Development Control Committee – 7 September 2011
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Agenda Item 7 Development Control Committee – 7 September 2011 Outpatient Centre, Nene Park, Irthlingborough Purpose of report The purpose of this report is to seek members’ views on enforcement of the terms of the S106 agreement in relation to the bus service provision between Rushden/Higham Ferrers and the outpatient centre. Attachment(s) 1.Previous report to Development Control Committee 25 May 2011 2.Bus Timetable 3.Extracts from S106 agreement 4.Plans showing bus route 1.0 Background 1.1 Planning permission (ref EN/09/00455/FUL) was granted by the Development Control Committee on 1 July 2009 for the erection of employment units and a new outpatient centre at Nene Park in Irthlingborough, subject to the applicant entering into a S106 agreement to provide amongst other things, enhancements to the existing bus service. The outpatient centre has been in use since February 2011. 1.2 A request was received to vary the S106 agreement in respect of the bus service between the site and Rushden and Higham Ferrers. This was considered by Development Control Committee on 25 May 2011. A copy of the committee report is attached for members’ information, which sets out the background in full. Members did not accept the recommendation and did not agree to a variation of the S106 agreement. 1.3 The developer implemented the proposed timetable which was attached to the previous committee report (and summarised in paragraph 3.2 of the report) with the agreement of Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) on 24 July 2011. 1.4 The purpose of this report is to seek members’ views regarding what action they wish to take. 2.0 S106 Requirements 2.1 The S106 agreement requires the site owner to meet the costs of implementing a bus service from Higham Ferrers and Rushden town centre into the site for a period of 5 years, to arrive 30 minutes before the first appointment at the outpatient centre and leave 30 minutes after the last appointment and at 30 minute intervals between. 2.2 The developer has advised that appointments at the outpatient centre begin at 8.30 and end at 17.30, and that therefore the first bus needs to arrive at the centre at 8.00 and the last leave at 18:00 with a half hourly service in between. 3.0 The Bus Timetable 3.1 Paragraph 3.2 of the previous report summarised the service and the following paragraphs provide further elaboration. 1 3.2 The new service includes a doubling in the frequency of the M50 Monday to Saturday service through the addition of a new 49 service that runs on alternate half hours along the M50 route between Kettering, Irthlingborough, Higham Ferrers and Rushden. Service 49 then will continue every hour via Wellingobrough Road and Mansfield Avenue in Rushden to serve the employment area at Sanders Lodge and Waitrose (see attached plans) 3.4 During the relevant period 4 buses from Higham Ferrers/Rushden do not enter the site but stop at the bus stop at the Diamond Way roundabout. There is also slightly more than 30 minutes between some of the buses; however 5 of these instances are between 31-36 minutes and one 42 minutes. The first bus that enters the site arrives at 8:52, however there are earlier buses at 7:44 and 8:17 that stop at the bus stop at the Diamond Way roundabout. (There are 33 and then 35 minutes between these times). After this time the buses arrive at the site every half hour until 15:25 (33 minutes between this and the earlier bus). There is then 42 minutes between the 15.25 bus and the 16:07 bus. The next bus which enters the site is at 17:07 (1 hour), however there is a bus between these times at 16:38 which stops in Diamond Way (31 minutes between buses). There is a bus at 17:43 but this does not enter the site ( 36 minutes between buses). Buses enter the site at 18:07 and 19:07. 3.5 During the relevant period all buses to Higham Ferrers/Rushden depart from the site. There are only 2 instances where there is more than 30 minutes between services. One interval is 34 minutes, the other 45 minutes. The first bus to leave the site is at 7:59 and the next at 8:25, followed by 8:59 (26 minutes and 34 minutes between) After this time the buses leave the site at half hourly intervals until 14:59 There is 45 minutes between this bus and the next one The half hourly service is then resumed 3.6 The developer points out that earlier and later services are provided together with a Saturday service and that these are not requirements of the S106 agreement. 3.7 The developer advises that the M50 service is affected by peak hour traffic in Bedford and that there is therefore not always time within the timetable for buses to enter the site. The developer also advises that a new northbound stop has been provided in Station Road and that a new shelter has been provided at the southbound stop. These stops are accessible by controlled signalised crossings and are 365m from the clinic. 3.8 NCC has provided the following advice: “Having discussed the matter with Stagecoach I can advise as follows : The northbound journeys in the morning peak can’t realistically serve the site. This is due to congestion on the A6 at this time of day. Diverting these journeys via the site would therefore lead to the risk of the service becoming unreliable. The stretched frequency southbound between 1459 and 1614 is due to the bus service also providing a facility for Sharnbrook School in Bedfordshire. Whilst we could discuss the technicalities at length the issue is whether or not your council requires the service to be exactly every half-hour in order to discharge the obligation. If so then I would suggest that the applicant be requested to seek a price from Stagecoach for this to be achieved.” 2 4.0 Use of Rushden Rider and Higham Hopper 4.1 When the request to vary the S106 agreement was considered members’ questioned why the possibility of using the Higham Hopper and Rushden Rider had not been considered. The developer has advised that NCC did encourage this option. It was however concluded that all that could be achieved, even with the use of an additional bus, was an hourly circuitous service which it was concluded would have been unlikely to attract bus users. The Higham Hopper would also, it is advised, have done the journey, which takes Stagecoach minutes, in about half an hour. The developer also points out that the purpose of the bus requirement in the S106 agreement is not just to meet the needs of the elderly, who tend to be the users of the Higham Hopper and the Rushden Rider, but also to encourage modal shift ie to encourage people not to use cars to access the development. The best way to do this, it is argued, is to provide regular frequency, intuitively simple routes, and use established bus stops. 4.2 The developer was asked to provide relative costings and has made the following response, advising that this has been confirmed by Stagecoach: “In September 2009 we were advised by our consultants that the Higham Hopper services were understood to be running at an actual cost of £110,000 per bus per annum. At this time the service was being subsidised annually and after revenues were operating at a cost per bus of about £50,000 per annum. Our own investigations determined a dedicated shuttle bus cost would be £125,000 per annum before revenues. Adding a third bus to the Higham Hopper service would not automatically generate the same percentage of revenues to cost and therefore we were faced with a cost liability at best £50,000 per annum over five years but more likely closer to the £110,000 per annum unless revenues were significantly increased. Also you will be aware that subsidies have been or are about to be removed apparently and this was foremost in our minds as if they did then we would inevitably be liable to make up the difference. Furthermore the Higham Hopper and Rushden Rider services specifically go through the estates and such that the 4 mile journey would take half an hour or so which would be prohibitive to users.” 5.0 Dedicated Bus for Outpatient Centre 5.1 The developer advises that technically a dedicated shuttle could be provided for the outpatient centre but that this would not serve side roads, not would it serve Irthlingborough Cross, Crown Park or Waitrose. It would also duplicate the M50 and X46 along most of its route. This, it is advised, would be more than 3 times as expensive to provide and it is suggested would not bring the other benefits that improvements to the Stagecoach service brings. The developer was asked to provide relative costings and has made the following response, advising that this has been confirmed by Stagecoach: “A dedicated bus on the Nene Business Park route would cost between £120,000 to £140,000 per annum, the difference being subject to the details and revenues. Obviously this is not in any way sustainable.” 6.0 Benefits of the Improved Stagecoach Service 6.1 The developer highlights that in agreeing a bus service it has sought to put in place a service that could become self supporting in the future when the additional revenue funding runs out.