REPORT ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION - BIRCHFIELD GARDENS

Transcription

1 REPORT NO HA WSP-GEN-SNB-RP-D-0100_005 REPORT ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION - BIRCHFIELD GARDENS A1 SCOTSWOOD TO NORTH BRUNTON Click here to enter text. MARCH 2017

2 REPORT ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION - BIRCHFIELD GARDENS A1 SCOTSWOOD TO NORTH BRUNTON Highways England FOR INFORMATION (P6.0) Click here to enter text. Project no: Date: March 2017 Cliquez ici pour taper du texte.

3 iii P R O D U C T I O N T E A M HIGHWAYS ENGLAND Project Manager Sarah Kearns Assistant Project Manager Darlene Procter WSP PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF Project Director Bruce Donaldson Project Manager Nigel Rawcliffe Design Manager Irfan Akram Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

4 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION GENERAL LOCAL PREFERENCE MAIN FACTORS NON-LOCAL VIEWS OTHER INFORMATION SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OTHER ROUTES SUGGESTED SUMMARY OF RESULTS CONCLUSIONS T A B L E S TABLE 2.1: SUMMARY OF THE FEEDBACK ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION... 7 TABLE 3.1: LOCAL PREFERENCE ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURE OF BIRCHFIELD GARDENS... 8 TABLE 4.1: SUMMARY OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THE USE OF A1 AND BIRCHFIELD GARDENS TABLE 4.2: SUMMARY OF MAIN FACTORS F I G U R E S FIGURE 1.1: SCHEME LOCATION PLAN... 1 FIGURE 2.1: SUMMARY OF THE FEEDBACK ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION... 7 FIGURE 3.1: LOCAL PREFERENCE ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURE OF BIRCHFIELD GARDENS... 8 FIGURE 4.1: SUMMARY OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THE USE OF A1 AND BIRCHFIELD GARDENS Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

5 v FIGURE 4.2: TOP 5 MAIN FACTORS AS LISTED IN TABLE A P P E N D I C E S A P P E N D I X A LEAFLET, MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY REPORT APPENDIX A-1 LEAFLET APPENDIX A-2 MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA APPENDIX A-3 DISTRIBUTION COMPANY REPORT A P P E N D I X B INVITATION LETTER AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS APPENDIX B-1 INVITATION LETTER FOR SECOND EXHIBITION APPENDIX B-2 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS APPENDIX B-3 MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA FOR SECOND EXHIBITION A P P E N D I X C LETTER FROM COUNCILLORS APPENDIX C-1 LETTER FROM LEMINGTON WARD COUNCILLORS APPENDIX C-2 LETTER FROM WESTERHOPE WARD COUNCILLOR A P P E N D I X D PLAN OF LOCAL AREA ROAD NETWORK Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

6 1 1 INTRODUCTION This document is the report on public exhibition for the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens and has been produced at Project Control Framework (PCF) Stage 2 (Option Selection) of the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme. 1.2 DOCUMENT PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to explain: The nature of the information offered to the public; The manner in which it was presented; and To summarise the views received at the event The feedback provided by the public at the exhibition will inform the decision-making process as the scheme development progresses. 1.3 DOCUMENT SCOPE The A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme is proposed on the A1 Newcastle/ Gateshead Western Bypass (NGWB) between J74 (Scotswood) and J79 (North Brunton). A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Figure 1.1: Scheme location plan A Feasibility Study was undertaken in 2014 to determine the existing issues on the NGWB and prioritise sections which most urgently required attention. The A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme was identified to address the most pressing issues. The scheme was announced in the Autumn Statement in December 2014 as schemes that should be taken forward into the Roads Investment Strategy (RIS). Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

7 The A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme progressed to PCF Stage 1 (Option Identification) in autumn 2014 with the following two options that had been identified to meet the requirements: Option 1 Standard Lane Widening - full widening to three lanes between J74 (Scotswood) and J79 (North Brunton) with lane gain/drop as required by the predicted traffic flows. Option 2 Narrow Lane Widening - narrow lane widening to three lanes between J74 (Scotswood) and J78 (Kingston Park) with lane gain/drop as required by the predicted traffic flow and full widening to three lanes between J78 (Kingston Park) and J79 (North Brunton) PCF Stage 1 (Options Identification) concluded that Option 1 Standard Lane Widening was unaffordable and as a result of this, the development of this option will not be progressed any further. The scheme has now progressed to PCF Stage 2 (Option Selection) with Option 2 Narrow Lane Widening as the single option. As a single option scheme, a formal public consultation to gain public opinion on the improvement options being considered for this section of the A1 was not required for the wider scheme at PCF Stage 2 (Option Selection) However, the preferred narrow lane widening option for delivering additional capacity on the A1 potentially requires the closure of Birchfield Gardens access road at J75 (Denton Burn) northbound exit slip. This is due to the modification to the exit slip entry to accommodate the widening of the A1 to three lanes along with the existing non-standard access road layout has raised concerns of potential increased safety risk. It was therefore decided that Highways England should hold a public exhibition early in PCF Stage 2 (Option Selection) to inform members of public of the potential need to close the Birchfield Gardens access road This report is specifically related to the Birchfield Gardens Public Exhibition. The report covers the issues raised by the public concerning the proposed closure. The feedback gives the project team a better understanding of the potential impact that the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens may have on the surrounding local roads, and enables the public s feedback to be considered in the development of any mitigation measures. 1.4 PROPOSED CLOSURE OF BIRCHFIELD GARDENS As part of the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme, it is proposed that the Birchfield Gardens access road at J75 (Denton Burn) may need to be closed. There are concerns that the widening of the A1 at this location will impact further on what is already a non-standard layout on a major trunk road exit slip which would potentially result in an increased number of collisions due to the following reasons: The current layout of Birchfield Gardens access road is non-standard as the access merges on to the exit slip road at the point of the vehicle diverging from the A1 mainline. The diverging traffic is likely not to anticipate traffic to merge from the left (access road) as it exits the A1 mainline at J75 (Denton Burn); The traffic using Birchfield Gardens access road has to Give Way at the merge with the J75 (Denton Burn) which can result in vehicles having to accelerate into a high-speed flow of traffic on the exit slip road; and All strategic road schemes are required to have an independent Road Safety Audit (RSA). It is anticipated that if Birchfield Gardens access road was retained in its current format with the modification to J75 (Denton Burn) exit slip nose required due to widening of the A1, the nonstandard layout would potentially be open to challenge at the RSA undertaken at later preliminary design stage. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

8 3 1.5 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE The document structure is: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: General Chapter 3: Local Preference Chapter 4: Main Factors Chapter 5: Non-local Views Chapter 6: Other Information Chapter 7: Special Consideration Chapter 8: Other Routes Suggested Chapter 9: Summary of Results Chapter 10: Conclusions Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

9 4 2 GENERAL 2.1 CONSULTATION ARRANGEMENTS A public exhibition was held on Thursday 19 May 2016 between 14:00 and 19:00 at Lemington Community Centre, Newcastle. The public feedback received at this event was that a further opportunity should be provided for the residents that were unable to attend this event due to the short notice period. The short notice period, was however, constrained by purdah. These are periods before elections during which new information regarding the scheme cannot be communicated. During the period of the public exhibition in May 2016, the notice period was constrained by both the local elections in May and the European Union Referendum in June. This meant a very small window of time between these two events to hold and communicate the public exhibition event in May The public also highlighted that the wider area of the Lemington Ward should have been given the opportunity to express their views on the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access road. It was apparent that the closure was deemed to affect the wider area then initially anticipated. In light of this, a second exhibition was held over two days on 12 October 2016 between 14:00 and 19:30 and 13 October 2016 between 10:00 and 18:00. The feedback received regarding the short notice period for the first exhibition was also considered, and for the repeat exhibition held in October, a longer notice period was given to local residents The objectives of the public exhibition was to provide the residents of the Lemington Ward with the following: An overview of the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme; An explanation for the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access at J75 (Denton Burn); An understanding of why the closure may be needed; An opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals; An understanding of what happens next; What has been accomplished so far; and How they can raise issues and concerns to Highways England Information, including an invitation to the event, was issued to over 1,000 addresses to the northeast area of Lemington Ward for the event held in May This was the area considered most likely be affected by the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access road. It was deemed that the residents of this area would be the primary users of the Birchfield Gardens access road and thus would be directly affected by the proposed closure. A leaflet, map of the distribution area, and the distribution company report of the leaflet drop are included in Appendix A However, following the feedback received at the event in May 2016 regarding short notice period and consulting the wider Lemington ward, a second exhibition was held in October 2016, and an invitation letter was sent to most residents in the Lemington Ward area, this included invitation issued to over 4800 addresses. A frequently asked questions (FAQs) document was also sent with the invitation letter to provide details on the key issues raised at the first exhibition held in May This, including map of the distribution area, are included in Appendix B. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

10 At the exhibition, 3 boards with information regarding the scheme were on display to the public. The Birchfield Gardens access road proposal and Highways England contact information were provided with members of the project team present to assist the members of public with any queries or questions they had A plan of the wider area was provided for members of the public to highlight to the project team the alternative routes that they would have to take if the Birchfield Gardens access road at J75 (Denton Burn) was to be closed Questionnaires were provided to formally collate the views of the public. These were collected and have been reviewed by the project team and form the basis of the information included in this report. For those members of the public who were unable to attend the exhibition, an address was included on the letter and FAQs document distributed to all residents to allow them to express their views to Highways England. Any views received by have been included in this report The scheme website address was also included on the letter and FAQs document for resident to access further information. The website is updated regularly and enables the residents to subscribe to alerts to keep up to date with the latest developments. 2.2 ATTENDANCE There were members of the project team in attendance at the exhibition to provide further information, answer questions and listen to the public feedback. The following members of the project team attended the event: Sarah Kearns, Highways England Regional Investment Programme Project Manager Louise Adams, Highways England Regional Investment Programme Assistant Project Manager Darlene Procter, Highways England Regional Investment Programme Assistant Project Manager Katie Spink, Highways England Regional Investment Programme Project Support Nigel Rawcliffe, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff s Project Manager Irfan Akram, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff s Design Manager and Highways Lead Luke Basterfield, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff s Assistant Project Manager Peter Gladstone, WSP Parson Brinckerhoff s Highways Project Team The exhibition was well attended with 303 members of the public attending over three days and 181 written questionnaire responses provided. The Councillors and representatives of Member of Parliament (MP) who attended the event, as follows: Councillor Barry Philipson Lemington Ward Councillor David Cook Lemington Ward Councillor Pat Hillicks Westerhope Ward Councillor Marc Donnelly Westerhope Ward Councillor Bill Corbett Westerhope Ward Councillor Daniel Greenhough Denton Ward and representative for Catherine McKinnell, MP Newcastle North Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

11 6 2.3 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CONSULTATION There was feedback received following the initial exhibition in May 2016 that further exhibitions should be held and the wider Lemington Ward should be consulted. In response to this, a second exhibition was held in October There was in general positive feedback from the residents that additional exhibitions were held and that the wider community of Lemington had been consulted There were a number of residents who stated that they did not receive the invitation leaflet for the exhibition in May The distribution company have stated that leaflets were not delivered to residents with No Junk Mail signs on display. For the exhibition in October 2016, an invitation letter and FAQs documents were separately addressed to each property and were issued via Royal Mail. A small number were returned to the sender due to various reasons. FEEDBACK ON PUBLIC EXHIBITION The feedback on the public exhibition was generally positive. Refer to Table 2.1 for summary of the feedback received on the public exhibition arrangements. The Lemington Community Centre as the venue for the exhibition event was deemed to be suitable and there was positive feedback on the opening times, satisfaction with the way the queries were handled and the project team engagement with the public There was further feedback on the public exhibition event. This is as follows: The residents stated that the information presented on the information boards needed to be clearer in stating the objectives of the pubic exhibition, in particular that this was an early exhibition to gauge public opinions rather than an exhibition for presenting the proposal to close Birchfield Gardens access road. There was some feedback that alternative options to mitigate against Birchfield Gardens access road closure were not presented, although it was generally accepted that this was an early information gathering exercise to feed into the design process. The residents felt that drawings or aerial images would have been helpful when the project team were explaining the background to the proposed closure. The local area plan present at the exhibition was deemed to be helpful when discussing possible alternative egress point. The residents stated that some prior traffic monitoring should have been undertaken for Birchfield Gardens access road to give residents a better understanding of the traffic flows. It was suggested that the information provided was informative, with the project team being helpful and knowledgeable. There was also appreciation of the early exhibition event being held and opportunity for residents to provide feedback. In general, the public had a good understanding for the need to widen the A1 to increase capacity and reduce congestion. There was however significant concern and dissatisfaction regarding the proposal to close Birchfield Gardens access road. The analysis of the public feedback (see Table 4.1) suggests that, of those who were targeted for the letter drop, nearly all used the Birchfield Gardens access to the A1 on a daily or weekly basis Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

12 7 Table 2.1: Summary of the feedback on Public Exhibition WERE THE OPENING TIMES OF THE EXHIBITION CONVENIENT FOR YOU? Yes No Blank WAS THE LOCATION OF THE EXHIBITION EASILY ACCESSIBLE? Yes No Blank WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE WAY YOUR ENQUIRIES WERE HANDLED BY THE HIGHWAYS ENGLAND PROJECT TEAM? Yes No Blank WERE THE PROJECT TEAM REPRESENTATIVES COURTEOUS AND HELPFUL? Yes No Blank Were the opening times of the exhibition convenient for you? Was the location of the exhibition easily accessible? Yes Were you satisfied with the way your enquiries were handled by the Highways England Project Team? No Blank Were the Project Team representatives courteous and helpful? % 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Figure 2.1: Summary of the feedback on Public Exhibition Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

13 8 3 LOCAL PREFERENCE 3.1 PROPOSED CLOSURE OF BIRCHFIELD GARDENS The written feedback (questionnaire), asked the question How do you feel about the closing of Birchfield Gardens access road as part of the proposed A1 Scotswood to North Brunton improvement scheme? The public were asked to write a response and from these responses their views were summarised into categories; negative, neutral and positive. Table 3.1 provides a breakdown summary of the public responses to this question. Table 3.1: Local preference on the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens LOCAL VIEW ON THE CLOSURE OF BIRCHFIELD GARDENS NUMBER OF RESPONSES Negative Do not want the road closed 164 Neutral can see why it may be needed to be closed but other works need to be done to mitigate the effects of the closure 12 Positive support the closure of the road 4 Blank or no view expressed 1 Total number of questionnaires 181 Blank 0.6% Positive 2.2% Neutral 6.6% Negative 90.6% Figure 3.1: Local preference on the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

14 The significant majority of the public were against the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access to the A1. The main causes for concern regarding the closure are discussed in Section 4 Main Factors There was an understanding by some residents of the safety reasons which could potentially lead to the closure of the access road, but it was suggested that the closure, in isolation, would cause more problems than it would solve. The public view was that other works would have to be done, in particular, to the alternative egress points from Dumpling Hall estate, to understand and mitigate the negative effects of closing the Birchfield Gardens access to the A1. The people who expressed these views have been deemed to be neutral There was a small proportion of the public who expressed a view in favour of the closure due to the positive reduction in the number of vehicles using the estate as a rat-run, reducing the traffic on local roads and creating a safer and less congested environment for local residents. Their understanding was that the proposed widening of the A1 and the modifications required at J75 (Denton Burn) would potentially create a safety issue with the Birchfield Garden access to the A1. There was concern that the proposals would lead to a potential increase in congestion at other locations on both the local and strategic road network and that the other egress points from the estate were unsuitable. Regardless of these issues these members of the public were in favour of the closure. 3.2 OTHER LOCAL FACTORS The following feedback was received on some of the other local factors to be considered regarding proposed Birchfield Gardens closure: The residents feel that the existing Birchfield Gardens access road layout does not have any significant accident history and that retaining the access road open is a better option than diverting the traffic to use the A69 eastbound approach to J75 (Denton Burn) which would result in a significant increase in journey times for residents who need to access the A1. It was suggested that a trial closure of Birchfield Gardens access road should be undertaken prior to any permanent closure to establish the impact on the local traffic. To retain the existing two lanes on the A1 northbound carriageway between J74 (Scotswood) and J75 (Denton Burn) and start the widening north of J75 (Denton Burn). This would mean no changes to the A1 at J75 (Denton Burn) northbound exit slip are required and Birchfield Gardens access road arrangements can be retained as existing. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

15 10 4 MAIN FACTORS 4.1 SUMMARY OF MAIN FACTORS This section of the report details the views expressed by the public on the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road The questionnaires provided space for respondents to express their views, rather than being asked to select from a range of preconceived responses. This gave the respondents opportunity to express, independently, their view and raise any concerns The feedback on the level of use of the A1 and Birchfield Gardens is shown in Table 4.1. Table 4.1: Summary of public feedback on the use of A1 and Birchfield Gardens DO YOU USE THE A1 BETWEEN SCOTSWOOD AND NORTH BRUNTON? Yes No Blank HOW OFTEN DO YOU USE THIS STRETCH OF THE A1? Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely Never HOW OFTEN DO YOU USE BIRCHFIELD GARDENS ACCESS ROAD? Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely Never No 2% Do you use the A1 between Scotswood and North Brunton? Yes 98% Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

16 11 2 How often do you use this stretch of the A1? Never Rarely How often do you use the Birchfield Gardens access road? Monthly Weekly Daily 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Figure 4.1: Summary of public feedback on the use of A1 and Birchfield Gardens There is currently traffic modelling work of the wider area surrounding Birchfield Garden access road being undertaken to develop a detailed traffic model to understand the future traffic conditions. This information will then be used to enable solutions to mitigate the impact from the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens to be developed. The purpose of the early public exhibition events was to obtain public feedback to feed into the design process when developing potential solutions The main issues raised in the written feedback have been summarised below in order to collate and undertake analysis of the data. A summary of the main factors is provided in Table 4.2 with the number of respondents expressing that view alongside (most questionnaires contained a number of opinions within one questionnaire) The five main factors expressed by the public, as listed in Table 4.2 are as follows: 1. The traffic that would otherwise use Birchfield Gardens will cause congestion on the residential estate, particularly at the egress points. 2. Increased journey times due to further travel distances and waiting in existing and/or resulting queues. 3. The other egress points (Southway, Neptune Road, Kirkston Avenue, Claremont Avenue and Union Hall Road) from the estate are not suitable due to variety of reasons. 4. There are safety concerns that the local roads within the residential estate will be adversely impacted due to increased levels of traffic using alternative routes. 5. The other egress routes in particular Southway and Union Hall Road with steep gradients are not gritted in snow/icy conditions making winter egress from the residential estate difficult These main factors are discussed in more detail in sections 4.2 to 4.7 of this report. The analysis includes a feedback letter received from councillors Barry Phillipson, David Cook and Kim McGuinness of the Lemington Ward and councillor Pat Hillicks of the Westerhope Ward. These letters are included in Appendix C. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

17 12 Table 4.2: Summary of main factors MAIN FACTORS The traffic that would otherwise use Birchfield Gardens will cause congestion on the residential estate, particularly at the egress points. Increased journey times due to further travel distances and waiting in existing and/or resulting queues. The other egress points (Southway, Neptune Road, Kirkston Avenue, Claremont Avenue and Union Hall Road) from the estate are not suitable due to variety of reasons. There are safety concerns that the local roads within the residential estate will be adversely impacted due to increased levels of traffic using alternative routes. The other egress routes in particular Southway and Union Hall Road with steep gradients are not gritted in snow/icy conditions making winter egress from the residential estate difficult. Loss of emergency vehicle access off the estate with increased journey times, particularly ambulances travelling to the hospital. NO. OF RESPONSES Increased costs of longer routes. 10 Congestion will increase on local bus routes and adversely affect public transport services. 5 There will be less congestion on local roads and reduction in the number of vehicles using the estate as a rat-run. Increased congestion in other areas will increase pollution in those areas. 3 The proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens will lead to safer J75 (Denton Burn) northbound exit slip road. The proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens is an insufficient use of public money. 2 Increased traffic on local roads will increase maintenance requirements. 1 The reduced traffic due to the proposed closure will result in less trade for local shops Congestion 85 Increased journey times 70 Unsuitability of other egress 55 Safety concerns 39 Winter egress 23 Others 40 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Figure 4.2: Top 5 Main Factors as listed in Table 4.2 Note: There were multiple opinions expressed in the 181 questionnaires returned as listed in Table 4.2. This bar chart shows breakdown for the top 5 main factors and others category including all other factors. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

18 INCREASED CONGESTION ON THE ESTATE The residents expressed concerns that the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road would increase traffic on Southway, Neptune Road, Claremont Avenue, Kirkston Avenue and Union Hall Road which are already congested It was stated that there is often double parking on both sides of the road such as Southway and with increased traffic diverted from the proposed closure will potentially lead to further congestion and increased noise and air pollution within the residential estate. The residents view was that the alternative routes are not appropriate to accommodate higher volumes of traffic and that mitigation measures should be considered prior to any proposed closure The new Scholars Wynd housing development to the north of West Denton Road has increased traffic at the West Denton Road/Union Hall Road signalised junction en-route to Lemington Road Ends roundabout which is already congested at peak times. The proposed closure will further add to this congestion It was deemed that traffic using the A69 (westbound) as an alternative route due to the proposed closure will lead to further congestion at the Lemington Road Ends roundabout. This could potentially then impact on Hillhead Road (north arm) and cause tailbacks to West Denton Way. It was stated that there are a number of primary schools surrounding area to Hillhead Road which could potentially be impacted by the increased congestion The queueing at the other egress points from Dumpling Hall estate was of particular concern due to the poor design of the junctions and the increased number of vehicles using them. These issues are discussed in Section Contradicting this view, there were four members of the public in favour of the scheme, as they felt that the Birchfield Gardens access road was used as a rat-run by non-local residents avoiding congestion on other routes such as the A69 eastbound into the City of Newcastle. As such, in their opinion, the estate roads in particular Mapperley Drive would see a reduction in traffic if Birchfield Gardens access was closed. It was stated that the initial estate plans did not include a link road into Lemington and by doing so has invited the use of Dumpling Hall as a ratrun. 4.3 INCREASED JOURNEY TIMES The residents saw that the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road would require them to use alternative routes to access J75 (Denton Burn) that were longer and are more congested There were various estimates on the increased in journey times from 10 to 30 minutes of additional time, with some residents stating that this would have a serious impact on their daily routine such as getting children to school and their commute to work There were ten respondents who stated that the increased journey distances will consequently lead to an increase in their travel costs. 4.4 THE UNSUITABILITY OF THE OTHER EGRESS POINTS The local residents identified three alternative routes to egress from the residential estate in the event that Birchfield Gardens access road is closed: Southway (north) westbound A69 Neptune Road (south) Scotswood Road Union Hall Road (west) Lemington Road Ends roundabout Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

19 Refer to Appendix D for plan of the local area road network surrounding Birchfield Gardens access road. SOUTHWAY Southway provides a direct access on to the A69 dual carriageway (westbound only) by the means of a left turn from the Dumpling Hall estate. Traffic wanting to go eastbound, to the City of Newcastle, north on the A1 or south on the A1 will be required to travel westbound on the A69 to Lemington Road Ends roundabout and undertake a u turn at the roundabout and head back to the A1 via the A69 eastbound The A69 has a 50mph speed limit at this point and the left turn from Southway onto the A69 (westbound) was described as difficult and dangerous. There were a number of issues expressed with this junction, as follows: Poor visibility to the right to see oncoming A69 westbound traffic, as it is obstructed by the presence of Hadrian s Wall. The presence of a bus stop immediately to the left to the junction can cause additional conflicts when trying to join the A69 westbound. There are parked cars on both sides of Southway on the approach to the A69 junction which decreases manoeuvrability and visibility on the approach to the junction. The Southway junction with the A69 is located in close proximity to the junction between Southway and The Ramparts. This, due to the proximity of both junctions, leads to additional traffic conflict There were further concerns raised with regards to this route, as follows: The additional distance, traffic wanting to travel eastbound will need to travel to the Lemington Road Ends roundabout and then back to the A1 via the A69 eastbound. The A69 eastbound approach to J75 (Denton Burn) already has significant congestion issues at peak periods. It was noted that the current congestion tails-back to Lemington Road Ends roundabout. The increase in congestion within Dumpling Hall estate due to the increased amount of traffic using this route (Southway). UNION HALL ROAD This route is the furthest west for egress points onto the A69, and therefore provides the least direct alternative for those wanting to travel north/south on the A1 and towards the City of Newcastle The public expressed their concerns with Union Hall Road, stating that the steep gradient of the road causes issues during periods of snow and ice. It was stated that due to the lack of gritting during these periods, this route can be difficult to use as an egress from the estate. See Section 4.6 for concerns raised on winter egress The public anticipate that congestion on Union Hall Road would increase and that the north/south traffic signal phasing on Union Hall Road with West Denton Road will need reviewing if the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access road is implemented The public raised concerns about the likely increase in congestion on Kirkston Avenue and West Denton Road (via Claremont Avenue) due to the additional traffic using this route (Union Hall Road). Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

20 The use of either Union Hall Road or Southway as alternative routes will require traffic to use Lemington Road Ends roundabout. See Section for the issues highlighted. NEPTUNE ROAD Neptune Road joins Scotswood Road (A6085), and provides south egress from the Dumpling Hall estate to travel north on the A1 and towards the City of Newcastle. Left and right turn movements are permitted at the Neptune Road/Scotswood Road junction with the majority of the people likely to turn left, towards the A1 northbound and the City of Newcastle. The public noted that accessing Scotswood Road at this location was difficult due to existing high traffic flows. It was suggested that traffic signals might be necessary to ensure that people can access Scotswood Road during busy periods Recent interventions have been implemented at Neptune Road due to safety concerns relating to Waverley Primary School. These measures include a reduced speed limit to 20mph, traffic calming measures including speed humps and the removal of a bus services. The closure of the Birchfield Gardens access seems counter-intuitive to the residents who envisage the closure will lead to more traffic on Neptune Road and that the route could potentially become a rat-run for traffic from Lemington It was stated that Scotswood Road is already congested, particularly at what the residents referred to as the B&Q roundabout. Improvements to this junction are suggested by the residents as a possible mitigation to the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road. See Appendix D for plan of the local area road network The residents highlighted that Neptune Road was a cul-de-sac when the estate was built and changes to a through road had raised safety concerns due to the increased traffic. It was also stated that recently subsidence issues have arisen on Neptune Road and remedial works are taking place currently to make the road safe. The residents empathise that due to these reasons Neptune Road is not a suitable alternative to carry additional traffic flows anticipated from the proposed closure and that mitigation measures will have to be undertaken if the proposed Birchfield Gardens closure is implemented. 4.5 SAFETY CONCERNS The residents mentioned that safety improvement measures have been implemented on Neptune Road to address existing safety issues. They were concerned that the increased traffic through the estate due to the proposed closure would impact on the safety on Neptune Road, refer also to Section Safety concerns were also raised in relation to the Southway exit on to the A69 westbound due to the high speed of traffic on the A69. The majority of residents who raised this issue thought that the Southway exit was a more of a safety concern than the Birchfield Gardens access road. Some residents stated that the Birchfield Gardens access road was the safest exit from the estate despite the non-standard road layout (see Section 3.2.1) The increased level of traffic and potential safety implications associated due to the proposed closure were the main concerns of the residents. Their views were that the closure of what is perceived to be a safe egress (Birchfield Gardens) would raise potential safety issues within the estate. The residents stated that full understanding of the impact on the estate and mitigation measures should be established before the proposed closure is implemented Of the four positive responses received, three members of the public were in favour of the proposed closure and contradicted this view. In their opinion, the non-standard junction layout at Birchfield Gardens was a safety concern, and proposed closure would remove this safety risk. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

21 WINTER EGRESS A number of respondents noted that the Birchfield Gardens access road is the only egress that remains clear during periods of snow and ice. In particular, it was claimed that Southway and Union Hall Road, are not gritted during periods of wintery weather which results in significant difficulty using these routes during winter weather. This is exacerbated further by the fact that both routes are on steep inclines. 4.7 OTHER FACTORS The details of other factors raised by the public, as listed in Table 4.2, on the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access road, are as follows: EMERGENCY ACCESS There were concerns raised by the residents about the potential impact of the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens access road on the emergency services operations. The main concern was the loss of ease of egress from the residential estate and consequently adding to journey times in particular for ambulance services travelling to the hospital east of the A There will be continued consultation with emergency services and other key stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle as the design is further developed. INCREASED COST Refer to Section 4.3 of this report for more details. PUBLIC TRANSPORT The increased congestion on the estate as discussed in Section 4.2 of this report due to the proposed closure is anticipated to adversely impact on public transport (bus route) services. It was stated that bus service journey times could potentially be impacted. MAPPERLEY DRIVE There were four members of the public who felt that there will be less congestion on local roads and a reduction in the number of vehicles using the estate as a rat-run. They felt that Mapperley Drive in particular will see reduction in through traffic. Refer to Sections and of this report for more details. POLLUTION The increased congestion due to the proposed closure is anticipated to increase pollution within the residential estate as discussed in Section of this report. BIRCHFIELD GARDENS There were three members of the public that stated the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens will lead to the safer operation of J75 (Denton Burn) northbound exist slip layout. Refer to Section of this report for more details. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

22 17 PUBLIC EXPENDITURE There were two members of the public who stated that the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road does not represent a good use of public money. MAINTENANCE COST One respondent suggested that the increased traffic on local roads due to the proposed closure would lead to increased maintenance requirements for local roads. LOCAL TRADE One respondent raised a concern that the reduction in through traffic due to the proposed closure would result in less trade for local shops in surrounding Birchfield Gardens area. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

23 18 5 NON-LOCAL VIEWS The proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens is a local issue related to Lemington Ward and therefore wider non-local views have not been considered as part of this consultation. However, as part of the wider A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme, there will be engagement with the public and key stakeholders as the scheme work progresses The feedback received following the initial exhibition event in May 2016 was that the wider Lemington Ward area should be consulted. Refer to Sections and of this report for more details There has been feedback from Councillor Pat Hillicks of Westerhope Ward regarding the potential impact on Hillhead Road and West Denton Way in West Denton. Refer to Section of this report for details. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

24 19 6 OTHER INFORMATION The other comments related to the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road, provided by the members of public who attended the exhibition events are detailed in this section in order to inform the decision-making process of the wider scheme One of the residents expressed concerns over the poor state of maintenance of Birchfield Gardens footbridge. Likewise, another resident was concerned about the maintenance of the subways at J75 (Denton Burn) A number of residents wanted to ensure that the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme considered the increase in traffic that will be generated from a number of new residential developments that are proposed adjacent to the A1 corridor between Scotswood and North Brunton. It is to be noted that the traffic modelling work undertaken to develop the wider A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme proposal includes assessment of the traffic generated from the proposed new residential developments within the surrounding area along the A1 between Scotswood and North Brunton Some residents were concerned about the detrimental effects that any road improvements may have on Hadrian s Wall. This has been identified by the project team and is one of the issues being considered within the wider environmental assessment work A resident living adjacent to the A1 highlighted the consistent high level of noise and raised concerns that the additional lane/widening of the carriageway will lead to a worsening of this situation. Low noise surfacing and other measures will be considered as the scheme is developed to mitigate the impact and improve, where possible, noise levels surrounding J75 (Denton Burn) One of the residents expressed concerns that the A1 Coal House to Metro Centre scheme caused significant disruption to their commute to work and that the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme needs to minimise disruption. There were also concerns raised that any work carried out at night as part of the wider scheme needs to consider disruption to residents and suitable mitigation measures should be undertaken. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

25 20 7 SPECIAL CONSIDERATION There were a number of residents who noted that when the A1 was constructed and right-turn from Southway onto the A69 eastbound was closed, the Birchfield Gardens access road was built to compensate for this closure and provide a new point of egress from the residential estate. There was the feeling that public concerns raised at the exhibition event need to be considered and a viable alternative route for egress from the estate needs to be provided for the proposed closure to be implemented. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

26 21 8 OTHER ROUTES SUGGESTED The public, with their knowledge of the local area, can often contribute ideas that have not been considered by the project team Improvements to the other egress points from Dumpling Hall estate were the main suggestions by residents. These include: A roundabout at Southway/A69 junction to allow a right turn movements and keep traffic flowing on the A69. The signalisation of Southway/A69 junction. The Signalisation of Neptune Road, at least part-time, in peak periods, to limit queueing and waiting times. Retain the existing two lanes on the A1 northbound carriageway between J74 (Scotswood) and J75 (Denton Burn) and start the widening works after J75 (Denton Burn). This would result in no changes to this section and allow the Birchfield Gardens access to continue operating as it does now (see Section 3.2.1). Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

27 22 9 SUMMARY OF RESULTS 9.1 MAIN FACTORS The majority of local residents were against the potential closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road. The main reason listed was that the proposed closure will lead to increased congestion within the Dumpling Hall estate. The other main factors (top five) expressed by the public were; increased journey times, the unsuitability of the other egress points, safety concerns that local roads will be adversely impacted due to the anticipated increase in traffic, and concerns of winter egress from the estate The emergency access off the Dumpling Hall estate, cost of longer journeys, public transport being adversely affected, increase in pollution, maintenance issues on local road network and loss of trade were other factors raised by the public A significant majority did not agree that the Birchfield Gardens access to the A1 presents a safety issue, despite the non-standard road layout and that it is the most convenient exit from the residential estate. The general view of the residents in Lemington Ward was that every effort should be made to keep the Birchfield Gardens access road open However, there were four members of the public that stated there will be less congestion on local roads, particularly Mapperley Drive. Of those four, three members of the public were in favour of the closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road due to the perceived safety concerns with the non-standard layout A summary of the main factors is provided in Section 4.1 and details outlined in Sections 4.2 to 4.7 of this report. 9.2 ALTERNATIVES OPTIONS The public expressed the view that if the Birchfield Gardens access road is to be closed, improvements to the other egress points will be required to mitigate against the concerns highlighted in Section 4 of this report. The suggestions highlighted by the public are as follows: The provision of a roundabout or traffic signals at the Southway/A69 junction to allow right turn onto the A69 eastbound. The traffic modelling work being undertaken to understand the level of traffic that will be generated from the closure Birchfield Gardens and where this traffic will re-route following the closure will dictate if this will be possible. The main issue with this proposal is likely to be the close proximity of this junction to the roundabout at J75 (Denton Burn). There are high level of traffic flows on the A69 westbound and as such traffic signals could potentially have adverse effect on the operation of J75 (Denton Burn). The queuing is also likely on the A1 J75 (Denton Burn) northbound exit slip road. Any modification to the exiting priority junction at Southway/A69 would also have to consider the Hadrian s Wall World Heritage Site. Traffic signals at Neptune Road/Scotswood Road junction. This would aid access onto Scotswood road and provide a suitable egress point from the estate. However, implication of potential increase in traffic will need to be assessed in view of the implemented traffic calming measure on Neptune Road. Traffic signal phasing modification at Union Hall Road / West Denton Road. This would improve journey times from the residential estate to the A69 Lemington Road Ends roundabout. There will be discussions with Newcastle City Council and this issue could potentially be further developed, if the proposed closure is to be implemented. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

28 23 To start widening on the A1 (northbound) north of J75 (Denton Burn) junction. The existing traffic analysis indicates that the A1 section northbound between J74 (Scotswood) to J75 (Denton Burn) requires widening to three lanes. However, the traffic analysis is currently being updated. Once completed, this proposal could be considered. 9.3 FURTHER WORK There has been traffic survey undertaken during the autumn 2016 of the wider Birchfield Gardens area to understand current levels of use of the access road and vehicle origin/destination information. This information is to be used to undertake a detailed traffic analysis and develop a traffic model, to help understand the future traffic conditions, from the proposed Birchfield Gardens closure. The design proposal will then be reviewed and mitigation options developed, if the proposed closure is still deemed necessary to be implemented, 9.4 FURTHER CONSULTATION Further exhibitions will be held once the design is developed and, if the closure of Birchfield Gardens is still proposed. This will include further consultation with Lemington residents and the presentation of mitigation options A meeting following the first Public Exhibition was held at the request of the councillors, between Lemington Ward councillors, a representative of Newcastle North MP, Newcastle City Council, and the project team on 15 June The recommendation by the councillors was that, Highways England should prepare a question and answer document which responds to the questions raised by the residents at the exhibition event in May A frequently asked questions response was prepared and issued by Highways England to all the residents in Lemington Ward before the second exhibition event held in October The public raised concerns at the exhibition event that emergency services operations could potentially be impacted by the proposed closure. There will be continued consultation with emergency services and other key stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle as the design is further developed. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

29 24 10 CONCLUSIONS The proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road would require the project team to fully understand the use of Birchfield Gardens by undertaking detailed traffic modelling analysis. The aim of the analysis would be to understand the vehicle origin and destination data and the distributional impact of the closure on the local road network, in particular on Southway, Neptune Road, Claremont Avenue, Kirkston Avenue and Union Hall Road If a trial closure of Birchfield Gardens is to be undertaken to understand the impact on the residential estate, it must be ensured that any potential safety impacts as a result of the closure are mitigated prior to the trial closure taking place In developing the proposal, the project team need to understand and consider the concerns raised by the public on the anticipated increase in congestion, increased journey times, suitability of alternative egress points and provide mitigation so that safety is not adversely affected within Dumpling Hall estate or on surrounding local roads There has been early consultation with Newcastle City Council and the emergency services. The feedback from these will be considered along with the views of other key stakeholders to inform the decision making process throughout the scheme development in addition to the views of the local residents as detailed in this report. Report on Public Exhibition - Birchfield Gardens Highways England Project No March 2017

30 Appendix A LEAFLET, MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY REPORT

31 APPENDIX A-1 LEAFLET

32 A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Improvement We are developing a scheme to improve the A1 between Scotswood to North Brunton junctions 74 to 79. This section of the A1 currently experiences delays and journey time reliability issues. Improving this section of the A1 will help to enhance safety, and access to jobs and services in the region. A69 Denton Burn A1 75 A186 What s happening? The proposed scheme is expected to include the closure of the access from Birchfield Gardens to the A1 northbound exit slip road at Denton (junction 75), to help reduce safety risks at this location. We need to close the access road as it would otherwise potentially be unsafe to use once the scheme is completed. To be closed - the existing Birchfield Gardens access which joins the junction 75 (Denton Burn) exit slip road Birchfield Gardens A1 Southway Proposed vehicle turning arrangement for Birchfield Gardens Crown copyright and database rights 2016 Ordnance Survey Birchfield Gardens A1 You are invited to attend a public exhibition on Thursday, 19 May 2016 We will be holding a public exhibition on Thursday, 19 May 2016, to share more information and timings about our improvement scheme proposals. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions and share your views about improving the A1 between Scotswood to North Brunton, and the planned closure of the access from Birchfield Gardens to the A1 northbound exit slip road at Denton (junction 75). The public exhibition will take place between 2pm and 7pm, at: Lemington Community Centre, Tyne View, Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 8RZ Members of the Highways England project team will be on hand to explain the improvement proposals and answer any questions you may have.

33 Proposed scheme timings The improvement scheme is in the very early stages of development, which is why we are seeking your views on the development of the scheme s design. Construction work is expected to commence in 2019/20, subject to the scheme remaining value for money and Highways England successfully completing any appropriate statutory processes. A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Improvement Keeping you up to date Online up to date information will be posted on our scheme web page as it becomes available, at: alerts - you can sign up to receive alerts as they are made via our web page at: Contacting us - If you have any queries about this improvement scheme please contact the Highways England information line by ing: info@highwaysengland.co.uk Or call: Alternatively, you can contact the project team direct at: A1Scotswood.toNorthBrunton@highwaysengland.co.uk Crown copyright You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence: visit write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This document is also available on our website at If you have any enquiries about this publication info@highwaysengland.co.uk or call *. Please quote the Highways England publications code PR11/16. Highways England creative job number N *Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls. These rules apply to calls from any type of line including mobile, BT, other fixed line or payphone. Calls may be recorded or monitored. Printed on paper from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. Registered office Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4LZ Highways England Company Limited registered in England and Wales number

34 APPENDIX A-2 MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA

35 Date Modified: 03/05/ :32 Key Location of houses for letter drop Drawn By: UKLXB333 File: Created using igis, WSP's Online Mapping System Sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, USGS, Intermap, increment P Corp., NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri (Thailand), MapmyIndia, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community m TITLE: Birchfield Gardens Letter Drop FIGURE No: HA WSP-HGN-SNB-SK-D- 0000_004

36 APPENDIX A-3 DISTRIBUTION COMPANY REPORT

37 Completion Report Client Name: Area: Date: WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff Denton Burn May-16 Street Name Total No. Of Houses No Junk Mail Sign Quantity Southway The Ramparts Centurion Road Hillside Avenue W Copperas Bywell Avenue Avalon Drive Falston Avenue St Vincents Close Wallington Drive Arundel Drive Styford Gardens Carlton Gardens Mapperley Drive Moorway Drive Woolerton Drive Shelford Gardens Cranford Gardens Woodvale Gardens Birchfield Gardens Flexbury Gardens Lockerbie Gardens Lintzford Gardens Moorcroft Road Melrose Close Matfen Close Morston Drive Maple Close Malton Close Neptune Road Newton Close Newarth Close Newbury Close Oakdale Close Ottercap Close Overton Close Ormskirk Close Ottringham Close Ordley Close Ormiston Total: 1054

38 Completion Report Client Name: Area: Date: WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff Denton Burn May-16 Street Name Total No. Of Houses No Junk Mail Sign Quantity Ottershaw Ormiscraig Orchard-Leigh Oakenshaw Norton Way Wingate Close Norfolk Way Marsham Close Kirkston Avenue Broadway Claremont Avenue Neville Road Wishaw Rise Linnel Drive Leabank Meadow Road Rydal Road Norwood Road Woodville Road W Denton Road Honister Place Honister Close Eldon Road Eldon Place Waverley Crescent Addison Road Dene Avenue Bewick Crescent Denton Avenue Rokeby Avenue (Partial) Total: 944

39 Appendix B INVITATION LETTER AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

40 APPENDIX B-1 INVITATION LETTER FOR SECOND EXHIBITION

41 The Occupier Sarah Kearns Project Manager 3 South Lateral 8 City Walk Leeds LS11 9AT 16 September 2016 Dear Resident, A1 Scotswood to North Brunton improvement scheme I am writing to you following the public awareness exhibition we held on Thursday 19 May, regarding the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road on to the A1 exit slip road. We received feedback that some residents had been unable to attend the exhibition. We ve therefore decided to hold a repeat exhibition to provide those residents with an opportunity to view our proposals. The exhibition will be held on Wednesday 12 October between 2pm and 7:30pm and Thursday 13 October between 10am and 6pm at: Lemington Community Centre Tyne View Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 8RZ You re welcome to attend the exhibition to give you another opportunity to ask any questions and share your views about the proposed closure of the access from Birchfield Gardens to the A1 northbound exit slip road at Denton (junction 75). We propose to hold further consultation events on the scheme as a whole in spring We will also hold further exhibitions for local residents to update you on our plans regarding the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road to the A1 once we have more information available. We will write to you again to invite you to these exhibitions closer to the time. Registered office Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4LZ Highways England Company Limited registered in England and Wales number

42 A frequently asked questions document has been compiled based on the questions raised at our exhibition in May, a copy of which is enclosed. This document, along with future updates, will be published on our scheme webpage at: You can subscribe to receive notifications when updates are made to the webpage. We will write to you to invite you to future consultation events, but subscribing to receive updates is the best way to keep up to date with progress. If you have any queries or concerns please do attend our event to discuss them with a member of the project team. Alternatively, you can contact me by writing to the above address or via at the following address: A1Scotswood.toNorthBrunton@highwaysengland.co.uk You can also contact me via the Highways England Information Line on Yours faithfully Sarah Kearns Project Manager, Regional Investments Programme Registered office Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4LZ Highways England Company Limited registered in England and Wales number

43 APPENDIX B-2 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

44 A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Improvement scheme FAQs Introduction As part of the ongoing process to improve the A1 we re currently developing a solution to improve the section between Scotswood and North Brunton (junctions 74 to 79). This section of the A1 currently experiences delays and journey time reliability issues. We plan to widen the A1 between Scotswood and North Brunton to three lanes in each direction and provide additional lanes between junctions on the section between Scotswood and Ponteland Road (junctions 74 to 77). This will help to manage traffic joining and leaving the A1 at these junctions. To ensure that the proposals remain within the existing highway boundary, we will need to construct narrower lanes between Scotswood and Kingston Park (junctions 74 to 78), similar to the scheme that has recently been completed between Coal House and Metro Centre (junctions 67 to 71). It is also proposed that the speed limit on this section of the network is reduced to 50mph to improve traffic flow during busy periods and to meet current standards for this section of the A1. As the section between Kingston Park and North Brunton (junctions 78 to 79) is less constrained, we will be able to widen this section to three full width lanes. This will still remain within the highway boundary and will continue to operate with a 70mph speed limit once the widening is completed. Highways England is responsible for the Strategic Road Network in England which includes the A1 and is promoting Improving this section will help to enhance safety and access to jobs and services in the area and facilitate future development. We are currently in the early stages of developing the scheme and need to carry out further traffic and environmental assessments to understand the impacts of the scheme in the area. This will enable us to establish which statutory processes we will need to comply with and develop the timings for the scheme. process we re currently aiming to be ready to start construction in 2019/20. Highways England is responsible for the strategic road network in England which includes the A1 and is promoting this scheme. We will work closely with Newcastle City Council to address any issues associated with this scheme as we develop our design. How will my property be affected and will compensation be paid for the effects on my property? We are not intending to purchase any properties to construct the scheme. However, people living alongside the section of road to be widened will be able to submit a claim for compensation under the provisions of Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 for any reduction in the value of their property resulting from the physical effects of the new road. The six-year claim period starts one year after the new road is open to traffic. There will be announcements in the local press nearer the time informing people about the claims process. Will noise increase as a result of your scheme? Work is underway to understand how the road is used currently and in the future. When this information is available it will enable us to forecast the likely noise impacts of the scheme. Once we understand the likely environmental impacts of the scheme, including noise levels, we will consider options to mitigate the impacts of the scheme on the local environment and neighbouring properties. Subject to the scheme remaining value for money and successfully completing any applicable statutory

45 Proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access to the A1 Why does the access road onto the A1 at Birchfield Gardens need to be closed? We are concerned that once the A1 has been widened in this location, it would become unsafe to leave this access open. As we develop the scheme, the proposals will be periodically subject to road safety audits, which are carried out by independent specialists to ensure our designs are as safe as possible. We anticipate that this junction is an element of the scheme which would be challenged during that audit process if left open. We are therefore proposing its closure to minimise the risk of accidents in this location once the scheme has been constructed. What are the accident figures in this area at the moment? Between 2011 and 2015 there have been a total seven accidents along the Birchfield Gardens access road and the northbound exit slip road at junction 75. The current accident figures for this location are not abnormally high. However, our concern is that once the A1 is widened in this location the layout of the slip road and access road will change and this could result in the junction being less safe than it is currently. When will you be closing the access road? The closure of the access road will be subject to statutory processes being successfully completed and the overall scheme remaining value for money. We still have to develop our construction programme, but we currently expect construction work to commence in 2019/20. The closure of Birchfield Gardens would not happen before the construction of the main scheme commences. Will there be a trial closure? It has been suggested that a trial closure of the access road will help us to accurately assess the impacts of a permanent closure upon the wider residential area. This is something we will consider further, however, we will need to undertake traffic surveys first so we understand how much traffic currently uses the route. This will enable us to assess whether a trial closure could be safely implemented. If a trial closure is implemented this will be communicated to local residents beforehand, closer to the time. Your proposals will cause additional traffic and congestion within the Dumpling Hall residential area, how is this improving safety? The proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens aims to minimise the potential for collisions in this location. We need to undertake more traffic modelling work to understand the impacts of the proposed closure upon the wider residential area. We will commence this work later in 2016/17 and this will help us to understand and address potential safety issues within the area. We are required to periodically use an independent road safety audit process, as the scheme is developed, to help us ensure the scheme design remains as safe as possible. The scheme also aims to improve safety along the whole route. The proposed reduction in speed limit will have a beneficial impact on the number of collisions on this section of the A1, which are caused by the stop/start nature of the current traffic flow in peak periods. It will also reduce the risk of collisions during the remainder of the day and will reduce the impact of collisions that do occur. Have the emergency services been consulted with? The emergency services have been consulted about the wider scheme proposals and we will continue to meet with them regularly as we develop the scheme design. We met with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue recently to discuss the proposed closure of the access to the A1 in detail and we and will endeavour to address any concerns they may have as we progress the scheme and consider potential mitigations for the proposed closure. We intend to hold similar meetings with the police and ambulance Service in the coming weeks. To ensure you keep up to date, sign up to alerts at:

46 Are you planning to put in an alternative route to make it easier to get onto the A1? We are in the very early stages of designing the scheme and we will need to undertake traffic surveys in the area and further traffic modelling to help us identify the right solution for this location. Because we understand this is a concern, we held a consultation exercise earlier in our scheme development than usual. This was to give local residents an early opportunity to provide their views on the proposals. If you missed the initial consultation exhibition in May we are holding a repeat exhibition at the Lemington Community Centre between 2pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday 12 October and between 10am and 6pm on Thursday 13 October Once we have reviewed the feedback from these consultation events and carried out the additional traffic modelling for this area we will be able to develop our design to help mitigate for the loss of this access. How do I object to your proposals? Our exhibition in October is an opportunity to provide us with your views. We would be grateful if you would take the time to do this as it will give us an opportunity to consider your comments and endeavour to address them as we develop the design. Once we have developed our plans further we will hold more public information exhibitions to update you on our progress with the scheme as a whole and also the proposed closure of Birchfield Gardens. If you still wish to object to our proposals at this point you will be able to do so via the statutory planning process. At the moment we are not certain whether we will need to comply with the Planning Act 2008 or the Highways Act 1980, so we cannot provide the detailed process at the moment, however we will be able to provide this information when we hold our future public information events. Communication with local residents Why was there such short notice provided for the exhibition in May? Unfortunately our communications are constrained by purdah periods. These are periods before elections during which we are unable to communicate new information about our schemes. This year we were constrained by both the local elections in May and the European Union Referendum in June. This meant we had a very small window of time between these two events to hold and communicate our exhibition. However, we have listened to the feedback received regarding the short notice period for the first exhibition and we re now holding a repeat exhibition in October with a longer notice period being given to local residents. How did you decide which areas to letter drop? When we initially identified this issue and the need to notify residents, we delivered over 1,000 leaflets to the north-east area of Lemington to invite those residents to our exhibition in May. This was the area we considered would most likely be affected by the proposed closure. However, we received feedback at the exhibition in May that the letter drop should have extended further. Therefore, following discussions with your local councillors, we have now extended this letter drop to include over 4,500 properties across the Lemington ward. How will you be communicating with local residents? We will be updating our webpage regularly and if you would like to be notified of updates via you can subscribe to alerts on our webpage. Our webpage address is More public exhibitions for the wider scheme will be held in the future once the scheme designs are further developed. These will be advertised on our webpage and in the local press. We will also hold further exhibitions for local residents to update you on our plans regarding the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road to the A1 once we have more information available. We will write to you again to invite you to these exhibitions closer to the time. To ensure you keep up to date, sign up to alerts at:

47 We have already met with Newcastle City Council and your local ward councillors to discuss issues raised at the May exhibition. We will continue to meet with them and your local Member of Parliament as our plans for Birchfield Gardens progress to discuss issues and ensure information is appropriately communicated to local residents. I have received another invite for a further public exhibition. I attended the last event, will further information be provided? No. This is a repeat exhibition in order to gather views from residents who may not have been able to attend in May. If you have further questions you are more than welcome to attend again. How do I find out more information? We ll post more information on the Highways England website as it becomes available. You can subscribe to be alerted when updates are made. Our website address is; This will be the only source of the latest, accurate information regarding the scheme and the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road. If you have any queries about this project you can contact the project team by ing A1Scotswood.toNorthBrunton@highwaysengland.co.uk alternatively you can call the Highways England Information Line on Is this closure being promoted by Newcastle City Council? No. Highways England is responsible for the strategic road network in England, which includes the A1. As this proposed closure is required as a result of planned improvements to the A1, Highways England are promoting the proposed closure of the Birchfield Gardens access road to the A1. However, we will work closely with Newcastle City Council to ensure any issues on the local road network associated with the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton scheme are addressed as we develop the scheme design. Crown copyright You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence: visit write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This document is also available on our website at If you have any enquiries about this publication info@highwaysengland.co.uk or call *. Please quote the Highways England publications code PR85/16. Highways England creative job number N *Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls. These rules apply to calls from any type of line including mobile, BT, other fixed line or payphone. Calls may be recorded or monitored. Printed on paper from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. Registered office Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4LZ Highways England Company Limited registered in England and Wales number To ensure you keep up to date, sign up to alerts at:

48 APPENDIX B-3 MAP OF THE DISTRIBUTION AREA FOR SECOND EXHIBITION

49 Date Modified: 09/12/ :38 Key File: Created using igis, WSP's Online Mapping System Drawn By: UKJOS001 Location of houses for letter drop TITLE: Birchfield Gardens Letter Drop - October Public Exhibition FIGURE No: Sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, USGS, Intermap, INCREMENT P, NRCan, E sri Japan, METI, E sri China (Hong Kong), Esri K orea, Esri (Thailand), MapmyIndia, NGCC, OpenS treetmap contributors, and the GIS User Community m HA WSP-HGN-SNB-SK-D-0000_017

50 Appendix C LETTER FROM COUNCILLORS

51 APPENDIX C-1 LETTER FROM LEMINGTON WARD COUNCILLORS

52 Our reference: BP/DBC/KM Ms Sarah Kearns Projects Manager, Major Projects Highways England 3 South Lateral 8 City Walk Leeds, LS11 9AT 20 May 2016 Dear Ms Kearns Councillors Barry Phillipson, David Burford Cook and Kim McGuinness Labour, Lemington Ward c/o Members Services Unit Civic Centre Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH Phone: Thank you for organising the drop in event for residents at the Lemington Centre yesterday to inform them of Highways England's proposals regarding the A1 Scotswood to North Brunton Improvement Scheme by introducing a third lane into the existing carriageway and the very professional way in which you and your staff conducted the event, which was appreciated by those residents who attended. As part of these proposals Highways England have put forward a proposal to close the access road from Birchfield Gardens in South West Denton which joins with the slip road for access to the A69 and to the A1. We were delighted to see so many residents attend the event, and we are sure you will agree that the vast majority of residents were opposed to the proposal from Highways England. The impact of such a decision to the immediate area and to the rest of Lemington ward in terms of congestion and potential road safety issues will be very significant. We are concerned that residential roads such as Southway, Neptune Road, Kirkstone Avenue, Claremont Avenue and Union Hall Road (the main north /south route into and out of the ward) will all see significant increases in traffic movement as a result of the proposed closure of the access road. Many of the residents who attended the event yesterday told us they would also feel isolated as a result and we are informed that some residents from Birchfield Gardens themselves are opposed to the proposed closure, as they enjoy the direct access on to the A69 and A1 that they have at the moment. The inevitable increase in traffic movement through the ward to access the main trunk roads i.e. A69 and A6085 Scotswood Road including access to A1 slip road - north bound, could well lead to major problems on what are essentially residential streets within Lemington Ward. If traffic were to use Union Hall Road as their main access / egress to and from the ward then there will inevitably be major delays at the signalised junction of Union Hall Road with West Denton Road and Coombe Drive. In addition to this if a bus were to pull up at the bus stop which is located just a few metres past the traffic lights, this would again halt traffic attempting to join the A69. The potential increase in traffic movement may also lead to delays for residents from Walbottle and Blucher villages wishing to access the A69 at the roundabout at Lemington Road Ends. As you will be aware, we put forward some suggestions yesterday at the drop in event relating to how meaningful consultation and communication with residents regarding this issue could and should be put in place and we believe this to be essential. If you need this information in another format or language please contact the sender.

53 We believe that as a minimum following on from the drop in event yesterday that a communication / newsletter is produced for residents to explain where we go from here and to keep them informed throughout to ensure they have the facts available to them. Such a communication / newsletter should be over a much wider area, if not the whole of Lemington ward, as we will all be affected by the proposed closure. If this is not acceptable then we would suggest that as a bare minimum every household east of Union Hall Road should be included in any communication. We also suggested that at the appropriate time traffic surveys are done to ascertain the vehicle movements on Birchfield Gardens this to take place over a week to two weeks and also (although this may not be popular with residents) a 'pilot' closure of the access road with traffic surveys put in place on the estate roads mentioned earlier to ascertain the impact of such a closure and to identify which roads would bear the brunt of the proposal from Highways England is essential. We also believe that faced with this evidence and the very clear feelings of residents that Highways England may then wish to re-think their proposals regarding the access road. As the Elected Members for Lemington Ward, we are adamant that there should be no adverse effect upon 'any' of our constituents by this proposal from Highways England and although we appreciate the scope for further land take in this area is non-existent, we would point to some of the very innovative design schemes which have been put into effect as part of A1 Improvement Scheme south of the River Tyne, which have delivered seemingly impossible solutions. We would be grateful if the Lemington Ward Councillors could meet with officials from Highways England and Newcastle City Council so that we can understand what input the City Council have had, if any, in relation to the proposals from Highways England as one of the major authorities involved / affected by the A1 Improvement Scheme, and in order that we can put forward our views and those of residents, regarding this matter. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely Councillor Barry Phillipson Councillor David Cook Councillor Kim McGuinness Contact Details are as follows: Cllr. Barry Phillipson, 39 Union Hall Road, Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 8AB Phone: (0191) , barry.phillipson@newcastle.gov.uk Cllr. David Cook, 20 Woodville Road, Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 7JZ Phone: (0191) , david.cook@newcastle.gov.uk Cllr Kim McGuinness, 180 West Avenue, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 5JH Phone: , kim.mcguinness@newcastle.gov.uk If you need this information in another format or language please contact the sender.

54 APPENDIX C-2 LETTER FROM WESTERHOPE WARD COUNCILLOR

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