Agenda item

8.1

The Executive Director, Place submitted a report that gave an update on the review of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) routes in Sheffield and sought approval for (a) an HGV Route Network for journeys through Sheffield and into the city, a process and criteria for assessing HGV problems and a hierarchy of measures to deal with them and (b) continuing work to develop proposals to deal with some HGV hot spots and for getting information to the Satellite Navigation companies and Freight Industry, as detailed in Appendix A.

8.2

RESOLVED: That the Committee approves:-

(a)

the HGV Route Network as shown in Appendix D1 of the report;

(b)

the process and criteria in Appendix E of the report for determining the suitability of roads for use by HGVs and the Hierarchy of Measures in Appendix F of the report for progressive action to deal with HGV problems;

(c)

the modification of the Key Diagram (Policy CS 52 Key Route Network) in the Sheffield Development Framework Core Strategy to complement the HGV Route Network;

(d)

the relaxation of the Bocking Lane ban to night time only, i.e. 7pm to 7am;

(e)

the engagement with key stakeholders to reduce quarry traffic from Derbyshire in the south west of Sheffield by agreement; and

(f)

developing proposals for further work, as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

8.3

Reasons for Decision

8.3.1

HGVs are vital for delivering goods around the city and transporting goods nationwide.  However, in some areas the journeys they make are a cause for community concern.  Encouraging HGVs to use only suitable routes will minimise the impact of HGV journeys and reduce community concerns.

8.3.2

The approval of the network, process/criteria and hierarchy of measures will allow officers to develop proposals to deal with existing HGV hot spots.

8.3.3

The approval of the relaxation of the HGV ban on Bocking Lane offers a reasonable compromise to provide some respite for residents of Bocking Lane and Abbey Lane.

8.3.4

Modifying the Key Diagram will help reduce problems in the future by promoting the HGV Route Network at the planning stage.

8.3.5

Developing proposals for further work will allow funding to be secured for a programme of work to get information out to Sat Nav companies, freight industry and business so that the process of making sure HGVs use the most suitable route can begin at the point where it is most likely to be effective.

8.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

8.4.1

A number of alternative options were considered when determining how to deal with the concerns of Abbey Lane residents including removing the ban on Bocking Lane, introducing additional road engineering measures on Abbey Lane to deal with speeding and to do nothing.

8.4.2

When determining what to do about the Mayfield Valley officers did consider introducing an HGV ban and advisory route signing but neither could be justified in terms of the numbers and frequency of incidents involving HGVs.

8.4.3

When looking at Attercliffe centre a ban was considered but this might have affected local businesses that are reliant on HGVs and therefore was not recommended.

8.5

Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted

None

8.6

Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration

None

8.7

Respective Director Responsible for Implementation

Simon Green, Executive Director, Place.

8.8

Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In

Economic and Environmental Wellbeing.

7.1

The Executive Director, Place submitted a report that gave an update on the review of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) routes in Sheffield and sought approval for (a) an HGV Route Network for journeys through Sheffield and into the city, a process and criteria for assessing HGV problems and a hierarchy of measures to deal with them and (b) continuing work to develop proposals to deal with some HGV hot spots and for getting information to the Satellite Navigation companies and Freight Industry, as detailed in Appendix A.

7.2

The Head of Transport, Traffic and Parking Services referred to the petition that had been submitted to the meeting of Full Council on 5 December 2012 containing 390 signatures requesting that the ban on HGVs on Bocking Lane is not reversed.

7.3

Councillor Leigh Bramall referred to a number of written representations he had received in relation to the proposals and these had been forwarded to officers. Copies were available at the meeting.

7.4

Representations

Greenhill Avenue/Bocking Lane

7.4.1

Mrs Hodgson indicated that the road surface on Greenhill Avenue/Bocking Lane was not suitable for HGVs and asked why no thought had been given to the structure of the road. She commented that it should not be used for HGVs as it was an unclassified road.

7.4.2

Stuart Smith highlighted the safety of cyclists using Greenhill Avenue and Bocking Lane, particularly as parts of the roads were not wide enough for HGVs to overtake. He considered that Abbey Lane was more suitable for lorries.

7.4.3

Pamela Hodgson referred to the petition presented the Full Council meeting on 5 December 2012 requesting that the ban on HGVs on Bocking Lane is not reversed and submitted photographic evidence relating to problems on Greenhill Avenue and Bocking Lane. She indicated that health issues were a major factor for residents on Bocking Lane and asked why there were no noise or pollution figures for Abbey Lane in the report.

Abbey Lane

7.4.4

Sally Evans indicated that she was in favour of the relaxation of the ban on Bocking Lane. She raised a number of concerns relating to Abbey Lane, including the risk of accidents at opening and closing times of the school, HGVs adding to the congestion in the morning, the area around the shops was busy and there was the potential for accidents and there were quality of life issues for residents of Abbey Lane and Bocking Lane from the noise and pollution. She requested a full HGV ban on Abbey Lane and considered that relaxing the ban on Bocking Lane was a fair compromise. She also urged the Council to tackle the source of the problem which she considered was HGVs coming from Derbyshire and using residential roads.

7.4.5

Alan White, a resident of Abbey Lane, raised concern at the congestion at Abbey Lane/Chesterfield Road and asked if a before and after study had been undertaken outside the school.

Abbeydale Corridor

7.4.6

Ted Gunby, Chair of the Carter Knowle Road, asked the Committee on behalf of the Community Group and other residents in the Sheaf Valley, not to take any decisions that might force any more HGVs to go through the Abbeydale corridor. Mr Gunby referred to the atmospheric pollution in the densely populated Abbeydale corridor (Abbeydale Road and Wolsley Road) exceeded legally binding limits. Sheffield’s failure to meet the 2010 targets meant that the European Commission was now preparing a case for infraction fines which could, through the Localism Act, fall directly against the City Council. He also referred to the three schools in the Abbeydale Corridor.

Traffic Density /Air Quality Issues

7.4.7

Ian Draffan stated that Bocking Lane was a conduit to the motorway out of Sheffield. He was unable to exit his property on Bocking Lane between 4.00 and 6.00 pm due to the traffic. He asked about the present traffic density on Abbey Lane and previously on Bocking Lane and whether this had been taken into account. He highlighted the high levels of asthma in the area and that Sheffield has air quality issues. He asked whether there were measures to deal with the air pollution on Bocking Lane.

Bocking Lane

7.4.8

Roger Hart, Chair of the Dore and Totley Forum, sought an assurance that if the ban on Bocking Lane was relaxed, the effect on Twentywell Lane and Prospect Road would be taken into account. He commented that lorries had also been seen on Glover Road.

7.4.9

Councillor Simon Clement-Jones welcomed the work that had been undertaken. He commented that residents on Bocking Lane needed relief from the traffic problems and considered that relaxing the ban on Bocking Lane was a backward step. Councillor Clement-Jones suggested that the decision should be delayed and more time should be given to looking at other possibilities and doubling efforts to reduce traffic from Derbyshire.

Mayfield Valley

7.4.10

Joan Newton, President of the Mayfield Women’s Institute and resident of Mayfield Valley, stated that officers were unwilling to introduce a ban on HGVs using the Mayfield Valley due to the low numbers of vehicles. A petition containing 1269 signatures had objected to HGVs using the lanes in the Mayfield Valley and requested an all-vehicle speed limit to reduce the number of accidents. She was concerned at the effect on people’s lives in the area.

South West Community Assembly/ Twentywell Lane

7.4.11

Andrew Tabor asked why the report did not include reference to the response from the South West Community Assembly. He also referred to safety issues on Twentywell Lane and that residents were suffering as retaining walls were being affected. Mr Tabor asked that the Committee took into account unexpected consequences.

7.4.12

Councillor Colin Ross also queried why the response from the South West Community Assembly was not included the report. He raised concern at possible displacement onto Twentywell Lane and that the ‘No HGV’ signs were ignored. He commented that a number of properties on Twentywell Lane were below the level of the road and that HGVs were causing utility services to become exposed.

Bocking Lane/Abbey Lane

7.4.13

Councillor Ian Auckland, Graves Park Ward, indicated that the proposals were a compromise solution, seemed to be a reasonable way forward and did go towards meeting the objections to HGV traffic on Bocking Lane and safety concerns relating to the school on Abbey Lane. He welcomed the balanced approach and hoped the Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development would make progress in discussions with Derbyshire County Council.

Responses

7.4.14

John Bann (Head of Transport, Traffic and Parking Services) and Chris Galloway (Principal Engineer) responded to the questions and issues raised as follows:

·          Greenhill Avenue and Bocking Lane were C class roads and were constructed to carry all types of traffic. Abbey Brook was a culvert regularly inspected by Amey, the Council's maintenance contractor.

·          There was no requirement to undertake regular monitoring of traffic noise. However, the European Union was considering introducing similar targets to those for air quality through an Environmental Noise Directive.

·          Officers were aware of the air quality issues on Abbeydale Road. The impact of the diesel fleet on air quality was to be examined. Also a low emission zone for Abbeydale Road was being examined.

·          Chris Galloway provided details of air quality readings for Bocking Lane, Abbey Lane, Chesterfield Road/Meadowhead and Abbeydale Road.

·          The air quality and traffic count information was available on the Council’s website (www.sheffield.gov.uk).  A further traffic count had been undertaken on 5 December 2012 and the data was expected on 13 December 2012.

·          Officers were aware of the concerns relating to Twentywell Lane and Prospect Road. The prominence of signing on Twentywell Lane would be examined.

·          There had been two minor accidents involving cyclists on Abbey Lane and no recorded accidents on Bocking Lane and Greenhill Avenue.

·          There had been an assessment of the road widths on Bocking Lane, Greenhill Avenue and Bocking Lane and Chris Galloway gave details of the widths of those roads.

·          Discussions had taken place with the Freight Association about vehicles not using the Mayfield Valley. Officers had also asked the local depot of one freight company why they were using the Mayfield Valley and were seeking to persuade them to use more suitable routes.

·          A formal response from the South West Community Assembly had been expected but was not received, although officers were aware of the Assembly’s view.

·          A scheme to signalise the Greenhill Avenue/Greenhill Parkway junction, thereby helping the turning movements, had been developed but had been put on hold due to budget reductions. It would be included on the list of future highway schemes.

7.4.15

Councillor Leigh Bramall, Chair of the Committee and Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development, commented that the proposals were a compromise solution. Data was available to show the displacement of traffic on Abbey Lane from the ban on Bocking Lane. The Council was aware of the problems on Twentywell Lane/Mickley Lane/Prospect Road and in the Mayfield Valley. Air quality data was also available that showed that the acceptable limits had not been exceeded. He recognised the need to talk to Derbyshire County Council.

7.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee approves:-

(i)

the HGV Route Network as shown in Appendix D1 of the report;

(ii)

the process and criteria in Appendix E of the report for determining the suitability of roads for use by HGVs and the Hierarchy of Measures in Appendix F of the report for progressive action to deal with HGV problems;

(iii)

the modification of the Key Diagram (Policy CS 52 Key Route Network) in the Sheffield Development Framework Core Strategy to complement the HGV Route Network;

(iv)

the relaxation of the Bocking Lane ban to night time only, i.e. 7pm to 7am;

(v)

the engagement with key stakeholders to reduce quarry traffic from Derbyshire in the south west of Sheffield by agreement; and

(vi)

developing proposals for further work, as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

7.6

Reasons for Decision

7.6.1

HGVs are vital for delivering goods around the city and transporting goods nationwide.  However, in some areas the journeys they make are a cause for community concern.  Encouraging HGVs to use only suitable routes will minimise the impact of HGV journeys and reduce community concerns.

7.6.2

The approval of the network, process/criteria and hierarchy of measures will allow officers to develop proposals to deal with existing HGV hot spots.

7.6.3.

The approval of the relaxation of the HGV ban on Bocking Lane offers a reasonable compromise to provide some respite for residents of Bocking Lane and Abbey Lane.

7.6.4

Modifying the Key Diagram will help reduce problems in the future by promoting the HGV Route Network at the planning stage.

7.6.5

Developing proposals for further work will allow funding to be secured for a programme of work to get information out to Sat Nav companies, freight industry and business so that the process of making sure HGVs use the most suitable route can begin at the point where it is most likely to be effective.

7.7

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

7.7.1

A number of alternative options were considered when determining how to deal with the concerns of Abbey Lane residents including removing the ban on Bocking Lane, introducing additional road engineering measures on Abbey Lane to deal with speeding and to do nothing.

7.7.2

When determining what to do about the Mayfield Valley officers did consider introducing an HGV ban and advisory route signing but neither could be justified in terms of the numbers and frequency of incidents involving HGVs.

7.7.3

When looking at Attercliffe centre a ban was considered but this might have affected local businesses that are reliant on HGVs and therefore was not recommended.

7.8

Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted

None

7.9

Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration

None

7.10

Respective Director Responsible for Implementation

Simon Green, Executive Director, Place.

7.11

Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In

Economic and Environmental Wellbeing.

(Note: Councillor Harry Harpham left the meeting at this point in the meeting).