Berkshire Local Transport Body. Pro- forma for Consideration of a Transport Scheme at Programme Entry Stage. Section 1: Headline Description

Transcription

1 Berkshire Local Transport Body Pro- forma for Consideration of a Transport Scheme at Programme Entry Stage Section 1: Headline Description Local Authority Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Number RBWM - 2 Short Name Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge to Dorney Lake Short Description Pedestrian and cycle bridge between West Windsor and Dorney Lake Gross Scheme Cost 6,000,000 (Inc project fees) BLTB Contribution Sought 4,750,000 BLTB contribution as a 79% percentage of the gross Section 2: General Description Statement in support of the Scheme This bid relates to the construction of a new permanent pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Thames between Sutherland Grange in Windsor and Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire. The project builds on the success of the temporary bridge that was constructed as part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and connected the Dorney Lake with Windsor Racecourse and the temporary Park and Ride facility that was in operation during the Games. In 2009 the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead commissioned Peter Brett Associates to undertake a feasibility study for providing a permanent pedestrian crossing. Although a permanent bridge was not constructed for the Games, the completed study and associated assessment work did demonstrate that suitable options were available and feasible. A number of different bridge alignments were considered, together with correspondingly different forms of construction. It should be noted that cost will be a major consideration in the type of bridge selected and its alignment. The bridge will reduce severance, providing a new connection across the River Thames and Mill Stream, connecting areas to the north (Boveney, Dorney, and Eton Wick) with the south of the River Thames (Dedworth, Windsor and Oakley Green).

2 Section 3: Detailed Statements Addressing the Seven Factors Strategic Impact Windsor is one of the UK s top 10 visitor locations in the UK, supporting attractions such as Windsor Castle, Legoland, Windsor Racecourse, Dorney Lake Rowing Venue and the River Thames. Its attractive setting is supported by good accessibility with convenient road links to London, Heathrow and the rest of the country and supporting two railway stations, providing good access across London, the South East and beyond. The provision of an additional river crossing opens up improved access for residents, tourists and visitors to key recreational amenities and sporting facilities. The route will link directly to: Dorney Lake (including the adjacent park and arboretum); the Thames Path National Trail; and National Cycle Network Route 4. It will also allow residents and visitors to access popular recreational areas on both sides of the river. The scheme would support delivery of the following Local Transport Plan policies: Policy ASF3 Walking and Cycling: High quality and continuous local walking and cycling networks will be developed with appropriate levels of segregation or priority over motor traffic on busy roads. Elsewhere, the Council will seek to create traffic conditions that are appropriate for walking and cycling. Policy ASF5 Public Rights of Way: The Council will continue to manage and improve the Royal Borough s Public Rights of Way network in order to attain better provision for walkers, cyclists, equestrians and people with mobility impairments. Policy ASF6 - Access to the Countryside: The Council will work with the Local Access Forum and other partners to promote access to the countryside and open spaces for all types of users. Policy SEG11 - Visitor Travel: The Council will work with local visitor attractions and event organisers to encourage and promote visitor travel by sustainable forms of transport and manage car based trips so as to minimise the impact on local residents and businesses. Policy QOL5 Health: The Council will work with partners in the healthcare sector to encourage active forms of travel for everyday journeys to contribute to tackling obesity and improving long- term health outcomes for both adults and children. Economic Impact The full economic benefit of the proposal has not yet been quantified, but it is anticipated that the provision of the bridge would provide significant opportunity to promote sustainable travel and wellbeing for local residents and visitors, as it will open up areas for walking and cycling which are currently not directly accessible. These recreational routes would promote improved health and fitness, and would therefore deliver health related cost savings.

3 One of the main benefits of the scheme is providing direct and sustainable access to Dorney Lake, which is a world- class rowing and flat- water canoeing centre. The venue was host to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic rowing and kayak events and the World Junior Rowing Championships in It is also due to host the 2013 World Rowing Cup II. Providing direct access to the venue from Windsor would support future sporting events at the venue and would build on the successful transport arrangements put in place during the London 2012 Games. This would bring significant benefits for the local economy by encouraging more people to stay in Windsor after the events. Over 100 schools and clubs row at Dorney Lake (including Windsor Boys School) plus national squads, including Olympians, train there regularly. Other programmes for young people and adults, outdoor and indoor, are available, with canoeing for young people introduced in Providing direct access to the venue would enhance use of the scheme by local schools and residents. The bridge would also deliver significant distance and journey time savings, since the alternative road route between Sutherland Grange and Dorney Lake is over 7 miles and uses some of the busiest roads and most congested junctions in the area, such as the A332 Royal Windsor Way and the M4 Junction 6. Value For Money Although unquantified at present, it is anticipated that the provision of a new crossing would provide a medium to good value for money rating due to the health benefits that could be promoted through the scheme. Calculating the benefit cost ratio of walking and cycling schemes using approved webtag analysis has been shown to consistently undervalue the benefits of such schemes, since it does not take into account the full health benefits delivered, such as reduced morbidity. Even so, evaluation of other walking and cycling schemes using webtag has typically resulted a CBR of between 2.6 and 3.5:1. Value for Money: An Economic Assessment of Investment in Walking and Cycling, published by the Government Office for the South West and the Department for Health reviewed the evidence base for a wide variety of walking and cycling related schemes in the UK and beyond. The median cost benefit ratio for all data identified is 13:1 and for UK data alone the median figure is 19:1. Even allowing for the relatively high cost of the bridge compared to other projects, the CBR is likely to be high. Ease of Deliverability Route Options: The feasibility assessment completed in 2009 considered four alignment options, three of which had their southern approach ramps located within the Sutherland Grange Local Nature Reserve (LNR), the other in the racecourse with a new link to the LNR. Sutherland Grange is public land consisting of a Greenfield site bordering the A308, private residential property, the river and Royal Windsor

4 Racecourse. Away from the river bank there is significant vegetation in parts of the LNR which dictates the approach alignment selection. The alignments of the southern approaches shown below are indicative. The alignment of the northern approaches for all crossing options is restricted due to the vegetation, buildings and highways in the area. Proposed Indicative Alignments Option 1: Green Option 2: Red Option 3: Blue Option 4: Purple In late 2009, a refresh of the study was undertaken and Option 4 was identified as the most practical scheme. This is the most easterly of the crossing sites considered and spans from Eton College land in the north to the Royal Windsor Racecourse. An agreement would need to be obtained from the racecourse owners to access their land in this way, but provisional discussions at the time suggested that if the route was raised and didn t allow access to the racecourse, then this may be acceptable.

5 The river crossing in this location is of a similar span to that in the other options at approximately 65m and would also require the use of a second smaller bridge to span the Mill Stream and permit river traffic access to the Racecourse Marina. This Mill Stream bridge would be formed from a similar construction to the main Thames bridge in order to produce a pair of matching structures at the site. The northern approach ramp would run along the edge of the existing rowing lake car park and it may be possible to utilise a slender width of existing car park to position the ramp and minimise the number of trees that would need to be removed. The south approach ramp is aligned to skirt the edge of the Windsor Racecourse and minimise the amount of land required from the venue. This also has the advantage of positioning the ramp alongside the existing tree line, effectively masking it from the surroundings. Drawing 22680/BRG/SK101 sets out a provisional cross section of the bridge proposed to cross the Thames and the entire length of the scheme. To date a number of provisional studies to allow the designs to achieve the detail shown have been completed, these were able to define the key parameters of the scheme as set out below and these have allowed for the scheme to evolve to its current design status. Land Acquisition:

6 The Council owns the nature reserve, but both landings are owned by third parties as such there would need to be agreements for right of access to be granted and possibly a land deal. But given the commercial opportunities for the land, costs are anticipated to be low. Ownership details are set out below: All property and buildings directly to the north of the river at the site considered are owned by Eton College and operated by the Dorney Lake Trust Company. The impact of the existing buildings, highways and car parks on the proposed crossing has been considered with regards to the proposed vertical and horizontal alignments. The Royal Windsor Racecourse is owned and operated by Arena Leisure Plc. Sutherland Grange Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. The Racecourse Marina and Mill Stream are owned by Tingdene Marinas Ltd. Centrica Plc has its registered office and corporate headquarters located adjacent to the A308, just east of the Sutherland Grange LNR, employing approximately 1,200 staff. In principle there are no major issues that prevent the construction of the bridge, such as overhead services or topography, as proven by the temporary structure erected to support the London 2012 Games. Design Requirements and constraints have also been identified during the Games works and the Council is able to demonstrate that these can be satisfied as follows:: River Traffic Clearance: The River Thames is controlled by the Environment Agency (EA) and all proposed bridges must meet with their approval process. The EA define both vertical and lateral clearances required for all crossings. The bridge upstream is the Summerleaze Footbridge and has a vertical clearance of 7.30m. This bridge was constructed in 1996 and is a steel footbridge with a timber deck. It has a central span of approximately 50m and backspans of approximately 10m. The bridges downstream of the site are the Queen Elizabeth Bridge which has a vertical clearance of 6.25m, was constructed in 1966 and carries the A332 Windsor Bypass on three spans and the railway bridge which has a vertical clearance of 5.41m, was constructed in 1849 and carries the Windsor to Slough railway line. Flood Clearance: Flood levels produced by the EA provide an indication of the required bridge soffit level necessary to satisfy the EA s requirements for flood level clearance which is below the clearances achieved by the Council s bridge design. In addition to the bridge soffit level the effect of the bridges approaches on the flood storage capacity of the site must be considered. Any reduction in flood storage must be compensated for

7 upstream of the proposed site and discussed with the EA prior to Technical Approval. It is for this reason that the use of steel approach ramps with minimal approach earthworks embankments are recommended where possible for the bridge approaches Vertical Clearance: The EA have advised that an appropriate vertical clearance required to permit the passage of river traffic is 5.41m, based upon the minimum clearance of the neighbouring bridges that cross the river. In addition to the above the EA also require vertical clearance beneath the bridge on each river bank to permit access for maintenance. This clearance is specified in EA Guidance Note FD05 as 5.0m. This is greater than the minimum value necessary for users of the Thames Path on the northern river bank and is therefore adopted. Lateral Clearance: Following discussions with the EA the minimum lateral clearance over which the full vertical clearance will need to be maintained is greater of 10m or the central third of the river depending upon the width of the river. The river width at the bridge site is approximately 55m leading to a central length of 18m with a minimum vertical clearance of 5.41m. The EA require a clearance from the edge of the waterway to the face of the bridge abutments, the size of which is negotiable dependent upon flood survey information but is assumed to be 5.0m as specified in their Guidance Note FD05. Programme: As part of the feasibility assessment completed in 2009, an estimate of the Programme of works required to deliver the bridge was completed and this provided a 24 month schedule as a bolt on scheme to the Olympics bridge, from planning to opening. As a standalone scheme the project is likely to take months to construct. A summary of the anticipated key milestones are set out below. Matched Funding Item Provisional Programme Planning Application (excl Inquiry) Apr 2015 Mar 2016 Detailed Design Apr Sept 2016 Tendering Oct 2016 Dec 2016 Construction Jan 2017 Dec 2017 Opening Year 2018 The Council is in the process of revising its Section 106/CIL contributions policy, to meet the Government Guidance. It is anticipated that there will be contributions available for this scheme, with remaining funds secured through the Council s own capital budgets, land sales or accumulated assets. The following is anticipated to be the likely project costing ratio: Estimated Gross Value of Build is 6,000,000

8 Section 106/CIL will be 11% (estimated at 650,000) Council Direct Funding will be 10% (estimated at 600,000) BLTB requested Funding will be 79% (estimated at 4,7500,000) Environment Social and Distributional The gross value in this case is based on a provisional costing exercise. There are no anticipated land costs and all costs linked to the advanced works, planning and contract tendering will be borne by RBWM. Prior to Technical Approval for any proposed crossing it will be necessary to undertake an ecological survey of the site and a full environmental impact assessment detailing the effects that the structure will have on the surrounding area. The provision of a new bridge for the Windsor area would provide environmental benefits, through promoting walking and cycling which will seek to deliver health related improvements and in providing betterment in accessibility to the town, may have a minor improvement in congestion and air quality. Physical Activity: A key objective of the bridge is to provide an opportunity to promote health and wellbeing by allowing better accessibility for walking and cycling access to Dorney Lake and the River Thames, looking to extend the opportunities provided by: the rowing lake, park and arboretum; Thames Path National Trail ; National Cycle Network Route 4; and other local public rights of way. Road Accidents: The new bridge would create an opportunity for direct travel on foot or by bike, which would allow communities in Eton, Dorney and Windsor to utilise increased sections of traffic- free routes for utility and recreational journeys. The current routings require them to utilise mainly road based crossings and interact with general traffic. There is therefore likely to be a reduction in casualties as a result of the scheme. Community Severance: The River Thames currently acts as a severance to communities on either side of the river, with access between them limited to the current road crossings, which are remote and provide convoluted routes. The bridge would offer a direct link via sustainable modes between these communities and Dorney Lake, with distance savings of over 7 miles. Section 4: Contact Details Authorised by: Ben Smith Job title: Strategic Manager - Highways and Transport Ben.Smith@rbwm.gov.uk Telephone: (01628) PA (if any): Deadline for return: 31 May 2013 Please return to: Richard Tyndall (Richard.tyndall@thamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk)