Contact: Richard Stocks, ext 5202

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

(i) That the proposed prioritisation of the Valley Park Cycles programme be approved.

(ii) That the additional funding for the Castle Lane/Templars Way signals conversion to include a pedestrian/cycle phase be approved.

(iii) That the overall programme be approved.

2. Reason

2.1 To allow the continued implementation of the programme of works.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 None.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - none.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Background

7.1 The Knightwood Development Funded Programme was submitted to the former Roads and Development Sub-Committee on 17 January 2000, where Members approved the proposed programme for the contributions. This report details the progress of these schemes and seeks decisions on major issues.

8. Knightwood Funding

8.1 Following the start of works on the Knightwood Development, contributions have been collected in accordance with the timescales or trigger points outlined in the agreements. All contributions have now been collected, totalling £3.386 million, and £221,000 in interest has been added to the account, giving a total of £3.607 million.

8.2 Numerous schemes have been completed and are detailed in a further section of this report. A number of feasibility reports and some design work has also been completed and there are schemes currently being constructed. These are also detailed in a further section. The current spending on these elements of work totals £1.584 million. The statement in the attached appendix details the allocations made in the 17 January 2000 report and the actual and estimated spending against this account.

9. Schemes Completed

Hocombe Road Footway

9.1 This scheme involved the construction of a 1.5 metres footway between Ashdown Road and Hocombe Close, including a footbridge over a small brook. Works were completed in September 2000.

Bus Service Support and the Community Bus

9.2 Support for the Number 46 bus was provided in the financial years 1999/00 and 2000/01. This money extended the service into the Knightwood development for 18 months. This extension of the service was not continued in subsequent years as the necessary additional patronage was not generated.

9.3 The community bus has been purchased and is administered by Knightwood Primary School. However, it is intended that the bus should also be used as a community asset, for which it can charge a fee for some services. This fee would be used to create a fund to purchase and run a replacement bus at the end of the five years, thereby making the bus self-sustaining.

A27 Cycle Route: Scraggs Hill-Firgrove Road

9.4 Test Valley Borough Council has also made a contribution of £20,000 from its own budgets and the scheme has been completed.

North Baddesley Traffic Management and Cycles Phases I and II

9.5 Test Valley Borough Council has also made a contribution of £20,000 for this scheme from its own budgets. Following consultations with the Parish Council on the proposals, the main aims of the scheme were defined as:

(i) reduction of speeds within North Baddesley; and

(ii) reduction of rat-running through North Baddesley.

9.6 The Phase I works provided gateway features on all the entrances to North Baddesley, including a reduction of the speed limit in the central area on the A27 Botley Road. The works also provided a local network of cycle routes in North Baddesley to complement the A27 Cycle Route: Scraggs Hill-Firgrove Road scheme and to provide for the future North Baddesley-Rownhams cycle route currently being developed. These schemes have been in place for 18 months now and have had a modest impact on the speeds of vehicles within North Baddesley.

9.7 The Phase II works focused on the problems of Sylvan Drive, again with the aims of reducing speeds and rat-running. The works are now complete.

A27 Castle Lane Signals

9.8 The works have been completed and the signals are operating well. The programme showed a contribution of £50,000 for completion of the scheme with another £120,000 having been previously allocated from the Knightwood programme. The total contributions to this project have been £171,000 with some more maintenance on the landscaping to be completed.

Feasibility and Management

9.9 The programme estimate for this work was £70,000. The current spend on feasibility and management is £162,000, with the following studies having been undertaken:

Knightwood Cycles £36,000

Valley Park Consultations £22,000

Hiltingbury Traffic Management £12,000

Knightwood Road Traffic Calming £15,000

Templars Way Junction Improvements £4,000

North Baddesley Traffic Management £33,000

Hursley Road/Hocombe Road Signals £2,500

Knightwood School Safety Zone £4,000

Assessment of Katrine Crescent Roundabouts £1,000

9.10 The feasibility monies have increased due to the additional work being done and elements not being recharged to the individual schemes, maximising the works built on the ground.

9.11 The balance being general programme management totalling £32,500, which included the preparation of the Planning Application for the Chandlers Ford Railway Station.

10. Ongoing Works

Hiltingbury Traffic Management

10.1 The scheme was to provide traffic management in Hiltingbury Road and Hocombe Road. This project has involved extensive consultation, the formation of a working group and trials, including an exhibition of the proposals in September 2000. The scheme is now nearing completion with some minor remedial works required following the safety audit. Traffic counts and speed checks will be undertaken in the near future to monitor the scheme against its aims and objectives.

Castle Lane Cycles

10.2 This scheme has now been substantially completed but will require some remedial works.

Valley Park Cycles

10.3 The designs of the Valley Park to Hiltingbury and Valley Park to Toynbee School schemes are nearing completion and their current estimate is £1,336,000 which accords well with the March 2000 feasibility estimate of £1,064,000. Currently there is only £660,000 allocated for these schemes.

10.4 The proposals for the Valley Park cycle route to Hiltingbury are to:

(i) construct a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the railway line at Flexford;

(ii) construct a cycle track on the southern side of Baddesley Road;

(iii) build links through North Millers Dale and housing to the signals at Hiltingbury Road/Baddesley Road/Hursley Road; and

(iv) modify the signals at Hiltingbury Road/Baddesley Road/Hursley Road junction to include a pedestrian/cycle phase.

10.5 It is proposed that the scheme be reduced to focus at this time on removing areas suppressing cycle use. The available funding will therefore be focused on:

(i) constructing a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the railway line at Flexford; and

(ii) modifying the signals at Hiltingbury Road/Baddesley Road/Hursley Road junction to include a pedestrian/cycle phase.

10.6 The proposals for the Valley Park to Toynbee School Cycles are to:

(i) build a cycle ramp from the car park area behind Bournemouth Road onto Bournemouth Road;

(ii) modify the existing Pelican crossing to a Toucan crossing to allow cyclists to use the crossing;

(iii) modify the footway and path along Bournemouth Road and between Bournemouth Road and Meon Crescent to allow shared use;

(iv) construct a cycle path between Meon Crescent and Cherwell Gardens; and

(v) construct a shared use facility from Cherwell Gardens and along Bodycoats Road to Toynbee School.

10.7 It is proposed that the scheme be reduced to focus at this time on removing areas suppressing cycle use. The available funding will therefore be focused on:

(i) constructing a cycle ramp from the car park area behind Bournemouth Road onto Bournemouth Road;

(ii) modifying the existing Pelican crossing to a Toucan crossing to allow cycles to use the crossing; and

(iii) modifying the footway and path along Bournemouth Road and between Bournemouth Road and Meon Crescent to allow shared use.

The estimate for these revised levels of work for the Valley Park to Hiltingbury cycles and the Valley Park to Toynbee School cycles is £700,000.

Templars Way Junction Improvements

10.8 This is the subject of a separate Agenda item. The current estimate for these works is £276,000, therefore an allocation of £280,000 from the programme is proposed.

Chandlers Ford Railway Station

10.9 This is the subject of a separate Agenda item. That report proposes that the additional funding needed for the station should come from the South West Hampshire Transport Strategy Capital Programme.

11. Other Schemes

Rownhams/Nursling Traffic Management

11.1 An allocation of £20,000 was made as a contribution to these works. The scheme is being developed with a programme starts year of 2005/06.

12. Schemes Not in the Programme

Knightwood School Safety Zone

12.1 Following the planning approval of the Knightwood Primary School a contribution of £50,000 to a School Safety Zone was made by the former Education Committee. The Knightwood Development Programme was to pick up the shortfall in funding for this project; a contribution of £22,000 has therefore been made. The scheme is now complete.

Honeysuckle Way Cycles

12.2 A short additional cycle link from Honeysuckle Way to Knightwood Road has been added to the programme of works. This project has been completed with funding of £7,000 from the Knightwood Development Programme.

Shannon Way/Electron Way Feasibility

12.3 The project is to assess the feasibility of constructing a bus link between Shannon Way and School Close and also extending Electron Way to the proposed Chandlers Ford railway station. The aim of these projects would be to provide a bus link to and from the Valley Park and Knightwood areas of Chandlers Ford for public transport, avoiding the congestion of Templars Way and the longer route of Baddesley Road. Solent Blue Line has expressed a tentative interest in the proposals. The programme has allocated £12,000 for the study.

Castle Lane/Templars Way Signals: Pedestrian Cycles Phase

12.4 To complete the National Cycle Route 24 between North Baddesley and Chandlers Ford and the Castle Lane cycle route there is a need to add a cycle/pedestrian phase to the Knightwood Road/Castle Lane/Templars Way signals. The feasibility study for this has been competed and the current estimate for this work is £65,000. It is proposed that the Knightwood Development Programme funds the proposals.

13. Other Smaller Works

13.1 There have been numerous smaller amounts charged to the programme for bus shelters, signals works, street lighting, etc. The programme has contributed £36,000 to these smaller works.

14. Conclusions

14.1 The Knightwood Development Programme has delivered a number of schemes to date with a significant amount of works to come in the next 18 months. The modifications proposed to the programme will still provide a considerable benefit to the Chandlers Ford community.

7235/RDS

APPENDIX

Scheme Costs Charged to Knightwood Account