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Together with skills and affordable housing, an effective transport system is one of the fundamental requirements for the continuing competitiveness of our region. We must move towards a transport system that supports business securely and reliably. We also need to enable sustainable mobility for all in society, recognising that this means much more than simply access to a car.
And we must find a way of achieving objectives that lessen the economic, social and environmental damage resulting from congestion, pollution and development pressures.
To deliver real solutions to the challenges faced in the region, SEEDA is:
- engaging in European, national, regional and local policy debates;
- assessing the feasibility of transport projects of regional economic importance;
- leveraging additional funding to speed up delivery of projects.
ASHFORD (Kent)
Ashford – one of the designated Government Growth areas with a potential of 31,000 new homes and 28,000 new jobs by 2031 – is a strategic location in the South East and a gateway to Europe. Town centre regeneration, alongside infrastructure projects, such as motorway junction improvements and domestic use of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), will be part of the major redevelopment for this Growth Area. Measures to improve the connection between the town centre and the domestic and international rail station are part of the HST4i project, a European funded project partnership. Transnational working and knowledge transfer is key to delivery of this project, bringing together some 18 partners from England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
HASTINGS (East Sussex)
Hastings is one of the most deprived communities in the South East of England with high levels of unemployment, child poverty and low educational attainment. In March 2002, the government approved a Five Point Plan for Regeneration for the next 10 years which aims to provide the catalyst for lasting social, economic and physical improvement.
Improving the connection between Ashford and Hastings is important to develop a better link from the South Coast via Hastings to Ashford’s International Passenger Station, with high speed services to London and the continent. Ashford is one of the designated Government Growth Areas and Hastings is a designated priority area for economic regeneration and part of the Government’s Millennium Communities Programme.
SEASPACE – the agency set up to deliver the Hastings & Bexhill Renaissance development – has joined forces with the HSTconnect project, a further SEEDA led European initiative. Improving the pedestrian links between the station and the town centre, as well as the university campus, is part of this investment project. High quality design will encourage people to make better use of public transport. SEEDA also negotiated faster and semi-direct rail services from Hastings to London. This pilot project was successful and is now incorporated into the regular time table.
READING (Berkshire)
Reading Station is a critical bottleneck on the rail network in South East England and directly affects the capacity and operation of two designated Trans-European Network (TEN) routes. The station is a nationally important rail interchange and provides essential regional and local transport connections. Reading Borough Council is improving the quality of the interchange, its environment and the connection to the town centre. One proposal is for the development of a real time, GPS-based, bus locator system which will inform passengers via mobile texting and guarantee arrival times. High quality design, informed by leading examples in Europe, will increase the attractiveness of public transport and deliver access improvements for movement impaired people.
FINESSE
In order to address congestion in the South East, SEEDA leads the FINESSE project that is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project identifies the potential for shifting freight from road to rail across the Strait of Dover. About sixty per cent of all freight traffic and some 25 million passengers enter the UK by the South Coast ports and the Channel Tunnel. Currently it is easier for companies to use lorries on existing routes, but this results in increasing road congestion and significant environmental impacts in Kent, West Flanders (BE) and the Region of Nord Pas-de-Calais (FR).
AIRTRACK
In order to sustain business growth in the South East, access to international gateways is very important. Heathrow airport, although located outside the administrative boundary of the South East, is Britain’s global hub airport and one of the UK’s major centres of employment. AirTrack is a new rail link that would improve access to Heathrow. Linking Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 with Reading and Guildford, the scheme would significantly improve London’s orbital railway system to the south and west of the capital and into the Thames Valley. By providing regular and reliable rail transport, AirTrack could attract up to 15 million passengers a year and take 5,000 cars off the roads during peak hours.
MID SUSSEX DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT
The key objective of the Mid Sussex Transport Project (MSTP) is to implement an affordable, sustainable and flexible transport service to serve all members of the community and improve the quality, safety, choice and information available. Particularly in more rural areas of the South East, it is important to provide innovative transport solutions in order to enable the community to access services, employment and education, in areas that do not have a high frequency of public transport services. These new services can operate on a demand responsive basis, using smaller vehicles, to take people from their homes to bus or rail stations.
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