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Investment

Blackwater Valley Gold Grid

Last updated 06 September 2019
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Stagecoach Bus

Project description

The package will focus on the corridor of the Gold Service, which currently serves Aldershot, Farnborough, Frimley and Camberley; a successful and strategically important bus service for Blackwater Valley. However, the service and infrastructure has been in place for 7 years, during which time there have been significant developments within the areas served. It is recognised that additional investment and strategic planning for this service is required to better serve developments such as Aldershot Urban Extension, access to Frimley Hospital, and to improve links to rail. There is also an opportunity to better link active travel modes to both bus and rail services and further opportunities to better link business parks and hubs to the public transport network as well as improvements to public realm. It is essential that high-quality sustainable travel links are improved prior to completion of 3,850 new homes at Wellesley, and new areas of employment, before the car becomes the established mode of travel.

This package of measures will include a strong focus on sustainable transport and complementary improvements to public realm, public transport and the highway network. Building on the significant investment of £4.5 million by the local bus operator into transforming and modernising the vehicles that operate in the area, these elements will together bring significant economic and social improvements to the area, including better access to key business parks and the town centre, making the area more attractive to inward investors and improving access to employment and retail sites for local residents.

The package is still to be fully developed but will be drawn from:

  • Public transport walking and cycling schemes along the A325 that will compliment investment made to unlock road capacity along the same corridor
  • Blackwater valley Quality Bus Corridor. Improvements to bus reliability, passenger information and passenger infrastructure on Routes 4/5, 17/18/19, 2, 3 & 11
  • Yorktown and Watchmoor Public Transport Improvements
  • Camberley Town Centre Public Realm Improvements
  • Camberley Sustainable Transport Programme
  • Wider Network Benefits West

Project output

The Blackwater Valley is an area with a highly complex pattern of travel demands. About half of the resident workforce are out-commuting to a range of destinations and an even higher proportion of jobs available in the area are dependent upon in commuting. With projected residential and economic growth, significantly more pressure will be placed on the transport network. The package will help to ensure the continued success and future growth of the local economy. To not do so will lead to further growth in labour shortages, an increase in people’s willingness to in-commute longer distances or increase pressure on businesses to locate out of the area. The package will contribute to the following outputs:  

  • 3,850 new homes at Wellesley
  • 1,700 new homes in Aldershot (outside of Wellesley)
  • 2,650 new homes in Farnborough
  • 1,500 new homes in Ash and Tongham
  • 1,200 new homes at Princess Royal Barracks
  • 3240 new homes across Surrey Heath
  • 600 new homes in Camberley town centre Growth
  • Aldershot - 2,892sqm (gross) employment space by 2022
  • Farnborough - 1,583sqm (gross) employment space by 2022
  • 10% increase in new jobs across Surrey and Surrey Heath.
  • 41,000sqm of gross retail development in Camberley
  • 1798 additional jobs at Camberley
  • 1000 new jobs and benefit to 2500 employees at Yorktown and Watchmoor estates.

Key Outputs

Start date:

End date:

Amount financed: £8 million

Total cost: £10.5 million

Status: In progress

Project Lead: Kevin Travers

Partner: Hampshire County Council

Themes: Places

Geo-location:

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