New Local Plan - Issues & Options (Regulation 18)
Transport, Local Services and Infrastructure Policies
29. Transport
29.1 Government policy says transport issues should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making. In doing so, plans can seek to address any potential transport impacts, encourage more sustainable forms of movement and embrace changing transport technology.
29.2 Significant development should be focused on locations which are or can be made sustainable, through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. This can help to reduce congestion, emissions and improve air quality and public health. However, opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas, and this should be taken into account in plan-making.
29.3 Harborough District is a rural area and the current Local Plan (2019) directs most development to areas which already have capacity to offer sustainable transport choice for local journeys to access services and facilities, such as public transport, walking and cycling.
29.4 Parts of the District contain a heavily trafficked road network which experiences congestion, delays and poor air quality, particularly at peak times. There are two Air Quality Management Areas (in Lutterworth and Kibworth). The only railway station is in Market Harborough giving good access to larger centres such as Leicester and London. The west of the District has good access to the strategic road network including the M1 and A5. The rural nature of Harborough means residents of the District are heavily reliant on private vehicles.
29.5 The new Local Plan will need to consider the implications of growth and how best to mitigate any adverse transport impacts. It can encourage growth in locations that have greater access to more sustainable forms of transport.
29.6 The Local Plan can strongly influence transport and travel patterns. Minimising the need for journeys using private cars and encouraging more sustainable modes can be achieved through a range of policy approaches and identifying potential allocations in the most sustainable locations.
29.7 The plan must be realistic and there will inevitably be a need for people to travel to seek employment, education, shopping, leisure and other services and facilities. The Local Plan should seek to provide growth in a manner that minimises transport impacts.
29.8 Initially, further transport evidence will be required to understand the current pressures on transport and where there are capacity constraints. Growth options will be assessed to understand the transport impacts and implications.
29.9 The development of new policies and allocations will allow the Council to explore options for delivering necessary growth whilst seeking the most sustainable forms of movement and mitigating any adverse impacts identified. There are several potential options including:
Option A: Continue with the approach in the current Local Plan which recognises the rural nature of the District and encourages more sustainable transport modes whilst acknowledging that private cars have an important role for residents. Where adverse impacts are identified at junctions and links, mitigation solutions are required.
Option B: Promote policies that actively encourage sustainable transport. To help shift the emphasis towards more sustainable transport modes consideration could be given to policies which require greater financial contributions towards public transport or improving cycling/walking infrastructure in preference to road and junction upgrades.
Option C: Allow for development and accept that junctions and links will continue to operate above capacity. This may result in 'self-regulating' behaviour where people choose alternatives where routes and junctions become too congested. This approach would place fewer transport constraints on growth but is likely to perpetuate traffic problems on the network.
Transport