Contact: Iain Reeve, ext 5301 email: [email protected]

1. Background

1.1 At its meeting on 2 June 2005 the Solent Transport Strategy Panel considered a report on the funding of cycling infrastructure near Fawley. A copy of this report is attached. The report had been prompted by a request from Fawley Parish Council that a planned cycle scheme, the Hardley-Hythe cycle route, should be replaced by an alternative scheme or schemes wholly in the parish area.

1.2 At the meeting it was agreed that the Executive Member for Environment: South Hampshire and Resource Management should meet with Fawley Parish Council, New Forest District Council and the local Member to investigate the alternative scheme or schemes.

1.3 This meeting was held on 5 July 2005. Two alternative schemes were identified: 1.3 kilometres of cycleway along the B3053 Fawley Road and 1.1 kilometres of cycleway along Newlands Road/Slades Hill Road. It has been estimated that construction costs (only) for these routes would be approximately £300,000 and £250,000 respectively. These estimates do not include land purchase, excavation, design and supervision fees, VAT or service diversions.

1.4 By comparison, the original Hardley-Hythe cycle route scheme is estimated to cost £145,000 (inclusive), which would be met in the main from developers' contributions secured from the Harrier Way development in February 2001.

2. Discussion

2.1 The local County Council Member has requested that the £143,000 developer contributions collected from the Harrier Way development be transferred to the B3053 Newlands scheme instead of the Hardley-Hythe cycle route scheme. He indicates that he understood that New Forest District Council currently holds in excess of £100,000 of other developer contributions which might be used to fund this scheme. This is currently being verified with the District Council. If the scheme costs in the region of

£350,000, this would leave a shortfall of a further £100,000. The shortfall would need to be found from the Local Transport Plan budget, which has reduced funding for cycling schemes in the future.

2.2 This transfer would also mean that the Hardley-Hythe cycle route scheme would not be funded. It would need either to be withdrawn from the programme or funded by further re-prioritisation within the budget. The Hardley-Hythe cycle route scheme was endorsed for inclusion in the programme by the former South West Hampshire Transport Strategy Panel on 4 November 2003.

2.3 The B3053 Newlands Road scheme could not be constructed for some time, as there would need to be further work on the design of the scheme.

2.4 It is not possible to compare the advantages of the B3053 Newlands Road scheme with the existing Hardley-Hythe scheme. There is insufficient information to allow predictions of cycle usage to be made. Further information about the B3053 Newlands Road scheme would be available should it be taken to design phase. As a guide, design costs are approximately 10-15% of scheme cost, so could be expected to be in the order of £35,000 to £50,000 for a scheme of this scale.

3. Impact Assessments

3.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment, in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, has not been undertaken.

Recommendation

The Panel's advice is sought on the relative merits of the two schemes. In particular, the Panel is invited to give advice on which of the following options should be adopted, that:

(i) the Hardley-Hythe cycle route scheme is constructed as planned, using £143,000 developer contributions from the Harrier Way development; or

(ii) the £143,000 developer contributions are transferred to a new scheme along the B3053 Newlands Road, together with additional developer contributions and Local Transport Plan funding. This scheme would be included in the Local Transport Plan 2 forward programme. Subsequent funding and construction would be dependent on further work into the scheme's viability and value for money; or

(iii) both schemes are pursued through a combination of developer contributions and Local Transport Plan funding.

NB The second and third options would require additional Local Transport Plan funding of between £100,000 and £250,000. This would reduce the funding available for other schemes under the Local Transport Plan 2 budget. To put this into context, £805,000 has been allocated county-wide for cycling schemes in the current financial year, and £3.73 million to schemes in the Solent area (note that there will be some overlap between these figures).

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Contact: Dominic McGrath, ext 6054 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1. In February 2001, a developer's contribution was secured from the Harrier Way development site in Hardley, located in the New Forest District. The funding is currently allocated to the Hardley - Hythe Cycle Route scheme, for implementation in the current financial year. Fawley Parish Council has queried whether this is consistent with the resolution of the Roads and Development Sub-Committee at the time the contribution was secured. This report highlights the views of the Parish Council and suggests a potential way forward.

2. Background

2.1 A developer's contribution of £129,000 was secured from the Harrier Way, development in February 2001. With interest, this contribution in now worth £143,000. The contribution has been allocated to the Hardley - Hythe Cycle Route.

2.2 New Forest District Council consulted the County Council, in its capacity as Highway Authority, on the planning application in 2001. The contribution was considered at the meeting of the former Roads and Development Sub-Committee on 15 January 2001. The Committee resolved as follows:

"(i) That an agreement, in such form as the Chief Executive may determine, be entered into with J.S. Bloor (Newbury) Limited in relation to the financial contribution of £129,000 towards local schemes to be agreed by the County Surveyor in consultation with the Chairman and the local Member.

"(ii) That, subject to the completion of the agreement and the conclusion of a legal agreement to secure the Green Travel Plan, New Forest District Council be informed that there is no objection to the residential and industrial development on land off Harrier Way, Hardley."

2.3 The resolution was a variation from the report recommendation, which had suggested that the financial contribution be specifically allocated "towards the provision of a cycleway from the site to Hythe and/or improvements to the A326 corridor" at the end of (i). The resolution was the same as the recommendation in all other respects.

2.4 The Hardley - Hythe Cycle Route scheme was agreed for inclusion in the 2005/06 Capital Programme at the meeting of the former South West Hampshire Strategy Panel on 4 November 2003. It has subsequently been identified that, subject to the resolution of the Roads and Development Sub-Committee, a part of the costs could be met from the contributions secured against the Harrier Way Development in Hardley.

2.5 Responding to current consultation on the proposed scheme, Fawley Parish Council has objected to the allocation of the developer's contribution to the cycleway scheme. It has indicated that, in its view, the contribution should be utilised entirely within its Parish area, whereas the cycleway scheme runs from Fawley Parish into Hythe and Dibden Parish. It has asked that the intention behind the resolution be investigated, including by examination of rough notes taken at the time and by contacting the local Member at the time.

3. Suggested Way Forward

3.1 The County Council does not consider that it would be appropriate to reopen discussion about the resolution of the Roads and Development Sub-Committee. The resolution is clear and does not contain apparent ambiguities. The minutes of the meeting were subsequently agreed to be an accurate record.

3.2 The scheme is clearly a local scheme. There is no record of a requirement for the contributions to be used wholly within the parish, which would be a departure from general County Council practice. The inclusion of the scheme in the capital programme was agreed with the relevant strategy panel. The scheme will shortly be subject to the Project Appraisal (PA) procedure. This requires the Executive Members for Environment (who are successors to the Sub-Committee Chairman) to take a decision on the scheme, following consultation with the local Member. To ensure this happens, this issue of developer contributions, and the views of Fawley Parish Council, will be specifically addressed in the PA report. Subject to the Panel's views, the PA could be considered by the Executive Members for Environment in September.

3.3 The Local Transport Plan process provides an opportunity for new transport schemes to be identified for inclusion in future programmes. It is therefore recommended that Fawley Parish Council should advise New Forest District Council of any other transport schemes that it would like to put forward as candidates for Local Transport Plan funding.

Recommendations

That the Panel advises the Executive Members for Environment that:

(i) There should be no amendment to the resolution of the Roads and Development Sub-Committee, as set out in paragraph 2.2 of the report;

(ii) The issue of consultation with the local Member on the allocation of the funding should be addressed through the Project Appraisal for the scheme; and

(iii) Fawley Parish Council should be invited to submit its own priorities for transport schemes in the local area.

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