecting the canal footpath to Craven Leisure Centre.
Gallows Bridge will be replaced with a new structure inspired by the old timber bridge.
NYHighways, North Yorkshire Council’s highways company, will begin the work on Monday, March 3, with landscaping and site clearance. Improvements to Black Walk, Carleton Street and Gas Street will start in April, followed by the canal upgrades in the summer.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
“It is fantastic news that this ambitious and long-awaited scheme to improve Skipton is to begin.
”These improvements will cement Skipton Railway Station’s status as an important transport gateway for the town, the Dales and wider region.
"This investment has been hard-fought and I would like to thank everyone involved in getting to this landmark stage.
“The project will deliver very welcome improvements to key routes, unlocking economic opportunities and encouraging more people to travel sustainably.
“This should be seen as the first phase of improvements to the area around Skipton’s transport hubs. It remains our ambition to deliver further improvements, including to the railway station car park, and we will continue working to secure funding for this.”
Residents and business owners are invited to information drop-in sessions on Wednesday 19th February, at Skipton library from 10am to 4pm, and at Belle Vue Square from 5pm to 8pm.
North Yorkshire Council has been allocated £38 million from the Government’s TCF programme for projects covering Harrogate, Selby, and Skipton.
These projects were part of a bid for funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), with the aim of providing accessible, attractive, and cleaner alternatives to car journeys.
An update on the Harrogate and Selby schemes will be announced in the coming months.
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