Agenda item

A509 Isham Bypass

Decision:

RESOLVED:

KEY DECISION

That the Executive:

a) Approved the route shown in Appendix B of the report as the new preferred route for the A509 Isham Bypass;

b) Approved the proposal to undertake further public consultation and exhibition ahead of a new planning application;

c) Noted the further work to be undertaken and permissions and funding obtained as set out in section 6 of this report.

d) Delegated to the Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, in consultation with Executive Director for Place & Economy, Executive Member for Finance and the Executive Director for Finance, the authority to take any further decisions and/or actions required in connection with the procurement and award of a contract to provide professional services to support the delivery of the A509 Isham Bypass.

Reason for recommendations:

· To tie the bypass into the improvements to the A509 being constructed by the Symmetry Park development.

· To allow the public to see and have a comment on the proposals before the submission of the new planning application.

· To ensure continued access to consultancy resource required for the development of the planning application and Outline Business Case, and any further similar work required as the scheme progresses.

Alternative Options Considered:

· Maintaining the existing Preferred Route would mean that the improvements to the A509 being constructed by the Symmetry Park development were superseded. That would be wasteful and lead to increased costs.

· Not holding a further public consultation and exhibition would mean that the public would not have an opportunity to see and comment on the proposals before the submission of the planning application.

· It is not feasible to progress with the planning application and Outline Business Case without the support of external professional services skilled and able to undertake the work.

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Cllr Clive Hallam to the meeting to address the Executive. Cllr Hallam noted the longevity of the campaign for a bypass for Isham and stated his support for the current plan but raised concern over the impact of employment traffic on other local villages, with developers needing to mitigate the issues caused as a result of their developments. Cllr Hallam further called for construction of the bypass to commence during the lifetime of the current administration.

The Chair thanked Cllr Hallam for his contribution before the Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, Cllr Graham Lawman introduced a report that sought to update the Executive on the work that had been, and would be undertaken in respect of the A509 Isham Bypass, sought agreement of a change to the Preferred Route for the scheme and requested delegated authority be provided to himself as portfolio holder to procure and award a contract to provide professional services to support the delivery of the bypass.

Cllr Lawman thanked Cllr Hallam for his comments and noted the support of the local MP, Peter Bone in the long-running campaign for the bypass. Cllr Lawman also supported comments relating to traffic calming for villages surrounding the ongoing employment developments in the area.

It was noted that, if approved, the change to the current preferred route for the A509 Isham Bypass would tie-in to the improvements to the A509 which were being constructed as part of the Symmetry Park development. Work had been undertaken to ensure the design of the bypass was compliant with current standards, including consideration for active travel, and to explore opportunities for value engineering. Further work was underway to develop a new planning application and an Outline Business Case for the scheme with submission due in October 2022. Further public consultation would take place prior to the planning application being submitted.

It was heard that further progress would then be dependent on securing the necessary statutory permissions and further funding. Following the granting of planning permission, new Compulsory Purchase and Side Roads Orders were likely to be required followed by submission of a Full Business Case to the Department for Transport to secure funding to construct the road. It was currently projected that construction would start in November 2024, with the bypass opening in November 2026.

The meeting heard that work on the business case, design and planning application was being undertaken by WSP UK Ltd through the Council’s highways services contract with KierWSP. This contract was due to come to an end in September 2022, consequently it was recommended that the Council procure professional services suitable for providing the skills required to ensure the work already undertaken continued without disruption or delay, whilst ensuring value for money.

Cllr Brackenbury welcomed the report and the prospect of the bypass becoming a reality, noting that it would reduce the pressure of traffic on surrounding routes once complete.