31st October 2011
The reservation for the Castle Lane Relief Road (CLRR) has been in Bournemouth District Wide Local Plans for about 40 years.
Forum has opposed this road on the grounds it could never be built in its entirety, which would therefore not "relieve" Castle Lane, but it could encourage development and therefore destroy the Green Belt and put even more pressure on Castle Lane. Most recently it has become relevant to the forthcoming consultation on proposed Gypsy and Traveller Sites in our Forum area, as all three sites are in or would be affected by the Castle Lane Relief Road.
Forum has been trying to obtain the survey report on the road by Atkins for the South East Dorset Transport Study and a subsequent study to reassess the Castle Lane and Kinson Relief Roads to develop transport policies for the Local Development Framework Core Strategy, but we have not been able to view the actual documents. However, Cllr Whittaker pressed the matter for us and received the following response from Senior Planning Officer, Mark Axford:-
From: Mark Axford
Sent: 11th October 2011 10:16
To: Councillor Ronald Whittaker; Phil Robinson; Mike Campkin
Subject: RE: LINE OF THE Castle Lane Relief road. Core Strategy,
Dear Councillor Whittaker,
The Castle Lane West Relief Road reservation is not identified in the Core Strategy Pre-Submission consultation draft. The need for the road has not been identified in the latest Local Transport Plan (LTP3).
Regards
Mark Axford MRTPI
Senior Planning Policy Officer, Planning and Transport, Bournemouth Borough Council
Tel: 01202 451446
Fax: 01202 451005
Email: mark.axford@bournemouth.gov.uk
Forum was not happy with this response as in the Core Strategy Pre-Submission consultation draft, the Castle Lane Relief Road was "removed" from the "removed policy" section and is included in Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) Appendix E1 (N) as "retained for future consideration" after 2026. We therefore asked for clarification as to whether the CLRR reservation would or would not disappear from the Core Strategy if it is adopted next year and received the following response:-
From: Mike Campkin
Sent: 12th October 2011 10:31
To: Councillor Ronald Whittaker
Cc: Ian Kalra; Mark Axford; Phil Robinson; Mike Holmes; Geoff Turnbull
Subject: RE: Castle Lane Relief road. Core Strategy,
Dear Councillor Whittaker
I refer to the emails on the above subject and apologise for the delay of my reply.
The Local Development Framework Steering Group on 20 June 2011 recommended the Core Strategy to be published for consultation prior to submission to the Secretary of State. The document removed any reference to the Castle Lane and Kinson Relief Road Corridors. The Core Strategy will be the subject of a Public Inquiry anticipated for early next year and the final document will not therefore be formally adopted until later in 2012 when the decision on the Inquiry is known.
Until then the Bournemouth District Wide Local Plan policies remain the Council's current position and therefore the above reservations remain declared on subsequent searches.
I trust that this clarifies the situation.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Campkin
Development Control and Forward Planning Manager, Planning and Transport, Bournemouth Borough Council
Forum will continue to monitor this subject!