Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport concerning the A511 Growth Corridor Proposals. A copy of the report, marked “Agenda Item 9” is filed with these minutes.

Members thanked officers for the detailed site visit which was provided and highlighted the current problems with congestion and the proposed schemes to improve the A511. It was agreed future site visits would be organised as appropriate.

Members noted the detailed comments provided by local member Dr. T. Eynon CC. In response the Director briefly addressed the following four points raised as follows:-

‘Assurance that the Junction 6, the Bardon Link Road was deliverable’ – Officers were already in the process of liaising with Network Rail (due to the long lead in time) and with landowner’s whose land would need to be acquired for the proposals.

‘Feasibility of a walk/cycle path into Coalville’ – While this will complement the Major Road Network (MRN) bid, the cycle path along the disused railway near the link road would be added to the Coalville Cycle Strategy, officers would consider how it could be progressed.

‘Assurance that the Stephenson’s Way roundabout will have the capacity to cope with the traffic’ – Members were assured that officers had undertaken simulations of the traffic into 2030 to ensure it would have the capacity to deal with future pressure.

‘A harmonisation of the speed limits along the A511’ – this issue had been the subject of long and detailed discussions. The County Council would always manage speeds as per the national criteria.

A more detailed response would be provided to Dr Eynon on this and the other points raised in her submission.

Arising from the wider discussion, the following points were raised:-

i)     Extensive engagement had been carried out. While responses received agreed with the need for improvement many wanted the proposals to go further. Members were informed that the County Council were only able to bid up to £50million as part of the Major Road Network (MRN) scheme. However, the County Council were in ongoing discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT) to see how the scheme could be developed to encourage sustainable travel, which had not been in the original specifications set out by DfT.  Due to limited land along the A511 it was unlikely that a bus lane could be included in the scheme but officers were exploring other ways to promote sustainable travel along the route.

ii)    Members were pleased that the scheme would improve air quality by easing congestion and preventing stop start movements, especially through the Birch Tree Roundabout which was considered one of the worst areas in Leicestershire for air quality.

iii)   Concern was raised over shared cycle and walking paths, due to the increasing use of mobility scooters. Officers assured members their comments would be fed in as part of the design process.

iv)  The Director reported that the Council had recently received a “Planning for Natural Environment” award for the work undertaken on the Melton Mowbray bypass. Members were assured the good work would continue into the A511 proposals and that tree planting would include a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees, where appropriate.

v)    Members were informed that the County Council were looking to conclude a risk sharing agreement with North West Leicestershire District Council to deal with the situation that if the £7.0m that the County Council had to forward fund was not repaid through Section 106 agreements.  The risk was considered low as developments with planning agreement’s already in place would be sufficient to cover the costs incurred.

vi)  While the Department had looked at alternative proposals which went further than the proposed scheme, this would significantly increase the cost of the project and that additional cost was unlikely to be funded by the Government given its strict funding formula.

The Lead Member for Environment and Transport thanked the members of the public, and local members who had engaged with the consultation and accepted that there was still work to do to demonstrate to the public that the proposals would address residents’ concerns.

The Committee supported the A511 proposals and its aim to alleviate the current issues around air quality and congestion. Members urged the Department to continue with efforts to engage with the DfT to further encourage sustainable travel within the Scheme.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet be advised that the Committee supported the A511 Corridor proposals set out in the report.