Transport for the North has had a busy start to the year, in early January the House of Commons debated and voted on a motion to make us the UK’s first Sub-national Transport body. Following this we launched our Strategic Transport plan, our 30-year vision for transformational change to transport infrastructure in the North.
We also started our 13-week consultation on this plan. We’ve arranged over 30 events across the North in order to hear from our partners and stakeholders in the north, to better understand what the issues affecting our great northern cities. Our first event was in Preston at the great Cotton Court, a versatile business space originally built in 1851 as a spinning mill for Thomas Ainsworth & Sons. We had some interesting discussions around Preston rail station, the surrounding road network, and the need for better transport links to ensure the economic benefits and opportunities available in the North to all inhabitants.
This is an exciting time for North, and our Strategic Transport Plan is looking to build upon the opportunities available in the north, and we want as many people as possible to get involved and provide feedback. The future of the North starts now…
Jonathan Spruce, Interim Director of Policy and Strategy