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CHAPTER 10 - CONNECTING MIDDLESBROUGH

 

INTRODUCTION

10.1     This section deals with the site specific policies for ensuring that Middlesbrough has the necessary transport infrastructure in place to deliver the spatial vision and development priorities identified in the Core Strategy. The approach taken is to group the policies and proposals geographically by transport corridor. Outside of these areas, policies and proposals are arranged on a topic basis.

 

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

LDF Core Strategy

10.2     The policies in this section detail how those of the Core Strategy will be taken forward. Relevant Core Strategy policies include:

• CS17 – Transport Strategy;
• CS18 – demand management; and
• CS19 – road safety.

Regional Spatial Strategy

10.3     Theme 3D of the RSS is improving connectivity and accessibility within and beyond the region. Policy 49 sets out the policy for the regional transport corridors. Relevant corridors for consideration in the LDF are the A66 and A19 and associated railway corridors.

10.4     Policy 50 identifies the need to develop public transport provision, and policy 51, identifies Middlesbrough as a strategic public transport hub within the Tees Valley city region. In policy 51 the Tees Valley is identified as one of the areas where congestion is at its most acute in the region. Demand management measures should be considered and incorporated into development proposals where possible, and the impact of development on congestion should be taken into consideration when examining potential sites and opportunities.

10.5     Policy 55 recognises the need to improve accessibility within and between the city regions. Development proposals should assist in the delivery of this aim.

Middlesbrough Community Strategy

10.6     One of the themes of the Community Strategy is meeting local transport needs more efficiently. This contains five priorities, which give rise to fifteen specific actions.

The most relevant of these actions to this DPD include:

• develop clear and consistent car parking policies that assist businesses and promote economic growth;
• encourage the Trans-Pennine franchise holder, with responsibility for Middlesbrough railway station, to improve the overall passenger environment and experience at this key transport gateway; and
• work closely with the Northern Rail franchise holder and the Esk Valley Rail Development Company on the Community Rail Development pilot project to improve services on the Middlesbrough to Whitby line, for example by aiming to reintroduce a commuter service into Middlesbrough and create a new station at James Cook University Hospital.

Middlesbrough Local Transport Plan (LTP)

10.7     The LTP is one of the principal documents that the LDF has to have regard to in considering transport policies and proposals. It is the LTP that sets out the Council’s transport policies and investment priorities over a five-year period. The 2006-11 provisional Middlesbrough LTP is currently out to consultation.

10.8     The provisional LTP identifies three major schemes that need to be reflected within the LDF. These are:

• North Middlesbrough accessibility improvements. This will improve accessibility to the town centre, Greater Middlehaven and Riverside Park. In doing so it will help deliver a number of development priorities identified in policy CS1 of the Core Strategy.
• Tees Valley bus network review. This identifies the need for 'super core' and 'core' bus routes. The LDF will need to ensure that these routes are safeguarded and that development facilitates their implementation and other improvements that are identified for the bus network.
• East Cleveland gateway. This is the link road between Stainton Way and Swan’s Corner. The LDF will need to ensure that land is protected from inappropriate development.

10.9     The provisional LTP also identifies a number of outcomes that are being sought. A number of these have implications for the LDF and need to be considered when devising policies and proposals to bring forward sites for development. These include:

• better accessibility to services;
• reduced congestion;
• an increase in walking and cycling; and
• an improved streetscape.

Other relevant strategies

10.10   The Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative (SMi) has a number of implications and proposals that affect the local and strategic transport network. Further feasibility work is required before these can be incorporated as proposals into the Regeneration DPD. The policies contained in the Core Strategy should provide sufficient protection until it is possible to integrate proposals into the LDF.

SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL

10.11   The sustainability appraisal recognises that the transportation section of the Core Strategy focuses on providing an effective and efficient transport network. As such, it will have major beneficial effects on achieving economic and social sustainability objectives. Inevitably, any policy framework concerning transport makes reference to roads and road improvements. Such policies by their nature will be seen to have adverse effects upon environmental sustainability criteria. It is important that these potential negative impacts are recognised when considering road proposals and mitigating and protection measures are incorporated. The sustainability appraisal does, however, recognise that there may be some environmental improvements arising out of the Core Strategy policy framework to improve the public transport network and accessibility.

10.12   The transport issues are dealt with in this section on a geographical basis by corridors, as identified in the Core Strategy. A number of policy areas are, however, common to more than one of the corridors. Where possible, policies and proposals have been grouped geographically according to the transport corridor in which they occur. To avoid repetition, the background to the common policy areas is given in the following paragraphs. These topic areas are park and ride, and light rapid transit (LRT).

 

PARK AND RIDE

10.13   The Council will promote the introduction of a park and ride system across the town as part of a co-ordinated transport strategy for Middlesbrough to reduce congestion and improve accessibility. Until further feasibility work is undertaken, however, it is not possible in this plan to identify sites for facilities. Potential locations will be on the periphery of the district where commuters approach the town. Areas of search will include:

• South East Middlesbrough – preferably adjacent to the Esk Valley Railway line, in a location accessible and attractive to commuters coming from the south (for example, from Stokesley and Great Ayton), and east (for example, from Guisborough);
• South West Middlesbrough – close proximity to the A174/A19 junction, in a location accessible and attractive to commuters coming from the south up the A19; and
• North Middlesbrough – close proximity to the A66 on either the eastern or western approach to the town centre, accessible and attractive to commuters coming from these directions, or possibly south along the A19.

10.14   As the criteria against which a park and ride facility will be considered will differ from area to area, a generic policy covering all possibilities has not been included. Instead, policies for park and ride facilities for each of the corridors have been prepared and included in the appropriate sections below.

LIGHT RAPID TRANSIT (LRT)/TEES VALLEY METRO

10.15   For a considerable time, there have been proposals to develop a LRT/metro system within the Tees Valley as part of a package of measures to reduce traffic congestion and improve accessibility to the town centre. The Middlesbrough Local Plan identified an LRT route to be protected for future implementation, but the economic case for the introduction of such a system has yet to be made.

10.16   In line with the completion of the second LTP and the publication of the RSS, there is the opportunity to assess whether there are wider grounds for pursuing a metro system of some form. In addition, the Northern Way growth strategy (September 2004) outlined the need for each of the eight city regions to have a high quality transit system, and this has been reflected in the Tees Valley city region development programme.

10.17   To improve competitiveness of the sub-region, it is accepted by all of the key stakeholders that the provision of a modern, integrated, sub-regional public transport system remains central to the long-term transport and economic strategy for the Tees Valley. At present, the rail and inter-urban bus networks do not provide such a system, although geographical coverage is generally good. The future system needs to create a high quality, fast and reliable solution to assist regeneration and avoid the transport problems that would otherwise arise as economic activity gathered pace. It would also play a key role in raising the area’s regional and national profile and encourage greater inward investment and sustainable economic growth.

10.18   A decision has yet to be made as to whether a route for a LRT should be reserved and therefore protected from inappropriate development. As such, no line is protected within the Regeneration DPD preferred options. The proposals for a Tees Valley metro offer a viable alternative that is currently being considered. A number of options are being considered for the metro.
Principal options that affect Middlesbrough are as follows:

1. improved heavy rail service making full use of the existing railway Infrastructure;
2. convert Darlington to Saltburn line to light rail on the existing railway alignment, with additional stations (for example Teesside Park, and Middlehaven) and express bus links to service other key locations; and
3. as per option 2, plus a new shuttle light rail service from Middlesbrough to Nunthorpe to link with the Darlington to Saltburn service. New stations would include the hospital, and a park and ride at the Nunthorpe terminus.

10.19   In terms of providing an integrated transport strategy for Middlesbrough, the last option above is the preferred option. Proposed timescales for delivery are estimated as phase one beginning in 2012.

 

TRANSPORT CORRIDORS

10.20   The Core Strategy identifies a number of transport corridors that are central to the delivery of the spatial vision and the development priorities.

East Middlesbrough transport corridor

10.21   The corridor is identified in the adopted structure plan as a route to be protected for future transport uses. A line for protection was identified in the Middlesbrough Local Plan. The protected corridor includes both the railway and adjacent land that may be needed if a road is found to be a desirable option in the longer term. The final use of the corridor will form part of a package of measures that will result in a reduction in congestion on the principal north-south routes into the town.

10.22   There are a number of potential uses of the corridor ranging from improved rail services and facilities, through to the creation of a new general purpose road. Whilst not all of the possible uses of the corridor may be viable at present, this may change with time. Changes in national policy, attitudes, funding mechanisms and increased congestion may all have an impact on the deliverability of any particular scheme. It is important that the corridor is protected for its future contribution to providing an efficient and effective transport network. Development that will prevent the corridor from coming forward for transport uses in the future should be resisted.

10.23   The successful implementation of any transport solution will involve close collaborative working with landowners, the Highways Agency, Network Rail, and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.

10.24   As part of the proposals for the East Middlesbrough transport corridor a link road is proposed between Stainton Way and Swan's Corner. This proposal, known as the East Middlesbrough Gateway, is identified in the provisional Local Transport Plan for Middlesbrough 2006-2011. Should the joint study with Redcar & Cleveland Council, commenced in July 2008, indicate that either the East Middlesbrough transport corridor or the East Middlesbrough Gateway have no strategic benefits, the DPD will be reviewed to remove the protection of the route in question.

A66 corridor

Zetland car park

10.25   Land was protected for a new access road off the A66 into the Zetland car park in the Middlesbrough Local Plan. Whilst the proposal has not been implemented it is still included as a potential scheme. It may be possible to incorporate the scheme into the proposals for the North Middlesbrough accessibility improvements.

 

 

 

BUS ROUTES

10.26   As part of the Tees Valley bus network review there are a number of changes planned to bus and coach operations throughout the Tees Valley, many of which impact on Middlesbrough. The aim is to develop a network built upon a hierarchy that reflects both 'hard' measures (network links, priority measures, service frequencies, vehicles) and 'soft' measures (publicity, funding, ticketing). The hierarchy developed comprises 'super core', 'core', secondary, tertiary/rural, inter urban express and cross boundary routes, see table 10.1.

10.27            Specific infrastructure improvements being considered for super core routes
include measures such as segregated busways on the B6541 Stockton Road and Newport Road, as well as dedicated bus only links within the town centre to and from the bus station. In addition selective vehicle detection is proposed at a number of locations throughout the town, including junctions of Marton Road/West Terrace and Longlands Road/Kings Road/Ormesby Road. Other proposals comprise the provision of bus boarders on corridors such as Kings Road, Ingram Road, Linthorpe Road, The Avenue and Acklam Road.

10.28   Many of the measures to facilitate improvements to the network will take place within the highway and are unlikely to require planning permission. It is important however that these routes are protected from inappropriate development that could detrimentally impact upon either the attractiveness of such routes or their ability to function as super core or core routes.

 

ROUTE	DESCRIPTION	MIDDLESBROUGH EXAMPLES
Super core routes	High-frequency, car-competitive, radial, trunk urban routes linking multiple high-demand areas with town centres and substantial growth potential.	Park End - Middlesbrough - Stockton. Middlesbrough - Linthorpe - Thornaby.
Core routes	High frequency, car competitive, radial urban routes linking multiple high demand areas with town centres.	Middlesbrough - Coulby Newham. Netherfields - Middlesbrough - Marton. Thornaby - Middlesbrough - Ormesby - Easterside - Saltersgill.
Secondary local routes	Regular interval urban service routes.	Services that serve South Bank, Grangetown, Eston, Guisborough, Acklam and Nunthorpe.
Tertiary/local routes	Low frequency urban service routes fulfilling tertiary and low volume needs and meeting urban social accessibility criteria.	Access to the hospital.
Inter-urban express routes	Regular interval longer-distance links offering direct fast services to multiple centres with limited stop operation.	Towns served from Middlesbrough include Darlington, Stockton, Durham and Newcastle.
Cross-boundary	Majority of originating passengers commence journeys outside of the study area.

Table 10.1:   Proposed hierarchy of bus network routes under Tees Valley bus network review

Middlesbrough Council Regeneration Development Plan Document (DPD) - Adopted February 2009