LAND OFF MAULDEN ROAD

TRANSPORTATION TECHNICAL NOTE

August 2017

GBR/KM/E/17968/B5

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Transportation Technical Note (TTN) has been prepared by Woods Hardwick Infrastructure LLP on behalf of Pigeon Investment Management Ltd in support of their proposal to develop land to the east of Maulden Road, Flitwick.

1.2 The site comprises approximately 20.5 ha and is located to the east of Flitwick. The site is abutted by: agricultural land to the north; Flitwick Moor and Folly Wood to the east; Greenfield Road to the south. The southern section of the western boundary is abutted by existing residential properties beyond which lies Maulden Road, while the northern section of the western boundary is abutted by Maulden Road itself. A Site Location Plan is included as Appendix A.

1.3 The proposed development on the site comprises up to 200 residential units, a health and social care hub and a mixed use employment development. The developer is aware that Central Council (CBC) are currently consulting on the future development of Flitwick Town Centre. CBC’s consultation Report on the regeneration notes that there is a shortfall in retail/service units within Flitwick, Pigeon Investment Management Ltd would be pleased to assist in contributing to the regeneration of the town by liaising with CBC to bring forward the most appropriate employment uses on this site.

1.4 It is proposed that the main vehicular access to the site is taken off Maulden Road, potentially via a new 4-arm roundabout that incorporates the existing access to the Industrial Estate on the opposite side of Maulden Road. If required a secondary vehicular access can be provided off Greenfield Road to the south of the site.

1.5 The purpose of this report is to provide an outline of the potential impact of the proposed development on the local highway network and to demonstrate that the site lies in a sustainable location in terms of accessibility to public transport networks and day-to-day services and facilities.

2.0 IMPACT ASSESSMENT

2.1 At such time as a Planning Application is submitted in support of the proposals a full Transport Assessment will be prepared and submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) Highway Authority in support of the proposals. The scope of the Transport Assessment would be agreed with the Highway Authority and it is anticipated that for a development of this scale the assessment would include junction capacity assessments to be undertaken at the site access and at key locations in proximity to the site.

2.2 It is anticipated that a future Planning Application would also be supported by a Green Travel Plan which will set out the sustainability credentials of the site and seek to promote modal shift away from single occupancy car use amongst future residents of the site.

2.3 In advance of the submission of a Planning Application and the preparation of the supporting documentation described above, this section of the report provides a high level appraisal of the potential impact on the local highway network.

2.4 The potential vehicular trip generation of a proposed development is usually calculated based upon trip rates extracted from the TRICS Database. The TRICS Database is a tool that contains the results of traffic surveys undertaken at locations throughout the United Kingdom.

2.5 The TRICS Database has therefore been interrogated in order to provide a robust estimation of the potential trip generation of the Land East of Maulden Road site. The appropriate filters have been set so that the data used relates to surveys undertaken at similar development sites i.e. sites that have a mix of private and affordable properties and that are outside of London.

2.6 The trip rates used along with the resultant trip generations during the traditional AM (08:00- 09:00) and PM (17:00-18:00) peak hours is presented below. The trip rates have been extracted from the ‘Mixed Private/Affordable Housing’ category of the database. The daily trip rates and resulting trip generations are also included within the tables.

Trip Rate (per dwelling) Trip Generation (based on 200 dwellings) Arrivals Departures Arrivals Departures AM (08:00-09:00) 0.113 0.319 23 64 PM (17:00-18:00) 0.271 0.125 54 25 Daily 1.758 1.816 352 364

2.7 From the above table, it can be appreciated that the development of the site for up to 200 dwellings is predicted to generate a total of 87 and 79 two way vehicular movements during the AM and PM peak hours respectively with significantly lower traffic generations predicted during other hours of the day.

2.8 The traffic generations predicted above equate to less than one vehicle every 40 seconds seeking to either enter or exit the site during the peak hours, with a much lesser impact at other times of the day. The development would therefore not have a significant impact on existing traffic flows within the town or the wider area.

2.9 The proposal includes the provision of a health and social care hub. Such a facility would inevitably generate additional traffic movements, however, these movements are likely to be a redistribution of vehicles that would otherwise have been travelling to other surgeries within the local area as opposed to being additional vehicles using the road network. The majority of movements would also occur outside of the peak hours.

2.10 It is also proposed that the site includes a range of employment uses, the employment uses would inevitably generate a number of additional vehicular movements, however, given the excellent sustainable transport links that are available to the site it is considered that a significant proportion of those accessing the employment area would travel by means other than the private car either from within Flitwick or from further afield.

2.11 As mentioned within the introduction of this report it is proposed that access is taken primarily via a new 4-arm roundabout that incorporates the existing Maulden Road/Enterprise Way junction that provides access to the Industrial Estate on the opposite side of Maulden Road. An access of this nature would have sufficient capacity to accommodate the site generated traffic and it is anticipated that it will also assist in the circulation of vehicles seeking to enter and exit the industrial estate.

2.12 The proposed roundabout would also bring about further benefits in terms of highway safety by reducing vehicle speeds along Maulden Road. As part of the proposals the developer would apply for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in relation to increasing the extent of the existing 30mph zone along the site frontage.

2.13 A secondary access would be provided off Greenfield Road to the south of the site in the form of a priority junction.

2.14 Both Maulden Road and Greenfield Road have 5.5m wide carriageways and are therefore of a suitable geometry to provide access to the site. The access roads that will enter the site at these locations will be designed in accordance with CBC’s Residential Design Guide, the access off Maulden Road will therefore be a ‘Main Street’ as defined within CBC’s guidance and will comprise a 5.5m wide carriage way flanked by 2m wide footpaths while the access provided off Greenfield Road will take the form of an ‘access street’ and will be designed with a 4.8m carriageway with 2m footpaths.

2.15 It is proposed that as part of the development a new footpath/cycle route will be provided towards the country park that is proposed on the western side of Maulden Road to the north of the existing Industrial Estate.

2.16 As described in greater detail in Section 3 of this document, Flitwick benefits from an excellent level of public transport provision for a town of its size with the services available being easily accessible from the site. The site is also well located in terms of its proximity to educational and employment facilities as well as the day to day services and facilities located within the town centre.

2.17 As mentioned previously, at such time as a planning application is prepared in support of the proposals it is anticipated that CBC Highway Authority will require a Green Travel Plan to be prepared in support of the proposals. Due to the sustainable location of the site it is anticipated that the Travel Plan measures will assist in bringing about a significant reduction in single occupancy journeys compared with the figures predicted in paragraph 2.6 above.

3.0 SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL

3.1 As alluded to within the earlier sections of this report the site lies in a sustainable location in terms of accessibility to public transport services as well as being well located to facilitate journeys on foot or by bicycle to the services and facilities within the town. This section of the report provides a summary of opportunities for sustainable travel and the facilities available.

Public Transport

3.2 The nearest bus stops to the site are located along Maulden Road and Hatfield Road to the west of the site. The bus stops are served by the No42 service operated by Stagecoach, the service operates hourly and provides access to locations within Flitwick as well as providing access to and Bedford.

3.3 Flitwick Railway Station lies well within 1km walking distance of the site and lies on the Bedford to Brighton Line. Presented in the table below are the approximate journey times of the services between Flitwick and key destinations:

Destination Frequency Journey Time London (St Pancras) 4 per hour 47 minutes Luton 4 per hour 13 minutes Bedford 4 per hour 12 minutes Three Bridges 4 per hour 2 hrs 5 minutes

3.4 From the table above it can be appreciated that 4 services per hour provide access from the site to key destinations including Central London.

Walking and Cycling

3.5 The site is well connected to Flitwick Railway Station and the town centre by way of a network of well-lit footpaths. Although there is no formal provision for cyclists the road conditions locally are conducive to on-carriageway cycling.

3.6 The site is also well located for journeys to school either on foot or by bicycle with Kingsmoor Lower School, Flitwick Lower School, Templefield Lower School and Woodland Middle School all lying well within the recommended 2km walking distance of the site. Redbourne Upper School and Community College lies slightly further afield within Ampthill but still well within reasonable walking and cycling distance.

3.7 Included within Appendix B is a Facilities Plan that has been prepared to demonstrate the proximity of the site to the services and facilities available. From the Facilities Plan it can be appreciated that as well as the aforementioned Railway Station and schools there are a range of food stores, banks and food establishments available all of which are located well within walking distance of the site.

4.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

4.1 This Transportation Technical Note has been prepared by Woods Hardwick Infrastructure LLP on behalf of Pigeon Investment Management Ltd in relation to the proposed development of a site to the east of Maulden Road, Flitwick, Bedfordshire.

4.2 The proposal is for up to 200 residential dwellings a social care hub and a mix of employment uses. It is understood that CBC are currently consulting on options to regenerate Flitwick and Pigeon Investment Management Ltd would be keen to liaise with CBC regarding the most appropriate non-residential uses to be included within the proposals.

4.3 An assessment has been undertaken of the likely vehicular trip generation of the site when fully occupied and it has been calculated that the anticipated traffic generation would be approximately 80 two-way vehicular trips during the AM and PM peak hours.

4.4 It has also been demonstrated that the site lies in a sustainable location in terms of accessibility to the public transport network as it is located well within walking distance of Flitwick Railway Station which provides up to 4 trains per hour to London and other major local towns. Bus stops are located close to the proposed site access providing hourly bus service to locations within Flitwick and to Ampthill and Bedford. Following the development of the site, footpaths would be provided to tie in to the existing network providing access to the proposed county park and to the existing bus stop.

4.5 A full Transport Assessment and Green Travel Plan would be prepared in support of a future Planning Application and those documents would provide full details regarding the potential impact of the proposals on the local highway network along with a detailed assessment of the sustainability credentials of the site and a summary of the measures to be implemented to promote sustainable travel amongst future residents of the site.

4.6 From the information provided within this document it can be concluded that the site lies in a highly sustainable location and that the development of the site would assist in meeting CBC’s aspirations of providing new homes in locations that are easily accessible by public transport and which do not necessarily require residents to own or operate a car on a daily basis.

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B