Contacts:

Brian Marsden (Transport), ext 6346 email: [email protected]

Paul Archer (Waste Management), ext 7022 email: [email protected]

Chris Williams (Planning) ext 6720 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

(i) That the revised Transport Capital Programme for 2003/04 be approved as set out in Appendix 3, subject to a review later in the financial year, which will examine whether the forecast spend in 2003/04 can be accommodated within the financial resources identified. If not, then part of the 2003/04 starts programme may need to be deferred.

(ii) That Sections 2a, 3 and 4 of the A3 Bus Priority Corridor not be constructed prior to the outcome of a bid to the Department for Transport for major scheme funding being known.

(iii) That progress on the Transport Capital Programmes for 2002/03 and 2003/04, as set out in Appendices 1 and 2, be noted.

(iv) That progress on the Waste Management Capital Programme be noted.

(v) That progress on the Regeneration of Older Urban Areas Programme be noted.

(vi) That progress on the Country Towns Initiative Programme be noted.

2. Reason

2.1 The 2003/04 Transport Capital Programme amendments, set out in Appendix 4, are proposed to reflect known slippage in the programme, increased costs on some schemes and additional Developer funded projects that have entered the programme after the report to the Executive Member dated 24 June 2003. The proposed programme for 2003/04 anticipates that a proportion of the spending will not be incurred until 2004/05 or later. Should spending forecasts for 2003/04 from this year's programme or commitments from previous years' programmes increase then it may be necessary to defer contractually uncommitted schemes from the 2003/04 programme.

2.2 The outcome of a bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) for major scheme funding on the A3 Bus Priority Corridor has still not been received despite earlier indications from the DfT and Government Office for the South-East (GOSE) that a decision was likely during the first half of 2003. The delay in receiving a decision has significant impact on programming for the remainder of the Capital Programme for 2003/04.

2.3 To accommodate growing scheme commitments made within the 2002/03 and 2003/04 programmes it is proposed that the A3 roadworks continue to the end of the current phase (2b), after which the project will be reviewed in line with funding availability.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 The 2003/04 Transport Capital Programme amendments result largely from deferring future works on the A3 Bus Priority scheme (pending a decision by the DfT on major scheme funding), known slippage in the programme and/or from increased costs with ongoing and completed projects. Full details are set out in Appendix 4.

3.2If construction on the A3 Bus Priority scheme was to progress beyond Section 2b without DfT major scheme funding, it would mean that significant adjustments to the 2003/04 Capital Programme would be required, with reductions equal in value to £3 million on project starts within the Transport Strategy Areas/countywide programmes, such as Safer Routes to School, Casualty Reduction and Rural Partnerships. Even without further A3 commitments, the 2003/04 revised starts programme level of £11.4 million gives a theoretical over-programming of £6 million (ie if everything in the programme were to be delivered in 2003/04). As construction takes place on a rolling programme it is forecast that much of this spending will actually fall into 2004/05 and beyond with many projects starting late into 2003/04 and spanning over into 2004/05. Further A3 commitments in 2003/04 would also bring a dramatic reduction in the funding available for new schemes to start in 2004/05.

3.3 It is proposed that the programme be reviewed early in January 2004 when the 2004/05 Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement has been received (anticipated late December 2003), or sooner if the result of the A3 major scheme bid is known. Should spending forecasts for 2003/04 from this year's programme, or commitments from previous years' programmes increase, then it may be necessary to defer any uncommitted schemes from the 2003/04 programme.

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. Transport Capital Programme Background

Proposed Revised 2003/04 Programme

7.1 The programme for 2003/04 is proposed to be amended to incorporate schemes slipping into 2004/05, some increased costs on projects already in the 2003/04 programme and additional Developer and District Council funded schemes (major changes are detailed in Section 8 of this report and a complete list of changes is attached as Appendix 4).

Spending Plan for 2003/04

7.2 A total capital resource of £15.9 million, made up of £14.4 million from the LTP settlement and £1.5 million from Local Resources brought forward from 2002/03, is available for integrated transport in 2003/04. There is currently a total committed expenditure of £8.4 million for delivery of schemes in the pre 2003/04 programmes, which includes the A3 Bus Priority Scheme (up to and including Section 2b), the 2003/04 programme, and advance land purchase for 2004/05 schemes. It is proposed that the balance of £7.5 million will be spent on schemes within the revised 2003/04 programme and scheme preparation for future years' programmes. Expenditure will be monitored and carefully controlled to ensure the overall resource is not exceeded. The next review report is proposed for January 2004 which may need to recommend further adjustments, particularly if the A3 major scheme bid remains unresolved.

7.3 The above spending plan includes committed expenditure for works on the A3 Bus Priority Corridor (Sections 1 and 2b) and preparation costs for Sections 2a, 3 and 4.

8. Changes to the 2003/04 Transport Capital Programme

8.1 A3 Bus Priority Corridor

8.1.1 The outcome of the bid to the DfT for major scheme funding is still awaited and the delay is having a significant effect on the project and capital programme. The DfT has not said when the result will be available but it now seems possible that this will take months, not weeks, to resolve.

Due to this uncertainty the main factors affecting the options available (described in the previous Transport Capital Programme report) have been considered further so that short-term issues can be dealt with now and contingencies prepared for the possible outcomes of the bid being successful or not. The options are:

(i) stop completely after Section 2b roadworks are complete;

(ii) maintain the project at a lower expenditure, delivered over a longer period;

(iii) complete up to and including Section 3, review or defer works further north;

(iv) as (iii) but with Section 3 reduced in scale.

8.1.2 Roadwork Commitments to Date

The highway works for Section 2b should continue until early 2004 using funding already allocated in the 2003/04 Capital Programme. While there is an aim to provide the contractor with continuous work under the contract, a three month gap was included between sections to cater for programme changes, etc. Therefore, it is not necessary to make a decision about the continuance of the construction contract before the end of 2003.

8.1.3 Design Commitments

The detailed design of Section 2a Purbrook Village is now complete and parts of the Section 3 Waterlooville detailed design are being concentrated on so that they are completed by the end of 2003. These are being completed using funding allocated for the project design in 2003/04 and will provide new work for the contractor if funding is secured. Further design work can be progressed as soon as the funding and project have been determined and reviewed.

8.1.4 Programme Commitments

The late resolution of the major scheme bid has already caused some delay to the overall project programme, but it may be possible to regain some of this in the future by accelerating work on the remaining sections. If the funding causes a significant change to the remainder of the project then the programme will be revised accordingly.

8.1.5 Project Commitments

Section 2a Purbrook Village has been designed to meet the quality and integration requirements for the A3 Corridor. Because of highway constraints, these are predominantly environmental enhancements, with little bus priority benefit. It will not proceed until funding has been determined and will form part of the project review when the bid result is known.

Significant time and resources have been spent investigating and developing a public transport interchange and town centre improvements in Waterlooville as part of Section 3 of the A3 Corridor. Various ways of achieving the preferred design have been worked up but some have technical problems that cannot be overcome in the current timeframe, and all estimated costs exceed the anticipated budget as allowed for in the major scheme bid. Therefore, a smaller scheme is being developed to meet the expected budget, concentrating on providing value for money bus priority measures. The full scheme will still be designed so that the smaller is compatible with it and can be expanded in the future with minimal effort, when additional funding becomes available for the town centre improvements.

The smaller scheme will itself be developed in several parts so that it can be further reviewed when the actual budget for Section 3 has been determined. This will be based on a priority list of value for money measures for public transport, which will also be used to review the remaining Sections north of Waterlooville.

8.1.6 Minimisation of Costs until the Bid Result is known

It is proposed that only those commitments that already have Capital Programme funding for 2003/04 will continue as programmed. These will allow construction work to continue until early 2004, likewise design work, so that construction can continue in 2004 if funding permits. Hence no further decisions relating to the project are needed at this time.

8.1.7 Bid Result

If funding is secured the project programme can be picked up again and ways considered to accelerate it, if necessary. If the funding is less than the bid, the remainder of the project will be reviewed and agreed before new commitments are made. Should funding not be received, it is likely that the project in its current guise will cease in early 2004, the project review will be much more onerous and may lead to sections of the corridor being considered for the next LTP.

The project can continue until early 2004 before it becomes critical to know the bid outcome, which is after the 2004/05 settlement date. It seems very likely that the outcome will be known by then, but if that is not the case, then the project review will have to be undertaken assuming that there is no major scheme funding.

8.2 Casualty Reduction Programme - Fishers Pond Junction

8.2.1A pre-tender project out-turn estimate of £500,000 has been prepared, following completion of utility company diversionary works on site, and final modifications to the detailed design completed. Additional design fees, contingencies, utility diversionary costs and site supervision fees have increased the estimated out-turn by £50,000 from the previous estimate reported to the Executive Member in June 2003.

8.2.2 The roadworks contract is currently out to tender with an anticipated start programmed for late autumn. The gap in time between the utility works and main contract is designed to minimise the impact to traffic visiting Marwell Zoo during the summer peak.

8.3 Havant Bus Station

8.3.1 Design work is continuing on Havant Bus Station which will provide a quality facility with indoor waiting areas and real-time information systems. It is estimated that scheme preparation work will not be completed until early 2004 and accordingly the scheme has been deleted from the 2003/04 programme and added to the 2004/05 programme.

8.4 Park and Ride, Winchester - Phase II

8.4.1 Construction commenced in June 2003 and works have progressed well through the exceptionally beneficial dry conditions. Programmed completion is 15 December 2003. The construction work has been the subject of considerable protestor activity, requiring additional works and site security measures. This has resulted in an increased out-turn cost. A detailed report on this project will be presented to the Executive Member for Policy and Resources later in the year.

9. Waste Management Capital Programme 2003/04

Summary

9.1 The waste management capital programme is broken down into three main areas of expenditure:

(i) development of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs);

(ii) a programme of environmental control schemes at landfill sites, locally resourced and supported by Supplementary Credit Approval (SCA); and

(iii) the redevelopment of the Efford landfill site.

Household Waste Recycling Centres

9.2 In 1999/00 a sum of £800,000 was allocated for the development of HWRCs and a further £820,000 was funded in 2000/01. This was intended to cover the replacement or redevelopment of six key sites. In practice it only proved possible to fund three main projects at Alton, Alresford and Segensworth.

9.3 In 2002/03 the Cabinet agreed to a permanent capital programme of £300,000 to further fund essential redevelopments. The capital programme for 2002/03 and subsequent years has been earmarked for the relocation of the Winchester HWRC from Garnier Road to Bar End. The costs of the relocation will be directly related to the final Bar End scheme specification.

9.4 In the short term, increasingly urgent issues at Hayling Island and Casbrook will be addressed within the HWRC strategy review that has recently commenced. This review will look at opportunities to take the service forward, including the potential for resource parks and the acceptance of commercial waste.

Landfill Sites

9.5 A programme of environmental control schemes at landfill sites, including Buriton and Casbrook, has been prepared for 2003/04 totalling some £100,000. It is anticipated that the works, which largely centre around pollution control and site monitoring, will be funded from successful SCA applications. SCA proposals beyond 2003/04 are less certain at this stage. In view of this, a notional £100,000 has been included for the final three years of the programme.

9.6 The locally resourced capital provision totals £59,000. A programme of works at Casbrook, Bramshill, Somerley and Buriton will be funded from this source.

9.7 Although discretionary, a further sum of £100,000 could be spent from locally resourced funding on a range of different projects that would help reduce potential legal challenges, make better use of revenue funds and utilise landfill gas options, leading to the generation of new income streams.

Efford Landfill Site

9.8 Major pollution control works were undertaken at Efford landfill site during 2002/03 at a cost of £2.7 million, which was funded by SCA. The overall pollution management scheme comprised three specific projects:

(i) Bentonite slurry cut-off wall, capping and restoration works in phases 1, 2 and 3. A large majority of the works was completed at the end of October 2002, and only weather-related items are outstanding.

(ii) A leachate treatment plant was constructed between August and December 2002 and the plant fully commissioned in February 2002.

(iii) Installation of leachate and gas extraction/control infrastructure in phases 1, 2 and 3 commenced in August 2002 and was partially completed when weather conditions prevented further works.

9.9 The remaining works for the three specific pollution management scheme projects will be completed during 2003/04 at a cost of £800,000, fully funded from SCA. Works to be carried out include agricultural preparation works and grass seeding in phases 1 and 3, complete drainage works, installation of gas and leachate extraction systems in phases 1 and 2 and the provision of a permanent landfill gas flare. Ongoing site monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the pollution control works will also be undertaken during 2003/04.

10. Planning Capital Programme 2003/05

10.1 The programme for the Regeneration of Older Urban Areas for the two years 2003/05 totalling £1,917,000 was approved by the Executive Member for Environment on 23 July 2003, and the projects detailed in the report are now progressing according to plan.

11. Country Towns Initiative Programme 2003/04

11.1 The £250,000 Country Towns Initiative programme for 2003/04 was approved by the Executive Member for Environment on 24 June 2003, and the projects detailed in the report are progressing according to the programme. A report for the 2004/06 programme will be prepared for future consideration.

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