Regional strategies - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 293

is given as to what this phrase actually means. In practice the relative importance
attached to the different strategies and the issues they address will have a significant
bearing on the character of the RSS. However the fact that they are prepared by a
variety of agencies over different timescales with different resources, status and so
on means that the interaction takes place on a very uneven playing field. There is no
formal mechanism for testing whether they 'join up' or how they might be amended if
they do not.
Nevertheless the Government has taken steps to try and improve prospects for
integration at regional level. For example the Regional Assembly is encouraged to
explore with other agencies whether it is feasible to 'join up' consultation exercises,
potentially achieving economies and reducing 'consultation fatigue' as well as
promoting integration. The Regional Assembly and other bodies also have to come
together to provide co-ordinated 'advice' on the regional funding allocation for
transport, housing and economic development (22.6).
The particular issue of integration between land use and transport strategies
illustrates the difficulties which have to be overcome more generally. Although,
uniquely, the transport strategy is included as an integral part of the RSS document
,research on the first round of RTS discovered that there were problems in achieving
integration in substance, with it rather being 'bolted on' as a separate chapter instead
(MVA 2004). This arose in part from the inertia of separate working inherited from
the previous era and partly from practical constraints surrounding production of the
RTS - it often being dependent on a small group of local authority professionals who
had to continue to fulfil their 'day job' at the same time. It is even more difficult to
achieve meaningful engagement from transport organisations who are not themselves
members of the Regional Assembly (e.g. Network Rail and bus and train operators),
who determine their own policies and programmes and may see no advantage from
participating in the RSS process.
Form and content
PPS11 states that the RSS should provide a spatial vision for the region plus a concise
spatial strategy for achieving it including an agreed implementation plan. The detailed
requirements are listed in Box 18.1.
In its format the RSS is required to make clear whether its policies relate to
strategic development control, delivery through local transport or development plans,
or delivery through other means. Policy statements have to be distinguished from
supporting text and accompanied by a key diagram. Advice on the approach to be
taken on substantive topics other than transport is given in Annex A of PPS11. For
the transport component - i.e. the Regional Transport Strategy - it is contained in a
separate guidance note (considered in the next section).
The implementation plan for the RSS has to identify which organisation(s) are
responsible for delivery of each policy and proposal, their current formal status and
timescale for delivery including any output targets. This information is said to be
necessary in order to be able to test the realism of the strategy. However we may
note that this is dependent on sufficient cooperation and input being received from
'external' agencies who in practice are under no obligation to supply it.
For transport issues targets need to be developed within a framework which takes
account of the national targets set by Government and the local targets incorporated
in LTPs (20.7).