Davigdor Road, Brighton Transport statement – post operative care centre Donncha Murphy [email protected] Introduction The site is situated between Davigdor Road to the south and Montefiore Road to the west. To the north is Lyon Close, which currently serves commercial and industrial units, but has planning permission for residential and office floor space. A rail line connecting Hove and Brighton stations runs directly above this, and the site benefits being located a 15-minute walk from both stations. Site location The site borders the Montefiore Private Hospital, which is generally over four storeys to the east of the site. Preece House is adjacent to the southern boundary and provides office floor space over three storeys. To the west is a vacant site which has consent for residential and office accommodation which was approved under Application BH2018/02916. Additionally, local large green areas consist of Hove Green to the north and St Ann’s Well Gardens to the south. The covers an area of approximately 0.11Ha / 1133m2. The existing site serves as a car park for adjacent Palmer and Harvey (P&H) House which is located approximately 8m from the south western site boundary. The car park is now surplus to requirements. The existing vehicular and pedestrian access into the site is via Davigdor Road and runs through an undercroft formed by P&H House. The application proposes a five-storey building with roof terrace and external landscaping. Planning Background The site to the west benefits from a prior approval consents to convert the existing office building into 92 apartments (LPA reference: BH2019/01739). Furthermore, a planning application has been approved for alterations and extensions to the existing P&H House office building to provide 8 no. additional residential units circa and 300sqm of additional Class B1(a) floorspace. It is envisaged that the proposed development will come forward alongside the proposals for 100 residential apartments and 300sqm of office floorspace. The reason the site to the west is mentioned is that the proposal will share an access with the development next door. Scope This Transport Statement has been prepared in accordance with the guidance contained in the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance. It demonstrates that safe and suitable access can be achieved by all modes and that there are opportunities for future residents to travel by sustainable modes. Existing conditions and sustainable transport links This section of the Transport statement provides a review of the existing transport conditions in the vicinity of the site and the opportunities for sustainable travel. Walking Along the site frontage Davigdor Road has a footway on both sides of the carriageway. To the west of the existing site access there are two central refuge islands to assist pedestrians to cross, whilst 120m to the east of the site access there is a Zebra crossing. Davigdor Road has a 20mph speed limit and street lighting and provides a route for pedestrians towards the centre of Brighton (including Brighton Railway Station) to the east and Hove (including Hove Railway Station) to the west. In terms of Public Rights of Way (PROW), there is a PROW adjacent to the Davigdor Road / Montefiore Road junction 100m east of the site access which provides pedestrian linkage between the site and St Annes Well Gardens. Site location Cycling In the vicinity of the site there is currently no specific cycling infrastructure provided on Davigdor Road, however, the road affords excellent levels of forward visibility for users and is subject to a 20mph speed limit and has street lighting. These characteristics serve to make it generally conducive to cycling. To the north of the site, accessed via Montefiore Road is Old Shoreham Road which is circa 450m from the site access. The carriageway has on road cycling lanes both sides and provides a connection to the National Cycle Network route 82 to the west, and central Brighton to the east. A plan showing these cycle routes is provided below. Source: http://www.brightonandhovecyclemap.co.uk Public Transport Bus Services Bus stops are located on Davigdor Road to the east of the site access. The eastbound bus stops are located approximately 150m walk from the site entrance, whilst the westbound bus stops are located approximately 80m from the site entrance. Both bus stops have a shelter and raised kerb. These bus stops are primarily served by the Service 7 and the details of this service are summarised in Table below: Source: Traveline As summarised in the Table above, bus services operate along the site frontage every 6-8 minutes providing access to destinations including the City Centre, Rail Station and Hove. Bus services operate 24 hours a day and therefore provide an attractive and realistic alternative to the car. Rail Services Brighton railway station is located approximately 1,200m walk to the east of the site whilst Hove railway station is located approximately 1,150m walk to the west of the site. Details of the train services operating from these railway stations is summarised in the table below: Source: National Rail Enquiries The railway stations provide alternatives for travel further afield and are within realistic walking and cycling distances (circa 15 minutes on foot or circa 5 minutes by bike). They are also accessible by frequent bus services that operate along Davigdor Road. Summary The site is well located to encourage visitors and staff to travel by means other than the private car. There are frequent bus services that operate along Davigdor Road providing access to Brighton and Hove. Two railway stations are located within a 15-minute walk from the site which provide access to Portsmouth, London Victoria and London St Pancras, Hastings and a number of other destinations. DEVELOPMENT, PARKING AND SERVICING The proposal is to develop the existing car park site to provide a Healthcare facility with a Gross Internal Area (GIA) of 3188m2, which includes 61 hotel-type guestrooms and associated rehabilitation spaces over ground, first, second, third, fourth and fifth floor with a large roof terrace/amenity space at equivalent sixth floor level. Owing to the sustainable location of the site, workers will be required to access the site using local services. There is no parking provision on site for workers and the 7 parking bays provided will be for visitors only. The level of car parking is considered appropriate for the following reasons: • The site is in a highly accessible location to public transport with bus services operating on the site frontage providing 24hr services; • Brighton and Hove Rail Stations are within a 15-minute walk, a 5-minute cycle and are both accessible by the bus services that operate along the site frontage. These railway stations offer direct and frequent services to destinations further afield; • The site is located within a convenient walk and cycle of the city centre and in close proximity to a range of services and facilities to cater for everyday needs; • To further encourage workers of the proposed development to adopt more sustainable travel patterns, a Travel Plan will be produced issued to new employees. It is anticipated that this will be secured by planning condition. The cycle parking is provided by means of 14 cycle spaces and 10 of which would be reserved for employees only, with 4 visitor spaces. Proposed parking layout Vehicular Access The existing site access for vehicles is in the form of a vehicle crossover retaining priority for pedestrians walking along Davigdor Road. A ghost island is also provided on Davigdor Road providing space for vehicles turning right into the site to wait without interrupting the free flow of traffic on Davigdor Road. The existing vehicular access will be retained as part of the proposals. Pedestrian and Cycle Access The existing pedestrian accesses to the west of the site access will also be retained. This will provide access along the western side of the existing P&H building though a hard and soft landscaped area. A route will also be provided through the car park in a contrasting material for pedestrians, this provides access into the car park underneath the building and then into the proposed building. Servicing Refuse vehicles will pass through the existing under croft where they will then be able to turn within a suitable space provided within the car parking area. Bins can then be collected from the bin store and loaded into the refuse vehicle. Delivery vehicles will also pass through the existing under and turn within the same space provided within the car park. Smaller and more frequent delivery vehicle (parcel deliveries, supermarket deliveries) will also service the site in the same way. There is scope for these vehicles to load and unload within an area of the car park without restricting access. A fire tender will also be able to gain access to the site and turn in the same space. Summary The existing vehicular access onto Davigdor Road will be retained. Additional points of access are proposed for pedestrians. Refuse vehicles and delivery vehicles will pass through the existing under croft where they will then be able to turn within the car park to the rear of the building to load and unload. A total of 7 car parking spaces are proposed on site. The site is highly sustainable in transport terms. It is therefore a location where a reduced level of parking is appropriate because employees will not be allowed to park on site and they will be required to access the site on foot or by bus or rail. Summary and conclusion The site is well located to encourage travel by means other than the private car.