News
Transport & energy infrastructure planning news, October 2018
01 Oct 2018
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Headline news |
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Birmingham Declaration signed at Zero Emission Vehicle Summit
On 18 September, the UK hosted the world’s first ‘Zero Emission Vehicle Summit’ in the city of Birmingham.
The summit brought together policy makers, officials and business leaders from over 40 countries, providing an opportunity for attendees to showcase ideas, technology and expertise, to support the transition towards emission-free transport.
The summit also acted as a springboard for consensus building, with thirteen national governments, including the UK, signing the Birmingham Agreement. Signatories committed to a range of measures aimed at: accelerating the transition to low emission vehicles; enabling the growth of the market for low emission vehicles (LEVs); and promoting the advancement of technology and manufacturing within the sector.
The pledges included:
- Committing to a zero-emission future;
- Driving demand through consumer incentives and target setting;
- Collaborating internationally;
- Delivering greener public transport;
- Building a smart infrastructure network;
- Driving up air quality standards;
- Supporting zero emission R&D;
- Promoting a sustainable, circular economy; and
- Making zero emission vehicles greener and cleaner, and moving toward a cleaner generation of hydrogen and electricity.
The summit also saw the first meeting of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, a new cross-industry group featuring representatives from the UK Government, industry bodies, and businesses from the energy and automotive sectors, alongside universities and think tanks.
The Taskforce aims to put electric vehicle users at the heart of decisions, ensuring costs and emissions are kept as low as possible, and that opportunities for vehicles to provide grid services are taken, in the interests of energy bill payers and electric vehicle owners.
Department for Transport, Zero Emission SummitDepartment for Transport, Zero emission vehicle summit: the Birmingham declarationLow Carbon Vehicle Partnership, Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce set up to tackle energy sector
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Quote of the month |
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No one nation can tackle the effects of climate change alone. But as a community of nations, taking global action, we can not only have a bigger impact but unlock huge shared economic opportunities.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman speaking at the first ‘Zero Emission Vehicle Summit’ in Birmingham |
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Transport |
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Rail
HS2 Bill for northern phase of rail link delayed by a year
The primary legislation needed to undertake Phase 2b of the HS2 rail project has been delayed by a year, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed.
Phase 2b will see the construction of two separate lines, with the westerly branch connecting Birmingham with Crewe and Manchester, and Birmingham with Leeds on the east. The hybrid Bill is now expected to be tabled later in 2020.
Furthermore, HS2 Ltd. has also announced that Paul Griffiths, the Managing Director for Phase 2 of the project, is to leave the company.
Earlier in September, the project was hit with a number of criticisms during a Commons debate, with MPs raising various concerns around delays, compensation payments, community engagement, environmental impact, and the rising costs of the project.
Despite these concerns, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Ms Nusrat Ghani, has maintained that the Government is committed to the HS2 project and does not expect the set-back to Phase 2b to affect the 2033 date for completion of the new network.
Parliamentary Hansard, High Speed 2High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, HS2 Phase Two Managing Director updateThe Times, HS2 legislation pushed back a year as doubts grow over £56bn project
DfT has announced the preferred option for the Oxford-Cambridge expressway, a new major road link for the Cambridge–Milton Keynes–Oxford corridor.
Of the three options put forward for consideration, Corridor B was judged to offer the greatest potential benefit for the area, maximising links to jobs, education, leisure and health services within the region. It is also referred to as offering the greatest opportunity for ‘the commercial development of up to 1 million homes’ to be built in the region.
Furthermore, the expressway is expected to reduce journey times between the A34 south of Oxford and the M1 by 40 minutes, whilst it is hoped that its proximity to the east/ west rail link will encourage more people to travel by train.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman commented:
‘This decision determines the broad area within which the road will be developed: the process of designing a specific route will now get under way, involving extensive further consultation with local people to find the best available options. Members of the public will be able to comment on the full set of front-running designs in a public consultation next year, and the road is on schedule to be open to traffic by 2030.’
Department for Transport, Corridor announced to unlock full potential of England's economic heartlandWritten Statement to Parliament, Oxford to Cambridge Expressway: road scheme update
Northern road improvement schemes to create opportunities for future growth
Highways England has announced three major road improvement schemes it says will help create jobs and homes in Yorkshire and the North East.
The first will provide better access from the A19 to the proposed International Advanced Manufacturing Park and Nissan plant in Sunderland.
The second, also in Sunderland, will ease congestion at the A19 and A690 Doxford Park junction, and has the potential to unlock 1,345 new homes.
The third upgrade will increase capacity around junction 47 of the A1(M) at Harrogate, reducing queues and improving journey times, supporting the planned Flaxby Green Business Park.
The works in Sunderland and Harrogate are being delivered through Highways England’s £100 million Road Investment Strategy (RIS), aimed at supporting local growth and housing schemes to get off the ground, by improving junctions and creating access to commercial land and new homes.
Highways England, Road schemes to help create jobs and homes in Yorkshire and North East
On 18 September, DfT’s Science Advisory Council (SAC) published a paper outlining its position statement on the future of flight.
The Statement begins with an overview of how technology has begun to shape and change the aviation sector, covering advances in fuel consumption, and how the UK aviation sector could utilise new technologies - such as hybrid electric flight, drones, and vertical take-off and landing - to address some of the key challenges facing the sector.
It notes that currently the sector is coming under increasing pressure to reduce the amount of emissions, noise, carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The Statement also raises a number of potential challenges relating to cyber security, regulation, and how disruptive technologies such as drones and personal air mobility vehicles will be integrated within existing frameworks.
Regarding these challenges, the SAC sets out a number of recommendations, calling for the Government to: closely monitor the development of technology for low occupancy autonomous flying vehicles; explore the levels of public acceptance around ‘flying taxis’ and the behavioural changes required for these to be accepted; and build an evidence based on public acceptance.
Department for Transport, Review of future of flight
Other news |
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West Midlands to become UK’s first large-scale 5G testbed
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will become a test bed for the latest 5G technology, after being selected to take part in the Government’s Urban Connected Communities project.
The Authority’s bid focused on how the technology would support the region’s health, construction and automotive sectors, to help drive economic growth, as well bringing wider benefits for local communities, through the digital transformation of public services and improving local engagement in decision-making.
The Authority will work alongside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and industry partners, to prepare a business plan before the first projects go live in early 2019.
The Mayor the West Midlands Combined Authority, Andy Street, commented:
‘The potential of this technology is endless – and we will enjoy the benefits first. From monitoring the health of babies and the elderly, to the way our people are linked to the economy of the future, the way companies do business, the way we deliver public services, the experience of travellers on public transport and the way we deliver City of Culture and the Commonwealth Games – everything can be made better thanks to the power of this technology.’
Scotland news
Green infrastructure spending announced as part of the Government’s Programme for Scotland
On 3 September, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced £16.7 million of additional funding for the ‘Switched-on Towns and Cities’ programme, to support Scotland in reducing its carbon footprint.
The funding will be invested in more than 100 new green buses, as well as supporting the rollout of new charging infrastructure, and introducing more than 1,500 new electric charge points in homes, businesses and public spaces across the country.
Sturgeon commented:
‘This year we want to go further still, and through the package of support we’re announcing in this year’s Programme for Government, as well as our continued investment of £1 billion a year in low carbon and public transport, more people will be able to play their part in putting Scotland at the forefront of low carbon travel.’
The funding is part of this year’s Programme for Government.
Scottish Government, Green transport funding pledgeScottish Government, Delivering for today, investing for tomorrow: the Government's programme for Scotland 2018-2019
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The Lichfields perspective |
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Parallel to the submissions to the High Court by various parties who are challenging the Government’s framework for expansion at Heathrow Airport, Heathrow continues to press ahead with finalising its scheme on the basis of the now designated Airports National Policy Statement.
Tabitha Knowles, Associate Director |
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Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116