National Planning Policy Guideline 17: Transport and Planning (NPPG 17) seeks to ensure that integrated transport policy promotes the creation of sustainable patterns of development through joint consideration of transport, land use, economic development and the environment. Critical to the success of Glasgow and the West of Scotland is the development and maintenance of a first class transport system. This will be a vital component of an integrated approach towards achieving economic regeneration and increasing social inclusion. A key element will be the improvement of accessibility to areas currently poorly served by public and private transport, through the creation of new rail and road infrastructure.

Strategic Policy 4 of the Joint Structure Plan supports the development of a number of strategic transport schemes and requires that additional committed and uncommitted road and rail schemes are investigated and confirmed, or otherwise, through the development plan. The schemes listed below reflect the proposals to develop new transport schemes within the Plan period. The Castle Street Relief Road scheme has been superseded and traffic management arrangements in this area will be brought forward through the City Centre Millennium Plan.

Disused rail formations are a valuable resource and have the potential for transport use, either for future extensions to the transport network or for the pedestrian and/or cycle networks. Development proposals that involve breaking the continuity of former rail formations will be subject to close scrutiny. Alternative transport uses should always be considered as the first option.

Transport route reservations will be a material consideration when the Council considers development applications.

Development applications that would impinge directly on the ability to facilitate the development and construction of the following transport infrastructure schemes will be refused planning permission (see the Proposals Map and the plan accompanying this policy).

1. RAIL ROUTES

2. RAIL STATIONS

3. ROADS

4. FORMER RAILWAY FORMATIONS

(i) There will be a presumption in favour of the retention of former railway formations with the potential for transport use, including former track bed, embankments, retaining walls, tunnels and bridges (see accompanying plan).

(ii) The status of parts of former rail formations which do not appear on the accompanying plan because they have been subject to development (including infill), will be reviewed when the site through which they pass is being considered for redevelopment. When this occurs on a former route with the potential for transport use, the prospect of restoring the missing link, either on the original or on an alternative alignment, will be considered with a view to safeguarding any required reservation.

(iii) Where a former railway formation passes through a development site and forms part of the proposed pedestrian and cycle network, developers will be required either to incorporate and implement the route as part of their application, or to provide an acceptable alternative.

(iv) Any road or rail scheme that affects a former railway formation which is part of an existing walking and/or cycle network, must ensure that the integrity of these networks is retained and, where appropriate, make provision for an alternative route for such facilities.

Transport Route Reservations