TRANSPORT STATEMENT PROPOSED SELF STORAGE UNIT DEVELOPMENT HALTON ROAD, RUNCORN U LOCK IT APRIL 2013 DOC REF: PT/13089/TS/01 Lawrence Buildings 2 Mount Street Manchester M2 5WQ T: 0161 832 4400 F: 0161 832 5111 E: info@scptransport.co.uk W: www. scptransport.co.uk
TRANSPORT STATEMENT PROPOSED SELF STORAGE UNIT DEVELOPMENT HALTON ROAD, RUNCORN U LOCK IT APRIL 2013 Document Control 0 April 2013 Draft PT WB This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of SCP being obtained. SCP accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequence of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm his agreement to indemnify SCP for all loss or damage resulting there from. SCP accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person by whom it was commissioned.
CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION... 2 2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS... 5 3.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT... 7 4.0 ACCESSIBILITY... 9 5.0 HIGHWAY IMPACT... 13 6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS... 15 APPENDICES A B C SITE LAYOUT PLAN SITE ACCESS AND SWEPT PATH ANALYSIS TRICS OUTPUTS Page 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION Overview 1.1 SCP are instructed by U Lock It to provide specialist highways and transportation advice in relation to the proposed development of 132 self-storage container units on land to the north of Halton Road, Runcorn. 1.2 The location of the site in relation to the wider highway network is shown below on Figure 1.1. Figure 1.1 Site Location Wider Highway Network Site Location 1.3 The site is shown in a more local context at Figure 1.2 below:- Page 2
Figure 1.2 Site Location Local Highway Network RPG Plant Equipment Halton Road Ringway Road Bus Stops Purpose and Structure of Report 1.4 This (TS) has been produced to support the planning application and demonstrate to the Local Planning and Highway Authority (Halton Borough Council) that the development is satisfactory from a highway safety, traffic and access perspective. The structure of this TS is as follows:- Chapter 2 describes in detail the site location, local transport network and existing use of the site; Chapter 3 defines the development proposals including the proposed access and internal site layout; Chapter 4 considers the location of the site with regard to the existing local sustainable transport infrastructure; Page 3
Chapter 5 presents estimates of the trip generating potential of the site along with a summary of impact of the development on the local highway network; and Chapter 6 provides the summary and conclusions to the above chapters. Page 4
2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS General 2.1 The site occupies a parcel of land to the north of Halton Road, approximately 1.1 km to the east of Runcorn town centre as shown on Figures 1.1 and 1.2 earlier. The site is bounded by Industrial Units to the east, the Bridgewater Canal to the north, The Canal Walk public house to the west and Halton Road to the south. 2.2 The application site comprises the southern section of the former National Grid Gasworks site which is currently is unoccupied and covered in hard standing. The northern section of the site, which is not the subject of this application, is overgrown / derelict land but does contain an RP Gas plant which is still operational and requires 24 hour access. Existing Access Arrangements 2.3 The site currently takes access from a simple priority controlled junction off Halton Road. The existing site access provides visibility splays that have an x (minor arm setback distance) of 2.4m and a y (major road visibility) distance of greater then 90m to the east and west. This level of visibility is in accordance with the visibility standards set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges for a 30mph road and therefore considered acceptable. 2.4 The site access if currently gated and padlocked. The gates are currently set back approximately 5m into the site which enables a car to wait at the gates without impacting on traffic on Halton Road. Local Highway Network 2.5 Halton Road is located to the south of the site and provides a link between the B5155 Heath Road in the west and Boston Avenue in the East which, beyond this point, provides access to the A533 Central Expressway. 2.6 In the vicinity of the site Halton Road is subject to a 30mph speed limit and benefits from street lighting and a footway on both sides of the road. Heaton Road has a total carriageway width of approximately 9.2m and centreline hatching of approximately 1.3m in width. Marked parking bays are also located on the southern side of Halton Road. 2.7 An uncontrolled crossing is located to the immediate west of the site access which benefits from dropped kerbs, tactile paving and a pedestrian refuge. Page 5
Road Safety 2.8 The Personal Injury Accident data for the local highway network has been obtained from the Department for Transport for the 5 year-period covering 1st January 2007 to 31st December 2011. The location of the accidents is shown on Figure 2.1 below. Figure 2.1 Road Safety Plan Key Site Boundary Study Area Serious Severity 2.9 As can be seen from the above, no accidents have occurred over the five year study period in the immediate vicinity of the site access. One accident occurred at the access to the Paramount Food industrial building to the east of the site and was of serious severity. 2.10 Whilst any accident is to be regretted, one accident over a five year period does not lead to any significant concerns or demonstrate any discernible pattern that could be affected by the development proposals. Page 6
3.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Overview 3.1 The proposed development will provide approximately 132 self-storage container units, as shown on the site layout plan presented in Appendix A. Three sizes of containers will be provided on site which are summarised below:- 3m x 2.2m containers 55 in number; 5m x 2.2m containers 48 in number; and 6m x 2.2m containers 29 in number. 3.2 The above equates to a total gross floor area of 1,274 sq. m storage space. 3.3 It is envisaged that the site will employ 2 part time office workers to oversee the generation of the business. Based on the operation of other existing U Lock It sites, it is anticipated that there would be only be 1 staff member on site at a time and that the office would be open only for limited periods of the day, excluding the peak hours. 3.4 The site will operate on a 24 hour basis and provide manned CCTV surveillance. Proposed Site Access and Internal Site Layout Arrangements 3.5 Access to the site will be provided from the existing location on Halton Road. However, the layout of the access will be modified so that a separate access is provided into the U Lock It site, whilst maintaining access to the existing National Grid RP Gas plant. The proposed layout of the access is shown on Drawing Number SCP/13089/F01 presented in Appendix B. 3.6 Separate accesses to the U Lock It and National Grid elements of the site are required for security reasons as access to the existing RP gas plant needs to be strictly controlled. Having regard to the extremely low volumes of traffic generated by the proposed development (as detailed later) this access arrangement is not considered to result in any material road safety or operational issues. 3.7 The two accesses will be gated and set back into the site at a sufficient distance to enable vehicles to wait without impacting on traffic on Halton Road. The gates to the U Lock It element of the site will be electrified and customers will be provided with a remote key-fob for access and egress. Page 7
3.8 As shown on the site layout plan presented in Appendix A, the containers will be positioned in a liner arrangement running east to west across the site. Swept path analysis of the proposed site access and internal site layout has been undertaken and is presented in Appendix B. This demonstrates that the layout provides sufficient space to allow vehicles to be driven up to the individual units and enter and leave the site in forward gear. There are also large areas of hard standing within the site which will provide customers and staff with the opportunity to park away from the containers, should this be required. 3.9 A gated access will also be provided into the U Lock It site off the access route to the National Grid section of the site. This access will be used for the delivery of containers and will not be used by general customers on a day-to-day basis. Page 8
4.0 ACCESSIBILITY Overview 4.1 Given the general operation of the site and need for customers to transport their goods kept in storage, it is unlikely that a high proportion of customers will travel to and from the site by sustainable modes of transport. Notwithstanding this, this Chapter provides a brief review of the accessibility of the site by walking, cycling and public transport to demonstrate that customers and employees can readily access the site by these modes should they wish to do so. Pedestrians 4.2 Walking is acknowledged as offering a realistic and healthy option to the use of the private car for short trips up to 2kms in length. The areas within a 2km straight line isochrone of the site are shown on Figure 4.1 below. Figure 4.1 Walk Accessibility Page 9
4.3 The above demonstrates that large residential areas around Runcorn and Halton are within easy walk distance of the site, providing a potential opportunity for customers and employees to travel to the site on foot. 4.4 Pedestrian facilities surrounding the site are generally good. In particular, footways are provided on both sides of Halton Road which are lit, well surfaced and benefit from natural surveillance from the residential properties and employment units that abut the road. An uncontrolled crossing is also provided to the immediate west of site access which provides dropped kerbs, tactile paving and a central refuge. Cyclists 4.5 Transport Policy identifies that cycling represents a realistic and healthy option to use of the private car for making journeys up to 5000m as a whole journey or as part of a longer journey by public transport. 4.6 Figure 4.2 below illustrates the 5km cycle catchment of the site, which is equivalent to a 25 minute cycle. Figure 4.2 Cycle Accessibility Page 10
4.7 The above demonstrates that the site is within acceptable cycle distance of large residential areas contained within Runcorn, Halton, Norton and Sutton Weaver amongst others. 4.8 A plan showing the cycle routes in the vicinity of the site is shown on Figure 4.3 below. Figure 4.3 Cycle Routes Site Location 4.9 The above demonstrates that a traffic free cycle route is available approximately 450m to the west of the site in the vicinity of the A533 Bridgewater Expressway and a shared footway / cycleway approximately 660m to the east of the site in the vicinity of the of the A533 Central Expressway. Halton Road itself has a wide carriageway which would allow a car to comfortably pass a cyclist. 4.10 Having regard to the large residential areas available within a 5km cycle distance of the site and the high quality cycle infrastructure provided, the proposed development is considered to be well located to encourage customers and employees to travel by cycle. Page 11
Public Transport 4.11 Guidance published by the IHT Planning for Public Transport in Developments (1999), recommends that the maximum walking distance to a bus stop should be 400 metres, equating approximately to a five minute walk. 4.12 The nearest bus stops to the site are located on Halton Road, as shown on Figure 1.2 earlier, and are well within the recommended 400m walk distance. The stops are served by bus services 21 and 52 which are summarised in Table 4.1 below. Table 4.1 Bus Service Summary Halton Road Service Number Route Frequency 21 52 Runcorn - Frodsham - Helsby Chester (Each Direction) Beechwood - Halton Lea - Halton Village - Castlefields - Runcorn High Street (Each Direction) Hourly (Each Direction) Hourly (Each Direction) 4.13 The site is served by good frequency bus services which provide access to a number of local destinations. The proposed development is therefore considered to be well located to encourage travel by bus. 4.14 Runcorn Railway Station is located approximately 2.5km to the west of the site and provides direct trains to locations such as Liverpool Lime Street, Crewe, Stafford, Chester and Frodsham. Summary 4.15 Having regard to the above, the accessibility of the site by alternative transport modes is therefore considered to be good. The site is situated within easy walking distance of large residential areas, there are numerous cycle routes in the area and it is within easy walking distance of good frequency bus services. Page 12
5.0 HIGHWAY IMPACT Overview 5.1 This chapter provides an estimate of the number trips likely to be generated by the proposed development and draws conclusions on the likely impact of the development on the local highway network. Trip Generation 5.2 To estimate the trip generating potential of the proposed development, the TRICS 2013 (a) Database has been interrogated for surveys of residential developments similar to that proposed. The selection criteria for the TRICS-based trip rates is as follows:- Employment Warehousing (Self Storage); and London and Town Centre locations excluded. 5.3 The TRICS outputs are presented in Appendix C and are summarised in Table 5.1 below:- Table 5.1 Proposed Development Trip Rates! " #$%$! " &$#$ ' ' ' 0.12 0.098 0.076 0.109 1.28 1.255 ' 5.4 The above trip rates have been applied to the proposed 1,274 sq. m of storage space proposed to determine the trip generation for the proposed development, as summarised in Table 5.2 below. Table 5.2 Proposed Development Trip Generation! " #$%$! " &$#$ ' ' ' ' 2 1 1 1 16 16 Page 13
Highway Impact 5.5 As demonstrated in Table 5.2, the proposed development will generate minimal trips during the peak hours. Even over the course of the day, the proposed development will generate a maximum of only 32 two-way trips which, once split east and west on Halton Road and beyond, will be imperceptible. The proposed development will not have a material impact on the operation or safety of the local highway network. Page 14
6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 6.1 U Lock It seek planning permission for a proposed development of 132 self-storage container units on land to the north of Halton Road, Runcorn. This has been produced to support the planning application and demonstrate to the Local Planning and Highway Authority that the development is satisfactory from a highway safety and access perspective. 6.2 Access to the proposed development will be provided from Halton Road at the same location as the existing site access. The layout of the access will be modified so that a separate access is provided into the proposed U Lock It site, whilst maintaining access to the existing National Grid RP Gas plant. Visibility at the proposed site access has been found to be acceptable. 6.3 Swept path analysis has been undertaken of the proposed site access and internal site layout which demonstrates that there will be sufficient space to allow vehicles to be driven up to the individual units and enter and leave the site in forward gear. There are also large areas of hard standing within the site which will provide customers and staff with the opportunity to park away from the containers, should this be required. 6.4 It has been demonstrated that the development is sustainable with good accessibility to the site provided to those travelling by foot and by bicycle. A good frequency bus service is available within acceptable walk distance of the site which provides access to a number of locations. 6.5 The trip generating potential of the proposed development has been estimated using trip rates from the industry standard TRICS Database. The development will generate minimal trips during the peak hours (maximum of 3 two-way trips). Over the course of the day, the proposed development will only generate 32 two-way trips, which once split east and west on Halton Road and beyond, will be imperceptible. The proposed development will not therefore have a material impact on the operation or safety of the local highway network. 6.6 Having regard to the above, it is concluded that there is no highway-related reason to withhold planning permission for the scheme and the proposed development is therefore commended for approval. Page 15
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B
SCALE: 1:1000 @ A3 NOTES SCALE: 1:500 @ A3 REVISIONS REV DESCRIPTION DATE BY Client Name: U LOCK IT Project Title: HALTON ROAD RUNCORN Drawing Title: PROPOSED SITE ACCESS ARRANGEMENT Drawn By: JC Date: 19.04.2013 Checked: PT Scale: AS SHOWN Status: Approved/Unapproved: PLANNING - Crown Copyright, All Rights Reserved. 2013 Licence Number 0100031673 Drawing No. SCP/13089/SK01 Rev. -
APPENDIX C
TRI CS 2013(a)v6.11.2 270313 B15.46 (C) 2013 JMP Consultants Ltd on behalf of the TRICS Consortium Friday 19/ 04/ 13 Page 1 OFF- LI NE VERSI ON SCP Mount Street Manchester Licence No: 726001 TRI P RATE CALCULATI ON SELECTI ON PARAMETERS: Land Use Category VEHI CLES : 02 - EMPLOYMENT : E - WAREHOUSI NG (SELF STORAGE) Selected regions and areas: 04 EAST ANGLI A CA CAMBRI DGESHI RE 2 days NF NORFOLK 1 days 06 WEST MI DLANDS WM WEST MI DLANDS 2 days 08 NORTH WEST MS MERSEYSI DE 1 days 10 WALES NW NEWPORT 1 days This section displays the number of survey days per TRI CS sub-region in the selected set Filtering Stage 2 selection: This data displays the chosen trip rate parameter and its selected range. Only sites that fall within the parameter range are included in the trip rate calculation. Parameter: Actual Range: Range Selected by User: Gross floor area 2675 to 8000 (units: sqm) 2500 to 14000 (units: sqm) Public Transport Provision: Selection by: I nclude all surveys Date Range: 01/01/05 to 31/10/11 This data displays the range of survey dates selected. Only surveys that were conducted within this date range are included in the trip rate calculation. Selected survey days: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 days 1 days 3 days 2 days This data displays the number of selected surveys by day of the week. Selected survey types: Manual count Directional ATC Count 7 days 0 days This data displays the number of manual classified surveys and the number of unclassified ATC surveys, the total adding up to the overall number of surveys in the selected set. Manual surveys are undertaken using staff, whilst ATC surveys are undertaking using machines. Selected Locations: Town Centre 1 Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) 5 Edge of Town 1 This data displays the number of surveys per main location category within the selected set. The main location categories consist of Free Standing, Edge of Town, Suburban Area, Neighbourhood Centre, Edge of Town Centre, Town Centre and Not Known. Selected Location Sub Categories: I ndustrial Zone 2 Commercial Zone 1 Development Zone 1 Residential Zone 1 Built-Up Zone 2 This data displays the number of surveys per location sub-category within the selected set. The location sub-categories consist of Commercial Zone, I ndustrial Zone, Development Zone, Residential Zone, Retail Zone, Built-Up Zone, Village, Out
TRI CS 2013(a)v6.11.2 270313 B15.46 (C) 2013 JMP Consultants Ltd on behalf of the TRICS Consortium Friday 19/ 04/ 13 Page 2 OFF- LI NE VERSI ON SCP Mount Street Manchester Licence No: 726001 Filtering Stage 3 selection: Use Class: B8 7 days This data displays the number of surveys per Use Class classification within the selected set. The Use Classes Order 2005 has been used for this purpose, which can be found within the Library module of TRICS. Population within 1 mile: 5,001 to 10,000 1 days 10,001 to 15,000 1 days 15,001 to 20,000 1 days 20,001 to 25,000 2 days 25,001 to 50,000 2 days This data displays the number of selected surveys within stated 1-mile radii of population. Population within 5 miles: 125,001 to 250,000 4 days 250,001 to 500,000 1 days 500,001 or More 2 days This data displays the number of selected surveys within stated 5-mile radii of population. Car ownership within 5 miles: 0.5 or Less 3 days 0.6 to 1.0 1 days 1.1 to 1.5 3 days This data displays the number of selected surveys within stated ranges of average cars owned per residential dwelling, within a radius of 5-miles of selected survey sites. Travel Plan: No 7 days This data displays the number of surveys within the selected set that were undertaken at sites with Travel Plans in place, and the number of surveys that were undertaken at sites without Travel Plans.
TRI CS 2013(a)v6.11.2 270313 B15.46 (C) 2013 JMP Consultants Ltd on behalf of the TRICS Consortium Friday 19/ 04/ 13 Page 3 OFF- LI NE VERSI ON SCP Mount Street Manchester Licence No: 726001 LIST OF SITES relevant to selection parameters 1 CA- 02- E- 02 SELF STORAGE CAMBRI DGESHI RE CLIFTON WAY CAMBRI DGE Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) Built-Up Zone Total Gross floor area: 2675 sqm 2 CA- 02- E- 03 ARMADI LLO SELF STORAGE CAMBRI DGESHI RE WESTFI ELD ROAD NETHERTON PETERBOROUGH Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) Residential Zone Total Gross floor area: 3205 sqm 3 MS-02-E-01 BI G YELLOW MERSEYSI DE MILL LANE LI VERPOOL Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) I ndustrial Zone Total Gross floor area: 8000 sqm 4 NF- 02- E- 02 BI G YELLOW STORAGE NORFOLK CANARY WAY RIVERSIDE NORWI CH Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) Development Zone Total Gross floor area: 6830 sqm 5 NW- 02- E- 01 STORAGE GI ANT NEWPORT LEEWAY COURT LEEWAY I NDUSTRI AL EST. NEWPORT Edge of Town Commercial Zone Total Gross floor area: 4261 sqm 6 WM- 02- E- 01 SPACES STORAGE WEST MI DLANDS STANI FORTH STREET NEW TOWN ROW BIRMINGHAM Town Centre Built-Up Zone Total Gross floor area: 4645 sqm 7 WM- 02- E- 02 EXTRASPACE WEST MI DLANDS 101 LOCKHURST LANE COVENTRY Suburban Area (PPS6 Out of Centre) I ndustrial Zone Total Gross floor area: 7000 sqm This section provides a list of all survey sites and days in the selected set. For each individual survey site, it displays a unique site reference code and site address, the selected trip rate calculation parameter and its value, the day of the week and date of each survey, and whether the survey was a manual classified count or an ATC count.
TRI CS 2013(a)v6.11.2 270313 B15.46 (C) 2013 JMP Consultants Ltd on behalf of the TRICS Consortium Friday 19/ 04/ 13 Page 4 OFF- LI NE VERSI ON SCP Mount Street Manchester Licence No: 726001 TRIP RATE for Land Use 02 - EMPLOYMENT/E - WAREHOUSING (SELF STORAGE) VEHI CLES Calculation factor: 100 sqm BOLD print indicates peak ( busiest) period ARRI VALS DEPARTURES TOTALS No. Ave. Trip No. Ave. Trip No. Ave. Trip Time Range Days GFA Rate Days GFA Rate Days GFA Rate 00:00-01:00 01:00-02:00 02:00-03:00 03:00-04:00 04:00-05:00 05:00-06:00 06:00-07:00 07:00-08:00 7 5231 0.071 7 5231 0.016 7 5231 0.087 08:00-09:00 7 5231 0.120 7 5231 0.098 7 5231 0.218 09:00-10:00 7 5231 0.139 7 5231 0.104 7 5231 0.243 10:00-11:00 7 5231 0.117 7 5231 0.104 7 5231 0.221 11:00-12:00 7 5231 0.117 7 5231 0.115 7 5231 0.232 12:00-13:00 7 5231 0.131 7 5231 0.109 7 5231 0.240 13:00-14:00 7 5231 0.156 7 5231 0.180 7 5231 0.336 14:00-15:00 7 5231 0.137 7 5231 0.139 7 5231 0.276 15:00-16:00 7 5231 0.093 7 5231 0.117 7 5231 0.210 16:00-17:00 7 5231 0.085 7 5231 0.109 7 5231 0.194 17:00-18:00 7 5231 0.076 7 5231 0.109 7 5231 0.185 18:00-19:00 19:00-20:00 20:00-21:00 21:00-22:00 22:00-23:00 23:00-24:00 Total Rates: 7 5231 0.038 1.280 7 5231 0.055 1.255 7 5231 0.093 2.535 This section displays the trip rate results based on the selected set of surveys and the selected count type (shown just above the table). I t is split by three main columns, representing arrivals trips, departures trips, and total trips (arrivals plus departures). Within each of these main columns are three sub-columns. These display the number of survey days where count data is included (per time period), the average value of the selected trip rate calculation parameter (per time period), and the trip rate result (per time period). Total trip rates (the sum of the column) are also displayed at the foot of the table. To obtain a trip rate, the average (mean) trip rate parameter value (TRP) is first calculated for all selected survey days that have count data available for the stated time period. The average (mean) number of arrivals, departures or totals (whichever applies) is also calculated (COUNT) for all selected survey days that have count data available for the stated time period. Then, the average count is divided by the average trip rate parameter value, and multiplied by the stated calculation factor (shown just above the table and abbreviated here as FACT). So, the method is: COUNT/ TRP* FACT. Trip rates are then rounded to 3 decimal places. Parameter summary Trip rate parameter range selected: 2675-8000 (units: sqm) Survey date date range: 01/01/05-31/10/11 Number of weekdays (Monday-Friday): 7 Number of Saturdays: 0 Number of Sundays: 0 Surveys manually removed from selection: 0 This section displays a quick summary of some of the data filtering selections made by the TRICS user. The trip rate calculation parameter range of all selected surveys is displayed first, followed by the range of minimum and maximum survey dates selected by the user. Then, the total number of selected weekdays and weekend days in the selected set of surveys are show. Finally, the number of survey days that have been manually removed from the selected set outside of the standard filtering procedure are displayed.