2. Delivering the plan
Introduction
To demonstrate how the Local Transport Plan (LTP) strategy can be realised, an investment plan has been developed which outlines the investment priorities, subject to funding being secured by East Sussex County Council and its partners, and policies proposed for delivery in both urban and rural areas over the life of the plan. Priorities are either geographically specific or county wide cross cutting interventions or initiatives, which will help deliver the investment priorities.
Geographically specific priorities are focussed on delivering improvements to users along a particular transport corridor or in a given location (e.g. town / village centre or rural community), or for users travelling to, from and within East Sussex.
County wide cross cutting interventions or initiatives, including active travel initiatives, multi modal opportunities for freight, and national road pricing may be rolled out appropriately across the East Sussex region.
Investment priorities are often defined in more detail within the modal strategies associated with the LTP, these include:
Investment priority - geography
The Investment priorities (outlined in section 4) are presented in the context of the four LTP4 geography types:
- Regional long distance.
- Moving east-west along the coast.
- Urban coastal.
- Rural and local centres.
The investment priorities are set out according to whether these are strategic transport schemes (i.e. support longer distance travel) or local schemes (i.e. support improvements within a local centre or village). In addition, cross-cutting priorities are also set out where investment priorities or interventions straddle across both strategic and local priorities.
For each type of priority or intervention/initiative the following is identified:
- Scheme or priority
- Potential investment and/or interventions.
- Development timescales for study, develop and deliver over the short-term (2024 to 2029), medium-term (2030 to 2039) and/or long-term (2040 to 2050).
- Key partners.
- Applicable geography type(s).
- Applicable LTP4 theme(s).
- Links to further information (e.g. other strategies or policies)
It is important to note that progress in undertaking the various stages of scheme development will be dependent on the availability of national, regional and local funding, and the County Council and their partners ability to secure funding.
Investment priorities - development stages
Under the stages of development, the following three stages have been identified. It is important to note that these stages and their timing will be dependent on funding to bring investment and/or intervention priorities forward.
- Study – where there is none or limited existing evidence which explores the potential feasibility of the intervention, including the benefits. Key stakeholder engagement can play a key role in advancing the strategic case for investment, identifying objectives, desired outputs and outcomes and work with key delivery partners to explore the idea further to advance the scheme to development stage. This stage is similar to the contents of a Strategic Outline Business Case for larger scale schemes.
- Develop – feasibility studies have been undertaken into the potential benefits of the scheme, however, there is a need for greater development of the business case of the scheme or intervention.
Developing a scheme may include further stages of design (preliminary, detailed design) supported by appropriate engagement and consultation, analytical work to strengthen the strategic case, economic case, identifying funding opportunities and conducting greater technical assessment of the scheme (assessing deliverability risks and environmental impacts), such that the scheme is ready for delivery. This stage is similar to the contents of an Outline Business Case for larger scale schemes. - Deliver –strong business case evidence has already been developed with strong stakeholder support. There is an identified funding route for delivery. There are few risks identified which have yet to be mitigated.
There has been consideration of how to integrate blue and green infrastructure and wider East Sussex County Council environmental and social policy with scheme delivery, informed by the Integrated Impact Assessment. This stage is similar to the contents of a Full Business Case for larger scale schemes.
Scheme/policy progression through development stages
There will be investment priorities which can be studied, developed and/or delivered within the short term of the next five years (2024 – 2030).
Likewise, there are priorities where partners can only study and/or sufficiently develop a pipeline of schemes that are ready for delivery, given timescales for and other deliverability constraints, are unlikely to commence or be fully delivered in the short-term. For example, schemes could include railway schemes where the nature of industry funding cycles mean enhancements presented in the LTP are unlikely to be considered for delivery in the next Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline Period and, therefore, at earliest will be delivered in Control Period 8 (2029-2034) or later.
Also some schemes are unlikely to involve any short-term actions (e.g. by 2030). This is because they will rely on other schemes to be delivered, be reliant on national policy or technological advances, or require significant funding to be made available before a scheme can be studied or developed.
Section 4 of the Investment Plan sets out the current investment priorities for the timescales of the plan, up to 2050. Appendix A outlines the proposed implementation plan in the short term (2024 – 2030).