St Austell to A30 Link Road Options Appraisal Report - Refresh EDG0717-R003 Revision No. 01 Date: January 2017 CORMAC Consultancy CORMAC Western Region, Radnor Road, Scorrier, Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 5EH. St Austell to A30 Link Road Options Appraisal Report - Refresh Issue & Revision Record Revision Date Originator Checked Authorised Purpose of Issue Nature of Change 01 28/03/2017 RC RC Issue to WSP|PB If you would like this report in another format, please contact CORMAC Solutions Ltd Head Office Higher Trenant Rd Wadebridge Cornwall Council PL27 6TW Prepared by Tel: 01872 323 313 Engineering Design Group Email: [email protected] www.cornwall.gov.uk/cormac 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. CORMAC Solutions Ltd Head Office, Higher Trenant Road, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6TW - Page Left Intentionally Blank - EDG0717-R003 St Austell Link to A30 OAR 1 January 2017 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Study Area 4 1.3 Purpose of this Report 5 1.4 Methodology 5 1.5 Other reports 6 2 POLICY CONTEXT 7 3 EXISTING AND FUTURE TRANSPORT ISSUES 10 3.1 Description of the local highway network 10 3.2 Road Safety and Collision Data 11 3.3 Future Issues 13 4 CASE FOR INTERVENTION 14 4.2 Economic Growth and Regeneration 15 4.3 Linkages 18 4.4 Aims and Objectives for Scheme 19 5 DEVELOPING OPTIONS 20 5.1 Initial Sift 20 5.2 Investigation of Road Options 22 5.3 Option Development Considerations and constraints 22 6 ROAD OPTIONS 27 6.1 Bugle Option 1 – 2001 Preferred Route Option 27 6.2 Bugle Option 2 31 6.3 Roche Option 1 33 6.4 Roche Option 2 35 6.5 Roche Option 3 37 6.6 Roche Option 4 39 6.7 Roche Option 5 41 6.8 Central Route – Imerys Option 43 7 ORIGINAL ASSESSMENT OF ROAD OPTIONS 47 Traffic Modelling of Options 48 8 SUMMER 2016 CONSULTATION METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS 50 9 FURTHER ROAD OPTIONS CONSIDERED 52 9.1 Wheal Henry Route 52 9.2 Mineral Tramway 54 9.3 Roche 2 (amended) 56 9.4 Roche Alternative 58 9.5 Bugle Goonbarrow A 60 9.6 Bugle Goonbarrow Alternative (lower speed/ spec) 62 10 REASSESSMENT OF ROAD OPTIONS - 64 10.2 Assessment of Options against Scheme Objectives 64 11 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 69 11.2 Next Steps 71 EDG0717-R003 St Austell Link to A30 OAR 2 January 2017 Drawings EDG0717_F_001 Roche Location Plan and Study Area EDG0717_F_002 Bugle Location Plan and Study Area EDG0717_D_201 Bugle Option 1 EDG0717_D_202 Bugle Option 2 EDG0717_D_100 Roche Option 1 EDG0717_D_101 Roche Option 2 EDG0717_F_215 Roche Option 3 EDG0717_F_216 Roche Option 4 EDG0717_F_106 Bugle Option 2 Development Land EDG0717_F_107 Roche Option 1 Development Land EDG0717_F_108 Roche Option 3 Development Land EDG0717_F_110 Roche Option 4 Development Land EDG0717_F_207 Roche Option 2 Development Land EDG0717_F_220 Central Route – IMERYS Option EDG0717_ Post Consultation, Further route options Appendices A Cornwall Council Policy Fit B Bugle Option 1 Cost Estimate C Bugle Option 2 Cost Estimate D Roche Option 1 Cost Estimate E Roche Option 2 Cost Estimate F Roche Option 3 Cost Estimate G Roche Option 4 Cost Estimate H Central Route – IMERYS Option – Cost Estimate I Initial Webtag Assessment J Further route options – Comparative Cost Assessment update K EAST forms High-level Intervention Initial Route Options Post Consultation Options EDG0717-R003 St Austell Link to A30 OAR 3 January 2017 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.1.1 There has been a long held aspiration by Cornwall Council to create a strategic link road between St Austell and the A30, as St Austell is Cornwall’s largest town and is not currently served by a high-quality route from the A30. The current route is the A391, which is of variable standard and passes through a number of villages between St. Austell and the A30. 1.1.2 Poor connectivity continues to be seen as the major block to economic growth of the St Austell area. With the A391 Carluddon road improvement recently completed, improvements to the A30 at Temple, further investment in the Newquay Enterprise Zone at the Aerohub and regeneration improvements in the St Austell and the China Clay Area, there is likely to be increased pressure on the existing routes, renewing focus on this strategic route. 1.1.3 In the 2015 Summer Budget, central Government announced the provision of £3 million to support local councils in developing business cases for the North Devon Link road and A391 in Cornwall. In the November 2015 Spending Review And Autumn Statement, central Government announced a provision of £475 million over the next 5 years to fund ‘large local major transport projects’, enabling local areas to bid for funding for projects. The A391 in Cornwall was a named candidate for consideration. Following a number of meetings with local Members, and Central Government, on 26 November 2015 the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that it would fund support of £1.5 million to develop a business case for a St Austell to A30 transport link improvement. 1.2 Study Area 1.2.1 The study area as defined for the purpose of the OAR is shown in Figure 1-1 and includes the St Austell and surrounding Clay area. The boundary marked in blue represents the Regeneration Plan Area defined by Cornwall Council. St Austell to A30 Link Road Study area 1.1 EDG0717-R003 St Austell Link to A30 OAR 4 January 2017 1.3 Purpose of this Report 1.3.1 The purpose of an OAR is to identify the existing issues, problems and constraints, define the main objectives of the scheme, and to present and provide high level appraisal of the options considered to address the issues and meet the objectives. 1.3.2 An OAR is the first key output of the Transport Appraisal Process, as defined by the Department for Transport’s WebTAG Guidance1. This OAR considers the options in relation to five ‘cases’ as set out in DfT guidance on The Transport Business Case2; this method is in turn based on the Treasury’s advice on evidence-based decision making, as set out in the Green Book. 1.3.3 In early 2016 Cornwall Council submitted an OAR to the DfT for consideration. The report included early identification of the problems, and recommended a number of options to take forward for further development and consultation. 1.3.4 This ‘refresh’ of the OAR brings the project up to date with the inclusion of further route options and appraisal following the public consultation undertaken in summer 2016. 1.3.5 A Preferred Option Appraisal Report is being produced that builds on the OAR sifting work in light of more detailed technical and environmental work to identify the best performing option that will form the basis of a preferred route recommendation to Cornwall Council. 1.4 Methodology 1.4.1 The process for option development as defined by WebTAG is as follows: 1. Understand the current context of the study area 2. Understand the future context of the study area 3. Establish the need for intervention 4. Identify intervention-specific objectives within a defined geographic area 5. Generate options 6. Undertake an initial sift 7. Develop and assess potential options and undertake public consultation 8. Document the option development process within an OAR 9. Clarify the methodology for further appraisal within an Appraisal Specification Report 1.4.2 Building on the steps set out above, DfT guidance on The Transport Business Case sets out the method for considering the options in relation to five ‘cases’ as follows: The Strategic Case . Demonstrates a clear rationale for the case for change . Considers the identified problem(s), objectives and constraints in the local context The Economic Case 1 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-analysis-guidance-webtag 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-business-case EDG0717-R003 St Austell Link to A30 OAR 5 January 2017 Appraisal of economic, environmental and social impacts The Financial Case Including initial cost estimates and possible funding sources The Commercial Case Brief discussion of commercial viability The Management Case Brief discussion of project governance. 1.4.3 This OAR follows the general steps set out in 1-8 above, and uses the five ‘cases’ as a framework by which to develop and consider options. 1.4.4 The DfT’s Early Assessment and Sifting Tool (EAST) has been used as a tool to assist with steps 6 and 7 in relation to the five ‘cases’. The EAST is a decision support tool that has been developed by the DfT to quickly summarise and present evidence on options in a clear and consistent format. It provides decision makers with relevant, high level, information to help them form an early view of how options perform and compare.