` Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Infrastructure Capacity Study Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report Final | May 2020 This report takes into account the particular instructions and requirements of our client. It is not intended for and should not be relied upon by any third party and no responsibility is undertaken to any third party. Job number 266619-00 Ove Arup & Partners Ltd 1st Floor City Gate West Tollhouse Hill Nottingham NG1 5AT United Kingdom www.arup.com Document Verification Job title Infrastructure Capacity Study Job number 266619-00 Document title Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report File reference Document ref Revision Date Filename Report.docx Draft 1 19 Description First draft August 2019 Prepared by Checked by Approved by Name Rob Webster Vicky Evans Vicky Evans Signature Final (Not October Filename published) 2019 Description Updated to reflect client comments on first draft Prepared by Checked by Approved by Name Emily Avery Rob Webster Vicky Evans Signature Final May Filename Amended 2020 Description Amended to incorporate further discussions with Leicestershire County Council Education and Cadent Gas, and reflect revised timescales for production of the Local Plan. Prepared by Checked by Approved by Name Giovanni Loperfido Rob Webster Vicky Evans Signature Filename Description Prepared by Checked by Approved by Name Signature Issue Document Verification with Document | Final | May 2020 M:\266000\266619-00\4 INTERNAL PROJECT DATA\4 OUTPUTS\PHASE 1 BASELINE REPORT\FINAL\HBBC ICS PHASE 1 REPORT - FINAL FOR ISSUE HBBC COMMENTS ADDRESSED 050820.DOCX Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Infrastructure Capacity Study Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report Contents Page Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 6 1.1 Overview 6 1.2 Role of the Infrastructure Capacity Study 7 1.3 Rationale for producing an Infrastructure Capacity Study 8 1.4 Document Structure 8 2 Understanding the Policy Context 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 National Planning Policy Context 9 2.3 Hinckley & Bosworth Local Policy Context 14 2.4 Local Enterprise Partnerships 15 2.5 Duty to Cooperate and Cross-boundary issues 16 3 Study Methodology 24 3.1 Scope of study 24 3.2 Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment 25 3.3 Phase 2 32 4 Baseline Infrastructure Position 36 4.1 Transport 36 4.2 Utilities and Environment 52 4.3 Education and Community Services 67 4.4 Healthcare and Emergency Services 85 4.5 Open Space, Recreation and Green Infrastructure 99 5 Baseline Infrastructure Capacity Findings 119 5.1 Boroughwide Baseline Infrastructure Capacity Summary 119 5.2 Settlement-Level Baseline Infrastructure Capacity 120 5.3 Infrastructure Considerations for a New Settlement 141 | Final | May 2020 M:\266000\266619-00\4 INTERNAL PROJECT DATA\4 OUTPUTS\PHASE 1 BASELINE REPORT\FINAL\HBBC ICS PHASE 1 REPORT - FINAL FOR ISSUE HBBC COMMENTS ADDRESSED 050820.DOCX Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Infrastructure Capacity Study Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report Executive Summary Introduction Arup has been commissioned by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) to undertake an Infrastructure Capacity Study for the borough. This will help to inform the development of the Council’s new Local Plan, which will cover a plan period from 2016 through to 2036. The Council recognises the importance of infrastructure provision to the creation of efficient, well-run places; which help to support residents’ quality of life and underpin the success of the borough’s businesses. The Infrastructure Capacity Study is comprised of three separate and interlinked documents. This reflects the parallel development of the Local Plan by the Council. These stages are: • Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report (this document) • Phase 2a: Development Viability Assessment • Phase 2b: The Infrastructure Delivery Schedule This Phase 1 document was initially drafted in October 2019, but subsequently amended to reflect further discussions with Leicestershire County Council and Cadent Gas, regarding the borough’s education and gas supply provision respectively. For all other infrastructure types, the baseline positions reflected in this report as correct as of October 2019. Structure and role of this Phase 1 Baseline Capacity Assessment Report This report provides the baseline context for existing infrastructure capacity in Hinckley & Bosworth. It will inform the Council’s subsequent selection of a preferred growth option, by doing the following: • Engaging with infrastructure and service providers to understand their investment plans; • Engaging with duty-to-cooperate bodies to understand implications for cross-boundary infrastructure provision; • Providing an understanding of infrastructure services, networks and facilities in Hinckley & Bosworth, and identifying existing capacity surpluses and deficits on a boroughwide basis and a settlement-by-settlement basis where possible; • Identifying how these infrastructure capacity constraints might have implications for the Local Plan and preferred growth option, including setting out any issues that might be a barrier to future growth; and • Assessing the potential to deliver a new settlement within the borough, based on an understanding of infrastructure necessary to support it. It is set out across five chapters – an introduction to the Study as a whole (Chapter 1), analysis of local and national policy context and duty-to-cooperate considerations (Chapter 2), details of scope and methodology (Chapter 3), consideration of the baseline position for each of the 32 infrastructure types across five broad themes (Chapter 4) and summary of the infrastructure capacity implications for future growth in the borough (Chapter 5). | Final | May 2020 Page 1 M:\266000\266619-00\4 INTERNAL PROJECT DATA\4 OUTPUTS\PHASE 1 BASELINE REPORT\FINAL\HBBC ICS PHASE 1 REPORT - FINAL FOR ISSUE HBBC COMMENTS ADDRESSED 050820.DOCX Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Infrastructure Capacity Study Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report Cross boundary and duty-to-cooperate implications In undertaking this Study, we have engaged with all six of Hinckley & Bosworth’s neighbouring authorities, as well as Leicester City Council (which is around a mile beyond the borough boundary). This has drawn out several key infrastructure considerations, several of which reflect priorities in the new Leicestershire Strategic Growth Plan: Transport • Mutual reliance on the highly-constrained A5 is a key shared concern for North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth and Rugby – whilst piecemeal mitigation and enhancement schemes are coming forwards, the road will remain highly constrained and growth implications need to be considered on a route-wide regional basis; • The advancement and delivery of the proposed A46 expressway around the south and east of Leicester, which would relieve the existing route around the north and west of the city, is an important shared priority with Blaby and Charnwood; • Improvements to strategic corridors into Leicester, particularly junction capacity, where Leicester City Council hopes to work more closely with Leicestershire County Council and its districts to address issues on a cross-boundary basis; and • Leicester City Council has also identified mutual reliance on the Leicester to Birmingham rail route which passes through Hinckley, on which Leicester City Council is lobbying for improved services including direct services to Coventry; Education and Healthcare • There are several localised cross-boundary movements for people to be able to meet their day-to-day needs, such as visits to school and GP surgeries. These include: - Movements primarily from Rural Villages out of the borough, e.g. from Witherley to Atherstone in North Warwickshire; - Movements into the borough’s Urban Centres, e.g. from Stoney Stanton in Blaby to Hinckley; and - Movements into the borough specifically for secondary education, e.g. from Blaby and Leicester to Bosworth Academy in Desford; and from Charnwood to Groby Community College. Utilities, Environment and Green Infrastructure • There is significant cross-boundary reliance on utility infrastructure, given the regional basis on which these are planned and provided; and • Given the more localised nature of green infrastructure assets there are generally much lower levels of cross-boundary interaction, although green corridors such as Burbage Common and the Ashby Canal do have cross-boundary implications. Baseline positions by infrastructure type In undertaking this Study, we have held discussions with most of the organisations responsible for infrastructure provision within Hinckley & Bosworth. This has enabled an understanding of | Final | May 2020 Page 2 M:\266000\266619-00\4 INTERNAL PROJECT DATA\4 OUTPUTS\PHASE 1 BASELINE REPORT\FINAL\HBBC ICS PHASE 1 REPORT - FINAL FOR ISSUE HBBC COMMENTS ADDRESSED 050820.DOCX Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Infrastructure Capacity Study Phase 1: Baseline Capacity Assessment Report constraints from their perspective, and the extent to which any constraints will have implications for future growth in the borough. For infrastructure types where it has not been possible to hold discussions with an infrastructure provider (flood management, waste management, libraries, fire services and ambulance services), our findings are based solely upon our review of existing strategies and on information provided to us by the Council. To inform our discussions with infrastructure providers, we have discussed a notional level of growth of 12,000 homes over the plan