Major Scheme Submissions

Introduction

The Department for Transport (DfT) deals with transport proposals costing more than £5m as Major Scheme submissions. Authorities wishing to promote a Major Scheme must submit a full assessment of the benefits and costs of the proposal to the Department. This will need to be undertaken in line with guidance issued by DfT on preparing Major Scheme bids and Value for Money considerations.

Over the last 6-9 months, the West Midlands Region has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of all existing Major Schemes. This has allowed the Region to prioritise proposals based on their state of readiness, issues of risk and deliverability, and overall resource availability. The County Council is fully committed to this process, and has contributed officer time and resources to it as required.

The remainder of this section of the LTP provides details of:

  • Existing Major Scheme submissions that were made during the first LTP period or in the Provisional LTP 2005, whose full approval has either been accepted by DfT or which remain outstanding as at March 2006; and
  • Further Major Scheme submissions that are planned to come forward during the second LTP period.

The County Council's approach to Major Schemes is to focus on delivering transport improvements that represent good value for money, but which also deliver a wider set of benefits that can often not be monetised.

Existing Major Schemes

Coleshill Parkway

Coleshill Parkway is a provisionally accepted Major Scheme, comprising a multi-modal interchange and new railway station. It will provide a focus for public transport in North Warwickshire and a gateway from the area to the West Midlands. As well as improving access to the national rail network, the facility will enhance connections to Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. The County Council has applied for full acceptance of Coleshill Parkway. Subject to the satisfactory resolution of these processes, construction of the station could begin in Spring 2006, with the aim of opening the facility in time for the winter timetable in December 2006.  Up to £4.4m Major Scheme funding, £1.6m S106 developer funding and £2.0m other private sector funding from our rail industry partner is available for the scheme.

Barford Bypass

The scheme received full acceptance from DfT in December 2004. Construction of the bypass began in February 2006, with a planned opening date of Autumn 2007. Major Scheme funding confirmed in the December 2005 LTP settlement letter will be used during 2006-07 to contribute towards the completion of the project.

Nuneaton Development Project (Phase 3)

Phases 1 and 2 of the Nuneaton Development Project were completed during the first LTP period. DfT has recently confirmed funding of £6.21m for Phase 3. Given a number of cost increases that have occurred since the original estimates were produced for the project, the confirmed level of funding means that the County Council has insufficient resources to complete the scheme as originally planned. The County Council will therefore need to determine which elements of Phase 3 can be delivered within the available allocation, and then carry out an evaluation exercise on the works and cost estimates.

A report on progress with this work will be provided in the 2006 LTP Delivery Report.

Rugby Western Relief Road

Rugby Western Relief Road is a provisionally accepted Major Scheme that will deliver very substantial benefits for Rugby. The County Council was successful in getting the Public Inquiry for the scheme reopened during 2005. A decision from the Inquiry Inspector was received by the County Council in December 2005, and confirmed that the scheme should be constructed in full from Avon Mill to Potford’s Dam, subject to some minor alignment changes at the southern end of the route. This will require the confirmation of a revised planning application and set of orders for the scheme. Subject to the satisfactory resolution of these issues, the County Council will be in a position to seek full acceptance for the scheme later this year. This would allow construction of the scheme to begin early in 2007. Approximately £14m of developer funding and £8.06m of Major Scheme funding is available for the scheme.

SPARK Public Transport Scheme

The SPARK public transport scheme was submitted with the Provisional LTP in July 2005, and at the time of writing feedback from DfT on the bid has not yet been received. The aim of the scheme is to achieve a ‘step change’ in the attractiveness of public transport in the Warwick, Leamington Spa and Whitnash area. SPARK will deliver a fully integrated and improved public transport network that will focus on the co-ordinated provision of a combination of heavy rail and bus improvements, using the local rail corridor between Leamington Spa, Warwick and Warwick Parkway as the ‘spine’ of the network.

The bid for SPARK was put together in line with DfT guidance on Major Scheme submissions and Value for Money considerations. The scheme performed well in the recent regional prioritisation process, and has been recognised as having both a regional and sub-regional value.

Innovation in tackling congestion – SPARK and the Transport Innovation Fund

In the Government White Paper, ‘The Future of Transport’, the establishment of a new Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) was announced to support new and innovative local transport measures. Such measures included the use of local congestion charging, demand management and better bus services. The need to work in partnership with a range of organisations is seen as key to the TIF process, particularly in terms of delivering a complex set of inter-related proposals. Recent guidance issued by the Government has also highlighted the value of transport schemes which contribute towards the overall productivity of the UK. Such schemes will also be considered for funding through TIF.

In January 2005, the County Council expressed an interest to the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) to be considered for TIF funding towards the SPARK major scheme. The County Council reaffirmed its interest in the 2005 Provisional LTP submission. The County Council would like to retain an 'in principle' interest in securing TIF funding, and look forward to using the Major Scheme bid as a platform for further discussions with DfT and GOWM in due course.

Further details of our progress with these schemes will be provided in the LTP Delivery Report in July 2006.

New Major Scheme Bids planned for submission during this LTP period

Four Major Scheme bids are planned for submission during the second LTP period. These are as follows:

  1. Two potential bids to deliver a Step-Change in Public Transport in the North/South Corridor between Nuneaton, Bedworth, Coventry, Kenilworth and Leamington Spa/Warwick. Details of the various elements of the step-change proposals and the measures that would be included in any Major Scheme bids are set out in the North/South Corridor chapter of the LTP. These bids are envisaged to come forward as two separate submissions in the early years of the LTP period. The first bid is likely to consist of the extension of the proposed Coventry Bus Rapid Transit system into Warwickshire, with a link north to Bedworth and Nuneaton, and south to Kenilworth. The second bid will need to be made in the context of the rail industry's future decisions regarding heavy rail in the corridor, not least any commitment to significantly improve the capacity of the Coventry - Leamington Spa railway line. It is envisaged that both these bids will be submitted (where appropriate) in conjunction with Coventry City Council and Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive). The proposals for a step-change in public transport in the North/South Corridor will be fully compatible with the proposals contained in the SPARK major public transport scheme at the southern end of the corridor. Delivery of these two schemes would clearly have a number of synergistic benefits, which could be further enhanced through the implementation of a complimentary Intelligent Transport Systems scheme in the Warwick/Leamington Spa area;

  2. World Class Stratford-upon-Avon. The County Council intend to develop a major scheme bid for a set of integrated transport improvements in Stratford-upon-Avon, to support the town and its role as a world class tourist destination. It is proposed that a bid for major scheme funding will be made in 2007/8. If the scheme were to be accepted by Central Government for funding, then this would allow improvements to be delivered in advance of key events such as the 2012 Olympic Games in London, which are predicted will bring a significant number of additional tourists to the area. The County Council has approached AWM, GOWM and DfT about promoting this scheme as a possibility for Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) productivity funding. While the latest advice from DfT is that they are not looking to offer local authorities the opportunity of productivity scheme at this stage, they have recommended that the County Council continue to work closely with AWM to identify local priorities. In order to raise awareness of the scheme and demonstrate the commitment of the County Council and its partners to it, an Expression on Interest for TIF funding was submitted to AWM in March 2006;

  3. Intelligent Transport Systems. Subject to the continuing successful operation and monitoring of the Stratford-upon-Avon Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) scheme, it is proposed to bring a similar major traffic management scheme forward in one of the other urban areas of the County. Due to the commitment to monitor the UTMC scheme in Stratford-upon-Avon for a number of years to allow a clear picture of travel patterns to emerge, it is unlikely that an ITS Major Scheme bid would be submitted by the County Council before 2008/09. Subject to the outcome of the bid, implementation of the scheme could begin towards the end of the LTP period.

Cost profiles for these Major Scheme bids are currently being developed, particularly in respect of the step-change in public transport in the North/South Corridor. Further details of our progress in developing these bids will be reported in the LTP Delivery Report in July 2006, and in subsequent LTP Annual Progress Reports.

Prioritisation of New Major Schemes

The County Council's prioritisation of the new Major Schemes described above is as follows:

  • Priority 1: Step-Change in Public Transport in the North/South Corridor - Bid 1;
  • Priority 2: Step-Change in Public Transport in the North/South Corridor - Bid 2 (subject to future decisions made by the rail industry regarding the provision of heavy rail in the corridor);
  • Priority 3: World Class Stratford-upon-Avon; and
  • Priority 4: Intelligent Transport Systems scheme.

This prioritisation is based on the County Council's strategic and local priorities, and value for money considerations.

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