West of England Full Business Case North Somerset Council: Local
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1 West of England Full Business Case North Somerset Council: Local Growth Fund (LGF) bid 2018/21 Weston-super-Mare Town Centre: Sustainable Travel Improvements Originated Reviewed Authorised Date 1 Version 1.0 FM BF/CH2M 23/04/18 2 Version 2.0 FM BF/CH2M 16/05/18 3 4 5 Doc v21 Last updated April 2018 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Strategic Case ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2 Economic Case ................................................................................................................................. 14 3 Financial Case ................................................................................................................................... 17 4 Commercial Case .............................................................................................................................. 22 5 Management Case ........................................................................................................................... 23 Appendices:.............................................................................................................................................. 40 Appendix 1. Maps/Plans .......................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix 2 - Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment and Plan .......................................................... 45 Appendix 3: References ........................................................................................................................... 49 Appendix 4: Qualitative Economic Assessment of Schemes ................................................................... 51 Appendix 5: GVA Assessment .................................................................................................................. 58 Appendix 6: Delivery Programme ............................................................................................................ 66 Appendix 7: Risk Register ......................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix 8: North Somerset Housing Allocation to 2036 ....................................................................... 79 Appendix 9: North Somerset Housing Calculations ................................................................................. 80 Doc v21 Last updated April 2018 3 Executive Summary The North Somerset Council Sustainable Transport Package 2018/21 will deliver jobs and regeneration in North Somerset capitalising on the strengths of the previous joint LGF 17/18 programme, and previous successful 3 years of LSTF. The North Somerset proposal is a robust and highly deliverable 3-year programme with a key focus on known schemes, which aim to improve transport links within and to Weston-super-Mare town centre. The programme focuses primarily on connectivity, improving radial walking and cycling links, giving greater priority to public transport within the centre, improving journey times and creating high quality public spaces that will have a transformational impact on retail and tourism activity. The total programme value is £2.225 million, of which £1.75 million of capital grant is being sought from the Local Growth Fund, £475,000 has been identified as match funding in the Local Transport Plan and Medium Term Financial Plan for North Somerset Council, as approved by the Executive Member for Transport. The match split equates to 20% of the overall budget in line with previous successful bids to the LEP. The 3 proposed interventions, including ‘Weston Town Centre Regeneration’ schemes South Parade and Regent Street and the Coastal Towns Cycle Route project at Uphill Road North, are estimated to deliver 26 gross new full time equivalent (FTE) jobs through the construction phase (20 FTEs for the town centre and 6 FTEs for the Coastal Town Cycle Route, comprising 14 direct FTEs and 12 indirect FTEs in total) and 51.6 gross new jobs in the operational phase. This scale of employment impact offers good value for money for LGF funding, demonstrated through the cost per gross new job metric range of £28,000 (including construction stage jobs) and £42,000 (excluding construction stage jobs). Furthermore, the package will result in £900k construction stage GVA uplift (£488,000 direct, £415, 000 indirect jobs) and a further £6.8 million operational stage GVA (accrued over the five-year lifetime of operational stage employment opportunities). In addition, the Weston Town Centre Regeneration schemes could facilitate 156 additional dwellings in Weston urban area between 2018 and 2026. Conventional transport uplift assessment using the DfT Active Toolkit has estimated the shared use proposal along Uphill Road North will see 219 cycle journeys per day almost tripling the amount of people using the route previously. Similarly, the number of pedestrians will increase by a similar factor, resulting in 109 walking journeys per day. Consistent with the core aims of the Joint Local Transport Plan 2011-26, the Sustainable Transport Package 18/21 programme focusses on three overarching themes: •Stimulating Growth; •Promoting Connected and Thriving Centres, and; •Supporting Transitions to Low Carbon Lifestyles. The LGF programme will be further enhanced by North Somerset’s £1.254m of revenue funding secured though the Department for Transport’s Access Fund competition and the major investment being made in local public transport infrastructure through the MetroWest and MetroBus schemes. North Somerset Council is in the process of delivering over £1m+ of Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) funding by 2021, providing a doubling of charging facilities for electric vehicles, a rapid charging hub and new opportunities for local businesses Doc v21 Last updated April 2018 4 through business grants for chargers. North Somerset Council are leading by example and have already converted 40% of our own fleet to electric vehicles. This will further enhance air quality leading to a healthier population, supporting a commitment to sustainable travel across all modes. Together, these schemes will offer sustainable travel alternatives that keep North Somerset moving and our economy growing. Increasing the accessibility of North Somerset’s economic centres through sustainable travel will be critical to support growth in our Enterprise and Growth Area, where we expect to see up to 7,000 new jobs created by 2036 through the Strategic Economic Plan and supporting measures. Many of these jobs will be within the Enterprise Area and include a high proportion of jobs in manufacturing and industry, including a focus on food technology and science. Equally vital in economic terms is the need for continued investment in our transport network to meet the demand for new housing. The emerging Joint Spatial Plan for the West of England, which is almost complete, identifies an estimated 25,000 new dwellings are required by 2036 in North Somerset. This will include a further 1,000 urban dwellings in Weston-super-Mare town centre as well as further housing in the main towns and villages in North Somerset including Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea and Yatton. Please see Appendix 8 & 9 for more information and calculations on North Somerset’s housing allocation commitments to 2036. Upgrading current standards of walking and cycling infrastructure together with better quality public realm, public transport infrastructure and services will enhance the health of the local population by promoting active modes of travel and improving local air quality. The benefits will be realised by employers, who will have a healthier workforce with a commensurate reduction in absence through sickness, and by the health authorities through reduced demand on healthcare services. The Sustainable Transport Package 18/21 programme will contribute to an affordable, low carbon, accessible, integrated, efficient and reliable transport network. This will have a transformational impact on connectivity, economic competitiveness and regeneration, helping to achieve better connected, more active and healthy communities within North Somerset. North Somerset Council will use its extensive experience of delivering projects to ensure that the programme is completed on time and to budget, while offering excellent value for money. Elfan Ap Rees Executive Member for Transport, North Somerset Council Contact: Frankie Mann, Sustainable Travel & Road Safety Manager Tel: 01275 888904 Email: [email protected] Doc v21 Last updated April 2018 5 1 Strategic Case 1.1 State Aid Considerations The North Somerset STP 18/21 package will enhance the existing transport network and provide equal benefits to all sectors. To the best of our knowledge no state aid rules will be breached by the proposed bid or its delivery. All work will be delivered on existing adopted highway and all contracts offered will be through a competitive tender process using strict North Somerset Council, national and EU OJEU guidelines, depending on procurement threshold amounts for each scheme value. Currently, North Somerset has term contracts