Council welcomes major new Strategic Transport Plan

The draft Strategic Transport Plan has been published by Transport for the North, of which the county council is a founding member.

The public are now being asked to share their thoughts on the proposals through a thirteen-week consultation.

"The overall message is that better connections between economic centres within the north, with the rest of the UK, and via ports and airports with the wider world, would make this an even better place to do business, create more jobs, and lead to greater prosperity.

"Lancashire's economy has strong potential for growth in each of the four prime areas identified by the strategy – advanced manufacturing, energy, health innovation, and digital.

"Our county is home to the fourth largest aerospace cluster in the world, with key manufacturing and innovation centres which have the potential to become more productive. Lancashire's strength as an economic area is comparable to the major cities of the north, and we'll be working hard to make this case in order that our priorities are considered for future funding alongside the city regions.

County councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for economic development, environment and planning, added: "One of the key themes of this plan is how better connections between industries and centres of expertise within the north could greatly improve productivity and achieve more rapid growth.

"Lancashire's expertise in energy mirrors similar industries in Cumbria and the North East, and the Lancashire Energy HQ recently established in Blackpool provides a focus for the development of skills and innovation in this sector. Lancashire's defence industry also has the potential to benefit from better links with Manchester and Sheffield, where there are centres of expertise in materials and process development.

"The Strategic Transport Plan also emphasises the potential for more national and international trade through our ports and airports, something which could benefit Lancashire through the enterprise zone at Blackpool Airport, and the better links to the Heysham Peninsula that have recently been achieved with the opening of the Bay Gateway. Tourism is also vital to Lancashire and there's great potential for growth if national and international links can be improved. "We already have a good track record in Lancashire of working effectively with government and industry to attract investment, with millions already being spent to improve local transport infrastructure, and develop business and housing sites, through the City Deal and Growth Deal programmes. The priorities outlined in Transport for the North's draft strategy will shape future investment and we'll be working hard to make the case for the part Lancashire can play in achieving this vision for a better-connected and more prosperous north."