Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Report

May 2007

Airedale Partnership Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Study

FINAL REPORT

Airedale Partnership Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Study

May 2007

This report takes into account the particular instructions and requirements of our client. It is not intended for and should not be relied upon by any third party and no responsibility Ove Arup & Partners Ltd is undertaken to any third party Admiral House, Rose Wharf, 78 East Street, LS9 8EE Tel +44 (0)113 2428498 Fax +44 (0)113 2428573 www.arup.com Job number 122195-00

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Airedale Partnership Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Study

Contents 5.4 Possible Longer Term Solutions 24 Page 6 Rail Station Proposals 25 Executive Summary i 6.1 Overview 25 1 Introduction 1 6.2 Preferred Option 25 1.1 Keighley in Context 1 6.3 Environmental Impact 26 1.2 The Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies 1 7 Costs, Funding and Delivery Mechanism 28 1.3 Report Structure 1 7.1 Overview 28 2 Aspirations and Future Development 2 8 Conclusions 30 2.1 Airedale Masterplan 2 8.1 Overview 30 2.2 Leeds Region Transport Strategy 3 8.2 Deliverability of the Keighley Transport Vision 30 2.3 Keighley in the Leeds City Region Transport Vision 3 8.3 Further Work 30 3 The Keighley Transport Network 5 3.1 Introduction 5 Appendices 3.2 Highway Network 5 3.3 Bus and Coach Network 5 Appendix A 3.4 Rail 5 Issues and Opportunities Matrix 3.5 Parking 7 Appendix B 3.6 Cycling and Walking 7 TRANSYT Outputs

3.7 Waterways 7

4 Problem Identification 8 4.1 Introduction 8 4.2 Stakeholder Consultation 8 4.3 Traffic Patterns and Congestion Points 8 4.4 Car Parking Issues 12 4.5 Impact of New Developments 13 4.6 Keighley Rail Station 14 4.7 Bus Issues 16 4.8 Multi-Modal Integration 17 4.9 Pedestrian Movements 17 4.10 Cycling 18 4.11 Public Transport Accessibility 19 4.12 Social Inclusion/Mobility 19 4.13 Service Access Issues 19 4.14 Safety 19 4.15 Summary of Current and Future Transport Problems 20 5 Options for Improvement 21 5.1 Overview 21 5.2 Key Opportunities 21 5.3 Options for Improvement 21 J:\122000\122195-00\0 ARUP\0-11 TRANSPORTATION\0-11-8 REPORTS\A3 REPORT FINAL V2 REPORT.DOC Ove Arup & Partners Ltd Final 14 May 2007

Airedale Partnership Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Study

Executive Summary worsen with future adjacent developments i.e. the new Keighley College, Asda and the regeneration of Dalton Lane. A Masterplan and Strategy for Airedale was completed in 2005 and provided a framework for sustainable economic development. Keighley, as the major town in the valley, plays a The preferred option for Keighley rail station is to remove the forecourt of the station and significant role as the retail and commercial service centre for the area and its future replace it with a new pedestrian plaza whilst at the same time widening the pedestrian success is critical for the delivery of the Masterplan. pavement on the north side of Road. The existing taxi rank and disabled parking would be relocated to a new elevated drop-off point on Low Mill Lane above the existing Traffic congestion and access to public transport were identified during consultation for the station car park. New lifts would be incorporated into the station along with improved Masterplan to be barriers to the future development of the town. This scoping report surfacing to the existing ramps. New waiting rooms and canopies would provide increased identifies the issues around transport in the town and the refurbishment of Keighley rail shelter on the platforms. The relocation of the taxi rank would provide potential opportunities station and identifies potential solutions that could make a substantial positive change to the for reconfiguring of the station buildings and for new retailing opportunities emerging from fortunes of Keighley. increased footfall past the station frontage due to the College and Dalton Lane Five priority projects were set out in the Airedale Masterplan – two of them in Keighley (one redevelopment. at each end of Cavendish Street) will form prominent new anchors of activity and footfall. The preferred options for the town centre and rail station are exciting and importantly very The redevelopment of Keighley College’s North Street site will be an opportunity to deliverable. There are a number of private and public sector developments that could transform the image and identity of the town and the refurbishment of Keighley rail station contribute towards the public realm solutions in the form of the new Asda store, Keighley will provide an improved gateway to the town for visitors and commuters using this very College and Dalton Mills. Funding for the “access for all” improvements is already busy station. The relocation of Keighley College to Dalton Lane and the opening of a new committed by and the Department for Transport and the reconfiguring of the Asda store in 2009 will effectively shift the centre of gravity of the town towards the rail retail opportunities could provide funding for the restoration and future upkeep of the station repositioning Cavendish Street at the heart of the retail offer for the town. heritage station buildings. The introduction of new waiting rooms and canopies could be The town centre transport study has examined movements for all modes of traffic, funded by Metro on the back of the large and rapidly increasing passenger numbers. identifying where there are constraints and opportunities. Very quickly it emerged that the The timetable for delivery of these preferred options will be linked closely with and driven by road junctions at either end of Cavendish Street, at North Street and Bradford Road, are the timetables for opening of the new Asda store and Keighley College, which are currently significant bottlenecks and that buses are substantially delayed along this route. Cavendish programmed for opening in 2009. The improvements to the front of the rail station will be of Street is the main pedestrian route between the town centre and the rail station and is the direct benefit to Asda and the new Keighley College for improved aesthetics and pedestrian location for specialist retailing. During the study it became apparent that a focus on reducing access. In order to undertake this work the alterations to Cavendish Street must be in place. traffic flow along Cavendish Street could deliver substantial benefits to all modes of This creates a two year window for the design and procurement of the detailed works to transport movement in the town centre and provide the opportunity to create an attractive Cavendish Street and the railway station. The public realm and traffic flow improvements on area of public realm. Cavendish Street could be jointly funded by Bradford Council and Yorkshire Forward. This The preferred option for the transport study is to make Cavendish Street a bus and cycle investment in the attractiveness of the town could substantially raise the value of the only route for the majority of its length whilst retaining one way access to Lawkholme Lane College site on North Street and strengthen the retailing of the town in anticipation of the from North Street and two way access to Sainsbury’s car park from Bradford Road. opening of the new Asda store. Consequently, there would be a significant reduction in waiting time for vehicle movements This report recommends rapid progression towards the detailed design and procurement of along North Street and also at Bradford Road despite the likely reconfiguring of traffic the preferred options for new traffic and public realm measures on Cavendish Street and the movements to the Sainsbury’s store. This option would remove the sources of delay for staged refurbishment of Keighley Station. Maintaining momentum on these projects will buses moving between the bus station and railway station. Significantly it would allow critically enable funding through Section 106 contributions from Asda, Keighley College and widening of the pedestrian pavements creating the opportunity for improving the public Dalton Mills to be made in a co-ordinated and targeted way that will deliver significant and realm and planting trees along the length of Cavendish Street. This would dramatically early renaissance to the town centre. Keighley town centre will inevitably experience the improve the attractiveness of this prime shopping street and would join together the two effects of competition from the opening of the new Asda store but by undertaking these proposed key Masterplan projects at North Street and adjacent to the rail station. proposed options Keighley town centre can thrive jointly with the new development and Keighley rail station is the sixth busiest station in , with substantially more make the most of the new College and Dalton Lane developments. users than larger towns such as Halifax and . With passenger numbers at 1.3 million (in 2005) it is the busiest station on the highly successful and at current

growth rates there could be 100,000 more passengers by 2009. And this is even before

substantial regeneration of the town centre has taken place. With regeneration, there could be a million more passengers by 2012. The rail station is a significant gateway to the town centre and provides access to the major tourist attractions of the heritage Keighley and Railway and Brontë Parsonage at . At peak times passengers leaving the station flood across the highway, a problem that is exacerbated by the narrow footpaths on either side of Bradford Road and the current position of the pedestrian crossing. This situation, if not addressed, is likely to

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Airedale Partnership Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies Scoping Study

1 Introduction vital role to play in improving the quality of the town centre environment for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. The relationship between traffic management and high quality public realm is crucial to create vibrant and attractive town centres, and the study will 1.1 Keighley in Context explore a range of opportunities. Keighley grew because of its relatively flat town centre site amongst otherwise hilly terrain, Keighley Rail Station is the gateway or ‘front door’ to the town where first impressions are at the confluence of the Rivers Worth and Aire. Keighley was historically an important place gained by visitors, be they shoppers, tourists or business travellers. For the station to fulfil a for trading, where the roads from Leeds, Bradford, , and Halifax met. The town positive image making role, it must be an attractive point of arrival and departure and must remains a popular and important service centre for Airedale providing shops, education, be connected to the town by attractive pedestrian and cycle routes, public transport in the healthcare and public administration but the consequences are heavy and increasing traffic. form of bus and taxis and have sufficient parking provision for strategic park and ride. As well as the town attracting traffic in its capacity as a service centre it also has significant through traffic being at the junction between Airedale and commercial traffic moving through This scoping study identifies how to achieve these connections and meet the challenges from Halifax up the western side of the City Region. facing Keighley’s transport network. Through discussions with key stakeholders, and a detailed problem identification stage, the study identifies measures to: Figure 1.1 (included at the end of Section 1) shows the road layout and key destinations in Keighley. a) Encourage travel into the town centre by means other than the car;

Keighley is at a turning point in its economic cycle. Following the gradual decline of b) Control through-traffic and identify alternative options for this traffic; traditional manufacturing industries, new service sector and advanced manufacturing jobs c) Transform Keighley Station into an attractive gateway to the town. are being created, typical of many West Yorkshire towns. In this transition, commuting is becoming increasingly important as people take up jobs in Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, and other Airedale towns including Shipley, and Skipton. There is also a pattern of Given the current limitations on transport funding caused by the number of proposals increasing commuting into Keighley. The town has excellent transport links and is a already in the system, it is unlikely that there will be major investment in transport sustainable location for employment and housing and as a consequence will experience infrastructure in Keighley within the short to medium term (up to 5 years). As a result, this growth in residential and employment development over the next 10 to 15 years. study also seeks to identify a number of relatively low cost measures to maximise the use, The Airedale Masterplan was published in 2005, and has proposed a new integrated attractiveness and viability of the present infrastructure, for example providing better bus approach to development that builds on the rural setting of Airedale, its creative business and pedestrian access to Keighley Rail Station. sectors, high quality connections to wider places and the overall quality of lifestyle that can be experienced. The Masterplan has already prompted the inclusion of a number of priority 1.3 Report Structure transport projects and measures into the city region transport strategy that will support and This report contains the following sections: enable an improved case for funding (see Section 2.1 for more information). • Section 1 – This section provides an introduction to the scoping study and how it 1.2 The Keighley Town Centre and Station Transport Studies addresses the aims of the brief.

Arup was commissioned in January 2007 by the Airedale Partnership and • Section 2 – The next section contains the policy context and outlines the aspirations Metropolitan District Council to undertake two scoping studies. for the town and future development. It features the Keighley Town Centre Plan in the Airedale Masterplan and the transport strategy proposed for the Leeds City Region. • Keighley Town Centre Transport Study. • Section 3 – This section provides detailed information on the existing transport network • Keighley Station Study (with a significant contribution from Aedas Architects). in Keighley as context for introducing the detailed problem identification study. The aims of both studies are similar in that they seek to identify current and future issues • Section 4 – Following the description for the network in Section 3, this section identifies and to scope out potential options to address these issues. Hence both studies are reported the transport related problems in Keighley as well as the opportunities, many of which in this single report. are related to proposed developments and the delivery of the Airedale Masterplan; The challenge posed by these studies is to set out a strategy for providing a suitable future • Section 5 – This section reflects on the problems and proposes options for transportation network within Keighley. Previous attempts to bring forward major projects improvement to address them. have not progressed and the approach to traffic management in the town has been rather piecemeal which has led to some short term improvements, but has in the main not • Section 6 – This section focuses in on the options for improvements at the rail station addressed the fundamental problems facing the town. This study allows the fundamental • Section 7 – This section looks at the opportunities for funding and delivering the issues to be identified, with stakeholders, and potential solutions to be scoped out. It is options for improvement. unlikely that traffic volumes can be reduced, indeed with the proposed economic growth of the city region it is likely that traffic will increase further. The study considers how better to • Section 8 - Conclusions manage these increasing flows of traffic in a sustainable manner and provide genuine choices to the private car in a way that accords with PPG 13. Despite the growing popularity of the town, Keighley still has work to do to improve its image and identity. Traffic issues are not the only problems faced by Keighley, and this study has a

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2 Aspirations and Future Development to understand where people will want to travel and how transport can help deliver the Masterplan.

2.1 Airedale Masterplan To encourage CREATIVITY, the Masterplan proposes the following projects in Keighley:

The Airedale Masterplan is an exciting and deliverable programme of works which seeks to • The new £25m relocation of Keighley College adjacent to the station, will become an deliver Bradford’s 2020 Vision locally. important catalyst for the town, and will provide skills and training for the future. This is close to the newly opened STAR science centre which will encourage students to In recent years there has been a change in the fortunes of Airedale due to investment in engage in space, aeronautics and technology for the future; infrastructure, the presence of entrepreneurs, a skilled workforce and inward investment. Improved infrastructure has enabled new land to become available for development and to • Building on the Dalton Mills Innovation Centre, to encourage a Dalton Lane Innovation attract new investment. Transport has improved, with large sections of the Airedale trunk Area; road complete and the electrification of the railway to Skipton. • Greenhead School, which is to be rebuilt under the Schools for the Future programme, The Airedale Masterplan, published in 2005, proposes an integrated approach to with the existing school site to become a sports centre for use by the wider community; development that builds on the rural setting of Airedale, its creative business sectors (a • Centre for Heritage Restoration, building on the skills developed on the Keighley and creative corridor), high quality transport connections (a connected corridor) and the overall Worth Valley Railway; quality of lifestyle that can be experienced (a lifestyle corridor). • Eastwood Business Park, which was originally proposed for the site of the Peter Black Warehouse on Bradford Street, but will become an Asda foodstore in the near future; • Beechcliffe Business Park, giving a purpose to this land between the A650 and the railway line; • Environmental Recycling Centre, taking the opportunity to build a new mechanical waste recycling unit adjacent to an environmental business unit in Royd Ings; • Royd Ings Business Improvement District to raise the contribution of this large area of flat, industrial land to the economy of Airedale.

To enable CONNECTIVITY, the Masterplan proposes the following projects in Keighley: At the heart of the Masterplan is the regeneration of the three inter-connected town centres • Keighley Station Improvements; of Keighley, Bingley and Shipley and the enhancement of the rural landscape. The Masterplan has succeeded in identifying key interventions that will assist in the • Beechcliffe & Utley Park & Ride; sustainable and integrated regeneration of Airedale. It has elevated a number of priority • Hard Ings Road Dual Carriageway; transport projects into the Leeds City Region transport strategy, along with the concept of the Airedale regeneration corridor. The City Region transport strategy provides the • Dalton Lane Access; framework for the delivery of strategic transport schemes in the sub-region, by dovetailing • A650 Quality Bus Corridor; with the regional transport prioritisation process to facilitate the release of the Regional Funding Allocation for transport projects. • Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Service Improvements. The Airedale Masterplan contains a Keighley Town Centre Plan. Dalton Lane is located to the north east of the town centre and is being promoted as an area for new businesses to locate. The new Keighley College building, located at the 2.1.1 Keighley in the Airedale Masterplan junction of Bradford Road and Dalton Lane, will mark the gateway to this area. The The Airedale Masterplan calls for the three town centres of Keighley, Shipley and Bingley to substantial Dalton Mills will be refurbished and converted into a high-quality mixed use realise their full potential so that they can significantly contribute to a change in the development. It is proposed that the A650 should be dualled through Keighley which will perception and performance of Airedale: allow a better flow of traffic through this part of Airedale and begin to address traffic congestion throughout Keighley. The Beechcliffe area is located to the north of the town ‘Without the reinvigoration of the town centres via improved commercial, physical, cultural centre either side of the A650. A new railway station is suggested to be located at and social provision, Airedale as a whole will struggle to become a place that is perceived Beechcliffe, together with a park and ride site. by existing and future residents, workers and investors as a place for long term commitment.’ Improved permeability and connectivity are priorities for central Keighley. The fragmented core of the town needs to be put back together and, to allow this to happen, the severance In Keighley, a town with a population of 60,000 residents1, the Masterplan identified some caused by excessive vehicular traffic must be addressed. key investment projects to help stimulate development. These are organised under the three categories of creativity, lifestyle and connectivity. Connectivity is most directly relevant To enhance LIFESTYLE, the Masterplan proposes the following projects in Keighley: to this study, but it also needs to take account of the changes in the urban fabric of the town • In the town centre: a new North Street hotel and leisure complex on the current College site; Cavendish Centre on the site of the Cavendish Retail Park, bringing in a multiplex 1 Population from Census 2001 for the wards of Keighley North, Keighley South, Keighley West and Worth Valley.

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cinema and/or retail/mixed use development to better link into the existing retail offer; The Vision seeks to connect all centres to ensure a flexible labour market and to enable Keighley Arts Centre from the combination of the existing Central Hall and Playhouse people to achieve a quality of life, perhaps living and working locally whilst enjoying good cinema; a new pedestrian link through Arcade Chambers to high quality shops on North access to markets and complementary industries elsewhere in the City Region. Street; Temple Bazaar, converting the former Wesleyan chapel (now plumbers The Vision also recognises the importance of links to neighbouring city regions and merchants) into a distinctive shopping experience; and building on the heritage treasure proposes strategic links which connect key centres within and beyond the city region. This is that is the Carnegie Library, to help make learning a leisure activity. especially important for Keighley which has connections to the Manchester and Central • Town centre living, to draw upon the success of the and Bradford Lancashire city regions. and capture some of the commuter wealth. Conversion of the Old Cotton Mill on In summary, the Vision demonstrates that sustainable transport links are vital to enable Gresley Road is seen as a possible early win which could be a catalyst for neighbouring people to access the locations where jobs will be created to give employers the maximum developments such as Low Mill adjacent to the railway station, the current retail areas labour market catchments and generate agglomeration benefits from better business to around Gresley Road and new residential blocks wrapped around new parkland business connectivity. The Vision contains a framework for how connectivity should be straddling the . improved over the next 25 years to meet the needs of this economic growth while promoting • The regeneration of Grove Mills at , a £50m redevelopment that will act as a sustainable development and social inclusion. catalyst throughout the Worth Valley. The development will comprise a mixture of The investment strategy developed to achieve the Transport Vision proposes interventions residential, office and crèche facilities. The regeneration of the Mill will remove the on the transport networks and services to ensure that they do not constrain economic dereliction observed from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and allow access to growth and provide the city region with a socially inclusive and sustainable future. an improved Worth Valley Way and future country park area. • Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, building on the heritage of the branch line but also 2.3 Keighley in the Leeds City Region Transport Vision making the most of the good integration with mainline services at Keighley and the A key diagram for the Vision contains all the interventions in the city region. The north west scope for making use of this existing transport and tourism asset. The Keighley and quadrant is reproduced below: Worth Valley Railway is internationally recognised for its heritage restoration, providing an opportunity to build on skills to further develop the growing sector of building restoration. • Refurbishment of the Victoria Hall concert and exhibition hall which overlooks Victoria Park and is in a gateway position for Keighley and the potential of combining the Keighley Cricket Club and Cougars