Agenda Item: 11 Meeting of: Cabinet Date of Meeting: Monday, 07 June 2021 Relevant Scrutiny Environment and Regeneration Committee: Barry Docks Transport Interchange Report Title: WelTAG Stage Two To update Cabinet on progress on the WelTAG Stage Two Outline Business Purpose of Report: Case and make recommendations for the next steps. Report Owner: Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Transport Responsible Officer: Miles Punter - Director of Environment and Housing Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Transport Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning Head of Neighbourhood Services and Transport Group Manager Transport Services Passenger Transport Manager Elected Member and Operational Manager Engineering Officer Consultation: Operational Manager Property Accountant Environment and Housing Services Accountant Resources Operational Manager Finance Head of Regeneration and Planning Legal Services (Committee Reports) Policy Framework: This report is a matter for Executive decision by Cabinet 1 Executive Summary: • This Report provides Cabinet with an update on progress of the Barry Docks Transport Interchange WelTAG Stage Two Outline Business Case study. • The Stage Two study has been completed by technical consultants Amey and assesses the Do- minimum scenario plus four options in consideration of an enhanced transport interchange at and around the Barry Docks Station Option 1 - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park) and additional Park & Ride Car Park (to be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses. Option 1A - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park) and additional Park & Ride Car Park (to be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses plus drop off point on the proposed access road to the additional parking to the north of the station platforms. Option 2 - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park), additional Park & Ride (to be located north of Station platform) and Residential Uses possibly with a Commercial Use (to be located north west of station). Option 3 - Bus Interchange (to be located north west of station) and additional Park & Ride (too be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses. • The Report recommends that the study is taken forward to Stage 3 of the WelTAG process during the 2021/22 financial year, subject to funding being approved by Welsh Government for continuation of the work. • On the basis of the current WelTAG Stage Two study, it is considered that Option 2 has merit in being taken forward for further consideration at the next stage of assessment, based on the potential social, cultural and economic benefits and value for money identified. 2 Recommendations 1. That progress made on the Barry Docks Transport Interchange WelTAG Stage Two study is noted. 2. That Cabinet agrees in principle to support the taking forward of Option 2, detailed within the study, for further consideration at the next stage of assessment, based on the potential social, cultural and economic benefits and value for money identified. 3. That subject to the consideration of this matter by the relevant Scrutiny Committee and funding being approved by Welsh Government for the continuation of the works, the study is taken forward to Stage 3 of the WelTAG process during the 2021/22 financial year. 4. That this matter is referred to the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee for consideration. Reasons for Recommendations 1. To update members on progress made on the scheme. 2. To agree in principle the preferred option from the Stage 2 Report. 3. To allow this project to progress subject to the views of the relevant Scrutiny Committee and Welsh Government funding being available. A transport grant submission has already been made to Welsh Government for 2021/22 in preparation to take forward the WelTAG Stage Three report in line with WelTAG (2017) guidance. Following completion that Stage Three Report will also be reported to a Review Group and then to Cabinet. 4. To allow consideration of the matter by the relevant Scrutiny Committee prior to any final decisions being taken. 1. Background 1.1 Consultant Amey was commissioned by the Vale of Glamorgan Council to develop and appraise potential options for the provision of a transport interchange around the Barry Docks Railway station in support of the previous infrastructure improvement undertaken in 2010-12. The appraisal of options has been undertaken in accordance with the Welsh Government’s latest version of WelTAG (December 2017) including advice on the appraisal in relation to the Future Generations of Wales (2015) Act Well-being Goals. 1.2 A decision was made not to undertake a Stage 1 Weltag assessment as it was considered that the Local Development Plan allocation of land around the Barry Docks Station for transport interchange purposes provided sufficiently robust policy framework. 3 1.3 Following consideration of the options and the development of the Stage Two designs, the following Do-something options were defined for assessment: Option 1 - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park) and additional Park & Ride Car Park (to be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses. Option 1A - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park) and additional Park & Ride Car Park (to be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses plus drop off point on the proposed access road to the additional parking to the north of the station platforms. Option 2 - Bus Interchange (to be located south of Station on part of Docks Offices Car Park), additional Park & Ride (to be located north of Station platform) and Residential Uses possibly with a Commercial Use (to be located north west of station). Option 3 Bus Interchange (to be located north west of the station) plus additional Park & Ride (too be located north of Station platform) i.e. no residential or commercial uses. 1.4 A draft WelTAG Stage Two report was prepared by Amey (Appendix A) together with an Impact Appraisal Report (Appendix B) and presented to the Project Review Group on 22nd April 2021. Following consideration of the Reports by the Project Review Group (Appendix C), several recommendations were agreed for inclusion in the Stage Three study, including: • Preference to the bus interchange south of the line; • General agreement to the need to consider phases of development of the preferred scheme to tie in with the various funding programme windows being indicated as the WG Local Transport Grant funding window has a spending deadline of March 2023 which will, at this point in the programming of works generate a risk; • Further consideration by the Council of the need to replace parking lost to the bus interchange element of the preferred scheme with additional new parking provision north of the line and • The benefits of achieving the larger preferred scheme through multiple funding sources. 1.5 The study has been undertaken in conjunction with Council Officers with detailed evidence, data and analysis provided in the accompanying Impacts Assessment Report (Appendix B refers). 4 2. Key Issues for Consideration 2.1 The WelTAG Stage Two Outline Business Case study has taken forward and appraised the options in relation to the Five Case Business Model: the strategic, transport, management, financial and commercial cases (Appendix A refers). 2.2 The WelTAG process for this study is accompanied by an Impact Assessment Report (IAR) (Appendix B refers). Its purpose is to provide a permanent record of the appraisal work on the proposed transport interventions and contains the detailed evidence behind the summary of information provided to decision makers in the Stage reports. The IAR remains a live document for updating throughout the process. 2.3 The issues around the station were identified as follows: Ref Issues 1 To repurpose Barry Docks station as a key gateway for Barry, its town centre, employment opportunities and attractions. 2 To improve access routes to/from the station in order to increase the use of rail services as a sustainable means to access employment opportunities and other services, in the town and the wider Cardiff Capital Region . 3 To develop Barry Docks as a Mobility Hub, delivering an integrated network of sustainable transport solutions to provide a wider range of sustainable transport alternatives to those seeking access to/from the station . 4 To incorporate other transport and non-transport related facilities within the Mobility Hub, including housing/social housing, retail/commercial use and for example, a combined business and cycle hub. 5 To integrate and align the Mobility Hub services with the wider transport network for Barry, facilitating co-ordination and seamless interchange between all modes. 6 To bring the vision about, over time, ensuring each development stage provides the foundations required for the next and taking account of the land use allocations necessary to achieve the ultimate, overall, vision 5 2.4 The objectives as set out below were set for the study in order to address the problems, opportunities and constraints. These were accompanied in the main report by details of what success would look like and how it would be measured. • To accommodate increasing rail demand both to and from Barry. • To improve access to/from rail services by sustainable modes and increase access to Park and Ride from Barry Docks. • To increase access to current and emerging employment opportunities for all. • To support ongoing and future economic development throughout the region. • Placemaking to establish Barry Docks as a key gateway, including the foundations for further station development phases. • Equality, in relation to meeting the provisions of the public sector duties are set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011.