Version 3 11/09/2015 THE CITY OF LINCOLN COUNCIL (TRANSPORT HUB LINCOLN STATION) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 2015 THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990, S13 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ACT 1976 AND THE ACQUISITION OF LAND ACT 1981 STATEMENT OF REASONS OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 2015 Prepared on behalf of the City of Lincoln Council by Browne Jacobson LLP Mowbray House Castle Meadow Road Nottingham NG2 1BJ L1981102001 Section CONTENTS Page No No 1 Introduction 3 2 Location and description of the Order Land including the 3 interests to be acquired. 3 The Lincoln City Transport Hub Scheme 5 4 Planning Status of the Order Land 8 5 Justification for Compulsory Purchase 10 6 Related Orders and other Statutory Provisions. 12 7 Statutory Undertakers 12 8 Special Considerations Affecting the Order Land 13 9 Human Rights Act 14 10 Conclusion 14 11 List of Documents 15 2 L1981102001 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The City of Lincoln Council ("CLC" or “The City Council”) has made the City of Lincoln Council (Transport Hub Lincoln Station) Compulsory Purchase Order 2015 (“Order”) pursuant to section 226(1) (a) of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 ("Planning Act") and section 13 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (“Miscellaneous Provisions Act”) and it is about to submit it to the Secretary of State for confirmation. 1.2 The Order has been made for two main purposes as follows:- a) to acquire land within the existing highways which are required to be stopped up and redeveloped as part of the scheme b) to acquire temporary rights of occupation in relation to the Oxford Street car park allowing it to be used for a temporary road diversion and subsequently mitigating car parking for the duration of construction works. 1.3 The lands in the Order comprise parts of Oxford Street, St Mary’s Street and Norman Street as well as the Oxford Street Car Park ("Order Lands") and are required in order to facilitate the development described in section 4 of this Statement of Reasons ("Lincoln Transport Hub Scheme" or “The Scheme”). 2 LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ORDER LAND INCLUDING THE INTERESTS TO BE ACQUIRED. 2.1 The Order Lands are located in the eastern part of Lincoln City Centre in close proximity to Lincoln Station and Lincoln Bus Station and comprises a number of different plots of land. The land identified in the Order comprises 0.62 hectares (1.53 acres) in 11 separate plots. 2.2 There are three different types of land within the Order. a) The lands which currently form part of the adopted highway network. These include the following plots:- (i) Plot 1 comprises the southern half of land within Oxford Street and St Mary’s Street adjoining the existing staff car park and extends to 803 square metres. (ii) Plot 2 comprises the northern half of land within Oxford Street south of the Oxford Street Car Park and extends to 454 square metres. (iii) Plot 3 comprises the eastern part of the connector between Oxford Street and Norman Street adjoining the Oxford Street Car Park and extends to 315 square metres. 3 L1981102001 (iv) Plot 4 comprises the western half of the connector between Oxford Street and Norman Street and the southern half of Norman Street adjoining the Oxford Hall car park and extends to 514 square metres. (v) Plot 5 comprises the northern half of Norman Street south of the Lincoln Bus Station and extends to 775 square metres. (vi) Plot 6 comprises the central part of the Norman Street/George Street connector and extends to 883 square metres. (vii) Plot 7 comprises the south western part of the Oxford Street Car Park within title LL325819 inside the alignment of the proposed new road and extends to 243 square metres (viii) Plot 8 comprises that south western part of the Oxford Street Car Park within title LL333729 inside the alignment of the proposed new road and extends to 10 square metres. (ix) Plot 9 comprises in a half width of Norman Street, south of 2 and 3 Norman Street Lincoln and extends to 53 square metres. (x) Plot 10 comprises a half width of Norman Street south 18 to 20 Sincil Street Lincoln and extends to 58 square metres. b) The land required for temporary access and then car parking for the duration of the construction project (i) Plot 11 comprises the eastern part of the Oxford Street Car Park Lincoln and within parts of the titles LL325819, LL333729 and LL 79219 and extends to X square metres. 2.3 The wider area contains a variety of buildings and land in a multitude of uses. Lincoln Railway Station (part of which is a Grade II Listed Building) and the railway lines form one of the main features of the overall scheme. The proposal is to demolish two footbridges, one which is an existing public right of way and the other a passenger platform bridge inside the station, and replace them with a dual function footbridge providing pedestrian access over the railway from Tentercroft Street to the station forecourt and pedestrian access down onto the station platform.To the north of the actual station area large areas of land have been given over to surface car parking. These include the station staff car park, onto which the new bus station will be relocated, the Oxford Street Car Park, which will be retained and the Oxford Hall Car Park which will be redeveloped as part of the scheme. 4 L1981102001 2.4 To the north and east of this area is the bus station with its roof top car park (the Thornbridge car park). The current bus station is not fit for purpose and will require significant financial outlay in the immediate future to ensure health and safety concerns continue to be met. 2.5 The area lies to the east and south east of Sincil Street, which is a secondary shopping street in Lincoln that would benefit from improved footfall. To the east is the Pelham Bridge, a major road bridge within the City Centre which crosses both the railways and the Sincil Drain in very close proximity. 2.6 The land within the adopted highways is to be acquired in order that there is no obstruction to the redevelopment of this land once the highway has been stopped up. That redevelopment is an essential part of the scheme. 2.7 The rights within the Order are required in order to facilitate the smooth operation of the construction project. Without these rights and the mitigation measures they deliver, the construction project would take much longer to complete and be much more costly. 3 THE LINCOLN CITY TRANSPORT HUB SCHEME. a) Introduction 3.1 The Lincoln City Transport Hub is the key physical regeneration project of the partnership between the City of Lincoln y Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Co-operative Society Ltd, East Midlands Trains, Network Raid, the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department for Transport. 3.2 The scheme comprises: a) A ‘transport hub’ comprising of a modern bus station next to Lincoln railway station and a refurbished station forecourt providing better passenger access. b) New dual-purpose footbridge – high enough to allow for electrified lines – to replace existing footbridge between station platforms and linking the north and south of the railway. This, along with improved station facilities, would prepare the station to cope with increased passengers and more train services, and would better integrate deprived neighbourhoods in the south of the city centre. c) New multi-storey car park providing approximately 964 spaces on the site of the current Thornbridge car park. This central parking location would support the transport interchange, as well as the Waterside Centre and the city centre which are nearby. The car park would also feature pay on exit facilities that provide change. The Tentercroft Street car park to be provided by Network Rail or its franchisees will also be pay on exit but the remaining Council owned car park in the same area will remain as pay and display. d) The Hub would deliver a modern, clean and welcoming fit-for- purpose bus station that creates a safe environment for bus travel. 5 L1981102001 The current bus station is used by 7 million passengers each year. The proposed vastly improved facility would enable growth in passenger numbers with the intention of enabling operators to run more services. e) Improved public realm and highway works incorporating cycle lanes and traffic calming measures b) History of the Scheme 3.3 The scheme can first be identified in the 1998 Lincoln City Local Plan where the City Council sought to encourage greater use of public transport by:- improving bus station facilities and promoting the development of a bus/rail interchange in the vicinity of the Central Railway Station;1 3.4 The initial proposal was to secure delivery of the interchange through retail development brought about through partnership arrangements between Lincoln City Council and the Lincolnshire Co-op. Both parties recognised that if what is referred to as the Lindongate shopping scheme was to be delivered, an aspiration both parties, there would need to be a rationalisation of land holdings in the area. In particular as the City Council and the Co-op were the two major landowners in the Lindongate Area, the division of ownership had the potential to hold up redevelopment proposals. In 2004 the Executive of Lincoln City Council resolved to seek to reach terms with the Co-op which would enable the rationalisation to proceed and Lincoln City’s freehold interests be transferred to the Coop.