We want to see students given access to the best facilities to support their growth and actively encourage meaningful investment in Harrogate College – but these development plans just don’t add up.
Here’s why we need to ring the bell on this project before it becomes a lesson in poor decision-making:
The development plans would create major parking disruption for students, staff and local residents – during and after construction.
For the entire two-year build, just 12 parking spaces will be provided on-site for a college community of nearly 1,000. That’s expected to force around 143 additional cars onto surrounding streets each day.
Once the new building opens, parking provision remains unfit for purpose. With only 105 operational spaces planned, overflow parking will be pushed into residential roads and add further pressure to Hornbeam Park station, which is already at full capacity.
The college’s redevelopment plan starts by tearing down its main building – a facility renovated just eight years ago with millions in public funds.
By demolishing it, the college slashes its value from an estimated £5.5 million to just £1.25 million – wiping millions off the public balance sheet.
This is to spend a further £20 million, including £16 million from taxpayers, to build a smaller facility which reduces capacity and raises concerns about the college’s ability to meet future needs.
The proposed new building is set to be smaller than the current facility, despite student numbers growing from around 775 to 825 over the past year.
This downsizing runs counter to the college’s growth plans and raises serious questions about whether the development scheme can support future demand.
While the new building promises to deliver some exciting new facilities for students – such as a mock hospital ward – it also risks locking the college into a space that won’t meet needs moving forwards and putting long-term value at risk.
Rather than demolishing the existing facility, unleashing parking chaos, putting a strain on local roads and downsizing to a smaller facility, we are calling for a smarter approach.
By constructing the new facility on the vacant, high-potential land directly adjoining the existing campus, the college can:
There is still an opportunity to get this right, but the clock is ticking – join us in calling for a smarter solution which benefits the whole community.
Want to see a rethink of the Harrogate College redevelopment? Here’s how you can take action:
RE:VISION is a local campaign led by Hornbeam Park Developments which is calling for the nonsensical £20 million redevelopment of Harrogate College to be paused and rethought before it becomes an irreversible lesson in poor decision-making which fails students, staff and local residents.