Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly
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PROPOSED CHANGE OF USE (RETAIL TO GYM) CASTLE VIEW SHOPPING CENTRE, CAERPHILLY Transport Statement March 2021 Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly Connect Consultants, 78 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 6AG t:01454 320 220 f:01454 320 099 e:[email protected] Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1 1.1 Appointment of Connect Consultants ..................................................................... 1 1.2 Site Location ........................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Development Proposals ........................................................................................ 2 1.4 Planning Background ............................................................................................ 2 1.5 Planning Policy Wales ........................................................................................... 3 1.6 Local Planning Policy ............................................................................................ 4 1.7 Report Overview .................................................................................................. 5 2.0 SITE TRANSPORT CONTEXT ..................................................... 6 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Pedestrian Access ................................................................................................ 6 2.3 Cycling ................................................................................................................ 7 2.4 Bus Access .......................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Highways Access ................................................................................................ 10 3.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ..................................................... 12 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Parking Policy Wales .......................................................................................... 12 3.3 Car Parking Assessment ..................................................................................... 12 3.4 Section Conclusion ............................................................................................. 16 4.0 TRAFFIC ASSESSMENT ........................................................... 17 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 17 4.2 Existing Trip Attraction ....................................................................................... 17 4.3 Proposed Trip Attraction ..................................................................................... 17 4.4 Net Change in Trip Attraction.............................................................................. 18 4.5 Section Conclusion ............................................................................................. 18 5.0 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS................................................... 19 5.1 Summary ........................................................................................................... 19 5.2 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 19 Connect Consultants, 78 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 6AG t:01454 320 220 f:01454 320 099 e:[email protected] List of Tables Table 2.1 – Bus Service Details 10 Table 4.1 – Existing Peak Hour Trip Attraction 17 Table 4.2 – Proposed Peak Hour Trip Attraction 17 Table 4.3 – Net Change in Peak Hour Trip Attraction 18 List of Insets Figure 1.1 – Site in Wider Context 1 Figure 1.2 – Site in Local Context 2 Figure 2.1 – 1.2km and 2km Approximate Walk Catchments 7 Figure 2.2 – Cycle Catchment Area 8 Figure 2.3 – Caerphilly Cycle Map 9 Figure 2.4 – Local Bus Stops 10 Figure 2.5 – Local Highway Network 11 Figure 3.1 – Existing Car Parking Accumulation 14 Figure 3.2 – Proposed Car Parking Accumulation 15 List of Appendices Appendix 1 – Existing and Proposed Unit Layout Appendix 2 – TRICS Outputs Connect Consultants, 78 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 6AG t:01454 320 220 f:01454 320 099 e:[email protected] Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly Transport Statement 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Appointment of Connect Consultants 1.1.1 Connect Consultants is a firm of transport planning and highway design consultants that have been instructed to produce a Transport Statement (TS) with regards to the proposed change of use of the ‘Poundstretcher’ retail unit within Castle View DistriShopping Centre in Caerphilly. 1.2 Site Location 1.2.1 The proposal site is the ‘Poundstretcher’ unit within the Castle View Shopping Centre on the western edge of the town of Caerphilly. The Castle View Shopping Centre lies directly south of the B4600 Nantgarw Road. 1.2.2 The B4600 Nantgarw Road forms an arterial route from central Caerphilly to the western edge of Caerphilly, and then onto the A468 Caerphilly Road as well as the A470. 1.2.3 The location of the proposal site in the context of the wider area, is presented at Figure 1.1 below. Figure 1.1 – Site in Wider Context Source: Promap 1.2.4 The site is bound to the north by the B4600 Nantgarw Road, to the west by the Cwrt Rawlin Inn, to the east by a footpath and the Western Industrial Estate, and to the south by the Cwrt Rawlin Primary School and Gateway Church Caerphilly. Page 1 Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly Transport Statement 1.2.5 Figure 1.2 below identifies the Castle View Shopping Centre in the context of the local area. Figure 1.2 – Site in Local Context Source: Google Earth. 1.3 Development Proposals 1.3.1 The proposals include the change of use of the 1,200 sq.m Gross Floor Area (GFA) unit within the Castle View Shopping Centre from a retail use to a gym, with no change in associated parking. 1.3.2 Plans showing the location of the existing unit within the Castle View Shopping Centre as well as the indicative layout of the proposed gym are provided at Appendix 1. 1.4 Planning Background 1.4.1 There are a number of planning applications related to the Castle View Shopping Centre, the most relevant which are as follows: • Application Reference 17/0389/FULL: Construction of three A1/A3 retail units within the Castle View Shopping Centre car park, including the reorganisation of parking and access arrangements. • Application Reference 20/0330/COU: Change of use of the Poundstretcher unit from Retail to a Gym. 1.4.2 Application 17/0389/FULL was granted permission on the 28th September 2017, whereas application 20/0330/COU was refused permission on 19th June 2020 based on “…inadequate parking to serve the proposed development…”. Page 2 Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly Transport Statement 1.5 Planning Policy Wales 1.5.1 This report section provides a brief overview of the planning policy context and objectives. Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 10, December 2018 1.5.2 The document ‘Planning Policy Wales’ (PPW) published December 2018 sets out the Welsh Government’s planning policies and includes a framework for local authorities to produce their own development plans. Section 4.1 of PPW relates to transport in the context of planning decisions. 1.5.3 Paragraph 4.1.1 provides an overview of the goals of the PPW in relation to transport: “The planning system should enable people to access jobs and services through shorter, more efficient and sustainable journeys, by walking, cycling and public transport. By influencing the location, scale, density, mix of uses and design of new development, the planning system can improve choice in transport and secure accessibility in a way which supports sustainable development, increases physical activity, improves health and helps to tackle the causes of climate change and airborne pollution by: • Enabling More Sustainable Travel Choices – measures to increase walking cycling and public transport, reduce dependency on the car for daily travel; • Network Management – measures to make best use of the available capacity, supported by targeted new infrastructure; and • Demand Management – the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand, specifically that of single occupancy private vehicles. 1.5.4 Paragraph 4.1.50 relates specifically to car parking in new developments: “A design-led approach to the provision of car parking should be taken, which ensures an appropriate level of car parking is integrated in a way which does not dominate the development. Parking provision should be informed by the local context, including public transport accessibility, urban design principles and the objective of reducing reliance on the private car and supporting a modal shift to walking, cycling and public transport. Planning authorities must support schemes which keep parking levels down, especially off-street parking, when well designed. The needs of disabled people must be recognised and adequate parking provided for them.” Page 3 Proposed Change of Use (Retail to Gym) Castle View Shopping Centre, Caerphilly Transport Statement 1.6 Local Planning Policy South East Wales Valleys Local Transport Plan, January 2015 1.6.1