Repton Village Website
Repton - historic capital of Mercia
REPTON
& MILTON VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
5. Transport and Communications
Repton
The village has communication links via various transport means. There are five road routes into the village from Willington, Burton, Swadlincote and two from Milton. The village is served by a regular bus service. There is a mainline train station in the neighbouring village of Willington, about a mile and a quarter away. Nottingham East Midlands Airport is situated approximately 10 miles east of the village. There is an extensive network of footpaths both within the village envelope and across the surrounding farmland.
Roads
Repton lies within two miles of the junction between the trunk routes, the A50 and A38. Adjacent to this junction is the Toyota car plant at Burnaston. The proximity of these and the location of the bridge over the Trent at Willington (the only one for five miles in either direction), have lead to a substantial increase in road traffic in recent years. The bridges at Willington restrict the size of vehicles that can access Repton and Calder Industries (Trent Alloys) in Willington from the A38 and A50 causing these vehicles to use the alternative country lanes not designed for this type of traffic.
Repton is a very old settlement and the street layout, with little or no off-street parking, does not easily accommodate the influx of high levels of traffic. Two particular issues are evident. The first is the narrowness of the High Street and Burton Road in the vicinity of The Cross. This leads to severe congestion at times of high traffic density. The situation is compounded here and in other areas of the village by the various school runs. The street layout around The Cross also affects pedestrians, due to the narrowness or absence of pavements.
The other significant issue occurs on the outskirts of the village. The roads leading into Repton all cross substantial areas of farmland before reaching the first houses. The transition from open countryside to build-up area is not abrupt, leading to a tendency for speed limits to be exceeded.
The Trent Villager bus service runs to both Derby and Burton via the villages in between. The bus stop is located at Repton Cross, which is more than a mile from houses at the south-eastern end of the village. There is also a weekly, free bus, which is run by, and to, the Tesco supermarket in Burton-on-Trent.
Cyclists are often seen in Repton, either commuting or out on a leisure ride. The perceived risk to cyclists from other vehicles is a particular issue on the causeway from Willington, where the traffic speeds tend to be higher and the road is relatively narrow, making overtaking difficult.
High Street - Repton
Footpaths
Repton is unusually well provided with footpaths both within the village environment and in the neighbouring farmland. These are extensively used, the accessibility encouraging people to walk from home. Indeed, some of the paths are relatively popular with walkers from the surrounding towns and villages.
A network of hidden footpaths and ‘jitties’ criss-cross Repton and provide pleasant car-free links between different parts of the community.
Railway
The station in Willington is on the mainline between Derby and Birmingham and so could provide relatively easy access to destinations such as Nottingham and Burton. Recently the frequency of trains stopping at this station has decreased, which together with the lack of a linked bus service, reduces the usefulness of this facility.
Nottingham East Midlands Airport
The airport is both an asset and a disadvantage to the village. The availability of local air transport helps the region’s economy and provides an accessible airport for holiday and business travellers. The downside is the level of disturbance caused by aircraft, particularly when coming into land, as they tend to be closer to the ground and are more likely to over-fly the village. The size of aircraft and the frequency of flights have increased significantly in recent years. Nottingham East Midlands Airport is biased to freight transport, which leads to a high proportion of night flying.
Milton
Milton has road links to Repton, Ticknall and Swarkestone bridge (via Foremark). Traffic levels are high as the hamlet is used as a through route. There is no longer a public transport service in Milton. The majority of residents rely on their own transport or that of neighbours. This dependence upon the motor car brings with it the problem of car parking because many residents have no garage facilities and, of necessity, have to park in the main street.
There is a web of footpaths and bridle paths linking Milton across open fields with outlying farmsteads and settlements and with adjacent villages. These are used extensively by walkers, cyclists and horse riders, both residents and visitors.
Comments – from consultation
Efforts should be made to encourage and ideally integrate, public transport services in order to reduce congestion.
Measures adopted to control road traffic should reflect lessons learnt from existing village schemes and only be introduced after full public consultation.
Pavements and road crossings should be adequate (position, surface and width) for all users including parents with young children and disabled people, particularly where public transport is not available.
Any new residential or business developments should provide adequate provision for off-street parking. Any available opportunities should be taken to provide off-street parking in the village centre.
Cycle tracks are likely to encourage more people to use bicycles as an alternative to cars and should be considered where appropriate. The risk to cyclists on the causeway to Willington should be addressed.
Footpaths within the villages should continue to be maintained. Surfaces, gates and stiles should be chosen to allow easy access to all, including provision for wheelchairs and prams, when practical.
Future growth of Nottingham East Midlands Airport should be closely monitored and resisted if seen to have a detrimental effect on the village.
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