Transport



A418 improvements

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The development of the A418 Improvements scheme is currently on hold pending the outcome of the South East England Regional Assembly's (SEERA) review of its priority list.

An announcement by SEERA on the result of their re-fresh is due in Spring 2009 with Central Government confirmation in Summer 2009 and following this the Cabinet Member for Transportation, Valerie Letheren, will make a decision on the way forward for the A418 Improvements scheme.

A418 improvements

It has been our aspiration and part of the long term strategy to improve links from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury. The recent opening of the Stoke Hammond and Linslade Western Bypass was just one of a series of improvements which aim to create a better link between the towns and ease some of the issues with community severance and reduce rat running through local villages.

Another part of the long term strategy is the section of the A418 Improvements scheme between the A505/ A4146 roundabout and the Hulcott Crossroads. Local residents have long been concerned about the increasing levels of traffic through the villages of Wing and Rowsham as well as the safety issues for road users especially pedestrians and cyclists. In June 2006, a public consultation was held to gather people's views about how to tackle some of these problems and put forward some proposals for route options.

We came up with four different route options, two for the Rowsham section and two for the Wing section and the consultation generated a huge number of responses and public interest. It was hoped a decision by the Portfolio Member for Transportation about the preferred route option would be made in September/ October 2007.

However, there will be a delay in making the decision on the preferred route between the A418/A505 roundabout and Hulcott Crossroads until issues outlined below have been resolved.

  • New guidance was released on September 5th 2007 on how major schemes are funded has changed. The outcome of this is that Local Authorities now have to fund 10% of the cost of the scheme.  A project like the A418 Improvements presented at consultation would cost around £80 Million; therefore, the Council would have to find £8Million.
  • The new guidance also outlined the funding implications if the scheme overspends. Schemes of this size could overspend due to unexpected developments on site e.g. unforeseen ground conditions. Central Government have now said that Local Authorities will have to pay 50% to 100% of overspend costs which is a concern for the County Council as these could run into millions of pounds. The implications of this new guidance need to be reviewed.
  • Central government are reviewing the way schemes are assessed and revised guidance is due to be issued in 2008. The new assessment is likely to put more importance on environmental factors and value for money. Without knowing much more about the assessment work that is needed at this stage we cannot guarantee the scheme will meet the new criteria.
  • SEERA (South East England Regional Assembly) is the body which decides which schemes will be funded. A list of regional schemes was drawn up in October 2006 and put in priority order. The A418 Improvements were excluded from current funding up to 2016. The list is due to be reviewed in 2008 and this will show whether the scheme has been reprioritised and will get any funding in the near future.
  • The draft South East Plan has recently been through a thorough examination by an independent panel appointed by the government. The findings of the examination were released in September 2007, and the panel recommended that the number of new homes proposed in the Plan should increase by 10%. It also has proposed increased housing numbers for all Buckinghamshire Districts including in the north around Milton Keynes. The panel report did support improved road and rail links between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes but the County Council feels it would be better to wait until Central Government makes a final decision on the South East Plan (expected at the end of 2007) before deciding on a preferred route option.
  • Bedfordshire,  which borders Wing to the east, also has planned growth which may affect the decision on the A418 Improvements. Numbers of houses and locations of housing will influence the choice of route. Therefore, we feel it would be prudent to wait until a preferred location for housing is announced before going forward
  • Following the public consultation we are working with Friends of the Earth to carry out a study into possible alternatives to the A418 Improvements scheme. This looks at smaller scale transport/ highway improvements within Wing and Rowsham and public transport measures which could potentially negate the need for a new dual carriageway. This report has now been completed and can be viewed on the left hand navigation under 'Alternatives report'

Consultation

Following the public consultation exercise for the improvements to the A418 from the A505 Roundabout to the Hulcott Crossroads we are analysing the information gathered in order to determine a preferred route.

As a result of the analysis of the responses the Cabinet Member for Transportation has asked for the following items to be further investigated and reported in order to assist the decision making process:

  • Updating of the traffic model as a result of revised guidance from central government and preparation of additional background information.
  • To analyse the effect of removing or restricting the junctions along the route.
  • To investigate improvements to the horizontal and vertical alignment of the options in order to mitigate the effects of the scheme.
  • Test the traffic model in relation to the Local Delivery Framework for growth, especially the southern section of the improvements near Aylesbury.
  • An initial assessment of an alternative route, commonly known as the Cheddington Route, to see how it compares with the options put forward to consultation by the Council. This route would run from the A505 Roundabout parallel to the West Coast Mainline before turning at Cheddington towards Aylesbury along the line of the disused railway.

For more information call 0845 2302882 or email transprojects@buckscc.gov.uk

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