Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Environment

11 October 2002

Executive Member - Policy and Resources

16 October 2002

Project Appraisal: Chandler's Ford Railway Station (including the Valley Park to Toynbee School cycle ramp)

Report of the County Surveyor

Item 3

Item

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

PROJECT APPRAISAL: CHANDLER'S FORD RAILWAY STATION

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

JANUARY 2003

COMPLETION DATE:

MAY 2003

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2002/03

1.

FINANCE (Client Department, Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services [Estates Practice] and County Treasurer)

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at 2002

(at 2002

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Construction and Land to be purchased

1,877

1,877

Fees

Railtrack

93

93

Others

230

230

2,200

2,200

Less developers/

800

800

other contributions

1,400

1,400

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital programme (as above)

1,400

(b) Other

2.

From other resources

(a) Knightwood Development Package Chandler's Ford Rail Station

600

(b) Knightwood Development Package Valley Park to Toynbee School Cycles

200

TOTAL

2,200

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £nil

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

1

0.0010

Capital charges

183

0.1914

TOTAL net expenditure

184

0.1924

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

Background

Under the powers of its Act of 4 July 1844, the London and South Western Railway's branch line between Bishopstoke Junction (as Eastleigh station was then known) and Salisbury via Romsey was opened to passenger traffic on 1 March 1847, when Chandler's Ford railway station opened. The county map of 1850 shows Chandler's Ford consisting of a public house, a farm and the station. This probably explains the railway station's central location in the town. The Chandler's Ford railway station was closed for goods traffic on 4 May 1964, with passenger services being withdrawn on 5 May 1969, due probably to a lack of patronage as the service went to Portsmouth and not Southampton. Since then there has been substantial development in Chandler's Ford, the consequence of which has been a heavy reliance placed on the private car for any journeys made.

In 1989 studies were carried out into the expected traffic impact of the Knightwood Development, a 1,500 unit housing development. These assessments developed proposals for transportation schemes to mitigate against the traffic impact of the development. One of the cornerstones of the proposed public transportation schemes was the reopening of the railway station at Chandler's Ford. To this end an agreement was negotiated with Bloor Homes, developer of Phase I of the Knightwood Development, for a contribution of £600,000 towards the reopening of the railway station. This developer contribution was confirmed in a Section 278 Agreement in 1995 and by the former Roads and Development Sub-Committee on 17 January 2000. Following a report on the progress, programme and funding of the station proposals to the Executive Member for Environment on 16 July 2002 there is also an allocation of £1.4 million from the Local Transport Plan (LTP) capital programme for 2002/03, giving a total of £2 million allocated.

The County Council does not have any specific power relating to the provision of a railway station. However the Council does have the power, under Section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000, to do anything which it considers likely to achieve the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of its area. Guidance confirms that it is for the local authority itself to decide whether any particular action would promote or improve well-being, taking account of its local circumstances and the wishes and needs of its communities. In the current case it is considered that the proposal would be a proper exercise of this power, having regard to a number of benefits that it will bring. These benefits are set out in this report.

Progress

Following the publication of the Integrated Transport White Paper in July 1998 negotiations commenced between the County Council and South West Trains (SWT) about a possible Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP). These discussions resulted in a firm proposal from SWT to run a service to Chandler's Ford, which is included in its franchise bid for this region. SWT is the preferred bidder for this region and this is due to come into operation in February 2003.

Following these commitments discussions were held with Railtrack which resulted in a feasibility study being carried out by Owen Williams Railways in 1999, completed in December 2000. This confirmed the technical feasibility of reopening the railway station. The proposals at this time were to provide a shuttle service between Chandler's Ford and Southampton Central via Eastleigh, stopping at all stations. This would require a revision to the signalling on this single-track line. The funding of this was not necessarily a problem as it would have been included in the track access charges for the service and therefore form a part of the RPP bid. This bid pre-qualified in October 2000 but, due to the recent number of serious and high profile rail accidents, Railtrack has taken the drastic action of taking control of all signalling resources in the rail industry and will not release resources for non-safety signalling. These resources are unlikely to be released for some considerable time, probably beyond the 2006/08 cut-off date for developer contributions. This means that the shuttle service between Chandler's Ford and Southampton Central via Eastleigh stopping at all stations option has had to be set aside.

The County Council and SWT have subsequently proposed an alternative hourly service (the South Hampshire Crossrail) which runs between Romsey, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, Parkway, Swaythling, St Denys, Southampton Central, Millbrook, Redbridge and Totton and back (see attached plan). In addition to local journeys, travellers would also have access to connecting trains to Winchester, London, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Salisbury, South Wales and the West Country.

This will not require signalling but will require additional rolling stock but for limited additional patronage, thereby reducing the cost benefits. Nonetheless the RPP bid for this proposal pre-qualified earlier this year. The final RPP bid has been prepared by Mott MacDonald and was submitted on 12 August 2002. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will then make its decision within 8-12 weeks.

Benefits

Chandler's Ford Railway Station is positioned centrally in Chandler's Ford. As such there are approximately 22,000 people living within 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) of the station (1991 census returns). It currently has the fourth highest population catchment for a station in Hampshire. The service will also link Eastleigh and the other suburbs of Southampton to the industrial/employment areas of Chandler's Ford, and Chandler's Ford with other areas of employment. This is particularly important for the 15% of households in Chandler's Ford, 25% within 0.75 miles of Eastleigh Station and 28% within 0.75 miles of Swaythling and St Denys stations, which do not have access to a car.

In terms of public transport links there are four bus routes with stops within five minutes walk of the railway station. The proposals will include for a bus turning area and studies are continuing into a bus link between Shannon Way and School Close which would take buses from Valley Park/Knightwood past the station.

The development of cycle links in Chandler's Ford is continuing and one of the main east-west links through the area, the Valley Park to Toynbee School cycle route, will go right past the station. There will be 10 cycle lockers and 15 Sheffield Stands provided at the station. This will provide space for 40 cycles in total.

The above information has been used to model the likely passenger numbers for the proposed service. This model predicts that there is likely to be 600-700 passenger movements per weekday in the first year of the station's operation, which is estimated to be 70% of demand, rising to 900-1,000 movements a weekday in the sixth year when the station realises its full potential. This compares well with Hedge End railway station which has in the order of 600 movements per day.

The SRA requires that the RPP bid identifies the financial benefits, the saved money from reduced congestion and accidents, pollution, health improvements, etc. The current ratio of benefits to service support costs is 1.5:1 over the period 2001-2030. This equates to estimated benefits saving to society in the order of £26 million in the period 2001-2030. Therefore even with the capital costs of the station of £2 million the estimated benefits for the service would be £24 million. The average year on year benefits at today's prices would be in the order of £0.5-£0.8 million. The majority of these benefits and revenue will come from the Chandler's Ford area.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County network and policies

Policy background

Government guidance on transport seeks to make best use of existing transport infrastructure, encourage the use of sustainable means of transport and reduce the adverse effects of road traffic.

The strategy for the development of the South East of England is guided by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). This region is noted for its high economic and housing growth and a strong emphasis is directed at providing travel choice and meeting sustainability targets.

The County Structure Plan (Review) for Hampshire embodies these principles and, through its transport policies, seeks to encourage greater use of the rail network as a key objective in meeting the needs of the future. The South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT) proposal indicates the County Council's approach to developing public transport services in the southern half of the county. Working in partnership with transport operators, the business and other local community groups, SHRT is seen as a major proposal to meet Government and local transport targets.

South Hampshire Crossrail is a key element of the SHRT proposal and has been contained in the planning policies for this area for many years. The development of local plans has contained policies safeguarding this proposal and through the development process contributions have been collected to enable the development of the station at Chandler's Ford.

Working in partnership with the local community and transport operators is key to the success of local and national Government objectives. This proposal for a new rail service and railway station cannot be achieved without such support. The development of this proposal has taken several years but conditions are now right to implement this proposal in partnership with the key players.

The specific policies for this scheme are set out in the attached appendix.

Details of scheme and design standards

Following difficulties in securing signalling resources for the project, the County Council and SWT commissioned a consultant to take over Railtrack's role of project managing and completing the feasibility design to give an estimate confidence of +/- 10% and prepare the design and build tender documents. Steven Frankham Associates was commissioned to carry out this work. As a substantial amount of design work has been done for the feasibility study and estimates, Frankham's brief has been extended to carry out the detailed design and the preparation of a construction only tender. Plans of the current proposals will be displayed at the meeting and these include:

(i) a 50 space car park with two disabled spaces;

(ii) cycle parking facilities for 40 bicycles (10 lockers and 15 hoops);

(iii) a ticket office and waiting room (initially open from 0630-1300);

(iv) a bus turning and waiting area;

(v) kiss-and-ride facilities; and

(vi) CCTV.

The current design shows the inclusion of a footbridge in the project. This is shown as being a stepped bridge. During the design process a ramped bridge using 1:20 ramps for disabled users was investigated. The distance to be travelled by the disabled user over the ramped bridge would be further than using Hursley Road and Bournemouth Road footway and the proposed ramp for the Toynbee School cycle scheme. The provision of a lift has been investigated at the station but there is insufficient room on the platform (northern) for the steps and the lift. For these reasons the stepped bridge was deemed acceptable.

The proposed ramp for the Valley Park to Toynbee School cycle scheme will be included in the contract for the station work. It is considered that this will be the most efficient way of delivering both schemes as they are closely linked. The Toucan crossing and works in front of the Central Precinct will be considered later, either as part of a separate Term Maintenance Contract or Schedule of Rates contract.

Environmental impact

The site of Chandler's Ford station is currently derelict railway land, which has become overgrown with self-seeding shrubs and plants. The land has been safeguarded as a rail station in the County Structure and Borough Council Local Plans and planning permission has been granted, subject to detailed conditions.

Environment

There are no specific environmentally sensitive areas within the boundaries of the site. A watercourse (Monks Brook) flows through the site and under the railway line and platforms. Works in this area will therefore be kept to a minimum. The Environment Agency has been consulted regarding the proposals for Chandler's Ford station and has confirmed that it has "no objection in principle to the proposal" (letter dated 19 December 2000). However, the following was stated:

(i) surface water drainage from parking areas and hardstandings should be passed through an oil interceptor, which is designed and constructed to have a capacity compatible with the site being drained. Additionally, it was stated that roof water should not pass through the interceptor; and

(ii) the development requires a scheme stating the provision and implementation of a surface water regulation system, which should be approved and implemented by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme should also include a maintenance programme and established ownership for the future.

These comments have been taken into account and will be incorporated into the final station design.

Additionally, there is the risk of diesel spillage from the Class 170 rolling stock. The design of the station proposes to modify the existing track drainage to include it in the interceptor system.

Archaeology

The site of the railway station has no specific archaeological significance, but a Roman Road passes close to the site and the County Archaeologist will keep a watching brief during any excavation works.

Noise

At present, local noise levels are low; derived mostly from road traffic noise. However there are occasionally significant noise peaks of up to 90 dB(A) due to low flying jet aircraft approaching or leaving Southampton International Airport. The line between Romsey and Eastleigh is currently dedicated to freight movements, with one train per hour operating on the Totton to Southampton route section throughout the day.

Construction of the new station will involve noise, largely associated with earth moving and excavation. Noise levels at the site from construction will cease when the implementation of the scheme is completed.

The operation of passenger services along the Crossrail route will generate additional engine noise and wheel squeal in the order of 88 dB(A) at seven metres from the source. The greatest impact is likely to be around the Chandler's Ford area, where noise associated with braking and accelerating will be experienced. The new passenger service will consist of two train movements each hour during peak and off peak periods, generating noise on these occasions. A public address system will be installed and will operate at conversational levels to minimise local impact.

Air Quality

During construction it is likely that air quality will be adversely affected due to heavy vehicle operation. However, this will be removed once construction is complete.

During the operation of Crossrail services, local air quality will be affected by a reduction in car vehicle kilometres (and hence road vehicle emissions) but there will be emissions from the diesel rolling stock.

Urban/built environment

Construction of the station will impact on the current urban landform but minimal changes to the landscape character are predicted. During the construction phase, temporary adverse visual impacts will arise. There will be some permanent intrusion around the area of the new station from the immediate station infrastructure and parking facilities, and particularly from the use of the footbridge in close proximity to residential properties.

Land requirements

The land on which the station will be built is owned by Network Rail (NR) (Railtrack) and Eastleigh Borough Council. Railtrack's interests are the platforms which will be leased to SWT as part of the normal station access charges. The land owned by the Borough Council will be purchased by the County Council. This will then be leased to SWT who will be responsible during its franchise period for the maintenance of the station. Options will be investigated with a view to the station becoming a franchise asset at the end of the proposed rail franchise.

The ramp required for the cycle route and the access to the station will be built on a contiguous piece of land also owned by the Borough Council. This report seeks approval to negotiate an agreement and purchase the land required for these works.

Statutory procedures

The planning application was approved subject to submission of detailed designs. Two of the conditions on the planning approval related to the timing of the construction and station operation. These cause some problems and discussions on these points are continuing with Eastleigh Borough Council.

The planning process also identified the need to investigate some parking controls in the area to mitigate against possible displaced parking in the residential roads surrounding the station.

Public consultation

The proposals to reopen the railway station were included in an exhibition of a number of schemes proposed for the Chandler's Ford area in September 2000. The proposals were well received. The local Members, Councillors Davidovitz, Dowden, Luffman and Mrs Holden-Brown, have been consulted and fully support the proposals. Eastleigh Borough Council's Local Area Committee has been consulted and also fully supports the proposals.

Facilities for the disabled

The station has been designed to be fully compliant to current standards with regards to the disabled and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The access to the station will be via a ramp access from the Bournemouth Road. The area of the car park will be lifted using the fill from the broken out platform etc. This will facilitate at-grade access to the station building and platform.

The one area where there have been some problems with regard to the DDA is the footbridge. The current design shows this as being a stepped bridge. During the design process a ramped bridge using 1:20 ramps for disabled users was investigated. The distance to be travelled by the disabled user over the ramped bridge would be further than using Hursley Road and Bournemouth Road footway and the proposed ramp for the Toynbee School cycle scheme. Also the ramped footbridge either would have had a much greater impact on the Bampton Court Flats or the bridge would have been moved to the western end of the platform, taking people significantly out of their way. The provision of a lift has also been investigated at the station but there is insufficient room on the platform (northern) for both the steps and the lift. For these reasons the stepped bridge was deemed acceptable.

Maintenance implications

The maintenance implications for the scheme will be dependent on the longer term lease negotiations. The intention is that the Lessee should be responsible for normal maintenance liabilities on a full repair and insuring basis, and indeed any liabilities arising as a result of the use of the site for the purposes of a railway station. There will be maintenance implications for the County Council, as highway authority, for the footbridge and cycle-ramp provided.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

The Chief Constable has been consulted during the planning application and the station and car park facilities are being designed to comply with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The car park is being designed to secure car park principles. There will also be prominent CCTV cameras and a Help point on the station platform.

Sustainability

The project achieves the County Council's policy objectives for sustainable transport by promoting modal shift from the private motor car for commuter journeys. Also the reuse of the broken out platform as fill to the site will reduce the site's impact on local landfill sites and the associated vehicle movements.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

See paragraph 3.1.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

Scheme file

Owen Williams Feasibility Report Planning Application Statement

Rail Passenger Partnership Bid

County Surveyor's Department

Implementation Section