Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) Cabinet has approved funding totalling £6.43m for a range projects to create greener and safer transport across the county as well as enhanced facilities for ...
Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) Cabinet has approved funding totalling £6.43m for a range projects to create greener and safer transport across the county as well as enhanced facilities for children and young people with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties.
Funding from the County Council’s Capital Investment Programme has been approved for the following projects:
Lawford Road/ Addison Road, Rugby: £800k
Additional funding is needed for a project to improve safety at a location with one of the worst records for collisions in Warwickshire. The scheme to replace the mini roundabout with a compact roundabout, along with the installation of a signalised toucan crossing, requires additional funding, mainly as a result of additional utility diversion works required to construct the roundabout.
Records show, that in the period between 1January 2015 and the 20 October 2020, there were 13 incidents with 16 casualties. This scheme will dramatically lower the risk of being in a collision along the A428.
Electric charging infrastructure for buses - Coventry and Warwickshire Cross Boundary Proposal: £1.366m
This funding is for electric bus charging infrastructure in Warwickshire - initially to support the cross-boundary electric bus services, but which will in future, be used to support an expansion of electric buses to other routes in the county.
As part of measures aimed at transforming bus services in England, the Department for Transport (DfT) invited local authorities to submit Expressions of Interest regarding a £50 million ‘All Electric Bus Town’ initiative aimed at delivering the first all-electric bus town or city in England. The DfT will contribute up to 75% of the cost difference between a zero-emission bus and a standard conventional diesel bus, as well as up to 75% of the capital expenditure incurred for supporting electric charging infrastructure.
In May 2020 the County Council, Coventry City Council and Transport for West Midlands put forward a partnership Expression of Interest focused on replacing 325 cross boundary buses with an all-electric specification. As well as Coventry, the cross-boundary service will serve key Warwickshire towns: Leamington Spa, Nuneaton, Warwick, Rugby, Bedworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kenilworth and Atherstone.
The bus operators will contribute towards the cost of upgrading their fleet and providing support charging infrastructure at their bus depots in Coventry at a total projected cost of £125.3m, with the DfT providing a £49.9m contribution.
Coventry and Warwickshire Cross Boundary Proposal, and Oxford are the only two proposals to have been shortlisted to be taken forward to the next phase: development of a full business case, to be submitted by end of February 2021.
Stoneleigh Business Park Bridge - contribution to HS2 Ltd: £409k
This contribution to HS2 Ltd is to deliver an enhanced bridge over the route of the High Speed 2 Rail Line (HS2) at Stoneleigh Business Park.
HS2 Ltd is committed to constructing two bridges in the Business Park. The funding will cover the additional costs incurred by HS2 Ltd in constructing the southern bridge to the higher standard required by the County Council to facilitate delivery of a new link road. The County Council Transport Planning Unit has a proposal to construct a new strategic link road through Stoneleigh Business Park connecting the B4113 Stoneleigh Road with the B4115 Ashow Road, C32 Birmingham Road and the A46 Stoneleigh junction.
The new road will address the long-standing issue of congestion through the village of Stoneleigh, protect the Grade II listed bridge over the River Sowe, and facilitate economic expansion by improving connectivity to Stoneleigh Business Park itself, the University of Warwick, and allocated residential development at Kenilworth and King’s Hill.
The proposal intends to make use of the southern HS2 bridge within Stoneleigh Business Park to deliver the link road, but this is dependent on the bridge being constructed to the appropriate highway standard and incorporating additional pedestrian and cycle infrastructure.
In order to achieve this, HS2 Ltd will be required to construct the bridge to a higher standard than originally planned and this will incur additional costs that are beyond the scope of HS2 budget.
Additional renovation work at the new SEND school in Nuneaton - Warwickshire Academy: £3.855m
This funding is needed for major adaptations as a result of changing from a school that serves mainly children with physical disabilities, to one also serving children who are physically able and have Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties and/or autism spectrum disorder.
There are currently five residential bungalows, an administration building, hydrotherapy pool and school building designed to support people with physical and visual impairments.
The building works will include the separation of services, and ensure that the teaching block facility is fit for purpose for the delivery of a school for SEMH students, along with associated parking, and recreational space. This involves a review of the design in the context of SEMH student's safety, and curriculum need.
Cllr Peter Butlin, Warwickshire County Council's Deputy Leader, said: "Warwickshire County Council is committed to creating an infrastructure to support economic growth and to looking after our most vulnerable residents.
“This allocation of funds supports those priorities. It is a significant range of projects covering a broad spectrum of improvements for our residents - from greener travel, connectivity, healthier lifestyles and road safety, to the provision of excellent educational services for our children and young people with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties.”