Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report provides details of the proposed Town Centre Access Package and consultation process.

The Area Committee is requested to support the principles of the package and provide comments on the individual schemes proposed as part of the package.

Officer Contact: Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

(NOTE: The plans associated with the Town Centre Access Package proposals will be available in Committee Room 2 from 5.00pm).

Nick Whelan  (Network Manager, Stockport Council) attended the meeting to present a report providing details of the proposed ‘Town Centre Access Package’ and outlined the consultation process that would be followed.

Schemes included:-

·         Widening St Mary’s Way and Hempshaw Lane at key ‘pinch points’

·         Creating a new link from the A6 to Travis Brow

·         Widening and improvements at Booth Street, Edgeley

·         Pedestrian improvements on Chestergate

·         Improvements to links over and under the M60 into the town centre

·         Improvements to pedestrian and traffic movements on the A6

·         New bridge for walkers and cyclists over the River Goyt accessing Woodbank Park.

·         Improvements to the Merseyway and Bridgefield Street shopping areas.

A full list of the schemes was set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         With regard to the proposed widening of St Mary’s Way, whether noise reduction and screening had been considered for the residents of Rectory Fields.

·         Would  there be any alterations to Hall Street at its junction with St Mary’s Way.

·         There should be a lane on St Mary’s Way for traffic turning onto Hall Street only.

·         Some of the consultation events should be held in the evening

·         As a result of the works at Stockport Exchange, whether any improvements would be made to access from the railway station.

·         Moscow Road East was incorrectly identified in some of the consultation documentation.

·         What would be the effect of increased traffic in the area, particularly at Junction 27 of the M60 and on Higher Hillgate.

·         Whether the Friends of Woodbank Park had been consulted directly.

·         The knock-on impact on residential areas, particularly as more traffic (including heavy goods vehicles) was diverted to King Street West from the A6. Gradwell Street and Chatham Street in Edgeley had particular problems with to the roads being used as ‘rat runs’.

·         Mitigation measures needed to be looked at on King Street West, such as safety at pedestrian crossing points and the camber on the bend, and mitigation measures also needed to be looked at on nearby residential streets.

·         Whether the proposals took into account the number of people who would be working at the new Stockport Exchange site.

·         The timescale for the completion of the new Stockport Interchange and whether this coincided with the proposals in the Town Centre Access Package.

RESOLVED – (1) That the comments expressed by the Area Committee be taken into consideration as part of the consultation on the Town Centre Access Package proposals.

(2) That this Area Committee recommends that the proposals contained in the Town Centre Access Package be considered by all the Area Committees.

(3) That this Area Committee requests that the results of the consultation be submitted to a future meeting of the Area Committee.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report provides details of the proposed Town Centre Access Package and consultation process.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on the on the individual schemes proposed as part of the package.

Officer Contact: Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

Sue Stevenson (Investing in Growth Manager, Stockport Council) attended the meeting to present a report providing details of the proposed ‘Town Centre Access Package’ and outlined the consultation process that would be followed.

The package of proposals that affected the area represented by the Werneth Area Committee included:-

·         The upgrade of a crossing on Stockport Road West to allow pedestrian and cycle use including footway widening to allow provision of off road cycle route between Osborne Street and Elm Tree Road, Bredbury.

·         A new pedestrian and cycle path proposed to link Vernon Park to Stockport Road West and an off-road route proposed along New Bridge Lane.

·         A new pedestrian and cycle path proposed in Woodbank Park linking the park to Dark Lane, Bredbury which would include a new pedestrian/ cycle river crossing over the River Goyt.

·         Surface improvements to the route between Dark Lane and Clapgate, Bredbury.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The proposed cycleway on Stockport Road West consisted of two very short lengths of designated cycleway which did not contribute to a wider cycleway scheme and it was questioned whether this would provide any significant contribution to road safety or the ability of cyclists to effectively and safely negotiate this junction.

·         The proposed cycleway alongside the River Goyt would require significant earthworks to ensure that it provided a surface suitable for cycling in the light of the topography of that area and the cost and logistics associated with this would need to be closely evaluated.

·         Concern was expressed by the operators of Middle Farm, Bredbury as to the effect of the proposed new bridge and cycleway on the safe and efficient operation of their business.

·         It was commented that there was already a bridge crossing the River Goyt in this area which, with suitable amendments to the proposed cycleway route, could avoid the additional expense of constructing a further crossing.

RESOLVED – That the comments expressed by the Area Committee and members of the public be taken into consideration as part of the consultation on the Town Centre Access Package proposals.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report provides details of the proposed Town Centre Access Package and consultation process.

The Scrutiny Committee is requested to support the principles of the package and provide comments on the individual schemes proposed as part of the package.

Officer Contact: Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing details of the proposed Town Centre Access Package and requesting comments on the schemes included in the package. The report also provided details of the consultation process.

The Town Centre Access Package was one of the Greater Manchester Local Transport Priorities funded by the Growth Plan. The package included measures to improve access to and from, and around the town centre by all modes of transport. Although the package included a number of individual schemes, these all needed to be delivered in order to gain the benefits predicted in the outline business case.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         With regard to the proposed new pedestrian and cycle path in Woodbank Park linking the park to Dark Lane, Bredbury which would include a new pedestrian/cycle river crossing over the Rive Goyt, a Member felt that as there was already a bridge crossing the River Goyt in this area the additional expense of constructing a further crossing could be avoided if suitable amendments were made to the proposed route. The proposed cycleway would require significant earthworks to ensure that it provided a surface suitable for cycling in the light of the topography of the area and the cost and logistics associated with this would need to be closely evaluated.

·         The proposed cycleway on Stockport Road West, Bredbury consisted of two very short lengths of designated cycleway which did not contribute to a wider cycleway scheme and it was questioned whether this would provide any significant contribution to road safety or the ability of cyclists to effectively and safely negotiate this junction.

·         There were air quality problems in a significant part of the town centre and this was an issue that needed to be considered in the proposed Town Centre Access Package.

RESOLVED – That the comments of the Scrutiny Committee be taken into consideration as part of the consultation on the Town Centre Access Package.