REDCAR & CLEVELAND LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN 2011-21 MARCH 2011 Ian Wardle Director of Regeneration Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Redcar & Cleveland House Kirkleatham Street Redcar Cleveland TS10 1RT Contact :- Tony Gordon: Tel. (01287) 612545 e-mail – [email protected] 1 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 2 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 CONTENTS Contents Foreword Executive Summary - - - - - - - 7 1. Introduction - - - - - - - - 21 2. Connecting the Tees Valley - - - - - 27 3. Redcar &Cleveland Local Context and Vision - - 49 The Long-Term Transport Strategy for Redcar & Cleveland - 89 4. The Reduction of Carbon Emissions - - - - 95 5. Supporting Economic Growth - - - - - 115 6. Promoting Equality of Opportunity - - - - 129 7. Contributing to Better Safety, Security and Health - - 147 8. Improving Quality of Life and a Healthy Natural Environment 173 9. LTP Performance Monitoring - - - - - 187 10. LTP Implementation - - - - - - 199 Delivery Programme - - - - - - 209 3 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 4 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 FOREWORD I am pleased to support the Redcar and Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 for submission to the Department for Transport. The plan builds on the excellent work that we have been doing throughout LTP2 and it addresses the guidance given by the Department for Transport (DfT). The Council supports the national transport goals and the economic growth strategy being pursued across the Tees Valley and the North. The plan reflects these priorities and shows how transport can help to deliver the wider objectives of the community plan, Our Plan, as part of a suite of plans and strategies aimed to improve life for our residents, businesses and visitors. Economic growth and carbon reduction are recognised as the Government’s two key priorities and we have identified the importance of promoting equality of opportunity to the residents of our borough. It is recognised in the plan that car ownership and traffic flows are both increasing and thus improving and promoting alternative travel choices is a key part of our transport policy. The Council is pursuing regeneration initiatives in Redcar, Greater Eston and within East Cleveland, with transport seen as a key component to the success of these initiatives. Easy access by bus, cycle, on foot and by car are important for these projects to be fully accessible to maximise the economic benefits whilst minimising the impact of increased activity within these parts of the borough. At this time of national financial restraint, we are aware that the levels of funding available in, at least, the earlier years of LTP3 will be significantly lower than those that were available during LTP2. It is likely that the level of available funding will change throughout the 10-year LTP3 period and it is unrealistic to try to predict the funding so far ahead. Our delivery programme is therefore indicated for a five-year period to provide a level of reliability and a new programme will then be developed for the second half of the LTP period when a better indication of the likely Government funding is available. The development of the Plan has been based on the capital funding guidelines provided by DfT. It will be difficult to deliver significant capital projects to bring about a step change in transport provision within the borough. It has been necessary to develop gradual programmes to deliver a slower pace of improvement in the early years than could have been achieved with a higher level of funding. We are fortunate that the funding remains in place for the implementation of the Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement Scheme and the new Local Sustainable Transport Fund will provide an additional opportunity to bid for funding for promotional measures. Finally I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of this LTP and hope we will all do our bit to help bring about improvements in our borough. Mary Lanigan Cabinet Member For Highways, Transportation & Planning 5 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 6 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Introduction The Council has produced its third round Local Transport Plan (LTP3) for submission to the Department for Transport (DfT) in March 2011. This takes account of the guidance that has been provided by DfT on the key national issues that need to be supported by local actions. As the main focus of the LTP, the document sets out strategies to address the five national transport goals identified in the strategy document “Delivering a Sustainable Transport System” (DaSTS). These are: Reduce Carbon Emissions Support Economic Growth Promote Equality of Opportunity Contribute to Better Safety, Security and Health Improve Quality of Life and a Healthy Natural Environment The LTP has been developed in partnership with key stakeholders and neighbouring authorities to reflect the external factors that are affecting service delivery. A timescale of 2021 has been adopted for the long-term transport strategy. The level of funding that will be available is much less certain and so it is only appropriate to develop the outline implementation plan to 2016 at this stage. This will then be reviewed in the future when the availability of funding becomes clearer. LTP3 is not a bidding document for funds but sets out what the Council expects to achieve through the expenditure of funding, both capital funding that will be provided by DfT and Council revenue funding. The need for financial restraint measures to address the national financial deficit means that there is no longer the original intended level of funding available for transport. Funding for 2010/11 was reduced in-year and DfT has indicated that funding will remain at reduced levels for the foreseeable future. The levels of funding that have been indicated for each of the first four years of LTP3 are given below: Funding Allocations Table 2010-2015 (£’000s) 2010/11 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Original Revised Final Final Indicative Indicative Integrated Transport 1,421 1,065 751 801 801 1,126 Block Highways Maintenance 1,657 1,657 1,530 1,542 1,565 1,474 Block TOTAL 3,078 2,722 2,281 2,343 2,366 2,600 7 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 2. Strategic Context The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan needs to be placed in the wider context of the five unitary authorities of the Tees Valley City Region, the region and the national picture. Tees Valley Unlimited has developed a Statement of Ambition for the regeneration of the city region that has two key aims: to drive the transition to a high value low carbon economy; and, to create a more diversified and inclusive economy. The Statement of Ambition focuses on delivering the benefits of a joined up and connected polycentric city region as the driver for economic growth and prosperity, making the best use of the assets of each town and district. Leading city region stakeholders have identified the following key challenges as being most important: Improve the journey experience of transport users of urban, regional and local networks, including interfaces with national & international networks; Improve the connectivity and access to labour markets of key business centres; Deliver quantified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions within cities and regional networks, taking account of cross-network policy measures. The Statement of Ambition draws upon demographic and socio-economic trends, key policy influences and the results of major transport studies to develop a strategy for the improvement of transport in the City Region. It highlights Teesport as a major asset to the area and identifies the following actions as key initiatives: Smarter Choices measures for implementation across the Tees Valley – many of which build upon the Darlington experience “Softer” bus measures – a range of measures to build on the delivery of the proposed Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement scheme Rail based proposals – as these will better connect dispersed pairs of settlements within the Tees Valley Rail Loading Gauge Clearance – to increase the opportunities for freight transport by rail Park and Ride – a mix of strategic and local schemes Targeted highway schemes – the majority of which are relatively low cost measures that seek to make best use of the existing infrastructure 3. Redcar and Cleveland Context and Vision Authorities need to recognise that people are travelling for a reason, to access facilities and services. Future developments and changes to service provision will create new opportunities for residents and will influence the travel choices that are being made. The key driver for future land-use spatial planning will be the emerging Local Development Framework (LDF). This reflects the aims of the former Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) with particular emphasis on addressing deprivation and the need to develop sustainable communities. The LDF sets out a long-term vision for the borough’s residents to enjoy a 8 this is The Redcar & Cleveland Local Transport Plan 2011-21 high quality of life based on a dynamic economy and a healthy environment. Regeneration is the key objective of the vision for Redcar and Cleveland, to be actively addressed by all local agencies. It will be given prominence among all of the DaSTS Goals within the LTP. An integrated approach to improving housing stock, increasing employment opportunities, improving access to facilities and enhancing environmental conditions is needed to achieve sustainable regeneration. The following objective has been identified within the LDF: To regenerate areas so that they can contribute to the delivery of sustainable, inclusive and cohesive communities and stem population decline. The key areas of the borough that need attention and the issues that are being addressed are: Redcar – To improve retailing in the town centre; To reverse urban decline in priority wards; To improve visitor attractions.