RSS East Of England Plan - Broads Authority

East of England Plan 45
POLICY T10: Freight Movement
Priority should be given to the efficient and sustainable movement of freight, maximising the proportion of freight
carried by rail and water where those are the most efficient modes:
• high priority should be given to measures to provide adequate rail freight capability and capacity on routes to the
region’s major ports of Bathside Bay (Harwich), Felixstowe, London (including Tilbury), and London Gateway;
• provision should be made for at least one strategic rail freight interchange at locations with good access to
strategic rail routes and the strategic highway network, unless more suitable locations are identified within
London or the South East for all three to four interchanges required to serve the Greater South East;
• existing well-located freight wharves and facilities for rail and water freight interchange should be safeguarded
for future use where there is a reasonable prospect of developing them for port operational uses. Improved
provision should be made in locations with good road and rail access; and
• previously used rail accessible sites, including those owned by non-railway bodies, should be protected from
development for non rail-based uses where there is a reasonable prospect of developing them for rail freight
use.
7.24 The freight scoping study undertaken for EERA forecasts large increases in freight movement.
7.25 Currently, the movement of freight in the region is largely by road. To increase movements by rail and water there is a need
for interchange locations. The 2004 Strategic Rail Authority Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy identfied a need for
three to four strategic rail freight interchanges for the Greater South East and the 2006 Eastern Regional Planning
Assessment for the Railway envisaged development of strategic sites around the M25. Given that the region includes a
third of the M25 ring and that all the main rail lines from London to the North and Scotland cross the M25 within the East
of England, it is likely that at least one of the required strategic interchanges will need to be in the region.
7.26 Because port traffic is such an important component of freight movement in the region and much is travelling long
distances, EERA’s monitoring framework should set a target for increasing the proportion of port-generated freight carried
by non-road modes. Opportunities for moving freight along the coast and on inland waterways are encouraged by
national policy and coastal shipping could lead to increased use of the region’s smaller ports.
7.27 The Regional Transport Strategy encourages movement of minerals by rail, sea and inland waterway and the
safeguarding of related facilities.
7.28 The phasing out of landfill, the emphasis on reducing waste and the expectation that waste will be managed locally will
reduce the demand for long distance transport of waste. However, there may be opportunities for the sustainable
movement of recyclable materials and products, including by inland waterway.
POLICY T11: Access to Ports
Access to the region’s ports should be managed and enhanced to support their development and enable them to
contribute to national and regional objectives for economic growth and regeneration.
In accordance with Policy T10, a key priority will be to maximise the proportion of freight, particularly longer distance
freight, by modes other than road, consistent with commercial viability.
7.29 The investment and management required for the network to provide for ports, particularly the major ports: Bathside Bay
(Harwich); Felixstowe; London (including Tilbury); and London Gateway needs to be considered in the context of the