RHS pays Harrogate Council to divert footpath at gardens

Harrogate Borough Council has accepted a payment from the Royal Horticultural Society to divert a public footpath at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has paid a council in North Yorkshire to divert a public footpath at one of its gardens.

The charity wants to move a path at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate, which runs by a derelict building it owns and wants to redevelop.

The footpath is on land owned by Harrogate Borough Council (HBC).

HBC has not said how much it received, but estates surveyor Glenn Levison said it was a "significant sum".

Harlow Carr is a 58-acre garden on Crag Lane on the edge of Harrogate.

The diversion is part of wider plans which include converting the former Harrogate Arms.

A report described the change to the footpath, which runs by the former Harrogate Arms pub, as "a relatively minor alteration" which would improve the right of way for users once works were complete.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the report stated the public right of way would still be accessible from Crag Lane to Cardale Woodland.

HBC's cabinet met on Wednesday to approve the agreement.

Councillor Graham Swift, Conservative cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, described the financial settlement over the footpath as a "win-win" for both parties.