Farnborough Town Access Plan

Some 30 members and guests, including several Rushmoor Borough Councillors, attended October’s open meeting on Farnborough’s traffic. 

Hampshire County Councillors Carol Leversha, Roz Muschamp and John Wall were also in attendance, and it was Cllr Wall who began by introducing the topic: Farnborough’s Town Access Plan, and the speakers, Jim Pettitt, Rushmoor Borough Council’s Transport Strategy Officer, and James Gagg, Hampshire County Council’s Principal Transport Planner.

Jim spoke first, explaining that RBC is responsible for planning while HCC is responsible for highways, hence the need for both authorities to work closely on the development of the Farnborough TAP. Addressing the issues of planning and development, Jim outlined the context in which the plan is being formulated, covering such things as the mismatch between skills and jobs locally, which results in lengthy commutes both into and out of Rushmoor, the lack of an evening economy and the poor quality of the town centre, which leads shoppers to go elsewhere.

Looking towards the future, Jim pointed out that the new Rushmoor Local Development Framework will replace the Local Plan and that the Draft Core Strategy is due to be published in November. Of particular importance with regards to traffic is the proposed Aldershot Urban Extension that will see 4,500 new homes by 2027 or soon after, which will inevitably add to the existing problems regarding parking and congestion. Jim emphasised that, with the development of the AUE, infrastructure must precede house-building.

A variety of studies has identified key roads and junctions that present problems and the data gathered has been used to provide a worse-case model on which to seek solutions.   Reducing the frequency and length of journeys is a top priority. Encouraging alternative modes of transport is also important.  The current mishmash of cycle routes and footpaths is not sufficiently safe or convenient, and many parts of Rushmoor are poorly served by bus services. Jim assured us that the TAP will tackle all these issues.

James Gagg then took over, to develop the themes of traffic and transport. He told us that the current Local Transport Plan runs till 2011 and its replacement, being developed, till 2031. A draft plan, based on stake-holder evidence, was published in the summer and that identified 16 priorities, to be tackled under Operation Restore for repairs and Operation Resilience to improve durability.

The aim of the Farnborough TAP is to improve accessibility to essential services and facilities by all transport modes, prioritising improvements and sustainability. While Rushmoor has good road and rail links to national networks, high car ownership and dependency, together with long distance commuting, mean congestion and parking problems locally. Although there are good direct routes to the key urban areas, physical and psychological barriers exist in places, impeding both cyclists and pedestrians. Bus services are sometimes patchy and unreliable, and a lack of links between the railway stations, and poor access, makes train travel somewhat inconvenient. The Farnborough TAP aims to find the best solution to all these problems. The development of the plan is still at a very early stage and James assured us that our comments would be considered.

Questions from the floor covered such things as the Park Road one-way system, improving the cycle network, making the town centre more attractive, and the planning process itself. Audience members were sceptical about transparency and public involvement.  Brian Fyfe, chairman of The Farnborough Society’s Planning Group, made the point that improving the town centre along the lines The Farnborough Society proposed in response to the consultation on the Core Strategy would create a vibrant evening economy and higher quality shopping, encouraging commuters to delay their homeward commute and local people to spend their evenings locally.

The questions raised gave our guest speakers a great deal to think about, which will hopefully inform the development of the Farnborough TAP. The Farnborough Society will be watching with interest.