Contact: Hannah Baker, ext 6594 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report summarises the options for the implementation and phasing of the improvement works for Totton Town Centre. It recommends that the opportunity to fund the project should be considered in the next and future Local Transport Plans.

2. Background

2.1 Improvement proposals for Totton Town Centre have been the subject of extensive consultation over the last three years, including a public exhibition, to which the overall response was very positive. Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) was adopted and published in April 2003, which has received good support generally from both local Members and the public.

2.2 The scheme is primarily aimed at removing unsuitable traffic from Totton Town Centre whilst seeking to provide better facilities for pedestrians and bus users. As part of the process, physical improvements will be made to enhance the urban environment.

3. Major Schemes Bid

3.1 Discussions were held with Government officials (representatives from the Department for Transport and the Government Office for the South East) in April 2004 to discuss the potential for submitting the Totton Town Centre improvements as a major schemes bid.

3.2 Their advice was that considerably more work was needed to develop the scheme and to assess its impact on the surrounding network, particularly the potential impact on the A35 and A326. Hampshire County Council was advised that the `Benefit to Cost' ratio would probably be lower than the ratio for a scheme where the main objectives were transport-led. In essence, the Government officials were not persuaded that the transport benefits were sufficient to justify a scheme of this scale.

4. Funding through the Local Transport Plan

4.1 Instead of developing the initiative in a single major scheme, it could be split into separate phases. A report prepared by Atkins included costings for the proposals for improvements to the whole of Totton Town Centre at a total cost of £22 million. Improvements concentrating on the central commercial core have been split into four phases totalling a maximum cost of £12 million. The phasing programme and related costings for this area are presented in the attached appendix.

4.2 The four phases have been arranged so that each individual phase stands in its own right and has a value of less than £5 million. They are therefore suitable for inclusion in the LTP and future capital programmes as schemes which do not require separate submission with full impact assessment, as a major scheme would.

4.3 Transport and landscape improvement works to the older urban area of Rumbridge Street, Totton, have recently been developed through the adopted SPG. The works, costing £1 million, are due to commence on site towards the end of this year and have been funded through the LTP, New Forest District Council and a County Council ROUA (Regeneration of Older Urban Areas) grant.

Recommendation

That the Panel advises the Executive Member for Environment to consider the opportunity to include phases 1-4 of the Totton Town Centre improvements in the next and future Local Transport Plans.

8954/HB

APPENDIX

PHASING OF WORKS TO TOTTON TOWN CENTRE

Criteria:

The criteria utilised to establish a phased packaging of the works proposed for Totton were the following:

_ Cost: Each package should be able to be financed by the yearly LTP allocation. A maximum of £5 million was given as the threshold, which the works done in one given year should not exceed.

_ Compliance with the main aim of the scheme: The main goal of the proposed works to Totton Town Centre is the improvement of the public realm, through the implementation of environmental improvement works and traffic measures. It is preferable that each of the packages include both environmental improvements and traffic measures.

_ Interdependencies: Some parts of the scheme have to be in place to enable the implementation of other parts. The prioritisation of the enabling works is therefore one of the criteria adopted.

_ Economies of scale: Some works should be done in tandem with others, in order to achieve a more rational utilisation of resources.

_ Disruption: The nature of the works is likely to cause disruption during construction. The phasing proposed tries to reduce this disruption to a minimum, be it to residents, pedestrians or drivers.

_ Development pressures: There are areas that are highlighted for short-term private development. To prioritise such areas will enable the development to happen in compliance with the scheme.

Phasing:

The adoption of the above criteria resulted in a preliminary phasing proposal. It is important to note that this is a desirable order of works that can be altered when more information is available (eg statutory undertakers costs, funding options) and in connection with the detailed design process.

Phase 1

It has been commonly agreed that most of the scheme is dependent on the diversion of traffic presently using Salisbury Road. Therefore, to enable further works, namely at the World Stores roundabout area, it is necessary to construct the Link Road, between the ASDA roundabout and Salisbury Road.

As part of the construction of the Link Road, it is reasonable to proceed with the redesign of the ASDA roundabout and the Somerfield car parks. This should achieve considerable gains in terms of economy of scale.

There are some development pressures at Water Lane that can be addressed by carrying out the improvement works on its section between the Link Road and Salisbury Road. While the connection with Salisbury Road is expected to remain open at least for certain types of traffic, traffic regulation orders to restrict access or movements both at this junction and the link road/Water Lane junction are likely to be needed in this and in later phases.

Phase 2

Following the completion of the Link Road and works on the ASDA roundabout, work could commence on Ringwood Road. This may not require the complete closure of Ringwood Road, but full advantage should be taken of the opening of the Link Road to restrict the use of Ringwood Road while the works take place.

At the same time, works can be carried out at the Civic Centre car parks, including the cycle link through it. This will allow an early provision of parking facilities to cover the loss of parking by the precinct when phase 3 is undertaken.

Following a similar logic, the traffic management measures on Testwood Lane should be implemented at this stage, in order to avoid rat-running when Salisbury Road is closed on phase 3. Depending on the effectiveness of this traffic management, it may be necessary to include further measures (traffic calming) in Phase 4.

Phase 3

Once the measures to enable a suitable route alternative to Salisbury Road (Link Road and Ringwood Road) are in place, work can commence on the town square replacing the World Stores roundabout, which also involves the closure of Salisbury Road and Library Road, changes to Beaumont Road and the reopening of the southern end of Testwood Lane.

The improvements to the ASDA precinct should be undertaken at this stage because, although not under the same contract, they are closely linked (in terms of materials and resources needed) to the redesign of the rest of the roundabout.

This is the most important part of the scheme regarding its main aim of improving the public realm and the attractiveness of the centre of Totton. Therefore, together with the replacement of the World Stores roundabout, environmental improvements should be carried out on Library Road, Salisbury Road and some junctions on Water Lane, as well as on Beaumont Road and Testwood Lane (southern section).

Phase 4

Commercial Road would be left to the last stage, so that the levels of disruption caused by the works on Ringwood Road, World Stores roundabout and Commercial Road can be spread throughout the length of the scheme's implementation.

Discrete components of the scheme, such as improvements to Maynard Road/Junction Road junction, the Brokenford Lane footbridge over the railway, and the pedestrian crossing on Commercial Road near the rail station could also be implemented in this phase.

Figure 1: Elements of the Totton Town Centre Improvements in four phases

Environmental implications of the proposals

Overall, the package of proposals is designed to deliver a town centre for Totton which is more of an attractive local destination in its own right and less of a stopping-off point on the way to somewhere else. The centre will be accessible to as many people as possible by walking, cycling and public transport, and those who nevertheless arrive by car will be encouraged to leave their cars at the earliest practical opportunity and move around the centre on foot. In this way the town can exploit the advantages of its situation and size to prosper without placing excessive demands on already overloaded transport systems or other finite resources.

The proposals have been prepared following the Urban Design Framework adopted jointly by Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council in 2003. Realising the environmental vision set out in the Framework is both essential to the town's future success and ability to provide and support enhanced services, and at the same time totally dependent on the key changes in the road and transport networks which the Framework proposes.

The proposals pursue both environmental and transport objectives, and it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. The creation of attractive places where people can find the goods and services they want within a convenient distance of their homes and without risking their health or safety - or that of others - is an objective which does not fall neatly into either category.

Other works:

This note concentrates on the works to be carried out in North Totton, more specifically to the north of the railway. Excluded are the works that fall under the improvements to Rumbridge Street. This is an ongoing project that has a phasing programme of its own.

Also not included in this note are the signalised junctions at Batts Corner and at the junction between the A35 and Bartram Road, which are still being investigated.

Estimated Costs:

Below is a summary of the cost estimates for proposed phases of implementation.

An indicative estimate of statutory undertakers' costs was also made. A more accurate estimate can only be undertaken when preliminary design is carried out. It was estimated that the statutory undertakers' cost will be between £1,500,000 and £2,000,000.

The estimated total cost of the North Totton part of the scheme is, therefore, between £11,498,000 and £11,998,000, including the £1,500,000 needed to acquire properties along the alignment of the Link Road.