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Committee: |
Regulatory Planning Committee
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Date: |
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Report by: |
Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title of Report: |
Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package Phase 2b Traffic Regulation Order |
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Purpose of Report: |
To consider the objections received in response to the formal consultation on the draft Traffic Regulation Order associated with Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package Phase 2b |
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Contact Officer:
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Isobel Kellett – Tel: 07513 833903 |
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Local Members:
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Councillors Stephen Holt and Brett Wright |
RECOMMENDATION
The Planning Committee is recommended to:
1) not uphold the objections to the draft Order, and
2) recommend to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport that the Traffic Regulation Order, as advertised, be made in part.
1.1 In autumn 2021, Eastbourne Borough Council was successful in their Round 1 Levelling Up Fund (LUF) application which secured £4.74m for the highway element of the ‘Victoria Place’ scheme within the Eastbourne Town Centre Phase 2b Movement and Access Package. At the Lead Member for Transport and Environment meeting on 14 March 2022, it was resolved that the County Council, acting as a delivery partner, enter into a grant funding agreement with Eastbourne Borough Council in relation to the LUF monies, to enable the delivery of the pedestrianisation of the Victoria Place section of Terminus Road.
1.2 The objectives for Phase 2b of the Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package, focussed on the section of Terminus Road between Grand Parade and seafront and Trinity Trees/Seaside Road known locally as ‘Victoria Place’, are to:
· Deliver improvements which support and complement changes made in Phase 1 and Phase 2a of the Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package.
· Improve pedestrian safety and accessibility (ease of movement for vulnerable users, parents or carers with pushchairs etc.) by reallocating road space in the section of Terminus Road between Seaside Road and Grand Parade to pedestrians.
· Complete the pedestrian spinal route on Terminus Road through the primary retail area of Eastbourne town centre to the seafront.
· Improve the public realm within the town centre by upgrading street furniture and signage.
1.3 A public consultation was undertaken between October and November 2022 on the principal design of the overall Phase 2b scheme. This involved consultation with local residents, businesses, taxi operators and bus operators. The outcomes of the public consultation and next steps were reported to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment in September 2023, and the Lead Member resolved to progress the scheme to detailed design and construction.
1.4 An initial informal consultation on the proposed Traffic Regulation Order associated with the Phase 2b scheme was carried out between 4 September and 25 September 2024 with the local Borough, and County Councillors, and statutory consultees including the emergency services and bus companies.
1.5 On 8 November 2024, the County Council gave notice under the relevant sections of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended), that it was proposing to make a Traffic Regulation Order. A copy of the draft Traffic Regulation Order is included in Appendix 2. A copy of the advertised Notice of proposals was placed at 10 locations on and in the vicinity of Terminus Road, copies of the proposals were also placed on the County Council’s Consultation website. In addition, the Public Notice was advertised in the local newspaper (The Eastbourne Herald) on 14 November 2024. Statutory Consultees were also contacted again to make them aware of the formal consultation. The formal period for representations ended on 29 November 2024.
1.6 The Phase 2b TRO proposals are as follows:
· Reverse the existing one way on Terminus Road. Vehicles would enter from Seaside Road and exit via Burlington Road.
· Create a public space by closing the section of Terminus Road between Burlington Road and Grand Parade.
· Remove all on street parking bays on Terminus Road between Grand Parade and Trinity Trees/Seaside Road.
· Remove existing westbound bus stop on Trinity Trees/Seaside Road outside British Heart Foundation.
· Remove the existing northbound bus stop on Terminus Road.
· Relocate 2 disabled parking spaces on Seaside Road (east of the Terminus Road junction) from the southern side to northern side of the road.
2.1 During the formal consultation period, 29 items of correspondence were received in relation to the proposals. 18 of these were objections and 11 were in support. Full copies of the correspondence received have been made available in the Members’ Room and have also been made available to Planning Committee members in electronic format.
2.2 Objections were received in relation to the timing of restrictions to loading and unloading. After considering these proposed restrictions within the context of the wider scheme, it has been decided not to progress with the restrictions to vehicular traffic within the Traffic Regulation Order at this point in time. Therefore, the objections received on this proposal do not need to be considered by the committee. Further consideration and discussions (including with the objectors) will take place over the coming months to determine if and how these proposed timing restrictions for loading and unloading can be taken forward. This will include the possibility of initially trialling the restrictions through an Experimental TRO. The remaining objections are detailed in Appendix 1.
2.3 Appropriate locations were considered for blue badge parking and the location chosen on the northern side of Seaside Road is recommended based on the existing on street parking layout and the proximity to the entrance of the Victoria Place section of Terminus Road, which these spaces will primarily serve.
2.4 Consideration was also given to the loss of on street parking, which equates to approximately 21 spaces. However, there is a large amount of alternative parking provision in the town centre including the underutilised Trinity Place multi-storey car park, which in situated behind Terminus Road off Trinity Place within 4 minutes’ walk distance, as well as at the Beacon shopping centre, an appropriate 8-minute walk distance.
2.5 The Number 99 bus route will also need to be amended, with the bus currently running on Terminus Road and Trinity Trees being diverted along Grand Parade and Devonshire Place. The northbound bus stop on Terminus Road and the stop on Trinity Trees outside British Heart Foundation/Premier Inn will therefore be removed with alternative stops provided on Devonshire Place. This is considered acceptable as this is already the route operated by the local bus operator during the temporary pop up park that has been held during the summer months over the last 3 years in the Victoria Place section of Terminus Road when the use of these 2 stops has been temporarily suspended.
2.6 Objections were also received in relation to the restriction of cycling. The proposals mean that cyclists would need to park bicycles at the cycle parking provided at either end of the Victoria Place section of Terminus Road. There are alternative routes in place for cyclists to travel from the station to the seafront. These include an on-road route from the station via Old Orchard Road and the Little Chelsea area, the Devonshire area and theatres, and Wilmington Square.
2.7 This scheme is currently at the detailed design stage and is programmed for construction in 2025/26. East Sussex County Council are also continuing to explore options for improving active travel as part of the relocation of the northern and western sections of the Ring Road from Ashford Road and Susans Road to The Avenue/Upper Avenue and Cavendish Place respectively.
2.8 Having considered the remaining objections, officers are satisfied that there are not sufficient grounds for the proposals to be withdrawn. In addition, it is not considered possible to amend the proposal and still meet the aims of the scheme set out in paragraph 1.2.
3. Conclusion and reasons for recommendation
3.1 The Eastbourne Town Centre Phase 2b proposals aim to enhance accessibility and priority for walking and wheeling (people using wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility aids). It will improve connections for pedestrians and people with mobility issues in the town centre and to/from the seafront. This links with the earlier improvements delivered as Phase 1 of the town centre improvements between the railway station and Bankers Corner, as well in Cornfield Road and Gildredge Road. It also links with plans for improvements between Bankers Corner and Langney Road.
3.2 The project aims to increase visitor numbers, help local businesses and improve the public space in Victoria Place. This would enable a safer, healthier, and more vibrant Eastbourne town centre for people who live, visit, shop, use the services and spend their leisure time. It also helps to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.
3.3 This TRO would allow the changes to parking and traffic movements in the section of Terminus Road between Seaside Road/Trinity Trees and Grand Parade, known as ‘Victoria Place’. The ‘pedestrianisation’ aspect of the scheme will be given further consideration, with an experimental TRO potentially used to ‘test’ the proposals and take account of feedback from traders and residents in the area.