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ITEM EX7

WITNEY - WEST END LINK STAGE 2

Introduction

1. The West End Link scheme is part of the current Development Plan highway network for Witney. It is illustrated in Annex 1, which shows committed and proposed road schemes in the town (together with three other schemes – marked as dotted - that have been put forward by others that do not form part of the proposed highway network at present).
2. West End Link is in two parts – Stage 1 (Welch Way to Mill Street, shown as scheme 1 in Annex 1) already has planning permission and construction is due to begin in April 2005. Stage 2 (Mill Street to West End, including a bridge crossing of the River Windrush) is shown as scheme 5 in Annex 1 and is the subject of this report.
3. The purpose of this report is to clarify the status of the Stage 2 scheme and the County Council’s programme for its possible implementation in the context of other proposals in the town (notably the Cogges Link scheme), initially to assist the West Oxfordshire Local Plan Public Inquiry currently sitting and during which questions have been raised on this matter.

Background

4. Following the identification of the need for the Cogges Link scheme through the Local Plan process in the mid 1980s, in 1991 the Witney Local Plan Proposed Alterations identified the need for a second river crossing, referred to as the West End Link Road, which was added to the Local Plan in 1992. Cogges Link and West End Link were subsequently both included in the West Oxfordshire Local Plan adopted in 1997. West End Link was seen as complementing Cogges Link, potentially giving further relief to Bridge Street by providing a link to the northern part of the town. However, it would fulfil a different role to Cogges Link which – with its direct connection to the North East housing development and the north east distributor road (shown as scheme 2 in Annex 1) – was considered the priority scheme, and funding was sought towards the Cogges Link from developments in the town. West End Link was retained in the capital programme as a developer funded road. It was also split into two stages, in recognition that Stage 1 could be brought forward earlier in association with redevelopment of that part of the town. Stage 2 was recognised as being the potential longer term element of the scheme, which accords with the monitor/review strategy and the need for further appraisal being proposed through this report.
5. West End Link Stage 2 has since been considered by the Executive, either as a scheme in its own right or in the context of other transport proposals for the town, on the following occasions:
   
   

1. December 2002 – when it was resolved to "undertake to consider including Stage 2 of the West End Link in the transport capital programme as a County-funded scheme at the next review"
2. December 2003, as part of a report on the Witney Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS), which identified that Stage 2 of the West End Link "would be kept under review, in the light of progress on the Cogges Link and its impact upon traffic levels in the town". The Strategy was approved.
3. July 2004, as part of a report on the Cogges Link, where it was resolved "to confirm the intention to construct West End Link Stage 2 as a complementary scheme to Cogges Link". This was intended to be a broad indication of the County Council’s pos ition.
   
   
6. West End Link Stage 2 is identified in the Local Transport Plan 2001-2006 as a developer funded scheme identified for construction before 2011. However, the scheme is identified in principle only; the County Council has not done any preparatory design or other work on it at this stage and no funding for the scheme has been committed. A reappraisal of the scheme against potential alternatives would also be necessary before any decision to commence construction was made. The expressed intention to construct Stage 2 should therefore not be taken as a binding commitment to do so.

West Oxfordshire Local Plan Inquiry

7. Subsequently, the County Council has undertaken some further work in considering the West End Link Stage 2 as part of producing transport evidence for the Public Inquiry into the revised West Oxfordshire Local Plan. This Inquiry is due to close at the end of the year. In preparing evidence for the Inquiry, the County Council took into account:
   
   

a. Work done on behalf of the County and District Councils by consultants Arup, which looked at the implications of future directions of housing growth for the town and associated transport schemes. This work concluded that by adding West End Link to a highway network which already included Cogges Link, traffic would be drawn into the town centre and away from the purpose built distributor routes (i.e. the North East Distributor and Cogges Link). Arup therefore suggested that consideration should be given to deleting the scheme from the Local Plan on the basis of these predicted impacts.

b. Work undertaken on behalf of the County Council by consultants Babtie on the Cogges Link Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which showed that:

• the combination of Cogges Link plus West End Link was preferable to Cogges Link alone and ranked the two schemes together as the best combination in overall traffic terms;
• West End Link Stage 2 on its own did not meet the identified traffic objectives;
• A combination of West End Link Stage 2 and west-facing slip roads at the existing Shores Green junction with the A40 (the latter identified as scheme 7 on annex 1) would be a potential alternative in traffic terms to Cogges Link (although the EIA concluded that taking environmental, economic and other objectives into account, Cogges Link alone was the preferred scheme).

c. Further work done by Arup, to understand the differences between the conclusions reached by themselves and Babtie on the effects of adding West End Link with Cogges Link already in place, and advise on a way forward for West End Link Stage 2. This found that the reasons for the differences related to:

• The differences between the forecasting years used in traffic modelling by Arup and Babtie;
• Some differences in the analysis methods employed by the two consultants; and
• Most significantly, the assumptions made by each about the package of accompanying traffic management measures in the town (a more significant degree of traffic management was assumed by Arup).

8. With this in mind, the County Council provided evidence on West End Link to the Inquiry, agreed by the Executive Member for Transport, to clarify the Council’s position and reflect the scheme being complementary to Cogges Link. On the basis that the Cogges Link was the County Council’s preferred scheme and was being actively pursued, this evidence stated that:
   
   

1. A Plan, Monitor, Manage approach be taken to the [West End Link] scheme, in terms of deciding its need and timing once Cogges Link has been implemented, as the practical and responsible way forward. In the meantime, the scheme needs to be safeguarded because at this stage it is judged more likely than not to come forward at some stage as a complementary scheme to Cogges Link.
2. West End Link is not a substitute for Cogges Link as it would fulfil a different function and have different effects on traffic flows around the town. It should not be implemented in advance of Cogges Link, nor on its own instead of Cogges Link.
3. If the Cogges Link scheme is not implemented, it may be that a combination of West End Link and west-facing slips at Shores Green are an appropriate alternative. Further analysis of the effects of this scheme and what other traffic measures may need to be introduced as well would need to take place.
   
   
9. Given this, it was put to the Inquiry that a possible timescale for West End Link Stage 2 (should it be taken forward in the light of the opening of Cogges Link and monitoring of its effects) would be implementation either within the 2011-16 Local Transport Plan period or, more likely, within the 2016-2021 LTP period.
10. However, objectors to the County and District Councils’ proposals appearing at the Inquiry have focused on the recommendation on West End Link approved by the Executive in July 2004, as outlined in paragraph 5 (iii) above. Their interpretation of this is that West End Link Stage 2 has the same status as Cogges Link and that a decision had been taken to construct West End Link Stage 2 – but as stated in paragraph 6 above, the expressed intention to construct Stage 2 should not be taken as a binding commitment to do so.
11. The July 2004 recommendation was, in the context of a report on the Cogges Link, intended to be a summary of the County Council’s broad position on the West End Link Stage 2 and should be seen in the context of the earlier (December 2003) recommendation on Witney ITS which, as paragraph 5 (ii) above shows, effectively identified the need to monitor the effects of Cogges Link before making any decisions on West End Link Stage 2. It is also important to bear in mind that there would need to be comprehensive and detailed consultation on the West End Link Stage 2 (and any related measures which may be required), as this has not yet taken place.

Proposed Way Forward

12. It is therefore proposed that the County Council’s formal position on West End Link Stage 2 should be clarified to reflect the evidence submitted to the Local Plan Public Inquiry, i.e. that the need and timing for the scheme will be determined only once the Cogges Link has been implemented. However, in the interests of planning for the future and not ‘closing off’ options at this Stage, it is proposed that the County Council should request that the District Council continues to protect the line of West End Link Stage 2 through the Local Plan, recognising that the Local Plan only runs up to 2011 and West End Link is very unlikely to constructed during this time.
13. If Cogges Link were not to go ahead for whatever reason, there would be a need to review the transport strategy for Witney.

RECOMMENDATIONS

14. The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

1. subject to (b) below, to confirm the Council’s long term intention to implement West End Link Stage 2 and that West Oxfordshire District Council be asked to continue to protect the line of the scheme through the Local Plan;
2. not to pursue through the compulsory purchase of land or any other statutory process for the West End Link Stage 2 scheme until the Cogges Link scheme has been implemented, its effects monitored and the need/justification for West End Link Stage 2 subsequently evaluated and consulted upon.

DAVID MCKIBBIN
Head of Transport

Background papers: The Arup and Babtie reports referred to in paragraph 7

Contact Officer: John Disley, Group Manager, Transport Planning, Tel: (01865) 810460

November 2004

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