The Council is being asked to negotiate the provision of access to its land at Pan, Newport, and this report recommends that the Council enter into those negotiations.

The Council is beginning to plan for and organise the development of a major landholding in and around Pan and has already authorised the development of a planning brief to bring forward this site. In particular, Members are referred to the Executive paper dated 16 October 2001.

A plan indicating the area concerned is attached showing access to the Council's land from St Georges Way. Whilst this location and position for a major access has been discussed in the past on several occasions and in various reports, the exact location has not been decided.

The Council has now received an approach from the proposed developer of the adjoining football training pitch to enter into discussions for the provision of a roundabout and access road.

Clearly, if the Council is to access its land from St Georges Way in the location shown, then there will need to be an agreement concerning the practice pitch at Newport Football Ground as the route of an access. The proposal received by the Council has come from a company called Kingscross Limited which holds an estate contract to acquire the practice pitch for development and a planning application concerning a development proposal has been submitted for various leisure uses.

Given that this company is a willing seller, then it would be appropriate for the Council to enter into these negotiations with a view to settling terms by agreement for a joint access and for those terms to be brought back to the Executive for recommendation.

Access into the Council=s land will be required from St George=s Way and there are basically two locations where a suitable junction could be formed, one being through Pan allotments from the existing roundabout, the other being further to the south, through the training pitch. The latter option offers several advantages :

$ The existing roundabout is sometimes affected by tailbacks from Coppins Bridge and Church Litten; the training pitch route would be less affected by this area of congestion;

$ A new roundabout at the training pitch site would allow the introduction of a >left turn only= restriction from Shide Road, eliminating the right turn into Blackwater Road, with significant safety benefits. (The existing roundabout is too remote from Shide Road for this to be a practical option). It may also allow the existing Burnt House Lane/St George=s Way junction to be closed with the construction of an alternative route to St George=s Lane.

The land at Pan is allocated for Housing (H3(13)) and Employment use (E5(4)) within the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) 2001. Appendix A of the UDP states that any development should be accessed from Staplers Road to the north and St Georges Way to the south and indicative arrows are shown on the Proposals Map in these locations. The Council is about to seek expressions of interest to carry out a Master Plan for the area.

Access from St Georges Way will allow a comprehensive approach to both servicing the allocated housing and employment land and also any appropriate development at Newport Football Club which is identified in the UDP as suitable for tourism/leisure uses (T7(h)).

This paper has been circulated to Officers within the Council and the local Member.

There is development being sought for a hotel and leisure facility on the opposite side of St Georges Way. A roundabout scheme produced 10 years ago for this hotel provision still seems to be dominating the layout proposal as a western access to Pan from St Georges Way.

Fresh thinking is needed as to what highway considerations would suit better today=s heavier traffic with regard to positioning such a roundabout at Shide Road junction with Blackwater/St Georges Way, without allowing Medina Avenue to become a rat-run to the town centre.

I am unable to comment further on other aspects of access to Council land for development of Pan, Newport without a proper briefing.

I suggest that this whole matter should first be scrutinised by the appropriate Select Committee before asking the Executive to bear the brunt of this important decision.

1. That the Council authorise negotiations with a report to come back to the Executive.

M J A FISHER

Strategic Director

Corporate and Environment Services

R R BARRY

Portfolio Holder for Resources