Background

Most local people will know that the issue of HGV traffic down the residential streets of Kent road (as well as Priory and Aberdeen roads) is a blight on the area and is really quite complicated.  The heavy load of traffic that these roads have to bear is largely a consequence of heavy goods vehicles servicing the industrial estate and the Southern Water facility as well as substantial amounts of private vehicles using these streets to avoid the traffic lights on Portswood Rd and Thomas Lewis Way junctions with St Denys Rd  as a short-cut to Cobden bridge. I’m aware that this is a very long posting and have separated out key issues into several sections in order to make it a bit easier to understand.

McNicholas Construction

Part of the Southern Water site is leased for light industrial use to McNicholas Construction. Here they have been storing and distributing HGV construction plant as part of there constuction services business. Following the matter being raised members of the Kent Rd. action group I contacted the Southampton City Council cabinet member for transport, to express my concerns that the use of residential streets for the movement of this kind of equipment is completely unsustainable and must be brought to an end.  The Council planning officers identified that this business did not have planning approval for this kind of activity and McNicholas were served with an enforcement notice to cease these operations. The notice period has recently expired but McNicholas have appealed the decision. There was concern at the last Kent Rd Action group meeting that the appeal process could be long lasting, however speaking  to McNicholas staff during a recent site visit, I was told that the operation was due to move from St Denys to Marchwood in a few months time. It would appear that council pressure for McNicholas construction to desist from these operations has brought about a change which will be most welcome to local residents.

Southern Water Treatment Works Refurbishment

The treatment works was established back in the 1950s and and has been through a number of upgrades to meet the needs of the local population but much of the plant is in need of urgent improvement.

There is currently a project managed by GalliffordTry Infrastructure engineers which will last a further six to nine months to cover some of the large tanks and upgrade the site to remove much of the odour which is familiar to local residents. The smell is mainly due to the production of hydrogen sulphide gas. The absorption of this as part of the treatment process relies on an odour control system involving underground tanks of industrial absorption pellets. Their removal, replacement and renewal is long overdue. The whole project to revamp the site which will cost around £5.5m is hugely welcomed by local residents and the City Council and is part of an overall renewal of other facilities in Millbrook and Woolston (due for completion in 2019).

Traditionally waste material was pumped from the site to a barge moored alongside in the river Itchen and this (tides permitting) was taken away with similar material from Woolston. I have been told that the river Itchen channel was last dredged by Southern Water three years ago and this may have had an impact on barge movements.

More recently a temporary mobile centrifuge has been brought into operation to separate the sewage waste from the water and this material has been loaded into skips mounted on HGV vehicles and moved off-site via Kent rd. as an alternative to barge removal.

The construction work will involve the use of large plant and HGV traffic – cranes, cherry-pickers, large trucks etc. including twelve large containers (used as accommodation for construction staff) – during the period of the of the refurbishment. All of this plant is too large to come onsite under the bridges at the north end of Kent Rd., so their only means of entry and exit is via the residential streets.

Movement by Barge or HGV ?

This is a thorny issue and there is still some disagreement about the rationale. I have been told variously that the movement of waste by barge is smelly difficult, expensive or can’t be done because of the tides and the poorly dredged channel.  I have been told that the removal offsite via Kent Rd. is better for the environment as the material can go onwards for use as fertilizer or even to produce electricity as part of an anaerobic digestion process which produces methane for use in gas turbine engines which in turn will make cheap electricity.

From the questions I have asked, I understand that the switch to road removal falls in line with a number of strategic changes at Southern Water, coinciding with

• a common strategy for greener waste disposal, including energy production
• a withdrawal from the costly commitment for Southern Water to dredge the channel needed for their barges in St Denys and Woolston
• the loss of the Woolston barge in any case by 2019
• the potential to move waste offsite for use as agricultural compost

Southern Water maintain that the changes that are being made are a much “Greener” solution for the management of sewage; but whether this will be more environmentally friendly to the people of St Denys is another question.

The strategy for increasing the centrifuging of human waste appears to be on the agenda as the building of a larger permanent  centrifuge has been mentioned particularly as the temporary centrifuge may be part of the reason for the increased odour on site. Southern Water inform me that when the new centrifuge is up and running  waste removal will be achieved using four HGV tankers per day. GallifordTry currently managing the refurb work inform me that under current arrangements waste is removed using HGV mounted skips at the rate of two per day. I suppose we are waiting for a definitive answer.

Bryonwell Ltd

This company operates a clothing recycling collection depot at unit 2 of the Itchen Business park close to the Southern Water site. The company routinely moves extremely long wheel-base HGV vehicles from the site through Kent Rd. and I have major concerns about this protracted HGV transport which is a key component of their business. I have spoken to council planning officers to investigate the planning history of this area since it makes no snse that McNicholas has been issued with an enforcement notice while Byronwell continue to operate in a similar fashion.

It is interesting to note that the width of these vehicles is 2.5m and that with two regular family cars parked in Kent Rd. (say two Vauxhall Zafiras at 1.82m each) parked on either side of the road the total width of vehicles would be 6.14m, considerably more than the road itself which measures 6 metres wide. The use of these residential streets for HGV movement is unsustainable as the traffic cannot pass unless the residents illegally park on the pavement. This fact is as relevant to Byronwell Ltd as it is to Southern Water and their proposed continued use of the road for waste movement.

Gas Turbine Power production

While all the other issues have been plaguing the Kent Rd area, plans have been put forward to build a 20 megawatt gas turbine electrical power production facility. (SCC planning ref 17/01690/FUL). If built as planned, this will comprise eight engines and eight transformers to produce electricity to supplement the national grid at times of short supply. Some aspects of this development have been vague. Initial reports from GallifordTry that that the turbine will burn methane produced as part of the waste treatment process have proved unfounded and all the indications are that North sea gas will be used. The site earmarked for this development is currently being used to fabricate a cover for one of the larger consolidation tanks on the Southern Water site, but at this stage we believe the land may be sold off after the site refurbishment work has been completed for the purposes of power production by a new company unrelated to any of the current businesses on site.

As a vice chair of the planning and rights of way panel, I was concerned about the over development of this site and the impact of the development on increased transport movements for local residents. At present I have submitted this concern and as a matter of course. it will normally have to come before the panel for approval.

The fact is, there are more questions than answers regarding this development. Noise issues, transport plans and other factors must be resolved with local residents before approval is granted.

General issues regarding local area traffic movements

Kent Rd. and other residential streets in the neighborhood have been used as a short-cut for many years by drivers seeking to avoid congestion further down Portswood Rd. Congestion around the Woodmill crossing of the river Itchen exacerbates the problem and sends increased traffic toward Cobden Bridge.

The bridges over the north end of Kent Rd mean that HGV traffic can only enter via the southern end of the residential streets. The standard height of a ships container is 8ft 3in,  just 6 inches less than the maximum height of the bridge access. Standard HGV cabs are over 10ft in height and low loaders cannot be used due to the long wheelbase and the depth of the dip involved  in the route under the bridges.

The fabric of the roads are suffering and despite the limit of 20 mph through Kent Rd and the planned improved signage, residents are very concerned about the damage to property as well as the service pipes and drains that run under this road which lists properties and infrastructure over 120 years old.

More recently I have had meetings with Transport Officers and Balfour Beatty (who have the Council contract for road improvement management and maintenance) and there are some plans in place to improve the flow of traffic through the St Denys – Cobden Bridge corridor. I have asked transport officers to seriously consider all options for improving traffic via Wood Mill and other suggestions to improve those both crossings of the river.

Summary

1. The council needs to designate this area as a light industrial centre capable of supporting only routine business traffic which has the capacity to successfully navigate the road under the bridges. A typical flatbed Luton style lorry is less than 8ft high.
2. Special construction management transport plans need to be agreed with local residents before developments for the Southern Water site are agreed. The issue of the barge movements needs to be investigated. While green alternatives around waste management are explored. The use of HGV vehicles through residential streets isn’t particularly “green” for those that have to live there.
3. We need to recognise that the roads affected cannot routinely sustain HGV vehicular traffic without on-curb illegal parking. Or perhaps that legal residential parking would preclude the ability of HGV vehicles to travel down Kent Rd without causing damage to parked cars.
4. Something needs to be done to improve traffic flow south on Portswood Rd and Thomas Lewis way and thence across the Itchen at Cobden bridge.
5. A plan might be to improve the Woodmill crossing.
6. Making the Kent Rd and Priory Rd areas a no-through road would help local residents but exacerbate the congestion at the various other intersections.

If you have any questions or comments please get in touch with Cllr John Savage