National Highways is undertaking a supplementary consultation to that undertaken between 11 January to 8 March 2022 regarding its proposals to improve the A27 by building a bypass around Arundel.  This report in intended to inform the Committee of the content of the consultation and invite the Committee to determine what view this Council should provide as its response.  The purpose of this report is not to address matters that are not included in the supplementary consultation such as which option National Highways has previously selected or whether there should be an A27 junction on Ford Road.

The Chair opened this item by explaining that though the Director of Growth had delegated authority to response to this consultation, following discussion they had decided that it was important that Members were involved and hence why it had come to Committee. The Chair advised that the decision of the Committee at the meeting would be submitted to National Highways in order to meet the consultation’s deadlines but he suggested that this be clearly identified as an interim conclusion subject to ratification at Full Council in order for all Members to have an opportunity to discuss the matter. Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Director of Growth presented the report which informed the Committee of the content of  National Highways’ supplementary consultation to that undertaken between 11 January to 8 March 2022 regarding its proposals to improve the A27 by building a bypass around Arundel and invited the Committee to determine what view the Council should provide as its response. He highlighted an Officer addition to the first recommendation, since publication of the agenda, due to Walberton Parish Council having undertaken their own traffic survey and potential differences between base data coming to light.

Members (including one non-Committee Member attending as a Ward Member) then took part in a full debate on the item where a number of points were raised, including:

·       the importance of the matter and the need for it to be referred to Full Council, and in doing so the public getting another opportunity to ask questions

·       perceived inaccuracies in the consultation brochure and the absence of minor roads (not just from Walberton but also the wider area) from the traffic model used

·       concerns that analysis was based on flawed and inaccurate data and did not stand up to scrutiny

·       the proposed bat bridge being insufficient for its intended purpose (not wide enough to provide a dark central corridor for safe flight) and therefore failing to mitigate negative impacts, nor any evidence having been provided that satisfactorily showed National Highways had studied the different species of bat in the area or their flight paths

·       the importance of biodiversity, only at the last Committee meeting having adopted the Biodiversity Net Gain Study which specifically referenced the rare species of bats in the area and measures to protect them

·       design changes between the statutory and supplementary consultation documents and the impacts to key traffic flows (The Street west of Tye Lane was given as an example, with 119 in the technical note whilst over 800 was stated in the brochure), and concerns therefore that these changes radically reduced the efficacy of the mitigation measures put in place for the scheme. The increase in road dangers to the walking and cycling routes to the local primary school were also raised

·       if the technical note had already been superseded by the brochure by the time is was being prepared then it may not be safe to rely on it

·       the detrunking strategy for existing A27 and questions over what Arun  ...  view the full minutes text for item 507