Impact of Transportation on
Maximising Economic Growth
A Review by the Economic Scrutiny Committee June 2014
Contents Page Introduction
Foreword by Councillor William Webb, Chairman of the Task and 5 Finish Group Task and Finish Group Members 6 Executive Summary and Recommendations 7 Establishment of Task and Finish Group 10
National and Local Context
What are the National Government's main priorities around 11 transportation and the economy? The Lincolnshire Context – Transportation Networks 16 The Lincolnshire Context – The Local Economy 19
What Have We Found Out?
Transportation and the Lincolnshire Tourism Industry 22 Impact of Transportation on Businesses and Investment into Lincolnshire 29
What are Our Conclusions?
General Conclusions 33 Where are the key economic road corridors and how can we 33 improve them? How important are the Rail services to the County and where could 35 they be improved? What are the priorities and plans at North Lincolnshire Council? 38 Where should efforts be focussed to secure improvements to the 40 County’s Strategic Transport Network and what are the options for funding?
What are our Recommendations?
Recommendations 42
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Appendices
Appendix A – Contributors to the Review 45
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Introduction
Foreword by Councillor William Webb, Chairman of the Task and Finish Group
Established in September 2013 by the Economic Scrutiny Committee, this Task and Finish Group has investigated the impact of transportation on the vitality of the Lincolnshire Economy.
We have built a picture of the issues, mainly through structured discussions with knowledgeable groups and individuals, which have added insights to the policy documents and other more quantitative analysis that is available. A major strand of our work has been through a series of interviews with key employers representing Lincolnshire's predominant sectors and transport organisation representatives. This has gathered a great wealth of anecdotal evidence, expert views and experiences of people whose businesses and livelihoods have a dependence on transport and economic infrastructure. This new evidence has been included with existing information to produce this final report. We do highlight that further research and analysis is required to develop a consistent, evidence based approach to prioritising investment, developing business cases and analysing economic impacts of investment.
Whilst the production of this report effectively concludes the commission set before the Task and Finish Group, it is encouraging to note that the review has identified some potential transport improvements which need to be investigated further and developed into business cases. This and the broader need to develop a long term strategy to improve transport infrastructure needs of Lincolnshire are at the heart of the recommendations that will be submitted to the Executive of Lincolnshire County Council.
I would like to thank the Task and Finish Group members for their contributions and hard work throughout the review. I would also like to thank all the officers who have supported the review, in particular Jenny Gammon (Assistant Director, Economy and Culture), Paul Wheatley (Head of Regeneration), Ian Kitchen (Transport Policy and Orders Manager), Paul Coathup (Assistant Director, Highways and Transportation), Chris Briggs (Head of Transportation), Rachel Wilson (Democratic Services Officer) and Tracy Johnson (Scrutiny Officer) who have all provided valuable support to the Task and Finish Group during the review.
Cllr William Webb
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Task and Finish Group Members
The Task and Finish Group consists of the following Members:
Cllr Chris Brewis Cllr Tony Bridges Cllr Geoff Ellis Cllr Colin Mair
Cllr Chris Pain Cllr Steve Palmer Cllr Mrs Elizabeth Sneath Cllr Lewis Strange
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Executive Summary and Recommendations
The scrutiny review “Impact of Transportation on Maximising Economic Growth” has been focussed on identifying the various ways in which transportation contributes to the vitality of the Lincolnshire economy, where efforts to secure improvements to the County's strategic transport network might best be focussed and what options might be available for external funding support. This review was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 and has focussed on two sectors of the economy, namely business and investment growth, and tourism.
Nationally, the Government plans to invest more than £70 billion in all forms of transport by 2021, of which £15.1 billion will be invested in the country's strategic roads. In addition the new high speed railway, High Speed 2 (HS2), will receive £16 billion of investment. The national strategic road network is 4,300 miles, with an expected budget of £12.6 billion for maintenance over the next 5 years. However, the county’s road network totals over 5,500 miles and is expecting a budget of only £40million over the same period. Investment in the rail infrastructure in Lincolnshire is dependent on Network Rail and any improvements to rail services is the responsibility of the Train Operating Companies.
From the evidence and findings detailed in the report, the Task and Finish Group has drawn a number of conclusions:-
The transport infrastructure, in particular rail and the road network, in Lincolnshire does have an impact on businesses and tourism. However, it is not the surface quality of the roads which is an issue, but the distances and road configuration which affects journey times and perception. The cost of large scale improvements to road and rail infrastructure is prohibitive and, with a few notable exceptions, there is a lack of national funding for big infrastructure projects. There is a need to explore longer term ambitious road schemes which can unlock the economic potential of Eastern England in general and Greater Lincolnshire's in particular, thereby increasing the area's contribution to national growth. Economic Impact analysis of upgrading A roads which are key economic corridors to dual carriageways, and investigating the possibility around extending the M11 through Lincolnshire up to the Humber Bridge would help determine strategic priorities which would bring the greatest benefits, both to Lincolnshire and nationally. Within developing a long term strategic approach to prioritising investment, there is also a need to investigate short term deliverable road schemes to improve the flow of traffic, such as incorporating overtaking laybys or improving junctions on some of the busiest A roads. 2015 will be a key year for tourism in Lincoln with the reopening of Lincoln Castle as a major new visitor attraction and the related 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. There will be a need to continue working closely with City of Lincoln Council around car and coach parking, and a temporary park and ride system to cope with the increase in visitors to the city. Longer term, there is a need to work closely around permanent park and ride facilities for Lincoln. Signage and routing into, and through, Lincolnshire needs to be improved to enhance visitors’ experience of accessing Lincolnshire, especially east coast access and movement between attractions and locations in the area. More research also needs to be undertaken to investigate where visitors are coming from, their journey patterns and preferences, to ensure the correct signage and routing is in place.
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It will be essential to work with the Train Operating Companies as the franchises and new timetables which cover Lincolnshire are reviewed, to improve the rail services throughout Lincolnshire. There is a need for more frequent trains from Lincoln to London and vice versa at appropriate times, to draw in tourists from the south east of the country. There is also a need for improved rail services between the principal train stations in Lincolnshire, such as from Lincoln to Skegness, so that visitors can move between places of interest with ease, and can reach other areas of Lincolnshire using the rail service. Lincolnshire County Council should work more closely with North and North East Lincolnshire Councils around integrating services around tourism, businesses, highways, and transport such as bus connections. There is also a need to work with the regional airports, such as Humberside, East Midlands and Robin Hood, to investigate improving freight transport for businesses and improving access to Lincolnshire by overseas visitors.
These conclusions have informed the following 10 recommendations which the Task and Finish Group submit to the Executive for its consideration.
Lincolnshire County Council, in partnership with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) and others who will benefit, should:-
1. Recognise, and address across its work, that perceptions about access and transport infrastructure impact upon economic growth through affecting the views of those considering investing, living, working, visiting or studying in the area.
2. Continue to support the delivery of the current four priority infrastructure schemes (Lincoln Eastern Bypass, Lincoln East West Link, Grantham Southern Relief Road and Spalding Western Relief Road), recognising that whilst these schemes are being branded as unlocking congestion in urban areas and promoting growth, they will also improve accessibility across the county network.
3. Commission further empirical research, including transport modelling, to allow the identification and priority ordering of our main road corridors in terms of their importance to the Greater Lincolnshire Economy.
4. Develop plans, including through transport modelling, for improvements of the prioritised transport corridors, to contain a mixture of short term, longer term and compounding interventions. These should be evolved into clear, costed business plans. Opportunities for developer contributions should be identified. To ensure that developer contributions can be captured, it will be essential to fully inform and influence Local Development Plans.
5. Implement a Tourism Sector Focused Transportation Action Plan to include the following activities:
Commission detailed research to examine and better understand the origination point for visitors to Lincolnshire's main tourist destinations. Commission detailed research to identify the most heavily used routes between Lincolnshire's main visitor centres.
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Identify potential alternative routes to and between the main tourist destinations in Lincolnshire. Create and fully communicate a Lincolnshire tourist routing plan. Overhaul Lincolnshire's road signage to provide better direction to routes to and between the County's main tourist locations.
6. Develop opportunities to increase traffic flow wherever possible, such as through local improvements to road alignments, and increase speed limits where appropriate and safe to do so.
7. Continue to lobby for rail improvements, both in terms of rail infrastructure and scheduling of service. This should include the development and maintenance of ongoing dialogue with the Train Operating Companies.
8. Work with Network Rail and the Highways Agency to develop a set of economic impact criteria for the assessment of future network investment, which are relevant to Lincolnshire.
9. Promote further investment in some of Greater Lincolnshire's other transportation infrastructure such as ports and airports, and work with adjoining authorities to explore and exploit joint projects of mutual benefit.
10. In the longer term, develop and deliver an aspirational programme of transportation improvements with a clear evidence base linked to supporting enhanced economic growth. Lobby and campaign for recognition and funding of the programme at the national and international level.
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Establishment of the Task and Finish Group
The Economic Scrutiny Committee agreed at its meeting on 10 September 2013 that there was a need for a scrutiny review to investigate the Impact of Transportation on Maximising Economic Growth. The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed at its meeting on 26 September 2013 to establish a Task and Finish Group to conduct this scrutiny review, and to approve the objectives.
The approved objectives of the Task And Finish Group are:
1. to identify the various ways in which transportation contributes to the Lincolnshire economy.
2. to consider where efforts to secure improvements to the County's strategic transport network should be focussed and what options might be available for seeking funding.
Methodology
The Task and Finish Group has met on 10 occasions.
The approach used by the Group has been a three step methodology:
Step 1 – to gather evidence Step 2 – to collate and review the evidence looking for common threads or patterns Step 3 – to formulate recommendations.
Step 1 - a number of interviews were carried out with representatives of transport organisations and with key stakeholders from business and the tourism industry. In addition a number of focus groups were held to look more closely at transportation in key economic corridors in Lincolnshire and generally at the county's rail network.
Members of the Task and Finish Group also visited North Lincolnshire Council to discuss their priorities and plans around transportation, tourism and business growth.
Step 2 – as a result of the interview and focus group work significant amounts of notes were produced. Collation and review of these notes was undertaken by officers and presented regularly to the Task And Finish Group. It is important to note that the evidence gathered, whilst powerful in the picture it paints, is qualitative, that is, it is substantially anecdotal and has drawn out views based on peoples' knowledge and experience. It is notable that the same issues were often raised in more than one interview, but it must be noted that empirical testing and evaluation will be required before robust proposals for intervention can be arrived at.
Step 3 – establish clear concise recommendations for submission to the Executive.
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National and Local Context
What are the National Government's main priorities around transportation and the economy?
The Strategic Road Network
The Department for Transport issued a Command Paper in July 2013 called Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century. According to this paper,
"The road network is vital to our nation and a crucial part of the national transport system. It provides real and direct economic benefits: to business, to workers, to consumers. Better connections support individual towns and cities and strengthen the country as a whole. Failures of the road network increase costs, stifle employment opportunities and make it harder to do business in the UK."1
The paper goes on to state that,
"Our road network is also the life-blood of the economy, performing a crucial function in supporting jobs and growth.
Roads provide critical connections. They link major economic centres, and connect our major ports and airports. Many people use them to get to railway stations and to connect to other modes of transport. Four of the new stations planned under High Speed 2 will link to the motorway network.
Roads support job creation and unlock new development. They provide access to labour markets and unlock new opportunities for factories and businesses. More than 1 million jobs are associated with road transport. Factories and other businesses regularly consider access to good roads and other transport.
Roads help the UK compete internationally. They make the UK a good place to do business, encouraging trade and attracting investment.
Roads support business travel. A large number of people drive for business. The most visible of these are lorry drivers, who need reliable roads to make their deliveries. But it also includes millions of other people in every part of the economy, from telecoms engineers fixing our broadband to farmers taking goods to market.
Well-connected road infrastructure with sufficient capacity for our needs is a vital component of economic success. However, our roads must overcome significant challenges if they are to keep supporting our economy and driving growth into the future."2
1 Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century, July 2013, Department for Transport, www.gov.uk/dft 2 Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century, July 2013, Department for Transport, www.gov.uk/dft OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 11 -
Central government is directly responsible for the strategic road network. The Highways Agency operates, maintains and improves the strategic road network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. The strategic road network in England is some 4,300 miles long and consists of motorways and trunk roads — the most significant ‘A’ roads. While the strategic road network represents only 2% of all roads in England by length, it carries a third of all traffic by mileage. Significantly, two thirds of all heavy goods vehicle mileage in England is undertaken on the strategic road network, making it the economic backbone of the country. The map3 below shows the roads which the Highways Agency is responsible for. It is to be noted that apart from sections of the A46 road to Lincoln, and A1 and A52 near Grantham, there are no other roads in Lincolnshire which the Highways Agency is responsible for.
3 Highways Agency Network Map http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/our-network/ OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 12 -
The Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century paper sets out plans to radically change the way strategic roads are funded and managed. This includes plans to transform the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company. Becoming a government-owned company will improve efficiency and reduce running costs, leading to savings of at least £2.6 billion over the next 10 years. In 2014, the Department for Transport will set out the delivery expectations of the new Government-owned company up to 2021.
By 2021, national spending on road enhancements will have tripled from today’s levels. In June 2013, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced in Investing in Britain’s Future that the Government would be investing £15.1 billion in the country's strategic roads by 2021. This will include adding a further 221 lane miles of extra capacity on the busiest motorways, through the use of new managed motorway technology.
On the rest of the strategic road network, the Government wants to upgrade key roads to a new ‘expressway’ standard. The Government will be investing over £6 billion in a major programme of maintenance, as part of a wider £12 billion programme, and will resurface 80% of the strategic network.
Local roads comprise the large majority of the road network and two thirds of all road traffic. This network includes many of the busiest roads to city centres and retail parks, as well as the quieter roads to villages and farms. Valued in excess of £400 billion in total, these roads remain the responsibility of local councils. Keeping this network operational is vital to stimulating economic growth locally and nationally.
The Rail Network
The rail network is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), but the rail services are run by the Train Operating Companies (TOCs). The maintenance of the network is the responsibility of Network Rail. Rail is vital to the UK’s economic prosperity. If rail services are inefficient and do not meet people’s needs for routing or frequency, business and jobs suffer. Rail links with airports and ports are business opportunities for travel, tourism and the transportation of goods. The rail network is becoming increasingly busy. Demand for long distance rail travel has doubled in the past 15 years, and Britain’s population is forecast to increase by 10 million over the next 25 years.
The Government’s strategy for the railways was set out in the March 2012 Command Paper - Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First. The Command Paper set out how passenger and freight railways support economic growth, facilitating business, commuting and leisure journeys, providing a greener transport option than road and aviation, and relieving congestion on our road network.
The Government has announced plans for a new high-speed railway called High Speed 2 (HS2), which will receive £16 billion of investment. The Government is developing HS2 to provide Britain’s railways with new capacity, better connectivity and quicker journeys.
The new railway line will greatly increase capacity. It will allow more passengers to use trains and more freight operators to use rail rather than road. It will treble the number of seats on trains into London Euston and capacity will be freed up on both the West Coast and East Coast mainlines. As a result it will free up capacity for more commuter, rural and freight train services, and mean fewer cars and lorries on our roads, cutting congestion and carbon. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 13 -
HS2 will link 8 of Britain’s 10 largest cities, serving 1 in 5 of the UK population. The first phase of HS2 will take the railway from London Euston to a new station at Birmingham. Phase Two of HS2 will see the railway divide into 2 lines, one to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe and Manchester Airport and the other to Leeds via the East Midlands and Sheffield Meadowhall. The map below shows the proposed Phase 1 (in blue) and Phase 2 (in red) for HS2.
HS2 Proposed Routes4
The Secretary of State for Transport is required by the 2005 Railways Act to publish a High Level Output Specification (HLOS) which sets out what Network Rail must achieve within a specified period of delivery. The period of delivery is known as a Control Period (CP). The current control period is CP5. The High Level Output Specification (HLOS) 2012: Railways Act 2005 statement explains what the Secretary of State for Transport wants to be achieved by rail activities during CP5, which runs from April 2014 to March 2019. The funding that the Government provides to the rail industry is directed either to support franchised passenger service operators or as a direct grant to Network Rail. The funds available per year are set out in the table5 below.
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Total Funds available (£M): 3,165 3,382 3,385 3,516 3,394 16,842 Franchise Illustrative (341) (166) (296) (254) (396) (1,453) support split of Network funding: 3,506 3,548 3,681 3,770 3,789 18,294 Grant
4 Map courtesy of The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/28/hs2-ministers-sceptical-nation 5 High Level Output Specification 2012: Railways Act 2005 statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-level- output-specification-2012 OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 14 -
The Government’s strategy for CP5 is built around four priorities:-
1. The creation of the “Electric Spine”, a high capacity passenger and freight electric corridor running from the South Coast through Oxford, via the Midland Main Line to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, with a link from Oxford to the West Midlands and the North- West. 2. To increase capacity and accelerate journey times between key cities, investing in faster trains and route improvements. Major new investment is focussed on the Great Western, East Coast and Midland Main Lines. 3. To facilitate commuter travel into major urban areas, helping to expand the effective labour market, and helping people to access a wider range of jobs. 4. To improve railway links to major ports and airports.
The strategic intent is to develop the network in a way that will enable it to carry demand until HS2 becomes operational, but is then able rapidly to adapt and integrate around the HS2 corridor. The map below shows where all the HLOS 2012 schemes are planned across the country.
HLOS 2012 Schemes6
As can be seen on the map above, there are no proposed HLOS 2012 schemes in or near the Lincolnshire area.
6 HLOS 2012 Schemes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-level-output-specification-2012 OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 15 -
The Lincolnshire Context – Transportation Networks
Lincolnshire's Strategic Road and Rail Network OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 16 -
What is the Rail Network like across Lincolnshire?
The rail network in Lincolnshire is limited and is made up of predominantly rural lines serving a dispersed small population. The main rail station is Lincoln. Only 9 of the 22 largest towns have a railway station. Grantham is the only town in Lincolnshire on an Inter-City route, namely the East Coast Mainline (ECML). Inter urban journey times are relatively slow when compared against other areas in the country. The map on page 16, which is from the 4th Lincolnshire Local Transport Plan7, shows the rail network across Lincolnshire. As can be seen on the map, the only railway line to the coast is from Boston to Skegness and the majority of the East Lindsey area does not have a railway line running through it.
There have recently been improvements to Lincoln station and the signalling in Lincolnshire. There have also been improvements on the poacher line between Nottingham and Skegness. The National Rail investment in the Great Northern/Great Eastern Joint Line between Peterborough and Doncaster is a major strategic scheme. The scheme has increased line speeds and capacity and the change to automatic signalling has enabled the railway to become a 24 hour seven day railway. These improvements will mean that the Joint Line will become a major freight route and provide a diversionary route for the East Coast Mainline when necessary.
Due to the limited rail services within the county, Lincolnshire people often prefer to travel by car to stations just outside the county on the East Coast Main Line such as Peterborough, Newark and Retford. Over the next few years, there will be a national rail refranchising programme which will see services re-let across Lincolnshire, including the East Coast Main Line (new franchise to commence March 2015) and East Midlands (new franchise to start October 2017).
What is the Road Network like in Lincolnshire?
Lincolnshire has the fifth largest road network in the country, consisting of 8,905 kilometres (5,534 miles). However, there are no motorways and only 66 kilometres (41 miles) of dual carriageway across the county. The map on page 16 and the table below, also from the 4th Lincolnshire Local Transport Plan, set out in more detail the breakdown of the road network across Lincolnshire. As can be seen in the table below, only 12.4% of Lincolnshire's roads are trunk roads or A roads.
A number of A roads are former trunk roads and were previously maintained by the Highways Agency. The routes that were de-trunked are the A15, A16, A17 and A57, plus the section of the A46 (Lincoln Bypass) between the A57 and A15 roundabouts, and the A43 East of the A1. These roads account for 261 kilometres (163 miles) of the highway network. The table below sets out a breakdown of the length of these de-trunked roads.
7 4th Lincolnshire Local Transport Plan 2013/14 – 2022/23, http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/transport-travel-and- roads/transport-planning-and-development-control/local-transport-plan/4th-lincolnshire-local-transport-plan/102070.article OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 17 -
Road Kilometres Miles A15 23.7 14.8 A16 125.4 78.4 A17 91.2 57 A46 5.5 3.4 A57 14.7 9.2 A43 0.5 0.3 Total 261 163
The map below highlights the former trunk roads in red.
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Lincolnshire County Council is currently pursuing the delivery of four priority road schemes (Lincoln Eastern Bypass, Lincoln East West Link, Grantham Southern Relief Road and Spalding Western Relief Road) where a clear case for either or both housing and economic growth and congestion alleviation has been made. The Task and Finish Group supported the priority being given to these schemes as important strategic improvements which facilitated growth and reduced congestion.
The Lincolnshire Context – The Local Economy
Local Enterprise Partnerships are organisations that comprise representatives of business and government in an area. The Government has encouraged the formation of LEP's around a "natural geography" to act as a conduit for funding into a local area. Lincolnshire is covered by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Economic Partnership (GLLEP). Lincolnshire County Council is represented on the GLLEP Board and supports the partnership in a number of ways, providing secretariat resource and acting as its Accountable Body for public sector funding directed to and through it.
What are the GLLEP's aims and ambitions regarding transportation, and tourism, business and investment growth?
The GLLEP works with Government to improve the economic climate across Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. From 2015 the roles and responsibilities of LEPs across England will change, with LEPs taking control of local budgets handed down from central Government.
The GLLEP's over-arching vision for Greater Lincolnshire's economy in 2030 is:
"Greater Lincolnshire's economy is diverse and resilient, and has made, and continues to make, an effective contribution to the UK economy. It provides real opportunities for people to live, work, invest and visit."8
The GLLEP's economic ambitions for Greater Lincolnshire are in five areas:
Infrastructure Creating the right conditions for business growth Rural enterprise Retail Communications and engagement
With regards to the ambition for infrastructure, the GLLEP's Growth Ambitions for the Greater Lincolnshire LEP 2013 states that,
"Greater Lincolnshire depends upon effective and efficient infrastructure to support investment and enhance economic growth. Roads, rail, utilities, digital infrastructure and air services are all enablers of growth.
8 Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership Vision http://www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk/what-we-do/vision OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 19 -
We realise that infrastructure can be a strong catalyst for economic growth, but that the LEP cannot solve all of the infrastructure issues within Greater Lincolnshire. Using work already undertaken by our public sector partners across Greater Lincolnshire, we will develop a top level infrastructure plan for Greater Lincolnshire, which assesses in economic and enterprise terms the schemes most likely to deliver local growth. By working with our partners, we aim to have an agreed infrastructure plan by March 2013.
We will use our Invest and Grow infrastructure loan fund to support these strategic infrastructure priorities.
Priorities might include:
Direct rail link from Lincoln to London Increased digital communications and coverage across Greater Lincolnshire Lincoln Eastern Bypass and the Lincoln East West Link road The Grantham Southern Relief Road Increased utility supply for the proposed housing and employment growth points area Access to Europarc in Grimsby A road rail hub for southern Lincolnshire"9
In relation to the ambition to create the right conditions for business growth, the GLLEP's aim is to create a dynamic economy where businesses can prosper, and the GLLEP has focused its priorities on developing the sectors which it believes can offer real growth:
Renewables Care Services Visitor Economy Ports & Logistics Manufacturing Agri-food
The GLLEP has commissioned a piece of work to establish the future opportunities for managing tourism in Lincolnshire and will be commissioning a Lincolnshire wide Destination Management Plan. It is anticipated that one of the key roles of the GLLEP will be lobbying to ensure the visitor economy in the county is appropriately supported at a strategic level.
The GLLEP has now published its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) which contains a list of projects to meet its strategic priorities. This includes some transport schemes which are
Grantham southern relief road Skegness western relief road Sleaford regeneration infrastructure Lincoln east-west growth corridor Humberside airport Lincoln to Nottingham rail route Spalding rail freight hub
9 Growth Ambitions for the Greater Lincolnshire LEP 2013 http://www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk/documents-and-resources OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 20 -
Boston waterways Spalding western relief road Transport pinch-point schemes Skegness sustainable transport
Financial tools available to the GLLEP include Single Local Growth Fund, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Invest and Grow Fund, Local Transport Board Funding and Regional Growth Fund. Much of this funding can only be used for projects which directly create jobs and so a natural fit with pure transportation schemes is often difficult to demonstrate. Other funding however does hold prospects for utilisation for transportation schemes.
The importance of transport and infrastructure is included in several sections of the Strategic Economic Plan, including specifically how it can support housing and job growth by bringing forward new development, but also its less obvious role in influencing perceptions about an area as a business location and as an attractive place to live and work. The difficulties in attracting skilled workers, professionals and managers were reported by businesses in several sectors, including the public sector, in the research undertaken in producing the Plan. Also the need to promote the area as an attractive place to invest, visit and work is a priority activity in the Plan. The contribution which good communication links make to creating a good quality of life has long been recognised. Research consistently shows that both businesses deciding on where to locate, and individuals making decisions about relocation for themselves and their families, include transport communications as one of the most important factors they take into account.
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What have we found out?
Transportation and the Lincolnshire Tourism Industry
Tourism is the travel for recreational, leisure, family or business purposes, usually of a limited duration. Tourism is commonly associated with trans-national travel, but may also refer to travel to another location within the same country. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes". In terms of Economic Development, the broader term of Visitor is often used, recognising that local people can be visitors to different parts of their locality too and Visitor Economy is used to describe the wider context of retail, leisure and other activities which tend to exist alongside tourism attractions to make locations attractive as places to live, work and visit.
According to the Visit England Tourism and Transport Action Plan,
"The tourism industry recognises the importance of transport as an integral part of the visitor experience. Visitors frequently use the network outside the primary corridors and some of England’s destinations fall outside this network, including many ‘attract’ brands (Blackpool, Lincolnshire Coast, the Peak District, Dorset and Cumbria). For many resorts they are literally at the ‘end of the line’ and by-passed by long distance inter-city routes."10
Conversely, tourism helps to maintain transport services and infrastructure across the country. Without tourism numerous areas of England would probably lose many of the public transport services that are currently delivered and which benefit residents as well as visitors. The transport infrastructure which serves visitors also provides benefits to local residents as well. These benefits mostly apply to remote communities with low population thresholds and in rural areas throughout the country.
The Value of Tourism to Lincolnshire's Economy
Lincolnshire County Council's Destination Management Plan 2013-2020 contains a vision for tourism in Lincolnshire, which is
"By 2020, tourism will be recognised as having made a real and positive change to Lincolnshire's economy. It will be seen to have delivered growth, safeguarded and created jobs, driven investment and had a positive impact on the quality of life for Lincolnshire residents. Together, we will aim to double the real value of tourism to our economy by 2020."11
The economic importance of tourism also features in the GLLEP Vision for Lincolnshire to 2030.
In 2012 the overall impact on the economy in Lincolnshire of tourism activity was calculated as £1.115bn and accounted for 17,796 jobs. Modest growth has been achieved in the last few years
10 Visit England Tourism and Transport Action Plan, May 2012, www.visitengland.org 11 Lincolnshire Destination Management Plan 2013-2020, Economy and Culture, Lincolnshire County Council OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 22 -
but it is clear that the visitor economy is one of the most important growth sectors for the region. The number of tourists who visited Lincolnshire increased from 17 million in 2011 to 17.4 million in 2012 and tourism revenues improved by 1%, equal to about £10 million.
The spread of the tourism impact across the county also shows some clear honeypot destinations and highlights the importance of the coastal offer:
1. East Lindsey District Council £495.63m 2. Lincoln City Council £152.94m 3. South Kesteven District Council £136.76m
Tourism is mainly concentrated in Lincoln City (particularly the Castle and the Cathedral), the east coast, Stamford, the Wolds and key attractions such as Butlins Skegness, Springfields, the Wash (RSPB sites), and Boston Stump.
The success of Lincolnshire's tourism industry is founded upon product, customer awareness of the product and ease of "consumption" of the product.
It was a strong reflection in the focus group discussions that, on the east coast, product development is driven by private enterprise, whereas in Lincoln it has been driven, in recent years in particular, more by the public sector. The view is that there has been relatively limited public sector investment in the tourism product on the east coast. Most of the retail sector on the east coast is tourism related and the employment impact of tourism on the east coast is significant. Lincolnshire is home to Butlins in Skegness, which, according to Visit England, is the fourth most popular tourist holiday resort in the UK. Butlins Skegness Resort has an annual turnover of £70m, and most of the visitors come between May and September and are from the Newcastle and Manchester areas. Butlins has successfully changed its focus over the last 10-15 years to the short break market, namely Friday – Monday and Monday – Friday breaks. The catchment area is important for the short breaks market, as people would only be looking to travel 2 - 2½ hours. The key point with regards to this is the travelling time not the actual distance.
In Lincoln, 2015 will be a significant year for tourism with the reopening of Lincoln Castle and the display of one of only four 1215 Magna Carta in the world in time for its 800th anniversary. A strong case can be made that, despite its wealth of historic attractions, Lincoln is currently performing below its full tourism potential. It is estimated that the refurbishment of Lincoln Castle could lead to a 29-55% increase in the overall value of tourism to Lincoln, thereby transforming the visitor appeal of Lincoln as an historic destination. On the basis of the current value of Lincoln's tourism sector, this would equate to £36-68m in terms of economic impact and an additional 600-1,100 FTE jobs.
Generally, it can be viewed that Lincolnshire has a diverse range of products and experiences which are receiving new investment. However, links between tourism attractions and visitor "hot spot" locations in Lincolnshire are poor, for example road and rail connections between the east coast and Lincoln do not facilitate visitors staying in the area to visit both areas. The longer visitors stay, and/or the more repeat visits they make, the more impact they have on the economy. Stamford and Country house attractions in the South Kesteven area attract high numbers of visitors, but connections to Lincoln, South, East or central Lincolnshire are relatively poor.
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Promotion of Lincolnshire to Tourists
The perceptions of those involved in the Task and Finish Group, and of some involved in the discussions, is that Lincolnshire has a low profile nationally as a tourism destination and that Lincoln is largely unknown by anyone outside of the East Midlands. There is relatively limited publicity for Lincolnshire and its tourism assets in the national papers and raising the profile of the area is seen as expensive.
Lincolnshire County Council's Role in Tourism Marketing
With regards to tourism marketing, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) undertakes a range of activities and support other organisations to promote the County and parts of it. For example, LCC owns the Destination Management System and associated website www.visitlincolnshire.com, produce an annual countywide visitor guide, deliver tourism PR and manage the 'Select Lincolnshire' food and tourism promotion scheme.
The County Council also has a number of projects ongoing to promote product development and economic regeneration which include:
Lincoln Castle Revealed Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire
LCC's Destination Management Plan 2013-2020 highlights that due to the size of the county, Lincolnshire has a varied tourism offer which should be presented to visitors as individual destinations or themes rather than a whole. The aim is to have a network of strong, fully functioning, supporting destinations and experiences built around market towns, rural themes, aviation, food and drink.
Additionally, a Strategic Tourism Group for the county is working on priorities following the approval of the Lincolnshire Destination Management Plan by Lincolnshire County Council, other local authorities and sector partners. There is also a Greater Lincolnshire Destination Forum Group (consisting of tourism officers from each district, including City of Lincoln and Lincolnshire County Council) which works on marketing the county as a visitor destination, maintains the Visit Lincolnshire website, and looks for opportunities to improve the tourism offer and develop the skills of those working in the industry.
Visit Lincolnshire is planning a lot of promotional work for Lincoln Castle Revealed and the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta for 2015, and there is a need to ensure that when people come to the city or the wider county that they have a good experience so that they consider returning to Lincolnshire in future and promote Lincolnshire to family and friends. If the county fails to impress tourists in 2015 it will be incredibly difficult to reverse the negative impact. In addition there will be marketing activity in future around the anniversaries of the Battle of Lincoln Fair and Charter of the Forest in 2017 and Lincoln Castle's 950th anniversary in 2018.
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Destination Partnerships in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce established the Tourism and Hospitality Chamber in 2011 that is supporting emerging destination partnerships across the county. These partnerships include:
East Coast Destination Management Organisation (DMO) South Lincolnshire Boston Visitor Economy Partnership Visit Lincoln Partnership
The Visit Lincoln Partnership has developed its own Visit Lincoln Destination Management Plan for the city which considers transport infrastructure, quality of product, business development, training and marketing. The aim is to raise awareness of Lincoln nationally and internationally, increase visitor numbers to the city from three million a year, and increase income generated to the economy through tourism from £130m by 5% year on year. The Visit Lincoln Destination Management Plan states that,
"To achieve such growth requires considerable effort through consistent and sustained marketing and communication, provision of an excellent product offer and improvements to areas of perceived weaknesses such as access and the transport infrastructure, improved parking/park and ride and better signage."12
At East Lindsey District Council, who work in conjunction with the Visit East Lincolnshire DMO, a targeted marketing campaign at the beginning of the year is reported to have had excellent results. The marketing for the east coast was focussed in the West Midlands and included signage on buses and advertisements/promotions in regional press. The feedback showed an increase in both enquiries and bookings for both accommodation providers and attractions on Lincolnshire's coast.
The Impact of Transportation on Tourism
There has been no evidence found to support the contention that the transportation networks in Lincolnshire "hold back" the county's tourism industry from the investigations so far. It is notable from the tourism focus group in Skegness that the reflection was rail access facilitated the growth of the resort originally, and that today, tourism investment nationally is more likely to go to places with good road access, such as the new CentreParc investment in Bedfordshire. Conversely, however, there is no evidence to support the proposition that the Lincolnshire transportation network has a positive impact on visitor number and spend. It was also notable from the Skegness focus group that strategic road improvements improving access into the County, such as the A46 to Lincoln, are perceived to have improved journeys for visitors from Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
There are widely held views that access to Lincolnshire is perceived to be very difficult. The distances in themselves add to this perception. Generally, evidence from interviews points to a view that getting to Lincoln itself by road is not too much of an issue, and has improved since the dualling of the A46, but going further than the city is seen to be a problem.
12 Driving Forward Our Destination, A Destination Management Plan for Lincoln 2015 and Beyond http://www.visitlincoln.com OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 25 -
With regards to Lincoln, there are a number of transport limitations on visitors. According to the ECOTEC report on the Economic Impact Assessment of Lincoln Castle (2009), 75% of regional, national and international visitors use the car as the main form of transport to travel to Lincoln. However, car parking and the expense of car parking were the most frequently mentioned areas of improvement required for Lincoln City. The Visit Lincoln Destination Management Plan highlights a number of weaknesses in terms of transportation and access to Lincoln:
Signage into the city is poor (particularly from the A1). Car parking locations & availability are not well signed and parking is pay and display - restricting visitor spend and length of stay. There is no option of a Park & Ride service for visitors. The Lincoln offer for coaches and drivers is limited - particularly signage and parking for coaches. Railway level crossings are a barrier to pedestrian and vehicular movement. There are limited direct train services from London with rail access from London and other parts of the UK more restricted than other comparable cities. Perceptions of challenges around access to Lincoln by train hinder visitors coming to the city. As gateways, the bus and railway stations are not welcoming to visitors.
Visit Lincoln is working to encourage a number of conferences and events to come to Lincolnshire, for example to the Lincolnshire Showground on the outskirts of Lincoln. However, it was highlighted that a suggestion to hold a tourism conference within the county was turned down as it was considered that the transport access was not good enough.
These issues were further highlighted in the discussions held with the tourism representatives. It was stated that once people had arrived in Lincoln, there seemed to be a lack of signage for car parks. It was suggested that lower parking charges could encourage people to stay longer in the city, and therefore this would increase their spend, and that evening parking charges could discourage people from coming into the city on an evening to go to the theatre or for a meal.
Regular focus groups are also held with members of the public to get their feedback on various aspects relating to Lincoln Castle post 2015. At the most recent group eight tourists were recruited who were on weekend breaks in the city. Each of these participants made the point that they had purposely chosen accommodation with parking as they know parking in Lincoln is notoriously bad and this reputation has prevented them from visiting the city in the past.
A Park and Ride System for Lincoln
The issue of a park and ride system in Lincoln has been raised several times during this review. It is clear that a park and ride system is vital to the future of Lincoln in order to cope with any potential increase in tourists. However, there will not be a permanent system in place by 2015 for the reopening of Lincoln Castle and the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta due to the complexities around setting up a permanent park and ride system. It was highlighted to the Task and Finish Group that the park and ride system in York had been looked at a few years ago, and it was found that the car parking charges in the city centre were very high in order to encourage visitors to use the park and ride system. A major issue with a park and ride system is whether there would be a need for it to be subsidised, as all other park and rides across the country are heavily subsidised. It was emphasised that it is very expensive to set up a park and ride system, even a temporary one, but it could be worthwhile for a big event such as the Christmas Market. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 26 -
Many views and ideas have been put forward about the best sites for additional parking and park and ride, for example, The Lincolnshire Showground, which belongs to the Agricultural Society, or having two sites, one near the eastern bypass and another on the western bypass. Lincolnshire County Council is working with the City of Lincoln Council to investigate the possibilities for a temporary park and ride system for 2015, and a permanent park and ride system at some point in the future.
The Important Economic Role of the Coach Industry
Coach operators have an important part to play in growing the economy of the county as coach trips and the coach travel market are important for hotels and local businesses. However, there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that Lincoln currently does not have a strong reputation in the coach industry. There are some opinions that the existing system of drop off points are not seen as desirable or convenient by coach operators. The dedicated drop-off points are located at Northgate (Cathedral Quarter), Saltergate (High St North) and Wigford Way (High Street South) which are supplemented by several unofficial sites. Currently, the facilities for coach drivers are located at Tentercroft Street car park, PC Coaches Depot and Great Northern Terrace, which is managed by Stagecoach.
The Lincoln Coach Survey by Econdev Solutions in 2011 provides a snapshot of coach visits to the City and satisfaction levels from the perspective of the Bailgate Businesses and Coach Operators. However, the sample size of those responding is very small, but some points to note from the report about coach visits to the City are:
90% of coaches were generally only visiting Lincoln and not travelling elsewhere following their visit. 100% of coaches spent at least 4 hours in Lincoln, with most (75%) arriving between 9:30 and 11:00am. 90% of coaches were visiting as often as in previous years, with a third visiting monthly and two thirds visiting quarterly. The vast majority of coaches were full (90%) and each carrying 40+ passengers (70%).
It was highlighted to the Task and Finish Group that initial perceptions seem to be that current provision for coaches is not overstretched. This is being investigated further to explore whether this is reflective of the quality of the offer, and to take into account anticipated increases in visitor numbers.
Coaches will be a challenge in 2015 as there will be a significant number coming to the city, bringing visitors as well as school trips. There is therefore a need for appropriate parking for coaches. The responsibility for coach parking is with City of Lincoln Council, and officers are working together to resolve the current issues. Officers within Economic Regeneration and Technical Services Partnership (TSP) are exploring suitable sites around the city for additional car parking provision in 2015, and closely aligned to this is a review of coach parking facilities. The study is examining if and how additional provision will be identified for consideration, both to strengthen the existing offer and create a viable 'safety valve' for the anticipated additional visitors in 2015 and beyond.
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Discussions are also taking place with Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG) and City of Lincoln Council regarding coach parking. One option that has been suggested is if a location could be identified for a park and ride, then this could also provide somewhere for coaches to park after they had dropped off visitors.
Anecdotal Evidence from Tourism Industry Representatives
The Task and Finish Group spoke to the East Lincolnshire Destination Management Organisation and other representatives of the Lincolnshire Coastal tourism industry. A number of issues were raised through these discussions.
The vast majority of visitors to the Butlins Skegness resort travel by car and are from the Manchester and Newcastle areas. In addition, there are an increasing number of caravans entering the Friday – Monday short breaks market. However, getting people around the east coast during the peak 6 or 7 weeks of the year is a challenge.
Skegness attracts a considerable number of tourists via train. Train timetabling, however, currently does not coincide with suitable times for guests to arrive in Skegness. In addition the trains to Skegness are increasingly overcrowded.
Cycling holidays along the east coast are reported to have been affected due to the loss of the millennium cycleway. This was a very important cycle link on the east coast, but has been lost due to sand inundation resulting in a lot of local footpaths being no longer passable. The Task and Finish Group held the view that it is important to maintain and improve cycle paths as Lincolnshire is a great area to start a cycling holiday, and there is an opportunity to promote the county as a cycle friendly destination. Heritage attractions could also be promoted alongside cycling holidays. It was highlighted that the cycleway between Lincoln and Boston is just about complete. There is also good potential for a feature to be made of any future flood defences on the east coast, for example by them having a dual function such as a coastal cycle path as well.
The Task and Finish Group also heard from the Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce who commented that
“Transportation probably sits alongside access to Broadband, quality of accommodation offer and communication (social media, marketing etc.) as one of the key factors limiting the development of the county’s Visitor Economy, particularly with coach companies and groups. Issues such as signage, road maintenance, parking affect the volume and value of visitor spend.”
There is also a perception that the public transport within the county is not very good. However, the highways network is not believed to be the reason for the lack of bus services in rural areas. The size of the county and the predominantly dispersed nature of the population means that providing bus services in large parts of Lincolnshire is not commercially attractive to private bus operators. Currently, the County Council spends almost £4m each year supporting services which would not otherwise be financially viable due to the small numbers of people using them. The demand responsive CallConnect rural services have been particularly successful, carrying some 250,000 passengers each year.
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Impact of Transportation on Businesses and Investment into Lincolnshire
The value of Businesses to Lincolnshire's Economy
According to the Annual Business Inquiry 2008/09, there were 27,565 businesses in Lincolnshire in 2007.
Of these, 26,724 businesses were classed as small businesses with 85% of these (approximately 23,000) employing 10 or fewer people. There were 702 medium sized businesses with 50-199 employees, and 139 large businesses with over 200 employees13.
Makeup of Businesses in Lincolnshire by Number of Employees
0-49
3% 50-199 96% Over 200 1%
The Lincolnshire economy was worth £10.5 billion in 2012 according to the latest provisional Gross Value Added (GVA) figures. Nearly a quarter of the Lincolnshire workforce is employed by only 140 large organisations. Approximately two-fifths of the county’s firms employing 200+ staff are either in the Retail or Banking & Finance sectors.
These statistics indicate that the Lincolnshire economy is dominated, in terms of numbers, by small and medium sized businesses (SME's) which account for three quarters of all employment.
The Impact of Transportation on Businesses
According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) report Small business and infrastructure: Transport,
"Transport, particularly road transport, is fundamental to small businesses. Every day business owners rely on access to cost-effective and reliable transport for the running of their business: for access to their customer base; for the delivering and receiving of goods and services; and to enable employees to reach their workplace. Small businesses need a transport network that allows them, and their suppliers and customers, to move quickly and easily, without undue cost. Inadequate transport infrastructure creates delays, damage to vehicles and, in turn, lost productivity and unnecessary costs."14
13 Annual Business Inquiry 2008/09 (Nomis, www.nomisweb.co.uk) 14 Small business and infrastructure: Transport, http://www.fsb.org.uk/documents OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 29 -
Throughout July and August 2013, a number of Lincolnshire businesses were visited and interviewed in order to gather intelligence to support the development of the GLLEP Strategic Economic Plan. The vast majority of those businesses were larger firms employing over 50 people and from sectors pertinent to the GLLEP priority sectors. A total of 64 businesses were interviewed and 57 were surveyed. Further interviews were held with strategic partnerships taking the number of businesses actively engaged in this exercise to 77.
The outcomes from this exercise record that of particular significance to businesses across most sectors was the availability of staff, IT infrastructure and transport links.
In terms of accessing suppliers, a significant proportion of the agri-food and manufacturing sector felt this was a problem for them. Similarly a significant proportion of manufacturers said access to customers was poor in the county. The majority of respondents (67%) said they had no current problems with their supply chains barring issues with transportation due to the local infrastructure.
Many respondents identified the desire for a dual carriageway on some A roads as critical to growth. A number of businesses specifically discussed the need to dual the A17 and also asked the GLLEP to use its influence to persuade central government to remove the 40 mph speed limit for heavy goods vehicles on A roads. Businesses from the Spalding area said that the A16 improvements have made access to the motorways much better. Comments from businesses included suggesting the GLLEP should also use its influence to "get central government to be more interventionist in building a better infrastructure in the county" and to "put pressure on the government to drop the HS2 in favour of better roads and broadband".
The potential for the road rail hub was discussed in several interviews, with businesses on the whole positive and saying they would use it to bring in produce and for distribution “if the retailers were brought into it”. One business highlighted the risk to the sector through having a poor infrastructure and how improving it would ensure that Lincolnshire remained the location of choice in a sector at risk from consolidation. This business said the road rail hub would help the whole industry. The addition of specialist chilled storage would also help agri-food producer's source more from the UK and reduce the need for imports due to seasonality of some food commodities.
With regards to manufacturing, respondents highlighted that access, infrastructure, air and rail connections all hinder growth. Proximity to others in the supply chain also causes difficulties.
Anecdotal Evidence from Business Representatives
These issues were further highlighted when the Task and Finish Group met with a range of business representatives from the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses – West Lindsey, Federation of Small Businesses – South Holland, Spalding and District Chamber, Lincoln Business Club, Gainsborough Area Chamber, Gainsborough Town Partnership, Deepings Business Club, and Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership to discuss how transportation impacted on business and investment growth. It was highlighted by the business representatives that in their view the county is being held back due to the transportation network. Some of the comments received were:
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"In Lincolnshire, the agricultural industry is very dependent on the road system and the food production and food processing industry has the largest impact on transport. Agriculture is a big sector in the county, and the current road system struggles to cope with the large and heavy farm vehicles which are used".
"In the Lincoln area, the three most important sectors are manufacturing and engineering, education and tourism. These are the areas which have been identified by the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce as ones which need to be concentrated on and where businesses need to be encouraged to grow. These are also the sectors which have seen some improvement in recent years and have more potential for growth. However, rail is seen as an important factor from a business point of view and there is a perceived need for more direct services between Lincoln and London and improved connectivity with Nottingham. It was highlighted that there would be an improvement in businesses’ perception if Lincoln was a mainline station".
"In the West Lindsey area, Gainsborough is a growth point area and also an important manufacturing base, both nationally and internationally. As Gainsborough expands there will be a need to pull in resources from the surrounding areas, such as labour from local villages. Businesses in West Lindsey would like to see better public transport to encourage more jobs, not just roads and trains, but also buses, taxis, cycling facilities, and public footpaths".
"In the south of the county, the proposed link road with the Tesco's development in Sleaford is seen as necessary to the town, and will bring wider business opportunities to Sleaford, as a lot of people currently travel out of town to do their shopping".
"With regards to Spalding, the major supermarkets are interested in the plans for a rail freight hub, which is private sector led, and a lot of transport companies use rail to transport the finished product, rather than the raw materials".
"Businesses are moving away from the east of the county due to the poor access by road, with the majority of the network being single carriageway. This has led to a significant number of job losses in the east of the county and is also preventing businesses investing in the area".
“Due to the proximity of Market Deeping & Deeping St James (The Deepings) to Peterborough, that route forms our most important transport links. It is also our nearest access to mainline trains. However, links to the nearby towns of Stamford, Bourne and Spalding are also important for business in the area. Road routes are generally reasonable apart from the route to Stamford, the A16 trunk road, which has to pass over Tallington Level crossing which I believe is one of the busiest in the country. 30 minute delays are quite common and I believe the average barrier down time is something like 47 minutes out of every hour!! A bridge is urgently required. That route is also the most direct access to the A1 from the Deepings but you have to pass through Stamford which is a tight and very congested town. A Stamford bypass would also be desirable. At present North & South bus services are fairly good (Peterborough & Bourne) but East and West are limited and suffer from the issues mentioned in the paragraph above. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 31 -
It would be beneficial to Deepings based businesses to have easier access to railway services. Getting to / from Peterborough at rush hours is difficult. There has been a campaign to re-open Littleworth station at Deeping St Nicholas, the business club is supportive of that campaign as it would allow shorter and easier access (with more affordable parking - Peterborough station is I think now £12) and for Northbound journeys, e.g. to Lincoln it currently seems daft to go South to Peterborough to then catch a train to Lincoln.”
In addition, the Task and Finish Group heard from Mountain Transport, a haulage company based in Sleaford, who commented that
“If the transport infrastructure was sufficient to meet the population and subsequent businesses Sleaford would thrive once again. Currently there is insufficient infrastructure to cope with current or indeed future development which is ‘driving’ people away from the town. A good road network around the town with industrial estate opportunities etc. will mean people will be able to get into town for the shops and the business traffic will not block it. The outcome will be more people going into town / investment in the town through shops / pedestrian areas and more business being attracted to the edge of the town due to additional bypasses and industrial estates etc.
It is not so much the ‘cost per mile’ but not having to drive through Sleaford and Silk Willoughby now that the town has grown around us that would be better for all. The priority as I see it is a southern bypass for the A15 linking the A15 Silk Willoughby to the A17 near Kirkby La Thorpe / the power station area and dual carriageway for the A17 Newark to Kings Lynn! It is all about the volume of traffic that has been created by the increase in housing, with a lot more planned (Which can only be good for Lincolnshire and NK). Also motor car usage / availability over the last 15 to 20 years has increased tremendously.”
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What are Our Conclusions?
This review provided members of the Task and Finish Group with a real opportunity to engage with business from both the tourism industry and the other sectors which support significant job numbers such as agri-food, engineering and general manufacturing. Alongside these face to face interviews we were able to review the records of additional survey work undertaken during 2013 to support the writing of the GLLEP Strategic Economic Plan.
Our findings must not be taken as empirical data. The evidence we have obtained is qualitative and when added to existing policy and analysis, still points to the need for further analysis and investigation.
In general:
Transportation in one form or another enters the thinking of almost all businesses when considering how to operate at peak efficiency, whether to make further investment and how to sustain growth.
No business interview failed to identify some form of issue with the County's transportation network.
For those active in the tourism sector, there is a strong belief that the county transport infrastructure currently inhibits tourists from getting to Lincolnshire's honeypots. In the west of the county, train connections were of the greatest concern, whilst to the east and along the coast all forms of transport (train, bus and private car) were seen to be problematic. Allied to the issue of transportation, statements were made about car and coach parking in Lincoln.
For other types of business, the transport infrastructure is critically important for accessing supplies, distributing goods and for the simple matter of getting employees to their places of work. Transport routes need to be reliable in terms of journey time. Many businesses did not have faith in the county's road network travel times, and the appropriateness of train and bus service schedules. Some haulage companies stated that they did not tend to have too many problems with the county's roads but on deeper investigation this was found to be because they had tended to locate themselves close to trunk roads. However, anecdotal evidence from a major haulier in the south of the county highlighted that they go outside Lincolnshire to use the A1 to access Scunthorpe and the Humber ports as the A15 "is a nightmare".
Businesses identified which are the key routes through the county for their sector.
Where are the key economic road corridors and how can we improve them?
Manufacturing and tourism business representatives across Lincolnshire focused on a number of key economic corridors as being the most critical routeways for their sectors, in particular the A15, A16 and A17 were highlighted as key roads. When pushed further to prioritise a route for improvement the majority view (of those who responded) was that it would be more beneficial to have an improved north – south route rather than an east – west route through the county. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 33 -
The Task and Finish Group are of the view that from the interviews held much of the Lincolnshire business base is likely to be in favour of significant dualling of major A road routes but failing this would like to see stretches of dual carriageway to allow overtaking of slower vehicles. The upgrading of the A15 to a dual carriageway was viewed as a priority as it currently links some of the growth point towns and areas where further housing and infrastructure are planned. A number of developments are planned for the A15 corridor including the relocation of Bishop Burton College and the potential development of an aviation heritage centre at RAF Scampton. However, the main problem with dualling the A15 is understood to be the archaeology along the route, and if the road was to be widened to a dual carriageway, a new route may be required.
The Cost of Dual Carriageways
As a general "rule of thumb", £8million per km is quoted for the cost of a dual carriageway road scheme. However, this does not reflect the level of complexities, such as vertical realignments and new roundabouts that would be needed on the A15 and A17. Looking at a local example, the A46 Newark to Widmerpool dual carriageway is stated on the Highways Agency website as a scheme costing £362million for a 17 mile (23km) stretch of works. This equates to nearly £16million per km or over £21million per mile. The scheme required significant off-line and some on-line improvements as well as significant vertical realignment. The A15 from the M180 to the existing dual carriageway at Glinton, near Peterborough, is 109km (68 miles). At £8million per km, a rough estimation of a dual carriageway cost would equate to an £872million scheme. At £16million per km, an estimate would be £1.7billion. This ignores the need to dual the stretch of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, which would add significant cost due to the rail and water crossings and related structures. With regards to the costs of just dualling the A15 north of Lincoln, which is approximately 33km (20 miles) long, the cost is estimated to be between £264million at £8million per km and £528million at £16million per km.
The upgrading of the A17 to a dual carriageway is perceived to be of huge benefit to the agri-food sector in the south of the county. However, the A17 from the A46 junction at Newark to the A47 junction at Kings Lynn is approximately 96km (59 miles). At £8million per km, a rough estimation of a dual carriageway cost would equate to a £768million scheme. At £16million per km, an estimate would be £1.5billion.
Given the costs involved, the upgrading of either the A15 or the A17 to dual carriageway standard will need be a longer term objective. Either scheme will require significant central government funding, which is unlikely until there is a much improved funding climate.
From 2015 it is proposed that the Highways Agency will become a public company, which would give more independence from Government and guaranteed longer term funding. The budget is expected to rise from £1.26billion to £4.34billion by 2023. The Highways Agency will in future be considering economic impact as criteria for investment decisions, but there is not currently an agreed methodology on how this would be undertaken. From 2015 onwards the Highways Agency will need to review the strategic network it wants to continue to be responsible for, which may open up the possibility of some former roads being re-trunked. Potential roads for re-trunking could be the A15, A16 or A17. However, one disadvantage to re-trunking A roads is that part of the calculation for how much funding the local authority receives is based on the number of A roads within the county. Therefore with fewer A roads, the authority would receive less funding.
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Given the scale of Lincolnshire's road network, the budget available to maintain it is already under very severe pressure and significant prioritisation has to take place.
The Task and Finish Group discussed the merits of a motorway running north – south through Lincolnshire. The Department for Transport do not have any proposals to build an M11 extension through Lincolnshire, however, they have carried out a route based study, and the report is due to be published imminently. The County Council has contributed to that study highlighting the importance of economic development and tourism to the county. It was acknowledged that there are severe financial restraints to getting the M11 extended through the county up to the Humber Bridge, as approximately 100 miles of motorway would need to be built through Lincolnshire. There were differing views within the Task and Finish Group about the pros and cons of a motorway through Lincolnshire. Advantages that a motorway could bring to the area in terms of economic growth and investment opportunities to the County, the GLLEP and beyond were recognised. However the environmental impact, and the importance many people in Lincolnshire would place on that, was also recognised. There was a common view that any such investment should ensure benefit to the places with improved access, as in some areas, a new strategic route has not always benefited the places bypassed. Improving access to the east coast through any route design was seen as a very important objective.
It was highlighted that another way to improve the road network in the short to medium term, and without the high costs involved in new routes and major route improvements, would be better signage and routing to direct tourists around the county. For example, it was highlighted that the A16 is, relatively, not a very well used road, and that visitors to the East Lindsey area who travelled from the Leeds or Manchester areas could be directed to use this road instead of busier roads such as the A15. Better knowledge of where people are travelling from to Lincolnshire would be useful to highlight which entry points into the county require improved signage and routing.
How important are the Rail services to the County and where could they be improved?
Railways provide an alternative transport mode reducing road traffic. Annually 4.5 million passengers travel through Lincolnshire stations. The Task and Finish Group had a generally held view that there is a need for a push for improvements to rail for a number of reasons including investment, jobs, tourism and agriculture. Rail connections are important to the tourist economy particularly to Lincoln and Skegness. From Lincoln however, there is no direct service to Boston or Skegness. Moreover, it is not thought that the rail network will be sufficiently improved for the east coast to benefit, and so improvements to the roads are vital if tourism is to be increased on the east coast. For 2015, and the improvements to Lincoln Castle, there is a need to encourage day tourism from places such as York and London, as well as people coming to visit for the weekend. Rail is also important to commuters and it is recognised that there is also a lot of potential around rail freight particularly for food products.
The re-letting of the Franchises that serve Lincolnshire will start between February 2015 and October 2017. However, rural lines in Lincolnshire make an operating loss and require revenue support. Cross subsidy is in essence provided through the Franchise system. Low levels of patronage do not provide the cost benefit assessment to justify investment. Service improvements
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require increased patronage or local subsidy. National Rail’s working assumption is that all East Coast Main Line (ECML) multi modal freight will use the Joint Line by 2033.
Franchises have a Service Level Agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT) for the number of services they can run. If a Train Operating Company wants to run more services, they would need approval from the DfT. The new franchises will allow for more flexibility of services, including being able to reduce the number of existing services. Without the co-operation of the Train Operating Companies, Lincolnshire will not get the rail service it needs. There is a need to encourage Train Operating Companies to make the most of the Joint Line upgrade and the possibility of using the Joint Line for a direct service to London needs to be explored further. At present Network Rail have no plans to electrify the Joint Line. However if a decision was made to use electric trains to haul freight then this will need to be re-considered.
All schemes delivered by Network Rail are based on business cases, but there may be problems getting the necessary evidence to support the business case, such as the benefits that the schemes will have on the local community and local economy. In future, Network Rail will be open to considering the economic development aspect of business cases, but the ways and means of doing this are not yet known. This will be relevant when looking as far ahead to 2043, and developing plans in parallel with housing and employment growth plans.
One of the issues in Lincolnshire is the need for electrification of the network. However, with the increase in the use of dual fuel trains this should not be as much as a barrier as it has been. During CP5 there will be a rolling programme of electrification across the network, but this does not currently cover Lincolnshire.
Improving Rail Services in Lincolnshire
The priorities for Lincolnshire County Council are to secure service improvements from Lincoln to London and also Lincoln to Nottingham. A fully worked up business case for Lincoln to London direct services has been submitted to the Department for Transport. The current Lincoln to London service does not give the best benefit to the Lincoln tourist economy, as there is one train to London early in the morning, and one train to Lincoln in the early evening. A direct train service into London from Lincoln and vice versa is seen as essential, with trains arriving in Lincoln between 9.30am and 10.00am and returning back to London at approximately 5.00pm. This would allow tourists from London to spend the day in Lincoln. Many cathedral cities have an hourly direct service to London. However, whether the number of services is improved will be up to the operator of the line, and the shortlisted Train Operating Companies will be approached after the Invitation to Tender is issued. With the new franchises there will be a requirement that all existing destinations will still be served. Therefore there will still be a direct Lincoln to London service, but there will be a need to lobby for improved times for the service. However, to justify additional direct rail services from Lincoln to London, there would be a need for many more people to use the service. Furthermore, the gradual introduction of dual powered trains from 2017, which can run on both electrified and non-electrified lines, should not affect the ability to run additional services if the Joint Line is not electrified immediately.
Lincolnshire County Council is working with local partners to secure service improvements to the Lincoln to Nottingham route, and pressing National Rail to make the necessary investment in infrastructure to increase line speed. The next planned timetable change for the Lincoln – Nottingham line is May 2015. However, to run an additional unit on the Lincoln to Nottingham line OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 36 -
would cost approximately £2.1m over three years. It would be beneficial if the GLLEP would support improvements to the train service between Lincoln and Nottingham, as the current service is slower than it was 100 years ago. There is the possibility of line speed improvements between Nottingham and Lincoln of up to 75mph which will be looked at in the next few years.
There was a widely held view in the Group that improvements are also needed between Grimsby and Lincoln. There are some track renewals planned for the Grimsby to Lincoln line which will provide line speed improvements in the next few years.
The County Council is also supporting the private sector led scheme to develop a rail freight facility near Spalding and the Poacher Line Community Rail Partnership (Nottingham-Skegness). The development of a rail freight hub in Spalding would benefit the economy and the county's roads by removing a large number of lorries from the road network.
The Poacher Line is a community rail project supported by the Department for Transport. The Partnership is funded by Lincolnshire County Council as the lead partner, Nottinghamshire County Council, East Midlands Trains, North Kesteven District Council and the Department for Transport. Since the inception of the Poacher Line, Network Rail has committed to investing millions of pounds to improve the station environments. In terms of use of the Nottingham - Skegness line, the trains are full in the summer months, but are a lot quieter in winter. To improve the Poacher Line, the aim is to have longer trains, a new station at Skegness, improved line speeds and track renewals.
Representatives of the authorities that the East Coast Mainline (ECML) runs through are now starting to meet regularly as a consortium in order to lobby for improvements to the line and services. The work being carried out is high level, and does not capture a specific event, such as Magna Carta, but it is examining issues such as the reputational aspect of service delivery, improving services, improving the appearance of stations and improving the rolling stock. The next planned timetable change for the ECML is December 2016. The East Coast is a significant corridor, with responsibility for just over half of the country's Gross Value Added.
Potential Use of the Joint Line
The Task and Finish Group has also considered some analysis of diesel trains using the Joint Line from Doncaster to Peterborough, which has just been upgraded, and the possibility of rerouting one or two trains via the Joint Line. One of the biggest problems currently is that the Joint Line is a single shift line which limits the times that the trains can run. It is hoped that now it has been upgraded, it will become a two or three shift line. The principal stations on the Joint Line are Gainsborough Lea Road, Lincoln, Sleaford and Spalding.
It was highlighted that First Hull Trains currently provide a number of the East Coast stopping services which call at Grantham and Retford and some of these trains could potentially be diverted through some of the principal stations on the Joint Line. Studying the First Hull Trains timetable, a service is currently operated by three trains as follows (the numbers in brackets are the turnaround times at each station):
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In order to allow for stops at Gainsborough Lea Road, Lincoln and Spalding, this would potentially add on an extra half an hour or so onto travelling times, which could be accommodated by reducing the turnaround time at the Hull and London Kings Cross stations. Stops at Sleaford may not be practicable due to negotiating the loops and curves off the Joint Line which may add too much time to the journey.
It may therefore be possible, depending if pathing allowed and the current Train Operating Company, First Hull Trains, being willing, to divert a couple of trains each way a day to give two direct services to London Kings Cross from Gainsborough Lea Road, Lincoln and Spalding at very little or no cost. The Task and Finish Group agreed that this should be investigated further. Lincolnshire County Council has already made contact with First Hull Trains.
What are the priorities and plans at North Lincolnshire Council?
The Task and Finish Group met with the Leader, Portfolio Holders and senior officers at North Lincolnshire Council to discuss how transport infrastructure benefitted the authority, what further developments are needed to benefit the economies of both authorities, and how both councils could work together to achieve this.
It was highlighted that transport has played a major role in North Lincolnshire, particularly in relation to regeneration. Scunthorpe is in a very central position and 40 million people are within a four hour drive. Several head offices of large companies are based in North Lincolnshire and the industrial sites are on the edge of the urban areas. Having a motorway within the county was considered critical to North Lincolnshire and Scunthorpe, as people only needed to travel 3 miles before they reached the motorway. The motorway junctions around Scunthorpe are considered very important to the area. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 38 -
The road infrastructure is important to attract businesses into the area and North Lincolnshire Council is helping businesses to grow. North Lincolnshire has recently received £10 million from the Regional Growth Fund, which has enabled the authority to support local businesses. As a result, 600 new jobs have been created in the last six months. Furthermore, £48 million has been levered into North Lincolnshire in terms of private sector money, and the number of investment enquiries has also increased. Unemployment figures have reduced by the equivalent of 1400 jobs. Funding has also been successfully gained from the Humber Growth Fund as well, which has been used to attract new investment. North Lincolnshire Council's Business Support Unit also provides further support to businesses.
From the discussion, the view was that Transport needs to be a part of the bigger package of regeneration. There is a need to make improvements to linkages to the East Coast Mainline and for increased connectivity to the north of the country. It is also important for the development of businesses to have easy access to ports for importing and exporting. There will be some big development opportunities around Humberside Airport which need to be strengthened and will open up additional employment land. There will be real opportunities regarding transporting food as Humberside Airport wants to expand its perishables hub. Moreover, the supply chain is very important across Lincolnshire, as there are some large food processing plants based in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, green fuel and bio fuel are emerging sectors, and there will be a lot of opportunities around renewables.
There is a need to analyse where people are travelling from, in terms of living and working, as this will allow both authorities to start to build a case for infrastructure improvements. However, it was highlighted that Grantham is a commuter town, with excellent access to the ECML and A1, but its economy has not benefitted from this. Therefore, improving a town's economy needs more than just proximity to good transport links.
It was highlighted that it took 1 hour 40 minutes by train from Scunthorpe to Lincoln while the alternative is driving down the A15 which is a single carriageway road. It was noted that the possibility of dualling the A15 has been discussed for a long time, and the discussion group thought there is now a strong economic case for this with the planned developments along the A15. There was also the view that dualling of the A15 would also help to attract international investment. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 39 -
It was explored that, with the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015, there is the possibility of offering combined hotel and attraction deals across both areas and for the creation of a tourism trail across North Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire. It was also stated that there is a need to tie in the marketing of Greater Lincolnshire with other events which are planned in the wider area, such as Hull being named City of Culture, as these will offer an opportunity to promote Lincolnshire as a place to stay.
Future Joint Working Between LCC and North Lincolnshire Council
It was agreed that it would be useful if business services between the two authorities could be more integrated. It would be beneficial if the two authorities could work together in terms of business enquiries, as businesses are not concerned by which authority area they are based in. It was also agreed that there could be mutual benefits from working together on buses, highways such as on salting routes, and tourism issues.
It was recognised that the Strategic Economic Plan was required to contain projects that could be delivered in the short term, but there is also a need for discussions about other longer term projects. There is a need to identify what is deliverable and what is aspirational, for example at the moment, the dualling of the A15 is aspirational, but the view was that it could be deliverable in the next 20 years. It was agreed that the portfolio holders from each authority need to work closer together and that a further meeting should be arranged to start discussions around tourism, businesses and bus connections.
Where should efforts be focussed to secure improvements to the County’s Strategic Transport Network and what are the options for funding?
Officers provided the Task and Finish Group with important context on the policy and funding for the Strategic Transport Network.
The Local Transport Plan has changed since it was first introduced as it is now solely a deliverable plan for the approaching five years, whereas it used to include long term aspirations. It now sets out the schemes and priorities which are deliverable and can be funded. Lincolnshire has been fairly successful at having bids approved when compared on a national level. However, there is a need to be realistic with regards to how much money would be available to the authority. A new programme of European funding will start in April 2014, of which Lincolnshire has been allocated approximately £110m. Lincolnshire's Local Transport Board has also been awarded £11.9m for transport schemes.
Furthermore, the Highways Agency has to bid for funding for schemes in a similar way to Lincolnshire County Council. The Agency is carrying out a lot of maintenance schemes, and some safety schemes as well. It is not guaranteed how much budget each area will be allocated, however, the East Midlands do seem to be quite successful at gaining funding. Major investments have been in pinch point schemes with either a congestion or safety issue.
The national strategic road network is 4,300 miles, with an expected budget of £12.6 billion for maintenance over the next 5 years, whereas the county’s road network totals over 5,500 miles and is expecting a budget of only £40million over the same period. The costs associated with major transport schemes are huge, for example the Lincoln Eastern Bypass is expected to cost
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£96m for the single carriageway road, and £140m for the dual carriageway, and central government will only contribute up to £50m. While taking into account the costs involved, there is a need to identify where short term and achievable improvements to the transport network could be made and also for the development of a longer term strategy containing aspirational improvements to the transport network. The GLLEP Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) looks ahead to 2030, but during development of the Plan, there was a requirement from Government to identify projects which could be delivered within the coming 18 months. Therefore, the plan now has both short and longer term perspectives and it would be valuable to align the plan with transport infrastructure priorities.
Officers thought it likely that more money will become available in the Government’s 2014 Autumn Statement, and that this money will need to be spent quickly. If the authority is intending to bid for some of this money, then there will need to be schemes in place which it could be spent on. The discussion identified the need to prioritise schemes that will contribute to economic growth. The focus needs to be on delivering improvements to existing infrastructure but also to have a long term ambition of improvements to the transport infrastructure. The Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce highlighted in their response the improvements to the County's strategic transport network which they think will help to improve tourism, business growth and investment, which are “Improved combined rail and bus route networks; better access to major attractions; improved signage for special attractions and events; introduction of “green car” routes (electric/solar visitor hire fleets available for collection at rail/bus stations and other sites).”
Short and Longer Term Improvements to the Road Network
The Task and Finish Group has concluded that in relation to the road network, short term improvements could be achieved by exploring improved signage and routing into the county, and investing in overtaking laybys and junction improvements on some of the busiest A roads, such as the A17, to improve the flow of traffic. Improving the road conditions on certain routes in Lincolnshire, such as the A18, would also help to bring short term improvements to the road network. There is a need to find short term improvements around car and coach parking in Lincoln, such as a temporary park and ride system, in readiness for the reopening of Lincoln Castle and the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015.
In terms of longer term ambitious improvements, whilst accepting that more empirical evidence is required, the Task and Finish Group has concluded that certain A roads, such as the A15, A17 and A52 are strategically important routes and major improvements to them, including dualling, would be hugely beneficial to Lincolnshire’s economy. The A17 is a critical corridor for the food and agriculture sector. The A15 is also an important corridor, as there is due to be a lot of development in that area in the coming years, including RAF Scampton, the Showground and Bishop Burton College. There are mixed views on the economic benefits of extending the M11 motorway through Lincolnshire up to the Humber Bridge. The areas which need an improved road infrastructure, such as the east coast, may not necessarily benefit from a motorway as it would not go through or near these areas. However, it was considered by the Task and Finish Group that the presence of a motorway, and an improved road infrastructure, would encourage investment in the county. Another longer term aim is for a permanent park and ride system in Lincoln to cope with an increase of tourists into Lincoln. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY – Review, Support, Improve - 41 -
Improvements to the Rail Service
With regards to the rail network, any improvements are difficult to achieve as it is Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies who are responsible for the infrastructure and services provided, and LCC does not have a statutory responsibility for the network. Network Rail is beginning to give consideration to the economic development argument in relation to investment in rail infrastructure, using a high level economic modelling approach to look at growth. However, how this is being done is not yet clear. With regards to changes to the train services provided within Lincolnshire and connecting Lincolnshire to other areas, these will need to be lobbied with the Train Operating Companies by Lincolnshire County Council and the GLLEP. The Task and Finish Group has concluded that to improve Lincolnshire’s economy, there is a need for an improved rail between Lincoln and London with more frequent and appropriately timed trains, and for better rail services to Nottingham and Grimsby. It is also essential to improve rail services between Lincoln and Skegness to develop better access to the east coast. As and when franchises and timetables are reviewed there will be opportunities to lobby for improvements and changes to the rail services offered within Lincolnshire.
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What are our Recommendations?
In light of the evidence and findings detailed in this report, the Task and Finish Group submit the following 10 recommendations to the Executive for its consideration.
Lincolnshire County Council, in partnership with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) and others who will benefit, should:-
1. Recognise, and address across its work, that perceptions about access and transport infrastructure impact upon economic growth through affecting the views of those considering investing, living, working, visiting or studying in the area.
2. Continue to support the delivery of the current four priority infrastructure schemes (Lincoln Eastern Bypass, Lincoln East West Link, Grantham Southern Relief Road and Spalding Western Relief Road), recognising that whilst these schemes are being branded as unlocking congestion in urban areas and promoting growth, they will also improve accessibility across the county network.
3. Commission further empirical research, including transport modelling, to allow the identification and priority ordering of our main road corridors in terms of their importance to the Greater Lincolnshire Economy.
4. Develop plans, including through transport modelling, for improvements of the prioritised transport corridors, to contain a mixture of short term, longer term and compounding interventions. These should be evolved into clear, costed business plans. Opportunities for developer contributions should be identified. To ensure that developer contributions can be captured, it will be essential to fully inform and influence Local Development Plans.
5. Implement a Tourism Sector Focused Transportation Action Plan to include the following activities:
Commission detailed research to examine and better understand the origination point for visitors to Lincolnshire's main tourist destinations. Commission detailed research to identify the most heavily used routes between Lincolnshire's main visitor centres. Identify potential alternative routes to and between the main tourist destinations in Lincolnshire. Create and fully communicate a Lincolnshire tourist routing plan. Overhaul Lincolnshire's road signage to provide better direction to routes to and between the County's main tourist locations.
6. Develop opportunities to increase traffic flow wherever possible, such as through local improvements to road alignments, and increase speed limits where appropriate and safe to do so.
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7. Continue to lobby for rail improvements, both in terms of rail infrastructure and scheduling of service. This should include the development and maintenance of ongoing dialogue with the Train Operating Companies.
8. Work with Network Rail and the Highways Agency to develop a set of economic impact criteria for the assessment of future network investment, which are relevant to Lincolnshire.
9. Promote further investment in some of Greater Lincolnshire's other transportation infrastructure such as ports and airports, and work with adjoining authorities to explore and exploit joint projects of mutual benefit.
10. In the longer term, develop and deliver an aspirational programme of transportation improvements with a clear evidence base linked to supporting enhanced economic growth. Lobby and campaign for recognition and funding of the programme at the national and international level.
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Appendix A – Contributors to the Review
The Task and Finish Group would like to extend their gratitude to all the following people who have contributed to this review:
Peter Banks, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Chris Baron, Chairman of East Lincolnshire Destination Management Organisation and Resort Director at Butlins Chris Briggs, Head of Transportation, Lincolnshire County Council Paul Coathup, Assistant Director Highways and Transportation, Lincolnshire County Council Kate Cook, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Barry Coward, Gainsborough Town Partnership Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment, Planning and Tourism, Lincolnshire County Council Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, Lincolnshire County Council Cyril Day, Highways Agency Samantha Dodd, Gainsborough Town Manager Rob Fairy, LNE Senior Strategic Planner, Network Rail Jenny Gammon, Assistant Director Economy and Culture, Lincolnshire County Council Matthew Gleadell, Gainsborough Area Chamber Mervyn Greer, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce David Harby, Chairman, Railfuture Lincolnshire Simon Houldsworth, Project Manager for the East Coast Mainline Authorities Richard Hutching, Federation of Small Businesses – West Lindsey Tracy Johnson, Scrutiny Officer, Lincolnshire County Council Ian Kitchen, Traffic Orders and Policy Manager, Lincolnshire County Council Kevin Mothers, Federation of Small Businesses – South Holland Martin Revill – JMP Consultants Ltd Lydia Rusling, Tourism Officer, Lincolnshire County Council Phil Scarlett, Spalding and District Area Chamber Emma Tatlow, Visit Lincoln Partnership Manager Julie Taylor, Lincoln Business Club Andrew Thomas, Principal Transport Projects Officer, Lincolnshire County Council Ian Turvey, Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Paul Wheatley, Head of Regeneration, Lincolnshire County Council Rachel Wilson, Democratic Services Officer, Lincolnshire County Council
The Task and Finish Group would also like to thank the following councillors and officers at North Lincolnshire Council for meeting with the Task and Finish Group:
Councillor L Redfern, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration Councillor J Briggs, Portfolio Holder for Asset Management, Culture and Housing Councillor N Poole, Portfolio Holder for Policy and Resources Councillor R Waltham, Portfolio Holder for People
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Rob Beales, Head of Highway Services within the Community Services division of the Places Directorate Lesley Potts, Head of Resources, Strategic Investment and Funding within the Planning and Regeneration Service of the Places Directorate
More Information
If you would like any more information about the work of Overview and Scrutiny at Lincolnshire County Council then please get in touch with the Scrutiny Team by calling 01522 552164 or by emailing the Team at [email protected].
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