West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has announced progress on £140m of schemes including three key transport infrastructure interventions.
This week, the WYCA investment committee marked progress on a raft of schemes including:
- A £24.2m rail station scheme between Morley and Cottingley on the Transpennine route at White Rose, Leeds.
- A £31.6m parkway rail station at Thorpe Park on the Leeds to York section of the Transpennine route.
- A £19.7m scheme to improve bus punctuality and journey times, as well as cycling and walking measures, on the A647 between Armley Gyratory in Leeds and the Leeds Road Gyratory in Bradford.
White Rose Station
Work is expected to start on site for the White Rose station scheme this summer after the investment committee approved work on the finalised costs. The costs have increased since last year alone, up from £22m to an estimated £24.2m.
The scheme has a forecast benefit cost ratio (BCR) of around 3:1 judging the scheme as high value for money when assessed against the Department for Transport’s value for money criteria.
The project spells the likely end of nearby Cottingley Rail Station. The White Rose scheme will be adjacent to the White Rose Office Park, approximately 700 metres south of Cottingley station, which is proposed to be closed as part of the preferred option. A consultation will be held this year with a focus on the options for Cottingley Rail Station.
The Combined Authority will contribute £17m to the scheme, which comprises £5m from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme and up to £12m from the Transforming Cities Fund.
The WYCA is also awaiting the outcome of a New Stations Fund bid for £5m.
'Should the bid be unsuccessful, this will leave a funding gap. The funding source for this funding gap will be identified by the developer and the Combined Authority and presented in the full business case with finalised costs,' a WYCA spokeswoman said.
Match funding up to a maximum of £6m has been pledged by the developer, Munroe K, although this includes the land value so the capital will be less than £6m.
A WYCA spokeswoman said: 'An independently certified land valuation is being undertaken and will be determined in advance of the full business case with finalised costs. This match funding is expected to be formally committed by the developer by June 2021 as part of the formal grant agreement.'
Thorpe Park Rail Station
The Combined Authority will contribute £13.9m to the project, with £3.8m from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme and £10.1m from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund (WY+TF).
'A bid for a further £7m towards scheme costs has been made to the DfT New Stations Fund 3 and the Combined Authority is seeking further capital funding, from other sources, to address the current shortfall. As full funding is still to be secured, a funding strategy for delivery of the project will be set out in the full business case,' the WYCA spokeswoman said.
The forecast BCR is 1: 1.9 which puts this scheme into the ‘Medium VfM’ category.
After approvals from the investment committee, the scheme is moving towards the final stage of the approvals process - full business case with finalised costs. Work is currently expected to start on site in late autumn 2022.
A647 works
The Combined Authority will contribute £14m from the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme for the £19.6m scheme, while Leeds City Council is contributing the remaining £5.6m.
Work started on site in October 2020. The scheme is due to complete in summer 2022.
The scheme’s value for money assessment reflects a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 5.97:1 which represents ‘Very High’ value for money.
The scheme’s value for money assessment reflects a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 5.97:1 which represents ‘Very High’ value for money.
Levelling up to levelling up
Proposals for an £11.9m scheme to deliver 6,700 m2 of new green public spaces in Leeds city centre, and 1.4km of walking and cycling improvements between the South Bank and the city centre was also among the 'shovel-ready' schemes on the WYCA agenda.
Progress was also made on the first phase of the Bradford 'City Village' scheme, which features plans to invest £23.3m (including £3m of Combined Authority funding) in the development of a diverse, independent shopping experience, at the heart of which will be the new Darley Street market.
Roger Marsh OBE DL, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the NP11 group of Northern Local Enterprise Partnerships, said: 'We’re committed to leading the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19, and schemes such as these will help pave a way forward for our region, alongside the work being undertaken by our West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Board.
'We are past the time for words about levelling up – we need action, with the scale of investment, power and resources to get on with the job, and schemes such as these have a vital role to play.
'We have strong track record in supporting projects which deliver growth and jobs benefitting all our communities. This work is more important than ever.'
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