Chichester Local Plan 2021 - 2039: Proposed Submission

The County Council would support a dialogue with Chichester District to discuss the cross-boundary transport issues specifically those associated with the A259 route within Hampshire.
Continuing the Chem route into Hampshire would connect with the cycle routes in the Havant LCWIP and provide a key cross-boundary sustainable transport route and links to key destinations in Hampshire.

Thank you for consulting Hampshire County Council on the Chichester District Council Local Plan. The County Council in its capacity as a neighbouring highway authority has focussed this response on the potential implications of the cross-boundary transport issues associated with the Chichester local plan spatial development strategy, and the potential impact on the Hampshire local highway network and wider Solent area.
Transport evidence base
The transport evidence is provided by two studies; the Strategic Development Options and Sustainable Transport Measures (December 2018) which looked at three local plan scenarios, followed by the Chichester Transport Study (Jan 2023) which assessed one local plan spatial scenario. Hampshire County Council was not engaged in discussions on the scope of either of the transport studies. The studies assessed the impact of local plan development allocations on the highway network within Chichester district and in the neighbouring Hampshire districts. They looked at the highway impact on the A27 and A3 trunk roads in Hampshire, but as these roads are part of the Strategic Road Network, they are the responsibility of National Highways.
The main cross boundary route is the A259 which runs from the A27 Warblington junction in Hampshire eastwards though Emsworth towards Brighton. The A259 section in Hampshire is the responsibility of Hampshire County Council, but neither of the transport studies give an assessment of the highway impact on the section of the A259 within Hampshire. Instead, the conclusion of the Transport study (2018) states that for Hampshire there is a negligible impact on the operation of the A27 Havant Bypass roundabout and the A3(M)/A27 junction and that the majority of traffic projected within Hampshire was identified to travel east west and north south along the A3(M) and the A27.
Hampshire County Council does not consider that the studies give sufficient evidence to substantiate this conclusion. The subsequent Transport study (2023) then concludes that with mitigation in place within Chichester district the impacts of the emerging local plan development on network performance in Hampshire are likely to be comparable to the baseline scenario. There is no mention or indication of the cross-boundary impact on the A259 or other routes in Hampshire.
Hampshire County Council assert that there is insufficient evidence to provide a full understanding of the scale of impact on the local highway network in Hampshire, or to say definitively that there is not a severe impact on the A259 in Hampshire. The County Council would therefore support a dialogue with Chichester District to discuss the cross-boundary transport issues specifically those associated with the A259 route within Hampshire.
Proposed Southbourne settlement hub (policy A13)
The local plan proposes a new settlement hub of 1,050 dwellings (policy A13) located in Southbourne along the A259 and just east of the Hampshire boundary. To travel westwards from Southbourne to the A27 Warblington junction in Hampshire the only direct route is along the A259 which crosses into Hampshire. The transport studies do not state how the highway impact of the proposed Southbourne settlement hub was assessed and whether this included an assessment of the A259 corridor into Hampshire.
It is the County Council’s view that the transport evidence does not, at this stage, provide an adequate consideration of the impact on the local highway network in Hampshire, and specifically on the A259.
The Southbourne settlement hub will require its own Transport Assessment at the planning application stage in order to fully identify the local and cross-boundary impacts on the A259 route which crosses into Hampshire.
Masterplanning of the Southbourne settlement hub would also be beneficial to prevent high levels of car dependency and to ensure that the site has connections to public transport and that the new facilities and services can be accessed by walking and cycling trips both by the new residents and those from the adjacent residential areas. A closer attention to masterplanning of new sites for high quality neighbourhoods and for the needs of all road users to be assessed using a Road User Utility Framework are key policy components of Hampshire’s emerging Local Transport Plan 4.
Transport mitigation
The proposed mitigation in the transport studies focuses on highway capacity improvements along the A27 corridor within Chichester district. There is no mitigation proposed on the Hampshire highway network.
In addition to highway capacity mitigation, several options for sustainable transport mitigation were considered for the medium to long term. A proposal for a strategic cycle route from Chichester to Emsworth (the ‘Chem route’) along the A259 is included in the Chichester IDP and West Sussex LTP. The County Council recognise that there is potential for this scheme to provide a high-quality cycle corridor for walking and cycling trips and to serve the proposed Southbourne settlement hub. However, the Chem route as presented ends at the Hampshire boundary and fails to consider the continuation of the cycle route along the A259 into Hampshire. Continuing the Chem route into Hampshire would connect with the cycle routes in the Havant LCWIP and provide a key cross-boundary sustainable transport route and links to key destinations in Hampshire.

Thank you for consulting Hampshire County Council on the Chichester District Council Local Plan. The County Council in its capacity as a neighbouring highway authority has focussed this response on the potential implications of the cross-boundary transport issues associated with the Chichester local plan spatial development strategy, and the potential impact on the Hampshire local highway network and wider Solent area.
Transport evidence base
The transport evidence is provided by two studies; the Strategic Development Options and Sustainable Transport Measures (December 2018) which looked at three local plan scenarios, followed by the Chichester Transport Study (Jan 2023) which assessed one local plan spatial scenario. Hampshire County Council was not engaged in discussions on the scope of either of the transport studies. The studies assessed the impact of local plan development allocations on the highway network within Chichester district and in the neighbouring Hampshire districts. They looked at the highway impact on the A27 and A3 trunk roads in Hampshire, but as these roads are part of the Strategic Road Network, they are the responsibility of National Highways.
The main cross boundary route is the A259 which runs from the A27 Warblington junction in Hampshire eastwards though Emsworth towards Brighton. The A259 section in Hampshire is the responsibility of Hampshire County Council, but neither of the transport studies give an assessment of the highway impact on the section of the A259 within Hampshire. Instead, the conclusion of the Transport study (2018) states that for Hampshire there is a negligible impact on the operation of the A27 Havant Bypass roundabout and the A3(M)/A27 junction and that the majority of traffic projected within Hampshire was identified to travel east west and north south along the A3(M) and the A27.
Hampshire County Council does not consider that the studies give sufficient evidence to substantiate this conclusion. The subsequent Transport study (2023) then concludes that with mitigation in place within Chichester district the impacts of the emerging local plan development on network performance in Hampshire are likely to be comparable to the baseline scenario. There is no mention or indication of the cross-boundary impact on the A259 or other routes in Hampshire.
Hampshire County Council assert that there is insufficient evidence to provide a full understanding of the scale of impact on the local highway network in Hampshire, or to say definitively that there is not a severe impact on the A259 in Hampshire. The County Council would therefore support a dialogue with Chichester District to discuss the cross-boundary transport issues specifically those associated with the A259 route within Hampshire.
Proposed Southbourne settlement hub (policy A13)
The local plan proposes a new settlement hub of 1,050 dwellings (policy A13) located in Southbourne along the A259 and just east of the Hampshire boundary. To travel westwards from Southbourne to the A27 Warblington junction in Hampshire the only direct route is along the A259 which crosses into Hampshire. The transport studies do not state how the highway impact of the proposed Southbourne settlement hub was assessed and whether this included an assessment of the A259 corridor into Hampshire.
It is the County Council’s view that the transport evidence does not, at this stage, provide an adequate consideration of the impact on the local highway network in Hampshire, and specifically on the A259.
The Southbourne settlement hub will require its own Transport Assessment at the planning application stage in order to fully identify the local and cross-boundary impacts on the A259 route which crosses into Hampshire.
Masterplanning of the Southbourne settlement hub would also be beneficial to prevent high levels of car dependency and to ensure that the site has connections to public transport and that the new facilities and services can be accessed by walking and cycling trips both by the new residents and those from the adjacent residential areas. A closer attention to masterplanning of new sites for high quality neighbourhoods and for the needs of all road users to be assessed using a Road User Utility Framework are key policy components of Hampshire’s emerging Local Transport Plan 4.
Transport mitigation
The proposed mitigation in the transport studies focuses on highway capacity improvements along the A27 corridor within Chichester district. There is no mitigation proposed on the Hampshire highway network.
In addition to highway capacity mitigation, several options for sustainable transport mitigation were considered for the medium to long term. A proposal for a strategic cycle route from Chichester to Emsworth (the ‘Chem route’) along the A259 is included in the Chichester IDP and West Sussex LTP. The County Council recognise that there is potential for this scheme to provide a high-quality cycle corridor for walking and cycling trips and to serve the proposed Southbourne settlement hub. However, the Chem route as presented ends at the Hampshire boundary and fails to consider the continuation of the cycle route along the A259 into Hampshire. Continuing the Chem route into Hampshire would connect with the cycle routes in the Havant LCWIP and provide a key cross-boundary sustainable transport route and links to key destinations in Hampshire.