A thriving Lancashire is fundamental to the economic success of the UK. Our population is more than 1.5 million, with 728,000 jobs and an economy of more than £40 billion Gross Value Added (GVA). We have the third largest economy of the North West after Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, and we are a major part of the Northern Powerhouse. We are home to nationally important economic assets: the world’s fourth largest aerospace cluster and strategically important specialised manufacturing sectors. Transport plays a crucial role as an enabler to economic growth, environmental improvement, social activity, and people’s health and prosperity.
The Local Transport Plan (LTP) is a significant landmark for the sub-region: it is the first LTP to be produced by the new Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA), providing a single, united voice to champion Lancashire’s interests and set out our transport priorities. We believe that now is the right time to develop a new LTP and establish Lancashire’s place on the map. These LTP documents are a clear statement of what we want to achieve and how we intend to get there. They are crucial to support case making for the additional funding and powers that we need to achieve our goals.
This LTP Core Strategy provides the policy foundation for transport investment in Lancashire between 2025 and 2045. Our current and future Implementation Plans build on this and set out the schemes we will be progressing in order to deliver the Core Strategy set out in this document, as well as a framework for monitoring our progress. We have set out the key timeframes for the LTP Core Strategy and Implementation Plans, alongside funding windows and the ongoing process of Local Government Reorganisation.
Our first Implementation Plan covers up to 2030, setting out the first steps towards delivering our vision. Following the Local Government Reorganisation process, we will develop Local Delivery Plans for each unitary authority area, providing further detail on local programmes and schemes, and their delivery.
The LTP serves a range of purposes.
- It demonstrates our ambitions to the public, businesses, stakeholders and national government.
- It supports our case for transport investment, especially related to national priorities such as economic growth.
- It provides a framework for prioritising the allocation of transport funding in the LCCA.
- It enables the LCCA’s and constituent authorities’ other strategic plans and priorities, such as the Lancashire Growth Plan and Local Plans.
- It shows how we will improve transport choices to meet the needs of those who live, work, visit and do business in Lancashire.
- It demonstrates our commitment to long-term sustainability - ensuring that future development is sustainable and inclusive.
Key influencing plans and strategies:
- Lancashire Growth Plan
- Public Health strategies
- Get Lancashire Working
- Council corporate plans
- Lancashire Spatial Development Strategy
- Local plans
- National priorities
- Environment and climate strategies
- Transport and Highways Asset Management Plans
Local Transport Plan documents:
- LTP Core Strategy
- Implementation Plan
- Local Delivery Plans
- Modal Strategies such as:
- Bus Service Improvement Plan and Enhanced Partnership
- Local Cycling and Walking Plans
- Rail Strategy
- Key Route Network Strategy
- Rural Roads and Village Strategy
- Resilience Strategy
- Transport Data and Technology Strategy
- First Mile Freight Study
- Rights of Way Improvement Plans
- Road Safety Strategies
The LTP is strongly aligned with the LCCA's Growth Plan and the national government’s Plan for Change: their Growth Mission recognises that getting Britain moving is an essential foundation for growth.
Document structure
This Core Strategy provides a comprehensive overview of Lancashire’s transport ambitions over the next 20 years:
Introduction
An introduction to Lancashire and the Local Transport Plan. This sets out our overarching vision for our transport networks to support a stronger economy, with fairer opportunities and a more sustainable future.
The case for transport investment
Evidence outlining our key challenges and opportunities, demonstrating how transport will contribute to our vision.
The Lancashire approach
Introducing our four LTP policy and delivery workstreams, a place-based approach, and our transport policies.
Delivering our plan
An overview of our approach to delivering our transport ambitions and measuring our success. You can find more information about the LTP schemes in the Implementation Plan.
This Core Strategy was informed by our supporting Green Paper, which provides a comprehensive evidence base of local, regional and national data. All references for the facts and figures used can be found in this document.
Our vision
Through the LTP, our aim is for Lancashire’s transport network to support:
- a stronger economy
- fairer opportunities
- a sustainable future
These themes are inter-related and overlapping. Transport can facilitate all three of these, as part of cross-sector solutions to our challenges.
Our ambitions for the future are framed around these economic, social and environmental themes, all with the single purpose of delivering positive change for all people who live, work, visit and do business in Lancashire.
Our vision is described in more detail in the goals.
The LTP will improve our region’s prosperity, empower everybody to achieve their potential, and live healthier and more sustainable lives.
Lancashire will be:
- a place where everyone has equal access to education, skills and employment, as well as social, leisure and healthcare opportunities - whatever their individual needs
- recognised as an attractive, competitive and well-connected place to do business, where the movement of people and goods is efficient and reliable
- home to healthy and happy residents
- home to a resilient and productive workforce
- a thriving hub of visitor destinations, which are increasingly popular, more attractive, and easily accessible by public transport
- home to healthy built and natural environments and a sustainable transport network which is fit for the future
- facilitating greater choice for how people travel, reducing the need to spend money owning and running cars for people who don't want to or cannot afford to
Our goals
Stronger economy
- Strengthen our labour markets by better connecting people and jobs.
- Provide strong connections to markets, supply chains and customers.
- Unlock strategic growth sites across Lancashire.
Fairer opportunities
- Improve accessibility to tackle inequalities and deprivation.
- Improve health and wellbeing by supporting active lifestyles.
- Create safe and vibrant communities and a sense of belonging.
Sustainable future
- Conserve and enhance our natural and built environments.
- Increase resilience to evolving weather patterns.
- Reduce pollution from transport.
Cross-cutting goals
- Improve efficiency and value for money of delivery.
- Amplify the voice and strengthen the influence of Lancashire across the north, nationally and internationally.