Agenda item

To consider the attached report (C-036-2018/19).

(1)    That the draft Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Transport Strategy (January 2019) be published for a six-week period of public consultation following the May elections; and

(2)    The Cabinet noted that, following consultation and any subsequent revisions to the document, it was intended that the final Transport Strategy would be agreed as a material planning consideration for the preparation of masterplans, the preparation of the Gilston Area Charter, pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purposes.

The Planning Services Portfolio Holder introduced the report on the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Transport Strategy. The Cabinet noted that Harlow and Gilston had been designated as a Garden Town by the Ministry for Homes, Communities and Local Government in January 2017 and would comprise new and existing communities in and around Harlow. East Herts, Epping Forest and Harlow District Councils were working together with Hertfordshire and Essex County Councils to ensure plans for the Garden Town supported sustainable living and a healthy economy; provided a good quality of life for existing and future residents; and responded to local landscape and character.

AECOM were commissioned in May 2018 to prepare a transport strategy working with the Councils across the Garden Town.  Transport had a critical role to play in facilitating housing and employment growth.  The Transport Strategy was intended to be a high level document which set out the key aims, objectives and principles in relation to movement, travel and transport in and around the Garden Town.  The Draft Transport Strategy had now been agreed by the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Member Board and the next stage was to seek agreement from this Council to publish the draft strategy for a period of consultation.

Once it has been through this it would come back to the Council for adoption as our own planning document.

Councillor Sartin said that she had been to a workshop in Harlow where they talked about transport corridors and asked if there were any circular routes under consideration. The Planning Portfolio Holder said that the corridors were to connect to the North, South, East and West of the Garden Town. If they made the routes longer they may discourage people from using them; but the document will be out for consultation and if you felt that a circular route was better, please let us know.

Councillor Lion wanted to know if ‘lift sharing’ would be considered. He was told they were consulting on the current transport strategy, in the current hierarchy, only the fourth item was the private vehicle. If they could improve the use of private vehicles by using lift sharing, that would be a positive thing.

Councillor Grigg commented that some of the targets in the report were very challenging, like balancing the need for parking spaces and at the same time helping retail businesses. She would be interested in how this would work out. The Planning Services Portfolio Holder agreed it was a challenging balancing act; providing more car parking spaces would also encourage more cars and cause congestion. We would have to wait and see what the consultation comes up with.

Councillor Bedford said it was fair to say that looking at this survey we were comparing today’s usage of motor vehicles to future travel modes. The Planning Services Portfolio Holder said that they were not comparing, just developing a strategy. They were also looking at rapid transit buses and trams and other options for the transport corridors. For the Garden Town the strategy would have to be something that was capable of evolving over time as there a lot of unknowns at this stage.

DECISION:

(1)    That the draft Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Transport Strategy (January 2019) be published for a six-week period of public consultation following the May elections; and

(2)    The Cabinet noted that, following consultation and any subsequent revisions to the document, it was intended that the final Transport Strategy would be agreed as a material planning consideration for the preparation of masterplans, the preparation of the Gilston Area Charter, pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purposes.

Reasons for Proposed Decision:

To agree the Draft Transport Strategy to be published for a six week period of public consultation following the May elections.  Following consultation and any subsequent revision to the document it was intended to give suitable planning weight to the strategy by endorsing it as a material planning consideration, to ensure that development proposals would achieve garden town ambitions, and that clear parameters were established for future masterplanning pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purposes within the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town

Other Options for Action:

Not to agree the Draft Transport Strategy for consultation would mean that there would be no agreed approach to ensure that development proposals would achieve Garden Town ambitions, and that clear parameters were established for future masterplanning and consideration of planning applications across the Garden Town in relation to movement, travel and transport