Community Consultation Statement Hereford Transport Package Walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements public consultation 1. Overview This Community Consultation Statement sets out how Herefordshire Council (the Council) proposes to undertake the next stage of the Hereford Transport Package consultation. This stage of the consultation focuses on the possible walking, cycling, bus and public space improvement plans. HTP is an important part of our vision, as outlined in our Local Transport Plan and Core Strategy. The Council wants to work with local people and businesses throughout the design and construction of the HTP, to create improvements which work for those travelling through and around the city. Our approach to consultation aims to encourage people to reflect on their existing travel arrangements, and where practical, to choose to walk, cycle or travel by bus more often and reduce car use for shorter journeys. Following positive feedback from our second consultation, we have developed a range of walking, cycling bus and public space improvement plans. We are now asking for public feedback on these plans to help inform the next stage of work. The consultation period will start on Tuesday 29 January 2019 and finish on Monday 11 March 2019. Further consultation will take place later in 2019 as part of the formal planning permission process. 2. Summary of Proposals The Hereford Transport Package is a collection of improvements that aim to improve access to public transport, reduce congestion and create better journeys for those travelling in and around Hereford. HTP includes the Hereford Bypass to the west of the city and a series of walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements to encourage people to travel more safely and sustainably within the city. The bypass will be a key driver in freeing up road space in the city creating the opportunity to make cycling, walking and taking the bus safer, easier, and more convenient. The bypass is still un- dergoing technical assessment following the second phase of consultation. There will be an oppor- tunity to provide further feedback on this proposal in the next consultation later this year. Both the bypass and walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements are designed to work to- gether to address a number of current transport challenges in Hereford including: Delays for long distance journey times - Heavy congestion and unreliable journey times arising from low speeds - A single river crossing struggling to cope with current traffic levels - Extensive queuing on the network - High numbers of short distance car journeys - Large numbers of heavy goods vehicles using the key roads Barriers to growth - Difficulty in attracting new businesses and jobs - Difficulty in retaining existing businesses - Unable to build new homes - Discouraged young people leaving the area Safety - Accidents and breakdowns - Busy roads are difficult to cross - Traffic and congestion is intimidating to walkers and cyclists Poor local and regional connections - Long distance freight travelling through the city - Limitation to growth of Hereford Enterprise Zone at Rotherwas - Poor connections to Wales and the Midlands - Economic impact of unreliable journey times Health and the environment - Poor air quality and emissions due to high levels of congestion and heavy goods vehicles - Barriers to safe walking, cycling and bus use - Traffic noise and vibration from heavy goods vehicles - Busy roads are difficult to cross - Damage to our historic environment - Increasing levels of obesity due to unhealthy travel habits such as short distance car use The proposed walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements are essential in helping to meet the overall Hereford Transport Package objectives. These improvements will make it easier for peo- ple to walk and/or cycle along the most popular routes in Hereford. Within some of these routes, there are also measures to improve key routes, improve traffic flow for buses and potential to im- prove public space through landscaping. The benefits of these improvements aim to: Create attractive alternatives to car use for journeys within the city: The routes will enable reliable and continuous travel by foot and cycle across the city, creating a network that is recognisable and user friendly. Encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles: The routes will give more people the confidence to travel more actively by walking or cycling keeping us healthier for longer. Create a safer travel environment: The measures will tackle some of the least safe areas for walkers and cyclists in the city, providing a safer travel environment for all users. Reduce journey times for walking, cycling and bus travel: The routes will reduce waiting times by giving more priority to people travelling by foot, cycle or bus at busy junctions. They allow buses and bikes to avoid delays from heavy traffic and provide new, more direct routes for cyclists and pedestrians. Improve air quality and reduce noise: These measures will encourage people to use their car less, reducing noise and pollution. Create better walking and cycling routes across roads, railways and the River Wye: The routes will link communities with employment and the city centre, overcoming existing barriers to movement across the city. 3. The Planning Process The bypass will require either a planning application or a Development Consent Order (DCO) application. The route to secure planning consent is yet to be determined. The process for the consultation stages are summarised below. A first phase to provide an opportunity for people to learn about the HTP project, comment on the proposals and suggest alternative options/ solutions for consideration. The first phase of consultation was carried out between April and May 2017. A second phase presented possible bypass routes and the possible types and locations of walking, cycling, bus and public realm improvements. The second phase of consultation took place between February and March 2018. The current phase (the focus of this Community Consultation Statement) is to present and gather feedback on walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements. This consultation will take place between January and March 2019. The next round of consultation will be the statutory consultation period as part of the planning consent process. This is to present the detail designs on the Hereford bypass and the walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements. This is planned to take place later this year. 4. Previous Consultation The principle of the HTP has been developed and tested through extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation. This is an integral element of the Council’s growth proposals which are set out in the Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011 – 2031 and adopted in 2015. The HTP has broad public support which includes several businesses and representative organisations such as: Highways England; Welsh Government; Powys, Gloucestershire and Worcester Chamber of Commerce; Hereford and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce; Holmer and Shelwich Parish Council; Hereford Business Board; Hereford Business Improvement District; and promoters of Herefordshire University. There were numerous organisations that supported the proposals from the previous consultation and these included: Herefordshire Westons Cider Makers; New Model in Technology & Engineering; Stagecoach; and The Church Commissioners for England. 5. Proposed Consultation The aim of this consultation is to present a range of plans for walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements. The key stages of the Hereford Transport Package can be summarised below: Stage 1: We reviewed Hereford’s transport network and in our first consultation sought your views on what issues should be prioritised. As a result, we were able to develop a set of objectives for the Hereford Transport Package (HTP). Stage 2: We then identified walking, cycling, bus and public space improvements that supported these HTP objectives. Stage 3: The second consultation asked for your views on possible measures we could develop under six key themes ranging from traffic management and use of public space to junction improvements and traffic free paths. Stage 4: Building on your positive feedback from the second HTP consultation, we have now developed a shortlist of possible walking, cycling, bus and public space improvement plans. This is the current stage of the consultation process. Stage 5: We will analyse the public feedback given in this consultation to inform the next stage of design. Stage 6: The designs will be developed for further consultation. After all phases of consultation, a Consultation Report will be prepared to document how the consultations were undertaken, who was consulted and also outline the feedback received. The Consultation Report will be submitted with the planning application to outline evidence of stakeholder engagement and public consultation and will be made available on the Herefordshire Council’s website. 6. How Herefordshire Council will promote the consultation The Council will promote this consultation by: Letters Distributing a letter to landowners within the Core Strategy area (Appendix A), partners and businesses (Appendix B) and Parish Councillors (Appendix C) Leaflets Distributing a leaflet to every household within Hereford (Appendix D) Newspaper Ads Placing advertisements in the Hereford Times (Appendix E) Press Release Distributing press releases to the local press