APPENDIX

Romsey Town Centre Enhancement : Report of Public Consultation

Notes:

Notes:

1. Background

1.1 Following confirmation (in Dec 2000) that the bid for funding for transport and environmental improvements for Romsey Town centre in the Hampshire Local Transport Plan had been successful, and the securing of developer contributions as part of the new food store to be built in Romsey, consultants were jointly appointed by the County and Borough Councils to prepare draft schemes for public consultation.

1.2 The area covered by the Brief given to the consultants was the Market Place, The Hundred, Latimer Street, Bell Street and Church Street. Draft proposals were published for public comment on 15 June 2001.

1.3 The consultation followed previous public discussions regarding the town centre environment on a number of occasions as part of workshops on the review of the Borough Local Plan and the Romsey Movement Access Study in the late 1990s.

1.4 The purpose of the consultation was to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on options and inform the preparation of detailed schemes.

2. Issues

2.1 Following the consultation exercise the County Council has received 235 written responses which contain a larger number of detailed comments. The comments have been grouped under nine broad headings which are set out below:

· Strong support for principle of improving the centre of the town.

· Mixed response for and against individual proposals, Options 1 and 2 for the Market Place which restricted access to Abbey Meads attracted only limited support.

· Support for a fourth option for the Market Place which suggested widening existing pavements, retaining the existing vehicle movements and retaining the existing roundabout in its current position.

· Concern with regard to the reduction in on-street parking, and insufficient provision of parking generally to meet the town's needs.

· Mixed response concerning extent to which proposals either give too much/too little priority to vehicle movements, including lorries.

· Area covered by proposals should be extended to include other streets, eg The Hundred from Latimer Street to Palmerston Street, Cherville Street, Church Lane, Broadwater Road.

· Deferring the implementation of the proposals until major development schemes in the town, eg Waitrose, Bradbeers, have been implemented, or a more comprehensive plan for the town is prepared.

· Not enough consultation, and not enough time given to comment on the proposals.

· Impact of implementation, and relationship with other developments in the town.

3. Debate on Issues

3.1 One of the principal objectives of the consultation exercise was to translate the widely supported view, that changes to the centre of the town were needed to improve the pedestrian environment, into detailed proposals for the public to consider. The comments made are not unexpected, ie the public are concerned that the suggested changes will affect the way the town will function.

3.2 The consultation exercise has highlighted the conflict between support for the centre to be more pedestrian friendly and concerns/objections with regard to the consequences on the existing patterns of vehicle movements and on-street parking, ie less convenient to the motorist.

3.3 A response has been prepared for each group of comments referred to in paragraph 2.1 and is set out in the following paragraphs.

Strong support for the principle of improving the centre of the town

3.4 Of the 235 written comments 157 expressed support for the principle of enhancing the town. The measure of support is welcomed and is a reflection of the comments made at previous consultation exercises that the town centre environment in its current form should be improved. Comments on the merits of the published options were sought and a summary is set out below.

The Market Place

3.5 The options for the Market Place attracted the most individual comments. Options 1 and 2 which proposed restricted access to Abbey Meads received little support, the prime concern being the impact of traffic re-routed around the town and via Mill Lane and Church Lane. The support received included the merits of the new public spaces, in particular Option 1, adjoining the National Westminster Bank, which could link to The Cornmarket and the relocated street market. Option 3 was recognised by many as being better in traffic terms, ie maintaining existing movements to the west of the United Reform Church arch, but may not result in as good a public space.

3.6 During the consultation exercise a fourth option was put forward by a member of the public. It proposed retaining Palmerston Statue as the centre of the roundabout but in a smaller island, widening the existing footways and retaining the existing pattern of parking. The sketch proposals have been worked up in sufficient detail to undertake a technical appraisal.

3.7 The principle benefit of this option compared with Options 1 to 3 is that it would be possible to maintain a similar number of on-street spaces to that existing. The existing footways would also be widened, but not significantly.

3.8 There are a number of drawbacks which have not been resolved, including:

(i) the width of the carriageway needed by large vehicles to negotiate Palmerston Statue would encourage illegal parking;

(ii) limited scope to reduce the gradients of the footways;

(iii) the layout would not significantly improve pedestrian crossing points;

(iv) vehicles entering the Market Place would not be significantly slowed down by the geometry of the layout;

(v) the relationship between Bell Street and Abbey Water in terms of priorities is not satisfactory; and

(vi) the necessary signing around the Statue would not improve its setting.

3.9 In view of the traffic impact likely from the removal of right turns from Church Street into Abbey Meads it is considered that Options 1 and 2 should not be pursued. With regard to the fourth option; the disadvantages are considered to outweigh the advantages, and it achieves very little in terms of a significant overall improvement to the Market Place. Option 3 is recommended as the preferred option.

The Hundred

3.10 Comments on the merits of the draft scheme have been broadly split for and against. A number of detailed concerns have been raised regarding the location and size of the loading areas and loss of parking. There is scope to review the location of loading areas and include areas of parking for disabled people. However, a significant improvement in the widths of the existing footways cannot be achieved whilst maintaining the existing arrangements. It is recommended that the principles of the published option be retained, but the scheme be amended to offer only loading areas and parking for disabled people.

Latimer Street

3.11 Latimer Street will become a major pedestrian route between the new Waitrose store and the commercial centre of the town. It is important that all the pedestrian routes linking the store, particularly Latimer Street, are seen as being safe and attractive, to encourage linked trips. Wider footways in Latimer Street can only be achieved by narrowing the carriageway. The alternatives suggested by some respondents, such as pinch points, have been reviewed but it is considered that the one-way option is the only one which achieves a significant improvement.

3.12 Comments have been made regarding the impact of making Latimer Street one-way south on traffic patterns, ie. to the Lortemore Place car park, Library and Station, and potential increase in traffic in Portersbridge Street. The concerns are understood and it is recognised that for some trips, particularly local trips within the town, there will be a loss of convenience, and a small increase in journey distances. Information available on the number of movements affected suggests that the highway network can accommodate the re-routing of trips. The impact on Portersbridge Street is not easily quantified. However, it is proposed that the impact of the changes be monitored and the potential for further road traffic orders or other measures be kept under review.

3.13 Having reviewed the comments made it is recommended that the proposed one-way (south) scheme for Latimer Street, with more detailed investigation into loading arrangements, would offer the greatest benefit.

Church Street

3.14 A number of detailed comments were raised regarding the potential impact on adjoining roads, design issues relating to the type of traffic calming measures proposed and the loss of parking. The comments relating to adjoining roads are pertinent if Options 1 and 2 were to be progressed, however if Option 3 is implemented the concerns raised should be overcome. The proposed use of raised tables has been reviewed in the light of the comments made. It is considered that these issues can be addressed in the preparation of detailed design and do not affect the principles of the scheme. There is little on-street parking in Church Street during the day and the published schemes would only reduce that capacity by one or two spaces. It is recommended that the published scheme is progressed.

Bell Street

3.15 The key issue to be considered regarding Bell Street is the impact of the published proposals on delivery vehicles, particularly along the narrower northern section, and on the flow of traffic and pedestrians. The comments made by the public have reflected this, with many questioning the merits of the design published. In the light of these comments it is recommended that a revised scheme be prepared which reviews the location of the raised tables and the provision of a loading area. However, it is considered that a restriction on delivery vehicles is appropriate and that it should extend from Market Place southwards to No. 28 Bell Street. It is recommended that the published scheme is progressed in more detail.

Parking

3.16 A significant number of comments raised concerns about the loss of on-street parking and the impact of that on businesses within the town. Whilst it is recognised that the convenience of the existing on-street spaces is valued by the public, these represent a very small percentage of the total provision. Within the core of the town there are approximately 1,900 spaces, comprising public, private and on-street parking. In terms of on-street parking there are 29 spaces within the areas covered by the options which could, subject to detailed design work, be reduced to about 15 spaces. The impact of the reduction of a relatively small number of on-street spaces needs to be measured against the enhancement of the pedestrian environment.

3.17 The importance of having sufficient parking to meet the needs of the town is recognised. Given its size, the town is relatively well provided for overall and the existing short term parking capacity will be increased when the new store is developed. The Borough Council's preferred approach is to:

(i) review the existing management arrangements once the new car parks associated with the store are operating, with the objective of increasing the number of short stay spaces where possible;

(ii) provide additional long stay capacity on sites adjoining the town centre; and

(iii) review with the Highway Authority the current on-street regulations controlling length of stay.

Vehicle Movements

3.18 The public consultation has produced a wide range of views regarding the way in which the draft proposals have sought to accommodate vehicles, including large delivery vehicles. One body of opinion is that access to the centre should be more restrictive, whilst another has taken the view that the proposals would be too restrictive and for deliveries in particular there would be considerable difficulties.

3.19 The proposals have sought to balance the competing claims of users of the town in the context of having a limited amount of space in which to do so. It is considered that there is no practical alternative to the current proposal, which is to provide designated loading areas. In that context any detailed schemes would need to accommodate the necessary turning movements of a range of vehicles and enable roadside deliveries to be undertaken, whilst allowing for other movements. In terms of local traffic it is considered that the Market Place and The Hundred provide the only means of access to a large number of properties, and to close them is not necessary to satisfy the schemes' objectives.

3.20 The recommended approach is to amend the current proposals in the light of the comments made to provide a more satisfactory provision for loading and, at critical locations within the town, consider restrictions, such as the northern half of Bell Street.

Scope of the Proposals

3.21 A number of requests have been made to include other areas of the town centre. Some of these have merit, such as The Hundred from its junction with Latimer Street to Palmerston Street. It forms part of the primary shopping area of the town and will have good pedestrian access via the link to Love Lane to the new public and private car parks to be built as part of the new food store. However, the resources available have been secured to meet particular objectives of the Hampshire Local Transport Plan and to improve streets adjoining the proposed new store. The areas suggested will be kept under review and the impact of the proposed changes for their enhancement considered in the context of resources available.

3.22 It is recommended that The Hundred from its junction with Latimer Street to Palmerston Street be included within the scope of the revised proposals.

Timing of Implementation

3.23 Concern has been expressed regarding the timing of any work, particularly in relation to the development of the new Waitrose, the expansion of Bradbeers and re-use of the existing Waitrose store. It was also suggested that no work should be undertaken until further detailed assessments of the transport implications of the proposed developments had been undertaken.

3.24 The work undertaken as part of the Romsey Movement and Access Study and the planning applications for the new store have provided a sound base on which to take a view on the impact of the proposals. In terms of the centre of the town the most significant impact of the developments identified is likely to be an increase in pedestrian movements. That being the case, enhancing the environment to accommodate them is appropriate. With regard to Waitrose it is recommended that to encourage and establish linked trips the proposals for Latimer Street should be implemented before the store opens. It would be inappropriate to delay the enhancement of the town centre because some aspects of the whole picture were not available. However, every effort will be made to obtain the appropriate information prior to the implementation of any individual scheme.

3.25 It is recommended that a phased approach be adopted to enable some flexibility and scope to respond to significant changes and that the order of priority is: Latimer Street, The Hundred, Market Place, Bell Street and Church Street.

Consultation

3.26 The Councils have been criticised with regard to the consultation exercise, in particular the level of publicity and time in which to make comments. An extensive consultation programme was undertaken (see below) and a period of five weeks was set aside for comments to be made.

· Local organisations contacted for their views.

· 300 letters to residents living to the west of the Market Place who would be most affected by proposals in terms of possible changes to traffic patterns.

· 140 businesses contacted via QRM.

· All Chamber of Commerce members contacted via Chamber newsletter.

· Extensive coverage in local press.

· Presentations to QRM, Chamber of Commerce, DARE, Romsey and District Society.

· 2 Public meetings including Romsey Forum.

· Exhibitions at the Town Hall and Crosfield Hall (at which over 400 people attended), plans were also on display at Duttons Road during the consultation period.

3.27 It is recognised that, although significant time and resources were committed to publishing the proposals, some members of the public felt that they had not had sufficient notice or opportunities to comment. It is proposed to review the consultation arrangements and where possible provide more publicity at the next stage of public involvement.

Impact of Implementation

3.28 A number of comments, particularly from the business community, expressed concern over the impact of the construction of the proposals on the town centre and on trade in particular.

3.29 It is recognised that any changes will be disruptive in terms of the day-to-day business of the centre of the town. However, minimising the impact on businesses by maintaining pedestrian access will be a major component of the project's management.