Issue - meetings

Agreeing priorities and securing funding for transport infrastructure investment is key to delivering Surrey County Council’s Community Vision for Surrey in 2030.

To facilitate this, and as part of the statutory Local Transport Plan, Surrey County Council produces Local Transport Strategies for each district and borough. The current Local Transport Strategy for Epsom & Ewell was published in 2014. It is expected that the next update will take place in 2020, so that it may respond to transport requirements arising from Epsom & Ewell’s Local Plan. Thereafter the Local Transport Strategy would be reviewed on a three year cycle.

Surrey County Council also maintains Forward Programmes of proposed transport schemes that would deliver each borough and district’s Local Transport Strategy, subject to funding and feasibility. The Epsom & Ewell Forward Programme is presented to Committee for approval, and approval to publish online, as part of a proposed new regime of publishing an up-to-date Forward Programme for each district and borough annually.

The Local Committee [Epsom & Ewell] agreed:

(i)       To note the timeframes and approach for updating the Borough’s Local Transport Strategy and for future updates to the Committee regarding the Forward Programme;

(ii)      The revised version of the Forward Programme (Annex 1) of the report, subject to the amendments discussed at the meeting.

Reasons:  A confirmed timeline and process for working with the Local Committee to develop and maintain future Local Transport Strategies and Forward Programmes will ensure the Local Committee and officers are well positioned to work together.

An agreed Forward Programme will allow Members and officers to progress with a common understanding of proposed transport schemes for the borough (based upon the existing Local Transport Strategy, and ahead of decisions relating to a new Local Plan)

If agreed, the Forward Programme would be published online, giving members of the public sight of the latest proposals and progress

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Steve Howard, Transport Strategy Project Manager

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

Member discussion –key points

Noted that the Borough Council had committed £500k towards a bid to South West Railways for step free access at Stoneleigh Station. A decision on whether this is successful is expected in March.  The Strategy document would be updated to reflect this.

The following amendments to the strategy were put forward:

·          ETC-1 – this should reflect the additional funding provided by the Borough Council to complete the scheme;

·          The resilience scheme for the High Street and Quadrant junction should be added if guidance permits;

·          The reference to CIL funding for the Kiln Lane scheme should be removed.  It was noted that the Kiln Lane scheme is an SCC Cabinet approved scheme and would need Cabinet agreement for it to be removed from the strategy;

·          It was suggested that Network Rail should be added as a potential source of funding for painting of railway bridges as these are their assets;

·          Improved cycle security and CCTV at Epsom Station funded by Network Rail should be added to RA1;

Resolved:

(i)       To note the timeframes and approach for updating the Borough’s Local Transport Strategy and for future updates to the Committee regarding the Forward Programme;

(ii)      That the revised version of the Forward Programme (Annex 1) of the report be agreed, subject to the amendments outlined above.

Reasons:  A confirmed timeline and process for working with the Local Committee to develop and maintain future Local Transport Strategies and Forward Programmes will ensure the Local Committee and officers are well positioned to work together.

An agreed Forward Programme will allow Members and officers to progress with a common understanding of proposed transport schemes for the borough (based upon the existing Local Transport Strategy, and ahead of decisions relating to a new Local Plan)

If agreed, the Forward Programme would be published online, giving members of the public sight of the latest proposals and progress