TR8 Criteria for the Design of Highway Schemes Policy
In the design of new highway schemes and highway improvement schemes the Local Planning Authority will require particular attention to be paid to the following environmental considerations:
(i) the scheme should avoid, if possible, the loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land (in MAFF Grades 1,2 and 3A), and not prejudice viable and efficient farm holdings;
(ii) the scheme should not prejudice Areas of Special Landscape Value, SSSIs, SBIs, Urban Greenspace, common land, Listed Buildings, sites of archaeological interest and Conservation Areas;
(iii) the scheme should provide for the needs and safety of cyclists and pedestrians;
(iv) the scheme should include full landscaping proposals in accordance with Policy GR5, to minimise visual intrusion; and
(v) wherever possible, existing landscape features should be taken into account in the design of the scheme.
Reasoned justification :
15.23 Policy TR8 is designed to provide the criteria whereby environmental intrusion of new highway schemes and highway improvement schemes are minimised. It seeks both to protect areas of nature conservation and agricultural importance, and to address the more detailed design considerations which will minimise the scheme's effects on the environment.
15.24 Environmental intrusion of road traffic is increasingly recognised as a problem, both in terms of environmental nuisance and in its detrimental effects on road safety. Of particular concern is the presence of unnecessary traffic in residential and other sensitive areas, such as Conservation Areas and countryside areas, and in the vicinity of hospitals, elderly persons sheltered accommodation and other institutions and schools.
15.25 A range of traffic management measures are available to alleviate such problems. These may include waiting restrictions, one-way traffic systems, road humps, road closures, restricted access, or residents' parking schemes. The Local Highway Authority's intention is to look at all areas of the Borough over a period of time to determine the most appropriate measures for a particular area or problem, bearing in mind the needs of the area and the suitability of the existing main traffic routes.
15.26 The Local Highway Authority supports the Government's initiative to reduce road traffic accidents by one-third by the year 2000. The Authority is identifying priority areas for detailed studies and will formulate and progress proposals for dealing with environmental intrusion of traffic and improving road safety on an area-wide basis. Priority areas will be identified on the basis of known problems reported over a number of years and also in the light of problems arising from change within an area. Within the UDP period, it is anticipated that these priorities for remedial measures will change as a result of the continued monitoring of the situation throughout the Borough.