Report To: Joint Transportation Board
Date: 5th October 2011
Report Title: Maidstone Transport Strategy
Report Author: Peter Rosevear
Summary:
This report describes the current position with regard to the preparation of a Transport Strategy in support of the Core Strategy of the MBC Local Development Framework
Decision: Report for Information and Comment
Affected Wards: All
Recommendations: Members of this Board are invited to comment on the Draft Transport Strategy, and make a formal response to the Borough Council on the Local Development Framework Core Strategy
Financial Implications:
The measures that will emerge into the final version of the strategy will be funded from a variety of sources, mainly through new development, and including Kent County Council (via the Local Transport Plan), and Maidstone Borough Council.
Purpose of the Report
1. Update Members on the Maidstone Transport Strategy and the Core Strategy consultation process
Background
2. Kent Highway Services and Maidstone Borough Council have been working together on the evolution of a Draft Transport Strategy that would support the expectations of growth identified in the LDF Core Strategy, and address existing and newly created transport issues. The attached document is a draft that describes the existing transport situation in the Borough and the option testing carried out with the multi modal transport model, and goes on to suggest a range of targets through which progress might be monitored.
3. MBC are currently in the process of consulting on the Core Strategy. The statutory period started on the 2nd September and will end on the 14th October. Appendix 3 of the consultation document shows a set of policy evolution papers. The transport paper (number 6) is also attached as an appendix to this report (As Appendix 1) , and identifies a package of measures that has been evolved though option testing.
4. MBC is currently going through further internal discussion on its parking strategy, including the Park and Ride service and the management of the town centre off-street car parks. A separate Parking Strategy document will emerge in due course.
5 Members of this Board participated in a Transport Workshop in March, and will be aware of the dilemmas at the heart of the transport issues which were described in the briefing note circulated at that time. If there is little or no attempt to address the current congestion, existing residents and businesses will be adversely affected, and future regeneration is likely to be inhibited by the reduced accessibility of potential development sites. However, the measures that might be used to promote sustainable transport and less reliance on the private car may also be a deterrent to the inward investment required to fulfil the LDF Core Strategy’s growth aspirations.
6. The package of transport measures emphasises management of the existing network as efficiently as possible, and working towards more sustainable patterns of movement. This is particularly important in regard of the desired prosperity of the town centre, whereby the Borough Council seeks to bring more investment into the town to create jobs. There are also pressing traffic and transport issues around the periphery of the town and in the rural areas to be addressed. The Draft Transport Strategy is attached as Appendix 2.
Views of Local Members
7. All members representing Maidstone wards are invited to comment,
both through this Board and directly to the Borough Council.
Views of Statutory Consultees
8. All stakeholders and interested parties now have the opportunity to
make representations through the public participation process. Further
consultation on transport and parking issues is expected to be needed
in due course
Conclusion
9. As previously reported, most of the issues on the highway and transport networks are not new, and many have been the subject of much discussion at this Board and elsewhere. The opportunity now exists to set these issues into the context of the Borough Council’s long term spatial planning objectives, and seek to coordinate public and developer funding streams towards potential solutions.
Attachments :- Extract from Core Strategy - Appendix 1
Draft Transport Strategy – Appendix 2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact: Peter Rosevear – Kent Highway Services
Email: peterrosevear@maidstone.gov.uk or peter.rosevear@kent.gov.uk
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------