Purpose

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport detailing the Portswood Broadway consultation and the next steps for the project

Decision

(i)  To note that the Portswood Broadway Transforming Cities Fund scheme second phase of consultation has happened and is used as an opportunity for stakeholders to express their views on the proposal, supported by additional information provided;

(ii)  To note that a “You Said / We Did” response has been prepared for the main themes in the consultation results to assist in shaping a recommendation for the scheme;

(iii)  To note that there is support for the scheme to limit the amount of through route traffic using Portswood Broadway via the use of a bus gate / motor vehicle restriction, accompanied with measures to limit the impact on adjacent streets via an Active Travel Zone;

(iv)  To progress the scheme with the approval for a trial of a part time bus gate / motor vehicle restriction on Portswood Broadway via an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, with measures to limit the impact on adjacent streets via an Active Travel Zone (ATZ) to be in place ahead of the trial.  Delegation is given to Executive Director Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member Environment and Transport to progress associated detailed design and Traffic Regulation Orders to enable the scheme trial and Active Travel Zone to be delivered;

(v)  To establish a co-design group to inform design decisions for Portswood Broadway to address issues raised from the consultation; and

(vi)  A budget allocation of £500k for the trial is made from the capital programme budget of £2.9M. This budget would be subject to confirmation from the DfT on remaining grant award for the TCF programme.

Reasons for the decision

1.  To allow the opinions of relevant stakeholders and public to inform the decision making process for the scheme.

2.  Compliance with the Southampton City Council (SCC) Corporate Plan goals – Embed a culture of listening to our residents, community groups, partner organisations and businesses so their voices can shape our actions, and A prosperous city – Southampton will focus on growing our local economy and bringing investment into our city. The scheme will allow for improvements to be made to Portswood Broadway as a district centre improvement project.

3.  Compliance with the Southampton City Council Local Transport Plan Connected Southampton – A Connected City: Developing the Southampton Mass Transit System (Policy C1) – the introduction of a bus gate / motor vehicle restriction will assist with the implementation of the Mass Transit System.

4.  Compliance with the Southampton Council Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) ambitions, including Ambition 2 Buses are an attractive alternative, Ambition 6 Buses support sustainable growth in the City and District Centres. The scheme will make bus travel along the corridor faster and more reliable.

Alternative options considered

Not to proceed with a trial of the scheme – subject to discussions with the Department for Transport via a change control submission, this may allow some of the match funded Integrated Transport Block grant to be directed to other transport schemes, noting that s106 contributions are site specific and cannot be redirected. The majority of SCC match funding would still be required for schemes already completed / commenced under the Transforming Cities Fund programme.

This would not align with the Southampton City Council Local Transport Plan Connected Southampton and associated policies, as bus priority is an essential component to a Mass Transit System, and with Bus Service Improvement Plan ambitions.