Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/097

Contact: Owen Jenkins, Service Manager for Highways, Transport & Waste Tel: (01865) 323304

Report by Interim Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Commercial (CMDE8).

The report (CMDE8) presents an objection and other comments received in the course of the statutory consultation on the proposals to extend the 30mph speed limit, and to provide a toucan crossing and convert an existing footway to shared use footway/cycletrack on the A4260 Banbury Road at Deddington.

The Cabinet Member for the Environment is RECOMMENDED to approvethe implementation of the proposals as advertised and described in the report.

Approved with the expectation that the footway proposed for west side would be delivered as part of the S278 agreement

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered (CMDE8) responses received to a statutory consultation on proposals to extend the 30 mph speed limit and to provide a toucan crossing and convert an existing footway to shared use/cycle track on the A4260 Banbury Road in Deddington.

David Rogers speaking as Chairman of Deddington Parish Council advised that construction of the development of 85 houses had already started with a temporary site entrance and a contractor’s entrance formed off the A4260. The hedging had also been cut back and some trees felled for vision splay lines.  An application to up that number to 99, which had been lost on appeal was being considered by Cherwell District Council this afternoon. He added that the highways design for this site as detailed in drawing JNY8344-01D had included the construction of a footpath link from the proposed pedestrian entrance to the A4260 / B4031 crossroads on the west side of the Banbury Road. That was to be formed by widening an existing footpath to two metres and extending it further north to the Toucan crossing as described by the application documents However, there had been indications that the developer had failed to deliver on similar footpaths in neighbouring villages. The Parish Council felt that the scheme should be delivered in full and were therefore requesting that Oxfordshire County Council should require all aspects of the design to be delivered including this path on the West side of the A4260.  They understood that this was a view shared by the County Council officers.

Mr Tole advised that although not part of the consultation the footway was a requirement of the outline planning consent and formed part of the S278 agreement between the County Council and the developer. There had been some confusion over this but county officers were endeavouring to ensure that the footpath was delivered prior to the first occupation and although today’s decision concerned other issues officers felt the footway should be provided.

County Councillor Arash Fatemian fully supported the recommendation although he queried its timing as the final application had not yet been determined. Supporting the representations made by the parish council he stressed the need to get this right and asked the Cabinet Member when endorsing the recommendation to make it clear that the footway should be delivered as part of the S278 agreement.

Having regard to the information set out in the report before him and the representations made to him at the meeting the Cabinet Member for Environment approved his decision as follows:

to approve implementation of proposals as advertised and described in the report CMDE8 with the expectation that the footway proposed for the west side of the Banbury Road would be delivered as part of the S278 agreement.

Signed………………………………..

Cabinet Member for Environment

Dated………………………………...