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Report on Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme to the Executive

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Report on Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme to the Executive Manchester City Council Item 9 Executive 21 January 2015 Manchester City Council Report for Resolution Report to: Executive - 21 January 2015 Subject: Northern Hub - Network Rail Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme – Transport and Works Act Order Application Report of: The Chief Executive Purpose of Report To enable the Council to make formal representations in relation to the proposed Network Rail (Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme) Order that has now been submitted to the Secretary of State for his consideration under the terms of the Transport and Works Act 1992. Recommendations That following the submission of the Draft Order by Network Rail the Executive: a. reiterates the Council’s strong support for the proposal to deliver the next phase of the Northern Hub; b. asks officers to make the necessary representations to ensure that the proposals that are finally delivered are of the highest design standard and fully support the wider regeneration activity in the areas surrounding the two stations; c. delegates authority to the Head of Planning to negotiate a set of planning conditions with Network Rail so that these can be considered formally at a forthcoming public inquiry; and d. authorises the Chief Executive to take any necessary action to support the Council’s agreed position in relation to the scheme and to finalise the Council's formal response to the current order application in consultation with the Chair of the Executive. Wards Affected: City Centre Community Strategy Spine Summary of the contribution to the strategy Performance of the economy of The Northern Hub will improve connectivity the region and sub region across the north of England. As such it is forecast to bring economic benefits to the city, Greater Manchester and the UK as a whole. 201 Manchester City Council Item 9 Executive 21 January 2015 Reaching full potential in The development will create direct employment education and employment opportunities and drive further indirect jobs growth. Individual and collective self Additional opportunities are forecast to arise as esteem – mutual respect a result of the scheme across the city region that will be of benefit to city residents. Neighbourhoods of Choice The changes to Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Stations will enhance the connectivity of the city improving its accessibility. The Council will wish to ensure that the design and construction of the scheme minimises local impacts and that the impact on the city’s heritage assets is also minimised. Full details are in the body of the report, along with any implications for: • Equal Opportunities Policy • Risk Management • Legal Considerations Financial Consequences – Revenue None Financial Consequences – Capital None Contact Officers: Richard Elliott Dave Roscoe Policy & Strategy Manager City Centre Development Manager 0161-219-6494 0161-234-4567 [email protected] [email protected] Ian Graham Pat Bartoli Principal Policy Officer (Transport) Head of City Centre Regeneration 0161-234-1166 0161-234-3329 [email protected] [email protected] Background documents (available for public inspection): The following documents disclose important facts on which the report is based and have been relied upon in preparing the report. Copies of the background documents 202 Manchester City Council Item 9 Executive 21 January 2015 are available up to 4 years after the date of the meeting. If you would like a copy please contact one of the contact officers above. Report to Executive on the Transport Strategy for Manchester City Centre (July 2010) Report to Neighbourhood Scrutiny and Executive on the First Phase of Consultation on Network Rail’s proposals for the Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme (September 2013) Network Rail Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme Consultation Documentation (September 2014) Report to Neighbourhood Scrutiny and Executive on the Second Phase of Consultation on Network Rail’s proposals for the Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme (October 2014) The Proposed Network Rail (Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road Capacity Scheme) Order. (December 2014) 203 Manchester City Council Item 9 Executive 21 January 2015 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 Previous reports to the Executive have described proposals to significantly increase rail capacity in and around Central Manchester. These capacity increases, known collectively as the Northern Hub schemes, are vital to support the continued growth of the city’s and the wider region’s economy. The benefits of this total package are significant. It has been estimated that the total Northern Hub investment will translate to £4 billion of benefits to Manchester and the North of England. This would support an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 new jobs. The package has a very good benefit to cost ratio – Network Rail have estimated that it will boost the economy by £4 for every £1 spent. The Council has consistently lobbied for and expressed strong support for these proposals. The first phase of these planned improvements comprises a new rail chord providing a direct connection between Piccadilly and Victoria stations. This proposal is strongly supported by the Council. A public inquiry into these proposals was held in April 2014 and the Secretary of State’s decision as to whether to authorise the scheme is currently awaited. 1.2 Additional platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, longer platforms at Manchester Oxford Road and associated works to the two stations form the next planned phase of the Northern Hub package. The proposals have been the subject of two rounds of consultation, in September 2013 and October 2014. The Council has responded in detail to both phases of consultation. 1.3 A Transport and Works Act application has now been made to commence the formal approval process for the scheme. The Transport and Works Act Order application will, if necessary, be considered by a public inquiry in due course. The submitted scheme is in the same form as that which was subject to the recent consultation exercise and has not been amended in response to the comments that were made by the City Council at that time. 2.0 TRANSPORT AND WORKS ACT APPLICATION 2.1 Network Rail’s proposals involve constructing two new through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly adjacent to platforms 13 &14, and extending platforms at Manchester Oxford Road, plus associated works to both stations to allow for an increase in the number of passenger and freight trains that can run through this critical rail corridor. Subject to the schemes receiving formal approval, it is intended that construction of the package of works would start in 2016 and be completed in 2018. 2.3 The Piccadilly and Oxford Road proposals remove a critical bottleneck from the Manchester rail network. In addition to the benefits outlined above they would enable more trains to run along the most congested corridor on the North West’s rail network. The requirement is to create sufficient capacity for 14 passenger train paths and 2 freight train paths per hour in each direction - an increase of 8 paths (33%), as compared to the current situation. The scheme would relieve this major bottleneck and cause of delay on the rail network in Manchester, and would deliver benefits for train services operating across the whole of the North of England. 204 Manchester City Council Item 9 Executive 21 January 2015 2.4 The Piccadilly scheme includes: • The construction of two new through platforms (15 and 16) on a large new viaduct structure parallel to the existing platforms 13 & 14. The new platforms would be located to the south of platforms 13 & 14 and accessed by extending the existing waiting area which is at the entrance to those platforms; • The two additional platforms would allow for an increase in the number of trains along the Castlefield Corridor therefore increasing capacity and speed; • The introduction of bi-directional signalling which would improve operation of the railway during periods of maintenance work or during incidents; • a newly designed concourse that will cater for the forecast increase in the number of passengers using the station; and • passive provision for a new southern entrance to the station. 2.5 The proposals for Oxford Road involve: • removal of platform 5 (a terminating platform) to allow platforms 1 – 4 to operate more effectively; • building a new footbridge to provide improved access to platforms 1-4; • introduction of bi-directional signalling to improve operation of the railway during maintenance work or during incidents; • provision of sufficient capacity for 14 passenger trains and 2 freight trains per hour to operate through the station; • providing an opportunity to run longer eight car trains; • implementation of a design that will cater for the forecast increase in the number of passengers using the station; and • a new station building. 2.6 As indicated above the Council has consistently offered its strong support for the principle of these proposals. When responding to the most recent consultation the opportunity was also though taken to raise a number of concerns and detailed representations were made regarding specific aspects of the scheme. Attached at appendices 1 and 2 are the Council’s formal response to the recent consultation and Network Rail’s response. London and Continental Railways (LCR), the majority owner of the adjacent Mayfield development share the concerns that the Council has expressed. 3.0 CONSULTATION TO DATE 3.1 The Council has been engaged in officer-level consultation with Network Rail for the last eighteen months. The project team has been liaising with officers and sharing high-level information on the emerging plans. This has enabled this consultation to include a high level proposal for each station that in principle responds to the emerging plans for the wider Piccadilly and Mayfield area and also delivers on the Council's priorities.
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