Plans to improve access to Skipton Railway Station in North Yorkshire have taken a step closer to going ahead, after more funding was promised. The Craven Herald reports that the £7.8m scheme aims to encourage commuters to walk and cycle to the station, rather than drive.

The plans are part of £31m of proposals to transform access to three North Yorkshire towns, also including Harrogate and Selby. In Skipton, high-quality walking and cycling routes will be created to boost connectivity between the bus and railway stations and the town centre. Existing provisions along Broughton Road will be upgraded, alongside the canal footpath.

The bulk of the funding will come from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which was set up in 2018 with a total of £2.45bn. Its purpose was to improve transport infrastructure in English urban regions, tackle air pollution by encouraging alternative modes of transport, and generate jobs and economic growth.

A further £934,000 of funding was agreed at a recent meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority to take the Skipton Railway proposals to the stage of a full business case.

A submitted report said that Skipton was the second busiest rail station in North Yorkshire with 1.2 million passenger journeys each year, but the facility was currently hostile to foot and cycle traffic.

The report stated: “The proposed scheme will transform Skipton Rail Station into a multi-modal, sustainable travel hub improving the town and district’s connectivity with Leeds, Bradford and the wider Leeds City Region.”

“The small, compact nature of Skipton and the location of future developments demonstrate the scheme’s potential to encourage behaviour change and stimulate a shift from car to walking, cycling, rail, and bus.”

The revamped Skipton Station is expected to have a new public plaza with lighting, seating, and planting; new cycle storage facilities, widened footpaths, new cycle and pedestrian lanes and crossings, and five electric vehicle charging points.

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