Chichester District Local Plan 2023: The A27 transport, what it means and how much will it cost?

Following a full council meeting of Chichester District Council on Tuesday, January 24 figures for a new housing target as well as improvements to improvements to two A27 roundabouts in the district.

Following on the discussion, the councillors agreed to put the Plan out to a six week consultation.

Transport plays a large part in the plan, not least the need to improve the A27.

It was estimated that junction improvements along the road would cost between £90m and £135m – a bill which cannot be met through developer contributions alone.

Two schemes were recommended for inclusion in the Plan – the Fishbourne Road roundabout and Terminus Road Link (A259), which would cost between £9.5m and £12.9m; and the Bognor Road Roundabout and Vinnetrow Road Link, which would cost between £19.4m and £30.4m.

What are the issues?:

The area transport strategy for Chichester identifies a number of key issues in the plan area and aims to address these. The strategy aims to improve the performance of the A27 through junction improvements at Chichester; improve the A259 between Chichester and Bognor Regis including improved active travel and shared transport infrastructure; facilitate the shift to electric vehicles; work with partners to improve air quality; make active travel realistic and attractive for short distance journeys within and between existing communities and towns.

The Local Plan Transport Study shows that in many parts of the plan area, the road network is operating at or close to designed capacity. At a strategic level, mitigation is required to increase capacity on the A27 and manage additional demands on the highway network. This could be delivered through junction improvements and sustainable transport infrastructure as well as through non-physical measures such as travel planning to encourage sustainable travel choices.

In 2021, National Highways confirmed that the A27 Chichester By-Pass major improvement scheme is included in the Road Investment Strategy Pipeline for the period 2025-2030 (RIS3). However, at this stage, funding is not guaranteed and its inclusion or otherwise in the final RIS3 programme will be confirmed at a later date and is dependent on National Highways option development work. Therefore, the council will continue to work with National Highways and WSCC as the Highway Authorities, to progress interim measures which will enable development to take place while a long-term strategic solution is progressed.

In the first instance, development will be directed to the most sustainable locations where the need to travel is reduced or there are suitable alternatives to the car. Development will also be phased to align with future transport improvements planned to support development over the plan period.

How will it be funded?:

The 'monitor and manage' approach is based on identifying a package of potential highway improvements (including enhanced walking, cycling and public transport) which alongside schemes identified through the development management process, may be implemented following a monitoring process that will monitor the actual demand on the network and the requirement for the schemes. The reason for this approach is that the full cost of the A27 junction improvements cannot be funded through contributions from new development alone and no additional funding sources have been identified. Fishbourne Roundabout with the Terminus Road Link is estimated at between £9.5 and £12.9 million, and Bognor Road Roundabout with the Vinnetrow Road Link is estimated at between £19.4 and £30.4 million.

To oversee the delivery of the monitor and manage process a Traffic and Infrastructure Management Group (TIMG) will be set up, consisting of representatives from Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council and National Highways.

Junction improvements are being considered at Stockbridge Roundabout and Whyke Roundabout, with the provisional mitigation schemes would ban right turn movements from the A27 to Chichester and the Manhood Peninsula. This would then trigger the requirement for the Stockbridge Link Road mitigation scheme, in order to replace right turn movements onto the Manhood Peninsula. This package of works would be between £57.23m and £82.79m to deliver in full and would not be capable of being funded by development contributions alone.

The Transport Study (2023) identified an indicative package of measures for the Fishbourne Roundabout costing between £9,520,000 and £12,900,000 and the Bognor Road Roundabout costing between £19,390,000 and £30,420,000.

This sum will be met from financial contributions provided by the outstanding housing developments proposed in the Local Plan.

All other housing development where there is a net increase in dwelling numbers, on the basis of the formula below, to be applied at the time of granting any permission.

The ‘estimated cost of A27 works to Fishbourne Roundabout and Bognor Road Roundabout’ will be based upon the most up to date estimate at the time of granting any permission, to take into account adjustment for inflation and any other material changes to the cost of those works. Contributions secured will be used either towards the identified junction infrastructure improvements, and/or other highway capacity improvements identified through the Monitor and Manage process.