Transport Assessment
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Transport Assessment Proposed Residential Development, land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, ST13 6NH June 2017 Revision C – 16 March 2018 Encon Associates Limited 10 Chapel Lane Arnold Nottingham NG5 7DR A3244 Transport Assessment Land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, Staffordshire Date of Report: 8th June 2017 Report Reference: A3244 – Revision C (16.03.18) Issued by: TR Checked by: MJB A3244 June 2017 Page | 2 Transport Assessment Land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, Staffordshire Contents Executive Summary............................................................................................................4 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................6 2 Background ............................................................................................................8 3 Scheme Overview .....................................................................................................9 4 Scope of Assessment ............................................................................................... 10 5 Description of Existing Conditions ............................................................................... 11 6 Development Proposals ............................................................................................ 26 7 Trip Generation ..................................................................................................... 33 8 Development Traffic Distribution ................................................................................ 34 9 Junction Capacity Assessment ................................................................................... 43 10 Travel Plan ........................................................................................................... 47 11 Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 48 Appendix A - ATC Data ...................................................................................................... 51 Appendix B - PICADY Calculations ........................................................................................ 52 Appendix C - Accident Data ................................................................................................ 53 Appendix D - Proposed Access & Visibility Splays ...................................................................... 54 A3244 June 2017 Page | 3 Transport Assessment Land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, Staffordshire Executive Summary This report has been prepared in connection with the outline application for a residential development on land off Thorncliffe Road in Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 6NH. The planning application is submitted in outline with all matters reserved for future approval, with the exception of access for which detailed approval is sought. The notional master plan is for 154 dwellings on the site. From investigations in respect of existing traffic, accident data, sustainable accessibility, car parking provision, traffic generation and junction capacity assessment, the main findings are: • The predicted traffic generated by the outline proposals to develop the land for residential use will result in an increase in traffic within the local highway network, however the increased traffic can be absorbed into the surrounding highway network without any indiscernible impact to the flow of traffic. • An assessment of the proposed junction into the site shows that the predicted traffic generated can be accommodated within the operational capacity and would not lead to a detrimental impact to traffic flows on the local highway or from the site itself. • An assessment of the Thorncliffe Road/Buxton Road junction shows that the predicted traffic generated can be accommodated within the operational capacity of the junction and would not lead to a detrimental impact to traffic flows. • An assessment of the distribution of the proposed development traffic on the wider highway network within Leek has been carried out to establish how much additional traffic will be introduced to the network by the proposed development and determine any junctions which may experience a notable increase in traffic volume. The assessment confirmed increases are likely to be immaterial and would not be considered to have a significant impact on the operation of the highway, with net increases in traffic volumes less than 5% at all locations considered on the wider network. • The proposed new access/egress has been assessed in terms of visibility and found to be appropriate and in accordance with local authority requirements for visibility splays and sight stopping distances based on the recorded 85th percentile speed on Thorncliffe Road. • The existing junction with Buxton Road and Thorncliffe Road has been assessed in terms of visibility and found to be appropriate and in accordance with local authority requirements for visibility splays and sight stopping distances based on the recorded 85th percentile speed on Buxton Road. • The number and severity of accidents recorded in the vicinity of the site are not indicative of defects in the highway layout and design. Given the volume of traffic within the study area is in A3244 June 2017 Page | 4 Transport Assessment Land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, Staffordshire excess of 1,700 vehicles per day, an accident rate of 0.2 per year in the last 5 years is exceptionally low and does not highlight any problems with the safety record of the local highway network. Any additional traffic to be generated by the development is unlikely to impact the existing road safety within the study area. • The location of the proposed residential development provides viable access to sustainable modes of transport with convenient access to local bus services serving the locality and the surrounding towns, suitable roads for cycling and with the provision of a new footpath connection, the improved viability for walking, which would likely encourage a reduction in car usage. • Whilst full details of the internal layout of the development have been reserved for future approval, indications are that car parking and cycle storage provision would be consistent with the published standards and strike the requisite balance between parking restrain, to promote alternative travel modes and the provision of adequate parking that will not lead to indiscriminate on street car parking which would compromise highway safety. • The effect on existing highway drainage and the strategy for site drainage is included within a separate Flood Risk Assessment & Drainage Strategy report which states “highway drains will be adopted by the Highways Authority and domestic pipework will be adopted by the drainage undertaker, but regardless the common SuDS area will be the responsibility of a maintenance company as standard. • The client will provide a detailed Travel Plan for any subsequent Reserved Matters application in direct response to a “prior occupation planning condition”. The Local Authority can rest assured that the impact on the local roads from the proposed development has been assessed in terms of traffic generation, sustainable accessibility and highway safety and would not present a detrimental impact to the highway network. A3244 June 2017 Page | 5 Transport Assessment Land at Thorncliffe Road, Leek, Staffordshire 1 Introduction 1.1 This Transport Assessment (TA) has been submitted in connection with the outline application for the construction of a residential development off Thorncliffe Road to the north east of Leek in Staffordshire, in order to assess the impact of the proposed development on the existing highway network. 1.2 The report has been produced in line with the ‘Guidance on Transport Assessment’ (DfT 2007) and takes into account current Government policy within the National Planning Policy Framework (CLG 2012) and best practice guidance within ‘Manual for Streets’ (DfT 2007) and ‘Manual for Streets 2 – Wider Application of the Principles’ (CIHT 2010), the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (Highways Agency 2002) and the ‘Staffordshire Residential Design Guide’ (Staffordshire County and District Councils 2000) which deals with highways and transportation infrastructure for new developments in the region. 1.3 Comments have been received from David Plant at Staffordshire County Council and therefore this revised document includes the additional requirements requested by Highways to mitigate their recommendation for refusal as follows: a) Comprehensive Transport Assessment relevant to the scale of the development. • Provide a capacity assessment for the Thorncliffe Road/Buxton Road junction • Carry out a Trip Distribution exercise to determine if there are any other junctions where the development may have an effect b) Visibility at the Thorncliffe Road/Buxton Road junction has not been considered. • Carry out a speed survey on Buxton Road, calculate the 85th percentile speed of vehicles, compare the speed to the Stopping Sight Distances in Manual for Streets and plot the requisite visibility splays onto an existing site plan to demonstrate the achievable visibility and confirm if they are acceptable or not. c) Proposals for highway improvements. • There are no highway improvements proposed other than the removal of part of the existing hedgerow along the northern boundary to provide the new site access and required visibility splays and the introduction of a pedestrian footway which links with Buxton Road to the west of the site, as confirmed