Issue - meetings

The Council had secured £12m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) available to March 2023 and managed by Homes England towards the cost of phase one of the relief road, the Princes Risborough Southern Road links (PRSRL), supporting the delivery of the Princes Risborough Expansion Area.  The project required the acquisition of several parcels of land to progress and deliver the proposed scheme.  The scheme had been developed to an agreed preliminary design using the previously approved £2.73M funding agreed by the Shadow Executive in November 2019.

RESOLVED –

(1)               That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Strategic Transport and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Leader and the Section 151 Officer, to:

(i)           Negotiate, agree terms and acquire the land, interests and rights (or extinguish the same) required for the Scheme by agreement and to instruct the Service Director for Legal & Democratic Services to negotiate and enter into all legal agreements necessary to facilitate any such agreements;

(ii)         Make any amendments, deletions or additions to the land identified in this report and the annexed Plan to be subject to a CPO if required to facilitate the delivery of the Princes Risborough Southern Road Links (PRSRL), including as a result of comments received during public consultation.

(2)               That the acquisition of the land holdings in accordance with the terms and price set out in the confidential Appendix C be approved.

(3)               That the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (“CPO”) under section 226 of the Town and Country Planning Act; to use the power of acquisition by agreement under s.227 TCPA 1990 (as amended) and use of powers in relation to securing new rights over land under s.13 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, in respect of the land and interests within the area shown outlined in red on the plan annexed to the Cabinet report (“the Order Land”) for the purpose of securing delivery of the PRSRL be approved.

(4)               That the making of a a Side Roads Order(s) (“SRO”) under sections 14 and 125 of the Highways Act 1980 and all other necessary powers be approved, to:

(i)           Improve, raise, lower, stop up, divert or otherwise alter existing highways which cross or enter the route of the PRSRL or will otherwise be affected by the construction of the PRSRL or as required to deliver the PRSRL;

(ii)         Construct new lengths of highways for purposes connected with the alterations referred to in (a) above and delivery of the PRSRL; and

(iii)       Stop up private means of access and provide replacement or new means of access.

(5)               That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Strategic Transport & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Leader and the Section 151 Officer, to take all necessary steps to implement the CPO and SRO for PRSRL including:

(i)           Making the CPO, including serving and issuing notices and certificates in connection with the making, confirmation and implementation of the CPO;

(ii)         Taking all reasonable steps to promote the CPO and SRO, including promoting the  ...  view the full decision text for item 13

Cabinet received a report, as well as confidential appendices (considered in private session) and was informed that the Council had secured £12m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) available to March 2023 and managed by Homes England towards the cost of phase one of the relief road, the Princes Risborough Southern Road links (PRSRL), supporting the delivery of the Princes Risborough Expansion Area.  The project required the acquisition of several parcels of land to progress and deliver the proposed scheme.

The scheme had been developed to an agreed preliminary design using the previously approved £2.73m funding agreed by the Shadow Executive in November 2019.  Key features of the scheme included realigning and widening Summerleys Road (to two lanes throughout); constructing a new rail underbridge with increased headroom; providing a new signalised junction and shared cycleway/footway towards the station and constructing a new section of highway to tie into Picts Lane.

A public consultation on the design was planned for 18 November 2021. The project had undergone extensive design engineering to minimise the impact on landowners and residents.  These factors were reflected in the red-line boundary for the scheme that defined the necessary land take.  This included land parcels that were not owned by the Council.

The Council’s aim was to secure the necessary land and access rights by private treaty.  However, to enable the project to proceed to programme and make use of the HIF funding, authority was needed to make and serve a CPO, if negotiation failed.  Authority to make an SRO would enable changes to the highway to be made lawfully.  As such, the report’s recommendations were necessary to enable the project to proceed to the current programme.  Further delays would run the risk of the Council missing the HIF funding deadline, and further increase costs.

RESOLVED –

(1)               That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Strategic Transport and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Leader and the Section 151 Officer, to:

(i)           Negotiate, agree terms and acquire the land, interests and rights (or extinguish the same) required for the Scheme by agreement and to instruct the Service Director for Legal & Democratic Services to negotiate and enter into all legal agreements necessary to facilitate any such agreements;

(ii)         Make any amendments, deletions or additions to the land identified in this report and the annexed Plan to be subject to a CPO if required to facilitate the delivery of the Princes Risborough Southern Road Links (PRSRL), including as a result of comments received during public consultation.

(2)               That the acquisition of the land holdings in accordance with the terms and price set out in the confidential Appendix C be approved.

(3)               That the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (“CPO”) under section 226 of the Town and Country Planning Act; to use the power of acquisition by agreement under s.227 TCPA 1990 (as amended) and use of powers in relation to securing new rights over land under s.13 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, in respect of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13