Delivering five multi-modal Area Studies for South East England

Steer and its partners, WSP and Atkins, have been appointed by Transport for the South East (TfSE) to undertake a £1.4m programme of five Area Studies in South East England.

TfSE is the emerging Sub-National Transport Body for South East England. It serves over 7.5 million people in Berkshire, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Portsmouth, Southampton, Surrey, and West Sussex. TfSE recently adopted an ambitious thirty year strategy that aims to deliver a high-quality, sustainable, and carbon neutral transport system for the South East. In a recent consultation on this strategy, 85% of respondents indicated that they supported TfSE’s overarching vision for the area. Steer was the lead technical advisor that supported the development of this transport strategy, and we are therefore delighted to have been appointed to take this strategy to the next stage.

Over the next 18 months, Steer and our partners will develop five multi-modal Area Studies that set a programme of initiatives to deliver the Transport Strategy for the South East. This is a critically important step in helping TfSE realise its vision for 2050 and its goal of obtaining statutory powers to deliver this vision. We will involve colleagues from a wide cross section of our business, including experts in land use and transport modelling, scenario development, sustainable travel, railways, highways, urban transit systems, appraisal, business case development, GIS, and design.

The first study, which will be launched in September 2020, will focus on the South Coast “Outer Orbital” corridor that runs from the New Forest in Hampshire to Thanet in Kent. This area includes two of the largest conurbations in the South East (Southampton/Portsmouth and Brighton/Hove/Worthing) and includes some of the most deprived communities in the region. Delivering this study will involve working with a large number of stakeholders including seven Local Transport Authorities, 22 Local Planning Authorities, four Local Enterprise Partnerships, and two National Park Authorities.

The second and third Area Studies will be launched in January 2021 and will, respectively, focus on the M25 “Inner Orbital” corridor and the London/Gatwick/Brighton “South Central Radial” corridor. The final two studies, which will focus on “South West Radial” and “South East Radial” corridors, will follow in April 2021.

This programme of Area Studies will enable TfSE to prepare a Strategic Investment Plan, which will set out a coherent programme for investment over the following three decades. This will ensure TfSE is well placed to complete its journey towards obtaining statutory powers (similar to Transport for the North) and playing a greater role in delivering positive change for the people it serves.