Atlantic Highway Improvement Public Engagement Report
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Information Classification: PUBLIC EDG1525 Atlantic Highway Improvement Public Engagement Report EDG1525-CSL-GEN-XXMZ-RP-D-0001_P01 Consultancy | Engineering Design Group Information Classification: PUBLIC - Page Left Intentionally Blank - Information Classification: PUBLIC Issue & Revision Record Purpose of Nature of Revision Date Originator Checked Authorised Issue Change P01 15.09.2020 TDS AO AA First Issue If you would like this report in another format, please contact CORMAC Solutions Ltd Head Office Prepared by Higher Trenant Road Engineering Design Group Wadebridge Western Group Centre Cornwall Radnor Road PL27 6TW Scorrier Tel: 01872 323 313 Redruth Email: [email protected] TR16 5EH www.cormacltd.co.uk/ This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of Cormac Solutions Ltd being obtained. Cormac Solutions Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequences of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm his agreement to indemnify Cormac Solutions Ltd for all loss or damage resulting therefrom. Cormac Solutions Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person by whom it was commissioned. Information Classification: PUBLIC - Page Left Intentionally Blank - Information Classification: PUBLIC CONTENTS Glossary of Terms 5 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 1.1 Introduction 7 1.2 Consultation Outcomes 7 1.3 Conclusion 8 2 INTRODUCTION 9 2.1 Purpose of the report 9 2.2 Structure of the Public Engagement Report 9 2.3 The Scheme - Background 9 2.4 The Proposed Scheme 10 2.5 Scheme Objectives 12 3 HISTORIC CONSULTATIONS 13 3.1 1993 Consultation 13 3.2 2001 Consultation 13 3.3 2002 Consultation 13 3.4 2018 Air Quality Action Plan Consultation 15 3.5 2019 Preparation for Public Engagement 15 4 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 16 4.2 Requirement for Public Engagement 16 4.3 Public Consultation Exhibition 17 5 METHOD OF ANALYSIS FOR FEEDBACK COMMENTS 18 5.1 Introduction 18 5.2 Analysis of Consultation Feedback 18 5.3 Development of our Responses to Feedback 20 5.4 Presentation of our Findings 20 6 ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION FEEDBACK 21 6.1 Introduction 21 6.2 Attendance of the Public Exhibitions 21 6.3 Public Consultation Feedback Received 22 6.4 Question 1 23 6.5 Question 2 25 6.6 Question 3 28 6.7 Question 4 31 6.8 Question 5 34 6.9 Question 6 37 6.10 Question 7 40 6.11 Question 8 42 6.12 Question 9 44 7 APPLICANT’S USE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK 46 8 CONCLUSIONS 51 Information Classification: PUBLIC - Page Left Intentionally Blank - Information Classification: PUBLIC APPENDICES A – 1993 Public Consultation Leaflet B – Camelford Regeneration Proposals – Public Consultation, Atlantic Consultants, 2001 C – The A39 Camelford Regeneration Distributor Road Options Report, April 2002 D – 2002 Public Consultation Leaflet E – A39 Camelford Regeneration Distributor Road, Public Consultation Report, June 2002 F – Air Quality Action Plan Consultation Report, February 2018 G – Camelford Air Quality Consultation Summary, 2018 H – Public Notice I – Letter of invitation to the public J – Letter of invitation to landowners K – 2020 Public Engagement Leaflet L – Site Notice M – Exhibition Boards N – Questionnaire Information Classification: PUBLIC - Page Left Intentionally Blank - Information Classification: PUBLIC Glossary of Terms CC Cornwall Council CSL Cormac Solutions Ltd DfT Department for Transport The Applicant Cornwall Council A39 Atlantic Highway Improvement The Scheme (Camelford) NMU Non-Motorised User AQMA Air Quality Management Area BCR Benefit Cost Ratio DMRB Design Manual for Roads and Bridges SOBC Strategic Outline Business Case OBC Outline Business Case EIA Environmental Impact Assessment RSA Road Safety Audit SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest Department for Environment, Food and Rural DEFRA Affairs Information Classification: PUBLIC - Page Left Intentionally Blank - Information Classification: PUBLIC 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Introduction To alleviate congestion and air quality issues on the A39 through the town of Camelford, Cornwall Council proposes to provide a 4km road improvement scheme around the north west of the town. It will be a single carriageway road with four roundabouts and will include a viaduct over environmentally sensitive designations and the River Camel. The speed limit will be restricted to 60mph with a design speed of 50mph (85kph). A Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) was submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) in December 2019 and scheme development funding to progress the scheme was awarded in March and confirmed in June 2020. The first round of public engagement took place between 24th January 2020 and 16th April 2020 and the results will contribute to the progression of the design that will be submitted in the Outline Business Case (OBC) to the DfT in December 2020. 1.2 Consultation Outcomes A total of 585 people attended the four exhibitions that were held, with a total of 251 responses received. 74% support the proposed improvement, whereas 21% do not. The remaining 5% of the 251 respondents either did not answer the question or replied ambiguously. Questions 2 to 6 included a scoring system, that involved a sliding scale with 1 being strongly disagree to 10 being strongly agree. Questions 2 (the proposal of four separate roundabouts), 3 (a shared use footway / cycleway running alongside the A39), 4 (crossing points at the roundabouts) and 5 (making the road serving the secondary school a “cul-de- sac”) all had a large majority of respondents strongly agreeing with the proposal. Question 6 (the proposal to stop up the road between Trefrew and Slaughterbridge) had a marginal majority of respondents who strongly disagreed. Furthermore, it had the greatest number of respondents giving a neutral response to the proposal to stop up the road between Trefrew and Slaughterbridge. On three separate occasions the predominant comment to Questions 3 (a shared use footway / cycleway running alongside the A39), 7 (Requests for changes or additional facilities) and 8 (Suggestions for improvements for the centre of Camelford) was that respondents would like to see an improvement to pedestrian and cycle links in the area. EDG1525_A39 Atlantic Highway Review 7 Consultation Report June 2020 Information Classification: PUBLIC 1.3 Conclusion The public consultation was well attended with some 585 people visiting during the four available dates. Overall the proposals received a high level of support, with 74% of attendees expressing support for the scheme. The feedback provided by the 251 respondents will be reviewed and considered as part of the on-going design process. The public consultation forms part of Cornwall Council’s duties to comply fully with the requirements of the statutory consultation process and will ensure that the issues identified by the consultees have been considered and addressed at an early stage of the Scheme, thus effectively narrowing the issues which may need to be addressed during the remainder of the design process. Cornwall Council will continue to consult with prescribed consultees and the wider community as the scheme progresses. EDG1525_A39 Atlantic Highway Review 8 Consultation Report June 2020 Information Classification: PUBLIC 2 Introduction 2.1 Purpose of the report The report summarises the public engagement that Cornwall Council have undertaken. It provides an overview of the results of the engagement and identifies the feedback to be provide back to the members of the public. 2.2 Structure of the Public Engagement Report This report is structured as follows: • Section 3 provides an overview of the historic and informal pre- application engagement which shaped the development of the proposals. • Section 4 sets out the Councils approach to public engagement. • Section 5 explains the methodology for analysing feedback comments. It describes: o how the feedback comments were analysed; o how feedback comments were responded to; and o how the findings are presented. • Section 6 provides an overview of the feedback received during the public engagement. • Section 7 sets out the Applicant’s use of the feedback comments. • Section 8 contains the conclusions. 2.3 The Scheme - Background 2.3.1 There has been long term concern from local MPs, Councillors, residents and the Town Council about the effects on the health and quality of life of residents, of high levels of traffic and poor air quality along the A39 through Camelford. 2.3.2 The Camelford bypass study was undertaken between 1992 and 1994 by the Highways Agency, identifying three routes to be taken to public consultation. The route, which was then progressed, as part of the Cornwall Council major scheme submission in 2001, was the western route with a northern extension which bypassed Camelford and Valley Truckle but did not sever Trefrew from Camelford. 2.3.3 In April 2002, several route options were consulted upon and a preferred route was selected. EDG1525_A39 Atlantic Highway Review 9 Consultation Report June 2020 Information Classification: PUBLIC In 2004 an Options report was compiled to discuss the routes and a route was suggested. Both the selected route in the consultation of 2002 and the suggested route within the report of 2004 have similar routes in that they divert from the A39 at Valley Truckle, travel between Trevia and Camelford and North of Trefrew and re-join the A39 at the lay-by south of Collan’s Cross. Their variations mainly lie within their alignments and junction arrangements. A scheme was originally developed in the early 2000s. In 2004, a Planning Application to North Cornwall District Council was submitted and in 2005 the application was “Approved with Conditions”, with the route protected from future development.