Employment Eco-Park in Kempsey, Worcestershire

Brief

New Employment Eco-Park in Kempsey, Worcestershire. Full planning permission was sought for the redevelopment of a former garden into a centre and associated land for new employment units, a farm shop, a biomass plant, a foul water treatment plant, external biomass fuel storage and live-work units together with sustainable drainage, car parking and associated infrastructure, and new vehicular access to existing residential units.

Rappor were instructed to provide transport and highway inputs for the application site, including a Transport Statement, Framework Travel Plan, internal master planning inputs and access design.

Issues and solutions

The key issues surrounding the site were accessibility to local residential areas / facilities and amenities, as well as the proposed access arrangements.

Ultimately, the location of the site in terms of accessibility was not of concern due to the benefits of the development.

In terms of access, the highway authority requested an investigation into whether a ghost island right turn lane would be required. Rappor undertook a detailed assessment of national planning guidance, supported by a modelling assessment of a priority junction, concluding that the approved arrangements were suitable and a right turn lane would not be necessary.

Results

The highway authority agreed with Rappor's approach, providing a response of no objection. Subsequently, the local planning authority approved the development.