FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 TRANSPORT STATEMENT PILGRIM’S RETREAT HOGBARN LANE, HARRIETSHAM, ME17 1NZ ON BEHALF OF SINES PARK LUXURY LIVING LIMITED Pegasus Group First Floor | South Wing | Equinox North | Great Park Road | Almondsbury | Bristol | BS32 4QL T 01454 625945 | F 01454 618074 | W www.pegasusgroup.co.uk Birmingham | Bracknell | Bristol | Cambridge | Cirencester | East Midlands | Leeds | Liverpool | London | Manchester | Peterborough ©Copyright Pegasus Planning Group Limited 2011. The contents of this document must not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of Pegasus Planning Group Limited Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement CONTENTS: Page No: 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. SITE CONTEXT AND LOCAL HIGHWAY NETWORK 3 3. ACCESSIBILITY 5 4. EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS 11 5. TRIP GENERATION AND MODAL SHARE 14 6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 16 FIGURES: FIGURE 1: SITE LOCATION PLAN FIGURE 2: LOCAL AMENITIES AND FACILITIES PLAN APPENDICES: APPENDIX A: PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY APPENDIX B: TURNING MOVEMENT SURVEY Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This Transport Statement (TS) has been prepared by Pegasus Group on behalf of Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited, in support of two planning applications on part of the land at Pilgrims Retreat Caravan Site (Pilgrims Retreat), Hogbarn Lane, Harrietsham. 1.2 The applications comprise: Application 1: “Section 73A Application to vary conditions 1, 2 and 4 pursuant to G77/E/989 (T/APP/C/96/U2235/643714) for the use of the land for use as a caravan site.” Application 2: “Retrospective application for a material change of use of land for use as a to caravan site use.” 1.3 The planning applications follow extensive planning history and most recently, dialogue with Maidstone Borough Council. A detailed summary of the relevant planning history of the wider site is provided within the accompanying Planning Statement, which provides the background and planning rational for the two planning applications. 1.4 A Travel Plan accompanies this document which sets out sustainable travel options available to residents of the site and a series of measures and initiatives to promote and enhance sustainable travel opportunities. The Travel Plan also sets out targets and objectives which will be monitored via resident surveys to ensure that they are being met, and that the measures and initiatives available to the site are appropriate. 1.5 With reference to the previous transportation documentation provided to support the applications detailed at paragraph 1.3, the following key transportation issues are addressed within this Transport Statement: i. existing site context; ii. the relative accessibility of the site; iii. development proposals; and iv. future forecast trips generated by the site and the associated modal split. FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 Page | 1 Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement 1.6 This TS concludes that the development site provides reliable and commensurate opportunities for residents to travel to and from the site by sustainable travel modes as a genuine alternative to single occupancy vehicular travel. 1.7 This TS also concludes that the development will not be associated with significant trip generation in real terms and it is therefore concluded that the proposal will not have a material impact on the safety or operation of the local highway network. 1.8 It is finally concluded that there are no transportation related reasons why the planning permission should not be allowed. FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 Page | 2 Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement 2. SITE CONTEXT AND LOCAL HIGHWAY NETWORK Site Location and Context 2.1 The site is located approximately 16 kilometres east of Maidstone, within the Kent Downs Area of Natural Beauty. The site is surrounded by agricultural fields and woodland. It is served by a dedicated access road which forms a priority tee junction with Hogbarn Lane. The site location plan is shown at Figure 1. 2.2 The site lies 8.6 kilometres from Junction 8 of the M20 motorway to the south, and 11 kilometres from Junction 5 of the M2 to the north. 2.3 The nearest classified road in the vicinity of the site is the A20, lying 2.9 kilometres to the south of the site. The A249 links the M2 with the M20 around nine kilometres to the north of the development site. Local Highway Network Hogbarn Lane 2.4 Hogbarn Lane comprises a single carriageway road which is subject to the national speed limit and is not lit. It is generally rural in nature and principally serves Pilgrims Retreat and a small number of residential dwellings. To the north east of the site, Hogbarn Lane links to Ringlestone Road at a priority junction. Ringlestone Road subsequently provides access to the village of Ringlestone and the facilities and amenities located there. To the south west of the site, Hogbarn Lane meets Stede Hill at a priority junction. 2.5 Hogbarn Lane varies in width, although typically measures between three and four metres wide. It does not have any pedestrian or cyclist facilities along its length. Given the relatively narrow width of the road, there are a number of informal passing places along Hogbarn Lane. Stede Hill 2.6 Stede Hill also comprises a single carriageway road which is subject to the national speed limit and is not lit. It is generally rural in nature and links Ringlestone Road in the north with the village of Harrietsham in the south. FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 Page | 3 Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement 2.7 Stede Hill is characteristically similar to Hogbarn Lane and also measures around three to four metres with no pedestrian or cyclist facilities and intermittent informal passing places to facilitate two way vehicle movements. Local Highway Safety 2.8 A review of Crashmap.co.uk has confirmed that there has not been any Personal Injury Accidents (PIA) on Hogbarn Lane, including at the site access, within the most recent five year period available. FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 Page | 4 Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement 3. ACCESSIBILITY 3.1 NPPF advises that, in terms of determining the accessibility of a development, sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas, and this should be taken into account in both plan-making and decision-making. When assessing development proposals, it is advised within NPPF that it should be ensured that: “appropriate opportunities to promote sustainable transport modes can be – or have been – taken up, given the type of development and its location” 3.2 It should be noted that the NPPF glossary defines sustainable transport modes to be: “Any efficient, safe and accessible means of transport with overall low impact on the environment, including walking and cycling, low and ultra-low emission vehicles, car sharing and public transport.” 3.3 It is considered that Paragraphs 103 and 108 of NPPF should be interpreted to suggest that an element of flexibility should be applied when considering the accessibility of a development in a rural location, compared with that in an urban location. While urban developments may be accessible by a multitude of sustainable transport modes, it is suggested that development in rural locations should be assessed on the merits of 2-3 modes rather than all. 3.4 The journey times in this section are based upon an average walking speed of 80 metres per minute1 and an average cycling speed of 320 metres a minute2. It is accepted that the time it takes people to walk or cycle this distance will depend on the person. 1 Institute of Highways and Transport (2000) Providing for Journeys on Foot 2 Department for Transport (2008) Transport Note 20/8: Cycle Infrastructure Design FEBRUARY 2021 | P18-2071 Page | 5 Sines Parks Luxury Living Limited Pilgrim’s Retreat, Harrietsham Transport Statement Walking and Cycling 3.5 It is stated in Manual for Streets (MfS) that walking offers the greatest potential to replace short car trips, particularly those under two kilometres. The small settlement of Ringlestone is located within the two kilometre distance recommended in MfS and the village of Harrietsham is located just over this distance. 3.6 Whilst Harrietsham, where the closest bus stops and railway station are located, is above the maximum recommended walking distance it is considered to be within a reasonable cycling distance of approximately 3.7km / 19 minute cycle ride. 3.7 It is also considered that several amenities and facilities which residents may wish to access on a daily/weekly basis are located within the CIHT recommended 5km maximum cycling distance. These include Glebe Medical Practice, Harrietsham Railway Station and Harrietsham Co-op store. Several other amenities and facilities accessible by bicycle are highlighted below at Table 3.2. 3.8 The development is well located with regard to leisure walking routes. There is a network of Public Rights of Way (PROW) which provides pleasant walks and links within the vicinity of the site. The PROW map is included at Appendix A. 3.9 The nearest PROW gains access from Hogbarn Lane 350 metres south of the site entrance. This route links with Ringlestone across agricultural land via a railway bridge. The total distance is about 1,350 metres, with a walk time of approximately 15 minutes. This falls within the CIHT recommended two kilometres maximum walking distance. 3.10 The nearest designated cycle route to Pilgrim’s Retreat is National Cycle Route 17 which is mostly off road, connecting Rochester with Ashford. NCN 17 links with NCN two, routed along the south coast.