Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet today approved that consultation with residents and businesses can take place early in 2021 to help refresh the Local Transport Plan.
Cabinet also approved the establishment of a working party from across all of the council’s political parties and chaired by the portfolio holder for transport and planning to oversee the consultation.
The current Local Transport Plan is scheduled to go through until 2026 but is now felt to be outdated due to a number of factors, notably the shift in attitudes towards fighting climate change and the response to Covid-19.
The initial consultation will seek to present issues and opportunities surrounding local transport issues and invite residents and businesses to give their views around the. The consultation is likely be categorised into themes. The County Council will work with our partners to develop these themes in the coming months but indications as to their possible headings are as follows
- Environment: How the refreshed plan can encourage and promote sustainable travel
- Economy: How it will provide the infrastructure to attract and retain investment ino the county
- Place: How it will help top create an attractive place
- Wellbeing: How the stress of being on the transport network can be alleviated
- Road safety: How road accidents and casualties can be reduced.
Following the consultation and analysis of its findings, Cabinet will be asked to approve the drafting of a revised plan which will also go to consultation before going to the County Council for approval prior to being published in 2022.
Cllr Jeff Clarke, portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: “It’s great news that we can get on and ask our residents and partners what their transport priorities are. Although the current Local Transport Plan’s life is until 2026, it is rapidly becoming outdated as attitudes shift towards the part that transport can play in addressing the climate change emergency and as we seek to address the changing priorities that Covid-19 has brought.
“We want people to tell us what they want us to look at in their areas and let us know what is important to them so that we can refresh the plan and use any influence we have, regionally or nationally, to ensure that Warwickshire’s residents and businesses have the transport plan that best fits their needs for the coming years.”
Details of the consultation will be announced in the coming weeks.
More information about Transport and Highways in Warwickshire can be found on the website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsandtransport