Archived decisions

Agenda Item: 6

MAIN REPORT

1) Purpose of the Report:

1.1. The report proposes that work to advance the Totton Link Road scheme be discontinued and that New Forest District Council be advised to remove the associated land safeguardings.

2) Contextual Information:

2.1. The former Planning and Transportation Committee resolved in April 1987 to safeguard land for the purposes of the then newly proposed Totton Link Road, pending formalisation of the route through the Town Centre Plan. The route was subsequently protected in that plan and subsequently through the Local Plan.

2.2. The Totton Urban Design Framework (UDF) was adopted by New Forest District Council in April 2003. It was produced in collaboration with a number of partners, including the County Council, and was considered at the meeting of the former South West Hampshire Transportation Strategy Panel in March 2004. The UDF was adopted as supplementary planning guidance by the District Council. The New Forest Local Plan first alteration (August 2005) includes a policy to safeguard the land against development (Policy TE-2).

2.3. The UDF contained a number of transport proposals including ongoing protection for the Link Road running to the west of Salisbury Road. The alignment of the proposed Link Road is shown on the attached location plan. The UDF sets out proposals for future transport measures in the town associated with the Link Road. The road was intended to provide traffic relief for Salisbury Road, thereby allowing the provision of a `bus only' link and the release of land for pedestrian uses (eg the creation of a central plaza). The UDF noted (at paragraph 6.2.1) that a bid to Government would be required to fund the proposal.

2.4. Subsequent to the adoption of the UDF, technical work has been carried out to assess the impact of the scheme on the operation of the local network This is outlined elsewhere in the report.

2.5. Taking account of the findings from the assessment work, the Link Road is not considered to be a deliverable proposal for the foreseeable future. In light of this, it is proposed that the Link Road no longer be pursued and that associated land safeguarding should be abandoned

3) Key Issues:

3.1. The Totton Link Road has been an important element of the Totton UDF.

3.2. There is little realistic prospect of delivering the scheme in the foreseeable future. The scheme is projected to have an unacceptable impact on the operation of the local road network, particularly at its southern end where it joins Ringwood Road

3.3. Consultation has revealed that there is local support for the principle of not progressing the scheme.

4) Technical Assessment:

4.1. In May 2006 a `Totton Town Centre Link Road Evaluation Report' was completed by Atkins. The study found that the introduction of the Link Road would seriously overload the Maynard Road/ Ringwood Road junction (at the south end of the Link Road route) with potentially severe congestion arising, particularly at peak times.

4.2. It was predicted the resultant queue lengths at the junction could reach 3.8 kilometres at peak times, based on existing traffic levels. The calculated traffic queues meant that on the westbound approach (east of the roundabout) journey time delays of 14 minutes per vehicle were predicted.

4.3. In reality the level of predicted queueing is exaggerated as the model fails to accurately predict exact queues as soon as flow reaches operational capacity and does not take account of diverting traffic. Nevertheless, these figures do indicate that the large volume of demand which, coupled with the constraints of the surrounding network, makes traffic volumes over capacity of this order unacceptable.

4.4. The model indicated that a reduction of morning peak time traffic of the order of 66% on the Commercial Road/Ringwood Road approach arm would be required for the junction to operate within its design capacity. Making the link road unattractive as a through route by engineering low design speeds, and thereby reducing through traffic flows, could partly address this problem. However it is not anticipated that there is sufficient capacity elsewhere on the network for anywhere near as much as 66% of traffic to migrate away from this route.

4.5. The review also revealed negative impacts on the residential areas to the west of the town centre due to the additional trips along the proposed link road and the associated increase in noise levels.

4.6. A revision to the design - essentially providing a larger roundabout - would relieve some of this queueing but would require additional land acquisition and would add at least a further £1 million to the scheme cost.

5) Funding:

5.1. Funding for the scheme would be submitted as part of a package, which was estimated to cost in excess of £12 million at 2003 prices. This would require a bid for `Major Scheme' funding. The Link Road component alone was costed in excess of £3 million at that time. (These prices include substantial land acquisition in the form of residential properties. These would be acquired at market value and hence this element of cost can be expected to have risen substantially since that time.)

5.2. A meeting was held with Government officials in April 2004, at which it was indicated that such a bid would be highly unlikely to succeed as it did not fit well with the relevant funding criteria. Since that time the funding criteria have moved even further away, with an ever increasing emphasis on accommodating major development associated with the South East Plan. Furthermore, regional funding (which would be the source of funding for the scheme) is fully committed to 2016. The conclusion can be drawn from this that the scheme attracts very little chance of securing funding in the foreseeable future.

6) Planning Guidance and Blight Issues:

6.1. Government guidance, set out in Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 12, indicates that "[transport] scheme proposals should only be included [in Development Plans] where there is a strong commitment from the relevant delivery agency" and that "Local planning authorities ... need to be realistic about what can be implemented ... otherwise there is a risk of blight or false expectations."

6.2. As indicated above, land safeguardings for the future implementation of the scheme are currently contained in the New Forest Local Plan. If, as recommended, the County Council indicates that it will no longer advance the scheme then New Forest District Council will need to review the associated safeguardings. The District Council would have the option of reviewing this now or awaiting the development of the Local Development Framework and undertake the process then. The decision not to pursue the scheme would be a material consideration in assessing any planning application in the locality pending the conclusion of that review.

6.3. The proposed link road, as currently designed, would require the acquisition of land from eight residential properties. Some owners have sought to have their property purchased by the County Council. Two properties were purchased under threat of service of valid Blight Notices in 1988 and 1993 respectively, subsequent applications have been resisted as they did not meet the criteria for `blight' set out in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The recommended decision and subsequent removal of safeguarding will eliminate potential blight from properties on the line of the proposed route.

6.4. This will also remove potential future claims under Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 from residential properties affected by the Link Road proposal claiming loss of value due to the traffic using the new road.

6.5. In addition, the land already held for the scheme can be declared surplus to transport needs. This will enable a review of the long term future of the properties currently held to take place. These two properties are already owned by the County Council as a direct result of the scheme and are presently subject to short-term inter-departmental lettings.

6.6. The evaluation report on the Totton Link Road, completed in May 2006 by Atkins, recommended that other options be investigated to reduce traffic levels in the centre of Totton. These options included the narrowing of the A35 Commercial Road and the redesign of the central World Stores roundabout. Work has already commenced assessing a range of alternative options, including reducing the size of the World Stores roundabout, replacing it with traffic signals and also the creation of a one-way system via Library Road. This outline feasibility work is currently being reviewed. It is anticipated that this will provide a realistic alternative approach to the transport package associated with the link road.

7) Consultation:

7.1. The proposal has been considered in past Local Plan development processes and the UDF was the subject of extensive local consultation. It had the support of the Town Council. Clearly any decision to no longer pursue the Link Road scheme will need to take account of the views of these bodies.

7.2. At a special meeting of the Totton Town Centre Steering Group on 4 October 2007, with members from the County Council, New Forest District Council, and Totton and Eling Town Council present, it was agreed that the County Council should no longer pursue the link road. The local County Council Members expressed support for not progressing the scheme at that meeting.

7.3. The District and Town Councils were subsequently consulted on the issue, to formally endorse the views expressed at that meeting.

7.4. The Town Council confirmed its support in a letter dated 21 May 2008.

7.5. Local District Members have also confirmed support for not pursuing the scheme, although it was indicated that the support is subject to the County Council "progressing a revised package of deliverable proposals for the improvement of the town centre in close consultation with this Council and the Town Council". The County Council is progressing schemes in Rumbridge Street and at Water Lane Triangle and has commissioned study work on Commercial Road. The County Council's Capital Programme is currently fully committed to 2010/11.

8) Outline of Options:

8.1. Option 1: The continuing development of the link road proposal was considered and rejected because it conflicts with national and local transport policies.

a) Risk Assessment: Retaining the scheme and associated land safeguardings would leave the Council vulnerable to possible future blight claims

9) Conclusions:

9.1. Taking the issues highlighted above into consideration, it is recommended the Totton Link Road proposal should not be progressed further. There is no prospect of delivering the scheme in the foreseeable future and the disadvantages of the scheme outweigh the benefits in terms of the effective management of traffic.

9.2. The recommendation also covers the abandonment of the associated land safeguarding. These will need to be progressed by the District Council through the LDF process.

10) Summary Recommendations:

10.1. That Hampshire County Council indicates that it no longer intends to pursue the Totton Link Road proposal.

10.2. That New Forest District Council be informed of this decision and advised to review the associated land safeguardings.

10.3. That any land held by Hampshire County Council for the purposes of implementing the scheme be declared surplus to transport needs.

1654Rpt/229/DMcG

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

COMPREHENSIVE RISK & IMPACT ASSESSMENT:

Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in this decision. No adverse impact has been identified.