Haddenham Streetscape Project

What is the Streetscape Project?

The Streetscape project aims to make it easier and safer for those living and working in Haddenham to move around the village by reviewing options to create a better balance of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles within the village.

Haddenham Parish Council, with funding support from Buckinghamshire Council, appointed placemaking consultants Phil Jones Associates (PJA) to look into options to transform key areas in the village to improve access and movement.

The study builds on the work undertaken as part of the Haddenham Neighbourhood Plan and seeks to address the following issues affecting the village:

Creating a less vehicle-dominated environment
Managing current traffic issues and the likely impact of future growth
Vehicle speeding problems
Prioritising walking & cycling
Parking problems

design idea for pedestrian crossing on Stanbridge Road

Development of Initial Design Ideas

As part of the initial development process, PJA worked alongside the Parish Council and the general public to utilise Buckinghamshire Council's bucks.place survey to record “things people like, key issues, and ideas”.

The data from the survey is summarised on the three plans below:

Map of key issues raised
Map of things people like
Map of ideas

Based on the responses received, some initial design ideas were developed using concepts from a design toolkit.

map of issues within Haddenham

Public Consultation

Several in person sessions were held for residents to find out more about the thinking behind the project and the various design ideas and options.

The first public consultation session on the Streetscape project was held on 28 April 2022. This was followed by a survey on the following topics:

Overall vision and objectives of the Streetscape project;
Design principles for tackling issues around Haddenham
Design options for 3 locations across the village: Fort End, the double roundabout at junction of Churchway and Woodways, and Church End
Opinions on Stanbridge Road and Thame Road.

Survey Results

Over 170 responses were received to the survey, with 91% coming from local residents. 84% of respondents agreed with the overall vision of Neighbourhood Plan Project 5: Traffic Management and the strong majority of respondents agreed with each of the project’s objectives.

First Round public consultation feedback

Public consultation feedback continued

A special meeting of the Haddenham Village Society was then held on 22nd June 2022 in Haddenham Community Library and live streamed, where the results of the survey were discussed. The presentation from the meeting covering the background and a summary of the survey results is available to view.

Updated Design Ideas

As a result of the first round of public consultation updated design ideas were developed for the following locations around the village:

Fort End & Woodways/Churchway double roundabout

Church End, Thame Road, Stanbridge Road

Train Station, Dollicott, Village Hall

Church End Design Idea

Additional consultation

A further public meeting hosted by the Parish Council was held on 13th July 2022 in the Conference Room at Haddenham Village Hall where the updated designs for the village were presented.

Final Survey

Following the public meeting in July, a second online survey sought feedback on the updated design ideas. The most popular design ideas were the implementation of a village-wide 20mph speed limit, the replacement of the two mini-roundabouts at the junction of Woodways/Churchway by one large roundabout with easier crossing points, and traffic calming measures at Thame Road and Stanbridge Road.

Final Report

PJA has put together a comprehensive report detailing the full history and development of the project, and future recommendations.

It is highly recommended that anyone interested in the project read the report in full.

Going forward, the Parish Council will assess options to introduce some of the most popular design ideas.

We will need to work with Buckinghamshire Council, as the Highways Authority, to implement any potential improvements.

20MPH Village Speed Limit

As a high level of support (89%) to introduce a village-wide 20mph zone was identified during public consultation, the Parish Council commissioned a feasibility report to explore the idea further.

As part of the report, analysis was carried out into the existing speeds on roads within Haddenham.

It was found that the majority of streets within the village already have average speeds below 24mph. This is significant as the Department for Transport recommends that "the implementation of 20mph limits over a larger number of roads… should be considered where mean speeds at or below 24mph are already achieved over a number of roads”. Public acceptance and compliance with a 20mph limit is also more likely where existing speeds are low.

The report recommends that Haddenham is suitable for a village-wide 20mph speed limit. A village-wide approach would ensure that the application of the 20mph speed limit is consistent and comprehensible for road users.

As approval is need from Buckinghamshire Council for the implementation of a village-wide 20mph zone, the Parish Council will need to work with it on future steps.

Thame Road Improvements

Improving Thame Road was identified as one of the most popular measures during public consultation, with support from 77% of respondents.

Designated funding is available for improvements from Section 106 developer contributions, however, it is time-limited

The Parish Council is eager to ensure the Section 106 funding doesn't expire and therefore commissioned PJA to develop initial feasibility designs for Thame Road for submission to Buckinghamshire Council. It is hoped that these designs can be used by Buckinghamshire Council to implement improvements whilst the funding is available.

The recommendations from the design report include: the removal of the existing traffic-calming islands, improved crossing facilities and visual narrowing of the road. These can also be seen on the accompanying image.

The designs are intended to prioritise improved pedestrian and cycle movements and meet the conditions of the Section 106 funding that is available. It is also anticipated that the proposed interventions will positively support slower vehicle speeds and be complementary to achieving the desired 20mph zone for Haddenham.

Now the report has been submitted, the Parish Council hopes to have a meeting with Buckinghamshire Council in the near future to discuss the next steps.