Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board AGREED unanimously to:

      i.        Proceed with a Full Outline Business Case for a new Park and Ride site west of Junction 11 of the M11 and associated access/bus priority measures North West, as outlined in Appendix 1 of the report. The Park and Ride site to be based on the emerging Travel Hub concept.

     ii.        Not proceed with Park and Cycle at Junction 12 of the M11 for the reasons given in the report but AGREED to the identification of a pilot park and cycle scheme which has the potential to be expanded if successful.

    iii.        Remove the remit for Junction 11 from the Cambourne to Cambridge Local Liaison Forum and approve the setting up of a site specific consultation group.

Helen Bradbury, Chairman of the Western Orbital Local Liaison Forum, was invited to address the Executive Board. She brought the following points to their attention:

1.    Process – the LLF requested that more timebe given between the publication of end stage reports and the timing of the subsequent Joint Assembly meeting so that it could better feed its recommendations, concerns and suggestions into the decision-making process. The timing structure made it difficult for the Joint Assembly to take account of the LLF’s views and consequently the LLF did not believe that its views,recommendations and suggestions were given adequate consideration. The LLF Chairman explained the considerable amount of work that needed to be done by the LLF in the time between reports being published and Joint Assembly meetings taking place. This had been particularly difficult for the LLF in September 2017 with a large number of documents to consider in 12 days between publication of the Joint Assembly papers and the subsequent meeting. The LLF therefore asked that the Executive Board recommend that an extra week be given between the publication of relevant end stage reports and the timing of the subsequent Joint Assembly meeting, to enable the LLF to carry out its relevant business within a reasonable timescale before the meeting.

2.    The park and ride at junction 11 – The LLF believed more information was needed and more options needed to be put forward to them in order to provide a considered response. The LLF queried why other locations around junction 11 had been rejected.  The LLF acknowledged the importance of adequate park and ride provision near junction 11 of the M11 however had serious reservations about both the potential expansion of Trumpington park and ride and the potential development of a new park and ride on the Hauxton side of the M11. Regarding the potential expansion of the Trumpington park and ride, the LLF was concerned about visual impact on the local community, the impact on the local network if it was significantly expanded, what would happen during construction and the value for money per new parking space. Regarding the potential for a new park and ride site at Hauxton, the LLF was concerned about the impact of this on Hauxton and Harston villages, the effect on traffic through these already congested villages, access to the new site and further erosion of the green belt buffer between Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire villages. The LLF had passed a resolution at its 17 June 2017 meeting that the new park and ride should be sited before congestion began and as a general principal that new transport infrastructure should not be allowed to urbanise villages surrounding the city or unduly damage the city’s greenbelt.

The LLF requested the following:

a.    Following the meeting with Councillor Bates which had been arranged for early December, a written response to the questions the LLF asked of the GCP at its 11 September 2017 meeting.

b.    A written response to the LLF’s additional concerns about each of the proposed sites, voiced at its meeting on 31 October 2017.

c.    Further potential sites to be brought forward together with an explanation as to why other sites around junction 11 had been rejected.

d.    That officers provided data and modelling on the impact of the new Cambridge South rail station and the potential effect of increased parking provision further south along the A10 for example at Foxton station, in relation to the number of parking spaces projected to be needed around the M11 in 2031.

e.    Where commuters were travelling to in addition to where they were coming from to be considered to enable informed community feedback to be given on the required size and location of park and ride provision at junction 11.

3.    Connectivity at junction 13- The LLF did not believe that it was sensible to decide the alignment of the Cambourne to Cambridge busway first. The LLF had passed a resolution, believing that connectivity of a Western Orbital bus service to Cambourne to Cambridge services was of key importance. End to end journey times and journey quality from west of Cambridge settlements to key employment sites such as the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, were a critical factor in judging the benefit of these schemes, to allow proper evaluation of cost/benefit ratio. The LLF requested that robust end-to-end journey metrics to destinations such as the Biomedical Campus, Science Park and city centre was published as soon as possible to enable respondents to the A428 consultation to make informed responses.

In response to the LLF’s concerns, the Interim Transport Director advised that all the issues raised by the LLF Chairman, would be addressed at the meeting that had been organised to take place in early December with the Executive Board’s Transport Portfolio Holder.

Members of the public were invited to ask their questions (see appendix A). A written response would be provided to Sunanada Billur who had been unable to attend the meeting.

The Interim Transport Director presented the report which summarized the technical work carried out on assessing future demand for park and ride spaces at junction 11 of the M11 and a park and cycle facility at junction 12 of the M11. It also considered the issues associated with access to expanded park and ride facilities and the interaction with the local and strategic road network.

The Executive Board was informed that:

·         The economic justification for a park and cycle facility at junction 12 could not be seen however following the feedback from the Joint Assembly which at its November 2017 meeting had expressed disappointment that park and cycle was not being taken forward, potential sites for an experimental park and cycle were being looked into. These were sites with existing parking facilities that could be used during the week. The owner of a potential site for this on Barton Road, had approached the GCP. This would be brought back to the Executive Board for a decision to be made at a future meeting.

·         The Hauxton side of the M11 was being considered for a potential new park and ride site as this was as per the County Council’s local transport plan which had been adopted by the Mayor. This identified the west of the M11 as the preferred site. The County Council had not pre-determined the site and although officers considered this to offer the best strategic fit, it was open to debate and discussion through the consultation forum, the first meeting of which would take place before Christmas 2017. The east side of the M11 was not being considered; this was not in the local transport plan.

·         A consultation group would be set up to include all parish councils in the area and the local members.

·         The full outline business case would detail the likely cost of the scheme, cost/benefit analysis, access to the site, its potential environmental impact and mitigations and feasibility of the scheme. Full environmental impact assessment  would be carried out at the next stage. Subject to approval of an outline business case, public consultation would be carried out which would include all information regarding all potential options, the implications of these and the costs of these.

·         Regarding car access to the site, one possibility was a new slip road off the M11 (northbound) going under the A10 and into the site. A potential option for buses to enter/exit may be via the agricultural bridge. Any public consultation would clearly set out the possible car/bus entry/exit.

·         Meetings would take place with all parish councils with facilitated workshops as required.

·         If the Executive Board decided that an outline business case was to be carried out, this would be brought to the Executive Board for consideration in March 2018. 

·         The agricultural bridge could take the weight of traffic; this had been checked with Highways England.

The Executive Board AGREED unanimously to:

      i.        Proceed with a full outline business case for a new park and ride site west of junction 11 of the M11 and associated access/bus priority measures North West, as outlined in appendix 1 of the report. The Park and Ride site to be based on the emerging Travel Hub concept.

     ii.        Not proceed with park and cycle at junction 12 of the M11 for the reasons given in the report but AGREED to the identification of a pilot park and cycle scheme which has the potential to be expanded if successful.

    iii.        Remove the remit for junction 11 from the Cambourne to Cambridge Local Liaison Forum and approve the setting up of a site specific consultation group.