Agenda item

(a)  That the offer of the Berkshire Local Transport Body to provide £2m towards the cost of the Burnham Station improvements be welcomed;

(b)  That the terms of the offer, including the need for the remainder of the scheme cost approximately £100K to be met by Section 106 contributions identified for the Burnham area be noted;

(c)  That the key elements of the permanent scheme, as set out in paragraph 5.8 of the report, be agreed in principle, subject to detailed design and the consideration of further feedback from the public consultation.

The Commissioner for Highways & Transport introduced a report that sought approval to make permanent the experimental northbound option for Station Road, Burnham; and the implementation of a series of improvements to the road network in the surrounding area and in the immediate vicinity of Burnham Station.

The proposals sought to address the longstanding traffic problems in the area and improve access to the station ahead of the start of new Crossrail services.  An experimental scheme had been in place since October 2015 and significant consultation, surveys and other engagement had taken place, the results of which were included in the report and supporting appendices.  Phase 1 of the experiment involved the closure of a section of Station Road under the railway bridge and had resulted in an adverse effect on the surrounding road network and negative feedback from a majority of residents and road users.  Phase 2 allowed northbound traffic only on a section Station Road and the overall feedback was more positive.  81% of survey respondents said that Phase 1 had made their journey worse, whereas 72% said Phase 2 had made their journey better.  Officers highlighted that a number of other changes would be implemented to further improve the permanent scheme such as a 20mph zone and new pedestrian crossing points.

The Cabinet discussed a number of issues including the use of experimental orders in the future and local communication and engagement.  It was responded that an experimental order allowed consultation and feedback on the operation of a scheme itself, rather than the perceptions of the impacts that a planned scheme may have.  They were also designed to be flexible to be able to respond to the actual impacts a scheme had on the network during the experimental phase.  Some lessons had been learnt for the future on the engagement of ward members and the communications plan with residents.

Speaking under Rule 30, Councillor Wright raised some perceived safety issues in the detailed design, including the risk to disabled people in particular of the new zebra crossing on Burnham Lane given the improved flow of traffic and problem of speeding.  Officers confirmed that the new crossings would be Disability Discrimination Act compliant and would meet all of required safety standards for disabled and partially sighted people.  A number of other improvements were being taken forward in the detailed design and bus companies and other stakeholders were being engaged.  In response to other questions raised, the Cabinet noted that the £2m funding contribution from the Berkshire Local Transport Body had been confirmed for delivery in 2016-17; that the transport impacts of major regeneration schemes would be built into the modelling for future schemes; and further comments and feedback from local residents would be taken into account in finalising the detailed design of the scheme.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Cabinet agreed that the permanent scheme should be based on the northbound option for Station Road and incorporate a range of associated improvements around the station and on the surrounding road network.

Resolved –

(a)  That the offer of the Berkshire Local Transport Body to provide £2m towards the cost of the Burnham Station improvements be welcomed;

(b)  That the terms of the offer, including the need for the remainder of the scheme cost approximately £100K to be met by Section 106 contributions identified for the Burnham area be noted;

(c)  That the key elements of the permanent scheme, including the northbound option for Station Road and as set out in paragraph 5.8 of the report, be agreed in principle, subject to detailed design and the consideration of further feedback from the public consultation.