Contact: Martina Olley, ext 6394

1. Summary

1.1 This report follows on from one of 15 February 2001 which set out the investment programme for the Coastal Towns area based on the Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement. It informs on progress made on individual schemes within the Coastal Towns Strategy area (CTTS). Members are asked to note the latest position regarding Lymington Quay, New Milton Town and Milford Village Centre Improvements, Lymington Safer Routes to Schools and future year schemes.

1.2 The 2001/2002 CTTS Capital Programme is as follows:

Lymington Quay £50,000

New Milton Town Centre £160,000

Milford Village Centre Improvements £15,000

Lymington Safer Routes to School £75,000

2. Lymington Quay

2.1 The work on Lymington Quay is complete. The scheme was carried out by New Forest District Council in conjunction with the Country Towns Initiative.

3. New Milton Town Centre Improvements

3.1 The Capital Programme contains the following schemes for New Milton:

(i) Old Milton Road/Gore Road/Whitefield Road junction;

(ii) Ashley Road/Spencer Road junction;

(iii) Station Road/Osborne Road/Whitefield Road junction; and

(iv) Station Road pedestrian crossing.

3.2 To make the best use of the funding available, it is recommended to prioritise the schemes by their contribution to relieving town centre congestion.

3.3 The Old Milton Road/Gore Road/Whitefield Road junction improvement is considered to have the highest priority. New Forest District Council is working on the design with the aim of finalising the plans and consulting on two options in January 2002. Both options contain a roundabout design for the Old Milton/Whitefield Road junction. One option keeps the present priority between Old Milton and Gore Roads, whilst the other changes the priority to Gore Road. An informal exhibition of the options will be organised by the District Council.

3.4 The traffic signal design for the Ashley/Spencer Road junction is being progressed. New Forest District Council, New Milton Town Council and local interest groups have been consulted over the design, and their comments considered, and these are now being incorporated. No objections have been received regarding the proposal. A project appraisal will be submitted to the Executive Member for Environment in January 2002 with the aim of implementing the scheme in April and May of next year.

3.5 The traffic signal design for the junction of Station Road/Osborne Road/Whitefield Road will not be further progressed at the present time; however, New Forest District Council has been asked instead to look at a reduced traffic management scheme and evaluate if this would achieve the aims that were pursued with the signal scheme.

3.6 The Station Road pedestrian crossing scheme is presently on hold whilst issues on existing parking and safety are resolved.

4. Milford Village Centre Improvements

4.1 There is an agreed design for a pedestrian facility in Milford Village Centre, and New Forest District Council is progressing the scheme, which is costing less than £10,000.

4.2 The Lymington Road pelican crossing in Milford was activated in September 2001. The scheme was funded from the Pedestrian Facilities Capital Programme 2001/02.

5. Lymington Safer Routes to Schools

5.1 The heading `Lymington Safer Routes to Schools' comprises several schemes. The A337 Southampton Road/Avenue Road pedestrian phase is presently being implemented and is funded from the Safer Routes to Schools and maintenance budgets.

5.2 North Street is an environmental enhancement scheme on which community workshops have been undertaken. At the workshop in November previous comments were considered and a scheme is now suggested for which a project appraisal will be prepared for consideration by the Executive Member for Environment in January 2002, with the scheme planned to be implemented in April/May 2002.

5.3 The A337 Priestlands controlled crossing will be designed this financial year. Implementation is programmed for 2002/03.

6. Other Schemes and Future Year Schemes

6.1 A project appraisal has been submitted for a roundabout scheme for the B3058/B3055 Bashley Crossroads. Works are planned to start in spring 2002 with a ten week construction period. The scheme is funded from the Casualty Reduction Programme.

6.2 A project appraisal has been submitted for secure cycle parking provision and bus information at New Milton station. The scheme will cost £20,000 and will be funded from the LTP programme 2001/02.

6.3 There are several schemes in future years of the Capital Programme for which feasibility or initial design has been carried out. The preliminary design for the Rookes Lane/Ridgeway Lane scheme of the Southern Lymington Area improvements is near completion and will be partly implemented in the next financial year.

6.4 There are preliminary consultation plans for Lymington and New Milton cycle routes that contain safer routes to schools and possible crossing options. However, there will be a need for further coordination and possibly special studies to determine the nature of the cycle routes (on- or off-road) and location and type of crossing, and to interlink them with pedestrian routes.

6.5 A special study will also be considered to look at possible improvements to Lymington High Street and the Town Centre.

Recommendation

That the position on the schemes within the Coastal Towns Capital Programme be noted.

6818/MO