APPENDIX

HAMBLE AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY (HATS)

Draft

2 October 2002

HAMBLE AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY (HATS)

CONSULTATION DRAFT

CONTENTS

1. Foreword (signed from Cllr Estlin and Cllr Airey)

The Hamble Area Transport Strategy (HATS) has been developed by Hampshire County Council and Eastleigh Borough Council in recognition of growing transport problems and current national policies. In order to address existing and forecasted transport growth within the overall context of the government's Transport White Paper, Hampshire County Council's Structure Plan (Review), the County Council's Local Transport Plan and the Borough of Eastleigh Local Plan (Review), this strategy provides a framework of proposals aimed at managing the increased demand for travel by car and providing effective alternatives.

The HATS recognises the diverse transport needs of the communities and visitors of the Hamble area, and the unique environment of the River Hamble. There are a range of planning and management initiatives being developed by various authorities and agencies in and around the estuary of the River Hamble and this strategy is part of a co-ordinated approach seeking to meet the needs of the local community and river users. The strategy takes into account local views arising from public consultation and seeks to provide the people of the Hamble area with a sustainable transport system for the future. The initial proposals outlined cover all modes of transport, allow for a reasonable level of car access, greater travel choices and an improved environment. It is a fully integrated transport strategy and interchange between modes of transport is an important feature.

County and Borough Councillors have approved this draft strategy for public consultation. We look forward to considering your views and developing this plan in partnership with local communities.

Signature: Councillor Keith Estlin, Executive Member for the Environment, HCC

Signature: Councillor David Airey, Executive Member for Transport and Infrastructure, EBC

2. Vision

3. Background

Strategy Area

The Hamble Area Transport Strategy (HATS), as shown in Figure 1, encompasses the main settlements of Hamble-le-Rice, Bursledon and Netley, which are within the area covered by the parent South West Hampshire Transport Strategy (SWHTS). The SWHTS incorporates the main travel-to-work area of the city of Southampton which also covers Eastleigh and Romsey. SWHTS is being developed in partnership with Eastleigh Borough Council, New Forest District Council and Test Valley Borough Council as well as Southampton City Council, and was originally launched in April 1996.

The River Hamble, south of the M27 bridge, is included in the HATS and therefore reference is made to the adjoining area of Warsash in this document, although this village is included in the South East Hampshire Transport Strategy (SEHTS). The SWHTS Members' Panel will take a lead on the HATS with close liaison with the SEHTS Members' Panel and Fareham Borough Council.

The Hamble Peninsula is located between the conurbations of Southampton and Fareham and has one main access road, the B3397 Hamble Lane. The strategic road network and motorway network can be accessed via the A3025 at Windhover Roundabout, making it relatively easily accessible from a wide area. This means that the Hamble Peninsula is not only an attractive residential and employment area but it is also a popular tourist and leisure destination. The River Hamble is renowned internationally as a centre for yachting and water sports and the peninsula is host to a number of visitor attractions and beautiful countryside. During holiday periods and key sailing events the area has to deal with the temporary influx of visitors. The Peninsula is also served by the main Southampton to Fareham railway line which runs through Netley, Bursledon and Hamble. A passenger ferry also operates between Hamble and Warsash. The transport infrastructure serving the HATS area is shown in Figure 2.

Existing Traffic Volumes

The B3397 Hamble Lane is the main road linking the settlements on the Hamble Peninsula to A3025, A27 and M27. Recent traffic surveys indicate that during a 12 hour period, between 7am and 7pm, two-way traffic is in the region of 26,000 on the A3025 Hamble Lane between Windhover roundabout and the junction with Portsmouth Road. During this period, approximately 6,000 of these vehicles turn into A3025 Portsmouth Road and 5,000 vehicles turn northwards onto the A3025 Hamble Lane from Portsmouth Road. Two-way traffic on the B3397, to the south of the Portsmouth Road junction is in the region of 14,000 and closer to Hamble village is 6,000 during the 12 hour period. At the latter two sites the surveys show that weekday traffic flow is quite consistent and during the weekends flows decrease slightly.

Surveys of rail patronage indicate that Netley station is the most used of the three stations in the Hamble area, with 100 passengers per day joining the trains. A total of 59 passengers were recorded joining the trains at Hamble and 50 at Bursledon. However, during the survey period the number of passengers alighting at Bursledon was much higher at 81 people.

4. Future Trends

Nationally, the demand for travel has increased substantially in recent years due to wider personal choice in the location of jobs and homes. At present, this demand is being met by our increasing use of the car and as the economy prospers we can expect the situation to continue. The car has improved personal mobility and is now part of everyday life, but it has also contributed towards rising pollution and increased congestion. As car ownership has increased, there has been a decline in the use of public transport, walking and cycling. Whilst the car is here to stay and offers many benefits, most people now accept that building new roads to accommodate this increasing demand for car travel is not a viable or environmentally acceptable solution. To avoid ever increasing congestion of the highway network in the near future, alternative solutions must be considered and implemented. These include improvements to and the promotion of public transport, as well as, better cycling and pedestrian facilities and creating vibrant town and village centres. This will give people greater transport choice.

5. Time for Change

National transport policy has seen a significant change in emphasis over the last decade. The 1998 White Paper on the Future of Transport, `A New Deal for Transport: Better for everyone', proclaims a new approach to the planning and delivery of the nation's transport systems. The Road Traffic Reduction Act (RTRA) 1997 supports the White Paper and requires local highway authorities to produce a report containing an assessment of existing levels of traffic on their road network and a forecast of their expected growth. The report also has to contain targets to which the existing traffic levels or their rates of growth should be reduced. For this area the County Council has set a target of reducing the rate of traffic growth by 75% by 2020.

Transport policy in the Hamble area is determined at the County level by the Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) and the Local Transport Plan (LTP), and at the borough level by the Borough of Eastleigh Local Plan and the Borough of Eastleigh Transport Strategy (Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Local Plan). Policies relating to these documents are outlined in the Appendix.

The LTP encourages the use of area transport strategies as a tool to achieve these targets at a local level, taking account of local issues. The HATS area is covered in the main by the South West Hampshire Transport Strategy (SWHTS), although the Warsash side of the river falls within the South East Hampshire Transport Strategy (SEHTS).

South West Hampshire Transport Strategy (SWHTS)

The SWHTS seeks to achieve a more sustainable future, a better environment, economic prosperity, improved quality of life and greater equality. This will be achieved through partnership, the integration of land use and transportation policies, through the more efficient use of resources and by reducing the need to travel.

The SWHTS has the following objectives:

· To integrate the planning and transportation approaches to the area;

· To reduce the number of personal injury accidents;

· To reduce air pollution;

· To improve the environment by reducing the dominance of cars and lorries (on appropriate routes);

· To encourage people to make fewer car trips by improving local facilities;

· To remove barriers to travel and enable unhindered access for disadvantaged groups;

· To increase the proportions of personal travel and freight transport by modes which cause less damage to the environment than the private car and make the best use of transport infrastructure;

· To halt any loss of land to transport infrastructure unless the use of the land for that purpose is the best environmental option;

· To substantially reduce the demands which transport infrastructure places on non-renewable materials;

· To reduce the visual impact and noise nuisance from transport;

· To raise awareness of future transport issues and maintain support for the strategy, with a view to bringing about changes in travel behaviour; and

· To ensure that any new development is located and planned to provide alternative means of travel to the private car preferably making use of existing services and interchanges.

6. Developing the Hamble Area Transport Strategy

Work began on a strategy for the Hamble area following discussions between the County Council and Eastleigh Borough Council. Concern was expressed at congestion on the highway network in the area, not only during peak commuter times but also at weekends as a result of visitor traffic. In January 2001 Hampshire County Council, in partnership with Eastleigh Borough Council, began work on the strategy. In order to obtain the views of the local community a number of public participation workshops were held. The following key issues were raised at the community workshops:

· Congestion in Hamble Lane between Windhover Roundabout and Hamble Lane/Portsmouth Road junction;

· The `only one road in and out of Hamble' concern;

· The need for parking controls in Hamble village;

· The impact of overspill parking;

· Concern that improving accessibility will make the peninsula more attractive for development;

· The peak period traffic in Hamble Lane caused by shift working; and

· The need for improved public transport accessibility.

In November and December 2001 a series of public exhibitions were held in the Hamble area in preparation for the draft Hamble Area Transport Strategy. Outline proposals were consulted upon at the public exhibitions and strong support (over 70%) for many issues was evident.

Strategy Aims

The overall aims of the HATS are:

· to improve travel choice and accessibility for all;

· to improve the quality of the environment by reducing the harmful effects of vehicle traffic;

· to contribute towards achieving the targets set in the RTRA and LTP;

· to integrate transport and land use planning;

· to set targets and identify a range of indicators which can be monitored to raise public awareness of the importance of transport issues.

Strategy Objectives

To achieve the overall aims of the strategy, the following key objectives have been set:

· To promote new and improved passenger transport, cycling and walking facilities that are accessible to all and which provide a safe, reliable, affordable and attractive alternative to the car and to encourage increased walking and cycling.

· To encourage the improvement of local facilities to reduce the overall need to travel.

· To make better use of the existing highway network and reduce the undesirable effects of traffic on the environment.

· To ensure that any new development is located and planned to provide alternative means of travel to the private car preferably making use of existing services and interchanges.

· To reduce the number of transport-related personal injury accidents.

· To improve accessibility for mobility impaired.

· To raise public awareness of future transport issues and maintain support for the strategy, with a view to bringing about changes in travel behaviour.

· To identify a range of targets which can be monitored in order to assess the effectiveness of the strategy proposals, with a view to bringing about a change in travel behaviour.

· To identify a range of targets which can be monitored in order to assess the effectiveness of the Strategy's measures.

Integration with Other Initiatives

There are a range of planning and management initiatives being developed by various authorities and agencies in and around the estuary of the River Hamble. The Integrated Access Strategy for Tourism and the Hamble Estuary Management Plan also look at access to the Hamble area. The Regeneration of Older Urban Areas (ROUA) programme for 2001/03 includes projects at Shore Road in Warsash and The Hard, Lands End Road in Bursledon. A co-ordinated approach between the authorities involved is essential in the development of all these initiatives. Details of this initiatives are in the appendix.

7. Strategy Proposals

A map of the strategy proposals is shown in Figure 3.

Highway Network

The main route to the Hamble Peninsula is via the A3025 from Windhover roundabout and then the B3397, Hamble Lane. This route can be congested particularly during travel-to-work, school periods and peak leisure periods. The A3025, Portsmouth Road is a key route into Southampton via the Itchen Bridge. The recent part-signalisation of the Windhover roundabout has given some relief but traffic is still heavy and vehicles turning onto Hamble Lane can find it particularly difficult.

Parking

One useful tool in demand management is the effective control of car parks. There are three public car parks in Hamble. The Village Square and Hamble Green car parks are free, whilst the Hamble Foreshore car park is Pay and Display. In Warsash there are two public car parks off Shore Road which are both free. Car parking policies should reflect national advice related to reducing the demand for travel by car whilst maintaining the economic vitality of the area, and catering for the special needs of people with mobility impairment.

Car parking surveys and comments by residents during the consultation exercise, indicate that the car parks are operating at capacity, especially during high season, causing overspill parking. The free car park in the Village Square, Hamble is especially busy and used by residents, long-stay and short-stay visitors.

River Access

The River Hamble is a popular tourist destination and sailing centre. There are 2,300 moorings available in the marinas and boatyard berths, and the Harbour Authority has 1,201 moorings. Whilst private parking is provided on the scale of 1.5 spaces per berth at the main marinas, the Harbour Authority has no dedicated parking spaces for its moorings. During high season and especially during special events there is not enough parking for visitors. This can result in the use of the local car parks and on-road parking for long periods. However, the Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council uses the privately owned `Donkey Derby Field' during sailing events for overspill parking. Use is restricted to no more 28 days per year.

There is no regular water taxi service, although some service is operated on an ad hoc basis during regattas and special events. Therefore, tenders have to be used for moored boats. Dinghy sailing is also popular on the River Hamble and during the summer and dinghy events there is inadequate formal trailer parking. Trailers, therefore, tend to be parked where space is available.

Ferry Services

The passenger ferry is privately owned and operates daily, except for Christmas Day. It provides a local service between Warsash and Hamble-le-Rice. Access to the ferry pontoon at Warsash is via a gravel track and some distance from the car park. There are no waiting or cycle parking facilities on either side of the river. However, cycles can be taken on the ferry.

Road Safety

There were 56 reported personal injury accidents (PIAs) along the main road to the Hamble Peninsula (A3025 and B3347) from 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2002. Seven of these accidents were classed as serious. As would be expected, there were clusters of accidents at road junctions and in the built up urban areas. Each year Hampshire County Council compiles a High Risk List which details sites in the county where five or more accidents have occurred within a three year period. Within the HATS area the following sites are listed for 1999-2001with the number of recorded accidents in brackets:

· Hamble Lane/Jurd Way roundabout (5)

· A27/A3024 Windhover roundabout (29)

· A3025 Portsmouth Road/Grange Road junction (12)

· A27 Providence Hill/Portsmouth Road junction (6)

· M27/A3024 junction 8 roundabout (16)

Road safety improvements aim to tackle existing problems and include measures to reduce accidents and improve safety, with junction improvements and crossing points for pedestrian and cyclists featuring highly. Improvements for vulnerable road users are also fundamental parts of the strategy. Safety improvements are set out in the County Council's annual safety programmes.

Public Transport

Bus Routes and Facilities

There are three bus services that operate to and from Hamble. The local authorities are working with local bus operators to develop Quality Bus Partnerships to help improve services and the current availability of public transport. The Eastleigh Quality Bus Partnership (EQBP) has identified routes 29 and 16 (which serve the Hamble area) as routes for improvement.

Rail Services

Within the HATS area rail stations are located at Hamble, Bursledon and Netley. Each station is served by one direct train per hour to Southampton and one train per hour to Portsmouth, although other services run through the stations but do not stop.

The three stations have limited facilities and there is scope for improvement. Hamble station has no parking facilities apart from a layby nearby with room for 3-4 cars. The bus stop for buses into Hamble are located approximately 250m north of the station and there are no signs to advise passengers of this.

South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT)

The South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT) is planned as a high quality mass transit system to link the urban areas between Portsmouth and Southampton. Forming part of the strategic transport network in South Hampshire, Hamble will feature in the development of this wider SHRT system as a future light rail line. The existing Fareham to Southampton rail route passes through the Hamble peninsula and this will feature in the new network. Land has been safeguarded in the Borough of Eastleigh Local Plan to utilise the railway line from Fareham to Woolston running through Bursledon, Hamble and Netley to provide a greater frequency and access to the centre of Southampton. As part of this wider network, Hamble and the surrounding area will gain greater accessibility as a result of the development of the light rail system.

By bringing together service operators to provide transport links in an integrated network, SHRT will create a new transport system that is accessible, fast and reliable. Updating the present public transport network, through high quality tram, bus and rail routes with priority over other traffic, an attractive alternative to the private car can be provided. This improved transport network, featuring tram, rail and bus as key components is planned to provide greater accessibility throughout South Hampshire, including the Hamble area, to better cope with the demands of today and tomorrow.

Freight Movement

Recent surveys indicate that there are over 800 heavy good vehicles (HGVs) using A3025 Hamble Lane between 7am and 7pm and this accounts for 3% of total traffic flow. Over half of these HGVs also use the A3025 Portsmouth Road, accounting for 4% of the total volume on this road. The remaining 400 vehicles use the B3397 Hamble Lane to access the Hamble peninsula.

Cyclists and Pedestrians

The Strategy will encourage increased walking and cycling by improving or extending (or both) the existing routes and crossing facilities, and develop the cycling strategy published by Eastleigh Borough Council. A safe network will be developed to link residential, schools, shopping, leisure and employment areas within and around the Hamble Peninsula. The existing road network will also be assessed to see where improvements are needed to help cyclists and pedestrians. Improving safety for cyclists and reducing conflict with pedestrians and vehicle traffic are fundamental parts of the Strategy.

Safer Routes to Schools

The Hampshire Local Transport Plan 2001-2006 includes school travel plans to help encourage a reduction in the numbers of children being driven to school. In addition, it is County Council policy that all new schools automatically need a school travel plan.

HATS places strong emphasis on the development of initiatives to modify school travel characteristics. The objectives are to improve the safety of children's journeys to school, reduce the impact of school journeys on the road network, and promote cycling and walking for young people as healthy and sustainable modes of transport. The Hamble School and Bursledon Infant and Junior Schools have prepared school travel plans. Safe Routes to Schools schemes will be identified and progressed in co-operation with these schools. The preparation of school travel plans raises transport awareness amongst pupils, teachers, parents, governors and the local community.

Workplace Travel Plans

This strategy also places strong emphasis on attempts to change the patterns and characteristics of travel to/from and within work. Businesses will be encouraged to develop workplace travel plans and companies encouraged to consider the use of alternative modes to reduce the demand for travel by car. It is now County Council policy that all new business developments will require workplace travel plans.

Experience elsewhere in Hampshire has shown that workplace travel plans for large employers are proving popular in reducing people's reliance on the private car and widening travel choice. As with school travel plans, workplace travel plans can be designed to cater for specific local needs. The County Council will work with local employers to develop workplace travel plans.

Land Use Planning

Government guidance requires local authorities to plan for future development in ways that reduce reliance on the private car and encourage alternative means of travel. The Borough of Eastleigh Local Plan aims to provide for an integrated transport strategy with an emphasis on safety and protection of the environment. Environmental objectives, including reduction in carbon dioxide levels, can be assisted by policies which direct development to locations which minimise travel needs and dependence on the use of private cars.

Approved development sites will need to deal with any extra demands on the Hamble area's transport network. A legal agreement between the developer and the local authorities will specify any improvements that will help the local transport network to cope. These improvements could range from funding minor highway alterations - eg changing the access to a particular development site, to contributing to the specific proposals within this strategy, eg improvements to public transport and better routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

It is proposed to seek the appropriate level of contributions from any development proposals to help to implement the schemes within this strategy.

Air Quality

Eastleigh Borough Council is mainly responsible for measuring air quality. Within the HATS there are two air quality monitoring stations. A background site is located at Westfield Common in Hamble and the other site is on Hamble Lane in Bursledon.

Monitoring of changes in air quality will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Strategy proposals and to identify the need for more measures in specific areas to reduce pollution.

8. Meeting the Demand

Targets for the Hamble Area Transport Strategy are included in the South West Hampshire Transport Strategy (SWHTS) for the purposes of the Road Traffic Reduction Act. These targets take account of and contribute to those set internationally, nationally, regionally and countywide. The targets reflect the main objective of the strategy to increase the proportion of transport by modes which cause less damage to the environment than the private car and make best use of the transport infrastructure. Targets may need to be modified in response to changes over the time span of the strategy. The targets are:

· to reduce the rate of traffic growth by 75% by 2020

· to reduce the proportion of single occupancy trips by 20%

· to increase the use of public transport by 33%

· to increase walking by 33%

· to increase cycling to 5% by 2005 and 10% by 2020 on 1994/96 levels

· to achieve the objectives for the National Air Quality Strategy

· to contribute to the UK's climate change target

· to reduce the number of long stay public parking spaces in the urban areas by 5% between 1993 and 2005 and by a further 10% by 2020

· to reduce the number of long stay parking spaces at existing non-residential developments between 1993 and 2005

· No new long stay public car parks to be built in the SWHTS (excluding the city of Southampton).

· to increase public support for more sustainable travel choices by 25% by 2010

· to encourage implementation of Green Travel Plans for existing businesses

· to increase in satisfaction ratings for cycle facilities

· to increase the re-allocation of road space for alternative modes

By 2010, compared with the average 1994-98, to achieve:

· A 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.

· A 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured

· A 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

The Hamble area is included in the SWHTS framework for monitoring. Detailed modal split surveys at key locations, using traditional data collection methods, are undertaken biennially and are due to be repeated in 2003. Hampshire County Council also carries out a series of travel attitude surveys (Transpol) and the last surveys were undertaken in March 2000. These will be repeated in September 2003.

9. The Way Forward

The Hamble Area Transport Strategy has been formulated to set out realistic objectives and proposals which could make significant improvements to accessibility and the environment.

The overall cost of implementing the strategy will be substantial over a number of years. Implementation will be phased to make the most of available money and to provide good value. Funding for the proposed schemes will be primarily through the LTP but other sources of funding will include the Department for Transport (DfT), the County Council (as the local Highway Authority), Eastleigh Borough Council and the private sector.

The HATS will respond to policy changes at national, countywide and local levels. Updated measures and public consultations will be undertaken as schemes progress. If you would like to know more about the HATS, or any of the schemes included in this document, then please write to the following:

Head of Transport Planning

Hampshire County Council

County Surveyor's Department

The Castle

Winchester

SO23 8UD

E_mail: [email protected]

APPENDIX

Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review)

Although the County Structure Plan (Review) recognises that road transport will be the dominant mode of transport for the foreseeable future, it recognises that it is neither feasible nor environmentally desirable to try to meet future levels of demand by road improvements alone. It is stated that it is no longer acceptable to expand road capacity to simply to meet peak hour demand for road space.

Policies relating to the Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review)

T16 Where appropriate, land for the following major transportation schemes will be safeguarded in the Southampton Strategy Area:

· Bus-based park-and-ride in Nursling, Windhover and Stoneham areas

· A Southampton area cycle network

· To commence the construction of the South Hampshire mainly track-based public transport system utilising the railway line from Fareham to Woolston then via Itchen Bridge to Southampton City Centre.

Borough of Eastleigh Local Plan

83.T In accordance with Policy T16 of the Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review), where appropriate land for the following major transport schemes will be safeguarded for implementation:

v. the South Hampshire track-based public transport system utilising the railway line from Fareham to Woolston which runs through Bursledon, Hamble and Netley. Land will be safeguarded for Park and ride at Windhover.

vi.

83.T Land safeguarded for car park at Hamble station.

84.T The following Local Transport Plan proposals will be permitted and in appropriate circumstances developer contributions will be sought to support their implementation:

Bursledon, Hound and Hamble

· Long Lane - School Safety Zone (Bursledon Infants and Junior School)

· Dodwell Lane - Traffic calming and pedestrian improvements

· Hamble Village Centre - parking management/improved facilities for public transport

· Hamble Lane/Portsmouth Road - corridor/junction improvements

· Grange Road/Woolston Road - junction improvements

· Grange Road/Portsmouth Road - junction improvements

Eastleigh Quality Bus Partnership. To include roadside infrastructure improvements plus bus priority and/or junction improvements at the following congestion points on routes ... 29/29A: Hamble Lane/Portsmouth Road

85.T The development of park and ride car parks within strategic gaps or the countryside will only be permitted if a comprehensive Transport and Environmental Impact Assessment, which outlines all the potential costs and benefits associated with the scheme accompanies the planning application and the Council is satisfied that it can be conclusively demonstrated that the transport and environmental benefits outweigh adverse effects.

87.T Improved interchange facilities at other local rail stations, including appropriate increases in parking, will be permitted providing the improvements are justified within the context of a Transport Assessment associated with the proposed re-development.

Related Proposals in the Warsash and Swanwick Areas

Shore Road, Warsash, Regeneration of Older Urban Areas (ROUA) Scheme

The lower end of Shore Road and the waterfront at Warsash are of significant townscape, nature conservation and historic interest. The area is protected by many national and international designations, including Conservation Area status.

However, there is a need to improve the quality of the streetscape, give much higher priority to pedestrians along the waterfront area, facilitate safer access to boats and trailers, and reduce the impact of car parking on local people by improving the use of existing facilities. The ROUA scheme will therefore remove extraneous traffic from the waterfront area by reversing the one way system and carrying out associated high quality environmental improvements. Accommodation work has started and the main implementation phase commenced in early September. The scheme provides an extension to previous improvement work funded by the ROUA programme and contributes to the partnership working with the Crown Estate.

The Hard, Lands End Road, Bursledon - ROUA Scheme

The site is a public hard, one of the relatively few points of access on this stretch of the Hamble's west bank, located within the Old Bursledon Conservation Area. It has an attractive setting and is popular with local people as a quiet viewing area as well as for launching dinghies, but is let down by poor quality concrete retaining walls and site furniture. Maintenance of the area is also an issue, and there is concern that the hard should not be used by larger river craft. The site adjoins Hackett's Marsh, a salt marsh and Site of Special Scientific Interest, and there is concern that the existing unsightly boundary fence is improved without prejudicing security there.

The proposals include the provision of an upgraded sitting area with improved access, low key information panels, replacement of concrete kerbs and surfacing with natural stone, and replacement of retaining wall with local brick and timber to a more sympathetic form. The potential for re-surfacing of the slipway, to suit dinghy users only, is currently being discussed with the Environment Agency.

Cycle Network

The Fareham cycle network includes a proposed route along the eastern shoreline of the River Hamble, following the Solent Way from the river entrance, past Shore Road and northwards to join the A27 Bridge Road in the vicinity of Swanwick Shore Road, Lower Swanwick. This route would provide excellent access for cyclists to this area. Adjoining sections of the proposed cycle network connect the route to Warsash, Locks Heath and Hill Head.

A review and priority assessment of the cycle strategies and networks for the boroughs in the South East Hampshire Transportation (SEHT) Strategy area has recently commenced. This review will assess routes against a set of criteria in order to establish their relative justification and ranking. The outcome of this work will be reported to the SEHT panel, with an initial report to members for their consideration in November 2002. The priority of the Hamble River route will be considered as part of this study.

Hamble Estuary Management Plan 2002-2007

The Hamble Estuary Management Plan (EMP) is one of a portfolio of plans being prepared by the Harbour Authority for the sustainable management of the estuary. It owes its origins to a national initiative led by English Nature during the 1990s which encouraged all the authorities and agencies, and user groups and environmental bodies, to work together to produce broadly-based management plans for estuaries, particularly where conflicts of interest were apparent.

Following extensive public consultation, including stakeholder meetings and workshops, the Harbour Authority produced a revised draft EMP for final consultation in April 2002. The EMP covers the following topics:

_ Planning and development

_ Harbour management

_ Coastal protection and defence

_ Environmental quality

_ Nature conservation

_ Access to the countryside and protection of landscape and heritage

It lists issues, aims, policies and action under the following headings:

_ Nature conservation

_ Recreation

_ Shore development

_ Navigation

_ Fishing and bait digging

_ Moorings

_ Farming

_ Landscape

_ Archaeology

_ Physical processes

_ Pollution and water quality

There are also sections on Monitoring and Evaluation; Implementation; and Evaluation (against principles of coastal zone management), and there are appendices on Responsibilities within the Coastal Zone; Habitats and Species; and Nature Conservation Legislation.

The EMP process has been guided by a steering group comprising more than 20 organisations representing a wide range of interests. It is expected that this steering group will continue to meet, to guide implementation of the EMP.

Integrated Access Strategy for Tourism

In Eastleigh Borough Council's Tourism Strategy, the Hamble valley (which is marketed as `The Strawberry Coast') is considered to be the Borough's main attraction. The strategy recognises the maritime heritage and history of the area, and aims to promote more events along the riverside to complement those taking place on the water. The strategy is linked to the integrated access project led by the County Council, which seeks to improve walking routes and public transport services, including the introduction of a river bus service.

JJ/13/15/4

2 October 2002