CGL is providing geotechnical research to assist planning for a funicular in the historic and scenic North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough.
If successful, the project will deliver the town’s long-held dream of a cliff lift to link the Waterside leisure facilities by the River Nidd with the castle and market town centre above. In support of the project which will involve complex engineering CGL is providing a detailed desk study and site walkover focusing on the structure and geology of the cliff.
Our client for the project is Renaissance Knaresborough, a voluntary organisation which aims to support projects for the local community. Its plans for the lift will help those with mobility issues or with children’s buggies and increase the town’s attractiveness.
Shan Oakes, chair of Renaissance Knaresborough, said “Knaresborough’s topography presents a serious challenge for the local economy because the Waterside and town centre economies are essentially isolated. The proposed cliff lift has the potential to link the town’s key features, boosting tourism and the town economy.”
Geological details likely to be identified by CGL’s research will enable initial designs for a funicular to be developed.
