Paper 3d - Engagement - Solefields strategic water main Customer consultation report - Customer Challenge ...
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Paper 3d - Engagement Solefields strategic water main Customer consultation report June 2019
Overview
In December 2018 we held three public consultation events to gather feedback on four potential
route options for a new Sevenoaks water main.
The new water main is needed to protect residents’ water supplies from an increase in demand from
housing and other development in the town.
We also consulted with local interest groups, land owners and other stakeholders on our proposals.
Ahead of the consultation period, we wrote to more than 9,500 Sevenoaks residents and our
contractor, Clancy Docwra’s Customer Liaison Officer, spoke to 168 businesses in the High Street.
The deadline for comments to be included in our public consultation was 31 December.
This document provides a highlight of the feedback we received on each route option and
summarises the key themes identified.
All feedback we received during the consultation period will be considered alongside a range
of factors including socio-economic, environmental, cost, duration, technical difficultly and
traffic management.
2
Consultation events
158 individuals attended our public exhibitions in total
• Thursday 13 December, 10am – 4pm, The Stag Community Arts Centre 85 attendees
• Wednesday 19 December, 4pm – 8pm, The Space, Sevenoaks School 22 attendees
• Thursday 20 December, 12 noon – 6pm, St John’s URC 51 attendees
55 feedback forms were completed during the sessions and a further 35 were submitted
online, bringing the total to 90.
3
Responses to survey questions
How would you describe Did you receive all the What did you find most
yourself? information you needed? useful?
1% 7% 1%
11%
27%
34%
17%
51%
3%
11% 93% 44%
Resident of Sevenoaks/Seal Environmental information
Work in Sevenoaks/Seal Speaking to staff
Yes No
Children attend schools in Sevenoaks/Seal Detailed route information
Visits Knole Park for leisure Route option maps
Visits Knole Park in a professional capacity Explanation of route options
4
Exhibition survey results – customers’ preferred route option
2% 5%
9%
High Street
7%
Knole Park (valley bottom)
Knole Park and Sevenoaks
School
East of Knole Park
Either park route
49%
Any except high street
28%
5
A selection of comments on High Street route option
• Although it will cause disruption, this follows the line of existing services. Further investigation of this route
should be considered.
• Shortest pipe run and confining utilities to minimum area of land.
• This is terrible - impact on residents and businesses in the town centre will be huge, even in school holidays
and this proposal has the longest timeline at up to 10 years. Seems like the most disruptive option.
• Too much disruption for far too long. The disruption will cause problems for the shops/businesses and it is
quite likely that many will either cease to exists or move elsewhere. Continual disruption will mean people
will not want to visit Sevenoaks. Access will be too difficult. Too many listed buildings along the route which
may be susceptible to damage from the work or traffic movements. The impact of any works affecting the
High Street have previously caused gridlock in the town as there are insufficient alternative routes.
• Chaos.
• Not practical, fraught with difficulty and environmentally unfriendly. 10 years to achieve! A disaster from
socio-economic, environmental, cost, duration, technical difficulty and traffic management.
• A non-starter, given adverse affect on Sevenoaks town and its businesses, visitors to Knole, access etc.
Would also take far too long.
• I live on the High Street and know the volume of traffic it carries. To opt for a much more expensive
and lengthy route which involves digging up the road over a period of 10 years seems quite ridiculous.
• Madness – it will kill the town centre, retail and restaurants. Constant disruption.
6
A selection of comments on Knole Park (valley bottom) route option
• My most favoured option. Although a frequent visitor to Knole park, the trade off of being the quickest to complete
and the least disruption to the town outweighs the disruption. Logically makes the most sense.
• Easily the most sensible and environmentally friendly scheme, especially as the ground will recover quickly.
It is quickest too. The best in terms of socio-economic, environmental, cost, duration, technical difficultly and
traffic management.
• I came to the consultation strongly prejudiced against any option involving Knole Park but was considerably
reassured by what I was told about the measures that would be taken to minimise short term disruption
and long term environmental damage.
• The best option in my opinion. Quick to achieve, some disruption in the park, but the park is huge and
can cope. As a regular park user, I had no idea that a main currently passes underneath the gallops.
Clearly after time things will return to the status quo and nobody will be aware of what has happened.
I feel there is enough space around the proposed workings that the impact on the SSSI will be minimal.
If the route has already been dug before things will recover again.
• Although I am a regular park user I believe that this must be the best route all round. Critically it has the
shortest build time.
• This is a ‘no brainer’ – lowest cost, minimum impact, easily concealed – my preferred option.
• Terrible. Despite intentions, use of earth moving equipment will destroy parts of an environment that has
taken hundreds of years to evolve.
• Knole Park is an Eden in Sevenoaks…it should not be spoilt in any way.
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A selection of comments on Sevenoaks School and Knole Park (valley bottom) route option
• The very best solution causing minimum disruption to the majority of people. Leaves the town, its people
and the community intact. Sevenoaks School has often had works which impacted on the community and
now it would be good if it proactively sought to work to enable this solution.
• I came to the consultation strongly prejudiced against any option involving Knole Park but was considerably
reassured by what I was told about the measures that would be taken to minimise short term disruption and
long term environmental damage. The cheapest option and though it would take longer than the route
through Knole Park alone and mean some disruption for the school, it looks to be one of the two most
promising options.
• This seems the most sensible option, causing least disruption to Sevenoaks and businesses.
• This is my preferred route as it is minimum disruption and minimum cost.
• The least disruptive to the town.
• Takes slightly longer to achieve and impacts the school life/use of their sports facilities.
• This would cause major disruption and anything involving a school needs careful thought from a safety
and environmental perspective. Major reservations from a socio-economic, environmental, cost,
duration, technical difficultly and traffic management.
8
A selection of comments on East of Knole Park route option
• This seems like the best option after the Knole one as it wouldn't have such an impact on the businesses and main
roads in Sevenoaks.
• It does not affect the town centre or the park. However recognise that it is more costly and will take a long time.
• Not feasible. As this is a major school rat run it would cause chaos and major disruption to the town and residents.
A disaster in terms of socio-economic, environmental, cost, duration, technical difficultly and traffic management.
• Seal Hollow Road is one of the main routes to the schools and into the town. This would cause much disruption
and is also expensive.
• This is the worst route because of the ridiculous length.
• Worst option – traffic chaos on Blackhall Lane and Godden Green.
• What a nightmare! It would take forever and there are technical difficulties.
• This is not really a feasible approach the cost involved and the extra construction put it out of the running.
• Ridiculous amount of time and money - a nonsense.
• As a bill payer, the additional cost does not seem justified.
• This should be avoided due to the long term carbon footprint and the ongoing requirement for booster
pumps on this route.
• Seems to offer few benefits apart from being far from Sevenoaks town centre.
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Key themes
• Strong preference for Knole Park (valley bottom) and Sevenoaks School and Knole Park route options.
Very little support for the East of Knole Park and High Street options.
• The vast majority of respondents were concerned about the impact of our work on Sevenoaks town
centre, specifically the independent businesses, traffic delays and additional pollution
• Many also suggested that doing the work over 10 consecutive school summer holidays would put
people off visiting the town centre as well as Knole Park long-term
• Customers noted that the Sevenoaks School and Knole Park route option is the cheapest, most direct
and involves the least traffic management but were concerned on the short and long-term impact on the
school’s operations and sports facilities
• Several attendees said they felt reassured that any impact on the environment would be short-term and
the land would return to normal shortly after our work would finish, and that the impact on the Site of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) would be small and manageable
• Preference was given to route options which would be quickest to achieve and which had
the least amount of roadworks
• Many residents felt that the East of Knole Park route option was excessively long in terms
of physical distance and duration, and too expensive.
10Stakeholder engagement
Individual meetings have been held with the following groups or individuals:
• Sir Michael Fallon MP
• Sevenoaks District Council
• Sevenoaks Town Council
• Seal Parish Council
• Kent Highways
• Sevenoaks School
• Lady Boswells School
• Sevenoaks Society
• Sevenoaks Rugby Club
• Hollybush Residents Association
• National Trust / Sackville Trust
A further stakeholder meeting with all interested parties is due to take place in January 2019 to
discuss the route options, feedback gathered during our consultation and try to agree on a preferred
route or routes.
11Media coverage
12Social media
13Source of website hits
Website analytics
2% 2%1%
2%
2%
• From Wednesday 21 November to Monday 31
December, our dedicated project web page 8%
corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/Sevenoaks
received 1,511 hits.
• 1,372 (91%) of these were unique views.
45%
• The average time spent on the page was 3 15%
minutes and 37 seconds.
• The most popular day was Tuesday 27
November (275 hits), followed by Wednesday
28 November (255 hits).
• On these days, our Facebook posts about the
public consultation were shared by other
23%
organisations including Sevenoaks District
Council. Facebook Letter Search engine
Email National Trust intranet Twitter
In Your Area map LinkedIn South East Water intranet
14Next steps*
(Dates subject to change)
• Spring 2019 – Ground investigation surveys to be carried out on Knole Park (valley bottom) and
Sevenoaks School and Knole Park route options to confirm ground conditions and decide which
engineering methods would be suitable, should that route be chosen.
• Summer 2019 – final route option to be chosen based on the results of the ground conditions
and consultation. Complete the engineering design and submit an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion.
• Summer/autumn 2019 – further public consultation on chosen route
• Spring 2020 – construction begins
For the latest information and updates, visit our website:
corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/Sevenoaks
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