Figure 1.3.3

National Context

1.3.4 A New Deal for Transport (1998)

The 1998 Transport White Paper introduced Local Transport Plans as a key element in delivering an integrated transport policy. Although partly superseded by the The Future of Transport, the White Paper remains important in setting out an agenda that emphasises an integrated approach to transport. This is intended to address how people actually experience transport in its many forms as well as the relationship between transport, land-use, the economy and the environment. A New Deal for Transport is also important in stressing the importance of effectively managing existing infrastructure rather than, for example, building new roads.

1.3.5 Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) 13 Transport (2001)

This emphasises the importance of integrating planning and transport at local as well as national and regional level. It has three key objectives;

• promote more sustainable transport choices for both people and freight
• promote accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking and cycling, and
• reduce the need to travel, especially by car.

Planning Authorities through their Local Development Frameworks and decisions on individual planning applications have a central role in delivering patterns of development that are sustainable and facilitate access by a variety of modes of transport.

1.3.6 Government and Local Government Shared Priorities (2002)

Seven priorities were agreed by the Government and Local Government Association in 2002 as a shared focus for improving public services. These are;

• raising school standards
• improving the quality of life for children, young people, families at risk and older people
• promoting healthier communities by targeting key local services like health and housing
• creating stronger and safer communities
• transforming local environments
• promoting economic vitality of localities
• meeting transport needs more effectively.

The shared transport objective is; Improving access to jobs, particularly for those most in need, in ways which are sustainable; Improved public transport, reduced problems of congestion, pollution and safety.

Department for Transport guidance on LTPs emphasises the importance of strategies and policies explicitly addressing accessibility, congestion, air quality and road safety. Public transport is seen a key way of achieving this.

1.3.7 Sustainable Communities Plan: Building for the Future (2003)

Building for the Future sets out the Government's vision for urban areas. The Local Transport Plan will play an important role in contributing to improving the environment, facilitating economic development and promoting safe access. The Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders take a comprehensive approach to addressing issues of low demand housing. Elevate East Lancashire is one of nine Pathfinders nationally.

1.3.8 Making the Connections: Transport and Social Exclusion (2003)

A milestone piece of research that identified how transport and wider factors can affect the ability of people to reach key services and needs such as health provision, education and employment. The recommendations emphasise the importance of partnership working to address these issues with Local Transport Authorities playing a central coordinating role.

1.3.9 The Future of Transport: A network for 2030 (2004)

The Future of Transport: A network for 2030 published in July 2004 sets out the Government's overall transport strategy building on the Ten year Plan for Transport of 2000. This recognises the vital role that improving mobility plays in meeting the wider objectives for the economy and an inclusive society. It seeks to ensure that we can benefit from greater mobility and access, whilst minimising adverse impacts on other people and the environment, now and in the future. The strategy is built around three central themes;

• sustained investment over the long term
• improvements in transport management to achieve better value for money
• advanced planning for transport policies and programmes.

1.3.10 Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 11 Regional Spatial Strategies (2004)

PPS11 sets out how Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) will establish a statutory regional and sub-regional planning framework.  The sub-regional elements of the Plan will replace the Joint Lancashire Structure Plan which is "saved" until March 2008 or when RSS is adopted.  An integral element of RSS will be the Regional Transport Strategy which is intended (Annex B) to steer development of LTPs.

1.3.11 Securing the Future (2005)

Securing the Future sets out the Government's strategy for sustainable development over a broad range of issues. It emphasises the importance of addressing problems in a holistic manner. Examples of this include the importance of measures such as walking and cycling action plans and travel plans to improving health and air quality and the role of Accessibility Planning. A number of national targets are identified together with a list of voluntary local indicators identified by the Audit Commission.

1.3.12 Regional Funding Allocations: Guidance on Preparing Advice (2005)

The 2004 Spending Review announced that the Government would examine new ways to integrate expenditure on transport, economic and housing strategies in each of the English regions. A consultation on Regional Funding Allocations was launched alongside the Pre-Budget Report in December 2004. This was followed in July 2005 by publication of guidance on how to apportion spending as well as actual budgets for the period up to 2007/08 and indicative budgets up to 2015/16. The figures for transport in the North West are £113 million in 2005/06 rising with an anticipated inflation rate of 2% to £135 million in 2015/16. The figures for housing and economic development are significantly higher. Thus the total budget for the North West in 2005/06 is £745 million. Regions are given the discretion to switch money between the three sectors if they consider this appropriate. The transport element of the budget covers all LTP Major Schemes in the Region plus works on Regional Routes managed by the Highways Agency. Schemes that would be funded by Network Rail or by the Government's Transport Innovation Fund are not included.

The schemes selected in the North West have been subject to a prioritisation process. The methodology was based on that used by the Regional Assembly in a parallel exercise for prioritising schemes to be included in the Regional Transport Strategy within the Regional Spatial Strategy. The results, which were approved by the NWRA and NWDA Boards, will be used by Government to decide which proposals will be funded. Schemes identified in Lancashire are Heysham-M6 Link, Phase 1 of the Blackpool to Fleetwood Tramway upgrade and East Lancashire Rapid Transit.

1.3.13 Best Value and Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)

Best Value is a tool for examining the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering services; CPA applies this approach across all services delivered by the authority. A Best Value Review of in-house transport provision in Lancashire resulted in a comprehensive re-organisation of the delivery of services. The Audit Commission ranked Lancashire County Council as an excellent authority in its 2005 appraisal.

1.3.14 Modern Ports (2000)

Modern Ports establishes the Government's view of how port policy should develop. The shipping and port industry is described as primarily a commercial operation with operators free to chose which facility to use. The Government does not see its role as interfering in the market but facilitating it. Four Key Objectives are set out;

• regulation should add value, not cost
• promotion of agreed national standards for port management and operations
• skills development
• high environmental standards including making best use of existing and former operational land. Sustainable projects on other sites will however be supported.

Another important element of the document is the recognition that good landside access to ports by road and rail is fundamental to their effective operation. Coastal shipping is also encouraged. The document does not set out any priorities for the role of specific Ports. Indeed it is explicitly stated that all Port projects will be considered on their individual merits. This has been the case with individual large Container Port projects in the South of England. A national long term Ports Policy is due to be published in the next year.

1.3.15 The Future of Air Travel White Paper (2003)

The White Paper sets out a long term 30 year strategy for the growth of air transport in the UK. Manchester is regarded as playing a key international role within the UK with further expansion up to 50 million passengers projected. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also anticipated to have significant further growth. The introduction of low-cost services at Blackpool Airport has led to rapid growth in passenger numbers. The airport should be capable of developing the additional capacity it needs within its existing boundaries and land ownership. Proposals for future expansion should be determined locally.

The White Paper states that each Airport Operator should, with partners, develop a Surface Access Strategy. These should identify measures to reduce the number of passengers who travel to and from the Airport by car.

1.3.16 Traffic Management Act (2004)

The primary objective of the Traffic Management Act is to ensure more effective utilisation of the highway network. It introduces new powers aimed at making better use of existing assets.  Each Local Traffic Authority is required to appoint a Traffic Manager with responsibility for facilitating the movement of traffic including pedestrians and reducing congestion. New powers are given to the Traffic Manager to regulate and control work by utility providers, including the use of fines if works continue beyond their programmed date. Local Traffic Authorities are required to instigate clear procedures and record keeping for their own works. Other opportunities arising from the Act include the scope for greater civil enforcement powers on moving traffic offences and the ability to check the legitimacy of Blue Badges.

1.3.17 National Funding Mechanisms

1.3.18 Public Private Partnerships: The Government's approach (2000) and PFI: Meeting the Investment (2003)

Public Private Partnership (PPP) is a mechanism in which the public and private sectors work together to share the risk of building and managing a large public sector project. The most common way of delivering this is through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) where the private sector builds and maintains a project, usually over a period of 20-30 years, to criteria set by a public sector client. The approach is regarded by Government as particularly appropriate for delivering major and complex schemes where the private sector can contribute innovative design, project management and maintenance skills. It is not usually appropriate to smaller projects. An example of a transport project delivered by this means is the M6 Toll Road.

1.3.19 Transport Innovation Fund

The Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) was first proposed in the 2004 White Paper The Future of Transport. Further details of how TIF will operate were set out in July 2005 and in DfT Guidance published in January 2006. The purpose of the Fund is to direct resources to two high priority objectives; tackling congestion and improving economic productivity. Money from TIF is additional to the Regional Funding Allocation and LTP block grants. Substantial funding will be available to schemes that demonstrate value for money. £290 million will be available nationally in 2008/09 rising to 31.3 billion in 2011/12 and £2.55 billion in 2014/15.

A fundamental element of the Congestion element of TIF is to identify projects that will contribute to bringing forward the White Paper proposals for Demand Management on the Highway network. The two categories most relevant to Lancashire relate to individual settlements or groups of towns. TIF funding for Productivity is focused on projects that address transport constraints that are of national or regional significance for productivity. Advice will be sought by the DfT from Regional Development Agencies on these projects.

Regional Issues

The Northern Way

The Northern Way is being led by the three northern Regional Development Agencies develop a long-term strategy for growing the economy of the whole of the North. It seeks to identify ways of bridging the £29 billion output gap between the North and the rest of the country. A key objective is to influence the Government Spending Review in 2007. In March 2003 the three RDAs established the Northern Way Steering Group to guide the preparation of the Growth Strategy. The Growth Strategy and Business Plan 2005-2008 have now been published, setting out proposals to establish a Northern Way Transport Compact. Improving Connectivity is identified as a specific workstream to enhance productivity. Key elements that are relevant to LTP2 are;

Airports - LTP2 supports better access by rail to Manchester Airport. The Blackpool Airport Surface Access Strategy will support the growth of this fast growing facility which has a growing strategic role both for tourism and for business in Lancashire.

Access to Ports - The LTP has taken into account the findings of the Northern Way Ports Study as developed so far. LTP2 includes proposals for improved access to the ports of Heysham and Fleetwood. The Heysham-M6 link will provide much improved road access to the Port of Heysham. Pursuing use of the existing rail link for car export and other traffic will also contribute to the continued success of this important access point to Ireland. The improvements proposed in the Norcross-M55 corridor will greatly reduce congestion for goods vehicles travelling to Ireland via Fleetwood.

Premier Transit systems and stronger city region linkages - Improved Trans-Pennine rail services between Manchester and Leeds will stimulate growth in Central Lancashire. The Leeds-Blackpool Roses Route performs an important complementary role which the County Council, together with its partners, is seeking to enhance. Improved links from the City Region into Greater Manchester are also being pursued through the LTP2 Rail and Bus Strategies. The M62 Route Action Plan will identify short and medium term actions on the trans-Pennine motorway. LTP2 will undertake further investigation of possible road improvements on the A56 corridor into North Yorkshire.

The CIVITAS project will develop Lancashire's ambition to build a Total Transport Network in Preston and South Ribble. Elements of the emerging proposals will be considered for a bid to the Transport Innovation Fund. The Blackpool-Fleetwood Tramway scheme contributes greatly to the Blackpool Masterplan and provides an important link along the Fylde Coast between Blackpool and Fleetwood. The East Lancashire Rapid Transit takes an innovative approach to bus infrastructure and integration of bus and rail services and will support the regeneration of East Lancashire. Lancashire is also involved in proposals to develop a new Bus Partnership Framework for the City region, including a Northern Connect Card.

Sustainable Communities - LTP2 aims to integrate effectively with the Elevate Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, establishing detailed partnership initiatives to improve safety and the quality of public space.

1.3.20 Priorities for Action in the Central Lancashire City Region

The Northern Way Business Plan 2005-08 sets out eight Priorities for Action. One priority is the unique concept of a Central Lancashire City Region as the Green City of quality urban living next to readily accessible, superb countryside, the city with ‘room to breathe’:

• The Green City will deliver two Regional Park proposals, nurture our market towns and support delivery of rural renewal as important to the functionality of the City Region.

Two priorities will be instrumental in the growth of the North and of the UK economy:

• stimulating our advanced manufacturing base including a global presence in the aerospace sector

• strengthening the North’s tourism profile through the Blackpool URC Masterplan, the UK’s largest tourism renewal initiative.

Partners will underpin these priorities of truly pan-regional significance by delivering Sustainable Urban Growth:

• A sustainable network of urban locations will be developed, which will maximise the complementary economic strengths and opportunities of our key urban centres.
• Connecting the City Region will foster connectivity and accessibility to secure true economies of scale and agglomeration of the City Region.

The remaining three priorities will underpin the others, making a direct contribution to raising the value of the City Region economy;

• stimulating and spreading enterprise
• expanding the role and reach of higher education
• enhancing skills and employability.

This LTP supports these plans by the inclusion of bespoke plans and schemes which can be seen in detail in Chapter 4.

1.3.21 Central Lancashire City Region Development Programme

The Lancashire Economic Partnership is responsible for delivering the Central Lancashire City Region Development Programme (CRDP) to tackle the Priorities for Action. The programme has contributed to the RSS process and the RES review process. The Central Lancashire CRDP is addressing the Key Issues of;

• Blackpool Masterplan
• stimulating advanced manufacturing and the aerospace sector
• development of BAE Systems site at Salmesbury near Preston
• Pennine Gateway, an enlarged Regional Investment Site at Whitebirk, Hyndburn
• Regional Investment Sites at Cuerden, South Ribble, and Buckshaw, Chorley
• Preston City Vision and town centre proposals in Blackburn and Burnley.

The CRDP identifies the importance of multi-modal connectivity both within the City Region and to adjacent City Regions in order to support economic regeneration and sustainable growth. Motorway congestion, poor rail links from East Lancashire to Manchester and inadequate east-west connections are seen as major concerns. A number of specific schemes are included, some of which are reliant on the actions of partner bodies, such as the Highways Agency and Network Rail.

Schemes put forward in the CRDP to support Internal Accessibility include;

• Blackpool-Fleetwood Tramway upgrade
• East Lancashire Rapid Transit.

Schemes put forward in the CRDP to support External Connectivity include;

• improvements to address long term capacity problems on the A56/M66 corridor
• enhanced interchange at Preston railway station.

Schemes put forward in the CRDP to improve National and International LInks include;

• Heysham-M6 Link to Port of Heysham
• improved road links on the M55 to Fleetwood corridor
• development of City Regional Airport in Blackpool.

Lancashire County Council will continue to work with colleagues from Northern Way and the Lancashire Economic Partnership on schemes both as part of the Northern Way Connectivity Workstream and in the production of transport priorities for the CRDP.

1.3.22 Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)

Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 11 Regional Spatial Strategies states in Annex B paragraphs 15-17 that the Regional Transport Strategy within RSS forms a regional and sub-regional policy context for the preparation of LTPs. It addresses more than purely transport issues and incorporates other land-use policies.

Spatial planning is intimately linked with transport. The physical location of new housing, employment and leisure facilities has a major impact on the demand for transport and the ability of people to get where they want by different means. RSS was developed as Regional Planning Guidance and was adopted in March 2003. Many policies have a direct or indirect relationship to transport.

The approach of the Draft RSS reflects that taken in the Northern Way and the Regional Economic Strategy, being based upon three City Regions; Manchester, Merseyside and Central Lancashire. Most of Lancashire joins Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen in the Central Lancashire City Region. West Lancashire is included within the Merseyside City Region. Lancaster in the northern part of the County is outside the core of the Central Lancashire City Region and has it own separate policy. As in the existing RSS, development in the Central Lancashire City Region is primarily focused on the principal urban areas of Preston and Burnley together with the Unitary Authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.

Levels of projected household formation continue to increase, together with the need to support economic growth and regeneration. The levels of housing growth envisaged in Draft RSS Policy L4 are thus significantly higher than those in the initial RSS and the Joint Lancashire Structure Plan. Fylde and Wyre in particular see significant jumps in house building rates, due in part to in-migration. Most new housing will be on previously developed land, but in Preston and Chorley around 50% of new housing will be on greenfield sites, and in Wyre and Rossendale over 40%. This will have implications on local traffic levels, new road infrastructure and the ability to service these locations by public transport.

With respect to employment, the Regional Investment Sites at Bailrigg (Lancaster), Cuerden (South Ribble), Buckshaw (Chorley) and Whitebirk (Hyndburn) are retained and the need for a Knowledge Nucleus in Central Preston is included in Policy W2. Provision of an additional 441ha of employment land across Lancashire for the period up to 2021 is addressed in Policy W3 and the development of a Regional Casino at Blackpool is covered in Policy W8. Lancashire County Council will work closely with District Councils on the allocation of housing and employment sites in Local Development Frameworks and with neighbouring Unitary Authorities on the cross-border impacts of proposals in their areas.This LTP supports these plans by the inclusion of bespoke plans and schemes which can be seen in detail in Chapter 4.

1.3.23 Regional Transport Strategy

The Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) is an integral part of RSS. It has eight objectives which are reflected in the LTP objectives and key actions (apart from RTS Objective 7 that specifically deals with Cumbria). The primary alignment of objectives and actions with this LTP is extensively mapped in Appendix A.

1.3.24 Regional Economic Strategy

The draft Regional Economic Strategy (RES) has been submitted to Ministers. Following endorsement by Government, the final RES will be launched in the Spring 2006. The RES with its key themes and actions, is described in more detail in the next Section titled Our Economy and in Appendix B.

Sub-Regional Issues

1.3.25 Joint Lancashire Structure Plan

The Joint Lancashire Structure Plan (JLSP) including Technical Appendix Parking Standards and SPG Access and Parking was adopted in March 2005. It interprets existing RSS policies and applies them to Lancashire, providing a key land-use context for LTP2. It was prepared by a team drawn from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackpool Borough Council and Lancashire County Council. The document places a strong emphasis on promoting sustainable growth, in particular achieving a better balance in development activity. This particularly focuses on urban renaissance in East Lancashire and coastal resorts on the Fylde Coast/Morecambe while carefully managing growth on greenfield land in the more prosperous M6 corridor. Rural renaissance based around Key Service Centres (Market Towns) is also supported.

The JLSP establishes a clear settlement hierarchy. Accessibility by non-car modes and ability to act as service centres were among five key criteria where research was undertaken to define the relative importance of each centre. As a result of this analysis together with alignment with RSS, the majority of development will be directed to the Principal Urban Areas of Blackburn, Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, Burnley, Lancaster/Morecambe and Greater Preston.  Main Towns such as Chorley and Accrington receive a lower level of growth with Key Service Centres like Clitheroe and Ormskirk acting as service centres for their rural hinterlands.

A key element of the document is the identification of annual levels of housing and business land provision for each district up until 2016. Other policies cover the role of town centres, protection of environmental assets and tourism. Two Strategic Locations for Development are identified on large previously developed sites at Royal Ordnance, Euxton near Chorley and Fleetwood (Docks-North East Thornton).  Transport policies identify locations for major road, bus and rail schemes as well as setting out parking policies. Targets in General Policy 1 have formed the basis of annual monitoring of accessibility to key services since 2003.  At District level existing Local Plans were prepared in conformity to JLSP policies which also applies to ongoing work on Local Development Frameworks.  The JLSP will be superseded by the Regional Spatial Strategy when this is finally adopted, probably towards the end of 2007.The relationship between the JLSP and LTP2 is set out in Appendix D of this document.

1.3.26 Elevate East Lancashire

This is a key project for the regeneration of East Lancashire. As one of nine Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders nationally, it forms part of a 10-15 year programme to address problems of low demand housing in Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale. £68 million has been allocated for the period 2004-06 to fund demolition, refurbishment and replacement housing in nine identified intervention areas. This forms part of a broader long-term vision called Transformation East Lancashire which examines housing issues in a broader regeneration context including transport. We have been working with ELEVATE, the district councils and local partners to ensure their regeneration schmese are supported by this LTP. Among the issues identified is the importance of greatly improved public transport links within East Lancashire plus cross-border linkages, especially to Manchester but also into West and North Yorkshire. LTP2 addresses this through proposals such as improvements on the X43 bus corridor to Manchester, supporting Blackburn's bid to enhance the Blackburn-Manchester rail corridor and the examination of  improvements to the A56 which crosses the border of North Yorkshire. Further to this each district which has ELEVATE HMR schemes has included transport plans to address and support their work - these plans can be found in Chapter 4.

1.3.27 Blackpool Masterplan

The Masterplan for the regeneration of Blackpool envisages significant tourism growth in the resort based primarily on the development of casinos. Much of this will be delivered through an Urban Regeneration Company. Implementation of this initiative will have significant impacts on the transport network in the Fylde Peninsula, including the Blackpool Tramway which runs to Fleetwood in Lancashire.

On a broader front, the 2003 NWDA document A Vision for Coastal Resorts recognised the importance of enhancing the attractiveness of seaside towns on the Fylde Coast, such as Lytham St Anne's, as well as seaside towns elsewhere in Lancashire.

1.3.28 Promoting Tourism

Tourism is a major economic activity and one of Lancashire's most important industries. The range of jobs supported by the industry is more varied than often supposed as tourism is not restricted to the leisure market but includes commercial visits, day trips and overnight stays, as well as internal visits within Lancashire. Tourism is important to the Lancashire economy not only because of the number of jobs it supports directly within the industry but also because of the spending power of tourists during their visit. The NWDA document "A New Vision for North West Coastal Resorts" recognised the importance of enhancing the attractiveness of seaside towns such as Lytham, St Annes, the Wyre Coast and Morecambe.

Tourism relies on consumers visiting the area in person and it is important that their stay should be an enjoyable experience offering high quality services. Good transport accessibility to key tourism locations is fundamental and the second Local Transport Plan will deliver transport improvements that benefit tourists and tourism.

The Blackpool Masterplan is forecast to have a significant impact on employment trends in the area and this has been considered in the Fylde Coast Sub-Regional Transport Study which will inform the development of scheme proposals on the Fylde Coast. These will include the Blackpool Tramway and the Norcross-M55 Link.

The success of the Rural Recovery Programme contributed to the award of Beacon Council status to Lancashire County Council for supporting the rural economy, including promoting rural tourism. Footpaths, cycleways and bridleways all bring visitors into the countryside. Research undertaken on the Pennine Bridleway shows such individuals make a larger contribution to the rural economy than those who arrive by car. Lancashire County Council  will work with partners to complete the National Cycle Network in Lancashire and the Feeder Route of the Pennine Bridleway, a National Trail. We will work with our neighbours in Blackburn and Bolton to implement the crossborder West Pennine Moors Bridleways Strategy.

The Lancashire Rural Development Pathfinder includes a number of proposals to support rural tourism. Proposals to promote rural tourism in LTP2 include; the Rights of Way Improvement Plan for bridleways, cycleways and footpaths, Quiet Lanes and Green Ways, the Europarc project in Bowland and a network of rural and demand responsive bus services.

1.3.29 Historic Towns and Cities in the North West (2005)

This document was commissioned jointly by the NWDA and English Heritage, with the final consultants report being published in October 2005. The study identifies Lancaster as one of five towns and cities across the region with significant potential to more fully realise its heritage assets to deliver tourism-related economic development and regeneration benefits. In order to achieve this, the study highlights the need to reduce the severance impact of high levels of traffic through the city centre as a key priority. The study also recommends a programme of public realm improvements to key routes within the city centre, and at St George’s Quay in order to more fully integrate the area into the city’s visitor offer.

The Heysham-M6 link will facilitate significant through-traffic removal from the city centre. Pedestrian priority and traffic calming measures will also be required to reduce the severance impact of traffic through the historic centre. Development of a City Centre Access Strategy will provide opportunities for examining the most appropriate ways of enhancing pedestrian and cycle movement, together with developing a programme of public realm improvements.