Contact: Keith Pauw, tel: 01962 857808 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 In relation to the proposed provision of a Puffin Crossing on the A323 Fleet Road, Hartley Wintney, that will involve the construction of associated footways, the following decisions are sought:

(i) That approval be given to the promotion of a Compulsory Purchase Order in respect of the acquisition of approximately 70 square metres of common land at Hartley Wintney, (as shown on attached Drawing No. 17/A323/23/100).

(ii) That officers be authorised to investigate the options available in relation to the provision of appropriate replacement common land and to commence statutory procedures towards securing Ministerial consent towards finalising the necessary arrangements.

2. Reason

2.1 The purchase of common land and consideration of options for the provision of exchange land need to be progressed in sufficient time to enable all statutory procedures to be completed in advance of finalising scheme details for the Project Appraisal. Given the status of the affected land, it will be necessary to secure a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to bring about the extinguishment of existing common rights.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Four alternative locations and access footways have been considered, as has doing nothing. The other possible locations were at various sites to the north and south of the adjacent junction with Green Lane, taking into account various pedestrian desire lines in this area. All the options would involve the acquisition of common land, and local consultations have led to the conclusion that the proposed site is best suited to the needs of the majority of pedestrians.

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 J K Glen

7. Background

7.1 Following concerns raised by local schools and the Parish Council over a number of years, a Puffin crossing is proposed to improve the safety for pedestrians, especially parents and children, who access to and from local schools, together with older pedestrians, across A323 Fleet Road, Hartley Wintney. The concerns have centred on the need for pedestrians to cross at the present crossing point without a crossing warden, through one queuing lane of traffic while the opposite lane is free flowing, adjacent to a `T' junction. Two personal injury accidents have occurred in the village in the three year period ending June 2003, both involving pedestrians, the most recent of which led to a fatality. The crossing is justified in terms of the PV² criteria, a value of 0.8 x 10⁸ being obtained from pedestrian and vehicle counts in January 2002.

7.2 After extensive consultation with the Parish Council, Hart District Council, and five local schools, a scheme has been selected as the most satisfactory to cater for the maximum number of pedestrians from amongst four alternative locations and footway access arrangements. All the options would involve common land which extends both north and south of the junction with Green Lane. An assessment that the proposed option would best cater for most pedestrian movements was made, taking into account the pedestrian desire lines in the area and the distances pedestrians are likely to be prepared to divert to use a formal crossing facility.

7.3 In order to progress the scheme, it is necessary to commence early negotiations with Hart District Council in relation to the acquisition of approximately 70 square metres of common land, which will be taken into the highway so as to provide the footways. Whilst the landowner has indicated provisional agreement to the release of the necessary land, the extinguishment of existing common rights will be required, a procedure best achieved by way of securing a CPO. As the statutory procedures are time consuming, approval is therefore sought for the promotion of a CPO at the earliest possible date to enable the project to proceed as quickly as possible.

7.4 At the same time, it is necessary for the County Council to consider replacement of the common land that will be lost to the scheme. The general expectation is that there should be no net loss of common land. To this extent, an equivalent area has been offered by Hartley Wintney Parish Council so as to maintain the area and amenity of the common. It will be necessary to test the suitability of any replacement common land and secure ministerial certification as to its acceptability.

7.5 In the event that suitable replacement land cannot be secured, however, the County Council may seek Secretary of State authorisation to the effect that exchange land is not necessary, on the basis that the land is required for the improvement of an existing highway. The importance of this safety scheme would appear to be such that, if replacement land is not available, an application to the Minister for such consent should be progressed.

7.6 At a series of meetings held in June 2003 with the Parish Council and local schools, a timescale of approximately one year was mentioned as the likely period required to complete the project, the main delay being the need to progress with legal processes. Assuming that a Public Inquiry is not required, the total estimated cost of the scheme is £70,000, including land acquisition costs. If, as a result of the CPO procedure, it becomes clear that a Public Inquiry will be needed, extra costs and a further delay of approximately 12 months would be involved. Further consideration would be required at that stage of whether to continue with this procedure.

7.7 At present, preliminary design work has been completed sufficient to enable the promotion of a CPO and for replacement land procedures to be progressed. In the event that there are no material objections to any of these procedures, it is anticipated that this process would be complete in the late spring of 2004, and provision for the scheme would be considered at the appropriate time for inclusion in the 2004/05 Capital Programme.

7.8 The outcome of these deliberations and statutory procedures will be reported back to the Executive Member for Spatial Strategy as part of the Project Appraisal procedures.

8396/KPw