Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Proposed Executive Decision:

1) The Decision: (PROPOSED)

1.1. That the Project Appraisal to implement Phase 1 of the M27 junction 5 (Westbound Off-Slip), at an estimated cost of £2.65 million, be approved, subject to:

(i) the award of £1.914 million of New Growth Point Funding from Partnership for Urban South Hampshire being ratified by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire Joint Committee on 19 March; and

(ii) all necessary land being acquired.

1.2. That authorisation be given to the Director of Environment to explore the scope for combining Phases 1 and 2, as detailed in the report, within a single contract, so as to maximise any benefits and cost efficiencies to the County Council in delivering this project.

1.3. That authorisation be given for the Acting Director of Property Business and Regulatory Services (Interim Head of Estates) to:

(i) agree suitable terms and conditions for the acquisition, dedication or licence of any land and/or easement required for all phases of the scheme that is owned by the Highways Agency and other third parties;

(ii) agree suitable terms and conditions for the acquisition or dedication of any land and/or easement required for the scheme in relation to land required from Southampton University; and

(iii) implement the dedication or appropriation of land owned by the County Council to highway purposes on terms to be agreed with the holding Department.

1.4. That notice be given of the County Council's intention to advertise appropriate traffic orders to:

(i) reduce the speed limit on the roundabout circulatory carriageway to 40 mph, and reduce the speed limit on A335 Stoneham Way to 50 mph under Phase 1; and

(ii) reduce the speed limit on A335 Wide Lane to 40 mph, and revoke the current waiting restriction on Wide Lane lay-by under Phase 2.

2) Reasons for the decision:

2.1. The M27 junction 5 currently experiences significant peak hour delays which have a direct effect upon accessibility in the area, particularly in relation to Southampton International Airport and Southampton (Airport) Parkway Station as well as Eastleigh town centre. Delays at the junction also have safety implications in terms of the effective operation of the motorway mainline and its off-slips, and in particular the west-bound off-slip which regularly has peak hour queues of over 200 metres. The situation at junction 5 is being compounded by incremental additional traffic growth associated with piecemeal developments in the area and will be further compounded by forthcoming allocated and planned growth. In order to enable the traffic at junction 5 to be managed in a more effective way, improvements are essential. Phase 1 of the scheme will implement improvements to the westbound off-slip only; the remainder of the scheme will be implemented in a phased manner as funding is secured.

2.2. The policy justification for improvements to junction 5 stem from the growth objectives of the South East Plan (SEP). In addition the scheme will assist in furthering the strategic development proposals of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) region.

2.3. The SEP identifies the South Hampshire Strategic Employment Zone (SHSEZ) as a regionally significant employment zone and regeneration area located directly north of the M27 junction 5. The SHSEZ newly named Eastleigh RiverSide, covers an area of approximately 130 hectares of which around 100 hectares are proposed for development or redevelopment. An element of housing will be included as part of the development of SHSEZ. The SEP also includes growth at Southampton International Airport as a policy objective, which again is located directly north of the M27 junction 5.

3) Other options considered and rejected:

3.1. Option 1: An alternative longer term solution involving three tier grade separation and an east to west flyover was considered as part of the early scheme development.

a) Risk Assessment: : An east to west flyover was inconsistent with surrounding motorway infrastructure and was identified as a possible longer term solution subject to further work regarding the requirements of the surrounding motorway network and associated junction strategy. The proposed scheme is identified as an interim solution which will not compromise the future deliverability of a more complex and expensive longer term solution once a wider network improvement strategy has been developed.

3.2. Option 2: An option to deliver all three phases of the currently proposed scheme as a single scheme was considered.

a) Risk Assessment: Funding for the scheme is reliant on developer contributions and successful bids for regional funding through various bodies. The overall cost of the entire scheme is in excess of £8 million which could not be secured in total from funding bids at this time.

4) Conflicts of Interest:

4.1. Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision-Maker:

a) None

4.2. Conflicts of interest declared by other Executive members consulted:

a) None

5) Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee:

None

6) Any reasons for the matter being dealt with urgently:

None

7) Statement from the Decision Maker:

1800Decn/457/HW