Contact: Peter Syddall, ext 6050

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That work on further developing the Totton town centre proposals be undertaken during 2003, including the formulation of a phased programme for the improvements, and that progress on this work be reported to the next meeting of the South West Hampshire Transportation Panel.

2. Reason

2.1 The town centre proposals have been jointly prepared by Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council. They have been the subject of extensive consultation and have received widespread support. The consultations have identified detailed matters and issues that now require further assessment as part of the next stages of developing the proposals. The report to the meeting of the South West Hampshire Transportation Panel on 4 March 2003 on the town centre proposals is attached as an appendix.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 None. The local authorities are agreed that improvements for the town centre are needed and this was supported by the response to the public consultations.

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

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APPENDIX

Contact: Peter Syddall, ext 6050

1. Summary

1.1 Improvement proposals for Totton town centre have been the subject of extensive consultation over the last two years, culminating in an exhibition and the publication of draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) in September 2002. The overall response to the consultation and SPG was very positive, with good support for the proposals generally. However, there were some specific issues and proposals of concern. A special meeting of Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council Members in January 2003 considered the outcomes of the consultation. The meeting affirmed clear support for the vision for the town centre and confirmed those issues that required further assessment as part of the subsequent stages of developing the proposals.

1.2 This report summarises the background to the consultation and its outcomes and suggests further development of the proposals for the town centre and the preparation of the SPG for adoption by New Forest District Council.

2. Background

2.1 Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council have been working together over the last two years on proposed improvements for Totton town centre, including the area commonly referred to as `Old Totton'. These proposals bring together environmental, economic and traffic management planning in a comprehensive plan to provide long-term guidance for the regeneration of Totton. The proposals will guide investment from the Local Transport Plan (LTP), New Forest District Council and town council funding and the County Council's Regeneration of Older Urban Areas (ROUA) programme. The proposals represent a package of measures for the short, medium and longer term. A location plan is attached.

2.2 The proposals were the subject of public consultation during September 2002. The consultation took the form of a public exhibition and the publication of a draft SPG, the "Totton Town Centre Urban Design Framework". The adoption of the Framework as supplementary guidance to the New Forest District Local Plan will help in ensuring a consistent approach to planning decisions and also identifying opportunities for development that will benefit the town. Totton and Eling Town Council has given its formal views on the proposals following a meeting of its Planning and Transportation Advisory Committee on 20 November 2002.

2.3 The public exhibition was well attended and a large number of the questionnaires available at the exhibition were returned. The Urban Design Framework was distributed to various organisations and made available at the exhibition and was also accompanied by a comments form. Responses to the questionnaires indicated strong overall support for the vision and objectives of the proposed improvements. However, there were concerns about some specific aspects of the proposals.

2.4 The results and conclusions from these consultations were discussed informally at a special meeting of Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council Members on 28 January 2003. The meeting affirmed clear support for the overall vision and concept for the town centre, and confirmed the main issues that required further investigation and assessment as part of the next stages of developing the proposals. Members were pleased with the good working partnership that had been established between the three authorities. The minutes of the special meeting are attached as an appendix.

3. Public Consultation

3.1 The report to the special meeting on 28 January 2003, available in the Members' Room, includes as appendices:

(i) a full report on the feedback from the exhibition held in September 2003 and the publication of the Urban Design Framework;

(ii) the comments of Totton and Eling Town Council; and

(iii) a questionnaire distributed by a local councillor.

3.2 There was clear support for the overall vision, demonstrated through the responses to the exhibition questionnaire and general agreement that the proposals met the objectives.

Key Issues Raised and Responses to those Issues

3.3 The main issues to emerge through the comments received relate to:

(i) loss of parking, both on-street and off-street;

(ii) the ability of the new Salisbury Road-Ringwood Road link and modified Asda roundabout to cater for the traffic flows;

(iii) traffic management proposals in the Testwood Lane area and possible need for other measures elsewhere;

(iv) delays to all road users caused by the railway level crossing; and

(v) control of heavy goods vehicles.

Parking

3.4 Key elements of the proposals are intended to:

(i) offer opportunities to provide a better and wider range of shops;

(ii) improve the town centre environment for pedestrians;

(iii) provide space to walk and spend time; and

(iv) reduce conflicts with moving and parking vehicles.

It is not possible to achieve significant improvements to the town centre environment without the loss of some parking spaces.

3.5 The on- and off-street parking proposals will provide sufficient spaces to meet observed daytime peak demands. In addition, through management and making more provision for short term spaces close to the centre, the efficient uses of spaces will be improved. It is recognised that in the evenings there is likely to be a need for some parking on-street to meet the demands of, and promote social activities in, the town centre.

3.6 It is suggested that, as part of progressing the proposals, a parking strategy should be developed for the town centre in accordance with the above aspirations and the emerging New Forest District Traffic Management Strategy.

New Link Road and Asda Roundabout

3.7 Several comments were made through the consultations expressing concerns or doubts that the link road, and Asda roundabout in particular, would function satisfactorily and cater for future traffic volumes.

3.8 The town centre road network, including the Asda roundabout, is likely to continue to experience peak period congestion under present traffic conditions. The Asda roundabout can be designed so that its operation is consistent with the standard of the overall network.

3.9 It is recognised that further technical appraisals will be necessary to confirm the satisfactory performance of the town centre road network, including the Asda roundabout, before approval for implementation of the link road. It is recommended that this design work be undertaken as part of the development of the town centre proposals.

Traffic Management Proposals

3.10 There were many respondents to the consultation that did not support one-way proposals over part of Testwood Lane. There are also the issues of ensuring adequate access to the Fire Station for staff and the potential for north-bound rat-running. Concerns over the potential for extraneous traffic to use other roads such as Water Lane, Westfield Road and Rose Road have also been raised.

3.11 It is suggested that consideration be given to the need for additional or modified traffic management measures to address these issues as part of the next stages of developing the proposals.

Railway Level Crossing

3.12 The railway crossing is seen by many residents as being a major problem for traffic flows in the town. A bridge or tunnel has been considered but this solution would undermine a key element of the town centre strategy - not encouraging through traffic. Such a scheme would have a dramatic physical and environmental impact on Junction Road and Maynard Road, involving property demolition and significantly altering the character of the town centre. Fundamentally, it would be highly unlikely to gain funding from Central Government. An option of a bridge in the Brokenford Lane area would have a similar major impact, be of high cost and unlikely to secure the multi-million pound funding required.

3.13 Whilst the disruption to traffic flows in the town caused by the crossing is recognised, it is considered there is no real prospect of a solution through major construction. The town centre proposals will seek to discourage through traffic and promote options for walking, cycling and public transport, which all aim to reduce the present traffic demands on Junction Road.

3.14 At the special meeting on 28 January 2003, Members generally agreed that the provision of a bridge or tunnel for traffic was not a viable proposal. In addition, Members drew attention to the need to evaluate further the options for ensuring adequate pedestrian and cycle access across the railway, particularly opportunities to improve facilities close to the Junction Road level crossing.

Control of Heavy Goods Vehicles

3.15 Concerns were expressed during the consultations about the movement of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The restrictions proposed for the town centre will significantly reduce the through movement of commercial vehicles. However, there is a need to ensure that these vehicles do not use unsuitable routes, potentially through residential areas, as an alternative.

3.16 It is suggested that, as part of progressing the proposals, a strategy for the management and control of HGV movements in and around the town centre be developed.

4. Funding

4.1 Totton and Eling Town Council has sought reassurances that funding will be secured for the town centre proposals, and that early progress will be made on a phased implementation programme.

4.2 On 24 January 2003 the Executive Member for Environment considered the proposed revised transport capital programme in light of the LTP settlement letter received in December 2002. The revised programme for the South West Hampshire Transport Strategy area is considered elsewhere on the agenda. The programme includes Totton town centre within the pool of schemes to be considered for 2004/05 onwards. It is recommended that the town centre improvements be given priority consideration, in view of the strong support they have received from the local community and authorities. Contributions towards the cost of the proposals should be sought in association with proposed development and other funding opportunities, as appropriate.

5. Conclusions

5.1 There is clear support for the Town Centre Vision and the need for the Urban Design Framework to be in place. However, there are concerns about several detailed aspects of the proposals. Many of these can be examined further through the subsequent stages of developing the town centre proposals. In particular, there is a need to:

(i) examine the overall parking provision as part of a strategy for the town centre and surrounding area;

(ii) develop a strategy for controlling HGVs;

(iii) examine the most appropriate traffic management measures for Testwood Lane and other areas identified through the consultation process;

(iv) undertake further traffic assessments;

(v) evaluate further the options for pedestrian and cycle crossing provision over the railway; and

(vi) take note of other detailed comments made through the consultations as the proposals are taken forward.

6. Way Forward

6.1 It is proposed that during 2003 the town centre proposals should be examined in light of the issues considered above, a phased programme be formulated and elements of the proposals be developed as the first part of this programme. This next stage will involve further assessments, design work and related consultations. It is suggested that the proposals for the town centre be put forward for funding through the capital programme for 2004/05 onwards. It should be noted that New Forest District Council has allocated funding of £100,000 during 2003/04 towards the town centre improvements and will seek to retain this allocation for future use.

6.2 In light of the representations received and of the commentary on the representations above and those detailed in the report on the consultations, it is appropriate that New Forest District Council now revises the Urban Design Framework before adopting it as SPG. It is proposed to present a revised version of the document to the District Council's Cabinet on 2 April 2003.

6.3 In spring 2003 a start on improvements in Old Totton will be able to be made through the ROUA programme, with a further stage, subject to the approval of the Executive Member for Environment, towards the end of the year. Plans and details of the ROUA improvements will be presented at the meeting.

Recommendations

1. That the results of the consultations on the Totton Town Centre Improvement proposals and the overall support for the vision be noted.

2. That the Executive Member for Environment be advised that the Panel requests that work on developing the proposals further be undertaken during 2003, including the formulation of a phased programme for the improvements, and that progress on this work be reported to the next meeting of the Panel.

3. That the town centre transport improvements be put forward for funding through the capital programme for 2004/05 onwards, and that other sources of funding be pursued as appropriate.

4. That New Forest District Council be requested to adopt the Urban Design Framework as Supplementary Planning Guidance, amended in light of the representations received.

5. That Totton and Eling Town Council be thanked for its continuing support and participation in the development of the proposals.

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