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BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH AGENDA ITEM 5 Economic & Environment Committee 5th October 2005 Report of the Construction & Property Manager A509 Isham to Wellingborough Improvement – Rights of Way Consultation 1 Purpose of Report 1.1 To enable Members to consider and approve a response to the consultation on the Rights of Way crossings for the proposed improvement of the A509 between Isham and Wellingborough and a preferred layout for the junction in the vicinity of Redhill Grange. 2 Background 2.1 In May 2004 Northamptonshire County Council designated a preferred route for the A509 improvement between Isham and Wellingborough as shown on the attached plans and following consideration of four options. 2.2 In July 2005, following an unsuccessful bid last year, the bid for funding was resubmitted by the County Council in July 2005, asking Ministers to review the decision, and the result is expected in December 2005. 3 Discussion 3.1 As Northamptonshire County Council have been pressed by local people and organisations to construct both schemes concurrently, which will: • Resolve the traffic problems between Kettering and Wellingborough with a single scheme. • Save Government money • Avoid having to build the southern “tail” of the Isham Bypass which would then need to be dug up when the Isham to Wellingborough road scheme is built. They are pressing ahead with the statutory processes for the Isham to Wellingborough Scheme so that it will catch up with the Isham Bypass scheme. 3.2 The next step in the process is to complete an Environmental Statement and to make a planning application. Before doing this they are seeking local views about: • How to cater for Rights of Way Users. • What form of local road junction(s) should be provided in the vicinity of Redhill Grange 3.3 A Consultation questionnaire has been issued detailing the options considered and a copy of the questionnaire has been attached as an appendix to this report and draft responses have been completed for the Committee to consider and approve. 4 Legal Powers 4.1 Local Government Act 1972, Highways Act 1980. 5 Financial Implications 5.1 There are no direct financial implications as a result of this report. 6 Risk analysis and Implications This scheme is in competition with others for funding and if it is not brought forward the existing problems with traffic between Isham and Wellingborough will increase when the bypass is completed. 6.1 Implications for Staffing There are no implications on staffing. 6.2 Implications for Sustainable Development Proper consideration of the crossing points will ensure that the impact of the proposed road on the Rights of way will be kept to a minimum and the correct junction layout at Redhill Grange should be promoted to encourage sustainability. 6.3 Implications for Equal Opportunities There are no direct implications as a result of this report. 6.4 Implications for Community Safety Provision of grade-separated crossing points will increase the safety of the users of the Rights of Way. 6.5 Implications for Health Improvement Safe crossing points will encourage greater use of the Rights of way by both pedestrians and riders which in turn encourages a healthier lifestyle. It is important to ensure that the junction layout at Redhill Grange is safe to use for residents 6.6 Implications for Property There are no direct implications on property as a result of this report. 7 Recommendations 7.1 That the Committee considers and approves the draft response to the A509 Isham to Wellingborough improvement consultation on the public rights of way crossings and junction layout at Redhill Grange. 8 Author and Contact Officer 8.1 Paul Thompson – Engineering Manager 9 Consultees 10 Background Papers 10.1 Letter and consultation document from Northamptonshire County Council dated 5th September 2005 A509 ISHAM TO WELLINGBOROUGH Public Rights of Way & Junctions Consultation – Sept 2005 Questionnaire Background: In July 2005, the County Council re-submitted the bid to Government for finance to build this scheme. The bid stresses the advantages of constructing this scheme concurrently with the Isham Bypass. This requires us to press forward with a planning application as quickly as possible. From the consultations to date we consider we should carry out some further detailed consultations in respect of all Rights of Way crossing points, and in respect of the junction arrangements near Redhill Grange. Cabinet reports and technical reports, including the recent financial bid, are available on the County Council website www.northamptonshire.gov.uk followed by the path headings >Transport and Streets >Transport Planning >Major Transport Initiatives, and then under A509 Isham to Wellingborough Improvement.. Your Views Wanted: We now wish to consult with local people and organisations in respect of the public Rights of Way affected by the proposed A509 Isham to Wellingborough Improvement, and in respect of the junction arrangements near Redhill Grange. As a consultee in this process we are now seeking your views and comments, and have delivered this questionnaire booklet and plans to you. Your views and comments are sought on the proposals with the opportunity to put forward your own ideas. Consultation: The consultation questionnaire has been divided into 4 locations, and a separate questionnaire with proposed options is included for each location. The locations are as follows: • Location 1 – Footpath TH3 Little Harrowden to Great Harrowden. • Location 2 - Bridleway TH2 running south-west from Great Harrowden • Location 3 – Footpath TH5 Great Harrowden to Wellingborough • Location 4 – Junction options near Redhill Grange Please indicate on the last page of this questionnaire booklet, your name and address, and the names of other residents within your household who have participated in this consultation. This consultation will help the Head of Sustainable Transport decide on which Rights of Way measures and which junction arrangement at Redhill Grange to include in this new road scheme. The Next Steps: Once the Head of Sustainable Transport has made a decision, the next step will be to incorporate the Rights of Way measures and junction arrangements into the Environmental Statement which will form part of the planning application for the scheme. The planning application is the first step in a statutory process that will be overseen by the County Council’s Head of Sustainable Development. This process will involve formal consultation with a wide range of organisations, and will result in the Chief Planning Officer submitting a report to the County Council’s Development Control Committee. The committee will determine the planning application. If additional provision incurs a cost increase, there will be a need to report the findings to the Department for Transport (DfT). INTRODUCTION The County Council selected a preferred route for the A509 Isham to Wellingborough Improvement in June 2004. The finance for the scheme (estimated to cost £13.7m) has to be secured as a special grant from Central Government. We submitted a bid for this money in July 2004, but were informed in December 2004 that we had been unsuccessful in our bid. The government said at the time that the scheme “did not present a sufficient priority for approval at this stage”. We re-submitted our bid in July 2005, asking Ministers to review this decision, and expect to hear the outcome of this in December 2005. We have been pressed by local people and organisations to construct both schemes concurrently, as this will: • Resolve the traffic problems between Kettering and Wellingborough at a stroke • Save Government money • Avoid having to build the southern “tail” of Isham Bypass which would then need to be dug up when the Isham to Wellingborough road scheme is built We are pressing ahead with the statutory processes for the Isham to Wellingborough Scheme so that it will catch up with the Isham Bypass scheme. The next step is to complete an Environmental Statement and to make a planning application. Before doing this we are seeking local views about • how to cater for Rights of Way users • what form of local road junction(s) should be provided in the vicinity of Redhill Grange, Wellingborough. Please read the following pages which describe the options we have investigated, and please complete the questionnaire. We have already received views from the earlier consultations about the strategic options for the Isham to Wellingborough scheme (Routes 2.1 to 2.4 and route 5 (Isham Bypass) – so there is no need to repeat this unless: a) You did not reply to us in the spring 2004 consultation; or b) You have some point to make that you did not make at that time. There is a page available at the back of the booklet for people who want to make new comments. LOCATION 1: Diversion of Public Footpath TH3 near Great Harrowden. This footpath provides a direct cross-country link between the villages of Little and Great Harrowden. We have identified 2 options, but consider we need to recommend one particular option to make best use of the limited Government funding for new roads and road improvements. • Option A – Provide a pedestrian bridge over the new road on the line of the existing footpath. This option is estimated to cost a minimum of £250,000. This option would maintain the footpath exactly where it is at the moment, but we do not believe it represents good value for money (see option B below) (see Drg.No.5026518.918.20) • Option B – Divert the footpath to the road bridge that will carry the Little Harrowden to Great Harrowden local road over the proposed A509 dual carriageway new road. This option requires Footpath TH3 to be diverted over a 160 metre length as it approached Great Harrowden. The footpath would be diverted to become a headland path on the western boundary of the proposed road, and would cross the new road in the verge of a new road bridge.