Timetable for determination of the energy pipe application

Residents have asked about speaking rights at the various meetings to be held w/b 5 September about the energy pipe application.

The County Council’s Planning and Regulatory meeting is at 14:00 on Monday 5th September at County Hall. There is a slot for petitions and public address, please contact the Clerk for more details.

The legal briefing for councillors in public will take place at 16:30 on Monday 5th September in the Long Room at the Town Hall. The agenda will be published ahead of the meeting but is not yet available – as above, please contact the Clerk if you have any enquiries about speaking rights.
The East Area Planning Committee meeting will be held in the Long Room at the Town Hall on Wednesday 7th September at 6pm and there is a long agenda in preparation.
The agenda will be displayed the week before the meeting and the Chair will allow speaking time to those for and against the application. It is likely that speaking time may be extended from 5 minutes in total to ten minutes in total at the Chair’s discretion. But that will be ten minutes shared by all those who wish to speak. For more details on speaking rights, please contact the Clerk listed on the web page.

Latest on the energy pipe application

We have left an A3 hard copy version of the Construction Traffic Management Plan relating to the energy pipe application at Headington Library for residents to study. This is a work in progress and subject to change.

The planning committee meeting about the energy pipe application is going to take place on 7th September. The construction traffic management plan is being prepared now by the County Networks Team and the applicant and will only come into operation if planning consent is granted.

We are working closely with the County Networks Team which manages traffic when works happen. They have asked us some questions which we shall be talking to residents about:

  • Lime Walk South is likely to be one way only (downhill direction towards London Road) while works are ongoing in that area. Do residents consider that Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road could usefully be made one way while works are happening between London Road and Old Road?
  • Should access to the above area be signed “Access to frontages only” while works are on-going?
  • The works to All Saints junction would make it trickier for residents in New Headington to access their properties – do they think that the bollards at the end of Bateman Street should be removed temporarily so that people who live in Piper, Windsor, Wilberforce, Perrin, Bateman Streets and Kennett Road will have a second route in/out during the period these works are happening? (c3 weeks)

Please let us have your views on these issues as there is limited time to influence this traffic management plan to best advantage.

At present it seems that the County meeting held in public on whether consent should be granted for a street works licence will happen at 2pm on 5/9 with a City briefing on the legal implications to councillors in public very very soon afterwards (date to be confirmed) and certainly before 7/9.

On-going discussion of traffic management if energy pipe goes ahead

Councillors met officers from the County Networks Team today to inform discussion on the construction traffic management plan (CTMP) document submitted with the energy pipe application. We wanted to make sure that disruption to residents is kept to a minimum if the application gets consent, and give the Networks Team officers information about likely issues that may merit their further consideration.

Here are some of the points we discussed:

  • councillors will put a hard copy of the CTMP in Bury Knowle Library so that those of our residents who don’t use the internet will be able to see what has been proposed and make comments in writing. We shall mark this document “work in progress” as the Networks Team is still in on-going discussion with the applicant over possible changes.
  • the Networks Team will talk to Vital Energi about minimising rattling noise generated when traffic passes over metal plates (it appears from the plans that access to/from Cecil Sharp Place will be over a metal plate, and there will be more in London Road)
  • signage advising cyclists to dismount may be needed in certain locations
  • VMS signs on the A40 should emphasise that Headington shops are not affected even when traffic is restricted to one lane between Sandfield and Latimer Roads
  • Disabled access will be checked by a County Officer
  • Some of the diversion route signage shown in the drawings may be confusing and County will talk to VE about removing some of this (see note 6 below)
  • There will be signage advising drivers that there is no access to London Road or to Old Road via residential streets where necessary
  • The emergency services would like Lime Walk South to stay open throughout the works (one lane only) and County believes it would be best for Lime Walk South to operate as a one way street from Old Road in the direction of London Road throughout weeks 1-12 to ensure that (a) fire and rescue vehicles and ambulances can use Lime Walk South to get to emergencies, and (b) to ensure that access to streets in New Headington from Old Road via All Saints Road junction can be maintained for as long as possible. Councillors would like to consult residents about this.
  • Consideration should be given to making roads into Highfield e.g. Lime Walk South “Access only for residents” while works are on-going. Councillors will consult residents on this.

Other points raised include:

  1. The 5/9/16 meeting at County Hall to confirm whether a section 50 licence will be granted will go ahead as scheduled but any outcome will be subject to consent being granted by the Planning Authority
  2. The section 50 licence is in the name of the contractor Vital Energi until the works are completed, and then will be changed to Aviva Investors PLC thereafter.
  3. Work on the Access to Headington scheme in Roosevelt Drive has been scheduled for 7/10/16 (not yet confirmed)
  4. Temporary traffic regulation orders (TTROs) have not been finalised yet but are being drafted
  5. If planning consent is granted on 7th September by the Planning Authority, a further three weeks notice will be needed by the County Council to publish and implement the necessary TTROs before work can start
  6. We learned something new about diversion routes. These confused people (including councillors) last time around. Apparently the aim of a diversion route is to guide people from one end of roadworks to the other end of the roadworks, which is why it led people round almost in a complete circle. We don’t think that diversion route signage is particularly helpful in residential areas, although it may be needed on the Churchill site.

Other more technical details were also discussed, but these are the main points.

Cllrs Roz Smith and Ruth Wilkinson attended this meeting. Ruth is a member of the East Area Planning Committee and wishes to make it clear that her involvement has been only to provide information on road use in Headington Ward to the County Council’s Networks Team. She maintains an open mind on this application without prejudice, and looks forward to reading all comments and related documents and listening to speakers both for and against the application at the EAPC meeting to be held in public on 7th September at the Town Hall at 6pm.

Comments on this application can be sent in by residents to the City Council’s Planning Dept up until 18th August.

 

Sending in comments about the energy pipe application?

We advise residents to read through the construction traffic management plan before sending in comments to the Planning department. You can select this document from a list on this page

In the construction traffic management plan, you will find details of when works will take place in each of the affected roads, what road signage and temporary traffic arrangements will be made, and information like working hours.

The consultation period ends on 18th August. The planning reference number is 16/01565/FUL.

The County Council has not yet sent in its response as statutory consultee on highways and networks issues.

We have requested a briefing to councillors in public on the legal aspects of this application – this is for councillors to find out how many of the legal objections that have been submitted will be admissible as material planning considerations when the application is discussed at planning committee on the 7th September. We shall publish details of this meeting when we know when and where it will take place.

Don’t forget the energy pipe drop-in tomorrow 18th May

Invitation to Community Drop-In Exhibition on the Oxford University Hospital Energy Link Project

The Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Vital Energi are preparing a planning application for The Oxford University Hospital Energy Link project.

Before we submit a planning application to Oxford City Council, we would like hear your views on the proposed route of the Energy Link and how we intend to minimise disruption during construction activities. 

To find out more about the benefits of the scheme and to comment on the project, you are invited to visit a community drop-in exhibition on Wednesday, 18th May, 2016 at:  

‒                League of Friends Café, Churchill Hospital, Old Road from 8.30am – 11.00am

‒                League of Friends Café, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way from 3.00pm – 6.00pm

We hope to welcome you at the exhibition. Members of the project team will be on hand to listen to feedback and answer any questions.

If you are unable to attend, the exhibition material will be uploaded from 18th May, 2016 online at www.ouh.nhs.uk/about/developments/energy.  

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jo Lennon, Community & Stakeholder Liaison by phone on 07342 086843 or by email at hospitalenergyproject@ouh.nhs.uk.

For and on behalf of Vital Energi and The Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust

 

Energy pipe latest

Clarification about applications involving two routes

At yesterday’s Headington Ward Focus meeting, we promised to contact the
planning officer for advice on a question asked about the up and coming
planning application for the energy pipe.

The question was basically: “If there are two routes proposed for the pipe, do
residents need to say which route they prefer in the neighbourhood
consultation? Will it be almost like voting for which one is best?”

We’ve asked the case officer for this application, and he has sent
the following clarification:

It is understood that there are proposals to provide a preferred and an
alternate route for the energy pipe. The most obvious approach with this would
be for the developer to apply for their preferred route and do a separate
application for the alternative route (just dealing with that section of the
route). If planning permission were granted for both schemes then a legal
agreement could be considered to ensure that only one planning permission is
implemented.

To clarify, it would not normally be recommended to apply for both routes in
the same application as this could be confusing.

Following discussion with the officer, our understanding re timescales is as
follows:

If the application is for one route only (via All Saints Rd and Lime Walk), the
paperwork will need to be verified, a decision will be made on whether it needs
environmental impact screening, then if not and all is well it would go out for
8 weeks consultation. The case officer would write a report, informed by public
comments, with a recommendation either to grant or refuse permission, and the
report would be presented at East Area Planning Committee who will determine
the outcome. This would be the quickest option for the applicants. Yesterday it
appeared that the earliest date the application will be ready may well be May –
in which case it may just make the July 6th meeting or potentially the meeting
on 3rd August.

If a separate application is made for an alternative section of route (via
Stapleton Road and Old Road), the process would take longer as a legal
agreement will need to be arranged, and that could take a further 6-8 weeks or
so. That’s to ensure that works don’t happen in both Stapleton Road and Lime
Walk at the same time, it’s got to be one or the other. So in that scenario the
timescale might slip to September/October before EAPC can make a determination.

The Lime Walk option is currently the preferred route. But we won’t know for
sure till we see the application.

Energy pipe – more delays

Here is a copy of the latest press release from the OUH NHS Foundation Trust. There will be further delay while a full planning application covering all aspects of the project is prepared, and then the City Council will need to decide whether it needs an environmental impact assessment. It now seems unlikely to us that this application can be decided until June or later.

UPDATE ON THE HOSPITAL ENERGY PROJECT

Following a meeting between Vital Energi and Planning officials at Oxford City Council today (17/03), Vital Energi has been asked to seek further professional planning advice to submit one planning application which covers the Energy Link pipeline as well as related work on both hospitals sites (such as the modifications to the Energy Centres and work on Churchill Drive).

They also discussed changing part of the route of the pipeline to take the Energy Link pipeline east at All Saints Road to proceed south along Lime Walk to the Churchill Hospital as shown in the maps below. Accordingly, the application will include two different proposed routes for consideration.

Vital Energi’s considerations when proposing this alternative section of route are:

  1. Lime Walk is wider than Stapleton Road so it will not need to be closed. Instead, temporary traffic lights will be used to enable traffic to flow in both directions. This will reduce the traffic displaced by road closures and addresses residents’ concerns that, under the original route proposed, Lime Walk may have become a ‘rat run’ for displaced traffic.
  2. It reduces amount of time Vital Energi will be working on Old Road.
  3. By keeping Lime Walk and Stapleton Road open and reducing the time spent on Old Road, this option addresses some concerns about potential traffic disruption.

Vital Energi will seek further planning advice and aims to submit the single master Planning Application for the Hospital Energy Project for consideration at the Eastern Area Planning Committee in June.

Mark Neal, Head of Estates of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Hospital Energy Project is essential for our Trust as it safeguards our energy and heating at the JR and Churchill hospitals for the next 25 years. In addition to guaranteed savings on our heating and energy bills, once this new energy and heating system is up and running, we will have reliable modern heating and cooling systems in both hospitals for the first time in many years.

“Equally importantly, we will cut our carbon emissions by 35%, making the single biggest contribution to cleaner air in Headington to date. We know that the work on laying the Energy Link is going to cause disruption for people along the route (whichever route is chosen) and we are extremely grateful for the support, co-operation and understanding of the greater benefits for patients that we have had from many residents so far. Both the Trust and Vital Energi are committed to engaging with the public on the Hospital Energy Project, which solely aims to improve patient environments in a sustainable and financially viable way, and we look forward to our discussions with them.”

Option 1 of the Energy Link Route:

access 1

Option 2 of the Energy Link Route:

access2

We are delighted that Jo Lennon, the Trust’s Community Liaison Officer, has agreed to attend our next Ward Focus Meeting on Tuesday 29th March at 6:00 pm at the NOC Lecture Theatre to answer any questions residents may have.

What next for the energy pipe?

The planning officer has now rendered the energy pipe application invalid.

Why is this?

It’s because the applicant hasn’t sent in enough information.

  • There still isn’t enough information in the Construction Traffic Management Plan
  • A few small changes will need to be made to the route following further investigations
  • There are questions about the ownership of the land – it may be that the County Council does not own all of the land in the affected roads

So what needs to be done?

The applicant needs to send in all the missing information and provide evidence that either the County Council owns all the land or that it has served notice on all owners of the land.(this might be done by publishing a notice in the local press, for example).

Where do we go from here?

We recognise that everyone is getting frustrated with the current situation, and the sooner it is resolved, the better.

Once the above information has been submitted and accepted, the eight week determination period will start again. Fresh notices will be put up, and a full three week consultation period will start.

The planning officer will take into account all comments submitted to date. However if you have already submitted comments, and want to make further comments after you have seen the fresh information, you may do so, and those comments will be taken into consideration too.

Once the neighbourhood consultation date has closed, the officer will compile his report ready to go to the next meeting of the planning committee.

Given that essential information has not yet been submitted, it is looking more likely that the application may miss the April meeting, but it’s difficult to say for sure until the rest of the information comes in from the applicant.

If you have any more questions on process please contact Ruth or Altaf.

Ruth and Roz are planning to speak at tomorrow’s County Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting at County Hall, and we shall attend the Trust’s stakeholder liaison committee meeting tomorrow evening.