Representation by Brett Radley, Global Mutual (Brett Radley, Global Mutual)
- Date submitted
- 30 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
This Representation has been prepared on behalf of Global Mutual who are the appointed asset manager of Lakeside Shopping Centre, located at Chafford Hundred in Thurrock. Lakeside Shopping Centre is an important regional shopping destination serving the southeast of England, and is principally accessed from the M25 and A13 strategic routes. Global Mutual understands that a key component of the transport strategy for the London Resort DCO application includes a ‘Park & Glide’ (P&G) ferry facility to be located at the Port of Tilbury, Thurrock. The P&G will provide circa 2,500 car parking spaces once complete with the aim of reducing the quantum of M25 clockwise traffic travelling to the London Resort via the Dartford Crossing. The submitted Transport Assessment (TA) identifies a range of committed developments were included within the assessment of future traffic conditions, which are largely based on those allowed for within the A2 Bean to Ebbsfleet traffic model and Local Plan allocations. A review of these committed developments confirms that the Lakeside Northern Extension consent for circa 40,000 sqm retail floor space (Planning Ref: 19/01140/OUT) and current Arena Essex site hybrid planning application for the delivery of up to 2,500 homes (Planning Ref: 18/01671/FUL) are not directly included. It is understood that the Applicant has applied Tempro background traffic growth factors to account for additional development sites currently in planning or likely to come forward, however it is unclear whether this makes any allowance for the Lakeside Northern Extension or Arena Essex sites, which are not understood to be allocated sites within the Local Plan. In addition, the submitted TA identifies that potential traffic increases in the vicinity of Lakeside Shopping Centre will be dependent on the delivery of the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC). Following the withdrawal of the DCO application for the LTC in December 2020, it is understood that Highways England proposes to resubmit the application, however the status of the project is currently unknown. The absence of direct inclusion of known committed developments and local applications, along with uncertainty over the status of the LTC, raises concerns regarding the robustness of the traffic capacity assessment of local strategic routes within the London Resort TA assessment, such as those upon which access to Lakeside Shopping Centre are reliant. In light of the above, Global Mutual is therefore registering as an Interested Party for the Examination Stage in order to better understand any limitations regarding the submitted traffic capacity analysis in the event that it needs to make further representations regarding impacts on traffic access to/from Lakeside Shopping Centre.