Home > Local Transport Plans > Provisional LTP July 2005 (version for comments) > Strategy Development

Realistic Investment Expectations

<p id=“task_143_ID_1”><span style=“font-weight:bold;”></span> Our LTP2 takes a realistic approach to investment and aims to achieve the best possible solutions with the available resources.<span style=“mso-spacerun: yes”>&nbsp;</span> WMA<span style=“mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black”>MMS (see chapter 5), assessed needs across the conurbation,&nbsp;to which the S</span>ecretary of State for Transport responded in 2003. </p>

<p id=“task_143_ID_2”><span style=“font-weight:bold;”></span> The principal recommendation of WMAMMS was that more needed to be done at a faster pace. The Secretary of State recognised this in his pledge in July 2003 of up to &pound;1 billion funding for Major Schemes in the period to 2011.<span style=“mso-spacerun: yes”>&nbsp;</span> The announcement came too late to be reflected in our 2003 LTP response to WMAMMS.&nbsp; The programme set out in this LTP has been developed within this financial&nbsp; framework, although the programme itself has been refined to reflect changed circumstances.<span style=“mso-spacerun: yes”>&nbsp;</span></p> <p id=“task_143_ID_3”><span style=“font-weight:bold;”></span> The programmes for Integrated Transport schemes (costing less than &pound;5 million) and Maintenance have been prepared acknowledging the indicative LTP2 Planning Guideline figures. </p> <p id=“task_143_ID_4”><span style=“font-weight:bold;”></span> We need resources above the Planning Guideline level to respond adequately to the immediate challenges facing the Area.<span style=“mso-spacerun: yes”>&nbsp;</span> These resources will be necessary if we are to ensure that the country&#8217;s largest urban area outside London, and major contributor to the national economy, can function properly. </p> <p id=“task_143_ID_5”><span style=“font-weight:bold;”></span> If our Planning Guideline remains in line with the provisional indication, the expectation must be that we may be unable to increase the pace of change. </p>