Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Executive Director – Environment and Regeneration, which provided an update on improvements to the Borough’s Transport Infrastructure and network and sought approval for the next set of transport related projects.

It was reported that Halton’s adopted Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) set out the statutory context for investment in infrastructure to 2025/26. In association with the 22 ‘Primary Transport Strategies’ contained in LTP3, there were a number of major schemes and improvement projects that covered road, rail, bus, cycling and walking. The report provided Members with details for each of these projects and advised that many of the schemes had been delivered.

It was noted that, since the adoption of LTP3, there had been a number of changes to the way transport strategy and funding were administered. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) had been created and new priorities such as Transport for the North, Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed 2 had emerged. Department for Transport funding was now directed to the LCRCA and redistributed to local councils. It was therefore imperative that schemes were developed to an advanced stage of design and appraisal to ensure funding success. Appendix 1 within the report contained the list of schemes that formed Halton’s ‘transport pipeline’ and Appendix 2 outlined current schemes.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the list of schemes in Appendix 1, attached to the report be approved, and be developed into deliverable schemes (including design, feasibility work, business case preparation, funding bids and, where appropriate, entry into the Council’s Capital Programme);

2)    the Operational Director, Planning, Policy and Transport, be authorised, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Urban Renewal, to take the necessary actions to ensure value for money through the appropriate procurement processes relating to the list of schemes (Appendices 1 and 2); and

3)    the Operational Director, Planning, Policy and Transport, be authorised, in consultation with the Portfolio holder for Environment and Urban Renewal, to take any other actions necessary to accept grant funding and enable timely delivery of the list of schemes (Appendices 1 and 2).