Issue - meetings

The Corporate Director of Economy & Place to present a report which provides an update on the progress of plans to increase the capacity of the A1237 Outer Ring Road and seeks approval of proposed funding arrangements for the first phase and for further development of the scheme.

Resolved:  (i)      That Option 1 be approved and that local match funding be spent on the further development of the dualling scheme in advance of confirmation of funding from the Department for Transport.

(ii)      That the Executive Leader issue a letter identifying the importance of a rapid decision on the funding request and supporting the simplification of the approval process.

Reason:     To enable the delivery of a section of the A1237 to dual carriageway standard in the shortest possible time.

[See also under Part B]

The Corporate Director of Economy & Place and the Head of Transport presented a report which provided an update on the progress of plans to increase the capacity of the A1237 Outer Ring Road and sought approval for proposed funding arrangements for the first stage and further development.

On 30 September, the Secretary of State for Transport had announced that upgrading a section of the A1237 would be one of the first schemes to be delivered using the new Major Road Network (MRN) fund, which would commence in April 2020.  The report recommended that £2.8m (10% of the cost of the dualling element) be allocated in the council’s capital programme as a match funding contribution and to enable further development of the dualling scheme. 

The following options were considered, as detailed and analysed in paragraphs 37-40 of the report:

Option 1 – progress the scheme, approve the request for match funding and progress the further development work before Programme Entry status is granted.   This was the recommended option, as it would ensure maximum opportunity from the Minister’s announcement and the MRN fund.

Option 2 – as above, but progress further development work after Programme Entry status has been granted. 

Option 3 – suspend the bid for funding. 

In response to matters raised under Public Participation on this item and questions from Members, officers confirmed that:

·        The scheme included elements of cycling infrastructure and provided an opportunity to look at the impact of dualling on other routes adjacent to the A1237.

·        The council had already adopted an overall cycling strategy, which would be aided by the extra funding for this scheme; a map of the city was available showing clearly the cycling routes proposed and existing gaps in provision.

·        The cost / benefit rating of the scheme was 2.

The Chair and the Executive Member for Transport & Planning welcomed the proposals while acknowledging that more needed to be done, and it was

Resolved:  (i)      That Option 1 be approved and that local match funding be spent on the further development of the dualling scheme in advance of confirmation of funding from the Department for Transport.

(ii)      That the Executive Leader issue a letter identifying the importance of a rapid decision on the funding request and supporting the simplification of the approval process.

Reason:     To enable the delivery of a section of the A1237 to dual carriageway standard in the shortest possible time.