The Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Transport (Wales) Act 2006, introduced a statutory requirement for local transport authorities to produce a Local Transport Plan (LTP) every five years and to keep it under review. Monmouthshire and the other nine constituent local authorities of the South East Wales Transport Alliance (Sewta), the regional transport planning joint committee, produced the South East Wales Regional Transport Plan 2010. Sewta, along with the other transport consortia, ceased operation in March 2014, shortly the end of the RTP five year transport delivery programme.
In May 2014 Welsh Government published new guidance requiring all local authorities in Wales to produce a LTP for submission in January 2015. The guidance stated that LTPs should be used to update the schemes and priorities identified in the previous plans, and integrate with WG’s National Transport Plan.
The Monmouthshire LTP identifies the key transport issues relevant to the county, the high level interventions needed to address these and the specific priorities for the local authority. The LTP includes a prioritised five-year programme of projects the council wishes to see delivered within between 2015 and 2020 as well as medium and longer term aspirations up to 2030.
The programme outlined in the LTP includes walking and cycling infrastructure, bus network, station and highways improvements, Cardiff Capital Region Metro schemes, 20mph limits and road safety schemes. In accordance with the guidance it does not contain specific rail service and trunk road proposals.
Delivery of proposals featured in the LTP will be subject to sufficient funding being available from external grant sources and from the Council’s own budgets. The LTP will be the primary reference for bids for annual capital funding from the Welsh Government for transport infrastructure.
The Monmouthshire Local Transport Plan was approved by Welsh Ministers in May 2015.