ASSEMBLY PLENARY, GATWICK

The Assembly held the last plenary meeting of 2002 on 20 November at Le Meridien Hotel, Gatwick Airport. At the meeting, it was regional transport issues which took centre stage. This Bulletin summarises the day's proceedings.

KEYNOTE SPEECH- RICHARD BOWKER OF THE SRA

During the meeting, Assembly members were given the opportunity to raise their concerns about the South East's rail network with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority, Richard Bowker.

Members pressed Mr Bowker on four of the most significant rail investment schemes for the region which are currently not part of the SRA's Ten Year Plan:

• East-West Rail Link from Oxford to Milton Keynes.
• Great Western Line rail improvements from Paddington Station, including the upgrading of Reading Station.
• The South Coast rail improvements recommended by the Regional Assembly in its advice to Government on the South Coast Multi-Modal Study.
• Channel Tunnel Rail link domestic services in North and East Kent.

In response, Richard Bowker warned members that the SRA "cannot do everything. National priorities must take precedence and this is the reason why some regional priorities have not been included in our Ten Year Plan."

However, Mr Bowker confirmed his commitment to working more closely with the Assembly with a view to ensuring that rail investment plans for the region reflect the priorities of the regional transport strategy and reinforce spatial and economic development objectives.

AIRPORTS

At the plenary meeting, the Assembly agreed its formal response to the Government's consultation on the future development of air transport in the South East (SERAS).

Key elements of the Assembly's response include:

• We should not just 'predict and provide': measures to manage the demand for national and international air travel should be part of the way forward.
• There is scope for airports in other regions to meet more of the demand for air travel directly from and to their region instead of having to travel first through the South East system.
• Further expansion of runway capacity at Heathrow is inconsistent in social, environmental and economic terms with regional policy and would have a detrimental impact on the surface transport capacity in the area.
• Of the other options for expansion offered in the SERAS report, a focus at Stansted is preferred.
• Airport development at Cliffe is rejected; the Cliffe option has substantial environmental and transport impacts and is an inflexible 4-runway scheme, and because there are doubts about the scale of capacity needed.
• Further expansion at Stansted needs to be accompanied by major publicly-funded improvements to surface access so as to particularly improve east-west connections and links with the Thames Gateway and the London area;
• The potential contribution by Gatwick as a single-runway airport should be fully explored.

The SERAS consultation ends on 30 November. However, since the plenary meeting a judicial review of the Government's consultation has found that the omission of Gatwick airport from the options for expansion was 'irrational and unfair'. How the Government will now proceed is at present unclear.

SOUTH COAST MULTI-MODAL STUDY (SoCoMMS)

At the meeting, the Assembly agreed its formal advice to Government on the recommendations made by consultants in the South Coast Multi-Modal Study.

The Assembly agreed to support the overall strategy recommended by the study. This is a balanced package of measures, including highway schemes, public transport measures and demand management proposals, that should be supported and delivered as a package within a coherent and managed programme.

In particular, the Assembly agreed to support:

• The public transport elements of the strategy.
• The rail proposals of the strategy. Particular emphasis should be placed on early improvement to the Ashford/Hastings Line and a new coastal express service.
• The highway proposals, including the need for improvements to the Worthing-Lancing section of the A27. Given the latter's very high costs, further consideration needs to be given to whether other means could achieve the same benefits for less cost.
• The demand management elements of the package which will contribute to the success of the strategy.

The Assembly also agreed to call for more capital and revenue funding for bus improvements. In addition, amendments were carried supporting the aim of four trains an hour between Bexhill and Ore, and bringing the trunk road east of Pevensey up to standard.

The Assembly will now send its formal advice to the Secretary of State. His response is expected in Spring 2003.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Regional Transport Strategy (RTS)
The Assembly has now signed off the RTS; this will be passed to GOSE who will undertake a further consultation and examination in public during 2003, before the strategy is finally agreed by ministers.

SEEDA Board Appointments
Cllr Keith House, Liberal Democrat Vice-Chair for the Assembly and Cllr Mrs Sarah Hohler, a member of the Regional Planning Committee, have both been appointed as board members of SEEDA. These appointments will take effect from 14 December 2002 and will last for three years. Other new SEEDA board appointments are Terry Mills, John Peel and Poul Christensen.

ORBIT Study
On 22 November, the Assembly received the consultants' final report for ORBIT, the largest of the Government's programme of multi-modal studies, addressing orbital movements around London, including the M25. The Assembly's recommendation to Government will be discussed at the Assembly's February Planning Committee and agreed at the March plenary.

The Assembly is seeking the views of key delivery agencies and statutory environmental bodies prior to the Planning Committee. Views from local authorities, specialist agencies and representative bodies received by the Assembly by 24 January 2003 will be taken into consideration.]

Transport Select Committee
Mike Gwilliam and Martin Tugwell appeared before a House of Commons Select Committee on 20 November to give evidence in the enquiry on multi-modal studies. The Assembly's written evidence can be found in the Transport Section of this website.

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Last updated: 21 August 2007