EXCLUSIVE by LESTER CROSS
Claims made by a firm of consultants that future housing and commercial developments in Hawick, Jedburgh and Tweedbank will have a "negligible effect" on the trunk road network in the Scottish Borders have been challenged by Government agency Transport Scotland.
In effect, the national transport authority is maintaining the traffic analysis commissioned by Scottish Borders Council in support of its Local Development Plan [LDP] is flawed, and was performed without prior consultation with the agency.
The differing opinions are outlined in newly published documents which form part of the Borders LDP's examination by a team of Scottish Government planning reporters. The outcome of the examination will determine which of the development sites being promoted by the local authority will receive ministerial approval for inclusion in the Plan.
SBC's plans include an extension of the village of Tweedbank by constructing at least 300 new homes together with facilities for business activities on the 'greenfield' Lowood estate. The first planning application linked to Lowood's development is currently being processed by the council's own planning officers.
Transport Scotland lodged formal objections to proposed sites for Tweedbank, Hawick and Jedburgh.
In the case of Tweedbank, the written objection stated: "The ‘Site Requirements’ for allocated site MTWEE003 [the LDP reference number for Lowood] should include any required transport interventions that have been identified through a cumulative transport appraisal including sites from within Galashiels that do not have planning permission, to fully understand the potential cumulative impact of the developments.
"Information should also be included within the Site Requirements on how any identified transport improvements will be funded and delivered. It is considered the mitigation should be identified within the Proposed Plan and the transport appraisal should take cognisance of the allocations within Galashiels which do not have planning permission, to identify the potential cumulative impact of the developments on the transport network."
SBC commissioned Stantec, an international firm of designers and project managers, to assemble a so-called TRICS (Trip Rate Information Computer Systems) assessment of the likely number of increased vehicle trips generated by LDP proposals for Tweedbank, Hawick and Jedburgh.
The 130-page report from Stantec concludes: "Based on the above assessment it is Stantec’s assessment that the proposed developments will have a negligible effect on the Trunk Road network within the relevant towns and the overall Trunk Road Network within the Scottish Borders."
Following receipt of that report the transport agency was asked by the planning reporters if it was content that the methodolgy and conclusions of the TRICS exercise were sound.
Transport Scotland, in its response published today, make it clear they are not "content".
It claims: "Transport Scotland is not content with the Stantec TRICS assessment as it does not fully address the points raised within the representations submitted for Hawick, Jedburgh or Tweedbank. The Council commissioned this assessment without any engagement with Transport Scotland and we note the assessment is dated February 2022.
"Transport Scotland would have welcomed involvement in initial discussions on the scope and detail of the assessment in order to resolve the issues identified resulting in a more timeous examination."
And the written response adds that the TRICS assessment for Tweedbank is based mainly on qualitative information on potential junction impacts. No data has been provided on junction operation or capacity with and without the developments.
"There is no information presented on percentage change at junctions related to either trips, vehicles or delay. The assessment used a number of exclusions when selecting the data. This is not uncommon, but there is no justification for these exclusions.
"Sites within Galashiels which do not have permission required to be included in the assessment of the Tweedbank site. Assessment of the (Tweedbank) sites requires to take account of the mixed use elements and not be solely based on the housing element, quantitative analysis of nearby trunk road junctions before and after the addition of the Tweedbank site and other unconsented sites".The sections of the Stantec report covering Hawick and Jedburgh also come in for criticism from Transport Scotland.
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