In respect of Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter ... · Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter Sun & Soil Ltd Construction Traffic Management Plan 1405-67/TN/01 Transport

June 2014

A Planning Application by

SUN AND SOIL LTD

In respect of

Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter

Construction Traffic Management Plan

P/2014/00825

Received 02/07/14

Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter Sun & Soil Ltd Construction Traffic Management Plan

1405-67/TN/01 Transport Planning Associates

June 2014 ii

CONTENTS PAGE

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 ROUTING 2

3 SITE ACCESS 4

4 VEHICLE TRIP ATTRACTION 6

5 CONDITION SURVEYS 10

LIST OF TABLES

Table 5.1 Heavy Goods Vehicle Movements – Construction Period

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Site Location and Construction Traffic Route Plan

Figure 2.2 15.4m Articulated Vehicle Swept Path of Construction Route

Figure 3.1 Construction Site Access Details



June 2014 1

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) has been prepared to address the

transport issues associated with the construction of a solar farm on approximately 10.3

hectares of arable farmland at Moisty Lane, Marchington approximately three kilometres

southeast of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. It describes the access arrangements that are

proposed for the period of construction activities at the site. It has been produced further to

a detailed

1.2 The proposal is for the development of a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Farm comprising modules,

power inverter cabinets and sub-stations with the potential to produce up to 5.1MW of

power. Further details of the proposal and the technology used together with the proposed

site layout are included within the supporting documents, submitted separately as part of the

planning application.

1.3 This CTMP sets out the strategy for the following;

(i) site access;

(ii) routing;

(iii) vehicles size and vehicle frequency; and

(iv) condition surveys.

1.4 It will be the responsibility of the appointed contractor to comply with all statutory regulations

and guidelines as appropriate, in relation to construction and movement activities.



June 2014 2

2 ROUTING

2.1 The designated route for all traffic associated with the construction is illustrated on Figure

2.1. This route will ensure, as appropriate, that construction vehicles associated with the

site use the B5017, Jacks Lane, High Street, The Square and Hall Road to access Moisty

Lane.

2.2 Whilst other, more direct routes are available between the primary road network accessed at

Uttoxeter and the site, it is considered that the selected route for construction traffic is the

most appropriate being mindful of road widths, weight restrictions and the method of control

proposed between construction vehicles and background traffic.

2.3 Jacks Lane is a residential distributor road subject to a 30mph speed limit. It varies in width

between 4.6 and 6.7 metres wide and is wide enough for a car to pass an HGV for the

majority of its length. It is subject to shallow raised tables which provide a traffic calming

feature to constrain vehicle speed.

2.4 High Street is typically more than 5.5m wide which is wide enough for two HGVs to pass. It

is subject to a priority narrowing arrangement in the vicinity of its junction with Church Lane

which reduces the carriageway width locally to 3.6m, which is wide enough for an HGV to

pass. High Street is also a local service bus route, with the No.402 service operating

between Uttoxeter and Burton-on-Trent.

2.5 The Square is typically around 7m wide, although parked cars on one side of the road

intermittently reduce the effective width of the carriageway to around 5m wide which is wide

enough for a car to pass and HGV.

2.6 Hall Lane is typically around 4.6m wide and provides a connection to Moisty Lane.

2.7 Moisty Lane is subject to a 30mph speed limit within the village of Marchington, although it is

subject to the National Speed Limit to the west of the village. The carriageway width varies

although it is typically between 3.5 and 4m wide, with a 0.5m grass verge margin to either

side of the carriageway, on the extents of the proposed construction traffic route.

2.8 There are a number of passing places between the proposed site access and Marchington

village. These are illustrated on Figure 2.1 and increase the width of the carriageway to a

minimum of 4.9m and therefore provide safe places for background traffic to wait whilst any

HGVs associated with the construction pass.

2.9 Moisty Lane is already regularly in use by large vehicles it serves numerous farms and

therefore is in regular use by farm vehicles such as tractors and trailers.



June 2014 3

Construction Vehicle Management

2.10 The PV panels and frames will be shipped in 40ft shipping containers which are typically

carried to the site on a 15.4m long articulated vehicle. This is the longest vehicle which will

access the site.

2.11 As the local roads are already in use by buses and tractors and agricultural vehicles

associated with nearby farms it is considered that the proposed route for construction traffic

is suitable for use by the relatively low number of HGVs that will be associated with the

temporary construction period. Figure 2.2 illustrates the swept path for the largest vehicle

associated with the construction phase for the narrowest sections of the construction route..

2.12 It is acknowledged that some overrunning of grass verges may occur as a result of vehicle

movements associated with the construction phase. As such, a pre and post highway

condition survey will be carried out and agreed with highway officers, as set out in Chapter

6 of this report.

2.13 In order to minimise any damage to highway verges, the applicant proposes to operate a

vehicle escort service for all HGV deliveries. This will operate as follows.

2.14 On entering Uttoxeter the HGV driver will telephone the site to inform of its location. The

site will then dispatch an escort vehicle to Jacks Lane where it will wait on a section of road

wide enough for two vehicles to pass.

2.15 The escort vehicle will then drive 200m in front of the HGV and on entering the site will

telephone the site to inform the banksman that the convoy will imminently arrive on Moisty

Lane. At this point the banksman will stand at the site access and advise any background

traffic travelling eastbound to wait at the layby identified as ‘A’ on Figure 2.1 for the convoy

to pass.

2.16 It is envisaged that this vehicle management strategy will provide a safe and appropriate

arrangement and will capture the limited amount of background traffic which uses Moisty

Lane. Only three farms are situated to the east of the proposed site access (and the

location of the banksmen) and such the amount of background traffic which would not be

controlled by the management strategy is extremely small. Furthermore, there are three

further passing places (identified as ‘B, C and D’ on Figure 2.1) located to the east of the

site access which can be used by background traffic to allow the construction convoy to

pass.

2.17 The strategy will be adopted in reverse for HGVs exiting the site.

2.18 On the basis of a background vehicle being stopped in passing place ‘A’ as soon as an HGV

enters Jacks Lane and travels at an average of 15mph, the maximum amount of time a

background vehicle would be delayed is 7 minutes, although in reality it is likely it would be

considerably less than this. The likelihood of the limited amount of background traffic being

significantly delayed is therefore low.



June 2014 4

3 SITE ACCESS

Construction Site Access

3.1 Construction vehicle access to the site will be via an existing field access with Moisty Lane

approximately 300 metres west of Woodford Cottage as shown on Figure 3.1, and in Plate

3.1 below.

Plate 3.1 – Proposed Site Access

3.2 The existing field access is 4.5m wide, as ascertained from on-site measurements. This will

be increased in width to approximately 13m to allow for the swept path of a 15.4m

articulated vehicle, which is the largest vehicle associated with the construction of the solar

farm. Approximately 8.5m of hedgerow will be removed to enable the access to be widened

to accommodate construction delivery vehicles.

3.3 Temporary access track will be created by laying polyethylene matting on the surface of the

existing ground to enable it to support the loading of HGVs and plant. It is envisaged that the

temporary access track will be removed upon completion of the construction phase.

3.4 All construction vehicles will enter and exit the site in forward gear. Figure 3.1 shows the

swept path for the largest vehicle entering and exiting the site access.



June 2014 5

3.5 A tangential junction visibility splay of 2.4m x 43.9m to the left (west) and 2.4m x 44m to the

right (east) is achievable as shown on Figure 3.1. This is considered appropriate for

vehicles travelling at 30mph on the major road in accordance with Manual for Streets and

based on the geometry of Moisty Lane and observed vehicle speeds in the vicinity of the site

access, such a splay is considered appropriate to facilitate safe and appropriate access.



June 2014 6

4 VEHICLE TRIP ATTRACTION

Construction Phase

4.1 The applicant has confirmed from its experience of developing solar farms elsewhere in the

UK that the construction of the solar farm will take approximately three months, with the

majority of the work requiring deliveries taking place over a six week period (30 working

days). Construction at the site will be carried out Monday to Friday 0800-1900 and Saturday

08:00-13:00.

4.2 The construction phase includes the preparation of the site, installing the temporary access

polyethylene matting, erection of security fencing, assembly and erection of the PV strings,

installation of the inverters/transformers and grid connection.

4.3 A maximum of up to 50 construction workers are anticipated to be on site during peak times

during the construction period. A temporary construction compound will be provided and will

provide storage, parking for contractors and turning for HGVs.

4.4 The location where staff will travel from is unknown at this stage as it will depend on the

appointed contractor. However, it is envisaged that a number of the non-local workforce will

stay at local accommodation and be transported to the site by minibuses to minimise the

impact on the strategic and local highway network.

4.5 The construction period will include the use of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to bring the

equipment onto the site and this will be strictly managed to ensure that vehicle movement is

controlled and kept to a minimum. It should be noted that unlike wind farms, the

construction of a solar farm does not require equipment to be delivered by abnormal loads

(i.e. vehicles over 16.5m in length).

4.6 The components which are required to construct the solar farm will arrive in 40ft containers

by 15.4m long articulated vehicles. From experience elsewhere, the applicant has

confirmed that around 140 15.4m articulated vehicles are required for every 10MWp at the

site, split equally between the modules and mounting structures. The site is proposed to

generate 5.1MWp and as such this will equate to around 71 deliveries by 15.4m articulated

vehicles. Assuming all deliveries arrive within a six week period and Monday to Friday only,

this equates to, on average, around two deliveries (four movements) per day by the largest

vehicle.

4.7 The largest items to be transported to the site are the inverter stations. These are around

8.6m long, 3.15m high and 2.6m wide. The proposed solar farm will have a total of four

inverters and it is assumed that each would be transported by the smallest possible vehicle,

which could be a 12m rigid lorry. It is assumed that the inverters will be transported

individually due to their weight and as such this would equate to a total of four deliveries.



June 2014 7

4.8 In addition, the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) will install a switchgear cabinet, which

connects the underground grid connection cable of the solar farm to the distribution network.

It is typically no larger than 6m long, 2.55m wide and 2.61m high. The cabinet will arrive at

the site by the smallest possible vehicle, which could be a 10m rigid lorry. A total of one

delivery is required.

4.9 The polyethylene matting for the access tracks will arrive by 10m rigid vehicles. The precise

number will depend on the amount of matting required, but for the purpose of this

assessment we have assumed that one delivery is required per five acres, resulting in a

total of five deliveries.

4.10 Some deliveries will be associated with the preparation of the access tracks within the site,

should they be constructed using stone or gravel. Stone is likely to arrive on 10m long

tipper trucks. The precise number will depend on the amount of stone required, but for the

purpose of this assessment we have assumed that one delivery is required per acre,

resulting in a total of 25 deliveries. This is considered to provide a robust estimate of the

likely number of deliveries for the access track as in reality, it is likely that temporary access

matting will be used instead resulting in fewer deliveries wherever possible.

4.11 A Front end JCB will also be required to transport equipment around the site, and to

distribute stone as necessary. This is a similar size to a tractor and will either be

transported to the site or be driven to the site.

4.12 It is envisaged that one 15.4m long articulated vehicle will also be required to transport any

temporary compound portacabin/storage to the site.

4.13 In summary, the following heavy goods movements could be associated with the

construction period as set out in Table 4.1.



June 2014 8

Table 4.1 Heavy Goods Vehicle Movements – Construction Period

Activity Type of Vehicle Total Number of Deliveries

Solar Modules & Mounting Structures 15.4m Articulated 71 (142 two-way movements)

Inverters 12m Rigid 4 (8two-way movements)

DNO Cabinet 10m Rigid 1 (2 two-way movements)

Access Tracks (Matting) 10m Rigid 5 (10 two-way movements)

Access Tracks (Stone/Gravel)* 10m Rigid 25 (50 two-way movements)*

Contractors Compound 15.4m Articulated 1 (2 two-way movements)

General Front End JCB by low loader 1 (2 two-way movements)

TOTAL

83 deliveries (average of 3 per day) if

matting is used for access tracks or 103

deliveries (average of 3 per day) if stone

is used for access tracks

* = If stone/gravel is necessary

4.14 Table 4.1 therefore confirms that a maximum of 103 deliveries (206 two-way movements)

could be made by heavy goods vehicles associated with the construction of the solar farm,

at an average of around three deliveries of six two-way movements per day.

4.15 In addition to the HGV movements identified in Table 4.1 there may also be a small number

of construction movements associated with smaller vehicles such as the collection of skips

for waste management, the transport of construction workers and sub-contractors.

Operational Phase

4.16 After commissioning, there are anticipated to be around 10 to 20 visits to the site a year for

equipment maintenance. These would typically be made by light van or 4x4 type vehicles.

Whilst the contractor’s compound will have been removed, space will remain within the site

on the access tracks for such a vehicle to turn around to ensure that reversing will not occur

onto the highway.

Summary

4.17 Based on the above, it is expected that there will be a maximum of around three large

vehicles per day accessing the site (i.e. three arrivals and three departures) over the six

week period when deliveries will occur. There will also be construction workers arriving at

the site first thing in the morning and departing in the evening, although the numbers

involved are forecast to be relatively low on a day-to-day basis. The level of traffic during

the temporary three month construction phase is not considered to be material and it is



June 2014 9

considered that this will not have an impact on the safety or operation of the local highway

network.



June 2014 10

5 CONDITION SURVEYS

5.1 A Walk-Over Condition Survey on the local highway network will be carried out and agreed

with highway officers, prior to commencement of construction, in order to assess the

baseline condition. This will incorporate a photographic record as appropriate. This would

be followed by a further Condition Survey with highway officers with a further photographic

record covering the same extents as previous at the end of construction activities, in order to

identify and agree any remedial works reasonably attributable to construction activities.



June 2014 Figures

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FIGURES

Documents

In respect of Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter ... · Proposed Solar Farm, Dove View, nr Uttoxeter Sun & Soil Ltd Construction Traffic Management Plan 1405-67/TN/01 Transport