Agenda item

The Local Transport Plan (LTP4) is a statutory document and covers the period from 2025 to 2038. It sets out strategic objectives and policies in Wiltshire, as well as the monitoring and evaluation approach for successful implementation.

LTP4 is currently undergoing a public consultation.

LTP4 will supersede the third Local Transport Plan (LTP3), which was published in 2011 (with some sections subsequently adopted in 2014 and 2015) and covered the period from April 2011 to March 2026.

Councillor Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport and Assets, alongside Samantha Howell, Director for Highways and Transport, Parvis Khansari, Director for Place, and Simon Lymn, Strategic Specialist for Highways and Transport, provided an overview of Wiltshire’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4), including a summary of the work undertaken to date to prepare the draft LTP4 for statutory consultation which runs until 24 January 2025.

The background to the report was briefly detailed as per Paragraphs 2 to 5 before officers highlighted the 6 key themes that had emerged from the comprehensive review that had been undertaken to inform the preparation of the draft LTP4 as per Paragraph 7 of the report. Officers then explained the structure of the document; namely, that LTP4 was broken down into three overarching documents with supporting appendices.

It was then emphasised that the draft LTP4 had been prepared following initial stakeholder consultation and engagement with key delivery partners and was intended to contribute to national, regional, and local priorities including the Wiltshire Council Business Plan, Local Plan, and Climate Strategy. Finally, officers noted that it was anticipated that the final LTP4 would be presented to Cabinet for adoption in Spring 2025, with a consultation report detailing all comments received and officer responses accompanying the document. However, Members were assured that advance work had already commenced and that a detailed delivery programme for next steps would be confirmed after all consultation responses had been received and fully considered.

During the discussion, points included:

• Officers highlighted that further analysis was needed in understanding the trends across the network and how employers are responding to working in a post-covid environment, such as hybrid working. It was also acknowledged that linking into new developments and local employment sites to ensure local sustainable growth was not within the direct remit of the LTP4, however highlighting those interdependencies and opportunities through a policy context would help to develop sustainable travel plans for businesses.
• With regard to analysing volumes of commuters between their place of residence and employment, officers noted that it was a correlation of lots of different elements, but agreed that it was something that needed to monitored and understood as the LTP4 evolved over time. Furthermore, it highlighted the importance of ensuring adaptability in the subsequent delivery plans and Members were assured that there would be opportunities to continue engaging with stakeholders.
• Members emphasised the importance of volunteers and volunteer transport in terms of ensuring that residents, particularly those in more rural areas, could access the services they needed and wished to visit on a more regular basis. Officers acknowledged this and noted that there was a strong working relationship with groups such as Community First.
• Vision Zero was raised, and officers explained that they were moving towards a Safer Systems approach which would work under the umbrella of the Road Safety Partnership to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the network. Although it was recognised that Vision Zero was ambitious, regular meetings were being undertaken through the Partnership to work towards common objectives, and work was being undertaken directly on the network to help achieve this.
• It was explained that officers were moving forward with a detailed delivery plan in respect of the Freight Management Strategy, with mechanisms in place to control and influence driving behaviours. Officers noted that an annual survey was undertaken on the matter and then highlighted the importance of understanding key local issues through Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Groups (LHFIGs) and consultation activities.
• Members noted that although the plan was comprehensive, they felt that the length of the document was too dense and descriptive. It was acknowledged that the LTP4 was a strategic framework, however the detailed delivery plans were necessary to further understand and scrutinise the overall plan.
• Officers recognised that significant revisions could be made to the document once feedback from the consultations was understood, and reassured Members that comprehensive arrangements would be attached to each of the delivery plans and that these could be submitted to future Committee meetings to ensure scrutiny throughout the governance process. Furthermore, officers emphasised that evidence-based decisions and understanding that not one size would fit all in Wiltshire was key and noted that a Communications Plan would be made available to Members to set out how each of the key steps within the LTP4 would be monitored and evaluated against the plan’s objectives.
• Comments were provided by the Climate Emergency Task Group, where it was felt that the slow, incremental introduction of interventions to reduce transport emissions was not enough and that greater transparency and clear recognition of the difficulties in addressing the challenges of decarbonisation was necessary. Officers emphasised that the LTP4 was a draft plan, and that further policies and delivery plans would follow, with many in active progression. Additionally, officers concurred that further improvements could be made in communicating progress and milestones, reflecting the gaps between funding by Central Government and delivery partners, and presenting the list of delivery plans in a more accessible format. Furthermore, Members were informed that the Council was recently shortlisted for a national away for decarbonisation in the highways supply chain.
• It was noted that officers had capitalised on the Restoring Your Railway Scheme and would be working with the players in the industry and Central Government on making progress with the priorities identified in the Wiltshire Rail Strategy.
• With regard to improving integration with public transport, it was highlighted that certain Park and Ride sites within Wiltshire were bucking the national trend, with patronage on sites increasing. It was noted that these sites would continue to be monitored to ensure that value for money was delivered.
• The introduction of electric buses to the South of the County was raised, and it was explained that the ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) Scheme introduced by the Department for Transport (DfT), was targeted at more rural areas and had to be produced in conjunction with a bus company who would be responsible for delivering the service throughout the network. As such, the opportunity was offered to all bus operators in Wiltshire with Go-Ahead in the South of the County being the most proactive and submitting a robust business case. However, it was emphasised that officers were keen to explore other opportunities across Wiltshire, including trialling an electric vehicle for Demand Responsive Transport, and would support any other bus operators who wished to capitalise on the ZEBRA scheme.

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was then:

Resolved:

The Committee:

a)    Noted the contents of the report which set out the progress made on the development of Wiltshire’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) to date, including statutory consultation with the closing date of 24 January 2025.

b)    Requested that the issues raised by the Committee were considered in any new draft e.g. how it integrated with the Local Plan, a list of delivery plans, the process of development, de-carbonisation trajectories, and how Vision Zero would be achieved through the Plan.

c)    Requested a further update to the Committee detailing progress as well as the adoption and delivery of LPT4, including how the Select Committee would have oversight of the development and delivery of the Plan.

d)    Requested that further consideration was given to how to make the Plan more accessible.