Agenda item - Valley Gardens Detailed Design

Report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture

RESOLVED-

1)            That Committee;

(i)      Approve the Valley  Gardens (Phase 1&2) detailed highway and greenspace design as contained in Appendix 1, and support the outlined Traffic Regulation Order principles and approach, granting permission for officers to liaise with local businesses and residents to finalise the detail of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order.

(ii)     Grant delegated authority to the Executive Director, Economy Environment & Culture to procure and award a contract for the construction works required to build Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Valley Gardens Scheme using Hampshire County Council’s Gen-3 Civil Engineering, Highways and Transportation Infrastructure Works Framework Two 2016 – 2020 provided the value of the contract comes within the approved capital budget for the Valley Gardens project; and

(iii)    Grant approval for the instigation of the procedures for the exchange of highway to greenspace and the appropriation of greenspace to enable the exchange of green space to highway, as set out in section 7.

40.1      The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director Economy, Environment & Culture that set out an overview of the design progression since the committee had last approved the design, presented the detailed highway and greenspace design for Phase 1 & 2 and also provided information of the proposed next stages of the scheme including the procurement and Traffic Regulation Order process.

40.2      Councillor West thanked officers for their hard work on the scheme over a number of years that had brought the scheme to this point of consideration. Councillor West noted that a response to a deputation earlier in the meeting had stated that the proposals had been well-received by the Transport Partnership. Councillor West stated that whilst that could generally said to be the case, the Partnership had also raised concerns regarding York Place as well as junction pressure and capacity. Councillor West noted his concern that there was an urgent need to improve the pedestrian crossing at Cheapside however, there was no funding to do so and in general, the safety for peripheral parts of the scheme had not been considered thoroughly enough. Councillor West stated that the special taxi area took too much away from the shared cycle and pedestrian space and the crossing at the end of St Peter’s Place was not safe as cyclists would travel across a two-stage crossing on a dog leg section. Councillor West added that the Gardens would be both a space for events and one for people to spend time in however, he was unconvinced the proposed surfacing was resilient enough which could leave the Gardens unsightly and difficult for others to use. Councillor West stated that the review undertaken by the administration had been unacceptably long at two years and was to the loss of the city. The revised proposals had reduced the ambition of the park areas but further delay to make improvements was not feasible due to the lack of progress in the past two years and the need to commence the scheme.

40.3      The Chair stated that her administration had been bequeathed a scheme with insufficient budget and a scheme that had not identified any budget for maintenance. The Chair stated that unlike the scheme they had inherited, the proposal before committee was flexible and affordable and would bring demonstrable improvement to Valley Gardens. The Chair stated that officers had responded to the issues outlined by Councillor West at the Transport Partnership meeting however, those points could be re-responded to.

40.4      In reference to the queries raised regarding junctions, the Senior Project Manager clarified that additional bus movements had been modelled last year and  there was almost 12 months’ of design iterations with the bus companies to find the best possible solution and there would be further joint working going forward. The Senior Project Manager stated that the Cheapside area was outside the boundary of the scheme however, a number of options were being considered for improvement to the junction, most notably the Bus Network Area Review. In reference to the special taxi rank, the Senior Project Manager clarified that whilst the shared space had been reduced from 6m to 3m, this was still in excess of the basic standard. Furthermore, changes had geometric changes had been made to make a more obvious pinch point. With regard to potential surfacing issues, the Landscape Architect stated that there would be a decompaction of soils that had been identified as a solution to improving the condition of the lawns and improving the health and wellbeing of the trees in the Gardens. Furthermore, there would be resurfacing of the lawns with a high-performance turf that would have longer roots and was similar to that used in sports stadia that would provide opportunity for a more diverse set of events to be held in Valley Gardens.

40.5      Councillor Moonan asked for clarification on the distance between the pedestrian walkway and cycle lane.

40.6      The Landscape Architect answered that there was a perennial planted strip on the east side creating a boundary varying between 1.2m and 1.8m in length.

40.7      Councillor Atkinson stated that the committee had rightly seen the need to delay implementation of the scheme to allow for more detailed planning and consultation. Councillor Atkinson noted that the scheme had benefited from cross-party effort and now had cross-party support. Councillor Atkinson supplemented that whilst the required works would inevitably bring traffic delays, he hoped these could be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Councillor Atkinson welcomed the experimental traffic order that would allow officers to respond to feedback and act with flexibility during scheme construction and phased introduction. Councillor Atkinson stated that whilst he understood the concerns raised by Buswatch, the scheme had undergone one of the most comprehensive consultation processes ever held in the city.

40.8      Referring to paragraph 7.16, Councillor Littman asked if the committee could approve the scheme whilst the development of a full Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) was ongoing, where the Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) would be located and why they had reduced in number, how porous resin-bound gravel would be and how rainwater would drain from the extend pavement on the Grand Parade side. Furthermore, Councillor Littman asked what protection would be in place for trees and whether there was a way of guaranteeing that events held on the Gardens met sustainable criteria.

40.9      The Senior Project Manager answered that the EIA would be ongoing and was a process that would cover the whole scheme and would not be complete until the construction phase was completed. In reference to the questions raised on drainage, the Project Consultant answered that SUDS were an important part of the scheme however, there were constraints met in the more visible areas of the scheme, mainly in terms of the designated event spaces. In relation to that, there had been a concentration on permeable paving on all footways. Furthermore, resin-bound gravel was also permeable and in the overall, revised layout, there was a 10% reduction in hard permeable areas. In relation to the query raised on events, the Assistant Director- City Management clarified that a citywide event management strategy was being devised and would be submitted to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee for approval. The Parks & Open Spaces Operations officer clarified that in relation to tree maintenance, the same officer would undertake that maintenance, irrespective of whether the trees were located on parks or highways land.

40.10   Councillor Horan stated that it had been demonstrated that the delay to reassess the scheme was the responsible and correct option and had led to a design that residents would appreciate much more. Councillor Horan added that approach would ensure £14m of public money would be used correctly compared to the hurried approached taken by the previous administration.

40.11   Councillor Nemeth stated that one way of mitigating the impact of events on residents was the use of 3-way electricity and water points however; there was no detail in the report on the proposed utility points. Councillor Nemeth added that bonded gravel was a difficult material to repair due to the variance in colour and asked what measures were being taken to offset that.

40.12   The Senior Project Manager there would be 3 phase power supplies located at Richmond Place square and by St Peter’s Church. In relation to bonded gravel, there had been close working with the Highways Maintenance team and flagged material had been chosen in areas closer to buildings that could expect maintenance due its proximity to underground utilities. In the main squares, no such utilities existed and not as much maintenance work was expected so bonded gravel had been chosen for use.

40.13   Councillor Wares stated that his group had supported the concepts of both the Green and current Labour Administrations and he hoped their contribution had been useful. Councillor Wares stated that he had concerns for a single north/south carriage and whilst he had been assured that traffic modelling had proven that this would function correctly, he asked if that assurance could be provided one more time. Councillor Wares stated that he hoped there would not be an overreliance on red routes to ensure the scheme worked. In relation to events, Councillor Wares believed it was an oversight that some of the shared cycle and pedestrian walkways had not been designed to be able to take vehicles. Councillor Wares made two observations regarding lighting in the Gardens; firstly that light was used as a form of attractive illumination but also that there was sufficient lighting to ensure public safety. Councillor Wares supplemented that there were many major projects scheduled in the city and extra care would need to be taken to prevent long-term, major disruption. Councillor Wares believed one method of preventing congestion when construction was underway was a simple electronic notice advising those entering the city of expected journey time and delays.

40.14   The Senior Project Manager confirmed there would be signs on strategic routes into the city highlighting any delays and expected journey times. A full lighting design for the highway and green space area had been devised and had been submitted as part of the approved planning application. In relation to the single north/south carriageway, the Senior Project Manager explained that extensive traffic modelling had been undertaken that had demonstrated the effective movement of vehicles. Further mitigating measures had been taken in the design including lower kerb heights so vehicles could go on to the kerb if necessary and strengthening of the footways. The design was also such that even at the narrowest point, there was sufficient space for overtaking. In addition, red routes would continue to be investigated under the experimental traffic order to prevent any instances of illegal traffic stopping.

40.15   Councillor Peltzer Dunn stated that whilst he welcomed the 20% reduction in construction time, there was considerable potential for major disruption to the city and he hoped that all necessary measures were available and would be taken to ensure there was not a significant impact to the visitor economy.

40.16   RESOLVED-

1)            That Committee;

(i)      Approve the Valley  Gardens (Phase 1&2) detailed highway and greenspace design as contained in Appendix 1, and support the outlined Traffic Regulation Order principles and approach, granting permission for officers to liaise with local businesses and residents to finalise the detail of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order.

(ii)     Grant delegated authority to the Executive Director, Economy Environment & Culture to procure and award a contract for the construction works required to build Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Valley Gardens Scheme using Hampshire County Council’s Gen-3 Civil Engineering, Highways and Transportation Infrastructure Works Framework Two 2016 – 2020 provided the value of the contract comes within the approved capital budget for the Valley Gardens project; and

(iii)    Grant approval for the instigation of the procedures for the exchange of highway to greenspace and the appropriation of greenspace to enable the exchange of green space to highway, as set out in section 7.