Letter: Fears Over Transport Assessment Are Unfounded

Published on: 24 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 24 Apr, 2019

From Matt Furniss

SCC Cabinet member for highways decisions, lead GBC member for infrastructure and a Conservative candidate for Christchurch in the borough council elections to be held on May 2.

In response to: Advance Warning of Severe Congestion

I feel I must respond to Mr Eve’s letter as there are a number of points that need correcting. I will take each of his points in turn with an explanation and correction in italics.

Mr Eve wrote: “Guildford residents (and councillors) should be aware that the evidence supporting the draft Local Plan does not include a satisfactory transport assessment. This was admitted by Guildford Borough Council during the examination in a statement of common ground with Highways England”

My response:

• This is not the case. At the outset, Guildford Borough Council and its councillors made transport and infrastructure the main part of the Local Plan.
• The independent planning inspector summarised the council’s position put to the examination in response to the question: Issue 8 – Whether the Plan deals adequately with the transport impacts of its development strategy.
• In his report, he clearly states that:
  “The Plan incorporates the programme of transport schemes contained in the Guildford Borough Transport Strategy 2017 (www.guildford.gov.uk/newlocalplan/media/26649/Guildford-Borough-Transport-Strategy-2017-Guildford-Borough-Council-December-2017/pdf/GBC-LPSS-SD-038_Guildford_Borough_Transport_Strategy_2017_(GBC_2017).pdf).
• This covers all modes of surface transport.
• The Plan’s spatial strategy has been assessed in Surrey County Council’s Strategic Highway Assessment Report (2016) and the Council’s Addendum (2017).
• The conclusion of these studies was that the amount and distribution of development proposed in the Proposed Submission Local Plan together with the key highway schemes would not have a severe impact on the local and strategic highway network” (Para 125 of the Inspector’s Report https://www.guildford.gov.uk/newlocalplan/media/29744/Guildford-LP-Final-Report/pdf/Guildford_LP_Final_Report.pdf
• In addition to this, the Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) with Highways England (June 2018) does not say the Local Plan evidence does not include a satisfactory transport statement. It can be found here: http://www.guildford.gov.uk/newlocalplan/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=27849&p=0
• In the SoCG with HE [Highways England] (June 2018) under “Actions Going Forward”  it states “Highways England and Guildford Borough Council both commit to continued dialogue during and after the Examination in Public, including ongoing working with Surrey County Council. This will include consideration of emerging evidence from Sintram 7 and Highways England’s A3 Paramics Model (which will be used to inform decisions for a potential scheme on the A3 through Guildford for delivery from Road Period 2) and how it can be used to inform future updates to the Infrastructure Schedule in the latest Guildford borough Infrastructure Delivery Plan.”

Therefore I do not understand what Mr Eve is referring to.

He wrote: “work on the new model was stopped”

• Again this is not the case – SCC is still developing the SINTRAM7 model for the Guildford Borough area.

He wrote: “This means that the full impact of the Local Plan on the local roads infrastructure remains unknown and is severely understated.”

• Again this is not the case – not only did the Transport Assessment model a higher number of housing than is proposed in the Local Plan in a worst-case scenario. In addition, it assumed that no greater use of public transport in order to test the road network.
• Therefore, now that Guildford Borough Council has successfully argued for a lower housing number, the impact on our road network with the improvements will be less than the worst-case scenario under the Traffic Assessment.
• In addition, the inspector’s report summarises his conclusions on transport:
• Para.129. “The inclusion of the improvement scheme in RIS1, the Statement of Common Ground with Highways England, and the discussions the Council have had with them, point towards the likelihood that the RIS will be delivered within the plan period, and thus lend support to the spatial strategy, and to the inclusion of the above sites. The spatial strategy is soundly based and it would not be appropriate to pursue a different spatial strategy on the basis of uncertainties over the timing of the A3 works. In any case, many potential alternative sites would themselves have an impact on the A3.”
• Para.130. “However, it is important that the Plan remains robust, so MM27 incorporates a trigger into Policy ID2 Supporting the Department for Transport’s Road Investment Strategy to review the transport evidence base in the event of a material delay or reduction in scope of the RIS scheme; the outcome of this review will determine whether development can continue to be completed in accordance with the Plan trajectory or whether there will need to be a review of the Plan. In that regard, all the strategic sites have individual proposals for the mitigation of highways impacts, which could be accelerated or enhanced if the A3 scheme is delayed, reduced in scope or cancelled.”
• 142. “The Plan deals adequately with the transport impacts of the development strategy, and takes a positive approach towards encouraging people to shift transport mode away from private vehicles. Subject to the main modifications described above, the transport strategy is sound.“

Unlike the previous Local Plan 2003, this Local Plan has transport and Infrastructure at its heart in order to support Guildford and any future development. The requirements on new sites are not only set out in the Evidence Base and Transport Strategy but also in each of the Site Policies.

This Local Plan has been supported by a significant amount of evidence and work by professionals, it gives a clear direction for infrastructure investment which is already underway.

If Mr Eve has any further concerns about transport or infrastructure he should write to me and I would be happy to set out the facts as I have done so here. My email is: matt.furniss@guildford.gov.uk

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