Archived decisions

Contact: Jim Soutar, ext 6049 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 On 24 June 2003 the Executive Member for Environment considered a report on the indicative programmes for the Integrated Transport Capital Programme for 2004/05 and 2005/06. He has requested that reports be presented to both the Environment Policy Review Committee and the 10 Area Transportation Panels to allow Members to consider priorities for inclusion in the Integrated Transport programmes from 2004/05.

1.2 Once the Department for Transport's (DfT) settlement letter is received in December 2003, which will include the funding available for 2004/05, the comments made by the Committee and the Panels will be considered so that proposals can be prepared for a firm 2004/05 programme and provisional programmes for 2005/06 and beyond. These will be submitted to the Executive Member for Environment and Policy Review Committee in January 2004.

2. Background

2.1 The County Council's transport schemes are primarily funded by Government, either through specific grant and credit approvals, (for schemes costing over £5 million), or through the general allocation of credit approvals in the Local Transport Settlement, (for schemes costing less than £5 million). Additional funding is also available for specific schemes from external bodies, primarily contributions associated with major new development. These schemes are included in the capital programme when it is anticipated that the external funding (EF) will be available and a scheme is sufficiently developed for implementation. In some cases schemes may comprise both EF and Government funding.

2.2 The Annual Progress Report (APR) on the Local Transport Plan (LTP), which included an ongoing transport capital programme, was submitted to the DfT on 31 July 2003. Although the County Council is exempt from the APR and LTP processes because of its `Excellence' status, it was submitted so that the DfT can assess performance and award resources on the basis of that assessment.

2.3 At present the County Council has indicative allocations only on the likely funding available in 2004/05 and 2005/06. These suggest that it is reasonable for planning purposes to prepare new start programmes at a level of £12 million for 2004/05, (for LTP funding), and £13 million in 2005/06. The period beyond 2005/06 falls in the next five year LTP period, with funding less certain.

2.4 Thus any comments made by Policy Review Committee or the Area Transport Panels which would require increased levels of funding, whether for additional or advancement of schemes or programmes, will have to be balanced by appropriate adjustments to the remainder of the programme unless additional funding were to be found.

2.5 The Proposed Capital Programme for 2003/04 to 2006/07 and the Revised Integrated Transport Programme for 2002/03 was reported to Policy Review Committee on 22 January 2003 and the Executive Member for Environment on 24 January 2003. The Executive Member requested that all LTP funded schemes not included in either the 2002/03 or 2003/04 Capital Programmes be reassessed for inclusion in future programmes.

3. Five Year Local Transport Plan Programme 2001/02 to 2005/06

3.1 Summaries of expenditure for the whole of the five year LTP programme are shown in Appendices 1 and 2. Those for 2001/02 and 2002/03 are actual figures and those for 2003/04 to 2005/06 are forecasts based upon programmes currently approved by the Executive Member for Environment. Appendix 1 shows expenditure for the area strategies and county-wide programmes, and Appendix 2 shows investment in terms of specific policy areas, such as supporting buses, cycling, etc. Since some schemes are not completed within the initial programme year, the figures are not comparable with those shown in Appendices 4 to 14, which show starts values.

3.2 Appendices 1 and 2 have been included to allow Policy Review Committee to consider the overall shape of the programme in terms of area strategies and specific policy areas.

4. Scheme Assessment Process

4.1 The scheme assessment requested by the Executive Member has been carried out by officers to take into account a variety of factors to fulfil DfT and County Council objectives. There is a degree of synergy between these and the manner in which they have been collated under the five headings of Environment, Safety, Economy, Accessibility and Integration is shown in Appendix 3.

4.2 For the purpose of the assessment process Accessibility was sub-divided into (a) social inclusion and (b) access to transport, and Integration was sub-divided into (a) public transport and (b) walking and cycling. Thus under the general heading of Objectives there are eight headings, each of which has been given points between 1 and 5 for individual schemes.

4.3 Other considerations, which comprise value for money, deliverability/ engagement, local priority and contribution to modal shift have been assessed in a similar manner. With a total of 12 factors to be considered, each scheme therefore has a theoretical maximum score of 60.

4.4 No weighting has been applied to the various objectives. The results should not be taken as a definitive prioritisation method as factors such as feasibility, relative cost and issues, etc. are all relevant to final prioritisation.

4.5 The points totals for individual schemes have been included in the appendices showing the draft capital programmes for each of the ten LTP areas. The positions of schemes within LTP area programmes are also shown. However, inevitably there are some apparent anomalies relating to points scored compared with a particular scheme's position in the programmes, and consequently appropriate notes have been included in the appendices.

5. Draft Programmes for 2004/05 and 2005/06

5.1 Draft programmes for 2004/05, 2005/06 and beyond for each of the ten LTP areas are shown in Appendices 4 to 13. These programmes have been drawn up almost entirely from schemes previously approved by the Panels. The most prominent exceptions are proposals for contributions towards Decriminalised Parking Enforcement, which are considered a high priority by the relevant district councils. Additional priority has also been given to bus related schemes which support the County Council's Public Service Agreement targets, which require an increase in bus use of 10% between 2000 and 2010, together with improvements in punctuality and reliability.

5.2 Feasibility work for a scheme at the Harestock Corner (Stockbridge Lane/Salters Lane) junction will be progressed so that the scheme can be added to the 2004/2005 capital programme. While developer funding is available, it is likely that additional LTP funding will be required. The scheme is to be implemented in connection with recently completed housing developments.

5.3 The Area Appendices also show schemes which, although rated, have not been included in either the draft 2004/05 or 2005/06 programmes. It is suggested that the Area Panels consider their top (typically three), priorities for inclusion in a pool of schemes for early development for future years' programmes.

5.4 The A3 bus priority scheme has been submitted as a bid for funding as a major scheme. A decision on that bid was expected in 2002, however, at the time of writing, no decision had been made by Government. If the major scheme bid is successful then it will not be necessary to consider stopping the project or making financial provisions in the Capital Programme for it to continue. If, however, the bid is only partially successful (ie only part of the 2003/04 and future costs are funded) then the impact to the project on the 2003/04 and future years' programmes will have to be reassessed. The 2003/04 programme is being reviewed by the Executive Member for Environment on 16 September 2003. Should it subsequently be necessary to amend this programme, any schemes that may be deferred will be assessed by the Area Transportation Panels.

5.5 In addition to the ten Area Transportation Programmes, there are county-wide programmes concerned with particular policy areas, eg pedestrian crossings and safer routes to school. Although they have not been rated as described in section 4, the provisional budgets for 2004/05 and 2005/06 have been included as Appendix 5 for completeness.

5.6 The draft Pedestrian Crossings Programme for 2004/05 was approved by the Executive Member for Environment on 24 June 2003, and these have been included in the relevant Area Transportation appendices for information.

5.7 The Safer Routes to School Programme was also approved by the Executive Member for Environment on 24 June 2003. This covers both 2003/04 and 2004/05, and each scheme will be progressed once a School Travel Plan has been approved by the County Council. Schools on this provisional list have been included in the relevant Area Transportation appendices for information.

5.8 Environment Policy Review Committee of 3 September resolution was as follows:

That the Executive Member for Environment be advised:

(i) of the Committee's views relating to expenditure devoted to the various area strategies and specific policy areas, for consideration in formulating future Local Transport Plan programmes;

(ii) that the Committee expressed enthusiasm for Safer Routes to School schemes and School Travel Plans; and

(iii) that the Committee recommend that (ii) above be communicated to the Education Policy Review Committee.

5.9 It should be borne in mind that any diversion of funding in favour of safer routes to schools projects would be at the expense of other elements of the programme subject to consideration of the position following the funding settlement received in December 2003.

Recommendation

That the Executive Member for Environment be advised of Environment Policy Review Committee's views, particularly relating to expenditure devoted to the various area strategies and specific policy areas, for consideration in formulating future Local Transport Plan programmes.

8315/JS

APPENDIX 1

Local Transport Plan Programme 2001/02 to 2005/06

Actual and Planned Expenditure - Area Transportation Strategies

Expenditure - £'000

APPENDIX 2

Local Transport Plan Programme 2001/02 to 2005/06

Actual and Planned Expenditure - Specific Policy Areas

Expenditure - £ million to nearest £100,000

APPENDIX 3

Scheme Assessment Process - Objectives

Paragraph 4.1 refers

APPENDIX 4

Winchester Movement and Access Plan

Draft Capital Programme

Notes:

1. Continuing from £50,000 SCA in 2003/04.

2. Low cost scheme.

3. Cannot be funded from current 5 year LTP.

Safer Routes to Schools - 2003/04 and 2004/05 Provisional Programme

Henry Beaufort

St Faith's Primary

APPENDIX 5

Draft County-wide/Other Transport Capital Programme