Can less sometimes be more? Integrating land use and transport planning on Merseyside (1965–2008)

Figures & data

Figure 1. Pyramid of integration. Source: Adapted from Stead et al. (2003).

Figure 2. An integration continuum.

Table 1. Typology of integration and barriers and enablers to its achievement.

1	2	3
Integration type	Barrier	Enabler
Substantive	Inconsistent aims and objectives	Consistent aims and objectives
	Aims and objectives too broad	Aims and objectives of sufficient detail
	Aims and objectives get into too much detail
Procedural and methodological	Reaching and implementing an agreement takes very long	Agreements are reached and implemented quickly
	Agreements informal and non-binding	Agreements enforceable
	One partner/actor takes lead and monopolises	One partner/actor facilitates processes
	Insufficient resources available	Appropriate resources available
	Over-abundance of resources available
	Course of action already decided	Open and free debate
	Ulterior political objectives/motives	Political support
Administrative	Wider issues ignored	Balanced recognition of wider issues
	Wider issues covered in too much detail
Sectoral	Poor relations between partners	Good relations between partners
	Poor appreciation of certain issues	Good appreciation of all issues
	Lack of contact between partners	Close contact between partners

Source: Adapted from Smith (2009, 2013).

Table 2. National policy orientations and Merseyside plans and projects in the transport and land use sectors from the 1960s until the 2000s.

	English land use and transport policy orientations and instruments	Merseyside plans and projects
1960s	Attempts at integration following the Buchanan and PAG (Planning Advisory Group) reports’ recommendations on integration between new land use and transport policies, plans, programmes and projects, and the emergence of professional cultures.	Liverpool City Centre Plan (City Centre Planning Group, 1965) Liverpool Interim Planning Policy Statement (Liverpool City Council, 1965) Merseyside Area Land Use/Transportation Study (Traffic Research Corporation, 1969)
1970s/1980s	Attempts at integration under the auspices of the metropolitan county councils. The latter were created in 1972 but abolished in 1985.	The Merseyside Structure Plan (Merseyside Metropolitan County Council, 1979) Merseyside Transport Plan (Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, 1984)
1990s	Attempts at integration following the introduction of Unitary Development Plans and Package Bids which required integration between policy areas.	The City of Liverpool Unitary Development Plan (UDP) (Liverpool City Council, 2000) Merseyside Integrated Transport Study: Steering Transport in the Right Direction, (Merseytravel, 1994) Sefton UDP: A Plan for Sefton (Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, 1995)
Post 1997	Attempts at integration following the introduction of the New Labour government’s modernisation agenda which sought to join up governance and improve delivery through integrated plans, policies and programmes (PPPs). In the transport field this agenda was reflected in the 1998 Transport White Paper on an integrated approach to transport planning. Land use planning was also modernised notably by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 which promoted a ‘spatial planning approach’ ostensibly designed to promote more coordination of different public (and private) activities with an emphasis on the functioning and making of places.	Merseytram: A proposal for a light rail link between Liverpool City Centre–Kirkby Merseytram Line 1 SPG (Liverpool City Council, 2004) Merseytram Design Guide Line 1 – Liverpool to Kirkby (Merseytravel, 2003) Merseyside Local Transport Plan 2001/2–2005/6: Opportunities for all (Merseytravel, 2000) Transport and Access SPD: Proposal to harmonise land use and transport PPPs across all the Merseyside authorities Draft Transport and Access supplementary planning document (SPD) (Local Transport Plan Support Unit, 2007) Merseyside Local Transport Plan 2006/7–2010/11 (Merseytravel, 2006) The new Mersey Crossing: Proposal for a new bridge across the River Mersey in Halton which will relieve congestion and open up new development opportunities Final Local Transport Plan 2006/07 to 2010/11 Halton Borough Council, (2006) Halton UDP (Halton Borough Council, 2005)

Source: Adapted from Smith (2009).

Table 3. Summary of barriers to and enablers of integration in Greater Merseyside, 1965–2008.

Figure 3. New Mersey Crossing. Source: http://www.merseygateway.co.uk/gallery/#!prettyPhoto[group1]/11/.

Figure 4. Time periods and case studies plotted in relation to the integration continuum. Source: Adapted from Smith (2009).

Map 1. Merseyside and the Liverpool City Region area.

Source: Sykes et al. (2013) and Sandra Mather, Liverpool University Cartography Department.

Map 2. The proposed Merseytram network (2003).

Source: Merseytravel (2003).

Stead, D., Geerlings, H., & Meijers, E. (Eds.) (2003). Integrated land use planning, transport and environmental policy-making: An international comparison. Delft: Delft University Press.

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Smith, M. (2009). Challenges in achieving sustainable transport through spatial planning (Unpublished PhD dissertation). Liverpool: University of Liverpool.

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Sykes, O., Brown, J., Cocks, M., Shaw, D., & Couch, C. (2013). A city profile of Liverpool. Cities, 35, 299–318.

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Merseytravel. (2003). Merseytram Design Guide Line 1 – Liverpool to Kirkby. Liverpool: Author.

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