LOCAL IMPACT REPORT

Section 60(3) Town and Country Planning Act 2008

HEYSHAM /M6 LINK ROAD AND ITS LOCAL IMPACTS UPON THE ADMINISTRATIVE AREA OF LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL

1. Introduction

1.1 Lancaster City Council is the district planning authority for the whole area through which the proposed /M6 Link road is to be constructed. It is responsible for the preparation of the Local Development Framework for the area and in July 2008 adopted the frameworks Core Strategy. Further documents relating to development management, land allocations, and an Area Action Plan for central are in the course of preparation with preferred options being made available for consultation in the summer of 2012.

1.2 The Heysham/M6 Link is the most significant single piece of new infrastructure to be proposed in the district for a generation. It has been the subject of much discussion and debate over several decades and it would have a high level of local impact both in socio-economic and physical planning terms. Much of the debate about these impacts, and alternative means to deal with the core problems of the isolation of the Heysham peninsular were had at the local inquiry into the original proposal in the summer of 2007. The City Council does not intend to reopen that debate as it is satisfied that the rationale which arrived at the decision to pursue the current scheme was entirely consistent with proper consideration of the appropriate legislation, and satisfied the Secretary of State that the route chosen was the logical one.

1.3 Although Lancaster City Council is a B Authority identified in the Infrastructure Planning Commission’s processes it does not intend that its Local Impact Report should duplicate that of County Councils as the Local Planning Authority responsible for determining major road schemes which fall outside the IPC process. The County Councils in their Local Impact Report will consider the finer details of the scheme and their impacts. The City Councils Local Impact Report is intended to compliment the County Councils and deal with matters which the City Council believes will help assist the Commission in their deliberations from the district planning authority’s perspective.

2. Site Description And Surroundings

2.1 The route of the proposed link road is through open countryside to the north of the built up area of the . It is characterised by undulating agricultural land with key transport routes running generally in a north/south direction. In addition to minor rural roads the West Coast main railway line heads north out of the city towards the Lake District, as do the principle highways designated as the M6 motorway and the A6. The Lancaster Canal also heads north towards its physical terminus at Tewitfield north of the market town of Carnforth.

2.2 The area of open countryside through which the link road would pass is designated as Green Belt being part of the North Lancashire Green Belt which has the purpose of separating the City of Lancaster from the coastal strip settlements along the eastern shore of Morecambe Bay, the larger villages of Slyne and Hest Bank, and the market town of Carnforth.

3. Details of the Proposal

3.1 The development proposal comprises the construction of a 4.8 kilometre highway in the form of a two lane dual carriageway to link the M6 Motorway at junction 34, to the A683 and A589 at Morecambe Road near Torrisholme. The link would complete the long term objective of upgrading the highway network between the Port of Heysham and the wider Heysham peninsular to the M6, the A683 being the first phase of that upgrade which was completed in July 1994.

3.2 The proposal also includes the construction of new slip roads to the M6 motorway at junction 34, some remodelling of the junction, and the construction of a park and ride facility for the city of Lancaster adjoining junction 34 to provide for a minimum of 600 car parking spaces.

3.3 There will be the construction of new highways to link these major works into the existing highway network along with the improvement, alteration diversion and stopping up of lengths of existing highways in the vicinity of the route. Reconfiguration of the major junctions at Morecambe Road and Caton Road will take place along with the stopping up and replacement of private means of access to premises, farm land, and allotments.

3.4 The scheme will also include the construction of grade separated crossings of the West Coast main railway line, the Lancaster Canal, the A6 Lancaster Road, and the . Crossings of other local highways, namely Torrisholme Road, Green Lane, Kellet Lane, and Halton Road will also be included.

3.5 In addition to the main highway works a full suite of land drainage works in connection with the construction of the highway works will take place together with a significant new drainage culvert to replace Slynedales Culvert, designed also to help alleviate one of the districts major land drainage and flooding problems.

3.6 To facilitate implementation of the scheme the proposal provides for the permanent or temporary compulsory acquisition of land and or property rights for the project.

4. Relevant Planning History And Issues Arising

4.1 A comprehensive list of the planning applications relating to the area protected from development under the GDPO etc is attached as Appendix 1 to this Local Impact Report. The most relevant applications to this case are :-

Application 01/ 05/01584 CPA Construction of a new highway – completion of Heysham to M6 Link and improvements to existing highways. The application called in by and approved by the Secretary of State in February 2008.

01/08/00821/CPA Construction of park and ride facility with 519 car parking spaces in association with Heysham to M6 link Road , Croskells Farm, Caton Road, Lancaster. Approved

01/09/00279 Works on additional parcels of land to facilitate the development of the completion of Heysham to M6 Link scheme. Approved

01/09/00654/CCC Amended layout for the Heysham to M6 link park and ride. Approved.

01/10/00167/CCC Extension to planning boundary for the completion of the Heysham to M6 Link. Approved.

01/10/00548/CCC construction of new 700 metre culvert from Lancaster Road to Moss Place and adjacent to Halton Road, Lancaster. Withdrawn.

5. Relevant Planning Policies

National 5.1 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) remains a draft following consultation during 2011. The document recognises that transport and improved accessibility can facilitate economic growth and the provision of a range of transport modes can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and congestion. Improved accessibility to Heysham Peninsula, particularly the Port of Heysham will help facilitate economic growth in the future. Whilst the scheme will have the greatest benefits to the highway accessibility, complimentary measures offered as part of the scheme can also assist in improving accessibility via a range and means of transport modes.

5.2 Whilst it remains an expectation that the National Planning Policy Framework will replace all other national guidance set out in Planning Policy Statements and Planning Policy Guidance Notes at this stage the content of these documents still remains a material consideration.

5.3 The following Statements / Guidance Notes should be given due consideration in relation to this scheme: PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development, PPG2: Green Belts, PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth, PPS5: Planning for the Historic Environment, PPS7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas, PPS9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation, PPG13: Transport, PPG24: Planning and Noise and PPS25: Development and Flood Risk.

Regional 5.4 As a consequence of the abolition of the regional tier of planning, the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West is no longer a material planning consideration for schemes. It is recognised that whilst the formal abolition of the document is still to be formally completed that the policies included within it should not be a formal consideration within this process.

5.5 The City Council recognise the support for the M6 / Heysham Link within the Local Transport Plan for Lancashire 2011- 2021, produced by Lancashire County Council.

Local 5.6 Lancaster District Core Strategy includes Policy E2 which relates to transportation measures. The purpose of the policy was to support the regeneration in the District, improve resident’s quality of life and minimise the environmental impacts of traffic. Whilst the policy sought to minimise the need to travel by car the policy does seek to improve accessibility to core employment areas such as White Lund and the Port of Heysham to facilitate economic growth and regeneration in the wider Heysham Peninsula. The Heysham to M6 Link Road is listed as a key milestone to achieve this.

5.7 Paragraph 6.25 of the adopted Core Strategy makes clear the City Councils support for the scheme subject to the following issues being addressed: • The scheme should be delivered in connection with a full range of sustainable traffic initiatives to avoid the released road space being filled by private vehicular traffic; • The scheme should also include for park and ride facilities to the north of the city; • Consideration should be given to measures to reduce construction noise; and • All HGV’s should be routed along the link once it is constructed.

5.8 The Council are currently in the process of preparing two further key documents which will form part of the local development plan process for the district, this includes a Development Management DPD, which will replace planning policies currently found in the Lancaster District Local Plan and a Land Allocations DPD, which will identify land which will meet future development needs and land which requires protection due to its economic, environmental or social value.

5.9 The Development Management DPD will seek to encourage development proposals to consider their accessibility in terms of their location and their ability to be accessed by a range of transport modes. It will seek to encourage the increased usage of sustainable modes of transport such as cycling and walking whilst recognising the importance and benefits that improved accessibility will have for the economy of the District.

5.10 The Land Allocations DPD will seek to identify land to meet future housing, employment, retail and recreational needs for the next 10 – 15 years. The core principles of allocating such sites will be identifying locations for development which are suitable, achievable and deliverable. Key to this approach will be the accessibility of these sites from a variety of transport modes.

5.11 At this point in time both the Development Management and Land Allocations DPD’s are not sufficiently advanced to warrant material consideration in this process. However, they clearly provide more detail on the strategic principles already adopted within the Adopted Core Strategy and through the course of 2012, as preferred options consultation takes place, the weighting of both documents will increase.

6. Details of Relevant Planning Proposals

6.1 The construction of the Heysham/M6 link would have a material impact on a wide range of major development proposals and land allocations in the district. The Lancaster District Local Development Framework Core Strategy lists the most significant areas where new investment will required in policies ER2 to ER6.

6.2 In hierarchical terms the developments most likely to benefit from improved access to the M6 lie on the Heysham peninsular. The recent expansion of the Port of Heysham is well documented and the City Council remains in ongoing negotiations with Peel Ports about supporting continuing expansion through the LDF land allocations process. A bid for Enterprise Zone status for this area was made to the Lancashire LEP in Summer 2011. Whilst it did not secure support on that occasion, the LEP has listed growth at in association with port activities and servicing offshore wind development for the Energy Coast as one of its six top priorities for economic development in the county.

6.3 Lancaster District is one of eight local authorities with a site nominated for a new nuclear power station. The site at Heysham would provide for a replacement station to be built alongside the existing Heysham 1 and Heysham 2 stations, both of which have dates for decommissioning. The completion of the link to the M6 would bring significant benefits to that scheme both in terms of easing construction and improving access to the power stations for emergency planning purposes.

6.4 The City Council is preparing an Area Action Plan for Central Morecambe. This plan will seek to increase the momentum of regeneration of Morecambe continuing its journey from an ailing seaside resort and priority regeneration settlement in the RSS to a vibrant place to live work and visit. Access to the town from the M6 has long been sited as a severe impediment to viability of investment. It is expected that the ability of the local authority to secure private sector development partners for the key schemes in the Area Action Plan when they emerge will be significantly influenced by the certainty surrounding the construction of the Heysham/M6 Link.

6.5 A major upgrade for the districts primary retail location Lancaster city centre also appears as a key theme in the LDF Core Strategy. Although the site has yet to obtain planning permission, many of the significant hurdles relating to principles were overcome during the Call-In public Inquiry into an earlier proposal in 2009. Since then the council’s development partner has asked to extend the development agreement and English Heritage and the council have finalised finalising their new baseline assessment of heritage assets. In negotiations between the developer, the council and English Heritage all the obstacles to agreement about how the heritage assets should be treated have been overcome, and detailed negotiations leading to a planning application in 2012 will commence shortly.

6.6 Although the development of an expansion to Lancaster City Centre is not dependant on the construction of the Heysham/M6 Link, there is no doubt that the relief of traffic congestion in the Lune Bridge gyratory, the provision of a park and ride for the first time, and the provision of other complementary traffic measures would play a major role in improving the accessibility of the scheme, and attracting back to Lancaster much of the local retail spend lost to other areas as a result of the city’s poor retail offer.

7. Local Area Characteristics

7.1 Lancaster District is characterised by very high quality landscapes and urban areas which in many cases have historic cores and conservation areas. There are distinct urban design characteristics in the City of Lancaster, the Lune Valley, the lower Lakeland fells and the coastal strip. In addition to high urban and landscape qualities, coastal and river features are also of high conservation value.

7.2 The City of Lancaster is one of the North West regions three historic cities. Although its northern fringes which lie adjacent to the line of the Heysham/M6 Link do not represent the most sensitive parts of the settlement in conservation and historic environment terms. The villages of Halton and Slyne though largely residential also have historic cores. Along the route of the link road collections of farm buildings and clusters of residential properties generally reflect the built form of the area, as do some of the historic features along the Lancaster Canal. Where aspect of the schemes design affects historic structures the City Council’s senior Conservation Officer has worked with the scheme promoters to agree details which affect them.

7.3 The open countryside through which the link road runs is designated as Green Belt but apart from that has no special nature conservation designation. The landscape is largely agricultural with rolling hillsides to the east gradually shallowing towards the coastal plain to the west. The Forest of Bowland AONB lies to the west of Junction 34 and views of the new slip roads and Shefferlands roundabout in particular will be visible from the fell sides of the AONB on the high ground on the south of the Lune valley.

7.4 The Link road enters the urban area of Lancaster/Morecambe on the edges of a traditional suburban residential area (Torrisholme). The point of entry is however dominated by the campus of Lancaster and Morecambe College, with the link road running between it and its outlying playing fields. The link physically joins the first phase of the upgraded highway network to the Port of Heysham at a point where that route runs directly through the districts most significant employment area, the White Lund Industrial Estate.

8. Local Transport Patterns and Issues

8.1 The urban areas of Lancaster and Morecambe are well known for their traffic congestion which can replicate the levels of gridlock normally associated with parts of the nation’s capital on regular occasions. The causes of this gridlock are related to the limited numbers of river crossings, the complexity of gyratory systems threading through an inflexible historic road pattern, and the additions on a regular pattern of large volumes of commercial through traffic into this congested network as it passes through the urban areas between the Port of Heysham and the M6.

8.2 It would be far to simplistic to say that only the central area of Lancaster and Morecambe suffers from congestion as there are regular gridlock points at peak hours on the principal north south route of the A6 at Galgate to the south of Lancaster, and Carnforth to the north of the city. A high percentage of local residents, and those from the outlying rural areas depend on the urban areas of Lancaster and Morecambe (including the Port of Heysham and the two power stations) for employment, and it is the cross urban area flows either way over the river bridges and the lack of off road alternatives which cause the regular daily gridlock. The County Council’s highway assessment of the proposal will address this in great detail.

8.3 Notwithstanding the high profile issues relating to traffic congestion and the isolation of the Heysham peninsular, the district is relatively well located to the motorway network and the west coast railway line.

8.4 A major concern for the City Council will be the impact on normal traffic movements in and around the urban area during the construction process. The principal routes affected by the build programme and many of the rural lanes along the route of the road are used by commuter traffic into the urban area, or drivers rat running through the rural areas to avoid the peak hour gridlock which occurs between Lancaster and Morecambe. The creation of delays during the construction process will inevitably result in a demand along other routes to create new rat running routes and these should be anticipated and accounted for to ensure that normal economic activity in Lancaster and Morecambe can still take place during the construction period.

9. Material Planning Considerations

9.1 The City Council believes that the material planning considerations in this case remain those considered by the Secretary of State in the decision on the original scheme on 7th February 2008. They also believe that the very special circumstances which were balanced against the impact on the Green Belt and other harms acknowledged in the Secretary of States conclusions are strengthened even further by the continuing stagnation in economic growth since 2008, the changes in interventional activity through central government activities such as Regional Growth Funds and support for Local Enterprise Partnerships.

9.2 The emergence of revisions to national planning guidance in the draft NPPF should also be taken into account in addition to the publication of a national planning framework for the generation of energy which is directly relevant to this case.

9.3 Where the current scheme differs from the approval the direct impacts of those revisions need to be assessed to determine whether there are any new impacts which might outweigh the conclusions reached by the Secretary of State on the original scheme. In this regard the City Council has the following views on the revisions :-

Shefferlands Junction

9.4 The original scheme proposed that the link road at this point was in cutting some 14 metres below ground level. The revised scheme proposes that the road be constructed at existing ground level and hence the greatest new impact will be on the living conditions of residential properties immediately to the north of the roundabout in this location. To mitigate the impact of the scheme in this respect the County Council have proposed to use the advantages of raising ground levels between the road and residences to propose a 10m high screen mound between them. This would not only shield residents from direct views of the road but would also be expected to reduce the level of noise from the road audible from those properties. Further mitigation has been proposed by reducing the height of lighting columns around the roundabout. The City Council finds this modification acceptable.

Removal of Lighting

9.5 The revised scheme deletes the provision of street lighting along the whole length of the link road and retains it only at the principle junctions. Overall it is considered that this reduces the impact of the scheme on the openness of the Green Belt especially at night and brings other benefits for nearby residents and habitats without obviously compromising highway safety. The City Council finds this modification acceptable.

Minor Changes To Slip Roads

9.6 Minor changes are proposed to the alignments of the slip roads for the M6. These changes reduce land take, and remove the need to widen Caton Road Bridge and reconstruct Grimshaw Lane Bridge. These changes further reduce the impact of the scheme from that previously proposed and the City Council finds these modifications acceptable.

Church Brow, Halton

9.7 The City Council acknowledges that the redesign of the Shefferlands junction alters the intersection between the link road and the main route between the village of Halton and Lancaster on the north bank of the River Lune. What has become known as the Halton Link was included in the original scheme at the request of the villagers of Halton in 2001. It also notes that updated traffic figures suggest that there will be an increase in the amount of traffic leaving and returning to the village along Halton Road from previous assessments, although it is acknowledged that this does not occur as a result of the revisions to the levels at which the link is created. Local residents have raised concerns about this factor and in particular the potential for traffic vibration to destabilise a retaining wall at Church Bow. In addition to addressing the stability of the retaining wall, the County Council have also given an undertaking to consider introducing a mandatory 20 mph speed limit on this section of road , where only an advisory one exists at present.

9.8 The City Council acknowledges that the reduction in traffic movements to and from the village when the scheme is in place will result from removing the need for rat running to take place between Morecambe and the villages to the north, and the M6, primarily to avoid the congestion in Lancaster. This is a significant benefit. The increase in traffic movements on Church Brow however appear to come from the provision of a radical new opportunity for residents of Halton itself to move between the village, Lancaster and the Motorway.

9.9 At the moment the daily commute will be generally spread between Church Brow, Crook of Lune, and Denny Deck Bridge. The construction of the Halton Link will inevitably change the dynamic of access and become the prime point of entry and exit into Halton and it is inevitable that the residents of Church Brow will notice significant change. The City Council takes the view however that the change will have other benefits in terms of reducing journey times, removing traffic volumes from narrow lanes, and reducing wear and tear on historic bridges. Provided the County Council adequately mitigates these new impacts on this part of the network at Halton, the City Council finds these modifications acceptable.

Increased Visual Impact

9.10 With the road no longer being dug into cutting at its eastern end there will be a greater visual impact on wider views across this part of the Lune Valley. Those impacts will be from surrounding country lanes, from the fells in the adjoining Forest of Bowland AONB and from the motorways itself particularly when travelling north. It is inevitable that this visible impact will be greater on this part of the Green Belt in the Lune Valley although it could also be argued that the removal of cutting as an engineered land form is a benefit to the natural contour of the landform by way of compensation. Notwithstanding this change in the level of impact from the previous scheme the City Council believes that this is more than outbalanced by the substantial economic benefits which the scheme will deliver for the district, the region, and neighbouring parts of the UK which rely on Heysham Port.

9.11 The City Council fully understands that the Commission has to consider the Heysham to M6 Link road as an entire scheme as a whole notwithstanding the existence of an extant scheme for the link in its original form. To ignore the existence of an extant planning permission years of argument and debate leading up to the Secretary of States decision in February 2008 and the proper application of carefully balanced considerations which led to and have supported that decision, would be perverse and fly in the face of long established principles in the rest of the planning system. The City Council continues to support the scheme even in its revised design and has given reasons why it is content with the modifications from the original. Given the Secretary of States decision in February 2008 it does not feel the need to re-examine details of the scheme which will not change, despite having the opportunity to do so.

10. Designated Sites

10.1 The route of the Heysham/M6 Link Road is predominately located within the North Lancashire Green Belt. It will also affect four County Biological Heritage Sites two of which are linear; the River Lune and the Lancaster Canal. The other two are Long Bank Wood and Dale Wood.

11. Socio-economic Impacts

11.1 The City Council collaborated with the Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the County Council, and Peel Ports to prepare an updated summary of the economic case for the Heysham/M6 Link in July 2010. The summary report is appended to this Local Impact Statement as Appendix 2 and forms the City Councils position. Since the report was published it should be noted that Heysham has been nominated for new nuclear build following the adoption of the National Policy Statements on 18 th July 2011 it has already been stated earlier in this report that the growth of the Port of Heysham is now one of the six priority projects for the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

12. Impact of Draft Order and Development Consent Obligations

12.1 Subject to the provisos in paragraph 5.7 the City Council is content to leave the County Council in its local planning authority role to deal with the draft order and development consent obligations.