Site access
The existing site access will be improved to facilitate vehicular access to the new facility. The improved access will also include footway provision on both sides, with these connecting to a new off-site footway running north on the west side of Entry Hill and new drop kerb crossing points to connect to the existing footway on the east side of Entry Hill. A new zebra crossing of Entry Hill is also suggested as part of the proposals, subject to the agreement of the council’s highways team. This would be located between the Entry Rise and Hawthorn Grove junctions.
Site access arrangements plan - click to enlarge
Heavy Goods Vehicles will access the proposed site, but their numbers will be limited. At the nearby Midford Road site there are typically no more than one large articulated HGVs per week and a maximum of five smaller rigid HGVs per day. The numbers visiting the Entry Hill site will likely be lower than currently visiting the Midford Road site.
The development is suggesting the provision of a new zebra crossing on Entry Hill, subject to the approval of the council’s highways team - click to enlarge
Parking
Parking for 48 cars, 24 bicycles and 8 motorcycles will be provided on site.
Traffic and sustainable travel
The site is well located to enable employees to utilise sustainable modes of transport. Many of Cross Manufacturing’s employees live locally and the site is easily accessible on foot, bicycle or by bus. There will be parking provided on site for those employees who do require it, as well as visitors and deliveries. A travel plan will be implemented to minimise reliance on the car.
The existing Midford Road site has a Staff Travel Plan that will be expanded to also cover the Entry Hill site. Surveys undertaken for the existing Travel Plan identify that approximately 22% of Cross Manufacturing staff currently travel to work by sustainable modes with a key target of the Travel Plan being to increase this proportion to 29% over the next few years. It is likely that the target for sustainable travel will increase further as part of ongoing monitoring and updates of the Staff Travel Plan.
Traffic surveys have been undertaken at the junctions at either end of Entry Hill so that the existing turning movements and levels of congestion can be accurately identified. The predicted number of additional traffic movements likely to be generated by the proposed development has been derived from the staff travel surveys undertaken at the existing Midford Road site on the assumption that travel habits and shift patterns will be broadly the same at both sites. The development flows have then been added to the surveyed flows and the operation of the Entry Hill junctions assessed using the appropriate software. This has concluded that the proposed development will have no material effect on the operation of either junction or the levels of congestion currently experienced.
Sustainable travel modes will be promoted in a travel plan for the new facility
Construction access
Any planning consent will include conditions, one of which will be a Construction Management Plan. This will set out agreed working hours on site during construction to ensure disruption for neighbours is kept to a minimum. It will also set out routes and access arrangements for construction/delivery vehicles together with details on how issues such as ‘mud on the highway’ will be minimised and resolved.