Agenda Item No. 3
THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL
ENVIRONMENT AND REGENERATION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 30 NOVEMBER 2017
REFERENCE FROM CABINET: 20 NOVEMBER 2017
C145 M4, Junction 34 to A48 WelTAG Stage 1 Transport Study (NST) (SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – ENVIRONMENT AND REGENERATION) -
Cabinet was presented with the Stage 1 Report that was attached at Appendices A and B to the report that had been produced using Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) by Arcadis Consulting UK Limited on Improving Strategic Transport links between M4, Junction 34 to A48 and Five Mile Lane.
Arcadis Consulting UK Limited was commissioned by the Council in July 2017 to develop and appraise potential options for improving the strategic transport route from M4, Junction 34 to A48 including considering options for a park & ride site at Junction 34. Appendix A as attached to the report provided a Strategic Outline Case Report which included a map of the Study area. The appraisal of options was in accordance with Welsh Government's latest June 2016 version of the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG). All transport schemes in Wales needed to come through the WelTAG process to be put forward for Welsh Government funding and accepted schemes for transport funding need to demonstrate value for money.
The highway network through and near to the Pendoylan corridor between M4 Junction 34 and the A48 was extensively poor and constrained strategic connectivity including accessibility to and from Cardiff Airport, other key services and strategic employment sites in the Vale of Glamorgan. In addition the poor access affected adjacent authorities, as well as local/ regional communities. The network at this location comprised narrow lanes with limited passing opportunities, restricted speed as a result of adverse route alignments, and was predominantly non-compliant to current Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) standards.
The Study represented an exciting opportunity to improve the quality of connections by all transport modes between the M4, Junction 34, Barry, the Airport and the St Athan Enterprise Zone and surrounding areas, including the neighbouring Local Authorities and further afield.
The WelTAG Stage 1 Report had been prepared for the Council by Consultants Arcadis Consulting UK Limited to Improve Strategic Transport links from M4, Junction 34 to A48 and Five Mile Lane. The report consisted of two documents namely an Impacts Assessment Report, attached at Appendix B to the Cabinet report, and a Strategic Outline Case Report, attached at Appendix A to the Cabinet report.
The Impacts Assessment Document provided an overview of the study area including information on its location, demographics, employment, environment and land use characteristics. It also examined access to employment by looking at worker characteristics including the transport mode, destination and distance travelled for work purposes. Further access to Services and Recreation was examined by the Impacts Assessment Document as well as walking and cycling, rail and bus and highway network provision. Both existing and future proposals and priorities were listed and the work considered the land use commitments as contained in the Adopted Vale of Glamorgan Local Development Plan (2017).
The Strategic Outline Case Document set out the strategic case for change and assessed each of the intervention options to examine how they met the objectives together with the identification of key risks, adverse impacts constraints and dependencies. The appraisal of the extent each option met the objectives was described using the WelTAG seven-point assessment scale. The assessment scale included measures relating to social, environmental, economic and the financial and commercial case for change. Whilst the objectives for the intervention were derived from general and transport-specific objectives as set by the Welsh Government, Section 4 of the Impacts Assessment Report attached at Appendix B to the report set out how stakeholders had informed the development of the objectives and how the proposed objectives positively contributed to Welsh Government policy.
As a result of the evidence summarised above seven options were assessed as follows:
A - Do-minimum
B - Highway Route Option 1 – East of Pendoylan connecting between M4 Junction 34 and the A48 at Sycamore Cross (Offline)
C - Highway Route Option 2 – West of Pendoylan connecting between M4 Junction 34 and the A48 at Sycamore Cross (Part Online/ Part Offline)
D - Highway Route Option 3 – West of Pendoylan connecting between Clawdd-Coch and the A48 via Redway Road (Part Online/ Part Offline)
E - Highway Route Option 4 – East of Welsh St. Donats connecting between M4 Junction 34 and the A48 junction circa 3km west of Sycamore Junction (Offline)
F - Bus Park and Ride near to M4 Junction 34
G - Parkway Railway Station including Park & Ride facility and Bus Integration located near to M4 Junction 34
A focus group including stakeholders was due to meet on 27 November, 2017 to review the Report and options being recommended, to ensure that any options being taken forward were supported and deliverable by using the group's knowledge and expertise in their field. The recommendations of this Focus Group would be fed back to Cabinet at the same time as it received the views of Scrutiny Committee (Environment and Regeneration) before a final decision was taken on the options to be progressed.
This was a matter for Executive decision
Cabinet, having considered the report and all the issues and implications contained therein
RESOLVED –
(1) T H A T the contents of the report and accompanying Strategic Outline Case Report attached at Appendix A to the report and Impacts Assessment Report attached at Appendix B to the report, be endorsed.
(2) T H A T consideration be given to progressing a Stage 2 Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) Report for M4, Junction 34 to A48 for the Stage 1 short listed options of: Do-Minimum, a highway route east of Pendoylan, a highway route west of Pendoylan and a parkway station with park and ride facilities and bus integration near to M4, Junction 34.
(3) T H A T the Stage 2 Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) Report, once completed, be presented to Cabinet for consideration in Spring 2018.
(4) T H A T the report be referred to the Scrutiny Committee (Environment and Regeneration) and the Focus Group for consideration prior to a final decision being taken by Cabinet on resolutions 1-3 above.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To approve in principle the Stage 1 Arcadis Consulting UK Limited Report on the M4, Junction 34 to A48 Study.
(2) To agree in principle to progressing the M4, Junction 34 to A48 Transport Study to the next stage using the relevant Welsh Government transport guidance.
(3) To seek Cabinet's views on the Stage 2 report, once completed.
(4) To ensure that the views of the relevant Scrutiny Committee and the Focus Group were considered prior to a final decision on the Stage 1 report being taken by Cabinet.
Attached as Appendix – Report to Cabinet – 20 NOVEMBER 2017