Issue - meetings

The five year review of the adopted Core Strategy is now underway and prior to the preparation of the draft plan in 2019, a number of options for delivering strategic transport infrastructure to facilitate the two strategic development locations in North Keynsham and Whitchurch are being considered. These need to be agreed by Cabinet for public consultation in November 2018.

Councillor Neil Butters made an ad-hoc statement where he said that the Liberal Democrat Group was in favour of the consultation on the Strategic Transport in the area.

Councillor Mark Shelford introduced the report by saying that the Council would revise its planning policy framework to ensure it was up-to-date and responds to the key issues that the District was facing. The Transport Studies have developed the strategic infrastructure identified to support/facilitate growth in the WoE Joint Transport Study.  The Transport Studies were a crucial next step in developing a new Local Plan, clearly setting how the Strategic Transport Infrastructure would be provided to support growth in our area.

The Transport Studies would be consulted on as part of a district wide consultation in conjunction with the Local Plan, in particular on Hicks Gate Roundabout, A4 to A4175 East Keynsham Corridor Study, and South East Bristol and Whitchurch Package.

Key issues would be: Identification of key transport challenges and transport objectives in the areas of interest; Identification and shortlisting of potential transport options to address the challenges and objectives; concept design and initial costing of shortlisted options; desk-based assessment of environmental, social and economic impacts, and value for money of the options; and, initial assessment of financial and delivery case of the options.

The consultation would run from 12^th November  to 21st December 2018  and there would be exhibitions in Bath, Keynsham, the Somer Valley and Whitchurch. The results of the consultation would be used to inform the preferred route options that would be safeguarded in the draft plan due to be published in 2019.

Councillor Mark Shelford moved the recommendations.

Councillor Tim Warren seconded the motion by saying that working along and together with other Local Authorities within West of England Combined Authority was possible and that big mass-transport system was promising.

The rest of the Cabinet welcomed the report and detailed appendices and suggested that communities would need to be engaged in proper manner, and results of the consultation be open for detailed scrutiny.

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet:

1)  Agreed the Strategic Transport Studies consultation documents for public engagement from 12th November to 21st December 2018;

2)  Delegated authority to the Director Environmental Services to make minor changes to the document prior to publication.