NEWS

Calibro Supports Regulation 18 Consultation for 1,200 Unit Garden Village Proposal at Alton, Hampshire

Calibro are pleased to be supporting Harrow Estates Plc in the Regulation 18 Consultation to the emerging East Hampshire District Council Local Plan (2017>2036) in respect of a 1,200 dwelling Garden Village at Chawton Park in Alton, Hampshire.

Calibro has been involved in the project since 2018, working for the land owners, and have since played the significant role in identifying the transport strategy for this new sustainable community, including guiding the scheme to a point whereby the local bus operator has written in support of the proposal (the only site they have chosen to support above all others), as well as receiving support from Sustrans who have stated their pleasure at being consulted so early on in the process.

As part of our commission, Calibro has prepared significant technical evidence as part of our engagement with the Local Highway Authority that demonstrates the existence of a technically deliverable and viable vehicular access solution, which has been scrutinised over 242 unique traffic scenarios and supplemented by micro-simulation modelling using VISSIM which demonstrates in unequivocal terms that the scheme can be delivered without adverse impact to the highway network.

Our VISSIM model has been a key part of our consultation strategy and has been used during member briefings and consultation events. It has provided an element of rigour unparalleled throughout the consultation process and helped to provide confidence amongst local residents who attended the consultation events with traffic concerns.

A sample of our model is shown in the below video.

Our involvement in a number of strategic scale urban extensions and new communities around the country means that we are actively using VISSIM on a number of our projects, including in support of an urban extension of Oxford where extent of the model takes in the northern half of the City.

Whilst VISSIM project can be complex and time-consuming, they present an opportunity to accurately model traffic scenarios in a uniquely accurate way whilst the visual nature of the model is a powerful engagement tool in the promotion and planning stages of development.