Archived decisions

Contact: John Sorrell, ext 6216 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report sets out the progress on several studies and schemes being undertaken in the New Forest Transport Strategy area as follows:

(i) Safer Routes to School;

(ii) Hampshire Safety Camera Partnership;

(iii) Cycling;

(iv) Congestion;

(v) New Forest National Park;

(vi) Changes to the Planning System;

(vii) District Local Plans;

(viii) Strategy for the New Forest - Update; and

(ix) Dibden Bay.

2. Safer Routes to School

2.1 The Safer Routes to School Programme is delivered through individual School Travel Plans. The aims of the programme are to:

(i) reduce unnecessary car trips to school and encourage parents, pupils, teachers and visitors to travel to and from schools in safer, healthier and more environmentally sustainable ways;

(ii) improve the safety of the journey to and from school;

(iii) reduce the number of pedestrian and cyclist casualties; and

(iv) promote educational and practical opportunities for young people to determine changes to their own environment and travel habits and therefore raise awareness of transport, sustainability and health.

2.2 It is the County Council's intention to require all Safer Routes to School schemes from the 2004/05 financial year to be associated with the development and publication of School Travel Plans by the directly affected schools. This approach will ensure that schools as well as their pupils, parents and carers will fully benefit from the infrastructure measures installed. These include offering improved levels of child travel safety together with opportunities for increased levels of cycling, walking and passenger transport usage.

2.3 The full list of schemes comprising the 2004/05 Safer Routes to School programme has not yet been set; it will be reported to the HTAPs at their autumn round of meetings.

3. Hampshire Safety Camera Partnership

3.1 The 2002/03 Annual Review of the Hampshire Safety Camera Partnership will be made available to Members at the meeting. A report will be presented to all the HTAPs on those cameras currently operational as well as the future installation programme. Approval has to be sought from the Department for Transport (DfT) for the placement of fixed safety speed cameras and locations have to accord fully with the Government's camera conspicuity criteria.

4. Cycling

4.1 The County Council continues to work closely with district councils to implement a programme of priority cycling facilities throughout Hampshire as part of area transport strategy delivery programmes, the casualty reduction engineering programme and in association with the Safer Routes to School and School Travel Plan initiatives. The County Council has forged a strong working partnership with Hampshire Cycling and the Hampshire Association for the Care of the Blind, ensuring early consultation over matters of cycling strategy and subsequent scheme design and delivery.

4.2 In June 2002 the County Council launched a dedicated cycling website with the aim of providing a comprehensive one-stop shop for cycling information in Hampshire. The website includes information on routes, events, publications and safety, with a facility for free downloading of route information and maps. The site is constantly evolving and improvements to the content and navigation are planned for 2003/04. The number of visitors to the homepage is currently around 2,000 each month.

5. Congestion

5.1 Traffic congestion has been growing as a consequence of increased car ownership and car usage in recent years. Recent studies have shown that traffic levels in Hampshire are continuing to grow (2% per year on Motorways and Trunk Roads and 1% per year on Local (county) roads). While motorways and trunk roads are controlled by the Highways Agency it is clear that the two road systems should not be managed in isolation. Congestion in Hampshire is found:

(i) on motorways and trunk roads;

(ii) on approaches to motorways and trunk roads; and

(iii) in and approaching urban areas.

5.2 The DfT recognises congestion (together with access to services, safety and air quality) as a major issue to tackle in the next Local Transport Plans (LTPs) to be submitted in 2005. It will invite authorities to set out its plans to address congestion including through capacity improvements and measures to reduce car use (by encouraging public transport, walking and cycling, travel plans, behavioural change and demand management). The DfT is going to release information derived from vehicles using Geographical Positioning Systems to allow objective monitoring of congestion to be introduced and used in the formulation of LTP proposals.

5.3 In the shorter term officers have carried out initial studies into perceived congestion `hotspots'. The assessment of these problems will be addressed in the LTP and Area Transport Strategy development programmes.

6. New Forest National Park

6.1 Following the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister in autumn 1999 about the Government's intentions to designate two new National Parks, one in the South Downs and the other in the New Forest, the designation process is well under way.

6.2 The Government is currently considering the Inspector's report following the Public Inquiry which closed in April 2003. No date has been given for the announcement, however spring 2004 was the latest official message. The announcement might be clear-cut (to designate the National Park - or even not to) or might require further consultation if any substantial extensions to the National Park boundary are suggested. Once designated, there are still a number of stages to go through before an active National Park Authority is in place. The authority has to be set up by way of a Statutory Instrument which is laid before Parliament, then time allowed for recruitment/nomination of members, and getting the authority up and running. The earliest that this is likely to happen is 2005.

6.3 On 15 December 2003 the County Council's Cabinet announced its intentions that the County Council will play a full and active part in the future management of both the proposed National Parks. Although the main business of the National Parks will focus on land and people management, it is inevitable that access and transport issues will be a main point of debate between the new National Park Authorities and the County Council.

6.4 The Inspector's report is presently with DEFRA - it provides advice to the Minister, who makes the decision. The Minister may announce boundary changes which need to be consulted on, so extending the process.

7. Changes to the Planning System

7.1 Major changes to the development plans system are proposed as part of the Planning Bill, which is expected to be enacted in June. This will mean that a new Local Development Framework (LDF) will need to be prepared for each district. This comprises a number of different documents including a Core Strategy, a Proposals Map, Development Control Policies and Supplementary Planning Documents. In addition the local planning authority is required to produce a Local Development Scheme, which sets out its detailed timescale for producing the LDF. It is also required to produce a Statement of Community Involvement which indicates how the community will be able to participate in the LDF process.

7.2 The new system represents a significant change from that which has existed over the last 20 years, and some uncertainties exist as to how it will work in practice.

8. District Local Plans

New Forest District Local Plan

8.1 The New Forest District Local Plan was adopted in November 1999.

8.2 Work on selected alterations to the plan is well advanced, and a Public Inquiry into objections to this `Deposit First Alteration' was held between 16 September and 11 December 2003. The Inspector's report on the Inquiry is expected during the summer. The First Alteration will cover the period to 2011. Work on the New Forest LDF will begin during 2004.

Test Valley Local Plan

8.3 The Revised Deposit Draft of the Test Valley Borough Local Plan Review was published for public consultation in January 2004. A Public Inquiry is programmed to start in September 2004.

9. Strategy for the New Forest - Update

9.1 The Strategy for the New Forest was published in June 2003 following extensive consultation and the direct involvement of many stakeholders. It was written with the possibility of a New Forest National Park in mind, and designed to be used as an interim management plan, prior to a statutory National Park Management Plan being produced.

9.2 A five-year action plan to deliver the Strategy is currently being produced. To date this has involved:

(i) stakeholder prioritisation of the many proposals for action contained in the Strategy (through a Priorities for Action questionnaire);

(ii) identifying work on-going or planned by the statutory bodies and other key partners which will help deliver the priority proposals; and

(iii) a key partners workshop to help agree the content of a draft action plan.

9.3 The draft action plan and a Strategy Network to take it forward will be discussed by the New Forest Committee at its meeting on 6 April 2004. The Strategy Network will bring together those involved in implementing the action plan, enabling communication, reporting and updating. A stakeholder event is planned for May 2004 to finalise the action plan and to launch the Network.

10. Dibden Bay

10.1 The Public Inquiry into Associated British Port's (ABP) proposals for a new container port at Dibden Bay closed in December 2002, following over a year of evidence. The Inspector's report on the Inquiry was submitted to the Secretaries of State in October 2003.

10.2 There is no definite timescale for a decision, although it is anticipated that it will be announced in the next few months. The formal decision will be taken jointly by the Secretary of State for Transport and the Deputy Prime Minister.

10.3 Some limited preparatory work is being undertaken by officers from the County Council and New Forest District Council with ABP on highway design and landscaping, noise monitoring and nature conservation management issues. This work has been undertaken on the understanding that it does not involve either Council in significant use of resources on work which would be abortive should consent be refused.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

8676/JS