A27 Site Development

Front page article from The EMS October 2006

A planning application to develop the A27 site has now been submitted. This development cuts across the middle of Emsworth completely filling all the green space between the railway and the A27 trunk road. The present outline application covers the access road and the development of about two thirds of the site.

BUILDINGS

When fully developed, the various owners of the site intend it to contain:

54 light industrial units (21 units currently applied for) of between 96 and 324 square metres each.
A two-storey office building containing 16 units with a total floor area of nearly 4,000 sq metres.
An undefined office or other employment building of two or three storeys at the eastern end. (Not in the current application)
An 80-bedroom hotel
A Petrol Station accessed from the A27 only
A convenience store
A ‘restaurant’, presumably fast food, attached to the convenience store.

ACCESS

It is proposed that there will be two ways for vehicles to access different parts of the site.

Slip roads off the westbound carriageway of the A27 will give access to the petrol station and car parks designated for the hotel, restaurant and convenience store.
All other vehicle access is via a new road running from a point on New Brighton Road between the A27 and the Railway across the footpath at the end of Washington Road and all the way along the southern boundary of the site.

There will be a locked gate between the two areas for use of emergency vehicles.

Pedestrian access will by a combined foot/cycle path from New Brighton Road, Washington Road and the recreation ground.

OUTLINE APPLICATION

As this is an Outline Application, the shape and positioning of the buildings is provisional. The access road is, however, a firm application although the final design still has to be approved by Hampshire County Council Highways Department.

DRAINAGE

This is a very wet site with heavy clay soil and one major concern is drainage and risk of flooding in the surrounding properties.

THE PROCESS AND THE RESPONSE

By the time you read this article, there will have been a Public Meeting, hosted by the ERA, and the detailed response of local residents and others will be clear. The Havant Borough Council Development Control Committee will examine the application in detail and in public. The date for this meeting has yet to be finalised but is most likely to be 26^th October. For confirmation and details of this and other information, see the ERA website or notice board outside the Co-Op. Alternatively, contact Chris Curry or any member of the ERA committee.

Chairman’s comments in The EMS October 2006

Plans have now been submitted for outline approval of the A27 site development as shown on page one. Now that we have seen the details, we have a number of concerns in addition to those raised in the July issue of the EMS, all of which the ERA has discussed with the Council.

The 80-bed hotel applied for is twice the size originally approved when the A27 was constructed which was for 40 bedrooms. As we feared it has access from the Emsworth end, not just from the A27.
The screening between the road and the site is minimal and between the railway and the site is non-existent. This gives people approaching Emsworth by train or road a negative appearance of an industrial rather than a rural town.
A large conspicuous office block is proposed at the site entrance.
We are doubtful whether the footpath from Washington Road to the Horndean Road Recreation Ground is going to represent a safe crossing for school children and cyclists.
The road access details at the Interbridges road junction show specifically that an articulated 16 metre truck is expected to be able to turn into North Street and pass under the rail bridge. A proposal that seems both risky from the possibility of collision with the bridge and adds to the difficulties for road users in North Street.
The projected number of employees on the site is high at 300. Plainly these people will not come from Emsworth and the hope that they will come by public transport or from within the Borough are, unlikely to be realised.

Making your representations to the Havant Borough Council Development Control Committee

Points for Objection

The following proposed list of objections is made in relation to the outline planning permission requested for the A27 Site. These can be used in writing personal comments to the Council. Because it is such a major application comments will still be accepted up to around one week prior to the Development Control Committee meeting

1. Although a Flood Risk Assessment has been completed, we are still concerned about potential problems. Especially after the Environment Agency briefing (252966) about flooding of the Westbrook in Bridge Road. We want to be absolutely sure that conditions and legal agreements are imposed to avoid worsening any flooding below or above the site, or to attenuate any risk of flooding on the land itself.

2. HBC must place conditions on the site developer that ENSURE that the drainage system is managed long-term by an organisation which will take full responsibility for its maintenance, operation and general upkeep for many years.

3. The drawing appears to show minimal screening between the A27 (T) and the site. The Inquiry Inspector requested that sufficient screening should be retained within the Gap for a significant landscape buffer between the A27 (T) and the site.

4. The site must be adequately screened both from the road, as directed by the Inquiry Inspector and from the railway. This is particularly important to Emsworth as the first view of the town may well be from the A27 (T) or railway. HBC policy on Design paragraph 107 (ii) refers. There appears to be no screening between the railway and the site. We do not want to present an appearance similar to that of the back of New Lane from the railway. This immediately gives a negative view of Havant before arrival at the station. In that case the tree screen is totally inadequate and no such similar idea would be acceptable.

5. The Council should exercise their powers and make it a condition that future occupiers do not emit sounds or smells that would be injurious to amenities of the neighbourhood including the school and the local residents.

6. The Council should exercise their powers and make it a condition that there should be no toxic or dangerous materials used on the site.

7. The Council should exercise their powers and make it a condition that there should be no light pollution which will affect the neighbouring properties or other parts of the town including the rest of the rural Emsworth Havant gap.

8. The Traffic Assessment Report dated February 2006 provided by the developer needs careful assessment and a response from the Highway Authority. We are concerned that the generated trip rate for traffic from the site between 08.00 and 09.00 appears to be 440 and between 17.00 and 18.00 appears to be 452. During the ERA survey of traffic on the New Brighton and Horndean Roads in November 2004, the total traffic both north and south between 08.00 and 09.00 was 1250 vehicles and between 17.00 and 18.00 was 1218 vehicles. This is approximately a 35% increase at the peak period. The traffic report makes no reference to accident data for the junction of New Brighton Road and Horndean Road where there have been 2 fatalities recently. It only refers to accidents in North Street.

9. Restriction should be placed on vehicles using the site. The employment area should be serviced by “smaller” heavy commercial vehicles.

10. Every attempt should be made to alleviate problems for the residents of Emsworth by allowing industry that will require the minimum number of traffic movements especially of large vehicles. The planning application estimates future employment at 300. This seems excessive and should be reduced.

11. The proposal involves access to the A27 (T) service station hotel from the New Brighton Road access. This should be vetoed because of the extra traffic movements required, as should the large stand-alone office. The original approval was for a 40 bed hotel and the new application is for 80 beds. The original approval should be upheld and the increase refused.

12. It is not clear whether the traffic light system and traffic flow will restrict the access of the Emergency Services, particularly Emsworth Fire Brigade to north Emsworth. This must be thoroughly investigated.

13. The approach road appears to be designed to allow 12 metre articulated vehicles to turn south into North Street. This seems unacceptable and the junction should be designed to prevent this occurring.

14. It is difficult to tell whether a safe crossing has been provided for pedestrians, disabled etc over the site entrance road for people going northwards from the station towards Horndean Road. There must be assurances on this issue, perhaps in relation to traffic lights with pedestrian controls.

15. It is unclear whether the chicane proposal will provide guaranteed safe passage along the existing footpath number 71 for pedestrians, cyclists and the disabled. We believe there should be priority for footpath users over road users at all times. This footpath is part of the “Safe routes to school” system.

16. The Council should exercise their powers and ensure that the site should only be open for building or subsequent operation between 08.00 and 18.00.

17. The Council should ensure that the site be gated and the gate closed after 18.00.

18. The security of properties in the area must not be affected by greater access from the new site.

19. No buildings should be above 2 floors in height to avoid viewing into peoples gardens and generally creating an intrusive view from the Emsworth approaches. This includes the height of the proposed hotel and the offices. Since this is only an outline planning permission request, we would like to ensure that higher buildings are not introduced at a later stage.

20. HBC should complete a Sustainability Assessment and publish the result.

21. It does not seem acceptable to have a road crossing a designated footpath. This is the footpath is only one of two pedestrian accesses without steps between north Emsworth and the centre. It is the only one which is wide and reasonably safe since the east side footpath under the railway bridge is very narrow and difficult to get through with a push chair or wheel chair.

Additional points added at the public meeting of 25 September 2006

1. Rat runs will be created through Victoria Road and Selangor Avenue for traffic wanting to come to and from the Warblington roundabout access to the A27. This is not acceptable.

2. Since the site is a long way from the centre of Emsworth, is it not possible for access to be made from the Warblington end and not the Emsworth end?

3. The result of the traffic lights and the road crossing the footpath will be to cut the only two routes between north and central Emsworth without driving via Warblington or Southbourne, a journey of several miles over railway level crossings.

4. Can the Highway authority allow access to the A27(T) direct for the period of building to ensure that the heavy building traffic does not go through the centre of Emsworth?

5. Taking heavy vehicles through the centre of Emsworth to the A259 and hence the A27 or up Horndean Road to the A3 with either alternative going under a low bridge seems unacceptably poor planning. Both routes will increase traffic hazards for all road users and pedestrians.

6. Can local building labour be employed as a priority over those from outside Emsworth?

7. Can the entrance to the site be made to look as attractive as possible?

Write Quoting application no 06/57199/004 to:

Mr Chris Elphick, Senior Planner,

Planning Department, Havant Borough Council

Civic Offices, PO9 2AX