CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CANAL ROAD CROSSING AND ASSOCIATED ROADS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING ROADS AS PART OF THE WESTERN GATEWAY INFRASTRUCTURE SCHEME (WGIS)
Land adjacent to the ManchesterShip Canal, M60 and Trafford Boulevard, Urmston
APPLICANT: Peel Investments (North) Ltd.AGENT: Indigo Planning Ltd.
RECOMMENDATION: GRANT
SITE
The application site is located around and including Junction 10 of the M60 and includes land between the ManchesterShip Canal (to the north), the M60 (to the west and south-west) and Trafford Boulevard (to the east).
The land in the centre of the proposed roads and highway works is allocated in the Unitary Development Plan as a Regional Sports Complex and has been developed in recent years with the JJB Soccer Dome, the golf driving range and the Chill Factor e ski slope. A Travel Lodge hotel has also recently been constructed on land to the north east of Trafford Way.
The ManchesterShip Canal is the administrative boundary between Trafford and Salford. This application forms part of a wider set of proposals that also include land within Salford (see Proposal section below).
PROPOSAL
The Western Gateway Infrastructure Scheme (WGIS) is intended to provide additional local road capacity parallel to the M60 and an additional canal crossing as well as improvements to some local roads. The scheme would therefore reduce local trips on a section of the M60 and provide development opportunities in the area.
This application forms part of a wider set of development proposals, which also includes that part of the Western Gateway Infrastructure Scheme (WGIS) within Salford as well as the Port Salford project – a proposed multi-modal freight terminal. The Port Salford development would be located to the north of the Ship Canal (opposite Davyhulme Sewage Works) and to the south of the A57 and Barton Aerodrome and comprises rail served distribution warehousing, a rail link, canal quay and berths, inter-modal and ancillary facilities, vehicle parking and landscaping. The Salford WGIS proposal includes new roads and road improvements between Junction 12 in the north and the proposed canal crossing in the south. The Port Salford and Salford WGIS proposals are the subject of a current application being dealt with by Salford City Council.
In addition to the Port Salford development, the wider WGIS road scheme is also designed to allow additional highway capacity for further development including the Salford Reds Stadium, which has previously been permitted, and a potential future major office and residential development at Trafford Quays (although this is not a committed development nor an allocation in the UDP and would need to be considered on its own merits if proposed at a future date).
The application for the Trafford section of WGIS proposes a new swing bridge road crossing over the ManchesterShip Canal and associated highway works. These would include: -
-a link road (referred to as the parallel collector road) running parallel with the M60 to the east of the motorway and to the west of Chill Factor-e – the road would carry local traffic currently using the motorway between Junctions 10 and 11; the central section of this road (including the new canal bridge) would be a two way dual carriageway;
-alterations to the slip roads to and from the M60 at Junction 10 including the closure of the anti-clockwise exit slip road onto Trafford Boulevard - the parallel collector road would be connected into the roundabout in place of this slip road;
-alterations to the motorway between Junctions 9 and 10 including an additional lane anticlockwise;
-a link road running along the northern side of the JJB Soccer Dome and joining up with the existing access road at Trafford Way, which links to Trafford Boulevard;
-facilities for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Ship Canal and for the Metrolink to be extended over the Ship Canal into Salford in the event that the Metrolink is extended to and beyond the Trafford Centre;
-local road improvements to Bridgewater and Ellesmere Circles.
The development represents EIA Schedule 2 development and an Environmental Statement has been submitted, which includes a Transport Assessment.
The Environmental Statement addresses issues of ground engineering, water quality, traffic and transport, air quality, noise and vibration, nature conservation, landscape and visual amenity, archaeology, heritage features agricultural land quality, socio-economic impacts and hazard and risk.
An Environmental Statement Supplement has been submitted updating the original Environmental Statement with further information including more detailed indicative proposed structure planting.
A number of amendments to the detailed highways layouts have also been submitted during the course of the application.
The application was originally submitted in March 2004 but for the majority of this time, it was subject to a direction from the Highways Agency not to grant planning permission until satisfactory traffic modelling work had been carried out in order to allow a proper assessment of the impact on the strategic highway network. This direction was lifted on 23rd December 2008.
REVISED TRAFFORD UDP
The Revised Trafford UDP was formally adopted on 19th June 2006. This, together with the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West (RPG13), now forms the Development Plan for the Borough of Trafford.
PROPOSALS MAP NOTATION
Trafford Centre and its Vicinity (TCA1)
Regional Sports Complex (TCA1(a))
Mixed Use Development (TCA1(b))
PRINCIPAL RELEVANT REVISEDUDP POLICIES/ PROPOSALS
The relevant Policies and Proposals of the Plan are as follows: -
D1 – All New Development
TCA1 – Trafford Centre and its Vicinity
ENV16 – Tree Planting
ENV27 – Road Corridors
ENV29 – Canal Corridors
ENV30 – Control of Pollution
ENV33 – Contaminated Land
T1 – Sustainable Integrated Transport Network
T2 – High Quality Integrated Public Transport Network
T3 – Pedestrian and Cycling Route Network
T4 – Maintaining and Improving the Highway Network
T8 – Improvements to the Highway Network
T9 – Private Funding of Development Related Highway and Public Transport Schemes
T16 – Inland Waterways
T18 – Providing for Pedestrians, Cyclists and the Disabled
T19 – New Facilities for Cyclists
PRINCIPAL RELEVANT RSS POLICIES
DP5 – Manage Travel Demand, Reduce the Need to Travel and Increase Accessibility
DP7 –Promote Environmental Quality
DP9 – Reduce Emissions and Adapt to Climate Change
RT1 – Integrated Transport Networks
RT2 – Managing Travel Demand
RT3 – Public Transport Framework
RT4 – Management of the Highway Network
RT9 – Walking and Cycling
MCR1 – ManchesterCity Region Priorities
RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY
Related Planning Application in Salford
03/47344/HYBOUT – Port Salford - Multi-modal freight interchange comprising rail served distribution warehousing, rail link, canal quay and berths, inter-modal and ancillary facilities, vehicle parking, landscaping and canal crossing and associated roads as part of the Western Gateway Infrastructure Scheme – land between the Manchester Ship Canal and the A57 (Liverpool Road) between Eccles Sewage Works to the east and Makro to the west, together with a corridor to the Trans-Pennine rail line east and north of Barton Aerodome – Current application
Other Nearby Sites
H/70853 - Formation of vehicular egress from Trafford Centre to M60 Junction 10 – Current application
H/70408 – Formation of emergency vehicular egress onto M60 – Current application
H/62900 – Erection of a three storey building to provide a 54 bed budget hotel with ancillary car parking, landscaping and access from Trafford Way – Approved – 17th November 2005
H/58838 – Erection of an indoor adventure and winter sports centre with associated retail uses and ancillary car parking, landscaping and access – Approved – 20th April 2005
APPLICANTS’ SUBMISSION
Environmental Statement
Ground Engineering and Construction
Environmental effects resulting from construction will be mitigated by adoption of sound construction practices including health and safety provisions. There would be a requirement for retaining walls on some parts of the parallel collector road and the piling of foundations to the Ship Canal bridge crossing.
Water Quality
Measures will be taken during construction to ensure that soil and silted surface water run-off do not enter directly into the Ship Canal. Good construction site management will mitigate these effects with surface water being collected by temporary site drainage leading to silt traps before being discharged into the Ship Canal. Soil quality will be maximised and erosion minimised by managed soil stripping.
The floodwater regime of the existing Ship Canal will not be compromised by the development. A significant proportion of the run-off will be directed towards the Ship Canal. The discharge will not induce flooding.
Overall there is no detrimental impact on the existing surface water regime. There are no residual impacts to water quality, floodwater regime or hydraulic continuity of the existing watercourses.
Traffic and Transport
On both the local roads and the M60 motorway, there is peak hour congestion and there are a relatively high number of low-severity accidents. The constraints of the network to accommodate significant development traffic have been recognised for some time. The WGIS is a major highway improvement scheme to accommodate other Western Gateway development and provide wider transport and highway benefits.
Port Salford will be a relatively low generator of traffic, particularly during peak periods. The existing network can accommodate Port Salford, subject to improvements to Junction 11 of the M60 and widening to four narrow lanes between Junctions 11 and 12 on the M60 northbound. These are effectively elements of WGIS which will be brought forward to allow Port Salford to proceed.
The residual elements of Port Salford with WGIS would not be any worse than the residual impacts without WGIS and the local network would improve.
Air Quality
There are no significant sources of dust within the study area and the existing levels of nitrogen dioxide PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter) emissions are within the national objectives for 2004.
Any impact from on-site construction traffic and plant is likely to be negligible. With the WGIS in place, the air quality impacts would be greatest near to the new road links, although still moderate. Elsewhere, the impacts would be small or extremely small. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide at all of these locations, apart from one very close to a particularly busy motorway junction, would be below the statutory air quality objectives in all the future years modelled, either with or without the WGIS scheme. The objectives for PM10 that apply for 2004 are expected to be achieved but the provisional objectives that apply from 2010 are unlikely to be met with or without the development – a position similar to many other locations in the UK.
Noise and Vibration
The most significant source of noise is the traffic using the major road systems in the area. The M60 makes significant contributions to the ambient levels. No significant vibration sources were identified around the site.
Initial temporary impacts will arise from site preparation and construction work. For all the locations examined, the noise from on-site construction processes is likely to exceed the threshold levels. The majority of locations, however, would not experience a significant environmental effect.
General principles of construction site noise control will be followed. Mitigation measures include sensitive positioning of equipment, hours of operation and HGV access routes. Monitoring of noise levels will be conducted during the construction works. The choice of piling technique will be reviewed once the construction programme is finalised. Noise impact from construction works would not be significant following the relevant mitigation measures.
As traffic noise changes will not cause significant impacts, mitigation measures are not necessary.
Nature Conservation
The majority of the site contains nothing of major ecological or nature conservation importance and there are no statutory or local designations. The Ship Canal is possibly of local importance as a Wildlife Corridor.
The impact of the WGIS would be minor. It could be implemented at any time in conjunction with or after the Port Salford development provided that the bird breeding season is taken into account.
Overall the scheme will have a minor impact on biodiversity and nature conservation.
Landscape and Visual Amenity
There are no national, regional or local landscape designations and the sensitivity of the landscape is therefore considered low even at a local level. The site is visible from a relatively restricted area generally within less than one kilometre, due to the screening effect of the topography, key groups of trees, the M60 embankment and large buildings.
Generally, the necessary road infrastructure, whilst having some visual impact, will have no significantly adverse visual impacts with mitigation planting.
The loss of some existing trees on the site will have a short term impact on the intrinsic landscape character of the area. Mitigating planting will have a beneficial medium to long term effect on the intrinsic landscape character of the area.
Archaeology
There are no national archaeological designations (ScheduledAncientMonuments or Areas of Archaeological Importance) within the site or its immediate environs.
Any impact on archaeological resources such as peat deposits and possible stray finds will take place at the construction phase of the development (i.e. when the ground will be disturbed). The operational phase of development will not have any further impacts.
Mitigation during the construction phase should include a programme of archaeological field evaluation. If further recording is required, a brief detailing the proposed works will be agreed with the CountyArchaeologist for Greater Manchester and implemented. The possible destruction of stray finds during ground works can be mitigated by an archaeological watching brief.
Heritage Features
There are no above ground heritage features within the application site. Overall, the impact will be low and no additional mitigation is required.
Agricultural Land Quality
There is no potential agricultural land within the application site.
Socio-Economic Impacts
During the construction phase, the socio-economic impacts are limited to the temporary positive employment and construction training impacts. During the operational phase, the WGIS proposals will strengthen the likely employment creation and training impacts of the overall Port Salford project.
There is no need for any mitigation measures to offset the socio-economic impacts. There would, however, be benefit in ensuring that the positive residual impacts of employment creation and training opportunities are targeted at those communities where the need is greatest.
The Port Salford development as a whole has the potential to make a major contribution to the regeneration and renewal of Salford and Trafford.
Overall Conclusions
The WGIS proposals have been developed in parallel with the EIA process and have so benefited from, and draw upon, the findings and knowledge of the specialist team. Consequently, any potential long-term negative effects have been largely mitigated through the design evolution of the scheme.
All of the individual assessments conclude that the proposed development is not likely to give rise to significant adverse effects on the environment, provided that appropriate mitigation measures are implemented. Where negative impacts are predicted, their significance is generally moderate or slight. The main negative effects will arise during the construction phase. However, these are short-term effects and appropriate mitigation measures are identified. A number of controls on the development are suggested by specialists to further minimise the adverse impacts of the development during the construction and operational phases. Overall, the development is not likely to have a significant detrimental effect on the environment.
CONSULTATIONS
Highways Agency:Directs conditions to be attached to any permission that may be granted requiring: -
-the setting up of a Port Salford / WGIS Highway Design Group to meet regularly to discuss the project;
-the setting up of a Port Salford Transportation Steering Group;
-submission of detailed design, construction details and traffic management details, statutory orders to be confirmed, details of periods of closure of proposed canal bridge to be agreed, harbour revision orders to be confirmed, submission of a traffic management and advanced driver information strategy and necessary Transport and Street Works Act orders to be confirmed;
-agreed highway works to be fully implemented.
The Agency states that the mitigating highway works set out (Part and Full WGIS) are complex, cover three highway authority jurisdictions (Salford, Trafford and the Secretary of State), require various statutory orders to be confirmed and need to go through a detailed design process before implementation can occur. Therefore, it is the Highways Agency’s view that this will take a considerable time before the site can be occupied and, as such, sufficient time will need to be allowed within the consent for this to take place.
LHA: No objections.
The application is for a new road and bridge crossing of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in isolation would merely provide additional carriageway capacity in the immediate area and particularly provide some reduction in the volume of traffic using, and hence congestion on, the section of the M60 over the Barton High Level Bridge. As the application proposes no development within Trafford other than this road and bridge it is not a traffic generator in its own right, although the increased capacity will result in some constrained traffic demand being unlocked which will result in some increased flows and greater congestion at pinch-points within the highway network.
It is, however, only when potential future developments are included within the assessment of the road scheme that the full potential and impacts of the road can be considered. These major developments (including a notional development of the site referred to as Trafford Quays) are not part of the application but are included within the assessment. It is important to note, however, that many of the traffic increases and impacts demonstrated by the scheme modelling result from future developments, which will be subject to separate detailed assessment and analysis in due course either as separate applications or within the development of future Local Development Frameworks.