Item 6

Report to the

Transport for South Hampshire Joint Committee

Date: 14 April 2008

Report by: Keith Willcox

tel: 01962 846997 email: keith.willcox@hants.gov.uk

Subject: Transport for South Hampshire Statement `Towards Delivery'

Purpose of the Report

This report introduces the Transport for South Hampshire Statement `Towards Delivery'. The Statement sets out the transport strategy, summarises the consultant technical studies and other work, and lists out a series of packages of interventions required in order to raise the economic competitiveness of the sub-region and to delivery the growth agenda.

Recommendation

1. That the Joint Committee approves the Transport for South Hampshire Statement `Towards Delivery' as the basis of the transport strategy and the packages of interventions required in order to deliver the growth agenda.

Introduction

1. Transport for South Hampshire (TfSH) is the transport delivery agency for the South Hampshire sub-region and covers Portsmouth, Southampton and the southern part of Hampshire. The TfSH Statement (attached) sets out issues and priorities for the area in the context of planned growth. As the economy expands, demand for travel will increase, adding pressures to the existing transport networks. The new housing and employment for the area included in the South East Plan mean that the economic vitality and growth will be accompanied by more travel - much of it could be by car - with the consequent impacts on transport systems and on the environment. At the same time, growth in levels of activity at the international gateways - Southampton International Airport and the ports of Portsmouth and Southampton - mean that transport issues must be addressed now.

2. This is a significant challenge for transport. A strategy has been devised which considers how and when journeys are made and how they could be dealt with in the future. There are three main strands of the strategy: Reduce-Manage-Invest. All can work together to enable the planned growth and to deliver the development sites identified.

3. Studies have been commissioned to investigate the problems and potential solutions in greater depth. Initially proposed solutions were considered in the context of the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA), a source of funding for schemes which facilitate development. This considered options for investment in transport infrastructure, road and rail.

Transport Strategy

4. A new approach, which emphasises a reduction in the need to travel, better public transport options and improved traffic and network management to optimise transport networks and systems, together with selective, targeted investment in additional road capacity, is the basis of the TfSH/PUSH strategy.

5. TfSH therefore proposes a range of measures aimed at reducing the need to travel and managing the transport networks. But of themselves, these will not resolve the problems of access and congestion in this growing sub-region. Targeted investment in major transport infrastructure is an important step towards meeting the demands of the South East Plan and the pressures on South Hampshire but equally, on its own, it will not deliver the necessary solutions. TfSH's strategy is therefore to use all three approaches - reduce, manage and invest - to deliver solutions.

6. PUSH will be helping TfSH to deliver reductions in the need for travel through spatial planning, locating homes, employment and retail services to reduce the travel distance for regular journeys. It is proposed to encourage more walking and cycling, particularly for journeys to work and school. Safer Routes to School projects from the highway authorities are already reducing the impact of the school run. Encouragement will be given to Workplace and Personal Travel Planning initiatives.

7. The critical strategy is to ensure that public transport is available within new developments to offer viable transport choices and reduce dependence on the private car. Bus operators will be encouraged to develop premium, high quality networks to provide people with better travel choices and to serve the new developments.

8. The transport networks (rail and road) need to be well managed if their performance is to be optimised. Highway improvements and new technology will be deployed where these will eliminate bottlenecks and so increase the capacity of the wider network. Some measures to manage the demand for transport (eg destination parking restrictions/ high pricing) will be necessary for the transport improvements to be effective.

9. Capital investment will be required on the strategic road network. Investment to improve junction and carriageway capacity will be vital but there remains a limit to the amount of additional traffic that the strategic highway system can accommodate. Area traffic management systems on both motorways and other roads, supported by on-road and off-road information will be essential. All of this will be a serious challenge because much of the residential and economic growth will feed onto the M27, M3 and A3(M) corridors.

10. The approach to transport interventions, through the reduce-manage-invest strategy is consistent with the Government's recently published discussion paper `Towards a Sustainable Transport System'. This pulls together the Stern Review with its challenge to cut emissions of CO₂ and the Eddington Report which emphasised the links between transport and economic vitality. It is intended to guide transport investment decisions for the year 2014 and beyond. The document proposes five goals, which are entirely consistent with PUSH and TfSH aspirations, to:

(i) maximise economic competitiveness and productivity through making the best use of existing networks, targeting infrastructure investment, particularly to international gateways and pinch- points and prioritising the delivery chain;

(ii) address the causes of climate change;

(iii) protect safety, security and health;

(iv) improve quality of life; and

(v) promote greater equality of opportunity.

Gaining Support and Acceptance

11. Within the South East region, South Hampshire is a major growth area and considerable development is planned to maintain and expand the economy and consequently increase transport demands. To respond to this TfSH needs to demonstrate that a coherent and deliverable strategy is in place to provide transport that allows the economy to flourish. This supports the concept of South Hampshire as a strong sub-region, linked with but separate from the Greater London area, with a vital role to play in southern England. Good transport is essential to maintain and enhance this role of the sub-region and its role as a major international gateway to the UK (Portsmouth Port, Southampton Port and Southampton International Airport).

12. This requires several strands to come together:

(i) full participation in decision-making by TfSH and PUSH representatives;

(ii) securing available funding sources including the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) and how resources can be deployed to best effect;

(iii) integration with Local Development Frameworks, ensuring that land use and transport planning are fully integrated; and

(iv) effective partnership working involving stakeholders, transport providers and the business community.

Delivery

13. The consultants' studies have validated the schemes with the greatest prospect of meeting the criteria for funding from the refresh of the RFA. The TfSH authorities recognise these emerging priorities, however there is no guarantee that the Regional Transport Board will afford them the necessary approval for funding for 2016 onwards and there is only a slim prospect of any uncommitted funding becoming available before that date. The schemes identified to go forward to the RFA refresh will need further work, in terms of design and detailed assessment, using the evidence base that is currently being assembled.

14. There are other schemes to deliver the growth within this strategy of Reduce-Manage-Invest. These will require further justification before clear funding sources are identified to take them forward. They are likely to be funded from sources other than the RFA. TfSH will need to work with stakeholders, in their role as transport providers, with local planning authorities, as part of the Local Development Framework process and potential funding providers.

15. The consultants' deliberations have been helpful in informing a view of emerging priorities that should be packaged for funding in order to address the transport challenges associated with growth across South Hampshire. The programming of prioritised schemes and initiatives in a series of packages is necessary to implement the strategy set out here. Not all schemes can be delivered at the same time and some will take several years to develop. However, it is important to consider the strategy as a whole and how each of the individual elements plays a role in it. The Reduce, Manage and Invest components will need to work together to achieve change (see Appendix D of the Statement).

16. The Transport Implementation table at Appendix E of the Statement sets out an indicative investment programme for South Hampshire for the period 2009 to 2019. The programme is derived partly from the consultants' studies undertaken in 2007/08 and partly from translating `typical' costs for approaches from one area to another to provide an overall picture for South Hampshire. All figures should be regarded as indicative only at this time.

17. The table suggests that investment of about £2.5 billion is desirable in the time period. It sets out those packages of schemes which may be suitable for regional support (approximately £2 billion) and a further list of £500 million where there is no obvious funding route at present.

18. Eight packages of interventions have been assembled for submission to the 2008 Regional Funding Allocation refresh for prioritisation at a regional level for funding. These are:

(i) Access to the Sub-Region;

(ii) Eastern Access to Southampton (including the North/North East Hedge End SDA);

(iii) Access in South East Hampshire including North Fareham SDA;

(iv) Access to the South Hampshire Strategic Employment Zone and associated rail improvements;

(v) Access to Tipner (Portsmouth);

(vi) Strategic Traffic Management;

(vii) Modelling; and

(viii) Schemes identified through the LDF process.

Conclusions

19. Effective transport is one of the preconditions for economic growth in South Hampshire, but its multi-centred geography and complex travel patterns have resulted in significant congestion that presents real challenges. The targeted investment in major transport infrastructure is an important first step towards meeting the demands of the South East Plan and the pressures on South Hampshire. However, capital investment alone cannot resolve the problems of access and congestion in this growing sub-region. Ongoing commitment to a raft of measures aimed at Reducing the need to travel and Managing the transport networks will assist, but will still fall short without a major slice of investment for the many critical schemes for which funding sources have yet to be identified.

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