The Regional Dimension
Why
is the regional dimension so critical to rail freight and what are
the aims of the strategies?
What are the objectives of Regional Spatial Strategies?
- Main purpose is to provide a long term land use and transport
planning framework for the Region.
- This framework guides the preparation of local authority
development plans and local transport plans.
- Incorporates the Regional Transport Strategy.
- Sets out policies which address the needs of the region
and key sub-regions, in particular investment priorities.
- These policies provide a development framework for the
next 15 to 20 years.
- District and Unitary Councils will still deal with local
planning applications, but they will have to ensure their decisions
do not conflict with the principles in the Regional Spatial Strategy.
Why is the Regional Spatial Strategy crucial for rail freight?
- It is part of the national planning system and rail freight
cannot prosper without the right planning framework.
- Government policy is to devolve powers to the regions
which makes these strategies more crucial.
-
RSS is a key part of the process to achieve integration between
land-use planning and transport.
-
Regional Spatial Strategies are now statutory documents and therefore
its policies have to be taken into account by local authorities
when drawing up Local Development Frameworks (LDF) and with planning
applications.
-
Although Regional Transport Strategies (RTS) cannot be site specific
they can identify the need for terminals in a particular area
and specify your local authorities must protect suitable sites
and lines under their jurisdiction.
-
Unless regional guidance provides policies supporting rail freight
which stress its wider social and economic benefits to the region
and the nation as a whole, planning committees will give greater
weight to the interests of the local voters rather than focusing
on the regional and national economic and social benefits of rail
freight.
-
PPG for brownfield sites is contradictory. PPG13 encourages the
safeguarding of disused brownfield land for future rail freight
use where PPG3 requires housing developments to use such land.
-
Rail freight flows normally cross regional boundaries so that
Regional Strategies need to take account of cross regional and
national freight flows.
- Regional Planning Assessments (RPAs) inform the rail input into RSS and guide provision of freight capability on the network which is used in Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS), produced by Network Rail and Local Development Frameworks (LDF).
We examine the provision made for rail freight in regional planning
and transport strategies in each of the 8 regions of England and
the timetable for revisions.
