Roads Programme (Hansard, 19 June 1997)

§ Dr. Strang

I am today launching the Roads Review. The objective of the Review will be to determine the role which roads should play in an integrated transport policy and to establish a forward investment programme for the trunk road network in England.

The Review will be broadly based. Unlike reviews carried out by the previous Government, it will not merely consider what road schemes should be added to or deleted from the trunk roads programme. It will look afresh at the environmental impact of roads and take into account parallel work on developing an integrated transport policy for the UK which my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced recently, including, in particular, work on issues such as whether steps should be taken to manage demand for travel by road, and if so, what means should be used; and, the extent to which we should encourage the use of other modes of transport. It will also consider the role which new technology and improved information systems can play; and the impact which investment in roads could have on regional development. The Roads Review, work on an integrated transport policy and the comprehensive spending review will be very closely co-ordinated.

We intend to consult widely during the Review. During the next few weeks my Department will be consulting key representative bodies both about the range of issues which need to be covered and how we might involve them effectively in the Review. We then intend to launch a public consultation in July, inviting responses by the end of October. We would particularly value contributions from the Regional Planning Conferences, local authorities and other regional bodies. We shall consider in due course what arrangements will be appropriate for continuing 282W regional consultations on trunk road planning beyond the Review, taking account of the comments received in response to the previous Government's proposal to bring trunk roads within the Regional Planning Guidance system.

We hope to announce the conclusions of the Review next Spring. In the interim the Highways Agency will continue to take forward maintenance work, small safety schemes, and two re-signing projects in line with existing plans. Schemes on which construction is already well advanced will continue, but preparatory work on new major schemes will be put on hold at the end of the current stage, except in the relatively few cases in which some procedural step needs to be taken to ensure that work done to date is not lost should we ultimately decide that the scheme should be taken forward. Work on developer funded schemes will also continue as these schemes either have been or will be scrutinised thoroughly in the appropriate planning processes and they are generally small improvements which do not have any wider strategic significance.

There are also 12 cases on which urgent decisions are pending. We therefore propose to carry out an accelerated review of these cases against the criteria of accessibility, safety, economy and environmental impact and announce our decisions on them in July. It may be that in some of these cases we decide in July that a decision cannot be taken in advance of the main Review. In the majority of cases we will take a decision either to take the scheme forward or to abandon it. The cases in question are:

Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR)
M25 Junctions 12–15
M66 Denton-Middleton Contract 3
A2/M2 Cobham J4 widening
Salisbury Bypass/Wessex Link DBFO
A564 Derby Southern Bypass Contract B
Weald and Downland DBFO
Cumbria Bradford DBFO
South Midlands Network DBFO
A40 West London Approach DBFO
A13 Thames Gateway DBFO
M62E/M606 Link Roads.