Programme of Activities
Explanatory text for National Highways Programme of Activities for Third Party Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects
The National Highways Programme of Activities for Development Consent Order projects is set out chronologically from left to right.
It covers 4 stages. Firstly, from the left, Initial Engagement. Secondly, Options Assessment. Thirdly, Development of Highway Solution. And the fourth and final stage at the right of the page, DCO Examination.
The Initial Engagement stage begins with Early Engagement: Initial meetings with Promoter to understand nature, location and scale of the project and potential SRN interfaces, and for National Highways to communicate Key Requirements (and share related information as per Guidance) and agree Operating Model.
This flows down and right to the next step which is for National Highways to carry out a strategic assessment of the project.
This flows down to the next stage which is to agree initial view on areas of the SRN requiring assessment, potential SRN interfaces and key matters for informing options.
This then flows right to three parallel activities.
Firstly, confirm which of National Highways’ Key Requirements apply to the project. Secondly, agree principles for realignments, crossings and/or new connections. And thirdly, agree project-specific Programme of Activities
Completion of these three activities mark the end of the Initial Engagement stage, at which point the Programme moves into the Options Assessment stage.
This stage and the subsequent stages of the Programme are divided into eight rows, each row relating to one of the following National Highways Key Requirements:
- Future-proofing
- Impacts Assessment
- Agree Assurance Framework
- Design
- Maintenance and Renewals
- Environmental
- Construction approach
- Lands and Legal
The Options Assessment stages has two milestones within it. Firstly, the Options Report. Secondly, the Preferred Option.
The following activities lead up to the Options Report milestone.
For Future-proofing, National Highways determines the initial future-proofing requirements. This then has a line from left to right indicating that this should be continually kept under review and updated throughout the process up to the Preliminary Design milestone during the Development of Highways Solutions stage.
For Impacts Assessment, the first activity is to agree the modelling approach. This is following by agreeing the base model agreed in principle. This is followed by agreeing the forecast model agreed in principle. The base model and forecast model activities both have lines coming from them, from left to right, indicating that these should be continually kept under review and updated throughout the process.
For Agree Assurance Framework, the box goes the length of the programme with text which says ‘work through highway design in line with assurance framework’.
For Design, there are 3 parallel boxes. Firstly, agree options sift criteria in relation to highway matters. Secondly, discuss associated assessment, E.g., Walking, Cycling and Horse-riding Assessment and surveys. Thirdly, confirm design standards i.e., Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. This is followed by a fourth box, Identify and log critical departures from standard and assess criticality.
There is nothing for Maintenance and Renewals before the Options Report milestone.
There is also nothing for Environmental before the Options Report milestone.
For Construction approach, the activity is to consider high level construction approach / methodology.
For Lands and Legal, the first activity is to commence land records search which is followed by considering land requirements in operation and construction, e.g., potential access, easements and/or acquisition.
The Programme then reaches the Options Report milestone.
The following activities then lead up to the Preferred Option milestone.
For Impacts Assessment, produce the highway scheme model for the operational phase. There is then a line from left to right indicating that this should be continually kept under review and updated throughout the process.
For Design, National Highways and the Promoter agree the Preliminary Design products.
For Maintenance and Renewals, there are two parallel activities. Firstly, Maintenance and Repair Statement, with a line from left to right indicating that this should be continually kept under review and updated throughout the process. And secondly, National Highways prepares the Commuted Lump Sum Order of Magnitude estimates.
For Environmental, the activity during this stage is the EIA Scoping
For Construction approach, the activity is to identify principal construction considerations.
For Lands and Legal there is no specific activity at this stage.
These activities culminate in the Preferred Option milestone, which indicates the end of the Options Assessment stage. The Development of Highway Solution stage then begins.
On the plan there are four milestones for this phase, firstly Preliminary Design, secondly the Promoter’s Design Freeze and later the Statement of Common Ground followed by the Promoter submitting their DCO application.
The following activities leading up to Preliminary Design milestone.
For Future-proofing, compliance and design assurance.
For Impacts Assessment, produce highway scheme model for the construction phase, then with a line from left to right indicating that this should be continually kept under review and updated throughout the process.
For Design, there are two parallel boxes. Firstly, collaboratively review Preliminary Design Report/Products. Secondly, submit critical departures to Agreement in Principle (AiP). Then further along this phase of the Programme, the activity is for the Promoter to to carry out GG119 Road Safety Audit and GG 104 Safety Risk Assessment.
For Maintenance and Renewals, National Highways prepares the CLS preliminary estimate.
For Environmental, the activity is the preliminary environmental design finding E.g., land for mitigation.
For Construction Approach, the activity is to consider interfaces with other parties’ work on the network.
And for Lands and Legal, agree any land acquisitions/possessions in principle.
These activities culminate in the Preferred Design milestone between National Highways and the Promoter, and the Design Freeze milestone which the Promoter will base their DCO submission on.
Then the following activities lead up to Statement of Common Ground and DCO submission milestones.
For Impacts Assessment, review the draft Transport Assessment
For Design, continuous design collaboration as needed.
For Environmental, review the draft environmental masterplan and draft environmental management plan.
For Construction Approach, review the draft construction docs, E.g., outline Construction Traffic Management Plan (oCTMP), Workforce Travel Plan, Buildability Report, Code of Construction Practice.
And for Lands and Legal, there are two parallel activities. Firstly, review draft Book of Reference, and secondly, agree Protective Provisions and other DCO wording (i.e., Articles, Requirements etc.).
These activities culminate in the Statement of Common Ground milestone between NH and then the DCO Submission milestone, which indicate the end of the Development of Highway Solution stage.
The Programme then enters the DCO Examination process stage.
During this stage there are three activities running in parallel on the Programme, leading up to the final milestone on the Programme, the DCO being granted.
Firstly, National Highways engages in Examination process as required by the Examining Authority (ExA). Secondly, National Highways continues collaborative engagement with Promoter as required. Thirdly, National Highways initiates the handover process to the post-consent delivery assurance team.
These activities culminate in the granting of the DCO, which concludes this indicative Programme of Activities.
For further detail around this indicative Programme of Activities, please refer the accompanying Programme of Activities for Third Party NSIPs, Guidance for Promoters.
And if you have any queries relating to these documents, please contact the National Highways Third Party NSIPs Team at ThirdPartyInfrastructureGroup@nationalhighways.co.uk.
