Comment

South East transport strategy: A step-change in infrastructure connectivity?

To date, the South East’s contribution to the UK economy is second only to the contribution made by London. The South East currently benefits from both Heathrow and Gatwick airport, major ports at Dover and Southampton, as well as providing strategic access to the motorways and trunk roads that provide the backbone to connecting the region and the rest of the UK. This prominence is likely to grow with the commitment to Heathrow’s third runway and the introduction of Crossrail in March 2021.

However, Transport for the South East feel that there is more to be done and that these existing commitments provide only the foundations to unlocking the future growth opportunities for the South East.

Transport for the South East was established in 2017 and is formed of elected representatives from Local Planning Authorities, County Councils, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Highways England and Network Rail who are committed to developing a regional transport strategy to deliver transformational change across the South East.

The partnerships initial work focussed on an Economic Connectivity Review which identified 24 corridors across the South East whereby they considered that improved connectivity could boost economic growth. The conclusions of this work have informed the recent consultation on the draft transport strategy, which will in time be developed into a Strategic Investment Plan.

Recently, Transport for the South East have been consulting on a draft Transport Strategy for the South East (October 2019). This runs until this Friday, 10 January. Their focus is not on the here and now, but the future and what infrastructure the South East needs to establish itself as the leading global region for net-zero carbon, sustainable economic growth.

The organisation contends that if their draft strategy was implemented:

• Investment could unlock massive growth, more than doubling the South East’s economy and supporting half a million new jobs by 2050 
• The strategy sets out a “bold and compelling” future that is better for people, better for business and better for the planet 
• Prioritising greater investment in public transport is the only feasible way to reduce congestion, cut emissions and boost air quality in the long term

Infrastructure Investment

The focus of the draft transport strategy is to emphasise that the infrastructure network across the region is reaching capacity and without planning positively for future infrastructure, the delivery of housing, inward investment, addressing climate and supporting deprived communities will be compromised.

Economic Outcomes of Transport Connectivity (Transport for the South East Business Plan 2019-2021)

The strategy intends to change historic approaches of infrastructure provision from responding to existing trends to forecasting needs: an approach of proactively identifying how the network can be expanded to facilitate growth and how congestion can be alleviated throughout the whole of the region. A number of strategic priorities are identified in the draft strategy, namely:

• Better connectivity between our major economic hubs, international gateways (ports, airports and cross-channel rail links) and their markets.
• More reliable journeys for people and goods travelling between the South East’s major economic hubs and to and from international gateways. In addition, a transport network that’s more resilient to incidents, extreme weather and the impacts of a changing climate.
• A new, collaborative approach to planning that helps our partners across the South East meet future housing, employment and regeneration needs sustainably.
• A ‘smart’ transport network using digital technology to manage transport demand, encourage shared transport and make more efficient use of our roads and railways.
• A network that promotes active travel and active lifestyles to improve our health and wellbeing.
• Improved air quality supported by initiatives to reduce congestion and emissions, and encourage more use of public transport.
• Affordable, accessible travel for all, promoting social inclusion and reducing barriers to employment, learning, and social, physical and cultural activities.
• A seamlessly integrated transport network with passengers at its heart. Resulting in simpler journey planning, payment and interchanges between different forms of transport.
• A safely planned, delivered and operated network, with no fatalities or serious injuries among transport users, workforces or the wider public.
• Cutting the South East’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, minimising its contribution to climate change.
• Minimising the need to travel, particularly by private car, to reduce the impact of transport on people and the environment.
• A transport network that protects and enhances our natural, built and historic environments. One which embraces the principle of ‘biodiversity net-gain’ and consumes less resources and energy.

The strategy identifies particular challenges and opportunities to overcome over the next 30 years. A number of specific schemes have been identified, including: 

• Improve journey times and regularity of trains from Reading to Waterloo and Reading to Gatwick
• Improve South Western railway capacity
• Potential for future Crossrail 2
• Potential for Crossrail 1 extension from Dartford to Ebbsfleet
• Journey time improvements to north-east Kent
• Poor connectivity on A21 / Hastings Line Corridor
• Brighton Mainline Improvement programme
• Opportunity for alternative M3/M4 link (avoiding Bracknell) 
• M3 / A34 junction improvements
• Southern Rail Access to Heathrow (Basingstoke to Heathrow)
• Western Rail Access to Heathrow (Reading to Heathrow)
• Potential Gatwick – Medway / Ashford rail services 
• M2 / M20 junction improvements
• Coastal rail efficiency
• Connectivity gap between Guildford and Tonbridge
• Lower Thames Crossing providing access to the north and Midlands via the M25
• Address local journey challenges with improvements to public transport, pedestrian and cycle opportunities

What does this mean for plan-making?

Transport for the South East is seeking to become a statutory body and we hope to see it becoming actively involved in and influencing plan-making in the years ahead to support good growth. Whilst the approach to the strategy is commendable and does raise important issues for the region, a significant amount of work is required to demonstrate that schemes are feasible, deliverable and achievable when balancing a range of social, environment and economic objectives.

It is apparent that a number of these schemes could only realistically be realised through appropriate planned growth and cross-funding from such schemes, such as from major scale economic development and / or strategic scale new settlements. Given the lengthy delays experienced in Local Plan making, the lack of local funding and with large geographic areas of the South East benefiting from recently adopted Local Plans, how, if, and when these opportunities will be incorporated into the plan-making process is uncertain. However, we hope to see a greater synergy in the future between strategic transport planning and the locations of strategic growth, particularly larger scale development to support the growth of new communities.

The issues and opportunities identified should provide significant scope for increasing development opportunities across the South East. This will mean each local planning authority acknowledging its role as part of the collective to embrace economic growth and the benefits this can bring at the local level. This requires the delivery of ambitious visions and objectives for the future and taking bold and challenging decisions on the scale of growth required.

Of course, the messaging here from Transport for the South East can and should be transferred to other regions in the UK. Infrastructure investment delivers significant wider benefits, and recently the Chancellor has announced a Spring Budget on 11 March 2020 with a promise of a 30 year national infrastructure plan. This may make them less focussed on overall national economic growth and investment could in future be allocated on the basis of targeted strategic regional growth, for example, improving the wellbeing of people in the north, by helping to narrow the productivity gap with the south. Large-scale mixed-use new development in conjunction with a proactive approach to the early delivery of strategic new infrastructure is one such model for unlocking the economic potential of these areas.

The draft transport strategy potentially provides the foundations for identifying infrastructure requirements in the South East over the next 30 years. The draft strategy requires investment and recognition at national level to ensure the region remains competitive and sustainable, whilst recognising a need to level up of funding to multiple regions across the UK.

Contact Hannah Knowles, Tim Burden or Steven Kosky to find out more about transport connectivity and planning in the South East.

9 January 2020