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Chapter 4: Transport

Transport and the Planning System
The Local Plan Approach
Transport Policies

INTRODUCTION

4.1 - The Local Plan recognises the importance of planning for a sustainable pattern of development. This can best be achieved by planning land use and transportation together in ways which enable people to carry out everyday activities with less need to travel and less reliance on the private car.

4.2 - The Borough's rural character means that many areas are currently inaccessible by public transport. It must be accepted therefore that there is currently a dependency upon the motor vehicle and the road network. The main trunk roads in the Borough are the A5 and the A483. The A5 Trunk Road is part of the draft Trans-European Network of transport routes. This recognises the Trunk Road's national and international function and could attract investment to allow the road to function properly at the local, national and international level. The A5 links the area with the West Midlands whilst the A483 is a popular route to the North West of England and to North and Central Wales. These routes provide an attractive alternative to many motorists who would otherwise use the motorway network which is often congested, especially through urban areas. Their popularity is, however, causing increasing problems in terms of congestion and increased accident rates. At a more local level, urban distributor roads link areas within Oswestry Town. This Local Plan includes proposals for the improvement of the network to enable better traffic circulation within the urban area and better access to the major trunk roads.

4.3 - Whilst there is no longer a railway station in Oswestry Town, passenger rail services are provided at Gobowen which is on the Shrewsbury to Chester line. This service links the Borough with the Midlands, the Northwest, Holyhead and beyond. The Borough Council provides free parking at Gobowen station and has installed a secure cycle parking area in order to make rail travel a more viable and attractive alternative to the private motorcar. In terms of rail freight, facilities at Gobowen cater for the import of coal into a concentration depot which serves a large area including North East Wales.

4.4 - Bus services within the Borough tend to focus on the bus station located in the town. Links are maintained with the towns of Shrewsbury and Wrexham from where connecting services are available to other parts of the country. The bus services also provide a vital link with rural settlements, particularly the larger ones, which must be maintained to allow members of the rural population who do not have the use of a private car to have access to facilities in the more urban areas.

TRANSPORT AND THE PLANNING SYSTEM

4.5 - The Government looks to the planning system to help reduce the environmental impact of transport and slow down the rate of traffic growth, as stated in Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 (Transport) : 'The number of developments each year is relatively small but the development patterns we set today will endure into the next century. If land-use policies permit continued dispersal and a high reliance on the car, other policies to reduce the environmental impact of transport may be less effective or come at higher cost.' 4.6 Local plans are asked to develop land-use and transport policies in ways which: Reduce growth in the length of motorised journeys; Encourage alternative means of travel which have less environmental impact (public transport, cycling, walking) and hence; Reduce reliance on the private car.

4.7 - This Local Plan has put forward the following Transport aims: 'To promote a pattern of development which will help reduce the overall need to travel and encourage the use of modes of travel other than the private car. To promote a convenient, adequate and properly integrated system of public transport to serve the needs of the Borough's population. To improve road safety and improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists by promoting effective traffic management in settlements and particularly in central Oswestry.'

4.8 - In particular, such aims can be progressed by ensuring that the majority of development is located in settlements which offer a good range of community facilities and services and are served by public transport. The planning system can also influence the provision of better conditions for cyclists and pedestrians and by delivering improvements to the public transport network.

4.9 - These aims are not easily achieved in the context of a rural area of relatively low population density. Many areas have poor access to basic facilities and public transport which is infrequent or non-existent. It will be a considerable challenge to provide alternatives to the present reliance on the private car.

4.10 - However, Oswestry Borough is unique within Shropshire in terms of Its settlement pattern. Oswestry Town forms the major service centre with its wide range of services, and facilities including its shopping centre, schools and the expanding industrial estate to the south east of the town. The town is surrounded by a network of nine large rural villages, some of which contain a level of facilities and populations similar to other small towns in the county. Each of these 'larger villages' acts as a service centre for those living in the settlement itself and for those living in the surrounding area. This can be illustrated as follows:-St. Martins, in the north east of the Borough, has a population in excess of 2,000, contains one of the Borough's two secondary schools, a primary school, a major food superstore, and has three industrial areas nearby. Gobowen has a similar population and a good range of services and facilities as well as the Borough's only current railway station. The remaining villages all have significant local services and facilities and some local employment. Two villages, (Weston Rhyn and Whittington) have new railway stations proposed which, if constructed, would improve access to public transport during the Plan Period. This allows a good choice of locations for sustainable development within the Borough.

THE LOCAL PLAN APPROACH

4.11 - The Borough Council is committed to the principles of sustainable development and the aims and guidance provided by PPG13. However, it is felt that such aims should be considered in the context of the rural nature of the Borough, which means that in many areas members of the public are not well served by either public facilities or public transport and are therefore reliant on the use of private transport.

4.12 - Sustainable development is a major theme in the Local Plan and as a result other chapters have major impacts on reducing the need to travel by private transport. Most notable are those chapters on Housing and the Local Economy. The Housing chapter identifies a settlement hierarchy intended to ensure that the majority of new residential development will take place in the larger settlements where access to facilities and public transport is at its best. The Local Economy Chapter also plays a major role in that the majority of the new employment land allocation is identified in Oswestry Town, thus creating opportunities for employees to walk or cycle to their places of employment.

4.13 - As a result of this settlement pattern, 54% of the Borough's housing provision is made in the Urban Area (Oswestry Town and Morda). A further 42% is provided in the nine larger settlements in recognition of their role as local service centres. Some 60% of the Borough's industrial allocation is made in the town's industrial estate with a smaller scale of provision in a further three estates which are themselves closely linked to the larger rural settlements.

4.14 - This chapter therefore sets out policies and proposals on : Transport and new development including measures aimed at reducing the use of the private car; Car parking, both in terms of public car-parking and the provision of parking as a result of new development; The retention and improvement of the public transport network; An Integrated Transport Plan for Oswestry Town to improve traffic circulation and pedestrian safety. It also sets into context the primary road network serving the area and the need for improvement in respect of the A5 and A483 trunk roads.

POLICIES AND PROPOSALS FOR TRANSPORT:

Policy TR 1 - New Development & the Need to Travel
Policy TR 2 - Transport & New Development
Policy TR 3 - Car Parking & New Development
Policy TR 4 - Off-Street Parking
Policy TR 5 - Proposed Car Park, Former Arthur's Garage Site
Policy TR 6 - Whittington Railway Station
Policy TR 7 - Gobowen to Blodwell Railway Line
Policy TR 8 - Traffic Management Proposals
Policy TR 9 - Traffic Management - Eastern Oswestry
Back to Local Plan 1996-2006