Department For Transport Draft National Policy Statement For National Networks December 2013

The National Policy Statement (NPS) outlines the Government's vision and policy for the future development of nationally significant infrastructure projects on the national road and rail networks (but excluding HS2). It provides guidance for promoters of nationally significant infrastructure projects, and the basis for the examination by the Examining Authority and decisions by the Secretary of State. Chapters explore: the need for development and the government's policy; wider Government policy on the national networks; assessment principles; generic impacts.

The National Policy Statement on National Networks, published in draft for consultation (ISBN 9780108560071), sets out the policy against which decisions will be made on applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects on the strategic road and rail networks. The Committee has a number of detailed recommendations to improve the draft. The NPS should specify more types of transport scheme which the Government thinks are needed, such as enhancements to the rail network to promote east-west connectivity; better road and rail connections to ports and airports and to parts of the country which are currently not well served by those networks; and schemes to promote regional economic development. Criticisms of the DfT's road and rail demand forecasts should be addressed. Estimates of the impact on UK carbon emissions of building more road infrastructure are needed. Adverse impacts of major transport schemes on localities should be set out. The NPS should make explicit reference to the desirability of connecting HS2 to the classic rail network. Promoters of roads schemes must look to improve road safety (including for cyclists and pedestrians). The Government is seeking to accommodate increasing demand for roads by building more infrastructure rather than seeking to manage demand. Investment in the road network will require new funding streams, a challenge that must be addressed. However, a consensus would be required to introduce any road user charging scheme across the strategic road network as an alternative to road taxation.

Dated December 2014. A TSO version of a title previously published by HM Government

The road network is vital to our nation and a crucial part of the national transport system. The challenge is both to make best use of the network we have, and also to plan ahead to help the economy grow. The Department has just announced the biggest-ever upgrade of our motorways and key A roads. By 2021, spending on road enhancements will have tripled from today's levels, and we will have resurfaced 80% of the network. This white paper presents the next steps as being to: invest in 52 schemes, including 16 new projects; start construction on five major road schemes by April 2014; begin feasibility studies on five problem hotspots on the strategic road network, prioritising solutions; continue with route based strategies for the whole network, to build a next generation of improvements and interventions; consult later this year on turning the Highways Agency into a publicly owned strategic highways company; publish a draft national policy statement for national networks in 2013, with the aim of formally designating the document in 2014; introduce legislation in 2014, providing a stable funding basis for investment and legal powers for the new Highways Agency; and produce the first Road Investment Strategy later this parliament, guaranteeing roads investment to 2021