Local Pinch Point Fund Application Form
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Local Pinch Point Fund Application Form Guidance on the Application Process is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/series/local-pinch-point- fund Please include the Checklist with your completed application form. The level of information provided should be proportionate to the size and complexity of the scheme proposed. As a guide, for a small scheme we would suggest around 25-35 pages including annexes would be appropriate. One application form should be completed per project. Applicant Information Local authority name(s)*: Stoke-on-Trent City Council *If the bid is a joint proposal, please enter the names of all participating local authorities and specify the lead authority Bid Manager Name and position: Malcolm Newman, Programme Manager, University Quarter, City Renewal Directorate, Stoke- on-Trent City Council Name and position of officer with day to day responsibility for delivering the proposed scheme. Malcolm Newman, Programme Manager, University Quarter, City Renewal Directorate, Stoke- on-Trent City Council Contact telephone number: 01782 236518 Email address: [email protected] Postal address: Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1RN When authorities submit a bid for funding to the Department, as part of the Government’s commitment to greater openness in the public sector under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, they must also publish a version excluding any commercially sensitive information on their own website within two working days of submitting the final bid to the Department. The Department reserves the right to deem the business case as non-compliant if this is not adhered to. Please specify the weblink where this bid will be published: www. stoke.gov.uk/ltp SECTION A - Project description and funding profile A1. Project name: Station Gateway (Phase Two) A2. Headline description: Please enter a brief description of the proposed scheme (in no more than 100 words) The Station Gateway (Phase Two) project will provide new traffic management measures and public realm improvements around Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station, to improve connectivity between the railway station and Stoke-on-Trent city centre. The area currently suffers from queuing and congestion due to conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, buses, taxis, delivery vehicles, short-stay parking, hotel access and through traffic. The scheme will rationalise the road layout and deliver an improved public realm in Winton Square and along Station Road, to provide an enhanced gateway to the City. A3. Geographical area: Please provide a short description of area covered by the bid (in no more than 100 words) The area covered by the bid includes Winton Square and the section of Station Road between Winton Square, outside Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station and the station’s taxi rank to the west of the square. The location of the area is shown on the plans in Annex 1 and 2. OS Grid Reference: SJ 87963 45661 Postcode: ST4 2AA Please append a map showing the location (and route) of the proposed scheme, existing transport infrastructure and other points of particular interest to the bid e.g. development sites, areas of existing employment, constraints etc. A4. Type of bid (please tick relevant box): Small project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £1m and £5m) Scheme Bid Structure Maintenance Bid Large project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £5m and £20m) Scheme Bid Structure Maintenance Bid Note: Scheme and Structure Maintenance bids will be assessed using the same criteria. A5. Equality Analysis Has any Equality Analysis been undertaken in line with the Equality Duty? Yes No The station area is centrally located within the city and therefore has a wide appeal and access to diverse groups of people. The project has a set of guiding principles regarding the role and function of the road and square. This takes into account the need to ensure 2 equality and diversity principles are applied i.e., the project will be designed to be safe for vulnerable road users through the design of crossing places and the provision of off- carriageway facilities. A6. Partnership bodies Please provide details of the partnership bodies (if any) you plan to work within the design and delivery of the proposed scheme. This should include a short description of the role and responsibilities of the partnership bodies (which may include Development Corporations, National Parks Authorities, private sector bodies and transport operators) with confirmatory evidence of their willingness to participate in delivering the bid proposals. University Quarter (UniQ) Partnership This is a regeneration partnership involving Stafffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent College, the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. It is a £280m education led regeneration programme that utilises investment in educational facilities to act as a catalyst to deliver long term, sustainable regeneration in a key location between the City Centre and its railway station. £110m has been invested in new and improved education facilities around Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station and along College Road (University Way) over the last three years and acts as a gateway to education as well as a physical gateway to the City and North Staffordshire. The Station Gateway is a key project in the programme. The Partnership, through its Steering Group, is responsible for the development, implementation, and co-ordination of activities within the University Quarter. See www.uniq-stoke.org.uk A letter of support from Paul Richards, Chairman of the University Quarter Steering Group and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Staffordshire University is included as Annex 7 to this submission. A7. Local Enterprise Partnership / Local Transport Body Involvement It would be beneficial (though not essential) if the relevant LEP or LTB (or shadow(s)) have considered the bid and, if necessary, prioritised it against other bids from the same area. If possible, please include a letter from the LEP / LTB confirming their support and, if more than one bid is being submitted from the area, the priority ranking in order of growth significance. Have you appended a letter from the LEP / LTB to support this case? Yes No A letter of support from the LEP is attached in Annex 3. SECTION B – The Business Case You may find the following DfT tools useful in preparing your business case: • Transport Business Cases • Behavioural Insights Toolkit • Logic Mapping Hints and Tips B1. The Scheme - Summary Please select what the scheme is trying to achieve (this will need to be supported by evidence in the Business Case). Please select all categories that apply. Improve access to a development site that has the potential to create housing 3 Improve access to a development site that has the potential to create jobs Improve access to urban employment centres Improve access to Enterprise Zones Maintain accessibility by addressing the condition of structures Ease congestion / bottlenecks Other(s), Please specify - B2. The Strategic Case This section should set out the rationale for making the investment and evidence on the strategic fit of the proposal. It should also contain an analysis of the existing transport problems, identify the barriers that are preventing growth, explain how the preferred scheme was selected and explain what the predicted impacts will be. The impact of the scheme on releasing growth potential in Enterprise Zones, key development sites and urban employment centres will be an important factor in the assessment process. In particular please provide evidence on the following questions (where applicable): a) What is the problem that is being addressed, making specific reference to barriers to growth and why this has not been addressed previously? Stoke-on-Trent City Council would like to see the environment around Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station and connectivity between the railway station and Stoke-on-Trent City Centre significantly improved. To that end, the Council plan to implement a project known as the Station Gateway, which will involve new traffic management measures and public realm improvements around the railway station. The focus of the environmental improvements will be an improved public realm in Winton Square and along Station Road to the front of the railway station to eliminate the traffic congestion and enhance the existing local distinctiveness, promote a strong sense of place and develop an enhanced gateway to the City. The Station Gateway project seeks to tackle the following issues: - Queuing and congestion around Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station/Winton Square – provides operations for pedestrians, cyclists, buses, ‘kiss and ride’ taxis, deliveries, pick-ups hotel access and through traffic of up to 10,000 vehicles a day which often conflict - Poor way finding from the station to the local and wider area - Congested footways caused by high pedestrian demand - Discomfort to bus passengers caused by raised tables - Poor pedestrian provision with cracked paving/potholes and narrow footways Delivery of the Station Gateway scheme will represent completion of the first phase of the University Way project (previously known as the University Boulevard). To be delivered incrementally, the University Way is a priority investment for the City Council, its University Quarter Partners and the Local Enterprise Partnership, with the defining aim being to establish a direct, high quality and convenient route