Feasibility Report for an Active Travel Hub for Aberfoyle
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Feasibility Report for an Active Travel Hub for Aberfoyle This feasibility study was carried out by Nicki Souter Associates on behalf of the Trossachs Business Partnership in January 2017. Nicki Souter ASSOCIATES Contents Background 4 Profile 7 Current Active Travel and Public Transport Services 10 Supporting the Delivery of the Community Action Plan 13 Stirling Council Low Carbon Travel and Transport Hub 16 Methodology 20 Findings and Recommendations 25 Financial Model 43 Appendices 46 Background 4 Background In 2010 the Scottish Government produced a Transport Scotland was awarded up to £13.9m Cycle Action Plan which set a target for 10% of until the end of 2018 under the European all journeys to be made by bicycle by 2020. In Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014- 2014 the Scottish Government’s Active Travel 2020 programme to help reduce greenhouse Vision1 was launched which aims to significantly gas emissions from transport and improve air increase the number of people cycling, walking quality. £8M of this funding is being used to and using other forms of active travel. This deliver the Low Carbon Travel and Transport vision set out to: (LCTT) Challenge Fund which is supporting the strategic aims of the LCTT Programme to: О Improve infrastructure, such as segregated cycle paths and improved connectivity of О Increase the number of journeys made by settlements for walkers and cyclists; public transport, active travel or low-carbon О Ensure continual maintenance of roads, and vehicles; pedestrian and cycling paths; О Support active travel hubs (facilities and О Transform urban centres to create a sense of routes to support cycling, walking and public place and prioritise active travel access; transport use as an alternative to the car); О Integrate active travel with public transport and services, such as room for bikes on buses, О To provide low carbon transport hubs and and encouraging further uptake in a range of reliable low-carbon refuelling services at public and alternative transport, such as car strategic sites. clubs, bike hire and bike storage; О Realise cultural and behavioural change This LCTT Challenge Fund is open to public, through a range of programmes to ensure community and third sector organisations to bid active travel can continue to develop; for up to 40 – 50% of their project costs with О Promote community ownership; the remainder to be met through match funding О Improve planning and strategy development with a submission deadline of the 28th February so that active travel is prioritised in all 2017. aspects of life from health to community planning partnerships; and To assist organisations in developing strong bids О Encourage and develop further active for this fund, Transport Scotland Pre-Application travel leisure, sport and recreation activities Support Fund (PASF)2 is providing eligible throughout Scotland. organisations with up to £10,000, to support a range of development activity, such as: The first Active Travel Hub was launched in Stockton-on-Tees in 2009 and since this time О Scoping or feasibility studies; there have been a significant number of hubs О Business plan development; set up across the UK. The first hub in Scotland О Technical report and scheme design studies; was the Stirling Cycle Hub, established in May О Community engagement; 2013 by Forth Environment Link and located in О Identifying sources of eligible match funding; the centre of the city. Since opening, the Stirling О Identifying suitable sites for hubs, including Cycle Hub has helped over 16,000 people landowner engagement; get involved in Active Travel, and has acted О Investigating links with existing active travel as a successful model for further hubs to be infrastructure and provision; established in Kilmarnock and Ayr. О Advice on technical specifications for low carbon vehicle hubs e.g. power supply required or source of alternative fuels; О Identifying research and data sources; and О Establishing baseline evidence. 1 http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/minister-launches-active-travel-vision 2 http://www.transport.gov.scot/environment/pre-application-support-fund-pasf The Trossachs Business Partnership Hub in Aberfoyle to benefit residents and visitors but also to act as a model for other rural The Trossachs Business Partnership (TBP) is Hubs across Scotland. The submission deadline one of 39 organisations to be awarded Pre- for the Feasibility Study is the 27th January 2017. Application Support Funding in support of the The Feasibility Study was to commissioned to development of a strong bid to the European identify the following key objectives: Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Low Carbon Travel and Transport (LCTT) Challenge Fund. О The attitudes, behaviours and acceptability among residents, visitors and key The Partnership is a community based stakeholders to the proposed Active Travel association for businesses in Aberfoyle and the Hub, including a detailed exploration of the surrounding area, comprising of 17 members types of services and facilities that the Hub with the majority actively involved in servicing might provide, including: the tourism sector. » The provision of active travel options to and from the Hub; The Trossachs Business Partnership » A focal point for meeting, information commissioned Nicki Souter Associates to and education; and undertake a Feasibility Study to explore the » Enhanced connectivity of the Hub potential for the development of an Active to the surrounding area and the Travel Hub within the centre of Aberfoyle provision of low carbon transport to provide an enhanced, co-ordinated and options. improved cycling, walking and travel service for residents and visitors to the village and О A suitable location, the governance and surrounding area. There are currently no rural management structures, and the capital Active Travel Hubs established in Scotland and and revenue costs associated with the as such there is the potential for the proposed establishment and maintenance of the Hub. Profile 7 Profile Area Profile Age Profile The Trossachs and Teith is an electoral ward The region’s age profile as of 2013 is displayed located in rural Stirling and includes the in Table 15, with over half of the population over towns of Callander, Doune and the village of the age of 45: Aberfoyle. As of 2013 the ward has a population of approximately 11,5273 with approximately Table 1: Trossachs and Teith Age Profile 5,4404 households. It forms a major part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, located approximately 18 miles from Stirling and Age Group % of Population 33 miles from Glasgow. As an area, it is popular 0-15 11% with walkers and is becoming increasingly popular as a destination for cyclists. The 16-29 14% National Cycle Route 7 runs through the area 30-44 17% and it is fortunate to have an extensive number of forest tracks for walkers, mountain bikers, and 45-59 29% quiet roads for cyclists. 60-74 20% Socio Demographic Profile 75+ 9% The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD 2016) indicates levels of deprivation in “datazones” of Council areas throughout Scotland. The socio-demographic profile of the Trossachs and Teith electoral ward is largely affluent with 10 of the 17 of the regions datazones classified as being in the 40% least deprived datazones in Scotland. The Strathard area (Aberfoyle, Kinlochard, Inversnaid and Stronachlachar) consists of 3 datazones consisting of a population of 1,643 residents. Output Area Classifications (OACs) use 2011 Census data to apply a three-tiered hierarchical geodemographic classification to each Output Area within the UK. It assigns one of 8 Super- groups, 26 Groups and 76 Subgroups to each Output Area, providing a snapshot of the geodemographic information of that area. The OAC of the Trossachs and Teith Ward is largely made up of four super-groups: О Rural Residents; О Hard-Pressed Living; О Urbanites; and О Suburbanites. 3 http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates 4 http://statistics.gov.scot/data/dwellings-type 5 http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates Business Profile The region’s business profile as of Scotland’s 2011 Census is displayed in Table 26: Table 2: Trossachs and Teith Business Profile Employment of Ward % Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 5.2% Administrative and Support Activities 4% Manufacturing 4.4% Construction 9.1% Wholesale and Retail Trade 13.2% Finance and Insurance and Real Estate 4.1% Professional, Scientific and Technical 5.5% Public Administration and Defence 5.9% Education 9.2% Health and Social Work 11.9% Accommodation and Food Services 14.5% Other 13.2% 6 http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates Current Active Travel and Public Transport Services 10 Current Active Travel and Public Transport Services Current Active Travel and future opportunities by coffee and cake and finishes with a fitness within Aberfoyle and the surrounding area class. The Aberfoyle group currently has 30 to include the following facilities and organisations. 35 members with usually 20 members on each walk. Path and Trail Network Public Transport Extensive network of paths and trails used by an increasing number of cyclists as an overnight There has been a reduction in public transport stop as part of multi-day bike tour, or a daytime services in the Trossachs similar to other rural destination for day cyclists. communities. Aberfoyle is currently serviced by 3 public bus routes, with only one of these Bike Trossachs7 having regular buses. The routes are as follows: Based in Aberfoyle, Bike Trossachs was set up О B10: One evening bus a day (Monday to in 2013 to promote mountain biking in general, Saturday to Balfron); as well as highlighting the mountain biking О 504: Two buses a day to coincide with opportunities in the Trossachs part of the Loch the start and finish of school and operates Lomond and Trossachs National Park.