Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020

(11) Improving Accessibility & Encouraging Sustainable Travel

Introduction

253. To make provision for sustainable communities and to realise the future economic ambitions of Solihull it is critical there is an integrated approach to transport and development across the borough. Easy access to services and facilities such as jobs, education, fresh food retailers and open space by all modes; and an efficient, safe and attractive street and highway network are crucial to supporting these ambitions. The development of policies in this section of the draft local plan have had regard to Solihull's role in the wider area recognising that both national road and rail networks cross through the Borough.
254. The Borough Portrait and Challenges identify the local transport issues in the Borough. This includes the difficulty in achieving sustainable modes of transport in the rural parts of the Borough, due to the number of small settlements and dispersed population, whilst many of the Borough's roads suffer from congestion during peak hours. As well as creating social exclusions these issues can in turn detract from Solihull's attractiveness as a place to live, work and learn whilst also supressing its economic potential. Effective land use planning can, however, make a positive contribution towards re-balancing the transport system by influencing the location of development; supporting rural transport and encouraging take up of sustainable modes of transport.
255. Solihull Council is embarking on a strategy of 'Managed Growth' through the promotion of 'UK Central'. UK Central brings together all of the Borough's key economic assets, including regional business parks, town centres, Jaguar Land Rover, the Airport, future HS2 interchange station and the NEC. A key component to making UK Central a reality will be a balanced approach to transport - one that recognises the need to cater for cars and places appropriately as well as increasing emphasis on alternative transport modes.

Movement for Growth & Solihull Connected

256. The West Midlands Combined Authority, has through its 'Movement for Growth' strategy set out the strategic direction for the region, while the Council's transport strategy 'Solihull Connected' (adopted 2016) sets out the strategic vision for managing the quality and performance of the transport system within Solihull and connections with the rest of the region and the UK.
257. Solihull Connected has five primary objectives:

• Ensure that major transport investment enables and manages growth to achieve the Council priorities for homes and jobs;
• Support and enable the integrated delivery of sustainable and efficient forms of transport like mass-transit, cycling and walking;
• Contribute to the Council priorities to support people's everyday lives and improve health and wellbeing through the promotion of smarter choices programmes linked to major and local infrastructure investment;
• Identify a prioritised short, medium and long term delivery plan to achieve the overarching vision and objectives whilst recognising the specific needs of the different parts of the Borough;
• Ensure that the objectives of Solihull Connected are embedded in Local Plan and Health and Wellbeing policies to support walking, cycling and public transport use.

258. Both 'Movement for Growth' and Solihull Connected set out a vision of an inter-connected network of rapid-transit for the region, comprising Metro (light rapid transit) and SPRINT (bus rapid transit). In addition, Midlands Connect, of which Solihull is a partner, will, through its strategic transport strategy, identify the key road and rail infrastructure with the greatest economic impact across the whole (East & West) Midlands region.

Cycling and Walking Strategy

259. To support Solihull's Transport Strategy 'Solihull Connected' the Council is currently developing a Cycling and Walking Strategy for the Borough.
260. Cycling and walking are recognised as important components to reduce congestion, improve air quality and support better physical and mental health. Cycling and walking have the real potential to enhance the vibrancy and special character of our Borough.
261. The Cycling and Walking Strategy presents the Council's overall approach to active travel in the Borough. The strategy will set out our vision for how we will deliver cycling and walking infrastructure, how we will improve the capability and confidence of our residents to cycle and walk more often and how we will ensure new developments cater for cycling and walking.
262. The Cycling and Walking Strategy is a key step in our approach to accommodate growth in travel demand on our network while maintaining Solihull's special character.
263. Purpose of the Cycling and Walking Strategy:

• set the overall vision for cycling and walking in Solihull
• set a clear standard for cycling and walking infrastructure
• ensure major developments consider active travel - more sustainable approach to transport
• embed cycling and walking initiatives into local policy

264. As part of the strategy, we will also be producing a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). LCWIPs are a new Government approach to identify cycling and walking improvements required at a local level.
265. The Solihull LCWIP will enable a long-term approach to develop a local cycling and walking network within the Borough. The overall aim of the Solihull LCWIP will be to improve cycling and walking infrastructure across the Borough over the next 10 years.

Justification

Locating Development

266. NPPF sets out the principle that Local Plans should support development which facilitates, where possible, the use of sustainable modes of transport.
267. Paragraph 103 of the NPPF indicates that significant development should be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. However, it also recognises that opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas. Careful choice of location and layout of new development, combined with appropriate design and management measures (including adequate provision for pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport) in all new development can help to reduce the dependence upon private cars, providing a safer, and more sustainable (and in the case of walking a cycling, a more healthy) alternative means of travel for leisure or functional purposes.
268. Improvement to existing public transport such as rail and bus service along with the development of new public transport modes such as light rapid transit and bus rapid transit can offer enhanced access for communities to jobs, service and leisure opportunities. This can reduce reliance on private cars for travel and lead to lowering in traffic levels arising from new development. To be most effective they should provide direct links between main areas of population, and retail and employment centres; complemented by high quality inter-changes with other modes of transport.
269. Without reliable access to local services, healthy and affordable food, jobs, education, open space, medical and leisure facilities; communities can become disadvantaged and enter into a cycle of social exclusion. For example, 18-24 year olds in North Solihull experience high levels of unemployment, but also low car ownership, leaving them reliant on other transport modes to access jobs, education and training opportunities. Further exacerbating their circumstance is the poor connection between North Solihull and employment locations in the south of the Borough, especially Solihull town centre. Together with Solihull Connected and Movement for Growth, the Local Plan will work to improve accessibility and ease of movement within, and from, the Regeneration Area to create opportunities for improved connectivity to key centres for employment and education.
270. Policy P7 directs residential development to the most accessible locations that benefit from realistic, commercially and environmentally sustainable opportunities to access local services and jobs; and non-residential development to locations where it can be readily accessed by non-car modes but particularly by public transport.
271. In assessing access to bus services, access to frequent and reliable services are critical in ensuring the bus is considered a realistic mode of travel. In this respect Policy P7 sets out an expectation that major development should be located within a 400m walking distance of a high frequency bus service.
272. Where development cannot be provided in accordance with the accessibility criteria as part of this policy then mitigation will be expected to demonstrate how sustainable transport choices can be made. Such mitigation will be proportionate to the scale of development.
273. Further to the location of development, consideration must be given to the quality of access to it by sustainable transport modes, and ease of access in, around and to that development for different users. Policy P7 expects high quality access by non-car modes to be designed into developments in order for public transport, walking or cycling (including linking where possible to LCWIP corridors) to become the preferred modes of travel. Access routes that are well connected, attractive, legible and safe, as well as facilities to encourage travel by sustainable transport modes, such as provision of cycle storage, will be required where they do not exist.
274. The Council is committed to ensuring that new developments are located in locations with the highest accessibility where reliance on the private car is low and take up of sustainable modes is high, thereby not materially adding to existing highway congestion. Planning can influence road safety through its control and influence on the design of new development and consideration should be given to pedestrian and cycle links in terms of personal safety, ensuring neither a sense or fear of crime is encouraged through an isolation of the routes from other activities and street users which may discourage the use of the connecting links. Developers should consider the safety and needs of everyone in the community.

Managing Demand for Travel

275. The expected increase in travel demand arising from population growth, HS2 and UK Central will introduce transport challenges which, without application of effective land use planning, are likely to further compound congestion on the Borough's road network during peak hours. To ensure that transport does not in itself become a barrier to growth, the local plan sets a framework for promotion and facilitation of sustainable development where housing, jobs, local services and facilities are connected through a range and choice of transport modes.
276. Furthermore, increased availability and uptake of public transport, walking and cycling can complement wider accessibility and social inclusion, particularly in helping narrow income and health equality gaps between North Solihull and the remainder of the Borough. Worklessness and health inequalities can be reduced through increasing opportunities to travel via non-car modes through the increased levels of activity involved in travelling by non-car modes. Enabling people to access their local area in a variety of ways can help to provide a sense of belonging and community cohesion as people become familiar with the area and build social networks.
277. Policy P7 sets out a framework under which development will be located in the most accessible locations. It therefore provides the primary step in managing travel demands associated with development from the outset, by ensuring that realistic opportunities are available to travel by non-car modes.
278. Policy P8 seeks thereafter to ensure that the travel demands associated with new development are managed in a sustainable manner and that subsequent traffic generated does not create or exacerbate network congestion to a point of severe highway impact. To be clear, the impacts of development will be informed by robust Transport Statements and/or Assessments, which, where appropriate, model the underlying highway characteristics at the point development is expected to commence as well as future points thereafter (as appropriate to the build out of the development). Such assessments will have regard to the impact of the proposed development but should also factor in the cumulative impacts on the surrounding highway network, having regard to other known development proposals and planned infrastructure works where appropriate. Provision of safe and secure access to new development remains paramount. Transport Assessments and Travel Plans will be required in association with particular types and scale of development to forecast the transport impacts associated with development, ensure that detrimental impacts are adequately mitigated and secure the implementation of, or contributions towards, appropriate measures to encourage and enable travel by non-car modes.
279. The Council will expect an evidence-based approach in forecasting parking demand and servicing provision which uses established evidences bases and/or, where relevant, first principles.

High Speed 2 Rail

280. The HS2 Act received Royal Assent in February 2017, with the Notice to Proceed issued in April 2020 and construction works are now underway; with the line expected to be open between 2029-33.
281. The Act provides the powers and land necessary to construct and operate High Speed 2. Detailed matters relating to design and construction arrangements will be submitted to, and considered by, the Council as the approval body (termed 'Qualifying Authority') under the HS2 Planning Regime.
282. However, the Act also 'disapplies' many aspects of national, regional and local legislation and policy, replacing it with that which is more directly relevant to the design and delivery of the railway. Specific grounds are set out upon which HS2 related applications can be considered, conditioned or refused; meaning that the policies set out in this Plan cannot be applied by the Council in the usual manner when considering such applications.
283. The Council will continue to work with HS2 Ltd on measures to minimise impacts on communities and the environment as a result of the construction of the railway and associated infrastructure.
284. Other policies in the plan (most notably Policy P1 "UK Central Hub Area"), provide the policy framework for considering development proposals associated with the railway, such that no further policies are required in this chapter.

Rapid Transit

285. An efficient and accessible inter-connected rapid-transit network can play a vital role in improving the current transport system both locally and regionally whilst accommodating forecast increases in travel demand. The network can also help support wider urban regeneration and, in a more local context, go some way to reducing the transport severance between North and South Solihull.

Bypass Improvement Lines

286. The 2006 UDP sought to safeguard the lines of three longstanding potential by-passes to Balsall Common, Hockley Heath and Knowle. The 2013 SLP concluded that the need to retain safeguarding of the lines was no longer justified. In relation to Hockley Heath and Knowle, there is nothing to suggest that this conclusion needs to be revisited. However this is not the case in relation to Balsall Common.
287. The traffic associated with the HS2 Interchange site (and wider Hub area), and growth potential south of Coventry, especially when combined with traffic generated from new housing in the area, is likely to have an effect on the A452 as it passes through Balsall Common. This justifies the provision of an alternative route that could accommodate through traffic, and provide a basis for new residential developments to access the network in an appropriate manner. The Balsall Common settlement chapter gives more detail in relation to this.

Motorway Service Areas (MSA)

288. In 2001 the Secretary of State (SoS) was minded to grant permission for an on-line MSA to serve the M42 near to Catherine de Barnes. It was judged that the need for the services outweighed the harm to the Green Belt that had been identified. However, in 2005 prior to the formal decision being made, the SoS was of the view that due to material change in circumstances since the original inquiry that the inquiry ought to be re-opened.
289. The inquiry re-opened in 2008 and the MSA proposals near to Catherine de Barnes were considered alongside alternative proposals for an off line facility at junction 4. At the re-opened inquiry the Highways Agency's (as Highways England was then known) primary concern was to ensure that the safe and efficient operation of the strategic highway network would not be compromised by an MSA; and this included the operation of the Active Traffic Management (ATM) which had been bought into use after the initial inquiry.
290. In 2009 the Secretary of State dismissed the two appeals. Although the SoS concluded that there was still a significant unmet need, this need did not constitute the 'very special circumstances' that would be sufficient to clearly outweigh the substantial harm that had been identified in relation to both schemes. In relation to the Catherine de Barnes proposals, she did not consider that the proposals before her were compatible with the safe and efficient working of the ATM system.
291. Since then revised planning applications have been submitted and are currently being assessed by the Council and Highways England. Whilst the applications are under active and detailed consideration it is not considered necessary to address the issue further through this review of the development plan.

Challenges and Objectives Addressed by the Policy

A Mitigating and adapting to Climate Change

D Securing sustainable economic growth

F Reducing inequalities in the Borough

H Increasing accessibility and encouraging sustainable travel

J Improving health and well being