Addressing transport impact and increasing active travel connectivity

A £220 million residential development in Colchester has gained a resolution to grant outline planning consent.  The scheme on land at Wyvern Farm, Stanway will deliver 600 new homes, including a mix of 420 private and 180 affordable dwellings.  High-quality public realm, landscaping, children’s play areas, and pedestrian and cycle routes will complete the development.  Motion supported Weston Homes for three years with transport planning expertise.  Project challenges included designing mitigation schemes for two junctions on the A12, with one requiring a departure from standard.  The team negotiated a substantial package of local highway improvement measures involving multiple rounds of consultation with the county council.

According to Mark Smith, Senior Design Manager at Weston Homes, “This was an allocated site for residential development but with our application coinciding with National Highway improvement works running parallel to the east-west length of the site, and the recent opening of a new retail park, we encountered a few delays.”   Mark adds, “Motion was enormously helpful in assessing and appropriately apportioning the transport impact of other schemes in the area.  The team undertook very detailed, extensive negotiations with local highway officers and dealt with every challenge expediently and professionally.”

Departure from standard

Due to uncertainty around national funding and timescales for the long-term road improvements, the team was asked to create an interim arrangement for junction 25 on the A12.  Motion Associate, Calum McGoff, explains, “This involved negotiating a departure from standard.  We designed a cost-effective, safe alternative that would cause minimal disruption and address the impact of the development.”

Motion diagnosed a problem causing gridlock at previously upgraded junction 26.  Calum recalls, “We worked with National Highways to test the existing layout and proposed a mitigation scheme to allow drivers exiting the A12 to use multiple lanes for certain manoeuvres. This will reduce queues and prevent the junction access from being blocked.” 

Pedestrian and cycle routes

The new development is well located for access to sustainable transport modes and has been designed to encourage active travel by incorporating a network of walking and cycling routes.  The site is close to amenities in Colchester town centre and Marks Tey Station.  A new bus route will serve the expansion of Stanway and the retail park.

Sustainability impact:

• Extensive pedestrian and cycle routes to encourage active travel
• New bus route unlocked to offer sustainable travel
• Walkable neighbourhood design

Image credit: © PRP Architects