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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

The Government's Response to the
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's
20th Report

PLANNING THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Transport planning

We believe the primary focus for creation of an integrated transport system covering all modes of transport ought to be at local level, though with appropriate recognition of the regional dimension ( 4.78).

  1. The Government agrees with the Royal Commission. This is why it has made local transport plans a centrepiece of its New Deal for Transport. In England, these plans will provide the basis for an integrated approach, closely linked with Local Agenda 21 strategies, and will implement the transport aspects of development plan strategies. Regional Planning Guidance will set the regional framework for local authorities' local transport plans.

Transport Policies and Programmes bids cover capital expenditure by local authorities in the forthcoming financial year on those roads for which they are responsible and on public transport.... There is concern that in practice TPPs continue to be dominated by spending on roads (7.23, 7.24).

Unitary authorities and county councils should be placed under the statutory duty of assessing the transport system in their area and planning on a long-term basis for the creation of an integrated transport system (7.34). Integrated transport plans must equally cover the regulation and management of private road transport (7.35).

  1. The Government will introduce local transport plans to enable local authorities outside London to set out their proposals for delivering integrated transport over a five year period. These plans will be the key to the delivery of integrated transport locally. The Government recognises that there would be advantages in making these plans statutory and will legislate in due course. In the meantime, the new arrangements will be introduced as soon as possible.
  2. Local transport plans will be drawn up by local authorities consulting widely with local people, businesses, transport operators and community groups, and will include future investment plans and propose packages of measures to meet local transport needs. The arrangements for Scotland and Wales were set out in the Scottish Integrated Transport White Paper1 and in the Transport Policy Statement for Wales2. The arrangements for Northern Ireland will be set out in due course. Local transport plans will:
  1. Local authorities will be expected to set out in local transport plans their proposals for both capital and revenue expenditure on transport. To reduce central government involvement in local authority decision-making in England, the new plans will be used as a basis for an annual block allocation of credit approvals to spend on transport capital. Local authorities will be expected to give due priority to cost-effective maintenance and development of their transport infrastructure to support integrated transport objectives. Consistency with the local development plan and Regional Planning Guidance will also be a factor in decisions on supporting local transport plans. But central government will no longer dictate specifically how these resources are deployed. Instead, authorities' plans will be subject to an annual progress check. The importance of local transport plans as part of the New Deal for Transport is reflected in the provision made for funding local transport over the next few years (see paragraph 140).
  2. In bidding for local transport schemes, local authorities in England will need to demonstrate that it is necessary for achieving the objectives of the local transport plan, and that this cannot be done in other ways. When they submit bids, local authorities will be expected to demonstrate that they have explored the scope for alternative solutions that do not involve major new construction and have taken account of the Government's strong presumption on avoiding sensitive environmental sites. The Government will assess the bids using the principles behind its new approach to appraisal of trunk road schemes. This involves considering each scheme against five criteria - integration, safety, economy, environment and accessibility.

Integrating transport and land use planning

We do not...believe that the existing procedures provide a satisfactory basis for planning and implementation by local authorities. Reliance on several separate procedures brings with it a risk of fragmentation. There are mismatches between the different procedures both in their time-horizons and in the timetables on which plans are prepared and reviewed (7.33).

While there are some encouraging signs, more must be done to co-ordinate and integrate land use planning and the various aspects of transport planning to reduce the need to travel, the distances travelled and dependence on cars and lorries. Action is needed on a number of fronts:
  1. The New Deal for Transport provides for the integration of transport and land use planning. It sets out the Government's intention to review the framework of planning policy guidance and to move in England to a new generation of Regional Planning Guidance, incorporating for the first time regional transport strategies.
  2. The publication of PPG13 (the planning guidance note on transport) in England in 1994 was a major step towards planning land uses and transport together. It aimed to reduce the need to travel, especially by car, and to encourage means of travel that are more environmentally friendly. The Government will build on this change of direction, and update planning guidance to ensure that the right framework is in place to deliver integrated transport at the local level. In England, planning guidance notes on Transport, Development Plans and Housing will be revised.
  3. In Scotland, consultative drafts of a National Planning Policy Guideline and a Planning Advice Note on Transport and Planning have been published. These documents will take forward in Scotland the general principles of integrating land use and transport. The guidance provided in 'Planning Guidance (Wales): Planning Policy', 'Planning Guidance (Wales): Unitary Development Plans', and appropriate Technical Advice Notes will be revised to set the planning framework for applying the new approach. In Northern Ireland the new policy framework is set out in the Regional Strategic Framework and planning policy statements will be prepared or revised.
  4. The revised version of Policy Planning Guidance on transport (PPG13) will include increased emphasis on accessibility to jobs, leisure and services by foot, bicycle and public transport. It will include the promotion of major development within public transport corridors and other areas where good public transport exists or can be provided. Research is in hand to provide practical advice for local authorities so that their proposals for growth along public transport corridors are brought forward in ways which support sustainable development.
  5. Development plan policies for parking will be expected to support the Government's policies for the location of development. Parking standards should be devised and applied having regard to the accessibility of locations by modes other than the car. Research has been commissioned to help in developing a method for local authorities to set parking standards, by type and location of development. This will report by the end of the year. The wider application of cycle parking standards will be encouraged.
  6. The Government has announced measures to modernise the planning system. These include more explicit national policy statements on the need for projects of national importance such as airports and the criteria for site selection and changes in public inquiry procedures. The Government remains committed to the plan-led system of development. This provides the essential framework for rational and consistent planning decisions, and plays a vital role in promoting development and growth which respects the environment. But if the plan-led system is to work there must be plans which cover all parts of the country and an effective system to keep those plans up to date.
  7. The Government consulted earlier this year in England on proposals to improve the procedures for preparing development plans and their content. A full revision of PPG12 will be published shortly as a draft for public consultation. This will:
  1. Properly considered development plans are important but achieving better integration on the ground depends also on getting the right developments in the right places. Currently, some proposals for major development are subject to 'environmental assessment' and 'traffic impact studies'. Planning guidance on both transport (PPG13) and on retail development and town centres (PPG6) encourages a broader approach to appraisal to encompass the impact on overall travel and car use. The Government will provide further guidance on how development proposals should be assessed, including accessibility to the site by public transport, walking and cycling.
  2. The Government will continue to look for ways to improve the planning system's delivery of integrated transport policy. This will include for England a review of the Use Classes Order and General Permitted Development Order. It will update the guidance on the use of planning conditions to clarify the scope for developers to provide facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and those travelling to and from the new development by public transport. Once the current review of the use of planning obligations is completed, the Government will use any subsequent revision to guidance on their use to shift the emphasis when improving off-site transport facilities away from catering for car traffic to providing for public transport and cycling and walking. We will also consider encouraging the incorporation of green transport plans into planning obligations.
  3. The Government appreciates that revising planning guidance, updating Regional Planning Guidance and encouraging better appraisal will not in themselves produce developments that support its New Deal for Transport without the co-operation and support of the development industry and local authorities. The Government is confident of winning that support in most cases. But where there are proposals that would undermine integrated transport policy, the Government will not hesitate to consider using its powers of intervention. These powers give the Government considerable scope to influence the overall direction of development plans and individual planning decisions, through the scrutiny of plans by Government Offices in England or by the Secretary of State for Scotland and through decisions by the Secretaries of State on applications before them (either on appeal or following call-in).
  4. The Government will monitor the impacts of our planning policies to ensure that they are well targeted and do not impose unnecessary costs on business. This is central to our initiatives to modernise the planning system to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Preparation of long-term transport policies must proceed simultaneously with preparation of structure and local plans and, in any given area, both aspects of planning should cover the same period ahead (7.36).

  1. In putting together their transport strategies, local authorities will need to look beyond the initial five-year implementation period of the local transport plan. Local transport plans will be set in the context of the longer term strategy set out in regional planning guidance and the development plan. Regional planning guidance should establish a broad development framework for the next 20 years or more. The regional transport strategy should contain all transport projects of regional significance, including those promoted by local authorities.
  2. The transport objectives and targets set out in the local transport plan will be significantly more detailed and cover ground not directly covered in the development plan, but in a way that is consistent with it. Local authorities will use these plans to set out their transport strategies for achieving local air quality objectives, road traffic reduction and other local targets, including those on walking, cycling and road safety. Local transport plans should be closely linked with other local authority planning processes including Local Agenda 21 strategies, which provide a framework for the sustainable development of local areas by considering environmental, social and economic issues at the same time.

Whatever the eventual balance between green-field and brown-field land...large-scale development...should be in a form that discourages car dependence. This means that housing should be mingled with shops, offices, schools and leisure facilities (7.13).

  1. The New Deal for Transport provides for more local diversity and vitality through better planning. The Government is firmly committed to the promotion of mixed use developments, urban villages (e.g. the Millennium Village), and minimising the need for people to travel to essential facilities. As well as revising PPG13, planning guidance for England on Housing (PPG3) will be revised to give clearer advice on the location and form of housing development. This will emphasise the benefits of providing new homes in towns and cities and making the most of places or vacant buildings which can be well served by public transport or easily reached on foot or by cycle. Local planning authorities throughout the United Kingdom will need to consider the future travel patterns that would be created when planning for new homes.
  2. The revised guidance in PPG3 will stress the need for careful planning of those places and sites that are not close to existing public transport. Our aim is for new housing which avoids undue reliance on the car. The options available to local authorities will include ensuring that any major new development provides good public transport as part of the scheme, or where this is not feasible using the place for activities that do not generate significant travel demands.
  3. The Government proposed in its statement 'Planning for the Communities of the Future', that 60% of new homes in England should be built on previously-developed land or be provided through conversions. Since what is achievable will vary from region to region, the Government is asking regional planning conferences to set regional targets in the next round of regional planning guidance. Regional conferences will take into consideration evidence from Land Use Change Statistics of existing rates achieved and, following completion of the first phase of the National Land Use Database, the amount of previously-developed land that is currently available, or is likely to become available in the next five years, and the need to improve upon current performance.

The time-horizon for local air quality action plans is 2005. This is now a relatively short period ahead.... Air quality planning by local authorities must take into account the longer-term prospects (7.30).

  1. The Government agrees that local air pollution is not a short-term problem and intends that the National Air Quality Strategy should continue to develop beyond 2005 to ensure minimisation of the health effects of air pollution. To this end, there will be regular reviews of the Strategy to ensure that the air quality objectives continue to be set at appropriate levels. A key tool for delivering the National Air Quality Strategy is the new system of Local Air Quality Management, including air quality management areas and action plans where a local authority considers that one or more of the objectives set out in the Strategy is not likely to be met. Changes to the objectives will be reproduced in regulations and hence reflected in Local Air Quality Management, wherever appropriate. The regulations will also be changed to reflect the requirements of the EC Air Quality Daughter Directives as they come on stream.
  2. Many air quality management areas are likely to be in places where most of the pollution comes from road traffic. Proposals to reduce emissions from traffic will therefore feature in the majority of air quality action plans. Many of these proposals will also relieve congestion and noise and help local authorities to meet road traffic reduction targets. The Government will expect local authorities to deal with all these issues as part of their local transport plans.

Passenger transport authorities/executives

The present passenger transport authorities/executives (PTA/Es) should be given the duty of producing long-term integrated transport plans for their areas, and should be renamed 'transport authorities/transport executives'. They should take over all the traffic management functions of local authorities in their areas and the new powers we envisage such as carrying out roadside checks on emissions, operating road-pricing schemes and regulating private parking (7.38).

The case for creating more transport authorities/executives should be examined, especially in those conurbations which do not already have them (7.39).

  1. In England, the role and functions of PTA/Es were carefully considered as part of the preparation of the White Paper on the future of transport. PTA/Es are well placed to play a leading role in delivering the New Deal for Transport in some of the places which face some of the most serious environmental and congestion problems outside London. In doing this they will need to build on and extend existing joint working arrangements and partnerships with highway authorities, transport operators and other organisations in their areas. In particular, the English PTAs will need to work closely with the district councils in their areas to produce joint local transport plans so that the highway authorities' plans support the PTA strategy. In Scotland the Government will shortly be consulting on the development of the current informal local authority partnership regional transport bodies and the possible establishment of further regional transport bodies to cover different parts of Scotland.
  2. The Government, however, has concluded that no fundamental changes in responsibility are needed. The Government considers that transferring highway responsibilities from metropolitan district councils (the highway and planning authorities) to the PTEs would weaken the link between transport and land use planning and risk clouding the PTA/Es' clear focus as promoter of effective public transport services. Outside the major metropolitan conurbations Shire County and Unitary authorities have wide powers to co-operate on transport and planning issues. The Government considers that these powers are adequate to deliver integrated local transport plans without the need to create new PTA/Es. In London, however, the new executive body Transport for London (see paragraph 134) will bring together responsibility for both public transport services and strategic roads.

Regional planning

To be effective, the integrated transport plans produced by individual transport authorities/ executives or local authorities must be regionally co-ordinated.... There was a commitment in the Labour Manifesto to introduce legislation in due course to enable directly elected regional governments, with predominantly unitary local authorities, to be created in those English regions where a referendum clearly favoured that course. For the time being however integration at regional level must be sought through other structures (7.40).

Firmer and more specific co-ordination of transport and land use policies at regional level is an essential pre-condition for an integrated transport policy, and that this must apply equally to all modes of transport, not simply to the trunk road programme. Whatever structures are created should be capable of producing and implementing integrated transport strategies at regional level, with a coverage corresponding to the integrated transport plans we have described at local level (7.43).

  1. The Government agrees that the regional level of planning is critical. Its proposals for modernising the planning system in England highlight the importance of planning at the regional level. In future, regional planning conferences or similar groups of local authorities working with the Government Offices for the Regions, in partnership with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), will have direct responsibility for preparing in draft the new generation of Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) and for consulting widely on it. Further details will be set out in the new PPG11, to be published in draft form later this year. This replaces the current arrangement where the planning conferences simply give advice to the Secretary of State.
  2. The new-style RPG will include a regional transport strategy which will set out regional priorities for transport investment and management in all modes, including the role of trunk and local roads, to support the regional strategy. Regional conferences will be responsible for the development of these long-term regional transport strategies which will be drawn up in close consultation with the relevant Regional Chamber. In developing the regional strategy, conferences will also have to liaise closely with transport operators and infrastructure providers in their regions, the Highways Agency and the Strategic Rail Authority. Government Offices for the Regions and the Highways Agency will contribute to the work of the planning conferences, including on trunk road issues, ensuring that the studies that emerge from the English Roads Review are taken forward in accordance with the spatial strategy set out in RPG.
  3. The regional conferences will use RPG to integrate the planning of major new development at the regional level and identify regional transport investment and management priorities. In approving RPG, the Secretary of State will need to be satisfied that the transport strategy does not conflict without good local reason with national policies. Consistency with RPG will be a factor in decisions on Government support for local transport plans, since the regional transport strategies will provide the context for these plans. For Scotland, as the Scottish White Paper makes clear, cross-authority co-ordination will be a matter for the Scottish Executive.

The trunk road network

It is inescapable that in future more roads will be operating at or near their maximum capacity for longer periods. There has been an increasing emphasis on making the maximum use of the capacity of the existing road network. One method of doing that is to remove bottlenecks through minor construction work in the form of junction improvements, widening, dualling or changes in alignment. Another method is to avert congestion through improved management of traffic flows (6.13).

  1. The New Deal for Transport and the report of the Roads Review 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England' have set a new course for roads policy. The Government will give top priority to improving the maintenance and management of existing roads before building new ones. This will mean a better-managed road network so that it delivers a high quality service to the road user. The planning of trunk roads will be brought within the regional planning process in England and all decisions on trunk road investment will be taken in the context of the Government's integrated transport policy and the regional transport strategies.
  2. Previously, the focus of investment has been on building new roads at the expense of managing existing ones. The Government is changing the priority, providing a coherent programme for improving the service offered by trunk roads, complementing improvements to inter-urban travel by public transport. The Government will:
  1. In England, the Highways Agency is developing a 'Toolkit' of techniques and equipment which can be used individually or in combination for making better use of the network. As well as bringing forward local environmental and safety improvements, the Agency has been asked to focus on developing its Toolkit to:
  1. 'Toolkit' measures are likely to be most effective if deployed as part of a Route Management Strategy. This is a technique being developed by the Highways Agency to provide a framework for managing individual trunk routes as part of wider transport networks. Route management strategies will interlock with the local transport strategies set out in local transport plans, within the context established by Regional Planning Guidance. In Scotland, the concept of 'Route Action Plans' and 'Route Accident Reduction Plans' have been in place for several years resulting in the comprehensive study of routes and the application of similar tools to those in the Highways Agency's Toolkit.
  2. The Highways Agency has been set new objectives by the Government. Overall, the Agency's strategic aim will be to contribute to sustainable development by maintaining, improving and operating the trunk road network in support of the Government's integrated transport and land use planning policies. The Agency's main purpose in future will be as a network operator rather than a road builder.
  3. To serve road users more effectively, the Government has asked the Agency to work on proposals for Regional Traffic Control Centres (RTCCs) in England, complementing those already established in Wales. In Scotland, progress has already been made through the establishment and continuing development of the Scottish National Network Control Centre in Glasgow.
  4. The aim of RTCCs is to:
  1. RTCCs can help in tackling the effects of traffic congestion by facilitating modern management techniques, including:

Rural areas

We accept that the impacts of new policies and new fiscal measures on people living in rural areas require special consideration. We believe there ought to be specific policies to deal with the transport problems of rural areas based on the following measures:

  1. The White Paper on the future of transport sets out proposals to improve the quality of life for people in all areas, both urban and rural. The Government is tackling rural isolation through:
  1. In the March 1998 Budget, the Chancellor announced a new Rural Bus Partnership Fund of £45 million a year nationally to support bus services in rural areas in England, Scotland and Wales, and a further £5 million a year for a new Rural Transport Partnership scheme.
  2. The Government has announced the arrangements for allocating £32.5 million of this money to rural bus services in England, targeting the money on the most rural areas to provide new and additional bus services. The remaining £5 million for England will be allocated later this year as part of a 'bus challenge' to promote innovative local authority schemes, for example, to improve passenger information and services. The arrangements in Scotland and Wales are being considered separately.
  3. In England, the new Rural Transport Partnership scheme will be supported by £4.2 million a year, additional to the resources for transport already going into the countryside. It will build on the success of the Rural Transport Development Fund, running alongside it and helping to get extra resources into rural transport where it counts. The new scheme will enable parish councils and voluntary groups to work in partnership with local authorities. The aim is to support schemes which reduce rural isolation and social exclusion through enhanced access to jobs and services. These will be based on local needs and the local community should participate in their development. Successful projects will be those that galvanise local initiative and offer the prospect of long-term enhancements to the quality of rural transport services. A key theme will be better co-ordination of existing voluntary, local authority and commercial services. The arrangements for Scotland and Wales have been announced separately.
  4. The Government will consult shortly on plans for targeting the enhanced level of Fuel Duty Rebate to support rural bus services and more environmentally friendly vehicles. Taken together, these additional funds will mark a step change in support for public transport services in rural areas. The effectiveness of these new measures will be monitored with the help of consultants and the Traffic Commissioners. The Commission for Integrated Transport will be asked for advice on future funding priorities in the light of this monitoring.
  5. The Government will continue to look at other ways to maintain accessibility to services and thus reduce the need to travel long distances in the countryside. In particular, it is committed to fostering sustainable rural communities. Planning has a role here, for example in promoting the growth of key villages and in encouraging the balanced development of communities by providing rural 'exceptions' sites. This allows local authorities to release land which would not normally be available for development to provide affordable housing for local needs, as part of a package of measures to reduce social exclusion.
  6. The Local Government Rating Act 1997 included provision for a new village shop rate relief scheme, to help small rural communities. Villagers who are without cars or access to convenient public transport can find it very difficult to obtain day-to-day necessities and pensions if their village does not support a general store and post office, and so the Government has extended rate relief to reflect the importance of these facilities. Local authorities also have the power to grant discretionary rural rate relief to other businesses if they are important to the local community.
  7. The village school also plays a vital role in rural communities. The Government wants to maintain access for children to local schools and has therefore announced that all proposals to close rural schools will be called in for decision by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. Under both the present arrangements and the new approach for determining school organisation proposals there will be a presumption against closure. Information and communications technology will open up new possibilities to enrich children's learning and increase the viability of isolated rural schools. The Government's target is for all schools to be connected to the National Grid for Learning by 2002. By supporting local schools, these initiatives will help to reduce the need to travel in the countryside.
  8. The Government supports the use of teleworking for reducing travel but is aware that it gives rise to social and possibly regulatory issues that should be taken into account. The benefits for the environment will also be lower if teleworking is offset by increased car travel from home.

London

The proposals in the consultation paper represent a big advance on the present situation in London, and in that respect provide a good model for other regions and other major urban areas. There needs to be much more emphasis however on the concept of an integrated transport system.... We are also concerned that the Government's proposals may not achieve the close relationship required between transport and land use policies (7.46).

We regard taxis as an essential part of [an integrated transport] system, and we are concerned that the consultation paper leaves it unclear where responsibility for taxi and minicab licensing will lie (7.46).

  1. London provides an excellent illustration of what integrated transport can mean in practice, but there is currently no single body in overall charge of co-ordinating transport. There are many different players but no one can pull all their initiatives together. This is a serious obstacle to pursuing the integrated approach that the Government wants to see. This is why the Government is proposing to give a major transport role to the new Greater London Authority (GLA), headed by a directly elected Mayor.
  2. The responsibilities of the GLA have been defined in the White Paper 'A Mayor and Assembly for London'. The Mayor will produce an integrated transport strategy for London, covering all forms of transport to, from, and within London. Responsibility for underground, bus and strategic roads will be brought together. The transport strategy will be implemented through a new executive body, Transport for London (TfL), directly accountable to the Mayor.
  3. With responsibilities for strategic land-use planning and economic development, the Mayor will be able to ensure that transport policy is integrated with these other important policies. In addition the Mayor will have a statutory duty to promote sustainable development, and specific environmental functions including the production of an air quality strategy for London and a report on London's contribution to national climate change targets. The necessary mechanisms for the Mayor to be able to ensure compliance with these strategies will also be put in place.
  4. The Government agrees that taxis are an important part of an integrated public transport system. In London, the Mayor will have responsibility for taxi and minicab licensing. Day-to-day licensing work will be carried out by the Public Carriage Office - currently part of the Metropolitan Police Service, which will transfer to TfL under the new GLA arrangements.

We hope that, as well as ensuring upgrading of the existing system, the arrangements arrived at [for the London Underground] will also make it possible to undertake some of the planned extensions, and contemplate linking of Underground and former British Rail tracks to provide more orbital routes for types of journey at present very poorly served by public transport (4.53).

  1. The Government's radical and innovative public-private partnership for London Underground is intended to bring about some £7 billion of investment in the system over 15 years while retaining a publicly owned and publicly accountable network. London Underground will continue to operate the network and will invite bids from contractors to modernise and maintain the infrastructure and trains. The elements of the existing system that passengers value such as the Travelcard, integrated ticketing and the high priority given to safety will remain the responsibility of London Underground whilst the main cause of complaints, long-standing under-investment, will be addressed.
  2. To meet the immediate investment needs of the Underground system, an additional £365 million has been given to London Transport over the next two years for core Underground investment and for preparing the new public-private partnership. This will bring total investment in the current network to £1 billion over the next two years.
  3. Once it is established, the GLA, through TfL and together with the London Underground operating company, will take lead responsibility for planning the future development of the network, including promoting proposals for new lines and extensions. One of the GLA's key tasks will be to ensure that the Underground is properly integrated with the other transport modes in London.

1 Travel Choices for Scotland: The Scottish Integrated Transport White Paper, The Stationery Office, July 1998 Cm4010.

2 Transporting Wales into the Future: Welsh Transport Policy Statement, Welsh Office, July 1998.

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Published 23 December 1998
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