Recent projects

Planning to Avoid Costly Problems

In March 2010, Hydrock Byways & Highways, Cornwall Office, were approached by a major client to provide evidence, through a submission under Section 73 of the Town & Country Planning Act, to demonstrate that a previously conditioned major roundabout scheme for a major development was actually not required.

The junction improvement had been conditioned to permit the delivery of a mixed-use development of non-food retail, drive through restaurant and car wash facilities on the edge of the town of Bodmin in Cornwall.  The cost of replacing the existing crossroad junction with the roundabout (partly due to the need to relocate a number of cable services) was in the region of £600,000.  The roundabout scheme had been originally favoured by Cornwall Council as part of their long term development of the outlying areas of Bodmin although this has now been considered unlikely in the foreseeable future due to a combination of the poor economy and costly infrastructure reprovision.

Through careful negotiation with the Highway Authority's Development Control Team, Traffic Modeller and finally Safety Auditor, Hydrock Byways & Highways were able to demonstrate that a safe and capacity efficient alternative scheme could be provided to the Highway Authority's approval.  In fact, the new improved junction was demonstrated to increase all vehicle movements over the proposed roundabout by the provision of dedicated turning lanes.

The alternative scheme's construction costs are substantially lower and the client now has a successfully amended planning condition which has effectively saved in the region of £400,000 and turned the site from being financially undeliverable into a highly profitable and deliverable site.

For further information, please contact:  jonpearson@hydrockbh.com