Feasibility Study

There are various assessments which will need to be undertaken in advance of a formal planning application and the feasibility study is the first of these. The results of such a study will enable landowners and developers to establish the viability of their aspirations.

In highway terms the feasibility stage will focus on the access to the site from the nearest principal route. In the case of a development which is known will require the transportation of an abnormal load this assessment will extend to the nearest prescribed abnormal load route within the appropriate Local Highway Authority area.

Feasibility studies can be both desk top and site based depending upon the type of development and the highway network under consideration.

A typical desk top study will utilise available aerial imagery and other mapping databases which will allow us to complete a basic assessment of the highway network surrounding a particular development site and to identify any junctions or sections of highway which may give rise to concerns when considering the type and number of vehicles associated with the construction and operation of the development.

A typical site based feasibility study will involve a visit to the site to assess the most appropriate route to the site and to establish any mitigation measures which will be required and whether they will be permanent (e.g. improvements to site access) or temporary e.g. on-street parking restrictions during the times that certain deliveries will be made or removal of street lighting columns/traffic signal poles to allow the manoeuvre of large vehicles and their cargo. The engineer undertaking the site visit will take extensive measurements of the roads leading to the site in question including carriageway and footway widths and will note any other features such as bus shelters and other street furniture.

Detailed notes would be taken which would specify any lengths of road with poor horizontal and vertical alignment as steep gradients and tight bends would restrict access for larger vehicles. This is not always apparent from a desk top study.

Any junctions considered likely to be unable to accommodate the traffic associated with the development will be identified and any necessary further assessment will be detailed for client consideration. This may involve Swept Path Analysis track runs to be undertaken for such junctions and or sections of the highway where the manoeuvring of a large vehicle is in question.

It is essential that all sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, emergency service depots and dense residential areas are identified so that the chosen route either avoids them or appropriate mitigation measures are implemented such as delivery times being restricted to avoid the AM and PM school run or in the case of large deliveries them being made during school holiday periods or overnight.

Advice would also be provided on the dimensions of the access required for both the implementation phase of the development and the future maintenance of the equipment.

It may be that a temporary access is necessary which is capable of accommodating the largest vehicles envisaged during the construction of the site and commissioning of the equipment and that the access can be downgraded to accommodate smaller vehicles which would visit the site as part of the routine inspection and maintenance regime.

Sanderson Associates are able to undertake all aspects of the feasibility study and to produce a detailed report advising of the areas which would require more extensive consideration and possibly the implementation of mitigation measures.