Harrogate Town Plan Forum designation

Harrogate is embarking on an exciting new chapter. The recent designation of the Harrogate Town Plan Forum marks a significant milestone in our community’s journey towards a brighter future. For the first time, residents, businesses, and local groups have a formally recognised voice in shaping how our spa town evolves. This designation – granted by North Yorkshire Council – officially empowers the Forum as the “qualifying body” responsible for creating a neighbourhood plan for Harrogate​.

In simple terms, it means Harrogate’s community now has the tools and authority to craft a shared vision for local development. This blog post explores the significance of that designation and how it opens the door for all of us to build a future for Harrogate that embraces nature, heritage, and sustainability as core principles. It’s an informative and aspirational look at what a neighbourhood plan can do for our town – and why your involvement matters.

Why does this matter?

A neighbourhood plan is a community-led planning document that guides the future development of a local area.

Thanks to the Localism Act of 2011, communities like ours have “direct power to develop a shared vision for their area, shaping development and growth”.

In practice, this means local people can influence where new homes, shops, and offices should go, what they should look like, and which green spaces and historic places should be protected. Once a neighbourhood plan is created by the community and approved via a local referendum, it becomes a statutory planning document.​

Planners and developers must take it into account – North Yorkshire Council will be required to consider Harrogate’s neighbourhood plan when making decisions on planning applications​.

.

The Harrogate Town Plan Forum was formed to make this bottom-up planning possible. Because Harrogate (the main town area) doesn’t currently have a town or parish council of its own – it’s an “unparished” area – a dedicated neighbourhood forum had to be set up to lead the plan​.

Over the past year, volunteers from across the community joined forces to create this Forum. They fulfilled all the legal requirements (from drafting a constitution to signing up well over the minimum 21 members) and defined the neighbourhood area to cover the unparished town of Harrogate​.

After public consultations and careful preparation, the Forum’s application was submitted to the council last August​.

In January 2025, the Forum was officially designated by North Yorkshire Council, meaning it is now the legally recognised body that can develop Harrogate’s neighbourhood plan​.

This designation is a major achievement – it’s the final foundational step that allows us to move from idea to action in shaping Harrogate’s future.

Empowering the community to shape Harrogate’s future

The designation of the Town Plan Forum is more than a bureaucratic step; it’s about empowerment. It symbolises that we, the people of Harrogate, have the initiative in our hands. Through the Forum, residents from all walks of life, local businesses, and community organisations can collaboratively define what we want Harrogate to look and feel like in 5, 10, 20 years’ time. This is a chance to ensure local priorities and values are front and centre.

Neighbourhood planning was conceived to give communities a powerful voice and tools to influence development to meet their own needs​.

In Harrogate’s case, it means we don’t have to passively accept outside decisions; we can proactively plan for the kind of town we aspire to be. From the start, Harrogate’s Forum has been a broad coalition – over 60 members including civic groups, environmental advocates, residents’ associations, businesses and more​.

This diversity ensures the plan will reflect a balanced mix of perspectives: young and old, businesses and residents, conservationists and innovators.

Will Harrogate seize this opportunity to once again breathe life into being the 'citadel famous for its springs' and will the new Town Council listen?