Summary and Next Steps

Strategic Assessment Overview

The need for realignment of the A75 at Springholm and Crocketford was originally noted in the A75 Gretna to Stranraer – Route Action Plan – Firm Strategy Report, published in October 1999 and has since been considered or recommended in some way through both the first Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) and the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which included the South West Scotland Transport Study - Initial Appraisal: Case for Change (SWSTS) as one of the advance studies for STPR2. STPR2 presented the Strategic Case for improved access to Stranraer and the ports at Cairnryan through Recommendation 40, which included reference to the A75 realignment around Springholm and Crocketford as an example of a location for an improvement scheme.

In March 2024, Scottish Ministers were formally granted funding from the Union Connectivity Development Fund to progress Recommendation 40 from STPR2, specifically to progress the realignment of the A75 around Springholm and Crocketford.

In November 2024, Transport Scotland commissioned Jacobs to progress design and assessment work in relation to the realignment of the A75 around Springholm and Crocketford. The requirement is to complete a Strategic Assessment and depending on its findings potentially undertake a Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 1 Scheme Assessment, as well as a DMRB Stage 2 Scheme Assessment and a draft Outline Business Case (OBC). The Strategic Assessment includes a review of previous studies and assessments undertaken in relation to the A75 Trunk Road, a ‘gap’ analysis and a report on the findings.

Review of Previous Studies, Strategic Review and Gap Identification

The Strategic Assessment for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements has included a review of the relevant policies and strategies at a national, regional and local level to summarise the current policy context to inform the assessment and how it should progress to align with aims and objectives at all levels. This includes the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 at a national level, the SWestrans Regional Transport Strategy at a regional level and Dumfries and Galloway’s Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2) and Active Travel Strategy at a local level. The assessment summarises the previous studies that have been carried out on the A75 Trunk Road from the Route Action Plans originally produced in 1999, through to Recommendation 40 of STPR2 and the Union Connectivity Review.

The review has captured further details of the content, data and analyses that have been conducted as part of the previous studies and that are of direct relevance to ongoing work for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements. This has focussed on the analyses and outcomes of the SWSTS and STPR2, the previous strategic and economic assessment work completed in relation to the A75 as well as the Union Connectivity Review. The evidence-base used in the development of the SWSTS Case for Change and the STPR2 appraisal was examined to inform the identification of gaps to address in the next stages of assessment and to reaffirm that the problems and opportunities relevant to the A75 Trunk Road remain valid.

The gap identification exercise has been undertaken to ascertain datasets and information that will either require to be updated as part of the next stages of assessment for the proposed scheme, or was not originally included as part of the previous assessments and will need to be added as new information to support the ongoing process. The new data and information that relates to the assessment requirements for the DMRB scheme assessment process and the development of the OBC largely relate to traffic modelling, economic assessment and environmental assessment requirements, ensuring environment and climate change impacts are captured and external factors such as Brexit are considered. As part of the gap analysis, the source of updated or new data has been identified including whether this is reliant on third parties to provide. This process has already begun for a number of datasets and has been used to inform the context section of the Strategic Assessment.

At this stage although no gaps have been identified that are of major concern, it is recommended that consideration is given to undertaking a DMRB Stage 1 Scheme Assessment for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements. This would be specific to the proposed scheme and would fulfil the additional DMRB Stage 1 assessment requirements to bridge the progression from the strategic case (STPR2) through to the more detailed requirements of a DMRB Stage 2 Scheme Assessment.

Scheme Objectives

The Strategic Assessment presents the refined objectives for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements. The refinements to the initial draft scheme objectives originally included in the commission brief for the proposed scheme are outlined, focussing on the proposed changes to provide additional clarity and follow ‘SMART’ principles as far as possible.

The refined A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements objectives are as follows:

  • Reduce the environmental impacts and severance caused by strategic traffic using the A75 trunk road within Springholm and Crocketford, by achieving a reduction in traffic of at least 50%, and enhance placemaking opportunities from year of opening.
  • Improve the resilience and reliability of the A75 trunk road, including for freight travelling to and from the ports at Cairnryan, by reducing time lost due to slower moving vehicles and incidents locally to increase the average speed and reduce the variation in average speed from year of opening.
  • Reduce local accident rates and severity through reducing KSIs by 65% in line with Road Safety Framework targets, and contribute to improving safety on the A75 trunk road within five years of opening.
  • Contribute towards sustainable economic growth locally and for the region by creating potential for local land-use opportunities to increase planning applications over the longer term.
  • Increase sustainable travel choices and increase the local sustainable transport mode share by 50%, within a year of opening.

The alignment of the refined objectives to the South West Scotland regional sub-objectives developed as part of the STPR2, and hence to the overarching national-level STPR2 objectives has been determined through a ‘mapping’ exercise. This exercise overall has demonstrated the comprehensive alignment between the refined objectives for the proposed scheme with the STPR2 objectives. This maintains consistency with the previously identified problems and opportunities for the region.

Next Steps

The Strategic Assessment has identified various gaps from the review of the previous studies and has confirmed that the refined objectives developed for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements are aligned with the STPR2 national-level objectives and regional sub-objectives. These refined objectives will inform the transport related assessment for the proposed scheme to meet the requirements of the DMRB scheme assessment process and the development of the OBC.

From the work completed in the document review and gap identification of the Strategic Assessment, work is being progressed to collate information and data to address the gaps. The problems and opportunities identified in previous assessments will then be reaffirmed or potentially amended if more recent data indicates this may be appropriate.

As noted previously, it is recommended that consideration is given to undertaking a DMRB Stage 1 Scheme Assessment for the proposed scheme to fulfil the additional assessment requirements to bridge the progression from the strategic case (STPR2) through to the more detailed requirements of a DMRB Stage 2 Scheme Assessment.

From the environment perspective, the findings of the SEAs that were undertaken both for STPR2 and the SWestrans RTS were of an appropriate level expected at the strategic stage and no gaps were identified in the work that was undertaken. However, similar to the transport-related elements, additional information over and above the level that was necessary for the SEAs would be required to support a scheme assessment. This therefore reaffirms the need for a DMRB Stage 1 Scheme Assessment to be completed to bridge the progression from the strategic STPR2 through to the more detailed requirements of a DMRB Stage 2 Scheme Assessment. Undertaking an Environmental Appraisal will enable the more comprehensive and specific information on the environmental features and constraints within and adjacent to the A75 corridor to be established, and that are important to inform and shape the DMRB Stage 1 Scheme Assessment process.

Further work will also be required to progress the five cases that together will form the OBC, these being the Strategic Case, the Economic Case, the Financial Case, the Commercial Case and the Management Case. As noted in the Strategic Review – Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 section of this report, the STPR2 established the Strategic Business Case (SBC) for Recommendation 40 ‘Access to Stranraer and ports at Cairnryan’ that includes the A75 realignment around Springholm and Crocketford as an example location of an improvement scheme. The OBC, through the Strategic Case component, will re-visit the SBC in more detail, will identify a preferred option, will summarise how it will meet the objectives and how the realisation of the benefits are to be measured. Work to complete the other four cases will be undertaken in parallel with the DMRB assessment stages.