Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed its plans for a public consultation regarding the council’s future accommodation strategy.
The consultation will open on 26th May and will run for ten weeks, finishing on 4th August 2014. People in the Harrogate district will be encouraged to have their say on the proposed plans to reduce the number of buildings the council operates from in Harrogate’s town centre (currently five). The two options for consideration are relocating to a new purpose-built headquarters at Knapping Mount, or alternatively, consolidating down to three buildings: Crescent Gardens, Springfield House and Scottsdale House.
The results of the consultation will then be considered by the council and will inform the final decision on its accommodation strategy in early 2015.
To help visualise the proposals, the consultation will provide a provisional design concept for Knapping Mount, which will also enable clarification on the estimated costs of a new build.
Leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Councillor Anthony Alton said: Public consultation is an important aspect of the democratic system, allowing a two-way flow of information between the council and the council tax payer. But, it is important to do this when we can provide enough information for the public to fully consider.
There has been much comment in the local media recently concerning the proposals and it is great to be in a position to be able to share our vision with the community. We believe that the creation of a design concept will provide everyone with a full picture of what we are proposing, and they will have sufficient information to help them to give an informed opinion on the council’s future accommodation strategy.
The council is therefore asking the public, voluntary and community organisations, local businesses, partner organisations, councillors and council employees to take part in the consultation and have their say. Everyone is invited to give their comments and we want to hear as many views as possible.
Ultimately, the responses we receive will shape the council’s decision on how to proceed. We would like to encourage residents in the district to take part in the consultation, and I look forward to learning of their views once the process has finished.
The report to Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet on the ‘Accommodation Project Consultation’ can be found at: https://localdemocracy.harrogate.gov.uk/submissiondocuments.asp?submissionid=24671
