Volume 3 & Framework Travel Plan
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A planning application by Prologis UK Limited for a single rail served storage and distribution facility at HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Environmental Statement Transport Assessment Volume 3 & Framework Travel Plan www.prologis.co.uk HBC FIELD Environmental Statement 1 Transport Assessment Assessment Transport HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment July 2011 HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment Notice This document and its contents have been prepared and are intended solely for Prologis UK Limited information and use in relation to HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes. ATKINS assumes no responsibility to any other party in respect of or arising out of or in connection with this document and/or its contents. Document History Job number: 5100357 Document ref: 5100357_HBC_Field_ Draft_Transport_Assessment_V1.0.Docx Revision Purpose Description Originated Checked Reviewed Authorised Date Rev 0.0 Draft MJ GR AB GR 21/6/11 Rev 1.0 Draft MJ GR AB GR 30/6/11 Rev 2.0 Final MJ GR AB GR 14/07/11 Atkins HBC Field – Transport Assessment \ Version 2.0 \ July 2011 \ 5100357 HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment Table of contents Chapter Pages Introduction 5 1. Introduction 6 Background 6 Scoping 6 Report Structure 6 Framework Travel Plan 7 Policy Context 8 2. Policy Context 9 National Policy 9 Local Policy 12 Baseline Conditions 15 3. Baseline Conditions 16 Site Description 16 Access by Rail 16 Access by Road 17 Access by Sea 18 Public Transport Access 18 Pedestrian and Cycle Access 19 Base Year Traffic Flows 19 A5300/A562 Roundabout Current Operation 19 Road Safety 21 Background Traffic Growth/ Committed Developments 23 4. Background Traffic Growth/ Committed Development 24 Assessment Years 24 Background Traffic Growth 24 3MG Committed Developments 24 Local Committed Developments 26 Future Year Base Traffic Flows 27 Development Proposals 28 5. Development Proposals 29 Proposed Use 29 Access for All 29 Site Operation 30 Parking 30 Sustainable Travel 30 Trip Generation and Distribution 31 6. Trip Generation and Distribution 32 Development Trip Generation 32 Operational Assessment 36 7. Operational Assessments 37 Atkins HBC Field – Transport Assessment \ Version 2.0 \ July 2011 \ 5100357 HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment Introduction 37 Junction 1 – A562/ A300 Knowsley Expressway Roundabout 37 Junction 2 – Newstead Road/ HBC Field Access Road Roundabout 39 Junction 3 – A562 Ditton Road Roundabout 40 Construction Traffic 42 8. Construction Traffic 43 Construction Programme 43 Construction Traffic 43 Construction Mitigation 43 Summary and Conclusions 44 9. Summary and Conclusions 45 Appendices 48 Appendix A. Site Location Plan 49 Appendix B. Scoping 50 Appendix C. Widnes Cycle Map 54 Appendix D. Base Year Traffic Flows 55 Appendix E. Modelling MOVA Control 57 Appendix F. Future Year Baseline Traffic Flows 61 Appendix G. HBC Field Master Plan 65 Appendix H. HBC Field Access Road 66 Appendix I. TRIC Analysis 67 Appendix J. HBC Field Development-Related Traffic Flows 74 Appendix K. Future Year HBC Field Design Flows 76 Appendix L. A562/ A300 Roundabout 80 Appendix M. Newstead Road Roundabout 146 Appendix N. A562 Ditton Road Roundabout 169 Appendix O. Routeing of Vehicles 219 Atkins HBC Field – Transport Assessment \ Version 2.0 \ July 2011 \ 5100357 Introduction HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment 1. Introduction 1.1 Atkins has been commissioned by Prologis UK Limited to prepare a Transport Assessment and Framework Travel Plan in support of a full planning application for the construction of a single rail- served building for storage and distribution purposes (B8) together with associated infrastructure, parking and open space. Background 1.2 The application site, known as HBC Field, forms part of the Mersey Multi-Modal Gateway (3MG). The 3MG development is a strategic rail freight park located to the south of Widnes, on the edge of Halebank, and is a partnership between Halton Borough Council, the Stobart Group and Prologis. 1.3 3MG lies on the northern edge of the Mersey Estuary, to the north west of Runcorn Bridge and is bounded to the east by the A533 Queensway; to the north by the A562 Speke Road and a St Michael Jubilee Golf Course. The area is largely characterised by heavy industrial development, in contrast to the residential nature of Halebank. 1.4 The HBC Field site forms the western part of the strategic rail freight park and lies south of the railway and north of Hale Bank Road, and is strategically located for distribution with: strategic links to A5300, A562, M56 and M62; existing rail links to the West Coast Main Line; daily rail links to deep sea ports and within close proximity to the Port of Liverpool; and easy access to Liverpool and Manchester international airports. 1.5 The HBC Field site location plan is reproduced in Appendix A. 1.6 Planning permission has been granted for new road access to the HBC Field site directly from the roundabout of the A562 with the A5300 Knowsley Expressway over the Liverpool Branch of the West Coast Main Line (WCML). Scoping 1.7 The scope of this transport assessment is based upon discussions with highway officers at Halton Borough Council in May 2010. A copy of the Scoping Note and comments received are included as Appendix B of this report. Report Structure 1.8 Following this introduction, the remainder of this report is structured as follows: Section 2 Policy Context Section 3 Baseline Conditions Section 4 Background Traffic/ Committed Developments Section 5 Development Proposals Section 6 Trip Generation and Distribution Section 7 Operational Assessment Section 8 Construction Section 9 Summary and Assessment Atkins HBC Field – Transport Assessment \ Version 2.0 \ July 2011 \ 5100357 6 HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment Framework Travel Plan 1.9 A Framework Travel Plan in support of the full planning application for the HBC Field site has been prepared as a sister document to this Transport Assessment. Atkins HBC Field – Transport Assessment \ Version 2.0 \ July 2011 \ 5100357 7 Policy Context HBC Field, Halebank Road, Widnes Transport Assessment 2. Policy Context Introduction 2.1 The vision for 3MG is to create a national, regional and sub-regional rail freight facility in the context of national transport policy, regional planning and economic policies, and local planning policies. The existing intermodal freight terminal is owned by the Stobart Group. 2.2 The reduction in road-based freight movements is a central focus of the Government’s transport objectives, which are articulated within Planning Policy Guidance 13 (PPG13): Transport. In addition to the Government’s policies on transport, there are a range of European directives and white papers, which shape transport policy and promote sustainability across the European Union. 2.3 Most recently, the EU published in 2009 ‘A Sustainable Future for Transport’, which is both a strategy document defining the vision for the future of transport, and a consultation document, which has an aim to collect views on how to translate the vision into policy actions. Concerning freight, the document states that ‘an intelligent and integrated logistics system must become a reality, where development of ports and intermodal terminals is a key element’, and modal shift towards more environmentally friendly modes will be particularly important. 2.4 This section summarises national and local transport planning policy relevant to the proposed development. National Policy 2.5 In July 1998 the Government published the Transport White Paper ‘A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone’ which set out the Government’s policies to create a better, more integrated transport system to tackle the problems of congestion and pollution. 2.6 The White Paper detailed the Government’s objectives for encouraging the use of the railway system for the transportation of freight and it is specifically stated that: ‘Local authorities in preparing development plans will be expected to consider, and where appropriate protect, opportunities for rail connections to existing manufacturing, distribution and warehousing sites adjacent or close to the rail network….’. 2.7 This commitment to the use of the rail network for the transfer of freight was further reinforced with the publication, in 2000, of the Government’s ten-year plan for transport in a document titled ‘Transport 2010 – The Ten Year Plan’. Within the document the specific target of increasing rail freight by 80% was set. 2.8 In March 2004 the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) published its Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy, which set out the SRA’s policies with regard to the form, function, operating characteristics and role of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges. This sits alongside Government policies for rail freight, transport, planning, sustainable development and economic growth and is directed at developing a national policy framework via the land use and transport planning systems. 2.9 The SRA sees Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges as key features of national rail infrastructure necessary to promote a shift from road to rail freight and to achieve the associated sustainability benefits. 2.10 For Greater Manchester, Liverpool and the North West, the SRA recognised the need for further Strategic Rail Freight Interchange capacity to support future growth. The SRA’s West Coast Main Line (WCML) Strategy notes that a number of new interchanges are proposed to meet anticipated demand within