Outwood Academy City Fields TRAVEL PLAN UPDATE 2020
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Outwood Academy City Fields TRAVEL PLAN UPDATE 2020 OUTWOOD ACADEMY CITY FIELDS TRAVEL PLAN 2019-20 1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONTENTS 2.0 THE OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAVEL PLAN 3.0 SITE CONTEXT 3.1 Existing Areas 3.2 Current School provision 3.3 Pupils 3.4 Staff 3.5 Pedestrian Access 3.6 Vehicular Access 3.7 Cycle Access 3.8 Cycle Route 3.9 Location Maps 3.10 Site Description 3.11 Bus Access 3.12 Rail Access 4.0 CURRENT SITE ISSUES 5.0 DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 5.1 Map of Proposed Development 6.0 SURVEYS 6.1 Pupils Surveys 6.2 Staff Surveys 7.0 TRAVEL PLAN MEASURES AND ACTIONS 7.1 Measures and Actions 8.0 IMPLEMENTED AND EMBEDDED 9.0 TRAVEL PLAN TARGETS 10.0 MANAGEMENT & MONITORING 10.1 Responsibility and Implementation 10.2 Timescale for Monitoring 10.3 Marketing the Travel Plan 10.4 Summary Outwood Academy City Fields 02/11/2020 3 Travel Plan Update 2019 1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Wakefield Council is proposing the expansion of Outwood Academy City Fields and intends to build a new teaching block adjacent to the current school. The Authority has identified that current secondary school places in Wakefield are limited and due to the new City Fields development a requirement for additional school places has been planned. The Council’s preferred location is Outwood Academy City Fields and the new building will allow for increasing demand in the future years. Outwood Academy City Fields currently has 681 students at KS3 and KS4. Its current PAN is 150 per year group; this was increased for the academic year 2017-18 from 135. The following Travel Plan document has been prepared for the expansion of Outwood Academy City Fields. The Travel Plan will support the planning application for the works carried out to the proposed site. The National Planning Policy Framework states that all developments that generate significant amounts of movement should be supported by a Travel Plan and Transport Assessment, and submitted with a planning application for the development. It will then be used to determine whether the transport impact of the development is acceptable. The Travel Plan will be implemented prior to occupation. It sets out measures to encourage sustainable transport. Outwood Academy City Fields 02/11/2020 4 Travel Plan Update 2019 2.0 THE OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAVEL PLAN This Travel Plan is designed to improve awareness of the opportunities for reducing car usage (particularly single occupancy journeys) through the promotion of car sharing, walking, cycling and public transport. The Travel Plan will be promoted widely throughout the school community, not only to minimise any traffic impacts associated with the school on the surrounding network, but also to promote health and environmental benefits by walking and cycling as well as the social aspects of car sharing. The Travel Plan aims to deliver the following objectives: • To minimise the number of car journeys to school, particularly single occupancy trips. • To improve awareness and usage of alternative modes of transport and reduce reliance on the private car. • To promote car sharing, walking, cycling and public transport as safe, efficient, affordable alternatives to private cars and to highlight health and environmental benefits of adopting sustainable travel patterns. • To enable people to make more informed travel choices. Parents and Staff will be informed of locally available non-car modes of transport and the benefits of adopting sustainable travel patterns. Regular liaison with all parties will seek to achieve a long term commitment to changing travel behaviour. There are a number of benefits that will be derived from the successful implementation of the Travel Plan for the school community and visitors to the site as well as the wider community. Benefits are expected to include: • improved health and fitness through increased levels of walking and cycling; • increased flexibility offered through wider travel choices; • the social aspects of sharing transport with others; and • a better environment within the site and its immediate environs as vehicular movements are minimised. In terms of the wider community, the successful implementation of the Travel Plan will lead to reduced traffic impacts as a result of the reduction of car use. The overall Travel Plan strategy includes measures designed to enhance the sustainable transport provision at the site, travel awareness initiatives and other measure to assist in the achievement of the objectives of the Plan. Outwood Academy City Fields 02/11/2020 5 Travel Plan Update 2019 3.0 SITE CONTEXT Outwood Academy City Fields is a smaller than average comprehensive academy catering for students aged 11-16 years. It is situated on a large, pleasant, single site situated on the Eastmoor residential estate within a mile of Wakefield City Centre. The academy is large enough to offer the full range of courses yet small enough for each student to be individually known to and cared for by staff. The school serves a diverse community with students attending from throughout the Wakefield area. The academy building was originally designed for a ‘13-16’ academy with a maximum of 350 children. It now accommodates 11-16 year olds and the total number in the academy is nearly double its original figure. The building is a mixture of Clasp and traditional buildings and comprises of one and two storey buildings with the main block originating from the late 1960’s and refurbishments and additional buildings being added through to 2005. A number of detached blocks have been constructed including a new science block, sports hall and a number of temporary units. The remainder of the school site is set out as playing fields with a range of sports being catered for including tennis courts, long jump pits and rounders pitches. 3.1 EXISTING AREA Site: 63, 129m2 3.2 CURRENT SCHOOL PROVISION The annual admission limit is 150 per year group (5 year groups). School: Outwood Academy City Fields Address: Warmfield View, Wakefield, WF1 4SF Tel: 01924 298752 Mail: Website: Headteacher: DCSF No: School day; 8.25 – 2.30 After school activities; Until 3.30 Lunch Break; 12.00 – 13.30 Site closes; 18.00 The school also operates a Breakfast Club from 7.30 and a range of after-school clubs which are available to all pupils both of which help in alleviating some of the school traffic. 3.3 PUPILS Pupil numbers at 26.2.2020 are 681 The anticipated number of full-time pupils will increase by 300 to 1050 in total due to the admission number in Year 7 being increased to 150 pupils. The numbers will continue to increase as this cohort moves through school. 3.4 STAFF The total number of staff at Outwood Academy City Fields including teaching staff, TAs, site staff, admin staff, lunchtime supervisors etc currently stands at 83. The vast majority of any part time staff work school hours. Once the school is expanded the number of staff members will increase to approximately 120. Outwood Academy City Fields 02/11/2020 6 Travel Plan Update 2019 3.5 PEDESTRIAN ACCESS The infrastructure to support walking to school around the site is adequate. The site has two access points. The narrower of the two accesses is located to the north of the site, on Arncliffe Road, and the other access is located to the west of the site, on Warmfield View. The access on Warmfield View is the main staff/visitor access both for vehicles and pedestrians and leads to the main car park and school reception. This entrance has two-way traffic movements for local access. A footway is provided, separated from the carriageway via a kerb upstand. The Arncliffe Road access constitutes the only pupil access. However, at certain times deliveries are able to enter in this location to access the sports hall. This was designated as the only entrance/exit for students as the previous main entrance point on Warmfield View has been closed to students so as to better manage arrival/departure of pupils. This entrance is very narrow and has a footway provided, segregated via a kerb upstand. This lack of footway is not significant as when in use by pupils, vehicles are not permitted. Immediately opposite the Arncliffe Road entrance/exit, there is a central green open space/crescent area with a footpath leading to Windhill Road, which is a primary pedestrian desire line leading to the sheltered bus terminus on Windhill Road. This bus stop is located approximately 83.9m from the Arncliffe Road entry/exit. The footways on the other roads surrounding the site are similar, with footpath widths of approximately 1.4m to 1.6m in some areas, but separated from traffic via grass verges. There are no other formal access points to site. 3.6 VEHICULAR ACCESS For staff and visitors to the Academy, the vehicular access is off Warmfield View with parking at the right of the main school buildings. Pupils are expected to make their own way to school either on foot or via public transport and enter at an alternative entrance where no vehicles are permitted. Staff parking formally consists of 21 staff/visitor parking spaces and 2 disabled parking spaces in the main car park at the front of the school accessed via Warmfield View. As a temporary measure the Academy is currently utilising it’s Tennis Courts for staff parking which holds an additional 70 vehicles approximately. Staff arrive on site from 6.00am; the majority of vehicles are on site by 8.00am with the school gates closing at 8.30am. Staff leave site from 2.30pm; this is very much staggered through until 6.00pm.