Archived decisions

Contact: Heather Walmsley, ext 6581

1. Summary

1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the work undertaken by consultants on behalf of the Borough Council and County Council, as highway authority, to compare the relative transport merits of the sites considered for housing in the preparation of the Beyond 2000 Brief.

1.2 The model used to assess the various sites has been developed by consultants acting for one of the developers with an interest in the Finkley Down site, on behalf of the two authorities. The findings of the travel questionnaire have been shared between the Borough Council and the three developers with options on the sites preferred by the Borough Council in Beyond 2000.

2. Background

2.1 To assess the merits of the Borough Council's preferred sites and the others considered, a travel behaviour model has been developed to identify travel demands and compare travel requirements. To support the development of the model in addition to existing information held by the County Council, a travel questionnaire was compiled and sent to every household in Andover. The results of the survey have provided a good understanding of the current travel behaviour of residents of the town.

2.2 Based on the travel behaviour of existing residents, an estimate of the number of trips generated by a household within each site has been made, as well as distance travelled. To compare sites the model has concentrated on car journeys and, in particular, the distances covered. This has been done because:

(i) the car is likely to remain the principal mode of transport;

(ii) it is movements by car which are likely to be the key determinants of detrimental impact on the environment; and

(iii) they can be measured relatively easily in terms of distances to key destinations.

3. Key Results and Conclusions

3.1 The key results and conclusions of the study are attached to this report.

3.2 The exercise has been very useful in developing an understanding of the merits of the various options and the model helps inform the decision making process.

3.3 It is proposed that the model be made available to those who have an interest in Andover, eg developers of competing sites, so that they can scrutinise the methodology and satisfy themselves that their sites have been assessed impartially.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

7073/HW