Archived decisions

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

1. Background

1.1 Investigations have progressed including negotiations with Hart District Council, the landowner of Hartley Wintney Common, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) over the procedure to be followed for ensuring an effective submission of the application for the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

1.2 The resolution of 11 November 2003 by the Executive Member for Spatial Strategy consented to commencing the CPO process for 70 square metres of land to be acquired as public highway for the construction of access footways for the crossing. Following further investigation this has now changed to be approximately 130 square metres for land to be taken into the highway (known as Order land). This includes the existing footway on the eastern side of Fleet Road, to ensure that this section of footway has Highway Rights, together with a small section of land on the south-west corner of the scheme to be defined as highway, as it affects the extension of the footway south of the crossing. This Order land is shown on plan 17/A323/23/900 to be displayed at the meeting, marked in pink. A location plan is attached.

1.3 Additionally, rights of access are required over approximately 127 square metres of land, to permit access for construction and future maintenance (known as Rights land, shown in blue on the plan). This is made up of 97 square metres of land (parcels numbered 3, 4 and 5) for construction and future maintenance and 30 square metres of land (parcel number 6) for construction only.

1.4 Identifying the land under the titles of Order land (pink) and Rights land (blue) complies with the advice of DEFRA and the DfT in pursuit of the submission. The estimated cost of the scheme has risen from £70,000 to £90,000 as a result of more detailed investigations into the scheme, the complexity of the legal issues involved with the CPO and the exchange land, and the need to revise the submission to DEFRA as a result of changes in Regulations, assuming that a Public Inquiry is not required. The scheme will be considered for implementation from the pedestrian crossings allocation in the 2005/06 Capital Programme.

1.5 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 intended to submit the application. Subject to approval of this report, submission to DEFRA and the DfT is intended in March 2005.

Recommendation

That approval be given to the increase of land area to be acquired under the previously approved Compulsory Purchase Order at Hartley Wintney (as shown on Drawing Number 17/A323/23/900) to approximately 130 square metres to be taken into the highway (Order land) and approximately 127 square metres to permit access and future maintenance (Rights land).

273/KP