M20 junction 10a improvement scheme. We want to hear your views

Transcription

1 M20 junction 10a improvement scheme We want to hear your views March 2016

2 2 About us Highways England, formerly the Highways Agency, is a government run company. We are responsible for operation, maintenance and improvements to England s motorways and major A roads. Ashford and the south east Ashford is a rapidly growing town in the heart of Kent and a major growth area for the south east, benefi ting from its close links to the UK road network and northern Europe. The M20 is a signifi cant road as an international route used by large volumes of both heavy goods and holiday traffi c. The proposed new junction aims to support and accommodate this new growth. The existing M20 junction 10 will suffer from congestion and long delays in the future if additional capacity is not provided. Scheme history In 2008 a community consultation exercise took place on three proposed options. This led to a preferred option being announced in 2010 by the Secretary of State. The Department for Transport announced in its 2014 Road Investment Strategy (RIS) the committed investment for the M20 junction 10a scheme. Consultation requirements The M20 Junction 10a is a Nationally Signifi cant Infrastructure Scheme (NSIP) and is therefore required to make an application to the Secretary of State. We are currently at pre-application and are required under the Planning Act 2008 to carry out a number of consultations. This includes the duty to consult the local community, statutory consultees, landowners and local authorities. During January to March 2016 Highways England carried out consultation with the community, statutory consultees, landowners and other local stakeholders. Further consultation is being carried out between 31 March to 5 May 2016 in relation to the information contained in this scheme update. This is being carried out with statutory consultees, other local stakeholders, landowners and is being publicised by notices in local and national press. If you submitted comments about the scheme under the January to March 2016 consultation, then those will be taken into account and you do not need to re-submit them, unless you would like to add to or change any part of your comments in the light of the scheme update information. Views and comments received during the consultations are being considered and will be summarised in our Consultation Report due to be published in summer 2016, which will explain how they have been taken into account. The Consultation Report will form part of our application documents for a Development Consent Order. More details about the process for major infrastructure projects can be found on the Planning Inspectorate s national infrastructure planning website: infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ The proposed scheme We are proposing to construct a new junction 10a on the M20 and link road to the A2070 at Ashford in Kent. Scheme objectives: Increase the capacity of the road network to support and allow the delivery of residential and employment development either proposed or permitted within the Ashford growth area. Improve safety by alleviating congestion around the existing junction 10 whilst creating the opportunity to enhance local transport facilities for non-motorised users. Provide a new route for traffi c into Ashford. Minimise the environmental impact and where possible allow enhancements to be made to the environment. Improve journey time reliability on the strategic road network. Features of the proposed design: New interchange junction 700 metres east of junction 10 over the M20. New dual carriageway link road to the existing A2070 Southern Orbital Road (Bad Munstereifel Road). A20 Hythe Road connection. New footway linking the A20 Hythe Road to the Church Road Footbridge across the A2070. New Kingsford Street footbridge across the M20 and a new Church Road footbridge. Environmental features: Three new balancing ponds for sustainable water management. New native shrub and woodland planting. New wildfl ower grassland. New acoustic barrier aligned with Kingsford Street. Scheme updates We have refi ned specifi c aspects of the scheme including design, environmental and traffi c data elements. As a result, we are providing this scheme update subsequently to the consultation which ran from 14 January 2016 to 17 March Scheme extent The extent of the scheme is depicted as a red line boundary which shows all of the land required to carry out the proposed M20 junction 10a development. The total land required for the scheme covers some 51 hectares (0.51 square kilometres). Environmental mitigation, land required to compensate for loss of habitat and also enhancement features e.g acoustic barrier, accounts for 20.7 (0.207 square kilometres) hectares. The M20 junction10a requires an Environmental Statement to be submitted as part of the Development Consent Order for the scheme. Extensive environmental studies have taken place to ensure all required mitigation is included. Please note that it is possible that there will be further minor refi nements to the red line boundary in the fi nal Development Consent Order application. 3

3 Outlines of proposed scheme map continues below M20 J10a Red Line Boundary: Western Extent M20 J10a Red Line Boundary: Eastern Extent continued from above 4 5

4 Alternate access The location for a possible future access road from the new A2070 link road to the neighbouring proposed Stour Park Development (SPD) was shown on the main layout plan in the original brochure for the January 14 to March consultation. Such an access, which would be a three leg roundabout, will only be constructed at the same time as Highways England s scheme if a commercial agreement is reached between Highways England and the developer in time for the construction programme. Otherwise it will have to be dealt with at a later time by the developer. The plan to the right therefore shows the link road carriageways with an alternate access roundabout into SPD. Consent for both will be sought in the Development Consent Order, though in practice only one alternative will be constructed as part of the Highways England scheme. The SPD is the subject of a separate planning application, which is being considered by Ashford Borough Council. Should planning permission for the SPD be granted, the initial phase of the development will be able to proceed in the absence of the M20 Junction 10a scheme. However, if all phases of the SPD are to be constructed, an access from the proposed A2070 link road will be required at some time to allow full delivery, in line with a proposed condition put forward by the applicant for the SPD. NB - the scheme without the alternate access is shown in the drawings on pages 4 and

5 8 M20 Junction 10a Without scheme average annual daily traffic fl ows (AADT) to 2033 Legend AADT AADT AADT 18 8, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,302 J , , , , , , , , , , , ,141 A , , ,805 A , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,313 M20 Highfield Lane 18 24, , , , , , , , ,344 A2070 Barrey Road Church Road 18 17, , , , , ,953 Traffic data As previously stated, the existing M20 junction 10 will suffer from congestion and long delays in the future, if additional capacity is not provided. To show this improvement, we ve created the following images that show the traffi c levels on and around Legend the M20 junction 10 today, in 2018, 2023 and Both show if the proposed M AADT AADT AADT junction 10a scheme is built, and also if it is not. The traffi c data assumes the SPD access has been installed in the A2070 link road. M20 Junction 10a With scheme average annual daily traffic fl ows (AADT) to , , , , , , , , ,508 K4 18 6, , ,950 A , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,038 A , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , M20 J10 J10a 183, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,6 1815, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,628 BarreyRoad 1818, , ,273 Link Road Rbt 18 23, , ,218 A2070 ChurchRoad 18 18, , , , , ,282 Legend AADT AADT AADT 9

6 Public viewing places Consultation materials will also be available to view from 31 March 2016 to 5 May 2016 at the following community locations: William Harvey Hospital, Kennington Road, Ashford, TN24 0LZ Willesborough Post Offi ce, 65 Church Road, Ashford, TN24 0JZ Mersham Stores and Post Offi ce, 8 The Street, Ashford, TN25 6NA Ashford Gateway Plus, Church Road, Ashford, TN23 1AS Ashford Cattle Market, Orbital Park, Ashford, TN24 0HB Ashford Borough Council Offi ces Civic Centre Tannery Lane, Ashford, TN23 1PL Willesborough Garden Centre, Hythe Road, Willesborough, Ashford, TN24 0NE Brabourne Lees Village Shop and Post Offi ce, Lees Road, Brabourne Lees, Ashford, TN25 6QE Kent County Council County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ How to give us your views Any person may comment on the proposals. When making comments please provide your name and address or, if you would prefer your comments to be anonymous, your postcode only. Please also state the nature of your interest in the project. Comments will form the basis of a Pre- Application Consultation Report that will be one of the factors taken into account by the Planning Inspectorate when it decides whether or not the Application can be accepted. M20-J10a@highwaysengland.co.uk Write to: M20 Jct 10a, Highways England, Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, GU1 4LZ. Comments must be received no later than 5 May If you have any questions about this consultation, please contact the project team using the or postal addresses listed above or by calling (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). How will you use my response? All views and comments received assist us to: Make sure potential impacts on the community and environment have been fully considered. Ensure the fi nal scheme design is updated with all relevant responses where applicable. Ensure the fi nal environmental statement takes into account impacts or mitigations resulting from the consultation process. Record how we have considered feedback to develop the scheme further within the consultation report. All responses will be analysed by us or an instructed third party. Your details will only be used in connection with the M20 junction 10a consultation process and will not be passed to any other third parties. Additional information Photo montages and cross sections of the scheme are currently being prepared but are not part of this formal consultation. They will be published online in due course, for information only

7 If you need help accessing this or any other Highways England information, please call and we will help you. Scan with your smartphone QR code reader app to be taken to scheme web pages Crown copyright You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium,under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence: visit write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or This document is also available on our website at If you have any enquiries about this publication or call *. Please quote the Highways England publications code PR75/15. Highways England, Creative S *Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls. These rules apply to calls from any type of line including mobile, BT, other fi xed line or payphone. Calls may be recorded or monitored. Printed on paper from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. Registered offi ce Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4LZ Highways England Company Limited registered in England and Wales number