Exchange with Oxfordshire County Council Highways & Transport Department regarding Infineum Objection to Tesco Dotcom Planning Application

1. From: Dare-Edwards, Martin
Sent: 25 June 2013 14:16
To: 'Jones, HuwV - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport'
Cc: Cllr Ian Hudspeth; Fermer, Paul - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport; Patey, John -
Environment & Economy; mark.doodes@southandvale.gov.uk; Nixon, Rachel - Environment &
Economy - Highways & Transport; Payne, Odele - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport;
Hamid, Farakh - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport
Subject: RE: Infineum UK Ltd Objection to Tesco Planning Application (P13/V1139/FUL)
Importance: High
For the attention of Mr Huw Vaughan Jones and others cc’d in yesterday’s communication.
I thank you for your attention to my recent letter (on behalf of Infineum UK) highlighting
various specific points of objection to the proposed Tesco Dotcom development at Milton Hill.
On behalf of Infineum UK, I wish to highlight some points of clarification and also systematic
disagreement with various elements of your response:
1. Regarding the additional traffic issue (your paragraph 2), I note that the so-called
“permitted use of the site” (to which I believe you are referring the Outline planning
consent in 2006) did not at the time of the original proposal make extensive
consultation nor considerations of details of access-egress safety and traffic flow at
(and adjacent to) the entrance to the site.
I particularly note that no account is appearing to be taken within the current Planning
Application, of the substantially increased traffic flows (both Northwards and
Southwards on the A4130) that have arisen since 2006. This increased traffic flow is
particularly associated with the substantial growths of employment at Milton Park and
the Harwell Campus. I note also that recent UK government approval of Enterprise
Zone status for designated areas on those two sites creates further prospect of
marked increases in commuting and business deliveries to those two sites.
As I am sure you will appreciate the occurrence of traffic congestion is a “critical
phenomenon”, meaning that when traffic flows approach a “critical point”, the
frequency of severe congestion events (in the form of actual stationary traffic jams)
rises exponentially. From the experience of Infineum’s own staff and on-site
contractors, we already recognise (with current traffic levels) the substantive
occurrence of such severe congestion events, and at other times significant safety
risks arising when turning right onto or off the Milton Hill site.
2. Your apparent disregard for the safety of cyclists (your paragraph 4) from your
presumption that they represent only a small proportion of Infineum’s workforce, I find
unhelpful and insulting. We have a sizeable community of regular cyclists to our site,
naturally swelled in numbers during the summer months. I am sure neither of us
would wish to be in a position in future where a serious incident involving a cyclist
arises at or adjacent to the site entrance, which evidently could have been avoided
with an improved access, and locally-throttled speed. Your further unfounded
presumption (your paragraph 8) that a roundabout at the entrance to the site would
not contribute to improved safety, I can confirm is firmly disagreed by those who are
regular cyclists, on presumption that such a roundabout would be carefully designed.
3. Your focus on the staff shift changes as contributing to the primary generation of trips
(your paragraph 5) is not taking into account the van movements outwards and
inwards during the daytimes and early evenings. The addition of only a small number
of such movements during the peak traffic movements along the A4130, and onto/off
the Milton Hill site, will self-evidently create increased occurrence of traffic gridlock in

2. a southbound direction*, and higher safety risks for the right-turns onto/off site.
* You mention the possibility of a lengthening of the deceleration lane and storage
capacity for the right turn (as might reduce such southbound gridlocks), and I indeed
would welcome that minimal improvement. It remains my contention, and others who
work at this site and the adjacent Milton Hill House, that the far more satisfactory
solution would be for creation of a roundabout, as has evidently been a great
success for access to the nearby Harwell Campus.
Best Regards,
Dr Martin Dare-Edwards
UK Country Manager
Infineum UK Ltd.
Registered in England Number 3137282 Registered address: P O Box 1, Milton Hill, Abingdon OX13 6BB England
(for map/satnav directions use OX13 6BD)
Tel: +44-1235-469209 , Fax: +44-1235-549864
Mobile: +44-781-804-1360
Team Administrator: Sue Towlerton +44-1235-54-9549
e-mail: martin.dare-edwards@infineum.com
Infineum: Performance you can rely on.
This note and any attachments may contain Infineum confidential or proprietary information. If you are an unintended recipient: (i) place
no reliance on the information contained herein; (ii) do not disclose, distribute, or duplicate any information from this note; and (iii)
please contact the sender.
From: Jones, HuwV - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport
[mailto:Huwv.Jones@Oxfordshire.gov.uk]
Sent: 24 June 2013 10:17
To: Dare-Edwards, Martin
Cc: Cllr Ian Hudspeth; Fermer, Paul - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport; Patey, John -
Environment & Economy; mark.doodes@southandvale.gov.uk; Nixon, Rachel - Environment &
Economy - Highways & Transport; Payne, Odele - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport;
Hamid, Farakh - Environment & Economy - Highways & Transport
Subject: RE: Infineum UK Ltd Objection to Tesco Planning Application (P13/V1139/FUL)
Dr Martin Dare-Edwards
I refer to your letter and emails regarding the above.
Your letter sets out concerns under three headings - 1) Proposed traffic movements
to/from A4130, 2) Safety on the access road, and 3) Noise. Clearly noise is a
planning issue and not one for us as Highway Authority.
You state that there will be additional traffic in the peak hours and that there will be
an increase in volumes of traffic using the A4130 and that the impact of HGVs
appears to have been disregarded. It is undoubtedly the case that, compared with
the current situation, there will be additional traffic using both the access road and
the A4130. However, the assessment of the traffic impact has to be made having
regard to the already permitted use of the site and, on this basis, it has been
shown that the amount of traffic likely to be generated by the proposed development
will be less than that expected to be generated by a general B8 and B1/2 use of the
site.

3. The transport assessment has also demonstrated that the number of HGVs using
the site daily is low, around 8 or 9. In and out this would equate to approximately 16
to 18 HGV movements. This has been questioned in my review of the document as
being too low. However, even a significant percentage increase in this number
would still result in a modest number of movements.
You also state that the A4130 already has constant traffic flows, particularly heading
south in the am and north in the pm. The road is used by cyclists travelling to/from
work and there is queuing caused because the limited width prevents overtaking. It
is interesting that this is raised as a concern, given that you state that the vast
majority of your 500 staff travel by car due to the rural nature of the site and the
limited bus services.
You state that the A4130 is used as an alternative route when the A34 is
congested. It is accepted that on infrequent occasions when incidents occur on the
A34 traffic will seek to find alternative routes. This situation, however, is not the
norm and would not justify improvements to the A4130 route. Neither could any
costs for dealing with its effect be placed on the proposed development. With the
shift patterns that Tesco will operate between 4am-12.00pm, 12.00pm-8pm and
8.00pm-4.00am the trip generation does not impact on the peak hour congestion.
Tesco have suggested that most of their vans will turn left out and right in and you
claim that this will lead to congestion at the junction and increased queues on A4130
and access road. Given that there is a right turning lane on the A4130, it can be
expected that these turns (left out and right in) will be the easiest movements to
make and will result in the least amount of delay at the access point. I have
suggested that the right turn lane should be improved to standards and this would
involve a lengthening of the deceleration lane and an increase in the storage
capacity. Queues on the access road are not a concern of the highway authority
unless they are seen to have a detrimental impact on the public highway.
The increased difficulties you state for vehicles to enter and exit the access road
raise considerable safety concerns. If the layout of the junction and the right turn
lane are improved to meet current standards, then there is no reason to conclude
that safety will be a concern. The advantage of having a major/minor junction, as
opposed to a roundabout, is that through traffic on A4130 is not delayed. The levels
of traffic, both on A4130 and the access, do not warrant the introduction of a
roundabout junction (ref DMRB TD42/95 Fig 2.2).
It is pointed out that Tesco, through their Travel Plan, will encourage their staff to use
cycles and motorcycles, and a roundabout would improve safety for these users.
This is not likely to be the case and roundabouts are actually very difficult junctions
to negotiate for cyclists. They also operate very efficiently a car sharing club at other
sites and this will be carried out here.
With regard to your comments that Tesco intend to remove the current 15 mph
speed limit on the access road and this is considered to be inappropriate. As this is
a private road the limit can only be advisory and not a matter for us as Highway
Authority.

4. I am also at present negotiating some of the matters raised above with Tesco’s
Transport consultants.
However it must be reiterated that permission already exists on this site for a much
more intense operation.
Should you require further information or any additional clarification please do not
hesitate to contact me.
Kind Regards
Huw
Huw Vaughan Jones
Principal Engineer
Transport Development Control (Oxford City, South Oxon and The Vale).
Planning and Infrastructure
Oxfordshire County Council.
Tel No:- 01865 815947
_____________________________________________
From: Dare-Edwards, Martin
Sent: 13 June 2013 15:52
To: 'hughv.jones@oxfordshire.gov.uk'
Cc: mark.doodes@southandvale.gov.uk; councillor@matthewbarber.co.uk; Hudspeth, Ian (OCC
Leader)
Subject: FW: Infineum UK Ltd Objection to Tesco Planning Application (P13/V1139/FUL)
Importance: High
To Huw Vaughan Jones, Transport Development Control, Oxfordshire County Council
Huw,
I am copying you on the letter that I sent yesterday to the Vale of White Horse Planning
Department as our formal objection to key details of the Tesco Planning Application
(P13/V1139/FUL) on the former Esso Research Centre land, adjoining the Infineum site.
I appreciate that some of the matters that I have raised are only relevant for Infineum and
some other immediate neighbours (e.g. Milton Hill House Hotel – De Vere Venues).
However, I should like to draw your specific attention to the aspects of concern for Safety at
the access point to the “joint site”, and the associated inevitable impact on free flow of traffic
along the A4130, both of which I believe to be matters of concern with broader regional
economic-consequences. The broader impacts for traffic flow are particularly:
i. In a southerly direction to access the Harwell Oxford campus and Wantage, being likely
backing-up of vehicles resulting from additional vehicles turning right onto the Tesco +
Infineum site

5. ii. In a northerly direction, additional congestion along the A4130 towards the A34 Milton Park
interchange such as to access the A34, Milton Park and Didcot
Both of these traffic flow issues indicate significant detrimental implications of Tesco’s
proposal on the prospects (i.e. inward investment and growth-investment) of our “vital” UK
High-Growth region in Southern Oxfordshire, and specifically the Government approved
“Science Vale UK Enterprise Zone” at Harwell Oxford and Milton Park.
You will observe that Infineum is specifically requesting for the Planning conditions to include
creation of a new roundabout at the joint access to the A4130, indeed following a precedent
already established for accessing the Harwell Oxford site. It is also understood that the local
Council(s) is/(are) already proposing roundabouts to be installed at the two “ends” of
Featherbed Lane.
Finally, I should also like to highlight specific concerns for Safety and Traffic-flow that would
arise during the Construction Phase for the proposed Tesco development (if approved). I
have already conveyed Infineum’s firm view that access to the construction site during that
phase should be via a new/temporary access from Featherbed Lane on a “Left-Turn Only”
basis. A similar temporary access arrangement was made by Infineum during the conduct of
the Construction for our R&D Centre at the Milton Hill site during 2004-5.
Best Regards,
Dr Martin Dare-Edwards
UK Country Manager
Infineum UK Ltd.
Registered in England Number 3137282 Registered address: P O Box 1, Milton Hill, Abingdon OX13 6BB England
(for map/satnav directions use OX13 6BD)
Tel: +44-1235-469209 , Fax: +44-1235-549864
Mobile: +44-781-804-1360
Team Administrator: Sue Towlerton +44-1235-54-9549
e-mail: martin.dare-edwards@infineum.com
Infineum: Performance you can rely on.
This note and any attachments may contain Infineum confidential or proprietary information. If you are an unintended recipient: (i) place
no reliance on the information contained herein; (ii) do not disclose, distribute, or duplicate any information from this note; and (iii)
please contact the sender.
_____________________________________________
From: Dare-Edwards, Martin
Sent: 12 June 2013 13:58
To: 'mark.doodes@southandvale.gov.uk'
Subject: Infineum UK Ltd Objection to Tesco Planning Application
Importance: High
Mark,
Please find attached a copy of the letter sent to you today as our formal response to Tesco’s
planning application for the neighbouring site to ours at Milton Hill, objecting to some key
details of the proposal.
The letter has also been loaded into your Planning Application comments system although I
have not seen any registration of that comment appear on the website.
I should note that it is my intention also to use the basis of the letter for my direct
engagements with leading representatives of the Vale of White Horse District Council (the

6. formal planning authority), and additionally from Oxfordshire County Council (the relevant
highways authority).
We have previously also communicated to Tesco’s Community Engagement Representative
the closely associated “headline-comments” from our on-site staff representative body
“Infusion”. I have also uploaded these comments onto your on-line Planning Application
comments system (see below):
Best Regards,
Dr Martin Dare-Edwards
UK Country Manager
Infineum UK Ltd.
Registered in England Number 3137282 Registered address: P O Box 1, Milton Hill, Abingdon OX13 6BB England
(for map/satnav directions use OX13 6BD)
Tel: +44-1235-469209 , Fax: +44-1235-549864
Mobile: +44-781-804-1360
Team Administrator: Sue Towlerton +44-1235-54-9549
e-mail: martin.dare-edwards@infineum.com
Infineum: Performance you can rely on.
This note and any attachments may contain Infineum confidential or proprietary information. If you are an unintended recipient: (i) place
no reliance on the information contained herein; (ii) do not disclose, distribute, or duplicate any information from this note; and (iii)
please contact the sender.