Agenda item

The Associate Director Place Operations introduced a report about the concept of a new Strategic Transport Infrastructure Plan (STIP) for Slough.  The report would be considered by Cabinet on 1^st February 2021.

The STIP would be the Council’s strategy for enabling growth and regeneration in the town.  It was linked to a range of other strategies such as the Five Year Plan, Climate Change Strategy and would be a key part of the Covid-19 recovery plan.  The high level objectives included protecting and enhancing the built and natural environment to ensure the negative consequences of growth could be mitigated.  The transport objectives included reducing the need to travel, promoting sustainable modes and improving access to employment, healthcare and education facilities.  It was recognised that Slough was expected to experience strong growth in the coming years and the emerging Local Plan for 2016-2036 was projected to enable 13,000 new homes and 15,000 new jobs.  It was therefore important that the Council had a clear transport and infrastructure plan in place to enable this growth in a sustainable way.

(Councillor Sarfraz left the meeting)

The key high level proposals were summarised.  The STIP was currently in draft form pending consultation with stakeholders, and the plan would go back to Cabinet later in year following consultation and the development of business cases.  Members discussed the engagement with local people and the Officer responded that the consultation on the STIP would primarily be with stakeholders and developers, however, assurance was provided that there would be major consultation with residents on Local Transport Plan 4 later in the year.

Members asked whether the recommendations the Committee had made at it’s Extraordinary Joint Meeting with the NCS Panel in October on the A4 bus lane had been incorporated into the STIP.  It was confirmed that the relevant strategic measures were included, for example in the concept of the A4 cycle “superhighway” which would provide a segregated lane so that cycling was a more attractive alternative to car use.  Work on the other specific recommendations made at that meeting was underway.  The Committee discussed the future plans for parking in the town centre.  The STIP envisaged a reduction in parking provision in the town centre and alternative means of travel such as new park and ride services, walking and cycling were part of the plan.  It was recognised that some developers considering locating the town centre wanted parking at or near their sites and this was part of the consultation process with developers to strike the appropriate balance.  In relation to a question about the proposed northern expansion of Slough it was noted that this concept had been considered in the growth projections which underpinned the strategy.  Members emphasised the importance of several other specific issues such as working with schools to reduce the need to travel and ensuring all strategies took full account of the need to provide adequate levels of disabled parking provision.  These points were all noted.

The Committee noted that local authorities outside of London had limited powers in regulating public transport provision but highlighted the importance of high quality bus services for communities across the borough.  It was noted that Council had regular dialogue with bus operators to try to work with them to improve services and infrastructure enhancements and bus priority measures were included in the STIP.  Powers could be devolved to local authorities through enhanced partnerships and this may be explored in the future.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Committee expressed support for the concept of the STIP and endorsed the recommendations which were being put to Cabinet on 1^st February 2021.

Resolved –

(a)  That the Committee endorsed the concept of the STIP as the long-term plan for transport infrastructure to support regeneration of the town centre, the emerging Local Plan Spatial Strategy, and the Council’s air quality and climate change policies.

(b)  That the significant technical work which had informed the STIP and the relevance of the STIP proposals to ongoing discussions with key town centre landowners and developers be noted.

(c)  That the long-term nature of the proposals and the role of the STIP in supporting future bids for funding to deliver those proposals be noted.

(d)  That the consultation exercise with stakeholders be noted.