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Thakeham Homes REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY South Garden Village - Impact on Transport & Highways

BRIEFING NOTE A22 27 JUNE 2018 CONFIDENTIAL

Thakeham Homes REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY South Godstone Garden Village - Impact on Transport & Highways

TYPE OF DOCUMENT (VERSION) CONFIDENTIAL

PROJECT NO. 62241136 OUR REF. NO. BRIEFING NOTE A22

DATE: 27 JUNE 2018

WSP 2 Square Cross Lanes , GU1 1UN Phone: +44 148 352 8400

WSP.com

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Issue/revision First issue Revision 1 Revision 2 Revision 3 Remarks Date 27/06/2018 Prepared by S Howard

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Checked by M Paddle

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Project number 62241136

REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY WSP Project No.: 62241136 | Our Ref No.: Briefing Note A22 27 June 2018 Thakeham Homes

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT OPTIONS 1

3 DEVELOPMENT TRIP GENERATION & DISTRIBUTION 2

3.1 TRIP GENERATION 2 3.2 VEHICLE TRIP DISTRIBUTION 2

4 IMPACT ON HIGHWAYS 4

4.2 IMPACT ON M25 J6 4 4.3 IMPACT ON LOCAL HIGHWAY NETWORK 6

5 SUMMARY 10

REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY WSP Project No.: 62241136 | Our Ref No.: Briefing Note A22 27 June 2018 Thakeham Homes

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1.1. WSP has reviewed the transport and highways impacts of creating a Garden Community at South Godstone following the release of the Draft Local Plan on 21st June 2018. South Godstone is currently a small, isolated village with few options for sustainable travel. The draft Local Plan recognises that the frequency of rail services from Godstone station is limited1 and that upgrades to the station infrastructure and better use of the line are required to support development at South Godstone. Provision of a new Garden Community for 4,000 homes at South Godstone would be unsustainable and would create unacceptable problems of highway safety and capacity. 2 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT OPTIONS

2.1.1. In the context of national planning policy, as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Local Planning Authority and the Local Highway Authority, in conjunction with Highways (in regard to the motorway network), should be considering development in a location with a wide range of public transport options that offer real choice to residents and visitors to influence travel behaviour, and to reduce the need to travel. 2.1.2. The options for sustainable travel at South Godstone are currently poor, with little opportunity for enhancement through provision of infrastructure to accommodate 4,000 new homes. 2.1.3. Although there is a rail station within South Godstone village, it is not possible to get a direct train from Godstone Station into Central London. Train commuters are required to use the hourly service along the Tonbridge – Redhill branch line before changing at Redhill Station to another service for travel into London. The attractiveness of this route for commuters is low, with only 7-13% of people from South Godstone using rail as a form of transport to work2. The draft Local Plan states that 72% of the working population commute out of the district, with 3,500 commuters to and Banstead Borough3, the vast majority of whom are therefore forced to drive as a result of the lack of suitable and available sustainable transport modes. 2.1.4. Govia Thameslink, who run Southern Railway, has noted that rail services were considered for withdrawal on the Redhill – Tonbridge line in 2008 due to poor patronage with only modest growth in recent years. Since that time, service frequencies have reduced and it is no longer possible to get a direct train into London. This is likely to compound the falling patronage and puts the rail service on the line onto Godstone at further risk of being withdrawn. 2.1.5. There are currently no adequate, regular bus services available in South Godstone. Hourly services operate to destinations on a north-south corridor between and . There are no regular or peak hour services available to other key local destinations including Redhill, and , and . Significant investment would be required to provide even a very basic level of bus service for a Garden Community at South Godstone which is capable of influencing travel behaviour away from using the private car. 2.1.6. There are no cycle routes in the vicinity of the proposed Garden Community, and no provision for cyclists either along A22 or towards the closest rail stations. There is also no opportunity to connect to the Surrey Cycleway or National Cycle Network (NCN). 2.1.7. The principal local areas of employment for new residents are likely to be Redhill, Oxted, Gatwick, Crawley, East Grinstead and Central London. The paucity of any sustainable opportunities to create efficient ‘fast track’ public transport links to these major urban areas and employment zones would mean that residents living on a Garden Community at South Godstone would be heavily dependent on the use of the private car, which will continue to exacerbate congestion and delays and increase the level of personal injury collisions on the

1 TDC, June 2018, Our Local Plan: 2033 (Regulation 19), Paragraph 32.11 2 Data from 2011 Census 3 TDC, June 2018, Our Local Plan: 2033 (Regulation 19), Paragraph 7.7

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surrounding road network. This issue is compounded by the poor employment opportunities locally which the draft Local Plan seeks to improve modal shift by increasing the size of Lambs Business Park to the west of South Godstone and by catering for home working. Evidence shows that the high skilled employers wishing to invest or expand their businesses are not attracted to this area due to its poor connectivity and linkages which will not change over the next Plan period. 3 DEVELOPMENT TRIP GENERATION & DISTRIBUTION

3.1 TRIP GENERATION 3.1.1. Locating a Garden Community of 4,000 homes in an unsustainable location at South Godstone will generate a higher number of vehicle trips from the development than an equivalent Garden Community located in a more sustainable location within as a result of the lack of alternative modes of travel to the car. 3.1.2. Using industry standard trip rates, the South Godstone Garden Community would generate some 2,600 vehicle trips in the AM peak and 2,400 vehicle trips in the PM peak. Across a typical week day, there would be approximately 24,000 additional vehicle trips spread across the Strategic and Local highway networks as a result of the development. 3.2 VEHICLE TRIP DISTRIBUTION 3.2.1. Using data on travel mode and journeys from the 2011 Census for the South Godstone area, it is calculated that 77.5% of the vehicle trips generated would travel northwards to access A25, M25 and A22 north of M25, with 53% of traffic using M25 Junction 6. Destinations include Redhill and Reigate, Oxted, and London. 3.2.2. Just 22.5% of traffic from South Godstone would travel southwards towards Crawley, Gatwick and East Grinstead, as shown in Figure 1.

WSP REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY 27 June 2018 Project No.: 62241136 | Our Ref No.: Briefing Note A22 Page 2 of 11 Thakeham Homes

Figure 1: AM Peak Traffic Distribution from South Godstone Garden Community

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4 IMPACT ON HIGHWAYS

4.1.1. The calculated trip generation of a new Garden Community at South Godstone has been assessed using ’s approved M23 Smart Motorway Model (M23SMM); a strategic traffic model with the ability to assess the impact of additional traffic in the area, taking account of the redistribution of traffic as a result of congestion. The future forecast year of 2033 has been assessed to accommodate the end of the emerging Local Plan period. 4.1.2. The results from the strategic model show that the development of a Garden Community at South Godstone, along the A22 corridor would have a major impact on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) at Junction 6 of M25 and on the local highway network including A22 and the surrounding rural roads that provide access to local villages. 4.1.3. There would be a significant demand for the north-south corridor routes, with considerable additional traffic using A22, Tandridge Lane and Road to access M25 at Junction 6, A22 towards Croydon/London and A25. Demand along the east-west corridor towards Redhill and Oxted is high, with traffic forecast to use very rural, narrow roads such as Rabies Heath Road to connect to the County primary route of A25 at . 4.2 IMPACT ON M25 J6 4.2.1. J6 M25 currently suffers from unacceptable levels of congestion during both peak and inter – peak travel periods. The traffic modelling shows that M25 Junction 6 will operate at capacity in 2033 with the South Godstone Garden Community, however the junction only operates at capacity as a result of the redistribution of over 400 displaced vehicle trips away from the junction to alternative routes including Tilburstow Hill Road, Tandridge Lane, Outwood Lane, and even to M23, accessed at Junction 9 (Gatwick). Without the redistribution of a significant number of trips onto the local highway network of narrow, unsuitable rural roads, M25 Junction 6 would see an increase in traffic of around 23% and would be significantly over capacity in 2033, thereby creating further considerable congestion and delay. 4.2.2. To accommodate the quantum of trips generated by 4,000 new homes during the network peak hours, comprehensive improvements would be required at Junction 6 of M25 and on A22/A25 corridors to prevent traffic using the unsuitable alternative rural routes, as is shown in Figure 2. 4.2.3. It is highly likely that Junction 6 of M25 would need to be reconstructed with a considerable improvement to capacity. To the best of our knowledge, no highway improvement scheme has as yet, been promoted by either Highways England as part of the Roads Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) 2020-25, Tandridge District Council, or the promoter of South Godstone Garden Community. 4.2.4. Surrey County Council acknowledge the problem of locating a Garden Community at South Godstone and the implications for M25 Junction 6 in their report of August 2017 ‘Transport and Accessibility Assessment of Potential Garden Village Locations 2017’: “Highways England have stated that the M25 junction 6 will be at capacity by 2020. The effect of this development would be to further exacerbate the forecast situation. To alleviate issues at junction 6, an intervention of considerable size would be required. The nature of any potential improvements to the junction to alleviate congestion is not known at this stage, however a development of the size proposed at South Godstone would not be likely to be able to solely fund such a large scale scheme.”

WSP REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY 27 June 2018 Project No.: 62241136 | Our Ref No.: Briefing Note A22 Page 4 of 11 Thakeham Homes

Figure 2: Additional Traffic due to South Godstone Garden Community

Additional traffic on main routes represented by red lines. Wider lines symbolise greater increased traffic.

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4.3 IMPACT ON LOCAL HIGHWAY NETWORK 4.3.1. The impact on the local road network of a Garden Community at South Godstone would be significant, with demand for use of A22 increasing by 46% in the AM Peak. The A22 corridor north of South Godstone would be operating above capacity, with the junction of A22/A25 operating over capacity as a result of the considerable additional traffic demand. 4.3.2. The M23SMM indicates that traffic would be forced to redistribute to Tilburstow Hill Road and Tandridge Lane as a result of congestion along the corridor of A22, as shown on Figure 2. Tilburstow Hill Road is forecast to have an additional 450 vehicles per hour, and Tandridge Lane an additional 340 vehicles per hour in the AM Peak. These narrow roads with single lane traffic signal controlled bridges under the railway line are currently operating at capacity, and they will not be able to accommodate the high levels of additional traffic forecast without considerable congestion and delay. 4.3.3. From Tilburstow Hill Road, over 300 additional vehicles per hour (AM Peak) would use Rabies Heath Road to access A25 at Bletchingley. Rabies Heath Road is a narrow road which is not designed to safely accommodate such high levels of traffic. 4.3.4. A substantial amount of traffic would route via B2235 through Godstone Village to access either A25 (eastwards) or M25 Junction 6. The environment impact of the additional traffic on Godstone Village would be considerable in terms of highway safety and the loss of public amenity. 4.3.5. For traffic heading southwards, the traffic modelling also shows an increase in demand of over 100% on rural roads including Byers Lane and Smallfield Road towards Crawley, and Ray Lane and Godstone Road towards East Grinstead, avoiding the strategic A22 route due to the high levels of congestion along that route. 4.3.6. The existing alignment of A22 currently fails to comply with current Department of Transport highway design standards and the route is particularly susceptible to personal injury collisions. Substantial improvements would be required along A22 to improve journey time reliability and the safety characteristics of key junctions to improve capacity and accommodate vulnerable road users. 4.3.7. Tandridge Lane and Tilburstow Hill Road are local rural roads constrained by railway bridges with single lane traffic light control. The roads are narrow with poor alignment characteristics and would be inadequate to accommodate the additional traffic demand that would arise from South Godstone. 4.3.8. Collision data (Figure 3 and Figure 4) shows clusters of collisions along A22 through South Godstone, on the approaches to and at the junction of A22/A25, and along B2236/A25/B22356 through Godstone village. With the increases in traffic forecast for these routes, there will be a corresponding increase in collisions. 4.3.9. Surrey County Council acknowledge4 the potential problems to highways safety of locating a Garden Community at South Godstone: “There is a long history of accidents at the junction of the A22 Road with Tilburstow Hill Road. This would be exacerbated by the additional traffic described above. In order to improve this situation it may be necessary to signalise the junction. This would improve safety but incur delay on the A22 Eastbourne Road as a result.”

4 Surrey Couty Couil, Trasport ad Aessiility Assesset of Potetial Garde Village Loatios 7, August 2017

WSP REDHILL AERODROME GARDEN COMMUNITY 27 June 2018 Project No.: 62241136 | Our Ref No.: Briefing Note A22 Page 6 of 11 Thakeham Homes

Figure 3: Collision Data - South Godstone 2013-20175

5 www.crashmap.co.uk

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Figure 4: Collision Data – M25 J6, A22 and Godstone Village 2013-20176

6 www.crashmap.co.uk

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4.3.10. The congestion and safety ‘hotspots’ are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Junction Capacity and Safety Hotspots due to South Godstone Garden Community

Congestion/safety issues at junctions shown by red circles and on links by red dotted lines.

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5 SUMMARY

5.1.1. The proximity of M25 Junction 6 and the serious lack of any viable and sustainable travel mode alternative for future residents, would ultimately result in the promotion and implementation of a Garden Community along A22 with poor sustainability credentials, contrary to both current and emerging Central and Local Government policies. 5.1.2. The South Godstone Garden Community would create a major impact on the SRN and the local road network. That impact and hence cost of any potential mitigation to M25 Junction 6 and the local road network has been overlooked and the costs significantly underestimated by the promoters of the Garden Community and Tandridge District Council. 5.1.3. South Godstone Garden Community offers little opportunity to improve the connectivity for users of public transport, cyclists and pedestrians and hence influence travel behaviour to create a shift away from the use of the private car to more sustainable travel modes. 5.1.4. In overall transport terms, a Garden Community of some 4,000 homes located along A22 would be unsustainable and create a severe impact on the SRN and the local road network, contrary to both current and emerging Central and Local Government policies for creating wholly sustainable communities for the future.

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2 London Square Cross Lanes Guildford, Surrey GU1 1UN wsp.com