Regional Transport Studies (Hansard, 23 March 1999)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)

The consultation exercise with regional planning bodies launched on 10 December 1998 is now complete and we have received representations from all the regions. We want to take the studies forward in partnership with regional planning bodies in order to ensure that they are closely integrated with regional planning objectives. The study programme reflects regional priorities and will feed into the development of regional transport strategies as part of regional planning guidance. We are pleased that the responses we have received are generally in favour of our approach and in particular our determination to examine the contribution that all modes can make to the problems of congestion, environment and safety within the study areas.

We are now able to announce the final study programme which takes into account many of the regional planning bodies' proposals and to give more details about the timing of the studies:

Tranche 1—to begin 1999–2000
Multi-modal studies
West Midlands to north-west Conurbation.
London orbital.
Access to Hastings.
Tyneside.
West Midlands area.
South and West Yorkshire motorway box.
London to SW and South Wales.
North-south movements in East Midlands.
SE Manchester.
Cambridge to Huntingdon.
A. 453 (M. l-Nottingham).
Roads-based studies
A. l Bramham to Barton.
A. 66 safety.
M. 40/A. 46 Longbridge roundabout.
A. 3 Hindhead.
M. l junction 19.
A. 419 Blunsdon.
Tranche 2—to begin 2000–01
Multi-modal studies
Southampton to Folkestone.
London to South Midlands.
West Midlands to Nottingham.
London to Reading.
Hull.
London to Ipswich.
Roads-based studies
Deeside Park junctions.
Norwich to Great Yarmouth.
A. 5/A. 483 Shrewsbury to Chester.
A. 38 Derby junctions.
Provisional Tranche 3
Multi-modal studies
A. 34 north from Southampton.
A. 47 west of Norwich.
A. 1 north of Newcastle.

The studies are divided into two categories—full multi-modal studies which will be taken forward by the Government Offices for the Regions in consultation with regional partners, and roads-based studies which, although they will take account of the contributions which can be made by other modes, are primarily directed at specific points on individual roads, and which will be led by the Highways Agency.

Work on most of the studies in Tranche 1 will begin this spring, with all of them commencing by the autumn. The length of time it will take to complete each study will vary depending on the complexity of the issues, but we expect that they will take, on average, two years to complete. As a first step, steering groups will be established, chaired by the Government Offices and to 152WA include representatives from the regional planning bodies, and other regional partners, to finalise the terms of reference for each study and the timescale for delivery. Tranche 2 studies need not wait for tranche 1 studies to be completed, and we expect to begin work on these in 2000–01.

The multi-model studies are not a one-off exercise. As we described in the recently published draft PPG11 Regional Planning, multi-modal studies of transport problems will be one of the major inputs to the development of regional transport strategies. Therefore in the future we expect regional planning bodies, rather than central Government, to commission and lead their own multi-modal studies. From some of the additional studies proposed by the regional planning bodies, we have identified a provisional third tranche of studies which could be taken forward in this way. The case for a study of the A. 1 north of Newcastle will depend on the outcome of the current Highways Agency route management study.