Issue - meetings

To present the Draft Kirklees Transport Strategy including policy themes contained within the Draft Strategy document. Decisions are needed to commence a district wide public consultation on the Strategy and to endorse the Consultation Plan.

Contact:  Rory Davis, Transport Strategy & Policy Lead Tel: 01484 221000.

Cllr Moses Crook, Portfolio holder for Transport and Housing, introduced the Draft Kirklees Transport Strategy, advising the Panel that the Kirklees Transport Strategy in draft form is on route to Cabinet for approval to progress to public consultation and suggestions and comments from the Panel are welcomed.

Currently there is a great deal being developed in transport regionally, with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) local transport plan which is in progress.  In addition to the active travel position statement which has now been introduced. The Panel was informed that it is important to note that the draft strategy being considered is aligned with and compliments the WYCA’s local transport plan. 

The aim is to help deliver local priorities and to contribute to delivering the overall regional plan.  The strategy reinforces application of the local transport plan in the local setting, and ensures that policies, and ultimately the development of the transport offer through projects are compliant with and support the West Yorkshire aims. It will align with other council priorities locally and meet the hyper needs of local communities in Kirklees.

It is positive that this strategy is being developed at the same time as so much transformative development is underway in the region, with mass transit bus franchising and additional powers devolved to the mayoral authority through devolution.  It maximises the benefit for the area and also ensures that all development is co-ordinated regionally and working towards delivering the same outcomes.

Having a strategy can also bring additional focus to specific areas to prioritise in a local context to support regeneration and investment priorities.  It will also support prioritisation of net zero ambition through development of the active travel modal shift and move towards sustainable transport locally.

This is an excellent draft strategy document and there is confidence it will be adopted, albeit with some amendments through the governance process in due course. The officers in the Transport Team are to be thanked for all the work they have undertaken on this document.

Rory Davis, Transport Strategy and Policy Lead, advised the Panel that the Transport Strategy provides an opportunity to show, that as a district, there is compliance with the West Yorkshire Mayor and West Yorkshire Combined Authorities vision for transport.  Through this, Kirklees as a local authority draws down large amounts and increasing amounts of investment through bids put forward to the WYCA and to other bodies such as the Department for Transport (DfT).

This presents a good opportunity to consolidate the council’s position on transport matters across a range of themes, and this will enable the council to more successfully draw down funding and bring projects into the district.

The approach that will be taken with regard to consultation is that the consultation is anticipated to start in March 2025, and it is anticipated that communities will be given eight weeks of a conversation that will be taking place with the communities. A number of events will be held including on street events in some  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7