Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2017/021

Contact: Hugh Potter, Team Leader – Area Operations Hub Tel: (01865) 810028

Report by Director for Infrastructure Delivery (CMDE4).

Representations from Burford Town Council to the County Council over the impact on the local environment of HGV movements through this town, and in particular in the historic town centre prompted a number of meetings to discuss options for addressing those concerns. This report presents objections and comments received in the course of a statutory consultation on proposals to prohibit use of the A361 Burford High Street as a through route for north to south heavy goods vehicle traffic.  If approved the Town Council has offered to fund the consultation on a weight restriction and its implementation.

The specific option taken to formal consultation was for a prohibition of vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum gross weight travelling between Burford and Fulbrook roundabouts (A40 to A424).

The Cabinet Member for the Environment is RECOMMENDED to defer the implementation of proposals as advertised, pending further investigation to determine the wider effect the scheme would have on neighbouring areas as a result of displaced vehicles.

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered (CMDE4) objections and comments received in the course of a statutory consultation on proposals to prohibit use of the A361 Burford High Street as a through route for north to south heavy goods vehicle traffic.  The specific option taken to formal consultation was for a prohibition of vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum gross weight travelling between Burford and Fulbrook roundabouts (A40 to A424).

John White the Mayor of Burford spoke in support of a prohibition. Referring to hazards to people and damage to buildings he considered the case more than made itself.  Air pollution, although below EU limits, was very high particularly at the bridge area.  There were 162 listed buildings on High Street including many commercial businesses some of which had been badly affected and with tourism accounting for an income to the town of some £15m per annum it was an important consideration in any decision.  There were 19 children from Fulbrook attending the local school many of whom used the bridge which had no footpath with lorries encroaching onto a very narrow walking area. If the matter was deferred then he asked for a strict time limit for the matter to be reconsidered and that Burford Town Council be involved in any further consultations.

Ken Gray for Burford Town Council also spoke in support of a prohibition. He confirmed that speed data for all traffic was in fact available for High Street near the top of hill which showed that 25% of vehicles were travelling over 30mph and 4% below 20mph. Burford Town Council should be included in any further research carried out on displaced HGV traffic which he considered  needed to be the sole responsibility of OCC. An 18 tonne limit was supported by all councils north of Burford. Finally he referred to 2 existing origin/destination surveys, one for Burford and one for Chipping Norton which he considered would be key to a rerouting study.

Daren Godfrey (Cotswold Recovery Vehicles) spoke against a prohibition citing some 40 lorries a day from their operation which used this route in connection with vehicle recovery work which they undertook for, amongst others, Thames Valley Police and Gloucestershire police. They needed to attend incidents within 30 minutes in order to remove dangerous material from the highway and as they operated vehicles between 7.5 tonnes and 22 tonnes any prohibition on their vehicles would seriously affect their ability to comply with the terms of their contracts, particularly as some alternative routes would double the length of journeys while others were totally unsuitable. That in turn could jeopardise contracts and therefore jobs while increasing their carbon footprint. He understood concerns regarding speed of traffic and supported a 20 mph limit for High Street.

Tom Hickman (Tom Hickman Landscapes) spoke against a prohibition. He owned a garden landscaping and skip hire business operating 6 HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on a 7 acre site at Fulbrook only ½ mile away from the Fulbrook roundabout and. The A361 represented the gateway to their working day with 99% of their journeys requiring access over the bridge and up the High Street. A prohibition would increase mileage and times for journeys with major cost implications both financially and environmentally. As a resident of Burford he was aware of traffic problems in the town and if any prohibition was to be imposed then there should be exemptions for local companies.

Michael Tysoe (Mayor of Chipping Norton) supported calls for a prohibition. Prohibiting HGVs on this route would have major knock on benefits for Chipping Norton including reductions to the severe air pollution levels in the Horsefair.  He did not expect there to be major implications for businesses in Chipping Norton but did expect there to be major benefits for small towns and villages such as Burford, Bloxham, South Newington as well as Chipping Norton which were not built for large vehicles.

Councillor Nicholas Field-Johnson supported a prohibition which was aimed at large continental type lorries. He supported moves to seek exemptions for local vehicles and endorsed John White’s comments regarding damage to buildings on the High street and the detrimental effect on tourism which was key to the town with pollution also a major concern. He felt that there had been a lot of misrepresentation regarding vehicles diverting elsewhere and questioned the motives behind the expressed opposition from both Gloucestershire and Worcestershire county councils. There was no one solution for the Cotswold region and the problem needed to be tackled piece by piece starting with Burford and Chipping Norton.  He endorsed calls for a deadline for further consultation in order to ensure a decision as soon as possible.

Officers confirmed that the original proposal had been for a larger zone at 7.5 tonnes which would have allowed local access by HGVs to and from the rural area north of Burford, thereby meeting the concerns of some businesses based outside the town.  However, this had been changed to the current proposal for a smaller zone because large zones were more difficult to enforce. Another option would have been to keep the focus on Burford High Street but to set the limit at 18 tonnes allowing medium sized lorries through (local or otherwise) but not larger vehicles with more than two axles e.g articulated and large quarry trucks. 

It appeared that the majority of HGV traffic through Burford to/from the north travelled to/from the Witney/Oxford direction. That suggested HGVs avoiding a Burford weight limit would be more likely to divert to the east rather than to the west through Gloucestershire.  It was important to do as much as possible to prevent the problem just being moved elsewhere and a deferral offered a further opportunity to look at specific solutions over a smaller area as an alternative to a larger zone, which would be difficult to enforce.

Acknowledging the obvious advantages to Burford itself the Cabinet Member for Environment also recognised the importance of establishing how any proposals might affect other areas, including neighbouring highway authorities and local businesses, the effect of displaced traffic on other routes such as the A40 which was already severely congested and the impact of setting an 18 tonne restriction. Therefore having regard to the information in the report and the representations made to her at the meeting she confirmed her decision as follows:

(a)     defer implementation of proposals to prohibit use of the A361 Burford High Street as a through route for north to south heavy goods vehicle traffic by prohibiting vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum gross weight travelling between Burford and Fulbrook roundabouts (A40 to A424) as advertised, pending further investigation to determine the wider effect the scheme would have on neighbouring areas as a result of displaced vehicles;

(b)     the matter be reconsidered by the Cabinet Member for Environment within 6 months;

(c)      all neighbouring councils to be included in further investigation and consultation to include potential for implementing a 20 mph speed limit on High Street and the impact on local vehicles of a prohibition set at 18.

Signed…………………………………….

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing…………………………..