IPM Monitor Management & Mitigation Strategy

Innovation Park Medway (IPM) is a flagship economic development project within the North Kent Enterprise Zone, with a significant amount of investment via the South East Local Enterprise Partnership. IPM will deliver 3,000 jobs across circa 101,000 sqm of office and industrial floor space for high value technology, engineering, manufacturing and knowledge intensive businesses. Innovation Park Medway (IPM) is a significant redevelopment opportunity and has long been on the regeneration agenda. A masterplan has been adopted to set the context for the development of up to 101,000sqm of high quality, innovative B1 (now E(g)) and B2 commercial development in the high value technology, engineering, manufacturing and knowledge intensive industries.

Medway Council and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council have both prepared and adopted Local Development Orders (LDOs) with planning approval within 28 days of validation. This fast-tracked planning will simplify the planning process and make development more straightforward.

A number of planning conditions are included within the LDOs, as included at appendix C, including those relating to the local and strategic highway network.

The planning conditions followed a period of engagement with Highways England and Kent County Council (KCC) who have provided guidance in how best to demonstrate mitigation of the highway impacts of Innovation Park Medway (IPM).

Highways England referred Medway Council to the planning conditions set out in the Secretary of State’s decision for Land North of Ashby Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire (Planning Inspectorate’s reference: APP/K3415/V/17/3174379) in which the triggers for mitigation were based on a ‘Monitor and Manage Mitigation’ approach to highways impacts. There may be other solutions, however a similar approach to highways impacts, secured by conditions, is acceptable to Highways England, Kent County Council and Medway Council.

The approach agreed with Highways England and KCC for IPM is based on the Tamworth approach and includes triggers with trip generation monitoring. Junctions and mitigation measures identified are tied to these.

The purpose of the draft Monitor and Manage Mitigation Strategy is to indicate how Medway Council intends to address the planning conditions attached to the Local Development Order (LDO). Condition RN1 requires a strategy to identify trip generations from the phases of development and to mitigate impacts on the SRN and the local road network. The subsequent sections of this strategy address the requirements within conditions RN2-6.

A multi-disciplinary consultancy team is required to deliver a final Monitor and Manage Mitigation Strategy and manage subsequent monitoring against agreed trigger points. Consultancy teams may be made up of one multi-disciplinary consultant, or a lead consultant with specialist subconsultancies, as appropriate. Where subconsultants form part of the team, a lead consultant must be in place for the duration of the project. Both transport and spatial planning teams should be involved in the delivery of this work.