Contact: Peter Eade, tel 01256 360093

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines:

(i) progress with the 2002/03 Under £10,000 Minor Works Capital programme; and

(ii) proposed schemes for the 2003/04 Under £10,000 Minor Works Capital programme.

Members are requested to prioritise the schemes for implementation, subject to budget.

2. Background

2.1 The Under £10,000 Minor Works Capital Programme is funded from the Capital Programme allocations from the Department for Transport, based on the Local Transport Plan submission. During the 2002/03 financial year the Under £10,000 budget for county-wide was in the region of £300,000. Although budgets have not yet been finalised for the 2003/04 financial year, it is anticipated that the budget will be set at a similar level to that of the previous year.

Members will recall that the Under £10,000 programme can only achieve a limited impact to the local infrastructure, but schemes can, and do, benefit local communities by assisting with mobility and safety on the highway.

3. Progress with the 2002/03 Under £10,000 Capital Works Programme

3.1 The total allocation for Basingstoke Borough for 2002/03 is £40,000. The schemes identified for the programme were:

Basingstoke Rural

(i) Junction of Harts Lane and the old A34 slip road at Burghclere - closing up of disused section of road with minor junction improvements - completed.

(ii) Junction of Well Street and Harts Lane at Burghclere - changing priorities at the crossroad junction - completed.

Basingstoke Town

(i) Great Binfields Road - new footways - completed.

(ii) Kenilworth Road - new footways - completed.

4. 2003/04 Under £10,000 Minor Works Capital Programme

4.1 The Under £10,000 programme has historically been very popular, with demand for schemes greatly exceeding the funds available. The funding allocation for Basingstoke for 2003/04 is anticipated to be in the region of £30,000 to £40,000, but is subject to final confirmation. This level of funding will allow either three or four schemes to be implemented across the Basingstoke Borough during the financial year.

4.2 The attached appendix details the current Under £10,000 schemes that are in the rolling programme for Basingstoke. All schemes in the appendix have had a set of ranking criteria based on the benefits of the scheme applied to them. The schemes have then historically been placed in a priority order.

4.3 For 2003/04 it is anticipated that there will be a change to the scheme selection process. Members are therefore invited to recommend to the Chief Engineer and his staff, their preference and priority ranking for the schemes to be included in the 2003/04 programme. Schemes that can be implemented will be subject to the final funding allocation for Basingstoke.

Recommendation

That the Panel determines a priority ranking for the Under £10,000 schemes for the 2003/04 programme and the Chief Engineer be advised of the 2003/04 scheme ranking.

7900/PE