There is a planned redevelopment of the stadium, which will increase the capacity to over 50,000 and include over 7,000 sqm of public realm surrounding the Witton Lane entrance. As part of the redevelopment sustainable technologies such as solar panels, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and green roofs will be used.

Not only do we carry out Road Safety Audits at high profile football stadiums, but the concept of safety audit is also drilled down to grass roots football.  TMS are regularly commissioned to carry out Road Safety Audits on new vehicle accesses to support the growth of football clubs in various towns and villages throughout the UK. More recently, we have completed a Stage 1 Road Safety Audit on behalf of Kibworth FC in Leicester on their proposed expansion, which consists of a new dedicated access for the growing club.

(Picture: proposed development of Villa Park, ©Aston Villa)

The audit team commented: “During the site visit, on the village green, it was lovely to see the small, but fitting, memorial to the station and all that served during World War II.  We feel very fortunate to be able to audit such vastly different highway schemes in such diverse locations and be able to see some unusual sights along the way.”

At TMS, we have extensive experience in carrying out Road Safety Audits, at all stages, for small and large scale residential developments including Section 278, Section 38 and Section 111 schemes.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are designed to manage stormwater locally (as close to its source as possible) to mimic natural drainage and encourage its infiltration, attenuation and passive treatment.  SuDS are used to reduce the impact of rainfall on new developments, by using soakaways, grassed areas, permeable surfaces and wetlands.

Neal and Lee also carried out a Stage 1 Road Safety Audit on a Sustainable Drainage scheme in Whitstable, Kent.  The scheme consisted of amendments to the carriageway drainage, with direct connection into new conveyance swales within the park, recreation ground and landscaping works.  The outlook and purpose of the scheme was very similar (as can be seen from the artist’s impression of the final product).

There has been rapid growth in electric vehicle charging (EV) points in the UK since the first electric vehicle charging points were installed in the early 2000’s. However, since the mid 2010’s EV charging points have become a common sight on the public highway and car parks throughout the UK.  In January 2015 there were 2,283 charging devices, with 195 of these being rapid charging or above. Compare that to June 2023, where there are now over 44,000 charging devices with over 8,000 of these being rapid or above.

We have also audited a priority junction access on a dual carriageway in Essex for a proposed battery storage unit and an access for a solar farm installation in Oxfordshire. The accesses are required for the purpose of construction of the site and ongoing maintenance vehicles thereafter.

Road Safety Audits on such schemes are becoming more and more frequent as the country intensifies it’s move towards such power sources.  TMS has carried out design stage road safety audits on both EV charging points and solar farms throughout the country, in places such as Greater London, Birmingham, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Hampshire.