TRANSPORT

INTRODUCTION

Transportation responsibilities

9.1 Essex County Council is the authority primarily responsible for transport matters throughout the District and as such makes all the significant decisions on new transport investment, including highway maintenance and support for bus services. The District Council is not an 'agency district' and therefore transport services and decisions on investment are largely outside its control. However, influence is exerted through a partnership with the County Council and other service providers linking planning and community policy to transport considerations.

Access to Opportunity - The District Transportation Strategy

9.2 In August 2000 the District Council adopted a Transportation Strategy for the District as Supplementary Planning Guidance. The Strategy follows the context for sustainable development established by the Structure Plan and reflected in the Essex Local Transport Plan (LTP). It has the following aim:

"To encourage the provision and integration of all modes of transport to assist in traffic reduction, sustainable economic development and environmental improvement and to serve the social well being and health of the population whilst acknowledging the District's extensive rural character, scattered population and outstanding environmental qualities."

9.3 The Essex LTP was adopted by the Essex County Council in 2000 and received funding for the period 2001-2004. There was an interim settlement for 2000.The second generation LTP was published for consultation by the County Council in 2005.

9.4 In drawing up the District Transportation Strategy, the District Council included the following adopted transport policies:

• The Maldon Town Centre Improvement Scheme adopted in 1999;
• A Masterplan for Cycle routes in Maldon and Heybridge adopted in 1995;
• The "locally determined programme" of minor highway schemes;
• The Dengie VillageLink rural bus service.

OBJECTIVES

9.5 Government transport policy aims to reduce reliance on the motor car through the planning system. Plans should promote locations for new development served by a range of transport alternatives which should be positively promoted. The Local Plan recognises that alternatives to the car should be promoted and encouraged. It also recognises that road transport is the main means of supporting economic activity and social inclusion in the District and should be enhanced and improved. In particular, transport links out of the District to the County Trunk Roads and main line railways should be improved.

9.6 It is recognised that there are a range of transport activities that will contribute to the achievement of the objectives. Detail is provided in the adopted Transportation Strategy. The Local Plan focuses on the following topics:

• Transport infrastructure improvements including traffic management;
• Public transport;
• Walking and cycling;
• Rivers and waterways.

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Road and Rail Links

9.7 The Maldon District is largely dependent on highway and rail links across its boundaries to maintain the local economy and the leisure and recreational needs of its residents and visitors. The Structure Plan and Local Plan will reduce this dependence by providing for more local jobs. However, it has been recognised that out commuting particularly by road, will continue to have an important economic role throughout the Plan period.

9.8 The principal links out of the District are the A414 via Danbury, the B1019 via Hatfield Peverel, the B1010 via South Woodham Ferrers, the B1018 via Witham and the B1022 via Tiptree. Improvements, including those for road safety have been concentrated on these routes. The District Transportation Strategy has also identified as a priority for long term planning improved access, west to the A12 Trunk Road and A130 route to South Essex. This draws on the past difficulties of attracting inward investment from industry despite allocations of employment land. This has partly resulted from the perception that the District is remote and poorly provided with adequate road links.

9.9 The options for future access improvement must also take account of the views of the adjoining Districts of Chelmsford, Colchester and Braintree. The County Council has undertaken to carry out a "Maldon Access Study "as part of the LTP. Any future land use requirements resulting from this study will be included in a review of this Plan.

9.10 The District Council has for many years supported safety improvements to the A12. The alignment of a new link road between Hatfield Peverel and Witham has been approved by the Highways Agency and will be completed within the plan period improving access to the A12.

9.11 Two transport studies are of particular relevance and importance to the District. The A12/A120 Route Management Strategy was managed by the Highways Agency and was completed in July 2001. It is aimed at making the best use of these existing trunk roads and forms the basis for prioritising investment, featuring a three year detailed plan and ten year long term plan. The Highways Agency intends to update the study periodically. The London to Ipswich Multi-Modal Study (LOIS) has been completed by a consortium of consultants for GO-East. LOIS has examined how to meet the transport needs of a wide study area based around the A12 trunk road and Great Eastern main railway line from the A12/M25 motorway junction at Brentwood north-east to Ipswich. The District of Maldon falls within the southern zone of the study area. The District Council is supportive of many of the transport development options in the Study, which include improving access between the District and the A12 trunk road and national rail network. Essex County Council is also undertaking a study of access arrangements within, to and from the District and has been encouraged by the Secretary of State to bring forward some of the measures identified in the LOIS study.

Public Transport

9.12 In the rural area there is dependence on the car, but public transport is essential for those who have no access to private transport. The District Transportation Strategy sets out a range of actions to enhance public transport. The integration of buses with new development is important if improvements are to be delivered. Where appropriate, funding for new public transport infrastructure will be sought from developers who will be required to prepare Green Travel Plans for large new developments.

9.13 The Southminster Branch line has an important role in the District economy. It has influenced planning in the south of the District, resulting in the concentration of development at Southminster and Burnham-on-Crouch. The closure of Bradwell Power Station is likely to result in increased freight paths (movements) initially as a result of the decommissioning process. The Local Plan recognises the value of the line to the local economy, providing access to work in other parts of Essex. In this respect improvement of rail infrastructure outside the District, which would increase the level of service offered by the line, should be supported. Enhancement at stations of bus and cycle facilities will also be supported.

The Safe Management of Traffic

9.14 In town, district and village centres the creation of pedestrian friendly areas is important in maintaining their viability. Quality of the environment of town centres is an essential component of a complementary land use approach to commercial and community development. This aims to balance the attraction of edge of town retailing to car users with a different town centre shopping experience in a safe and attractive historic environment. Improving accessibility between the edge of town stores and the town centre has been shown to benefit the town.

9.15 The "Maldon Town Centre Improvement Scheme", a strategy for an environmental enhancement and traffic management scheme for Maldon Town Centre, has been adopted by the County and District Councils. This is a long term plan requiring substantial public and private investment and is being implemented on a rolling programme. The scheme includes the provision of three gateways into the town centre and a 20mph zone. Footway widening, improved bus stops and service lay-bys provide for managed access. The scheme is of benefit to all town centre businesses and users. Funding is required to progress design and implementation. More detail about the scheme is available from the District Council.

9.16 In other settlements the strategy for traffic management targets safety and environmental improvement. In most settlements speed reducing gateway schemes will provide awareness of speed limits and many have already been installed.

9.17 There is general agreement that appropriate speed reduction in rural areas is necessary and has environmental and safety benefits. Heavy goods vehicle routing and management needs to be part of a strategy to support economic development in the rural area whilst protecting the environment. This is the responsibility of the County Council. In towns and villages traffic management should allow access but improve the environment for pedestrians.

Transport and new development

9.18 The location of new development will be expected to contribute to sustainable transport objectives and promote walking, cycling and public transport as the preferable form of transport. Developments likely to generate large amounts of traffic such as major employment sites will need to be located within the defined settlements of Maldon and Heybridge as they provide the most sustainable location and the application would have to be accompanied by a Travel Assessment if it is considered to be necessary. Development in rural areas will also be expected to take place in larger villages with defined settlement boundaries and access to public transport.

Provision for transport in new development.

9.19 The District Council has adopted the Essex Design Guide for Residential and Mixed Use Areas. This sets out standards for the layout of highways in new housing development including alternative modes of transport. New development will be expected to comply with this guidance. All forms of development will be expected to comply with Policy T2.

9.20 Government targets seek to reduce the impact of travel as expressed in PPG13. Accordingly, in the case of larger development, a transport assessment will be required to accompany planning applications. A travel assessment will be required on developments greater than 1000m2 for retail and leisure uses and for sites greater than 2500m2 for uses falling within categories B1 and C2 of the use classes order and educational land uses. In addition proposals for stadia will have to provide a travel assessment if the development consists of 1500 or more seats. A travel assessment may be required on other types and sizes of developments if it is considered necessary by the Council. In the same way, the Council will expect proposals of this scale to include travel plans

9.21 To achieve sustainable transport patterns it is important that developments are accessible by a range of transport modes. This will help to give people a real choice over how to get to and from their place of work, shopping, leisure, health and other facilities. For developments with significant travel implications, PPG13 advises that a 'Travel Assessment' of its transport implications is carried out. To address these implications, a 'Travel Plan' (sometimes referred to as a 'Green Travel or Transport Plan') should also be devised and implemented once the development becomes operational. The Travel Assessment should investigate the accessibility of the new development by different transport modes and work up measures to improve access by public transport, walking and cycling, with the aim of mitigating the potentially harmful effects of traffic generation. The Travel Plan may include a range of features including safe and attractive pedestrian and cycle access, secure on-site cycle storage, cyclist changing facilities and access by public transport.

Development of rail freight facilities on the Southminster Branch line

9.22 There is little freight movement on the Southminster Branch Line (limited to power station flask transport). Potential exists for increased business on the line with freight interchange possible at Southminster where employment areas are close to the railhead. The freight yard should be safeguarded and better use made of freight facilities. However, the environmental impact of increased use of rail, possibly at night, needs to be considered in any expansion of use.

Cycling

9.23 The District Council has adopted a cycle route network for Maldon/Heybridge. This expanded on the provisions of the Maldon District Local Plan First Review proposals for Maldon and Heybridge. Part has been implemented by a combination of public and private investment. The completion of the network will provide an alternative to the private car for local journeys.

9.24 The implementation of routes will involve a range of action including new cycle route provision, traffic management on existing highways, legal action to convert footpaths to bridleways and cycle tracks, and signing. Most of the new cycle routes linked to development in previous plans have been implemented and therefore the remaining routes will need to make the best use of the existing highway infrastructure. Routes shown on the proposals map will be refined through public consultation at the implementation stage.

9.25 The National Cycle Network is proposed to link Colchester to Maldon, Chelmsford and Harlow. Part of this route is on the Blackwater Rail Trail planned as a cycle route link to Witham. Sustrans is developing this network which will utilise part of the planned provision in Maldon and Heybridge. The National Cycle Network needs to be completed and extended into the rural areas. A policy safeguarding the Rail Trail is included in the Recreation and Leisure chapter.

9.26 Large new development will be expected to make new cycle route provision on site and provide links to join with off-site routes. Secure and safe public parking and changing facilities is required at public transport interchanges, major commercial and leisure developments and in town centres. The principle of cycle parking provision has been accepted by the District Council in its response to proposed new parking standards for Essex, which are to be adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.

9.27 The Council seeks to promote and safeguard the proposed cycle routes as shown in the Plan as a means of encouraging and promoting sustainable transport. Development will need to take into account the proposed routes

Walking

9.28 Greater emphasis needs to be placed on enhancing safe walking in rural and urban areas. Improved footways can be included as part of enhancement programmes. Footway improvements in Maldon High Street and Burnham-on-Crouch High Street have been started as part of a rolling programme. The needs of people whose mobility is impaired will be taken into account in the design and implementation of footway enhancement schemes. Policy on facilities for the mobility impaired are in the Built Environment Chapter.

9.29 In the rural area there is a more limited possibility of switching from car to walking and cycling. The provision of footways and cycle routes could make a difference in some areas but safety issues are paramount. Measures could include the management of traffic to create 'quiet lanes' for pedestrians, cyclists and horseriders and the creation of safer routes to schools. Policies on the recreational use of footpaths, cycle routes and bridleways are in the Recreation and Leisure chapter.

Public Car Parking

9.30 Public car parks are provided in the settlements of Burnham-on-Crouch, Maldon, Heybridge and Southminster. Only Maldon has a charging policy. Whilst public car parking is adequate in the other settlements, there are concerns that future demand for space will outstrip supply in Maldon.

9.31 Maldon is the largest retail and service centre in the District and activity in the town centre underpins the local economy. The town has the function of a market centre for a large rural area. Rural public transport is limited, despite recent improvements on the Dengie Peninsula. There is therefore a reliance on the private car for journeys to the town.

9.32 The provision of well located, affordable public car parking has been recognised as an important part of Maldon's offer to residents and visitors in successive Local Plans by the allocation of additional land for surface car parks. The provision of additional space was integrated with redevelopment opportunities in the Maldon District Local Plan First Review. Sites were allocated on land west of the Friary, North of Tenterfield Road and south of Victoria Road. These sites have been implemented and the total provision in the Town Centre is now 507 spaces.

9.33 The reservation of land for additional public car parking has been one action seeking to expand provision. Other measures include better layout and management of car parks, shared use of private car parks and park and ride linked to out of centre sites.

9.34 The Local Plan aims to manage parking demand to assist the use of alternatives to the private car for local journeys. This implies reducing future provision of car parking. However, this has to be balanced against the need to enhance the vitality and viability of Maldon town centre. Public car parking policy therefore needs to be integrated with the overall planning strategy for the Town Centre, recognising its future role.

9.35 The planning strategy is set out in detail in the Retail and Town Centre Chapter. In summary the town centre is constrained by the following factors:

1. The geography of the town, which tightly defines the High Street between residential areas and the River Chelmer;
2. The town's topography and its hilltop location with steep slopes to the north;
3. The concentration of historic buildings;
4. The street patterns resulting in vehicular access constraints and limited potential for rear servicing.

9.36 These factors require that expansion of uses that generate additional flows of traffic should be constrained. The provision of additional public car parking space in the town centre in the Plan period will therefore be limited and alternative ways of providing for parking needs are required.

9.37 Provision of additional town centre car parking will require public funding unless it forms part of the redevelopment of a large site subject of a planning obligation. The Council will actively encourage further retail development in the town centre as a means to provide such funding. The amount of planning gain that can be required from a redevelopment site depends upon its proposed use and size of site. There are higher costs of development in the town centre to meet design requirements in the Conservation Area; other planning priorities require affordable housing on new housing sites. These requirements will limit potential for requiring additional public car parking.

New public car park development

9.38 Some limited expansion could take place on sites adjoining the existing car parks. Orth's garage adjoins the White Horse Car Park. Quest Motors site on the High Street and the Transco site on Victoria Road adjoin High Street East Car Park. The District Council will negotiate for expansion of public car parking on these sites.

9.39 The limitations on the town centre to provide public car parking means that other opportunities should be sought for provision. These may include shared use of new private car parking and public provision linked to out of centre development.

Development related car park provision

9.40 The nationally advocated policies of restraint on the use of private cars has resulted in Government policy to limit the number of car parking spaces associated with new development. Whilst this approach can be justified in urban areas where there is access to good public transport, it is considered both impractical and undesirable to provide new development in rural areas, including settlements within those areas, without making reasonable provision for car parking. New Parking Standards have been prepared by the Essex Planning Officers' Association. This acknowledges that Essex is a diverse area and that policies of restraint may not be appropriate in the rural areas where there is no realistic alternative to the private car for providing for the day to day travel requirements of the population. This is reflected in the proposed residential standard that allows more spaces to be provided in rural areas.

9.41 Maldon is a predominantly rural District in which nearly half the population live outside the larger towns and have poor access to public transport. Previously the Council required a minimum standard of parking to reflect this. However government advice states that minimum standards should not be set. Local Authorities may, however, use their discretion when setting required parking levels, particularly for small scale developments to take into account local circumstances. Car parking for residential development will be determined in accordance to the Council's adopted maximum standards, with lower provision in built up areas that are well served by public transport. The level of parking will reflect the local circumstances of the area within which the development occurs. In the historic and older parts of the district where there is opportunity to attract investment and where it is not possible to accommodate off highway car parking directly associated with development, the Council will accept lower parking standards or seek to promote parking that can be shared by all visitors to the area. A minimum standard of car parking provision for disabled parking will be required on or as close to the site as practicable in order to promote inclusive access and accessibility.

Rivers and Waterways

9.42 The main facilities available for water borne transport are the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation and Maldon Port. Heybridge Basin, the Sea Lock and the Navigation are not used for commercial transport and only recreational uses are envisaged in the future. Nevertheless this contributes to the economy of the District through tourism.

9.43 The value of the rivers and port for the sustainable movement of bulk goods is recognised. Maldon Port caters for some commercial shipping. Within the river itself the maintenance of a navigable channel is an important consideration for the future of the port. The Maldon Harbour Improvement Commissioners can levy dues from shipping to support maintenance of the river. The District Council has provided lit buoys for part of the channel. Future investment needs to maintain buoys and a navigable channel.