Cabinet considered a report outlining a number of key tasks to be progressed in connection with the proposed Poynton Relief Road, specifically to enable a revised programme to be achieved to deliver the relief road and any A523 corridor improvements subject to the residual funding being identified.
The Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council undertook to involve local members in the key stages of the project and associated governance arrangements.
RESOLVED
That
1. Cabinet endorses the successful £5.62m funding allocation through the Cheshire and Warrington Local Transport Body process and the inclusion of the scheme and A523 corridor strategy in the Growth deal bid to Government;
2. a DfT compliant business case be developed to allow access to this funding;
3. the objectives of the scheme be defined as:
§ To support the economic, physical and social regeneration of Poynton and the North of the Borough, in particular Macclesfield.
§ To relieve existing Village centre traffic congestion and HGVs and reduce traffic on less desirable roads on the wider network.
§ To deliver a range of complementary measures on the A523 corridor to Macclesfield that addresses Road Safety, Congestion and mitigates the wider environmental impact of traffic.
§ To improve strategic transport linkages across the Borough, including improving a key strategic link between the A6-MARR, Macclesfield and the M6 thereby facilitating wider economic and transport benefits including higher GVA and job creation.
§ To allow improvements to the highway network for walking, cycling and public transport
1. the corridor of interest for new possible routes for PRR be agreed as shown in Appendix A to the report;
2. approval to proceed to public consultation on possible new routes for PRR be delegated to the Director of Economic Growth and Prosperity in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Strategic Communities;
3. the extended scheme programme (Appendix C) be delivered with the following key milestones:
|
Task |
Start |
Finish |
|
1. Revised Preferred Route announcement |
Ongoing |
May 2014 |
|
2. Preliminary Design including improvements to the A523 corridor to Macclesfield and scoping a wider multi modal strategy. |
May 2014 |
February 2015 |
|
3. Scheme Business Case |
May 2014 |
May 2015 |
|
4. Environmental Surveys |
May 2014 (Indicative dates) |
May 2015 (Indicative dates) |
|
5. Environmental Statement |
February 2015 (Indicative dates) |
August 2015 (Indicative dates) |
|
6. Planning Application |
August 2015 (Indicative dates) |
January 2016 (Indicative dates) |
4. the revised budget profile as set out below be noted:
§ £0.350m 2013/14
§ £0.650m 2014/15
§ £0.150m 2015/16
Total £1.150m
5. the scope of the brief be extended to consider measures to address safety, environmental and congestion issues on the A523 corridor between the end of the proposed PRR and the end of the Silk Road in Macclesfield, including undertaking a wider multi modal study to manage traffic growth on the A523 corridor;
6. the necessary professional services for these tasks continue to be procured through the current Highway Services Contract (Ringway Jacobs) subject to the Strategic Infrastructure Manager being assured of value for money;
7. the project governance structure as set out in Appendix B be approved;
8. it be noted that the Highway Agency intends to remove its route protection for PRR in the near future and that Cheshire East Council will become liable for blight costs associated with the route protection of PRR as contained in the extant Macclesfield Borough Council Local Plan;
9. Stockport MBC be requested to maintain and broaden its Local Plan protection for PRR along a corridor of interest that lies within its boundaries until such time as Cheshire East Council provides a revised route and, if necessary, to indemnify Stockport MBC against any blight claims it may receive as a result of its route protection for PRR (Appendix A).