Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Joint Assembly commented on progress and indicated their overall support for the approach being recommended to the Executive Board. The Joint Assembly was reassured of the consultative approach with the Local Liaison Forum (LLF) to get support for the three strategies presented.

The Joint Assembly supported a proposal to move the scheme forward quickly by consulting on the three strategies now and the park and ride options at a later date, and also requested that officers pursue the options common to all three strategies once the Board had received and agreed the result of the consultation.

The Joint Assembly proposed that the Local Liaison Forum considered a new title for the project. 

Councillor Tony Orgee, Chairman of the Local Liaison Forum (LLF), updated the Joint Assembly on the work of the LLF:

·         Five workshops had taken place to develop options for the A1307 Haverhill to Cambridge corridor. 200 ideas had come forward which were grouped into 40 proposals. Three workshops took place to look at these proposals, focussing on a particular part of the route at each workshop.

·         The three strategies set out in the officer report to the Joint Assembly, had been developed by the LLF and presented at its workshop in September 2017. Councillor Orgee explained that all three strategies were identical between Fourwentways and Haverhill. The LLF considered it appropriate that all three strategies be taken forward to consultation by the GCP Executive Board.

·         Councillor Orgee urged that the work on the A1307 Haverhill to Cambridge corridor not be seen in isolation from the other work of the GCP and that the work of the GCP not be seen in isolation from the work of other organisations, such as the Combined Authority.

The GCP Interim Director of Transport presented the report and the recommendations that would be made to the Executive Board, explaining that some park and ride sites were no longer suitable and more sites needed to be identified. Public consultation was therefore anticipated to start in February 2018.

Councillor Ian Bates was in attendance as the Transport Portfolio Holder for the GCP Executive Board. He thanked the LLF Chairman on behalf of the Executive Board for the LLF’s work on the development of the three strategies, which reflected the direction of travel members of the public wanted to see.

The Joint Assembly was invited to comment on the report and proposals:

·         Members commended the LLF for its work on developing the three strategies and supported the recommendation to the Executive Board that these be put forward for consultation.

·         Councillor Williams requested that if no major concerns regarding the section between the A11 and Haverhill were raised during the consultation, this be progressed regardless of the outcomes of the consultation in relation to the strategies for the section between the A11 and Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC). Officers confirmed that subject to the consultation’s outcome  they would be recommending moving forward with this.

·         Claire Ruskin supported the next steps and milestones, but commented that the project name ‘Three Campuses to Cambridge’ was meaningless and should not be used. She supported the use of the name ‘Haverhill to Cambridge’. She further commented that the speed with which this work progressed needed to be proportionate to the immense speed of growth of employment on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Officers commented that they were hoping to progress rapidly.

·         Councillor Bick welcomed the LLF’s development of Option 1. He was keen to see existing populations benefit from improvements to transport infrastructure where possible and Option 1 appeared to provide this to the existing population of Sawston. The other options did not seem to provide the same level of benefit to existing populations.

·         Councillor Cuffley queried the reasons for consultation being delayed until February 2018. Officers advised this was due to some park and ride sites now being unsuitable and new sites needing to be looked at. New sites would be put forward to the Executive Board in February 2018 when it was anticipated discussions with landowners would have taken place. Officers advised that all three strategies being put forward required park and ride provision.

·         Cllr Kavanagh referred to the statistic relating to pedestrians and cyclists, which suggested a projected drop in cycling. The Interim Transport Director explained the figure did not reflect a reduction as it was based on a proportion of an expected 25% increase in traffic. He further explained that modelling did not deal well with cycling and was more suited to motorised vehicular traffic.

·         Andy Williams reiterated that growth at CBC was rapid, with 17,250 jobs located there. This was 50% more than had been estimated and it was predicted that this would grow more rapidly. Officers reassured members that 28,000 jobs had been predicted at CBC and this was being factored into modelling along with all anticipated development along that corridor.

·         Sir Michael Marshall indicated preference for option 1, with concern regarding the other options being the impact of single lane roads, particularly on emergency vehicles moving through traffic.

The Chairman summed up the discussions which had reflected general support for  the way forward being recommended to the Executive Board, with all three strategies being put forward for consultation. The Joint Assembly recommended that the strategies should be consulted on early in the new year without the need to identify the park and ride sites but also acknowledged that park and ride sites should be consulted on in future once the preferred strategy had been identified. The Joint Assembly also requested that officers pursue the options common to all three strategies once the Board had received and agreed the result of the consultation.

The change of the project’s name was discussed, with the Joint Assembly’s views on the change to the project’s name invited. Cllr Cuffley supported the use of the name ‘Three Campuses to Cambridge. Other names suggested were ‘The Haverhill Trail’ and ‘Granta Park to Cambridge’. The Vice-Chairman recommended the LLF be asked to consider a new name for the project. The Chairman of the LLF agreed with this, as did the other Joint Assembly members.