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West Lancashire highways and transport masterplan

The West Lancashire Highways and Transport Masterplan was adopted and published in October 2014 and outlined our ambitious and wide-ranging vision to transform the transport network in West Lancashire.

The plan for West Lancashire sets out options for major improvements to railways, highways, public transport, and walking and cycling facilities, to ensure the district can realise its potential for economic growth and avoid its distinctive rural character being degraded by congestion.

One of the plan's outcomes was to rescind the proposal for a bypass of Ormskirk. This followed a study of the M58 to Southport Corridor, which showed that the effect of a bypass would be limited as much of the traffic in the town centre was local, and there was no prospect of securing funding for non-strategic schemes. 

What we've done so far

A West Lancashire Route Management Strategy has been produced which, provides a strategic assessment of highway issues within West Lancashire, and identifies interventions aimed at improving the performance of West Lancashire’s major routes and wider road network.

The work to link Skelmersdale to the national rail network has reached Governance for Rail Investment Projects (GRIP) 3a stage in Network Rail's process for building new infrastructure. To progress further a Strategic Outline Business Case will need to be prepared.

A strategy for improving the movement of people and vehicles around Ormskirk town centre has been produced. Officers from both Lancashire County Council and West Lancashire Borough Council are now considering this strategy and the accompanying proposals. Those selected for taking forward will undergo more detailed assessment where necessary and be included in a programme for funding and implementation. At this stage the inclusion of a proposal in this report does not mean it is endorsed by either Lancashire County Council or West Lancashire Borough Council.

All the work done to date took into account the adopted West Lancashire Local Plan 2012 -2027, which is currently being reviewed. The first draft of this document was published in October 2018 (West Lancashire Local Plan Review) and proposes a significant change in the location and amount of development needed to meet demand. The highway network will need to be able to cope with the resulting traffic so development of any new highway proposals will take these future plans into account.

Documents

West Lancashire Highways and Transport Masterplan

M58 to Southport Corridor Study

West Lancashire Route Management

Ormskirk Town Centre Movement Strategy

At this stage the inclusion of a proposal in this report does not mean it is endorsed by either Lancashire County Council or West Lancashire Borough Council.