Core Strategy - Adopted December 2007

Section 5 - Transport and Accessibility

5.1 National planning policy in relation to transport issues is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 (PPG 13, March 2001) and the Government's overall transport strategy 'The Future of Transport' (July 2004). The latter takes forward the strategy originally set out in the Government's 'Ten Year Plan for Transport' published in 2000. These policy documents seek to ensure that society can benefit from greater mobility and access, whilst minimising the impact on other people and the environment, now and in the future.

5.2 National policy identifies that key to delivering improvements in transport are the integration of transport and land use planning. Regard must therefore be had to the emerging Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), which forms part of the East of England Plan. It is also vital that land use planning is complementary to and delivers key aspects of the Southend Local Transport Plan (LTP). The Second LTP (March 2006) has been prepared as an integral part of the development of this Core Strategy DPD to ensure an integrated approach.

5.3 The London to Southend Movement Study (LOTS)^[7], Southend Local Transport Plan and local traffic data^[8], clearly illustrate that Southend already suffers from severe traffic congestion and related transport and accessibility problems, caused by a legacy of under investment resulting in an infrastructure deficit. It is therefore essential that effective improvements to all the town's transportation networks, including infrastructure and facilities, are achieved. This will be of paramount importance if the housing allocations and jobs growth sought by Government are to be successfully met in a balanced and sustainable way to achieve the regeneration of Southend and wider Thames Gateway as a national and regional priority.

5.4 Without such improvements the economic potential of the area cannot be realised and the development of sustainable communities achieved. Improving the transport infrastructure will be particularly crucial to unlocking the full development potential of a number of key identified regeneration sites and to realising new jobs and housing targets to meet the objectives of the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan.

5.5 The transportation problems facing Southend and wider Essex Thames Gateway identified in the LOTS Study can be summarised as follows:

1. significant parts of the existing road network and rail infrastructure are already at capacity;
2. if current travel patterns continue, the existing road and public transport networks have insufficient capacity to cater for any substantial growth; and
3. to retain the existing infrastructure and cater for substantial growth, a significant modal shift would be required from the car to public transport of up to 50%.

5.6 Having regard to these findings the LOTS Study identifies the need for:

1. a 'step change' in transportation provision;
2. a combination of highway and public transport infrastructure improvements;
3. complementary land use planning and transport policies; and
4. a programme of investment to 2021 in the region of £1.6billion (this programme does not include potential improvements required for a fully developed container port at Shell Haven or a Lower Thames Crossing).

5.7 Although the scale of this investment is large, LOTS identifies that the consequences of not providing for these changes will be:

1. the likelihood of regeneration or new development occurring in Essex Thames Gateway will be small; and
2. the objectives of the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan will not be realised.

5.8 These transportation problems are recognised in the draft East of England Plan. The Regional Transport Strategy sets out in Policy T15 the investment priorities for the region, including Essex Thames Gateway. It will be critical that these are implemented within the Plan period to ensure effective planning and the achievement of sustainable communities. Policy KP1 of this Core Strategy emphasises that substantial improvements in transport infrastructure and accessibility will be required if successful regeneration and growth are to be achieved.

5.9 The Regional Transport Strategy also identifies the following additional policy objectives that are of most significance to Southend:

1. Policy T5 identifies Southend as a Regional Transport Node (RTN) where significantly enhanced levels of public transport provision will be sought;
2. Policy T12 seeks to improve access to the region's airports, and that airport surface access facilities reinforce the shift to more sustainable travel; and
3. Policy T6 identifies the strategic and regional road network where investment in improvements and public transport services (Policy T13) together with the management of the road network (Policy T8) will be focussed. This includes both the A127/A1159 and A13.

5.10 Key to the future delivery of transport and infrastructure improvements is the establishment of the TGSE Transportation Delivery Board. This has brought together the three Highway Authorities in Essex Thames Gateway (Essex, Thurrock and Southend) with the shared objective of delivering transport improvements in partnership with a wide range of organisations, including Thurrock Urban Development Corporation, the Urban Renaissance Partnerships for Basildon and Southend's Urban Regeneration Company, Renaissance Southend Ltd.

5.11 To guide its future work and priorities the Board has produced the 'Thames Gateway South Essex Business Plan for Transport' (November 2005) which sets out an agreed transportation strategy for Essex Thames Gateway based on the findings of LOTS and RTS provisions. This seeks to secure major improvements to the sub-regional road and rail transport network to achieve improved accessibility and quality linkages with the regional and national networks. A key objective is to achieve the development of a state of the art rapid transport system based on the main transport hubs - 'South Essex Rapid Transport System' (SERT). Feasibility studies are already being progressed on the potential for such a system.

5.12 The Essex Thames Gateway transport strategy provides the framework for the Southend LTP strategy and forms an integral part of this Core Strategy DPD Key Diagram.

5.13 Of crucial importance in the Business Plan is the identification of the infrastructure funding deficit between LTP funding provisions and the need for significant investment in transport to achieve the 'step change' in provision required to secure the sustainable regeneration of Southend and Essex Thames Gateway. One of the major challenges facing the TGSE Transport Delivery Board will be to make the best use of existing resources and to seek additional funding sources to improve transport infrastructure within Southend and the Essex Thames Gateway, in particular by means of:

1. European funding;
2. the Transport Innovation Fund;
3. Demand Management; and
4. Planning Obligations.

5.14 Whilst demand management is a crucial tool in providing for effective and efficient transport planning, the scale of the transportation problems in Essex Thames Gateway is such that demand management alone will not realistically solve the problems. As such there is no escaping the need for significant investment in transport infrastructure and services.

5.15 It is therefore vitally important that development makes an appropriate contribution to the funding of related transport infrastructure and services as identified in this Core Strategy DPD and the Southend Local Transport Plan and its subsequent reviews, where this relates to the development proposed. This will be achieved by means of Planning Obligations. These provisions will be detailed in DPD2 'Planning Obligations and Vehicle Parking Standards', to be prepared as the second DPD priority in the Local Development Framework.

5.16 Policy CP3 reflects the above considerations by seeking a 'step change' in transport provision and improvements necessary to unlock the development and economic potential of the town and so deliver national and regional objectives for the sustainable regeneration and growth of Southend. Improvements to accessibility, transport corridors, interchanges, and sustainable transport modes are particularly key. Transport corridors also have the potential to contribute to the development of the 'Green Grid' across Essex Thames Gateway (see Section 6). Due to Southend's geographical location, accessibility improvements will also be dependent on actions taken outside the Borough. The Council will therefore continue to play an active role in the work of the TGSE Partnership and Transportation Delivery Board and working in partnership with other key agencies and bodies to achieve real transport changes.

5.17 The Policy replaces the following development plan policies in the adopted Southend on Sea Borough Local Plan:

Policy T4 - B1013 Link and Eastwoodbury Lane

Policy T5 - Sutton Road

Policy T9 – Town Centre Parking (off street)

5.18 Borough Local Plan policies T1 (Priorities); T2 (A127); T3 (A13 and related routes); T6 (A1159 Priory Crescent); T7 (Seafront Access); T8 (Traffic Management and Highway Safety); T10 (Town Centre Parking - On Street); T11 (Parking Standards);T12 (Servicing Facilities); T13 (Cycling and Walking); T14 (Public Transport); T15 (Interchange Facilities); T16 (Commuter Car Parking); and T17 (Southend Airport) will remain part of the Development Plan for the Borough, pending their review as part of the preparation of Development Plan Documents (DPD2 - 'Planning Obligations and Vehicle Parking Standards'; DPD3 - 'Town Centre Area Action Plan'; DPD4 - 'Seafront Area Action Plan'; DPD5 - 'Criteria Based Policies and Site Allocations', as programmed in the Council's Local Development Scheme.

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