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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: |
School Streets Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) – Southover CE Primary school, Lewes
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Purpose of Report: |
To consider the objections received in response to the formal consultation on the draft Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) associated with the Southover CE Primary school, Lewes, School Street scheme
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Contact Officer:
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Eleanor Togut |
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Local Members:
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Councillor Wendy Maples |
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Planning Committee is recommended to:
1) Not uphold the objections to the draft Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) as set out in paragraph 2.4 of this report, which relate to Southover CE Primary – Potters Lane, Cleve Terrace and The Course, Lewes; and
2) Recommend to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport that the ETRO be made permanent.
1.1 A School Street scheme is where a road outside of a school is temporarily restricted to motor vehicles. It remains open to those who walk, wheel or cycle at drop off and pick up times, giving everyone the space they need to get to school and move around their local environment safely. The objectives are focussed on improving safety on the journey to school, reducing congestion on the roads outside the school and to contribute to improving health and wellbeing.
1.2 East Sussex County Council utilised the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Tranche 2 Active Travel Emergency Funding to enable the delivery of a School Streets trial programme in 2021. The trial, undertaken for 6 weeks between March - May 2021 used temporary measures (including barriers, signage and paid stewards), at the following 6 schools to restrict vehicular access at the school drop off and pick up times:
· Southover CE Primary School, Lewes
· All Saints CE Primary School, Sidley, Bexhill
· Langney Primary Academy, Eastbourne
· Harbour Primary & Nursery School, Newhaven
· All Saints CE Junior Academy, Hastings
· Ark Blacklands Primary Academy, Hastings
1.3 An evaluation of phase 1 of the scheme was undertaken highlighting a number of positive outcomes. This included:
· an increase in active travel across all schools
· a decrease in traffic flow during and after the trial outside and near to the school
· increased perception of safety enabled by their being traffic free space for the school community and local residents to move around safely outside of the school.
1.4 For some of the schools in the trial these successful outcomes were negated by impacts from displaced traffic causing congestion and anti-social parking behaviour in the wider community. Consideration of the outcomes of the evaluation determined which schools were prioritised for inclusion in the second phase to enable permanent school streets measures to be developed. The 3 schools which were prioritised were:
· Southover CE Primary school, Lewes
· All Saints CE Primary school, Sidley, Bexhill
· Langney Primary Academy, Eastbourne
1.5 This next stage of work involved extensive co-design with the school community at each of the schools, alongside inclusion of Local Members, residents and businesses to develop the School Street schemes. This was followed by detailed design work, which was subsequently assessed and approved by Active Travel England (ATE).
1.6 A consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders and the public, as part of best practice, on the designs for these 3 schools during April 2024 followed by a public consultation between 10 May and 31 May 2024. The outcome of the public consultation demonstrated overall support for the schemes; with respondents supporting or strongly supporting the scheme:
· Southover CE Primary school, Lewes (81%)
· All Saints CE Primary school, Sidley, Bexhill (83%)
· Langney Primary Academy, Eastbourne (77%)
1.7 Following the outcome of the public consultation and advice and learning from ATE and other local authorities delivering similar schemes, it was resolved by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment at her decision making meeting on 15 July 2024 to manage the implementation of the timed restrictions by introducing these measures using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with exemptions for residential access. An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order is a useful tool to trial new schemes and can only be in force for up to eighteen months. The first six months should be used for the public to comment on how the scheme is working and for the Local Authority to consider whether changes are required, or not. The Local Authority then has a further twelve months to review all comments and decide how to proceed. Modifications to the scheme can be made during this period. If public support outweighs the objections, the Local Authority will make a permanent Order.
The ETRO ran from 13 September 2024 to 13 March 2025. This approach has enabled ongoing evaluation of each of the 3 schemes over a 6-month period, enabling officers to consider or act on any feedback received.
1.8 The formal proposals were advertised, together with the draft ETRO (a copy of which is attached in Appendix 1) in the Sussex Express on 6 September 2024. Notices and copies of the relevant plans were placed at locations in the roads and surrounding areas. Approximately 350 letters, giving notification of the consultation, were delivered to local addresses within each scheme. The consultation was placed on the County Council’s Consultation Hub. Copies of the proposals were sent to relevant County Councillors, Borough or District Councillors and Ward Councillors, and statutory consultees including the emergency services.
1.9 Traffic monitoring surveys– Traffic monitoring took place in September 2023 at each school before the ETRO (restricted access) was implemented and again following the end of the initial 6-month ETRO period in March 2025. The monitoring included traffic flows, pedestrian and cycle flows and observations of vehicle movements on the streets that are part of the School Streets scheme as well as adjoining streets. The results show that vehicle movements in Potters Lane and The Course, in Lewes have halved in the period from 2023 to 2025.
2.1 During the formal 6-month ETRO consultation period one objection each was received for All Saints CE Primary school and Langney Primary Academy. For Southover CE Primary school, Lewes, 222 comments were received in support of the scheme alongside 14 objections. The comments in support of the scheme have highlighted that there has been an increase in the number of younger children cycling to school and a safer place for families using buggies and the ability for children to move freely in a safe space. Several residents also have stated how the area feels much calmer and more accessible for people using mobility aids and how it is now much easier to park.
2.2 Further engagement was undertaken with those that objected to the scheme. This has resulted in each of the objections for Langney Primary and All Saints CE Primary being withdrawn and eight objections being withdrawn for Southover CE Primary.
2.3 Therefore, this report focuses on Southover CE Primary in Lewes and the 6 outstanding objections in relation to the ETRO located on Potters Lane, The Course and Cleve Terrace. 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. Each item of correspondence has been considered individually, and a summary of the objections and officer comments are included at paragraph 2.4 below.
2.4 In appraisal of each of the outstanding 6 objections the following information is provided:
· To increase the times of the restricted access to take into account after school clubs (2 objections) – The current timings were agreed in negotiation with the Head Teacher of Southover CE Primary school, before the commencement of the ETRO and also monitored during the 6-month monitoring period, with no further amendments requested by the school. The County Council followed guidance and best practice from other local authorities delivering similar schemes, who advised to keep restricted timings to a minimum to consider the needs of residents and other vehicles needing access to keep impact on traffic movements to a minimum, especially on the wider area. In consideration of the fact that attendance at after school clubs only relate to a smaller number of school pupils, the Head Teacher is in agreement with the timings and to reduce the impact of the scheme on the wider community it is recommended that the timings are not amended.
· To issue resident passes to those who live on the streets where the ETRO is located to demonstrate that they have legitimate access during the operation of the scheme(2 objections). The reason that this objection has been raised is that there have been a small number of conflicts between the school community and local residents, with a misunderstanding from the school community that residents should not have access. Whilst the County Council considered the use of access passes for residents, having taken advice from the Parking Team Manager and other authorities delivering similar School Street schemes across the country, the establishment of a new pass system would require considerable administrative resources which are currently not available. The County Council will continue to work with the school and local community to monitor the situation and ensure that there is a shared understanding of the scheme.
· To provide access to the Southover CE Primary School Street scheme for resident parking permit holders in Zone E in Lewes who live outside of the streets covered by the ETRO, but who choose to park in these streets. The School Streets ETRO for Southover CE Primary restricts access and the ability to park on Potters Lane, The Course and Cleve Terrace for residents with a Zone E resident parking permit but who live outside of these streets during the short, timed restriction. Whilst officers sympathise with the inconvenience that may be caused for a small number of residents for a short period of the day, providing access for all Zone E resident parking permit holders to these streets will negate the aim of the School Street scheme which is to restrict and minimise vehicle access and movement around schools during the school run times.
· Relocate the existing School Street sign located on the corner of Cleve Terrace (outside of property number 2) at the junction with St Pancras Road. The County Council carried out an initial review to consider re-locating the sign to a different location. However, the only other potential options include re-locating this sign within Cleve Terrace on the existing footway or locating it opposite the existing location. This would require further design work and the removal of one residents’ parking place, which would have cost implications. East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has advised the resident who has objected to this element of the scheme, that if the scheme is made permanent, ESCC will consider whether it can be re-located as part of stage 2 works to support active travel to school within the area.
2.5 The result of the appraisal of these objections demonstrates there is not sufficient grounds to warrant the modification or withdrawal of the proposals as the scheme is overall operating effectively with considerable support received during the consultation. Therefore, it is recommended that these objections should not be upheld.
3.1 The aim of the School Street scheme around Southover CE Primary school in Lewes is to support more families to walk, wheel and cycle to school, creating a more active community, which improves health and wellbeing both physically and mentally. In doing so, this is reducing the flow of traffic outside the school which will improve both road safety and air quality.
3.2 The Southover CE Primary School Street scheme has been delivered embracing a collaborative co-design approach involving members of the school community, residents in the area around the school as well as other key stakeholders. This approach has resulted in considerable local support for the School Street scheme covering Potters Lane, The Course and Cleve Terrace with 222 positive responses received during the consultation phase of the ETRO.
3.3. The engagement approach used to try to resolve the objections received to the ETRO has been to continue taking a collaborative approach and engaging with those that objected directly to consider and appraise the concerns raised whilst not compromising the overall aim of the scheme. This resulted in 6 remaining unresolved objections in relation to the School Street scheme for Southover CE Primary school which have been appraised in section 2 of the report.
3.4 It is recommended, for the reasons set out in the report, that the Planning Committee does not uphold the objections in section 2 and recommends to the Director of Communities, Economy, and Transport that the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, as advertised, for Southover CE Primary school, Lewes be made permanent.