Road

Summary

The request sought correspondence and meeting records regarding access to the Braddan Roundhouse via the Nobles Hospital site between October 2021 and the request date. The response was partially upheld, disclosing letters and emails confirming Manx Care's opposition to permanent access due to traffic risks, particularly during TT periods.

Key Facts

• Manx Care maintains that access to the Braddan Roundhouse via the Nobles Hospital site should not be permitted due to unmitigable traffic risks.
• Concerns were raised that traffic volumes could significantly impact hospital access during TT (Tourist Trophy) periods.
• Proposed mitigations are deemed sufficient only for partial, short-term operation of the Roundhouse.
• Manx Care requires assurances from Braddan Commissioners that a permanent access road will be constructed before full operation.
• The Department of Health and Social Care is considering transferring land to Braddan at nil or nominal cost, subject to Treasury approval.

Data Disclosed

• 1 October 2021
• 28 February 2024
• 27 February 2024
• 15 December 2023
• 31 January 2024
• 09 February 2024
• 119 pages
• 5 documents
• nil / nominal cost

Original Request

I require - 1. copies of all hard copy correspondence, e-mails, and messages sent electronically by whatever other means, between 1 October 2021 and the date of this Request, by Department and by officers of the Department to Manx Care and to the Department of Infrastructure ('DOI') which referred to the roadway to/from the 'Roundhouse' ;and 2. copies of all hard copy correspondence, e-mails, and messages received electronically by whatever means, between the 1st October 2021 and the date of this Request by the Department and/or its officers from the DOI and from Manx Care and/or its officers which referred to the roadway to and from the 'Roundhouse' ; and 3. copies of any/all recordings of telephone conversations between the Minister for the Department and the DOI Minister and between the Minister and Board Members of Manx Care during the same period, in which the roadway to/from the 'Roundhouse' was discussed ; and 4.copies of any/all recordings of telephone conversations between the Department's officers and officers of the DOI and Manx Care during the same period, in which the roadway to/from the 'Roundhouse' was discussed; and 5.Extracts of the Minutes of all meetings of the Department during the same period, at which the roadway to/from the 'Roundhouse 'was discussed; and 6.Extracts of Minutes/notes of all meetings of committees of Department during the same period, at which the roadway to the 'Roundhouse 'was discussed.

Data Tables (35)

Full Response Text

From: To: Richardson, Paul (DHSC) Cc: Cope, Teresa Subject: Braddan Roundhouse Date: 28 February 2024 09:23:53 Attachments: image001.png 240228 Richardson.pdf Hi Paul,   Please find attached a letter sent on behalf of Teresa.   Many thanks,   Business Support Officer to the Chief Executive Officer & the Director for People   Manx Care • Noble’s Hospital • Strang Braddan • Isle of Man • IM4 4RJ T: +44 (0) 1624 E: • www.manxcare.im          

Manx Care • Noble’s Hospital • Strang • Braddan • Isle of Man • IM4 4RJ +44 (0) 1624 650000
enquiries@manxcare.im
www.manxcare.im Manx Care - delivering health and statutory social care services on the Isle of Man

Ref: 240228/Richardson/TC/MG

28 February 2024

Mr P Richardson Chief Officer Department of Health & Social Care First Floor, Belgravia House Circular Road Douglas IM1 1AE

Chief Executive’s Office Management Suite Noble’s Hospital Strang Braddan Isle of Man IM4 4RJ
T: (01624)

By email:

Dear Paul

Re: Braddan Roundhouse

I write to confirm the position of Manx Care following your discussion with colleagues at yesterday’s meeting (27th February).

Manx Care remain of the firm view that access to the Braddan Roundhouse via the Nobles Hospital site should not be permitted. Once the Roundhouse is operational, the risks posed by the expected volume of traffic movements will not be possible to mitigate appropriately. Of particular concern is that these volumes could significantly impact access during TT periods.

The mitigations we have proposed are only sufficient to support partial opening and operation of the Roundhouse facility in the short term. We would need to keep this position under constant review and would seek assurances from Braddan Commissioners that the permanent access road would be constructed before the Roundhouse becomes fully operational.

Manx Care’s position, as outlined in my letter to you of 15 December 2023, remains unchanged. Manx Care is grateful for the support of the DHSC and will continue to work closely with DHSC regarding this ongoing matter.

Yours sincerely Teresa Cope Chief Executive From: To: Richardson, Paul (DHSC) Cc: Cope, Teresa Subject: Braddan Roundhouse Date: 31 January 2024 13:38:29 Attachments: image001.png 240131 Richardson.pdf Hi Paul,   Please find letter attached sent on behalf of Teresa.   Many thanks,   Business Support Officer – CEO & Director for People   Manx Care • Noble’s Hospital • Strang Braddan • Isle of Man • IM4 4RJ T: +44 (0) 1624 E: • www.manxcare.im           From: Hooper, Lawrie To: Crookall, Tim (MHK); Allinson, Alex Cc: Richardson, Paul (DHSC) Subject: Braddan Roundhouse Date: 09 February 2024 16:10:31 Attachments: Boxer 1683479596761972 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596762886 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596763628 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596764350 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596765037 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596765713 inline signature.jpg Boxer 1683479596766447 inline signature.jpg Hi both  As discussed yesterday I said I’d update you after having checked in with Manx Care following their meetings with Braddan I’m advised that, contrary to what Braddan advised at the meeting, the Manx Care position on access via Nobles roads remains unchanged, as a result so does the Department’s. Alex - I’ve asked if we can try and expedite the land disposal and if we can allow access over the land for surveying / work etc rather than needing to wait for any formal disposal to conclude.  Clearly the limiting factor will be Braddan’s financial position but I don’t want us to be the cause of any delays. I’m still content to transfer this land to Braddan at nil / nominal cost in the broader national interest but obviously this requires Treasury approval.  Tim - I’ve asked Paul to pick up parking enforcement with Emily as we’re starting to get noise / complaints about people parking at Nobles not for hospital business but for accessing the Roundhouse & also parking inappropriately on the roads themselves. Not much yet but it’s just going to increase.  As I mentioned yesterday, if either of you consider there to be broader considerations that outweigh the scope of the DHSC interest (namely that of public safety on the Nobles site & Nobles Hospital operational impact) then you may wish to consider asking CoMin to make a determination. Kind regards Lawrie  Lawrie Hooper MHK BSC (Hons) MRES FCA Member of the House of Keys for Ramsey Minister of Health and Social Care Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party Legislative Buildings |Finch Road | Douglas|Isle of Man |IM1 3PW +44 7624  | www.lhooperiom.com | www.liberalvannin.im Data and Privacy  assumption is made that the site has inadequate car parking but that DHSC have indicated they can use the Palatine car parking for overflow which I assume simply won't be the case.  I'll pick up with Jennie tomorrow (I've copied her in) but any gaps you can fill about whether Braddan Commissioners have made any attempt through DOI to fulfil the condition would be helpful. Many thanks, Clare Memo produces 18.10.2016

Representation from Department of Infrastructure (DOI) – Highways Division.

PA Ref 16/00601/B

Applicant Braddan Commissioners

Agent - RIBA Site Address

Strang Corner Field Braddan Road Strang Isle Of Man

Highway Services Comment made Do not oppose with condition/comment Highways Representation history for this case. DNOC on 14/10/16

DEFER on 01-07-2016

Highways Officer HR

Highways Officer contact details EMAIL -
@gov.im

Initial notes and or Conditions (if any) Instruction from to Defer (CK)

General Comments:
The supporting Design Statement (April 2016) prepared by Kay Associates Ltd identifies that the proposed Multipurpose Community Centre generally comprises a circa 3,195sqm two- storey building including the following uses:

o Central reception / café; o Multipurpose sports hall (with capacity for 280 spectators); o Gym and yoga studio; o Nursery unit; o Pharmacy; o Opticians; o Dental surgery; o Commissioner's office; and o Soft play area.

Car Parking: Paragraph 4.1 of the supporting Traffic Statement (April 2016) prepared by Kay Associates Ltd identifies the car parking standards that were previously agreed with the Department for the above uses. When applied, paragraph 4.2 of the Memo produces 18.10.2016

aforementioned document identifies a required car parking provision of 128 spaces. However, only 74 spaces (including 5 disabled spaces) are proposed. This is contrary to TP 7 of the Strategic Plan.

The Traffic Statement seeks to justify the shortfall in parking on the basis that the peak usage of the sports hall and gym will be in the evening when the majority of the other uses have closed. It is also stated that agreement has been reached with the Department for Health & Social Care to use the existing Palatine Health Centre car park (to be increased to 52 spaces) as an overflow facility in evenings and at weekends if necessary. However, no evidence has been provided to demonstrate that 74 spaces would be adequate such as a parking accumulation study predicated on the vehicle trip generation potential of the identified uses. In addition, no comment has been provided on how traffic associated with a 280 spectator event at the sports hall would potentially be accommodated on site. However the proposal is supported by DHSC and the shortfall of parking will impact their existing use of the site rather than the public highway. Chronology of discussion 14.10.2016 - It should be noted that DHSC are currently undertaking a review of car parking provision within the entire hospital site.

Pedestrian and cycle access: It is welcomed that the development proposals include the provision of new footpath connections to Ballaoates Road and the existing bus stops on Braddan Road. However, it is not clear from the Traffic Statement if these connections will be lit. There should also be a pedestrian crossing facility provided on Braddan Road to encourage non-car modes of transport.

Vehicular Access: Development vehicular access is proposed via the formation of a new priority junction on the access road to the Palatine Health Centre. This existing access road forms part of the wider Nobles Hospital estate internal road network. It is recognised that the existing access road is a private road. Although the proposed visibility splays of 2.4 x 60m are not clear from the submitted plans, the standard of access proposed is considered to be adequate.

Trip Generation: The submitted Traffic Statement has not attempted to quantify the anticipated trip generation characteristics of the proposed mixed use development. For a development of this scale, it would be reasonable to expect the Traffic Statement to include this level of assessment to allow the Department to make a more informed decision on the development proposals and as intimated above, determining an appropriate car parking provision. The level of detail provided is considered to be contrary to TP 8 of the Strategic Plan. None of the surrounding roads are operating at capacity; the expected level of traffic Memo produces 18.10.2016

generated will increase the number of vehicle movements at Braddan Road roundabout, the hospital roundabout and Strang Road roundabout however the majority of the traffic will be at off-peak times lessening the impact.

Highway Services does not oppose this application subject to the following condition:

1. Prior to occupation of the building a pedestrian crossing facility is to be provided on Braddan Road in accordance with a plan to be approved by the planning authority.

Reason: in the interest of highway safety

02.07.2016 -

Code definition

DEFER Highways input deferred pending further information/input DNO Do not oppose DNOC Do not oppose subject to condition NHI No highways interest O Oppose

Please note that whilst the content of this memo has been completed by Officers from DOI Highways, the detail has been produced by DEFA P&BC for the benefit of the planning application file and P&BC online services.

From: Cope, Teresa To: Richardson, Paul (DHSC) Subject: FW: Road access Date: 10 February 2024 18:05:10 Attachments: image002.png image003.jpg FYI T   From: Radford, Oliver

Sent: 10 February 2024 17:19 To: Colin Whiteway

Cc: Lawless, Jackie ; Cope, Teresa

Subject: RE: Road access   Hi Colin   Unfortunately the matter is now between Braddan Commissioners and DHSC to resolve – involving the Manx Care board wouldn’t be appropriate as the decision making is outside the remit of Manx Care.   I would suggest that any communications regarding the road access go directly to DHSC and they consult us on any matters that may affect the operational running of the site.   Sorry I can’t be of more help in this difficult situation.   Thanks Oliver   Oliver Radford Executive Director of Health Services   Management Suite •  Noble’s Hospital  •  Strang Braddan •  Isle of Man  •  IM4 4RJ M: +44 (0) 7624   •  T: +44 (0) 1624 E:    •  www.manxcare.im       From: Colin Whiteway

Sent: 09 February 2024 10:05 To: Radford, Oliver

Subject: Road access Importance: High   Caution: This email is from an external sender. Please take care before opening any attachments or following any links.  From: Lawless, Jackie To: Richardson, Paul (DHSC); Cope, Teresa Cc: Pritchard, Aneurin (Manx Care) Subject: RE: Braddan Hub Date: 09 February 2024 18:52:55 Attachments: RA template a 4.final draft.docx image001.png image005.png image006.png image007.png image008.png Hi Paul,   Attached is the risk assessment that was sent to Sam earlier today. It shows what impact the proposed mitigations will have on the identified risks. Whilst they don’t eliminate the risk they bring them to within tolerable levels. I understand that work toward completion of the agreed actions is progressing reasonably well.   However, we mustn’t forget that it will still cause disruption and likely congestion when the numbers start to increase. The other issue with access is the impact over time of the increased traffic on the road surface and the likely additional cost that will be needed to maintain it. At present, I’m not aware of any offer from Braddan Commissioners to contribute towards this cost, nor has any revenue funding been sourced to address it.   Therefore, the mitigations reduce the risk to the point where temporary access in the short term is acceptable. However, a permanent alternative must be put in place as soon as possible in order to address the congestion issue and minimise the degradation of the road surface. It would be unfortunate if taxpayer funds for the health service needed to be diverted to support access to Braddan Commissioner’s facility because they didn’t see fit to fund proper access to it.   I’m not aware that Manx Care requested that the Department deny access to the Noble’s site. Ideally, we would not want this traffic on the site. However, denying access would create more of an issue for Manx Care and so the proposed solution is a helpful and pragmatic way to deal with this problem while Braddan Commissioners complete the access road. This is the position that was presented by Manx Care to DHSC and has remained unchanged since then.   I would like to see a firm commitment from Braddan Commissioners that they will put in place the alternative access as soon as possible in order to minimise the impact of their traffic on the Noble’s site. Should the works take longer than a few months or the traffic levels rise to problematic levels then obviously we would need to revisit the situation.     Thanks,   Jackie     Jackie Lawless Director of Finance, Performance & Delivery   Management Suite •  Noble’s Hospital  •  Strang Braddan •  Isle of Man  •  IM4 4RJ M: +44 (0) 7624   •  T: +44 (0) 1624 Email   •  www.manxcare.im   cid:image002.png@01DA291C.8DEB1D70                 From: Richardson, Paul (DHSC)

Sent: 09 February 2024 16:20 To: Cope, Teresa

Cc: Lawless, Jackie ; Pritchard, Aneurin (Manx Care) <

important because Braddan have been up at the Treasury today to meet DOI and Treasury on another matter and are claiming that your team are now OK with this. Personally I would be surprised if you could ever fully mitigate the impact of a development of this scale on the hospital but let me know if this is not the case.   Thanks   P       From: Cope, Teresa

Sent: 08 February 2024 13:55 To: Richardson, Paul (DHSC)

Subject: FW: Braddan Hub   FYi T   From: Pritchard, Aneurin (Manx Care)

Sent: 07 February 2024 16:58 To: Cope, Teresa

Subject: RE: Braddan Hub   Hi Teresa   BPC are sending an e-mail li

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