Agenda item

The Director of Regeneration submitted a report the purpose of which was to ask the Executive Member for Regeneration to approve and adopt the draft Local Implementation Plan (LIP) into a formal Council policy document; and, acknowledge the broad satisfaction (of responses) of the draft LIP following the conclusion of public consultation.

 

Under the devolved powers of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), there was an expectation that each Local Authority within the region produced a LIP, in line with the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) produced by TVCA.

 

The LIP provided the local context and content as to how the local Highway Authority (Middlesbrough Council) would deliver local transport priorities and initiatives to ensure delivery of the overarching objectives of the STP.

 

The draft LIP was approved for public consultation as per Executive on 16/2/2021. The public consultation survey and draft versions of the LIP were live from Monday 26th July until 3rd September.

 

During this period, 25 responses to the questionnaire were submitted. Broadly, the consultation feedback was supportive of the LIP.

 

The report provided a summary of the survey responses;

 

Most people were supportive of the six headline transport objectives (68% Agree/Strongly Agree)

 

Responses indicated that the targets set were realistic (40%), ambitious (16%) or neutral (12%)

 

·        44% of responses did not agree with the hierarchy of need, whereas 56% of responses agreed/strongly agreed, or were neutral, with the proposed hierarchy.

·        Concerns were raised over the hierarchy of need relating to private cars being at the bottom of the priority list.

·        68% of responses had not heard of the Councils transport planning tools.

·        Generally, responses were supportive of making improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, bus, rail and private vehicles.

 

Largely, the responses received were positive and in support of the LIP document.  The hierarchy of need proposals however did not follow this trend (44% strongly disagreed/disagreed).

 

The proposal of a hierarchy of need did not mean that the Council would not make improvements for private vehicles.  Instead, it reflected the requirement to assess the needs of other transport modes, whilst designing and investing in transport improvements.

 

Other potential options/decisions included:

 

OPTION 1

 

Not approving the LIP. This had been discounted, as it had been developed following guidance of corporate and strategic objectives and in addition to broad support from the public consultation exercise for the document.

OPTION 2

 

Approve the draft LIP with alterations following public consultation. This had been discounted as the responses from the consultation process were largely positive and the concerns raised are mitigated.

 

ORDERED:-

 

That the Executive Member approves and adopts the draft LIP into a formal Council policy document and acknowledges the broad satisfaction (of responses) of the draft LIP following the conclusion of public consultation.

 

REASONS:-

 

The decision was supported for the following reasons:

 

1.     The Council was required to produce a strategy document to identify how it will improve its transport network. The LIP has been produced by the Transport & Infrastructure team, under the guidance of TVCA’s STP and both the Mayor’s strategy and Council’s Strategic Plan.

 

2.     Public consultation had been sought, which was predominantly in favour of the strategy document. It recommended that any alterations in relation to the document following public comment were not required.