National Policy Statement for Ports must join-up with road and rail

Leading planning and sustainable development charity, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), welcome the draft National Policy Statement (NPS) for Ports published for consultation today. However, the Association cautions that the ports NPS should be joined-up with road and rail and not be informed solely by a free-market approach.

Peter Hetherington, Vice President of the TCPA and Chair of the ‘Connecting England’ Commission said:
“While the draft policy for ports rightly sets out the need for expanded capacity in the future, it is of some concern that the development needs and regional implications for England are not being considered in the round. With permission already in the bag for new and expanded ports facilities in the Greater South East – and with more in the pipeline – questions should be asked about the role of northern ports and the capacity they could have to take the strain off the South East region with modest improvements to rail links. Rail and road pressures from freight traffic for all of the largest ports should be assessed and a programme of ‘rail gauge enhancement’ undertaken where appropriate to take more freight off the road, reduce congestion and to make ports in less congested regions more attractive destinations for container traffic. This underlines the case for a joined-up transport strategy and will help promote economic development in other English regions.”

The TCPA calls for the ports NPS to be informed to by and link to improvements in inland transport infrastructure (road and rail) that will unlock capacity and bring benefits to local economies. According to the Department for Transport the draft NPS for England’s strategic road and rail networks will be published for consultation in the New Year.