Powering New Ground: Road Safety Audits at the Former Rugeley Power Station

TMS Consultancy has been delivering Road Safety Audits for the redevelopment of the former Rugeley Power Station since February 2023, supporting a major housing and education-led development in Staffordshire.

Demolished in June 2021, the coal-fired power station had stood on the south-eastern side of Rugeley, Staffordshire, for fifty years, providing electricity to millions. The site is now undergoing regeneration and will, when complete, comprise a low-carbon mixed-use development of up to 2,300 homes, commercial uses, a new country park and an All-Through School.

The school has been completed and opened to secondary pupils in September 2025, with nursery and primary provision to follow in later phases.

A new spine road for a growing site

Between February 2023 and April 2024, TMS was commissioned to prepare Road Safety Audits on a new spine road serving the whole development site.

The initial design included over 3km of road, multiple junctions and connections to the A51, along with shared footway/cycleways, uncontrolled crossings and traffic calming.

Auditing a scheme of this scale meant considering how the road would need to work for people walking, cycling and driving, long before most of the surrounding development had been built. The audits provided an opportunity to identify potential road safety issues as the proposals developed and before the wider infrastructure was delivered.

Getting the school open ahead of the wider site

As the development progressed, there was a need to provide access to the All-Through School ahead of construction of the remainder of the site.

In December 2024, TMS was commissioned to prepare a Stage 1 Road Safety Audit for an interim highway scheme to facilitate this access. The proposals included temporary roads providing access to the school’s eastern and western car parks, together with separate shared footway/cycleways.

This arrangement allowed pupils travelling on foot and by bicycle to reach the school separately from vehicular traffic, while providing the access needed for the school to open ahead of the wider development.

Building site at the Former Rugeley Power Station.

Building site at former Rugeley powerstation with temporary traffic management signs.

Road safety from design through to completion

TMS provided ongoing road safety input as the interim school access progressed from initial design through to completion.

A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit was undertaken in January 2025, followed by a Stage 2 audit in February. As the scheme progressed towards opening, an Interim Stage 3 Road Safety Audit was completed in September 2025, ahead of the school opening, with the full Stage 3 audit following in November.

This continued involvement enabled the audit process to adapt as the development evolved, helping to ensure the interim school access operated safely while the wider site continued to develop.

Why this matters

Road Safety Audits are an essential part of highway design, including temporary and interim schemes. Undertaken in line with industry standard, GG119, they provide an independent review of highway proposals and help identify potential hazards early, when changes can be made more effectively. Addressing issues at this stage can help avoid more costly changes once a scheme has progressed into construction or operation.

The Rugeley project demonstrates how this approach can support complex developments delivered over a number of years. From the initial site-wide spine road to the temporary access required to bring the All-Through School forward, TMS has provided a consistent road safety perspective as the development has progressed.

The project also highlights the importance of maintaining that perspective as schemes move from design through construction and into operation, particularly where infrastructure is delivered in phases and the surrounding environment continues to change.