Abstract:
I have chosen Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two (NETP2) as my case studyNEPT2 is the extension tram system which aims to connect Chilwell & Clifton to the existing network. The project was announced in October 2006, with construction works scheduled to commence within 2012, amid a predicted completion date within 2014. Tram link Nottingham (TLN) are a consortium that comprises of a number of companies within the development of NETP2. The group members are Alstom, Keolis, Wellglade, Vinci Construction, Meridiam Infrasture and Infravia. Estimated budget for this project stands at £570 million, finance is to be raised by the government and the local council.
Background:
Financiers of the project include local council and the government, with a 35% funding from Nottingham city council, via work parking levy which is a new policy aimed to reduce congestion whilst raising revenue to fund the project. The remaining 65% is to stumped up by the government under the PFI arrangement, the 23 year DBFO + M (Design Build Finance Operate & Maintain) is the chosen procurement framework.
The reason:
Nottingham city transport is aiming to reduce traffic growth but provide more effective commuting solutions. NETP2 will link distant boroughs to vital hubs within the city i. e. Nottingham university, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham Train Station also the main city centre. The new routes from Chilwell & Clifton will encourage more business opportunity intern support economic growth, by making areas more accessible and therefore the benefits are amplified for the local council from commuters coming into the city as well as the commuters within the city thus encouraging local spending. Example of one business that will benefit is Experian Nottingham; employees will find it far easier to commute to and from work into out of the city etc. According to the city council, the vehicles used in Nottingham are increasing??% per year, Therefore, there is a need to reduce road congestion leading to small changes in accident exposure and numbers of accidents. Further benefits are a reduction in carbon emission; thus creating a more environmentally friendly & sustainable city.
The control of the growth and change of settlements:
According to the National planning Policy Framework and the Nottingham Local Plan 2005, and also applying to the case study, which is about transport in Nottingham, the main objectives is ” to develop an approach to land use which improves accessibility and provides real transport choices while reducing the need to travel, reducing pollution and helping to improve health.”[1]And the role of the local plan is to make sure the land use aspects of the Local Transport Plan are fully reflected in the Local Plan so that it can provide the integration between land use planning and planning for transport. To reduce traffic growth and to encourage modal change away from the private car, particularly for work journeys to the City Centre. To encourage safe walking and cycling for short journeys including travel to schools, shops and other local facilities. To integrate land-use and transport planning by ensuring all new major development is well connected to the public transport system and accessible on foot and by cycle. To reduce social exclusion and to improve the accessibility to transport for disadvantaged groups, particularly disabled people. To improve air quality within the Plan area and to alleviate other transport impacts upon health. To relieve communities from the adverse effects of through traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles. The objectives of the LTP which the Local Plan will support are: To increase sustainable accessibility to the City Centre and Town Centres in ways which enhance economic activity, encourage development in, and reduce social exclusion from, these centres. It provides a policy framework for implementing the key strategies of the LTP, to safeguard land where appropriate to achieve detailed proposals in those documents. The application of planning policy will be a key mechanism in delivering long-term travel demand management and in ensuring progress towards the LTP targets and objectives.
Development Management:
The planning progress:
Key project decisions, including approval of project management arrangements, choice of route corridors, detailed route alignments, scope of the Transport and Works Act Order application, local funding arrangements, and the procurement strategy, have been taken as appropriate by the City Council Executive Board and the full City CouncilEffective project delivery relies upon the close cooperation and coordination betweenNottingham City Council is the sole promoter of the project; they have to produce Transport and Work Act Order application by appointing a design company as the consultant designer of the project. Transport and Work Act Order (TWAO), and public inquiry will set design constraints. After the TWAO approval is obtained, they will seek conditional approval from the Department for transport. When the Nottingham City Council has established the project, also based on this project is a PFI procurement type, the project will be advertised through the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) and there will be bidders bidding the project and the pre-qualified bidders will be short-listed. Bidders for PFI contracts will always be a joint enterprise or group of firm i. e. contractors, Architects, Civil Engineers and any relevant design consultants. These groups will then set up a Special Purpose Company (SPC) especially for the project. The SPC will bid for the project in competition and, following an expensive and long-lasting process, and finally the ideal bidder will be selected. Furthermore, the contract will then be awarded and notified in the OJEC. After the company are selected, the Nottingham City Council have initiated the Work Parking Levy (WPL) for the local funding arrangements, the WPL is to charge the employer who provide more than 11 car parking spaces for workers in city centre. NETP2, like any building project has to go through the process submitting planning applications to the relevant bodies, the town and country planning act 1990 provides guidelines / constraints in which any applicant have to adhere too. Government projects on these scales may seek further powers allowing the use of conditional purchased orders or the absolution of conditions through the local planning authorities giving exemptions to particular listed buildings and conservation constraints. Key areas within the procedures involve extensive discussions with highways agency local borough councils, Network Rail, Environmental Agency and any relevant agencies that could have an impact on design or the build of the project. Design will ultimately be shaped to the constraints set by the all of the above.
