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ITEM EX9

 

EXECUTIVE– 5 FEBRUARY 2003

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUSTRANS NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK

Report by Director of Environmental Services

Introduction

  1. In December 1996, the former Environmental Committee authorised officers to work with Sustrans, the charity promoting the National Cycle Network (NCN), to enable the development of a network of routes through Oxfordshire. This report sets out the benefits of these routes in terms of what they offer Oxfordshire residents, and seeks authority for officers to continue working with Sustrans to further improve, develop and extend the NCN in Oxfordshire. In particular the Executive is asked to authorise the use of Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers if necessary to acquire an essential strip of land alongside the A418 just West of Thame to allow the Thame to Oxford extension of the NCN to take place.

    2. Background

  2. In 1995, Sustrans were successful in attracting £42.5m of funding support from the Millennium Commission for the development of the NCN. The aim of the project was to introduce some 6,500 miles of safe, high quality signposted routes for cyclists by the year 2005 but with the interim objective of having 2,500 miles of ‘Millennium Routes’ in place by June 2000. Subsequently, as a result of general enthusiasm for the project shown by local authorities and other project partners across the country, the target for Millennium Routes was increased to 5,000 miles with a revised overall total of 10,000 miles by 2005.

    3. The NCN in Oxfordshire

  3. Just over 100 miles of Millennium Routes were planned for Oxfordshire and officially opened as part of the national launch of the NCN which took place on 21 June 2000. The three NCN Millennium Routes in Oxfordshire all focus on Oxford (see plan in Annex 1).(download as .doc file) The first is part of national route number 5 from Reading to Oxford via Wallingford and Didcot. The second is another part of route 5 and continues onwards from Oxford to Banbury via Woodstock. The third is part of route 51 which is from Oxford to Bicester (continuing on to Milton Keynes).

  4. The routes of the NCN in Oxfordshire were chosen to help achieve the aims of the wider project which is to encourage those people who do not currently cycle to start doing so. Therefore, the routes are required to be safe and attractive for novice cyclists but should also be useful for everyday journeys to work and school. The NCN routes in Oxfordshire fulfil these requirements and in so doing help to achieve the objectives and meet the targets of the adopted County Council Cycling Strategy. This itself is set within the framework of the Government’s National Cycling Strategy which aims to quadruple the levels of cycling by 2012.

  5. The NCN routes are made up of both paths that are free from motorised traffic away from roads, and quiet lanes or traffic calmed roads in towns or cities. There are plenty of examples of the former, such as the completely new path through Kennington Meadows just south of the Oxford City boundary and the route around Didcot Power Station linking Sutton Courtenay to Didcot. There are many other similar examples across the County which are reported as being extremely popular for a whole range of cyclists. This anecdotal evidence is borne out on the traffic free section of Peep-o-Day Lane (on NCN route 5 between Abingdon and Sutton Courtenay) where an automatic cycle counter has been in place since 1999 when that section of route was built. The number of people using this section of route on an average August day has increased every year, from 64 in 1999 to 119 in 2000 and 133 in 2001. This particular section of route serves both leisure and commuter purposes. Monitoring of other sections of NCN routes in the County is ongoing.

    6. Funding

  6. One of the major advantages of the NCN funding process is that the vast majority of County Council money towards the project is matched by funds from various other sources. Whilst the exact situation varies from case to case, during the development of the Millennium Routes, County Council capital funding has been matched by at least twice as much funding again towards the works. A breakdown of the total funding for the NCN in Oxfordshire up to the present time is shown below.

    7. Oxfordshire County Council Capital Funds

    £1,000,000

    Sustrans Millennium Commission Grant (part of the national £42.5m award)

    £450,000

    Hanson Environment Fund (from the Hanson Landfill Tax refund)

    £575,000

    Highways Agency (approximate figure towards the crossing of Trunk Roads)

    £1,000,000

    Total (not including developer contributions)

    £3,025,000

  7. The £575,000 award to Sustrans from the Hanson Environment Fund was to be used on the section of the NCN between Oxford and Didcot which has consequently been named ‘The Hanson Way’. Hanson work on the landfill sites close to Didcot Power Station and have been able to claim back tax paid on their operation subject to it being used to finance projects that help to improve the environment in the locality of the site.

    8. Progress Since Official Opening

  8. Whilst all of the routes were signed and usable in time for the official opening of the NCN on 21 June 2000, there were still improvements that needed to be made on certain sections. For example, there were some stretches of route where cyclists were still required to use the road even though the preferred solution was for cyclists to use an off-carriageway route. Help for cyclists at some key crossing points was still needed and the surface treatment of some off-road sections required enhancement.

  9. As a result, for the past two years, County officers have been working very closely with Sustrans to bring about the necessary improvements to the Millennium Routes. These routes are now almost complete although a small amount of outstanding work is still needed and is receiving attention. Limited funding may be needed to ensure these improvements are introduced where they prove to be achievable. The routes are also subject to ongoing review through a system involving a number of volunteer Sustrans ‘Rangers’ who have responsibility for reporting any problems to do with the routes in their area to the relevant body.

  10. Following improvements to the Hanson Way route between Oxford and Didcot completed since June 2000 (most notably the off road sections from Radley to Abingdon and from Peep-o-Day Lane into Sutton Courtenay village) it was officially opened by Steven Norris, the Chairman of the National Cycling Strategy Board, on his visit to Oxfordshire on November 2002.

  11. County Council officers have also been working with Sustrans on the development of the Phoenix Trail which is a 6 mile traffic free cycling and walking route following the line of the dismantled railway between Thame and Princes Risborough. A copy of the promotional leaflet describing the project in more detail is in the Members’ Resource Centre. The County Council contributed towards its construction through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) and it was officially opened in the summer of 2001. It has proved to be an extremely popular route, with large numbers of users being recorded (190 users on an average August day in 2002).

    12. Future Development and Implementation of the NCN in Oxfordshire

  12. As noted in paragraph 2, Sustrans have a target of increasing the mileage of the NCN from 5,000 in 2000 to 10,000 in 2005. In the ongoing liaison with County officers, Sustrans has expressed its clear ambition of increasing the length of NCN in Oxfordshire. In November 2001, the Director of Sustrans, John Grimshaw, invited the County Council to contribute £5k towards a £10k study into the future development of the NCN in Oxfordshire. The resultant report, ‘The National Cycle Network in Oxfordshire – A Study of Possible Extensions and Improvements’ was produced in close consultation with County officers and was completed in May of last year. A copy of the full report is in the Members’ Resource Centre.

  13. The main findings of the National Cycle Network Study are set out in Annex 2. This includes the outline proposals for extensions to the National Cycle Network including their possible implementation and the associated financial implications.

    14. Conclusion

  14. As has been made clear in Annex 2, even making a 50% contribution (in line with past funding arrangements) towards the cost of implementing the full proposals for the two priority routes would amount to approximately £550k (125k for Didcot to Wantage and £425k for Thame to Oxford and Lechlade). It is considered that this sum is too great a financial cost for the County Council to bear over a limited time period bearing in mind other demands on the transport budget. It is suggested therefore that the proposals for the two priority routes are further developed and implemented to an interim standard (i.e. continuous and signposted) by 2005/06. Further work will be needed after that to complete each route in its final form. The Executive is recommended, therefore, that such work on developing and implementing the extension proposals is spread across at least the next three financial years and that initially, a sum of £150k is allocated for works in 2003/04 from the Transport Capital Programme. Further development and implementation of the proposals would be subject to annual review by officers and appropriate funding being recommended for inclusion in future years’ capital programmes.

  15. The NCN project in Oxfordshire has been very successful in encouraging increased levels of cycling by providing high quality new cycle route infrastructure. As was demonstrated in paragraph 6, the County Council investment in the project has been more than matched by funding from other sources so that well over 100 miles of new route in Oxfordshire have been provided at a very reasonable cost to Oxfordshire County Council. It is on this basis that the Executive is being recommended to approve the future development and extension of the NCN project in Oxfordshire which will continue to contribute towards the achievement of the aims and objectives of the adopted County Cycling Strategy.

    16. Environmental Implications

  16. Work on the further development of the outline proposals for extensions to the NCN will address any need for changes to highway, existing rights of way and any associated planting and drainage. The overall impact of the proposals will, of course, have environmental benefits in the sense that they will have the potential to reduce car use.

    17. Financial and Staff Implications

  17. It is being recommended that £150k is allocated in the 2003/04 capital programme and that future levels of funding be reviewed on an annual basis according to progress on developing the proposals and the amount of funding secured by Sustrans from other sources.

  18. The bulk of the work on progressing the NCN route extensions including consultations and negotiation with land owners would be carried out by Sustrans in liaison with County officers. The amount of work required by County officers can be encompassed within current staffing levels.

    19. RECOMMENDATIONS

  19. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. note the completion of the Sustrans study into the development and extension of the NCN in Oxfordshire;

          2. subject to (c) below, approve the proposals for NCN extensions set out in paragraphs 7 to 11 of Annex 2 and authorise County officers to continue to work with Sustrans on their further development and implementation including any appropriate further consultations;

          3. approve a County Council contribution of £150k for 2003/04 towards the improvement of the existing Millennium Routes and the extension of the NCN in Oxfordshire, subject to it being included in the capital programme; and

          4. approve the making and submission to the Secretary of State for confirmation (if necessary) of a compulsory purchase order under Part XII of the Highways Act 1980 to acquire the land required for the construction of the first stretch of the Thame to Oxford NCN extension which would be in the southern verge of the A418 between Thame western bypass and the Shabbington Turn, as described in paragraph 9 of Annex 2;

          5. authorise the Director of Environmental Services/Director for Environment & Economy to determine the precise extent of land to be acquired for the purpose of (d) above and, together with the Solicitor to the Council, to take all necessary procedural steps in connection with the order, subject to consultation with the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management as to modification or other action in consequence of any unwithdrawn objections to the order.

DAVID YOUNG
Director of Environmental Services

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Craig Rossington Tel: Oxford 815575

January 2003

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