Harrogate Summary

[Leeds No.1]

About time one of the main towns in the city region has a summary!

Minor changes:
Woolworths will remodel their large Harrogate store on Cambridge Street.
Sports World will open in the coming weeks on Cambridge Street, in place of Littlewoods, as will HMV in the same unit.
Within the last year, Weetons has recieved various accolades as it hosts locally produced goods on West Park Stray.
After Brio's restaurant burned down, a new restaurant will open opposite Harrogate International Centre on Kings Road.

Major Changes (not so major as Leeds mind!):Harrogate International Centre
Harrogate International Centre (locally known as the conference centre) is currently undergoing a rebuilding programmed to update and increase the capacity of the older halls. Redevelopment started a while back with the construction of Hall M. The Queens Suite has just been completed near the eastern end.


Royal Baths II and City Lofts
In the heart of the Montpellier Quarter, The Royal Baths car park has been remodelled and a new apartment block has been built. The 6 storey building is crowned with £800,000 penthouses. To the rear of this is a Travelodge inkeeping with the local sandstone buildings (In the same way Marks and Spencer and the Victoria Shopping Centre did). Royal Baths II

Harrogate House
The dominant tower block known as Harrogate House on Parliament Street has also been reclad and converted to luxury apartments, with an £850,000 penthouse suite at the top. The retail units on the ground floor are also due for remodelling where they haven't already.
Harrogate House

Harrogate Interchange
One of Harrogate's major proposals is the total rebuilding of the main station. A large retail and apartment block will be extended across into the car park in a uniform style to the Victoria Centre across the road, and will provide a much needed improvement to the first view of Harrogate for many tourists. It follows a recent rebuilding of Harrogate Bus Station that connotates with the traditional Victorian style. The station sits in the shadow of The Exchange, an 11 storey recladded office block. The whole development will be renamed Harrogate Interchange.

Harrogate Interchange

[Leeds No.1]

Sorry for the large image but its far too much effort on a tuesday to make it smaller =/

[Rob]

The town would really benefit from the rebuilding of the station area, as that is probably the main area that needs renovating. The Victoria shopping centre is very attractive, but is let down by the scruffy station area. It could however be made to look a lot better with just a small amount of temporary cleaning up.

[Leeds No.1]

I agree. I dont really go into Harrogate for 3 main reasons:
1) Shopping is rubbish- it is on the up again though with HMV etc
2) Its cheaper to go to Leeds
3) I like to avoid Rudy*, coz he knows Im from Sri Lanka so harrases me ¬_¬

*mentally ill Jesus man who thinks he's God but not really coz he's on drugs and smokes!; local celeb

The outside of the Victoria Shopping Centre is attractive, and the inside used to be, but then it changed. And now the inside reminds me of Leeds Shopping Plaza. Its not dirty or anything but attractive is hardly the right word. They made a mess of it; it used to be such a nice shopping centre.

[JOliver]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

Sorry for the large image but its far too much effort on a tuesday to make it smaller =/

Here you are mate...

[Leeds No.1]

Send us the link and Ill edit it asap (I say that because Im going now to watch the England game so yeah)

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

*mentally ill Jesus man who thinks he's God but not really coz he's on drugs and smokes!; local celeb

He is to Harrogate what Rastaman John is to Leeds (man who sells his Jamaican/African wares on Lands Lane)

[Val Verde]

Originally Posted by JOliver

Here you are mate...

That would make that end of Harrogate look better than at present especially for first impressions for people coming from the station what stores are planning on opening here which would probably be successful due to proximity to a high earning population. However is it continuing the mock Italianate architecture of the Victoria Centre and will it have those weird statues of normally dressed people on them?

One thing they could certainly do is to electrify the Leeds - Harrogate line. Is it just me or was it true that the electrification of this route was planned at the same as the electrification of the Airedale and Wharfdale Lines but was not carried out due to protests that the attractiveness of the route would be diminished?

Harrogate is a nice place though and I guess these developments could help it to improve further. Could Harrogate ever get a royal suffix similar to Royal Tunbridge Wells and Royal Leamington Spa?

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by Val Verde

Could Harrogate ever get a royal suffix similar to Royal Tunbridge Wells and Royal Leamington Spa?

Perish the thought.

[Leeds No.1]

Yeah I know the guy on Lands Lane (Well not personally but know who he is lol). But Rudy tends to follow people around too and just randomly start talking to people etc.

But yeah, I dunno if it will have statues on it- wouldn't be surpised. I expect it will be some large chains moving in.

As for the royal suffix, there was a proposal to rename it Royal Harrogate Spa but it never really came around (that was about 2-3 years ago now).

The electrification of the Leeds-Harrogate line should certainly happen- at least to Horsforth, but I heard it was impossible due to the tunnel. It would be almost impossible to electrify it through the Bramhope tunnel (the one under The Chevin- thats what everyone calls it dunno if thats the real name!). But especially with GNER running on the line too- I think it would have been done ages ago if it could- it really does need to be electrified; its a shame. I suppose it could be electrified with a third rail though- hmm yes. that definetley could happen.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

It would be almost impossible to electrify it through the Bramhope tunnel (the one under The Chevin- thats what everyone calls it dunno if thats the real name!). But especially with GNER running on the line too- I think it would have been done ages ago if it could- it really does need to be electrified; its a shame. I suppose it could be electrified with a third rail though- hmm yes. that definetley could happen.

Forward thinking rail enginers may electrify the line and miss out the tunnel, they would just need to ensure the trains run up to maximum speed before entering the tunnel, and their momentum should carry them through to emerge on the other side where they can pick the power lines up again.

[Leeds No.1]

I suppose but its a bit unreliable! I think it should be diesel and electric to make sure. But forward thinking hardly ever gets the go ahead outside London, and 3rd rail is more practical. This tunnel is over 5km isnt it? (Longest tunnel on the Northern Rail Network at least) Enough distance for a train to stop- there are so many stations so close together that the train doesnt really reach max speed at all, not to mention the line it is with so many curves as well as the tightest curve in England.

[Stig282]

Wouldn't it be a prefix not a suffix? :P Harrogate Royal sounds like an hospital.

[Leeds No.1]

wiith it would be a presuf coz its Royal (Harrogate) Spa. Harrogate Spa is only a marketing name; not an official name.

[Smoggie_Si]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

3) I like to avoid Rudy*, coz he knows Im from Sri Lanka so harrases me ¬_¬

F*ck me, is Rudy still around?!? Does he still sit in the middle of Cambridge Street looking up at the sun?

[Leeds No.1]

Yeh he's in Leeds sometimes- suprised you haven't seen him! His sits in the middle of Cambridge Street looking up at the sun on sunny days =/ (aka not today, where he wanders around the shops particularly Woolworths).

On that note, bit of retail news, you may be interested to hear Sports World has opened (well Sports Direct- same company) for all you chavs on Cambridge Street. The same unit is also partially occupied by HMV and Woolworths has been ripped out and the inside is all different now (actually its not that much different but yeah). Lush opened a while ago on Cambridge Street, and towards the top Caffe Latino has opened, in that coffee shop district.

Costa Coffee has also opened a new cafe next to McDonalds opposite the Post Office, while an empty unit stands where Toymaster was. TKMaxx has also been extended to cover ALL of the top floor of the VSC and the herb place is now opposite GAME on the ground floor, as is Scoffs. A new Greggs has opened next to Thorntons too. Bon Marche has moved to next to McDonalds on Oxford Street- Jack Fulton is now next to Warp 9 on Station Parade where lots of chocolatiers are opening. Marks and Spencer has also freshened up its store (although I prefer the old design tbh). Sunwin is now Westgate Department Store.

Ministry of Sound is open where Bar Med was.

Alot of changes now I come to think of it! (All of those are in the last few months I think)

[pfeatherstone]

Having used harrogate station for around a year I have to agree that it's badly in need of an update..the only thing that cheered it up was rudy the god man and his crazy singing of soul classics.

Like the plans.

Think they should tart up the habitat building further down too..pretty ugly re-clad a few years back by the look of it.

[Leeds No.1]

If that building was reclad, it wasn't a recent reclad! The Habitat building has been like that for as long as I've lived here- I dont think it has been reclad at all.. I dont see anything wrong with that building though.

The station has always been in need of an update really. Its horrible! A substantial shelter on platform 3 would be good too coz I hate having to wait in the cold- the shelter doesnt make much difference. A similar one to Horsforth would be good.

[Rob]

One of the best proposals for Harrogate was a big glass pyramid office block for a business park on the outskirts of town somehere, only about 4 or 5 floors but the pyramid was quite a bit bigger as it goes up to a peak. Can anyone find a pic of it ?

[Smoggie_Si]

Originally Posted by Rob

One of the best proposals for Harrogate was a big glass pyramid office block for a business park on the outskirts of town somehere, only about 4 or 5 floors but the pyramid was quite a bit bigger as it goes up to a peak. Can anyone find a pic of it ?

The Hornbeam Park Inspire building