4.1 A View of Lancashire

The Northwest Regional Spatial Strategy, like the Northern Way, is based upon City Regions. Ten of Lancashire's Districts make up the Central Lancashire City Region, together with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen. A Priority for Action of the Northern Way Business Plan is the concept of the Central Lancashire City Region as an extended Green City offering quality urban living next to superb, readily accessible countryside - the city with ‘room to breathe’. The Green City will deliver two Regional Park proposals and a Northwest Coastal Trail from Chester to Carlisle. It will nurture our market towns and support rural renewal as integral to the City Region.

The two Districts outside the Central Lancashire City Region are West Lancashire, bordering Merseyside and set in the Liverpool City Region, and Lancaster which lies just to the north of the City Region, though maintaining close economic, education and social links with Central Lancashire.

The car is the dominant mode of transport to work and we will manage the highway network more effectively, taking advantage of new technology to reduce congestion. ParkWise will manage parking on and off the street. Faults on the highway network, including footways, are detected by regular inspections and repaired promptly to prevent accidents and reduce the liability to claims for damage. We will also work to reduce dependence upon the car. We will attract new passengers to public transport by raising the standard of bus services and infrastructure, building new bus stations and extending our Quality Bus routes. Park & Ride operations will reduce the number of car journeys into urban centres further still.

One of the characteristics of Lancashire is that journeys to work are comparatively short. Almost half of them are under 5km, so there is great scope to increase the number of journeys made on foot and by bicycle. We will improve the quality of open spaces to create a better public realm for residents and visitors as well as an environment more welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. A network of safe and convenient routes to important local destinations will serve people going to work as well as children travelling to school and families enjoying a leisure trip. Our annual programmes of walking, cycling and Public Rights of Way Network improvements will promote active travel, increasing accessibility and offering increased opportunities for exercise, especially in disadvantaged and remote areas. Personalised Travel Planning in Preston and Lancaster will encourage the use of the existing infrastructure for walking and cycling, as well as public transport. In urban areas, car journeys transferred to walking, cycling and public transport will contribute additional benefits by reducing congestion and improving air quality.

Whilst urban areas face problems of congestion, accessibility is the problem common to rural areas. Through the Accessibility Strategy we are working with service providers to improve access to services. The Lancashire Rural Delivery Pathfinder will examine access to services and consider the value of the contribution that public transport makes to rural communities. The rural economy was badly affected by the foot and mouth epidemic and we are working closely with the Lancashire Rural Partnership to deliver the Rural Recovery Action Plan and promote rural tourism. Our work has brought the award of Beacon Council for Supporting the Rural Economy. The County Council set up the Local Access Forum in 2001 to advise on the development of the Rights of Way Improvement Plan. This has now been published and will deliver greatly improved access to the countryside for walkers, cyclists, riders and people with limited mobility. It will improve links between urban and rural areas across the County and provide multi user bridleways that offer attractive routes to people of all mobilities. Visitors will have more opportunities to enjoy the countryside, bringing valuable custom to rural businesses.

We will work with our partners to reduce road casualties and achieve the national targets. The risk of road casualties is higher in disadvantaged areas and our annual programme of Local Safety Schemes will deliver highway improvements prioritised according to their potential to save road casualties. We will deliver Road Safety training on walking and cycling through schools across the County and, with support from the DfES, we will help schools to prepare School Travel Plans and Safer Routes to School. We will offer training to improve the skills of drivers and motorcycle riders and make them aware of the danger of inappropriate speed. The Lancashire Road Safety Project will use its safety cameras to enforce speed limits and will campaign for the use of safety belts and against drink driving.

We have set our schemes into the national and regional context and have agreed cross border schemes with our neighbours. Within Lancashire, we are developing our Locality Focus Agenda. We have engaged with our District Partners direct and through the Local Strategic Partnerships under the guidance of District Partnership Officers. We have reported our plans to the Lancashire Local Committees established to influence decisions over local services and have reorganised our resources to deliver planning and maintenance services within the three areas of North, East and South Lancashire. We have worked with our partners in each District to assess their accessibility needs. With the participation of Local Strategic Partnerships, service providers and stakeholders, we have drawn up programmes of schemes designed to meet their local priorities.

4.1.1 North Lancashire; Lancaster, Wyre and Fylde

Lancaster is the most northerly District in Lancashire, bordering Cumbria and North Yorkshire. It has strong links - economic, educational and social - with the Central Lancashire City Region. Lancaster University at Bailrigg is a Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies and has environmental studies too. Bailrigg is identified as a Regional Investment Site.

Lancaster City, like Carnforth, lies on the north-south corridor of the M6 and the West Coast Main Line. Lancaster City Centre suffers from traffic congestion and poor air quality. The Cycling Demonstration Town Project and Personalised Travel Planning will promote modal shift to from the car to walking, cycling and the Quality Bus services on the Heysham-Morecambe-Lancaster University corridor. They will increase accessibility from areas of deprivation to the employment sites within the Economic Development Zone.

The Port of Heysham serves Irish ferry traffic and is categorised as a major port by the DfT, but road access is restricted by the congestion of the gyratory system over the Lune bridges in Lancaster City centre. The completion of the Heysham-M6 Link, a Major Scheme within the Regional Funding Allocation Programme, will reduce journey times to the port as well as to Morecambe and the employment areas north of the Lune. It will take through traffic out of urban areas, improving safety and reducing congestion.

Wyre and Fylde, together with Blackpool, lie within the Central Lancashire City Region. Their principal towns of Blackpool, Lytham St Anne's, Thornton Cleveleys and Fleetwood make up the conurbation of the Fylde Coast. The Blackpool Masterplan represents a 15-20 year programme of regeneration and development to allow Blackpool to compete in international market place for visitors. Blackpool also has the ambition to be the site of the Regional Casino. The M55 and the railway lines from Blackpool South and North connect the Fylde Coast to the M6 and the West Coast Main Line at Preston. The joint Fylde Coast Sub Regional Transport Study has examined the network of the Fylde Coast and sets out the measures required to meet the demands of economic growth. Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council have worked together to submit a joint bid for the renewal of track and tramcars on the Blackpool-Fleetwood tramway.

The two Priorities for Action in the Central Lancashire City Region instrumental in the growth of the North and of the UK economy are both relevant to Wyre and Fylde;

• stimulating our advanced manufacturing base including a global presence in the aerospace sector
• strengthening the North’s tourism profile through the Blackpool URC Masterplan, the UK’s largest tourism renewal initiative.

The upgrade of the Blackpool-Fleetwood Tramway, also included within the Regional Funding Allocation Programme, will improve accessibility along the Fylde Coast and contribute to both the Blackpool Masterplan and the regeneration of Fleetwood. The joint Fylde Coast Sub Region Transport Study has examined the measures needed to support economic growth. Important economic sites in Wyre and Fylde include;

• Fleetwood Docks, a major port in the DfT classification
• the development site of Fleetwood Docks and North Thornton
• BAE Systems aerospace industry in Warton, and
• Blackpool Airport, now enjoying rapid passenger growth.

Each district has an extensive inland rural area with a market town at its heart; Carnforth in Lancaster, Garstang in Wyre and Kirkham in Fylde. Rural bus services operate in the area around each of them to provide links to local services.

4.1.2 East Lancashire; Ribble Valley, Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn and Rossendale

Ribble Valley, in contrast to the other Districts, is a largely rural district with a prosperous economy and low level of unemployment. Direct trains run from Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria. Buses branded The Lancashire Way run from Whalley via Accrington and Haslingden to Manchester, using the A56 and M66. Rural bus services operate from Clitheroe Interchange. As part of the Lancashire Rural Delivery Pathfinder, we will examine access to services in Bowland and the value of public transport.

Towns in the other four Districts grew with the cotton and footwear industries. Whilst new engineering and advanced technology industries have been established, pockets of deprivation remain. Major programmes are contributing to regeneration across East Lancashire. ELEVATE, the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, has designated areas in all four Districts. The Primary Care Trusts of East Lancashire - Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale, Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn & Ribble Valley - are making new provision for healthcare through LIFT, the Local Investment Finance Trust. The £65 million programme includes the innovative St Peter's Health and Leisure Centre in Burnley. In parallel with this, we are working with the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust to identify the transport implications of their Clinical Services Review. Building Schools for the Future programmes have been prepared for Burnley and Pendle. We will work with all our partners to integrate our transport proposals with the housing, health, education and leisure proposals. The Regional Spatial Strategy includes an East Lancashire Regional Park.

The Mainline Quality Bus service runs along the Calder Valley from Padiham via Burnley and Nelson to Colne. Some buses using this busy corridor begin their journeys in Accrington and Clitheroe, while others continue as far as Barnoldswick and Keighley in West Yorkshire. Buses branded The Witch Way run from Nelson via Burnley and Rawtenstall to Manchester, taking the A56 and M66. The East Lancashire Rapid Transit is a Major Scheme included in Regional Funding Allocation Programme. The first phase will provide better public transport links between Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen.

In Pendle, Nelson and Colne lie beyond Burnley in the Calder Valley conurbation. Barnoldswick is a market town at the centre of the West Craven countryside. It is also the home of the Rolls Royce aero-engine industry. Motorway traffic from the M65 heading for Yorkshire on the A56 causes congestion in Colne. A new bus station in Nelson will support public transport in Pendle.

Burnley is undergoing comprehensive regeneration and is receiving funding from a variety of sources. Quality Bus services on the Mainline operate from the impressive new Burnley bus station. We will work with our partners to support regeneration and increase social inclusion in the Borough.

Hyndburn lies between Blackburn and Burnley. The Hyndburn Circular Quality Bus service links Hyndburn and Blackburn. A new bus/rail interchange in Accrington will support public transport in Hyndburn. The Regional Investment Site at Whitebirk, beside the M65 Junction 6, will be developed with NWDA as the Pennine Lancashire Gateway. Ultimately, it will provide up to 12,000 higher wage jobs.

Rossendale has growing links with the Manchester City Region. A new local bus station in Rawtenstall will improve bus patronage locally. The Nelson-Rawtenstall-Manchester service, branded the Witch Way, will be raised to Quality Bus standard and a Park & Ride site in Rawtenstall will increase patronage on the route.

4.1.3 South Lancashire; Preston, South Ribble, Chorley, West Lancashire

Preston, South Ribble and Chorley have jointly commissioned a Strategy for the Core Central Lancashire Sub-region to provide an economic, education and planning framework to support the economic growth of the area over the long term. This has been complemented by the Preston City Centre Access Strategy and the South Ribble Accessibility Study. Preston and South Ribble are partners in the CIVITAS project which will promote sustainable transport in them both. The Optimum 2 project is improving access to healthcare in Preston and Chorley.

The University of Central Lancashire will provide a Knowledge Nucleus in the city centre of Preston. The city centre development in the Tithebarn area will create 3,000 permanent jobs and increase city centre turnover by £200 million and will include the construction of a new regional bus station. To improve accessibility and reduce congestion, four Quality Bus routes operate in Preston and more will follow. Park & Ride sites serve the south and south-west of Preston and further sites are required to the north and north-east. Real time passenger information, currently displayed on selected urban routes and the Preston-Leyland service, will be extended.

South Ribble is developing the Regional Investment Site at Cuerden with the support of the NWDA and English Partnerships. It takes in 65 hectares and offers good links to the M6, M61 and M65. Lancashire Business Park in Leyland provides 96 hectares within minutes of the motorway and Matrix Park is part of the Regional Investment Site on the former Royal Ordnance Factory, most of which lies within Chorley. BAE Systems employs 5,000 people in the aerospace industry at Samlesbury on the A59.

Chorley, with the support of the NWDA, is developing the Regional Investment Site at Buckshaw, the former Royal Ordnance Factory. A new railway station and Park & Ride will be included within the site. The Chorley Connect Kickstart bus network will provide new services designed to provide essential links in the Borough between deprived areas, employment sites, Chorley Hospital and Chorley Interchange in the town centre.

West Lancashire has strong links to Merseyside including the Merseyrail Electric service from Ormskirk to Liverpool. The Southport-Wigan-Manchester line and Kirkby-Wigan line provide further rail links to Merseyside. The A570 from St Helens via the M58 Junction 3 to Southport passes through Ormskirk town centre. The Ormskirk Bypass will improve journey times between Ormskirk and Southport and between the two hospitals. It will take through traffic out of the town centre and improve safety, air quality and the environment. The development of Stanley Industrial Estate will create further employment sites in Skelmersdale. The Regional Spatial Strategy proposes a new Regional Park on the Ribble Estuary.

Back to Top