Stratford southwestern relief road latest - studies into rail and road alternatives

ONE of the key drivers for development in the Stratford district is having the right infrastructure planned or in place.

In the case of the Long Marston Garden Village – where up to 3,500 homes could be built (and thousands more potentially) – transport is an essential consideration. In particular, the road network and the long-awaited Southwestern Relief Road (SWRR).

That road project, which is tied to the number of homes which can be built, has been stalled for years because of the costs. It started at below £30 million but has steadily increased. The Herald reported in 2019 that it was likely to be about £130m – and then Covid pushed up prices throughout the construction industry.

CALA Homes, the developer of Long Marston Garden Village was asked to commit £44m to the project.

The previous Conservative leadership at Stratford District Council started the ball rolling on looking at alternatives to the SWRR as the road looked like a distant and unachievable dream – there is not enough money to build it and that situation is unlikely to change.

Two reports have been produced which look at the challenges of delivering a new community at Long Marston, and meeting travel demands.

A SDC spokesperson explained: “The studies have confirmed that whilst sustainable transport and on-site infrastructure can reduce the impact of the community on the existing highway network, the overall level and range of travel demands combined with the limited existing infrastructure and public transport services in this part of the district necessitate the provision of significant new highway infrastructure.”

The SWRR route is safeguarded in the Core Strategy Local Plan, but with no money, no work has been carried out on planning the scheme since 2019, when a funding bid to government failed.

“The extent of highway infrastructure necessary to support the full build out of the Garden Village is likely to require significant government investment to support development work and fund delivery,” the spokesperson continued.

But no-one is giving up. SDC and Warwickshire County Council are working with Homes England to look for a solution, including an updated study exploring the potential for re-opening the branch line from Long Marston to Honeybourne for passenger use.

They are also looking at previous work covering alternative relief road options and a third river crossing for Stratford.

“All of this work will inform the preparation of the South Warwickshire Local Plan in due course,” they said.

So what is in the two studies? One report, by Jacobs, provides a review of the transport vision for Long Marston, a refined list of transport options and an assessment of alternative sustainable transport or highway options.

That report runs to 117 pages and includes analysis of trip rates for Long Marston covering work, shopping and school runs in scenarios where there are 3,500 homes on the site, as well as 6,000. Lots of numbers for lots of scenarios and traffic/congestion data for roads, including key areas such as Clopton Bridge in Stratford.

So what are the alternatives to a relief road? There are many and not all are viable, so in short:

- Buses: Various offerings including improving current frequencies and re-routing services, including a loop around Stratford P&R site and access to the Maybird Centre, as well as links to Honeybourne Railway Station. One option includes bus services operating at a 15-minute frequency. Some

would also require improvements at three junctions in Stratford: Greenhill Street/Arden Street, Alcester Road/Western Road, and Alcester Road/Masons Road.

There are also options for a segregated bus route between Seven Meadows Road and Evesham Road, or one along the line of the old tramway between Shipston Road and Clopton Bridge. Both of these have not been looked at in detail.

- Guided bus: This option would provide a segregated bus route along the Greenway, similar to a system used in Bristol.

- Rail: A shuttle service from Long Marston to Honeybourne. The station at Long Marston would be located to the south-west of the site alongside the current Greenway.

- Rail option two: Re-opening the Stratford to Honeybourne rail line along the Greenway either for heavy or light rail or tram. The Herald has previously reported that there was no appetite in London (and so no money) for this.

- Automated shuttle service: Shuttle buses operating along the Greenway. This would use electric shuttles capable of taking up to 10 passengers.

- Car club: Provide 78 vehicles. The report suggests this number for 3,500 homes and adds it would cut the need for 700 car parking spaces.

- Bike & e-bike sharing: Initially it would include a fleet of 48 e-bikes.

- E-Cargo bike sharing: A fleet of 60 e-cargo bikes to rent.

- Scooters: A fleet of 50 scooters, which could increase to “anything up to 1,000.

- Mobility hubs: To encourage active travel and provide a location where micro-mobility modes can be accessed.

- Cycling network: Enhanced cycling connections within Stratford and the Greenway, which would be upgraded to an all-weather surface.

- Demand responsive transport.

- Enhancement of bus priority corridors: Using technology at town centre junctions where public transport is delayed.

- South Stratford Park & Ride: Reinstating the Rosebird Park & Ride site.

The report then goes on to dismiss many of these options based on cost and deliverability (among other factors) leaving the bus, cycling and “micro mobility” (car clubs, bike and scooter sharing, etc) options, including segregated bus lanes.

One key area for Stratford is Clopton Bridge, which takes tens of thousands of vehicles a day and is one of the most congested parts of town. The report assumes the on-off project to install changes to the Clopton Bridge/Tiddington Road junction have been made. They haven’t.

An earlier report on the subject (a mere 62 pages), suggests a direction of travel for the future transport around Long Marston. It states: “Evidence is available that shows that when sustainable transport is prioritised ahead of car travel, the number of trips made by car is reduced.

“An example of this is in Vauban, Freiburg, in Germany. Vauban was constructed in 1998 and high priority is given to pedestrians and cyclists with low car parking provision (and parking restrictions on-road), provision of car-free streets and widely available cycle parking facilities.

“As a result, less than 20 per cent of all trips generated by Vauban are made by car.”