Delivering Infrastructure

Infrastructure is integral to the sustainability of our city and villages, as well as the delivery of new development. Infrastructure includes everything from transport (roads, railways) to utilities (water, energy) as well as green (parks and rivers) and social (schools, community centres and health facilities).

The Core Strategy proposes a levy approach (a set charge per development) to secure developer contributions for infrastructure. Chorley, Preston and South Ribble authorities have worked together in the preparation of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This work has been undertaken independently from this Local Plan process.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

CIL is the new way in which built development can be required to contribute monies to pay for new infrastructure. It will supplement and partially replace the current system of securing developer contributions through agreements under Section 106 of the 1990 Planning Act.

The CIL levy is a fixed rate charge, based on per square meter of net additional floor space.

The Preston Community Infrastructure Levy was approved by Preston City Council on 22 August 2013 and came into effect on 30 September 2013. This was following public examination in April 2013 and receipt of the Examiner's Report in June 2013. 

The charges are based on detailed research and have been out for consultation. The Schedule is accompanied by a draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan and an Infrastructure Delivery Schedule.

The Infrastructure Delivery Scheme

The Infrastructure Delivery Schedule takes an overview of what infrastructure is currently planned, what is required and how it might be delivered.

The Infrastructure Delivery Schedule has informed the Central Lancashire Draft Regulation 123 list which itemises infrastructure projects already envisaged or probably needed, This taking into account the broad amounts and locations of development proposed in the Central Lancashire Core Strategy.

This document is very much a "live" document, to be regularly updated as schemes progress, and as funding circumstances change.

The Infrastructure Delivery Schedule includes transport, social infrastructure, utilities, and green infrastructure:

Transport

There are many transport links between Preston and it's Central Lancashire neighbours of South Ribble and Chorley, and adjoining neighbours Fylde, Wyre and Ribble Valley. Many journeys are made into Preston every day from these adjacent areas by commuters and shoppers.

There are a number of major employers in these areas that attract commuters from Preston.

New transport infrastructure schemes include:

• Broughton Bypass
• Preston Western Distributor Road
• North West Preston East-West Link road
• Cottam Parkway Railway Station

Social Infrastructure

Social infrastructure includes facilities such as doctor's surgeries, schools, sports centres and community halls. Developers will be required to contribute to providing these facilities where there is an identifiable need.

New social infrastructure includes:

• Additional primary school provision at Whittingham (1 school site), Cottam (1 to 2 school sites) and North West Preston (3 to 3.5 school sites)
• Additional secondary school provision at North West Preston.
• Additional primary care facilities in Central Preston, Ingol, and North West Preston.

Utilities Infrastructure

Through discussion with key utility providers including National Grid and United Utilities, we understand that there are no known electricity, water or gas capacity issues in Preston that cannot be overcome over the duration of the Plan.

There is, however, a need to undertake some works to reinforce the electricity network in the Preston East area. There is also a need to address high speed broadband limitations in the rural areas. 

To this end BT is currently seeking to upgrade rural telephone exchanges to higher broadband speeds.

Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure is the network of green spaces and water courses that lie within and between our towns and villages. This providing multiple social, environmental and economic benefits.

These are sometimes referred to as "eco-system services". These are the benefits provided by eco-systems that contribute to making human life possible and worth living. These benefits are wide-ranging and include amenity and recreation, social activity, bio-diversity, climate change mitigation (providing shade, releasing oxygen), and flood and water protection. These eco-system services often depend on the interconnectedness of the component parts of the "jigsaw".

Green infrastructure needs to be well planned and maintained, and viewed as integral to new development. Examples of green infrastructure in Preston include the Lancaster Canal and the network of brook valleys and open spaces that cross the city. Open space within new developments should link into and enhance existing green infrastructure.

North West Preston Strategic Location

The Core Strategy sets out the amount of new housing and other development which is required to meet Preston's needs. In particular, significant development is proposed in the North West Preston Strategic Location.

It is recognised that significant new infrastructure provision is required to enable this new development to come forward. This infrastructure will have to be funded primarily by the development itself.

The City Council, alongside South Ribble and Chorley Councils, has worked together with Lancashire County Council (the highway authority) for some time to establish the transport impact of the Core Strategy. It has been recognised that the existing transport network cannot accommodate the level of predicted additional traffic without considerably more congestion.

Indeed, parts of the network in this area are already at a practical capacity during busy periods of the day. Particular problems are likely to be on the main radial routes to and from the City Centre (including the A6) and the M55/A6 junction which currently operate over or very close to capacity.

The County Council has considered the extent to which improvements can be made to the existing network to increase its effectiveness. It is evident that sustainable transport measures alone (public transport improvements, cycling, etc.) will not have a significant effect.

Local Transport Plan (LTP)

The County Council's current Lancashire County Council - Preston City Transport Plan gives a high priority to supporting the growth of the key economic centre of Preston. This includes a commitment to reducing congestion and delay, and increasing road capacity in the most congested transport corridors, and improving highway links and junctions.

The LTP Implementation Plan for 2011/12 to 2013/14 commits to the delivery of a Highways and Transport Master plan for Central Lancashire.

The Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Master Plan (March 2013) sets out a future highways and transport strategy which reflects the priorities of the Core Strategy.

The Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Master Plan was essential to informing the production of detailed proposals for additional supporting infrastructure to come forward at North West Preston.

We therefore recognise that significant new investment in highways and transport infrastructure is required before there can be significant development at North West Preston.

North West Preston Master plan

Working with the County Council, we have prepared a Master plan for North West Preston. This provides a comprehensively planned approach to the development of this Strategic Location.

One of the aims of the Master plan is to provide a clear understanding of the necessary infrastructure and phasing to serve such large scale proposals.

The Highways and Transport Master plan proposes a North West Preston East-West Link Road (EWL). This is a local distributor to serve the new development. It is crucial to deter through and locally generated traffic from using the congested routes to the east. The EWL is considered in more detail within the North West Preston Master plan.

Cottam Hall

Development at North West Preston is in addition to the continued development of Cottam Hall. In developing the transport solutions for North West Preston, account is being taken of the impact of Cottam Hall. Cottam Hall has benefited from significant public sector-funded infrastructure investment over a number of years.

The Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, is key to the delivery of transport infrastructure. Specifically, the Preston Western Distributor and the Broughton Bypass.

Preston Western Distributor

The Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Master Plan proposes a new road linking the M55 near Bartle with the A583/A584 at Clifton. This will support delivery of the North West Preston strategic housing location and improve access to the Strategic Road Network from the Enterprise Zone site at Warton.

The Western Distributor will;

• Give easier access westwards without having to use narrow country lanes.
• Provide options to avoid peak hour congestion in the city centre for eastwards travel.
• Give access to the motorway network without using the M55 Junction 1 at Broughton, which will still be very busy.
• Enable provision of a new railway station in the Cottam area. This will serve new development and act as a Park and Ride station similar to Buckshaw Parkway near Chorley.
• Allow bus priority measures, public realm enhancements, and improvements to prioritise and promote walking and cycling along the B5411 Tag Lane / Woodplumpton Road and the A583 Riversway corridors.

Policy IN1 - Western Distributor

A Preferred Route is safeguarded for the Preston Western Distributor Road in the location shown on the Policies Map. Planning permission will not be granted for any development that would prejudice the construction of the road.

Broughton Bypass

The previous Local Plan (2004) contains proposals for a bypass of Broughton village, on the A6 just to the north of Preston. This is referred to in Policy 3 of the Core Strategy. Heavy volumes of traffic through Broughton result in severe congestion, delay and environmental problems.

The bypass has long been a proposal of the County Council, which granted permission for a scheme in 2001. This was renewed in 2008 and in 2013.

The Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Masterplan indicates that the bypass could be implemented in two phases. The northern section will be constructed first and will provide some congestion relief, with the full bypass as the ultimate solution.

Associated with the bypass are proposals for a new road linking the bypass to D'Urton Lane and Eastway. This will be funded through developer contributions.

Completion of the bypass remains the only practicable means of removing through traffic out of the village. This will provide the necessary additional network capacity to support any further development which adds traffic to the A6 Broughton crossroads.

Policy IN2 - Broughton Bypass

Alignments for the Broughton Bypass and D'Urton Lane/ Eastway Link road are safeguarded in the location shown on the Policies Map. Planning permission will not be granted for any development that would prejudice the construction of the road.

Park and Ride

Bus or rail-based Park and Ride facilities help to provide a choice of transport modes, and to reduce the number of cars on the highway network.

Policy 3 of the Core Strategy proposes a ring of Park and Ride facilities around Preston, including Broughton and Riversway. These facilities have to be linked to an appropriate rapid bus service into the City Centre, or they will not be an attractive alternative to the private car.

The Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Master Plan commits Lancashire County Council to work with bus operators to establish a comprehensive network of bus rapid transit corridors potentially linked to and supported by Park and Ride sites at locations where demand is most evident.

The Core Strategy also refers to a new railway station at Cottam, and a site was earmarked in the previous Local Plan (2004).

The Highways and Transport Master Plan now proposes a new 'parkway' rail station in the Cottam area. This is similar to the concept of Buckshaw Parkway, to serve the North West Preston strategic housing location. Accessed from the Western Distributor to provide rail-based Park and Ride opportunities to Preston, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool.

Lancashire County Council is in discussion with Network Rail about the optimum location and size for a new Cottam Parkway railway station. An option for the location of the proposed station is at the intersection of the Preston - Blackpool railway line and the proposed Preston Western Distributor Road.

Locations for each of the bus-based facilities are shown on the Policies Map which can be found in the documents section on this page. Implementation of schemes will be carried out in partnership with Lancashire County Council.

Policy IN3 - Park and Ride sites (Broughton and Riversway)

Land is safeguarded for proposed bus based Park and Ride facilities in the locations shown on the Policies Map. Planning permission will not be granted for any development that would prejudice the future use of the land for that purpose.