P/2014/01010 Received 01 Aug 2014 JCB Excavators Ltd JCB Harper Meadows Rocester Travel Plan PTB Transport Planning Ltd Radclyffe House 66/68 Hagley Road Edgbaston Birmingham West Midlands B16 8PF T/F. 0121 454 5530 W. www.ptbtransport.co.uk Prepared by JP Authorised by GM Rev A Date 25 July 2014 T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester CONTENTS 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Purpose and Structure of the Report 1 1.3 Limitations of this Report 1 BACKGROUND 2 2.1 Existing Site Locations 2 2.2 Proposed Development 2 POLICY REVIEW AND TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIVES 3 3.1 Central Government Policy 3 3.2 DfT Good Practice Guidelines 3 3.3 Travel Plan Objectives 4 SITE AUDIT 5 4.1 Walking 5 4.2 Cycling 5 4.3 Public Transport 6 EXISTING JCB INITIATIVES 8 5.1 JCB Community Statement 8 5.2 Lift Share 8 5.3 Cycle to Work 9 TRAVEL PLAN TARGETS AND INITIATIVES 10 6.1 Travel Plan Success 10 6.2 Short-Term Targets and Initiatives (2 years) 10 6.3 Long-term Targets and Initiatives (5 years) 11 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING 13 7.1 13 Travel Plan Co-ordinator T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 7.2 Monitoring the Travel Plan 13 7.3 Travel Surveys 13 7.4 Timescales 14 Table 1 – Bus services in the vicinity of JCB Table 2 – Travel Plan Timetable 6 14 T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 1.2 1.3 Background 1.1.1 PTB Transport Planning Ltd has been commissioned by JCB Excavators Ltd (JCB) to provide transport advice in relation to their proposed Harper Meadows development in Rocester. 1.1.2 The Harper Meadows proposal consolidates the existing JCB Insurance and JCB Finance departments within Rocester, into a single building on the Harper Meadows site to the north of the B5031. 1.1.3 The site location is shown on Figure 1.1. Purpose and Structure of the Report 1.2.1 The purpose of this report is to provide a travel plan and assessment of existing sustainable transport conditions at and around the JCB Harper Meadows site in Rocester. 1.2.2 Following this introduction, the structure of the report will be as detailed below: • Chapter 2 – Background; • Chapter 3 – Policy Review and Travel Plan Objectives; • Chapter 4 – Site Audit; • Chapter 5 – Existing JCB Initiatives; • Chapter 5 – Travel Plan Targets and Initiatives; • Chapter 6 – Implementation and Monitoring. Limitations of this Report 1.3.1 This report has been undertaken at the request of JCB, thus should not be entrusted to any third party without written permission from PTB Transport Planning Ltd. However, should any information contained within this report be used by any unauthorised third party, it is done so entirely at their own risk and shall not be the responsibility of PTB Transport Planning Ltd. 1.3.2 This report has been compiled using data from a number of external sources; whilst these sources are considered to be trustworthy, PTB Transport Planning Ltd is not responsible for the accuracy of the data provided. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -1- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 2.2 Existing Site Locations 2.1.1 The JCB Insurance and JCB Finance departments are currently split across three separate sites within Rocester. 2.1.2 JCB Insurance is located alongside the ITC building and adjacent to the JCB Arena, to the west of the B5030; this site is accessed via Station Road and then the existing access road opposite the main JCB gates. 2.1.3 JCB Finance is split across two sites, both of which are located to the east of the B5030; the first site is served off High Street in Rocester village, whilst the second is served off the junction of High Street with the B5030 and shares its access with the JCB Garage/Depot site. 2.1.4 The three existing sites are shown on Figure 2.1. 2.1.5 At present, there are 33 staff employed within JCB Insurance and 80 staff employed within JCB Finance; however, it should be noted that 40 of the JCB Finance staff generally operate off-site and occasionally ‘hot desk’ at the Rocester sites. Proposed Development 2.2.1 The proposed Harper Meadows development will consolidate the JCB Insurance and Finance departments into a single building, to be served from the existing roundabout junction on the B5031. 2.2.2 The proposal will also provide sufficient additional office space to facilitate an increase in staff numbers over the next couple of years; JCB Insurance is forecast to increase from 33 to 60 members of staff, whilst JCB Finance is forecast to increase from 80 to 120 members of staff (40 staff still operating off-site and via ‘hot desk’). 2.2.3 Consolidation of the JCB Insurance and Finance departments into a single building is likely to bring benefits in terms of travel plan measures and initiatives, in particular car sharing. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -2- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 3.0 POLICY REVIEW AND TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIVES 3.1 Central Government Policy 3.1.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) came into force on 27th March 2012, replacing all the previous Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) and Planning Policy Guidance (PPGs) including PPG13 on Transport. 3.1.2 The NPPF sets out the Government’s economic, environmental and social planning policies for England. These policies articulate the Government’s vision of sustainable development, which should be interpreted and applied locally to meet local aspirations. 3.1.3 Section 4 of the NPPF covers ‘Promoting Sustainable Transport’. Within this section it is stated that developments should be located and designed where practical to: 3.1.4 3.2 • Accommodate the efficient delivery of goods and supplies; • Give priority to pedestrian and cycle movements, and have access to high quality public transport facilities; • Create safe and secure layouts which minimise conflicts between traffic and cyclists or pedestrians, avoiding street clutter and where appropriate, establishing home zones; • Incorporate facilities for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles; and • Consider the needs of people with disabilities by all modes of transport. NPPF establishes Travel Plans as ‘‘a key tool” to facilitate these aims; NPPF states that all developments which generate significant amounts of movement should be required to provide a Travel Plan. DfT Good Practice Guidelines 3.2.1 In April 2009 the DfT published its document relating to the requirements for and contents of Travel Plans, called ‘Good Practice Guidelines: Delivering Travel Plans Through the Transport System’. 3.2.2 A summary of the document is also available. The document sets out the different types of Travel Plan required for each development type and describes a full Travel Plan as follows: PTB Transport Planning Ltd • Produced when end user(s) or use(s) are known; • Important to ensure continued implementation when passed on through occupiers. -3- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 3.2.3 3.3 As the proposed end-user is known, the JCB Harper Meadows site is ideally suited to the preparation of full travel plan; therefore, this report will be developed further into a full travel plan once detailed travel surveys have been undertaken. Travel Plan Objectives 3.3.1 PTB Transport Planning Ltd The primary objectives of the plan for the proposed development are as follows: • To reduce reliance on the private car and to minimise the number of single occupancy car traffic movements to/from the JCB Harper Meadows site; • To encourage the use of alternative modes of transport which have less environmental impact, including cycling and walking; • To encourage the use of modes of transport that will improve the physical fitness of employees; • To minimise, where possible, the transport impact of the JCB Harper Meadows site on the local area; • To address the specific transport needs of site users by supporting walking, cycling and public transport, where feasible; and • To provide tools to assist employees in developing their own Personalized Journey Planning (PJP) system. -4- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 4.0 SITE AUDIT 4.1 4.2 Walking 4.1.1 Footways are provided within Rocester Village; the route from High Street towards the JCB Harper Meadows site provides a footway on the northern side of the bridge, which is segregated from the carriageway across the bridge. 4.1.2 The footway slopes down towards an underpass which runs beneath the B5030, to the north of the lake within the JCB site and past the main factory building to connect to the Harper Meadows site via the existing dropped crossing at the B5031 roundabout. 4.1.3 The walking links provide employees of JCB living in Rocester with an easy and safe walking environment between the development and the village, and also provides the opportunity for employees of JCB to utilise the facilities of the village during lunch breaks. 4.1.4 The streets within the village are lit and the footway within the main JCB site is also lit by means of low level lighting bollards with strategically placed floodlights also provided. 4.1.5 There is also an existing footpath route from Denstone village, which provides access at the existing roundabout junction to the HGV access and parking access roads, itself just a short walk from the B5031 access roundabout into the Harper Meadows site. 4.1.6 This route has been kept open by JCB for a number of years, to provide a direct and convenient walking route to/from the main factory site for residents of Denstone village. Cycling 4.2.1 Although the underpass is a footway route, once into the main JCB site the route towards the Harper Meadows site is a shared footway/cycleway. 4.2.2 There are no other specific cycle routes in operation in the vicinity of the JCB site. However, the SUSTRANS website indicates a proposal for the completion of NCN route 54 in the vicinity of (and through) the main JCB site, connecting to NCN route 549 at Uttoxeter. 4.2.3 This (mainly) on-road route would run alongside the B5030, utilising quieter minor roads, and would link cycle routes in Uttoxeter to the south, via the western side of the B5030, through JCB and Denstone and on towards Oakamoor, Froghall, and Cauldon to the north, linking in to cycle trails through the Peak District. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -5- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 4.3 Public Transport Bus 4.3.1 The closest bus stops to the site are located in Denstone to the west of the site, at a distance of 330m (from the centre of the site); there is currently no footway on the development (northern) side of the B5031, however there is a footway on the southern side connecting to these stops. 4.3.2 Additional bus stops are available in Rocester, on High Street, at a distance of 1.2km. 4.3.3 Table 1 sets out the bus services available in the vicinity of the Harper Meadows site. Table 1 – Bus services in the vicinity of JCB Service Number Route First/Last bus Daytime Freq 4 Rocester – Uttoxeter, Tesco – Uttoxeter, Bus Station – Uttoxeter, Various - Uttoxeter, Bus Station Uttoxeter, Tesco - Rocester 07:35 (1 Daily) 30 Uttoxeter – Rocester – Denstone – Alton – Alton Towers 08:08/17:28 (2 AM, 1 midday and 2 PM) 32/32A Hanley – Werrington – Kingsley - Cheadle – Greendale – Oakamoor – Alton Towers – Alton – Denstone - Rocester - Uttoxeter 06:38/22:20 (10 Daily) Swift Derby – Kirk Langley – Ashbourne – Mayfield – Rocester - Uttoxeter 06:55/17:47 (2 AM peak, then every 60 mins) 4.3.4 The level of public transport coverage and frequency could be described as moderate. 4.3.5 As indicated earlier in this report, home postcode data indicates clusters of employees in Rocester, Denstone, Uttoxeter and Cheadle locally. Additionally, considerable numbers of staff are located within Stoke-on-Trent (particularly in the south eastern area of the city along the A50 corridor) and Derby. 4.3.6 Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Uttoxeter are served with moderate levels of public transport. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -6- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester Rail 4.3.7 Rocester is not directly served by a railway station. The nearest stations are located at; Uttoxeter (4.0 miles), Blythe Bridge (9.7 miles), and Stoke-onTrent (14.9 miles). 4.3.8 Uttoxeter offers the potential for journeys by employees who might make cycle/rail/cycle trips to access the site. The station is served by services on the Crewe to Derby rail line and it is noted that arrivals and departures at the station in the morning and evening are at times that would allow cycle/rail/cycle trips to fit with working hours for the Harper Meadows site. Public Transport Feasibility 4.3.9 It should be noted that JCB have looked at the option of providing a dedicated public transport service for the main factory site in Rocester; however, this is not feasible in economic terms. 4.3.10 Further investigations have been undertaken with respect to the potential for providing a Park & Ride site at Uttoxeter, but again, feasibility studies have raised significant issues with viability; both in terms of bus services and land purchase. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -7- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 5.0 EXISTING JCB INITIATIVES 5.1 5.2 JCB Community Statement 5.1.1 JCB is proactive in ensuring that their operations are sustainable and respect both the environment and their employees; this approach has helped reduce their direct carbon emissions in the UK by 23% since 2007. 5.1.2 JCB implements initiatives through a ‘Sustainable Innovation’ programme, which incorporates ‘JCB Think Eco’, ‘JCB Efficient Design’ and ‘JCB Community’. 5.1.3 The latter involves the delivery of social engagement programmes around the world to support and reward JCB people to adopt sustainable practices. 5.1.4 Alongside video conferencing, which minimises the impact of business travel, JCB has implemented several schemes to support and reward their employees to achieve their sustainable goals, including Lift Share and Cycle to Work. Lift Share 5.2.1 JCB is signed up to the Lift Share scheme and promotes car sharing as a suitable mode of travel to the JCB site. The Lift Share scheme has 475,000 registrations at present and information regarding this car-sharing scheme is available on the JCB website and the scheme will be promoted at the Harper Meadows site. 5.2.2 Within two weeks of joining the scheme, in August 2011, 267 JCB employees became members of the scheme; currently 378 employees of JCB are members of the scheme. Of these, 162 are employees at Rocester. 5.2.3 The Liftshare.com website provides a Car-share Manager Newsletter that includes articles and tips on the benefits of car-sharing. JCB’s own promotion material indicates that of the 378 registrations, 256 are office based, 68 are from the shop floor and 17 are agency workers. It indicates that 27% of these employees have made contact and about 77% of those are currently sharing. 5.2.4 This indicates that about 78 members of staff are currently sharing lifts on a regular basis, taking at least 39 cars off the network that might have otherwise remained on during or around peak hours. 5.2.5 At Rocester, this equates to 34 members of staff and 17 cars off the network; however, JCB has advised that additional employees across the Rocester sites are car-sharing, but are not registered with the Lift Share scheme. PTB Transport Planning Ltd -8- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 5.2.6 5.3 As indicated in section 2.2, the consolidation of the JCB Insurance and Finance departments is likely to bring benefits in terms of sustainable travel initiatives; in addition, it is important to note that the vast majority of the employees that are signed up to Lift Share are office based. Cycle to Work 5.3.1 The JCB Community also encourages cycling to work and 398 employees have taken up options equating to cycle purchases of £273,270. 5.3.2 JCB has indicated its commitment to the promotion of sustainable travel planning by the introduction of these initial measures. 5.3.3 There is a commitment right from the top of JCB to formalise travel planning that will expand the measures promoting sustainable travel and also commit to monitoring and additional measures to reduce peak hour impacts and promote more sustainable travel to and from all their sites in Rocester. 5.3.4 JCB has extended the number of windows available to sign-up to the Cycle to Work scheme and currently use P&MM to deliver this (http://www.pmmemployeebenefits.co.uk/cycle-to-work). PTB Transport Planning Ltd -9- T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 6.0 TRAVEL PLAN TARGETS AND INITIATIVES 6.1 6.2 Travel Plan Success 6.1.1 A key measure of the ultimate success of the Travel Plan will be the reduction in single-occupancy car journeys in favour of either multioccupancy journeys or other sustainable modes of transport. 6.1.2 A Travel Plan requires short and long-term targets to help achieve such a goal. 6.1.3 It is proposed that the short-term targets are set within a 2 year timeframe, with the long-term targets within a 5 year timeframe; details are provided below. 6.1.4 It should be noted that the majority of these targets and initiatives are carried across from the wider Travel Plan associated with the main JCB factory site, to ensure that the Harper Meadows site integrates with the existing travel planning currently in place (the relocated employees already operate within the framework of the wider JCB Travel Plan). Short-Term Targets and Initiatives (2 years) 6.2.1 It is proposed that short-term targets concentrate on the successful implementation of measures and increased sign-up to existing JCB initiatives, on the basis that these will feed through longer-term into achieving specific modal share and other traffic-related targets. 6.2.2 At present, JCB has implemented two major travel initiatives; these are Lift Share and Cycle to Work. 6.2.3 There are 162 employees across the JCB Rocester sites that are members of the Lift Share scheme; this represents 5.8% of employees as members. 6.2.4 There is currently no data available to indicate how many employees are signed up to the Cycle to Work scheme at Rocester, or how many are signed up to both schemes. 6.2.5 Therefore, the short-term target for the Lift Share initiative is to get 10% sign-up of the workforce at the Harper Meadows site. 6.2.6 The target for the Cycle to Work scheme will be based on the first survey results; however, we would expect that a target of 5% is likely to be appropriate. 6.2.7 In addition to these targets, the Harper Meadows site will provide 20 covered and secure cycle parking spaces on site immediately, in a location close to the building, and ensure that land/space is available to provide further spaces as demand increases. This is double the minimum requirement PTB Transport Planning Ltd - 10 - T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester based on the East Staffordshire Borough Council Parking Standards, Supplementary Planning Guidance, December 2004. 6.2.8 6.2.9 6.3 Other measures to be implemented within the first 2 years will be: • Provide shower and changing/storage facilities for employees cycling to work; • Continue to use the services of Travelwise, part of the wider ACT Travelwise organisation, benefiting from free advice and best-practice information sharing. Through this, Staffordshire County Council (SCC) commits to assisting JCB in setting up their travel plan and also in assisting with staff surveys relating to mode of travel; • Continued promotion of the travel plan and access by sustainable modes on the JCB website (www.jcb.com/eandas) and at key locations across the Harper Meadows site; • Continued promotion of the Lift Share scheme. Further to this, JCB supports – in principle – completion of NCN route 54, connecting to NCN route 549 at Uttoxeter, as detailed in section 4.2, and would work with other stakeholders to facilitate its completion should the opportunity arise. Long-term Targets and Initiatives (5 years) 6.3.1 The long-term targets for the Harper Meadows site will start to concentrate on specific modal-share targets alongside increased sign-up to initiatives. 6.3.2 In terms of the JCB initiatives, the long-term target for these is to maintain the 10% employee sign-up to Lift Share and 5% sign-up to Cycle Scheme from year 2 through to year 5. 6.3.3 As indicated in section 6.1, the ultimate success of the Travel Plan will require a reduction in single-occupancy car journeys in favour of more sustainable modes of travel. 6.3.4 Therefore, the long-term target is to reduce the proportion of singleoccupancy car journeys by 5% against the baseline proportion from the initial survey (to be undertaken within six months of completion of the development). 6.3.5 The key initiatives that we believe will deliver this reduction are the Lift Share and Cycle to Work schemes, the latter particularly for those employees who live locally. 6.3.6 In addition to these targets, JCB will continue to implement measures to complement/assist them, such as providing car-sharing spaces in the car park and providing covered, secure cycle parking spaces in the vicinity of the building, to meet demand. PTB Transport Planning Ltd - 11 - T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 6.3.7 PTB Transport Planning Ltd In addition, JCB will aim to establish a measure of the number of journeys replaced by use of video conferencing. - 12 - T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester 7.0 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING 7.1 7.2 7.3 Travel Plan Co-ordinator 7.1.1 A fundamental aspect of the implementation of any Travel Plan is the identification and appointing of a Travel Plan Co-ordinator (TPC) for the site. 7.1.2 JCB currently employ a ‘Group Environmental & Sustainability Advisor’, Jo Stott ([email protected]), who currently undertakes the role of the TPC for the main Rocester site. 7.1.3 Jo has a sound knowledge of the local transport in the area and will actively support and develop the strategy for the site. 7.1.4 Jo will be responsible for setting up, promoting and monitoring the following schemes: • Travel Plan promotion and awareness, including information campaigns throughout the site; • Consultation with bus operators and the local authority, in order to provide up to date information on services and facilities; • Defining and implementing travel surveys to ensure that the flexibility of the plan is maintained and can respond to travel patterns; • Monitoring of the performance of the plan. 7.1.5 Jo will communicate on a regular basis with the local authority and will also ensure that information about sustainable modes of transport is freely available at all times for both employees and visitors. 7.1.6 At this stage, PTB will assist JCB with the design and implementation of the initial surveys and initiatives; however, over the longer-term (once procedures and methods of delivery are in place) this responsibility will pass to a senior member of the Finance team, under our guidance. Monitoring the Travel Plan 7.2.1 A Travel Plan requires a regular monitoring programme in order to ascertain whether or not the implemented measures are achieving the primary objectives of the plan. 7.2.2 Therefore, reviews of the Travel Plan performance will be undertaken, which will incorporate individual employee, traffic and parking surveys. Travel Surveys 7.3.1 PTB Transport Planning Ltd This travel plan includes a menu of measures that will be implemented at the JCB Harper Meadows site; however, the plan also indicates the need for travel surveys in order to best target measures and monitor their - 13 - T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester effectiveness so that additional/amended or remedial measures can be considered if necessary. 7.4 7.3.2 The surveys will consist of traffic and parking surveys (to determine demand) and staff/visitor travel surveys (to determine modal share); a typical initial employee questionnaire survey is provided as Appendix A. 7.3.3 Further surveys would be defined in due course and would incorporate more detailed information and attitudes to potential modal shift, etc. 7.3.4 The initial sets of surveys will be undertaken twice a year, to determine whether or not the short-term targets are likely to be met and to allow sufficient time to deliver further measures should it be necessary; within a 2year timeframe, annual surveys would not give sufficient scope for appraisal of measures and implementation of improvements to the Travel Plan. 7.3.5 Over the longer-term, the surveys will be completed annually and during the same month each year (avoiding the holiday period), using the same methodology; this should remove any potential problems associated with seasonal variations and/or inconsistent survey results. 7.3.6 These surveys will then be reviewed to determine the effectiveness (or otherwise) of the measures implemented at the site and the likely requirements for the following 12 month period. Timescales 7.4.1 Table 2 (overleaf) details the timetable for the implementation of the Travel Plan. Table 2 – Travel Plan Timetable Travel Plan Process Implementation Date Define traffic and travel surveys and agree with Staffs CC Within six months of development approval Designate Car-Share spaces in Harper Meadows car park Upon completion of development Undertake traffic and travel surveys at JCB Within six months of completion of development and every six months or annually* thereafter. * Traffic and Travel surveys to be undertaken every six months for first two years, then in same month annually thereafter. PTB Transport Planning Ltd - 14 - T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester FIGURES PTB Transport Planning Ltd T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx SITE Project JCB Harper Meadows Project No T13544 Figure 1.1 Title Site Location Plan Date 18th December 2013 Key Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2013. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100046404. JCB FINANCE JCB INSURANCE Project JCB Harper Meadows Project No T13544 Figure 2.1 Title Existing Insurance and Finance Sites Date 18th December 2013 Key SITE Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2013. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100046404. T13544 JCB Harper Meadows, Rocester APPENDIX A PTB Transport Planning Ltd - QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY EXAMPLE T13544 TP Rev A - Email.docx
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