Maidstone Borough Council Maidstone Planning Department King Street Maidstone Kent ME15 6JQ Application

Highways and Transportation Maidstone Borough Council Ashford Highway Depot Maidstone Planning Department 4 Javelin Way King Street Ashford Maidstone TN24 8AD Kent Tel: 03000 418181 ME15 6JQ Date: 22 February 2017 Application - MBC/16/507035/FULL Location - Gibbs Hill Farm Grigg Lane Headcorn Kent TN27 9LY Proposal - Creation of 55 no. two, three, four and five bedroom houses and associated roads, car parking, landscaping, vehicle access from Grigg Lane and a new area of public open space. Thank you for your consultation in relation to the above planning application. It is noted that this application seeks full planning permission for a development of 55 residential units with associated car parking, landscaping and public open space on land at Gibbs Hill Farm, Grigg Lane, Headcorn. The application includes a Transport Assessment (TA) that has been informed by scoping dialogue with KCC Highways. I have the following comments to make with respect to highway matters: Site Access The applicant has proposed to create a new access onto Grigg Lane that will be centrally located on the site frontage. The access will take the form of a new priority T-junction that will serve the 5.5m wide development access road and incorporate 6m corner radii and 1.8m wide footways. Culverting of the existing ditch will be required to create the access. Junction visibility sightlines of 2.4m x 45m have been proposed in both directions on the basis of the existing 30 m.p.h. speed limit. The sightlines accord with the minimum requirements of KCC Interim Guidance Note 2 and are achievable within land that is under the control of the applicant. The positioning of the junction achieves a 25m stagger distance from the existing Grigg Lane/Hardwicks junction. This falls below the typical 30m distance quoted in the Kent Design Guide, but exceeds the recommended minimum of 15m and can therefore be deemed acceptable. Swept path analysis has been provided to demonstrate that the turning manoeuvres of large refuse vehicles can be satisfactorily accommodated. Sustainable Travel Walking and Cycling The applicant is proposing to provide a dedicated pedestrian access at the north western corner of the site, which will connect to the existing footway provision on Grigg Lane. As the footway leading into the site has been set back from the Grigg Lane carriageway confirmation will be required on whether this link will be offered for adoption by the County Council as Local Highway Authority. Additional pedestrian access will also be available via the footways running alongside the development access road. The western footway is proposed to extend along Grigg Lane to align with existing provision at the Hardwicks, and thereby facilitate access to/from the doctors’ surgery. Dropped kerbs and tactile paving should be included to assist crossing movements at this location. Onward footway connectivity to other parts of Headcorn is currently compromised by the disjointed nature of provision along Grigg Lane and Oak Lane. As noted in the TA, other prospective developments in the locality are required to provide a new length of footway on Oak Lane to link to existing provision at its junctions with Grigg Lane and Knaves Acre junctions. An identical requirement to deliver these works through a S278 Agreement should be imposed on this proposed development in view of the additional pedestrian demand that will be created in this area. Pedestrians wishing to proceed to/from Wheeler Street to the south west can utilise the dedicated footway link that runs alongside the western site boundary in connecting to Sharps Field. It is unfortunate that the applicant does not have the necessary land control to achieve direct connectivity to this footway link, as this would shorten the associated walking distances. It is noted that a zebra crossing is proposed on A274 Wheeler Street to assist crossing movements to/from Headcorn Railway Station. A speed survey and Road Safety Audit will be required to establish whether this form of provision is appropriate at this location. Whilst the proposal of a S106 contribution towards new cycle parking at Headcorn Railway Station and Sainsburys is welcomed in principle, clarification will be required on the form and location of provision to ensure that there is good prospect of timely delivery. Public Transport The nearest pair of bus stops to the site is situated on A274 Wheeler Street and involves a walk of at least 500m (via Sharps Field). As part of any S278 Agreement, the applicant should be required to provide kerbing suitable for low floor access at both bus stops. The available bus services most notably include the no.12 that runs between Maidstone and Tenterden, which from April 2017 is due to operate with improved frequencies. As noted above, the site is also relatively well placed in relation to Headcorn Railway Station on account of the existing pedestrian linkages and potential improvements. Travel Plan It is noted that the applicant would be willing to commit to implementing a Travel Plan as part of any S106 requirements. This could helpfully provide scope for encouraging sustainable travel patterns on an on-going basis. Trip Generation The trip generation forecasts in the TA indicate that the proposed development will generate 273 vehicle trips per day (12 hour period), of which 32 will occur in the AM peak hour and 30 in the PM peak hour. The forecasts have been derived through reference to comparable sites within the TRICS database and are broadly in line with those applied in the TAs supporting other residential developments in Headcorn. Traffic Impact The assessment of traffic impact has been founded on surveys undertaken in July and December 2015 on Grigg Lane, Oak Lane, at the A274 Wheeler Street/Oak Lane junction and at various points on the A274 between Sutton Valence and south east Maidstone. This coverage accords with the TA scope requested by KCC Highways. Background traffic growth over the period to 2023 has been added to the base flows. Importantly, the prospective developments in and around Headcorn have also been included to provide a robust representation of future conditions. The TA, through reference to 2011 Census Travel to Work data, indicates that the vast majority of vehicle trips will route via Oak Lane. Most such trips are then predicted to route to/from the north east via Oak Lane, Forge Lane and Kings Road. This is plausible given that it represents the most direct route to/from the A274 to the north, although existing on-street parking along parts of these roads may serve to influence journey time and, as a result, route choice. The applied assumptions ensure a sufficiently robust basis for the capacity testing of the A274/Kings Road/Moat Road crossroads junction. KCC Highways specific observations in relation to the analysis of individual junctions and routes are outlined below: Site Access The results of the capacity assessment undertaken on the site access priority junction with Grigg Lane demonstrate that it would operate satisfactorily. A274 Wheeler Street/Oak Lane Junction The capacity modelling has been based on the existing junction layout and has included adjustments to reflect the observed levels of queuing identified within the surveys. It demonstrates that the additional development traffic will not result in the junction exceeding its practical capacity. The TA correctly highlights how modifications to the junction have been secured through other prospective local developments. These involve minor adjustments to kerblines to improve visibility and pedestrian facilities, which will provide both junction capacity and highway safety benefits. An identical requirement to deliver these works through a S278 Agreement should therefore be imposed on this proposed development. A274 Mill Bank/North Street/Moat Road/Kings Road Junction This junction is due to be upgraded to a traffic signalled arrangement in conjunction with other prospective local developments in Headcorn. The TA has based the capacity modelling on the traffic signalled arrangement put forward in support of application MA/503325/HYBRID (Land between Mill Bank and Ulcombe Road). The results indicate that the junction would operate within capacity, even when accounting for the cumulative effects of the proposed development and other planned development in Headcorn. In accordance with the approach adopted in relation to other developments in Headcorn, a contribution of £650 per residential unit should be secured via a S106 Agreement to ensure delivery of this key junction improvement. This rate is founded on the provisional cost estimate and commuted maintenance sum, totalling £250k. A274 Corridor to Maidstone The TA has quantified the impact of additional development traffic further north on the A274 corridor. This key approach to Maidstone suffers from extensive congestion and KCC Highways has some concerns over the additional local congestion this development would create. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that development should only be prevented or refused on transport grounds where the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe. That can only be judged on a case by case basis, taking account of all material factors. KCC Highways has considered the applicants assessment, which has indicated that there could be up to 45 additional vehicles on the A274 south of Sutton Valence in the PM peak. This impact becomes progressively diluted further north on the A274 towards Maidstone. It is evident that congestion on the A274 corridor is likely to be worsened, although KCC Highways are not able to conclude that it will result in conditions that could be described as a severe impact on congestion or safety. However, your Members should be made aware that the residual impact of this development is likely to be characterised by additional local traffic generation and some consequent increase in congestion, which the applicant cannot fully mitigate.

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