ROAD AND FREIGHT TRANSPORT OPERATION

Road and Freight Transport Operation

Road and Freight Transport Operation

Nature of Freight Quality Partnership

FQPs aim to provide safe, efficient and environmentally-friendly solutions to freight transport issues at a regional or local level. They:

• help RTPs and local authorities to better understand the needs of the freight transport industry and its customers to have timely and efficient delivery of freight, and the views of other legitimate stakeholders;

• provide a single contact point for early consultation, yet represent a large number of organisations;

• agree realistic and achievable actions that provide clear economic, social and environmental benefits; and

• provide an effective working forum in which to agree and deliver solutions.

FQPs and Land Use Planning

In August 2005, the Executive issued to local authorities Scottish Planning Policy 17: Planning for Transport (SPP 17). SPP 17 highlights the strategic economic and societal importance of efficient freight delivery and thus the need for this to be recognised in development plans.

In addition to increasing freight efficiency by agreeing preferred routes for freight delivery and relaxing delivery curfews, wherever appropriate, Planning for Transport provides that development plans should:

• plan for new or expanded rail freight interchanges as a means of facilitating the movement of freight by rail, thus reducing the impact on communities of road freight;

• locate development which attracts significant movements of road freight (such as large-scale warehousing, distribution depots and some forms of manufacturing) outside of town and city centre centres, and residential areas. The locations chosen should have direct access to local and strategic road networks and, where possible, rail or water-borne modes of transport;

• safeguard existing lorry park facilities. The need for new lorry parking sites and freight transfer facilities should be assessed against current provision and in consultation with stakeholders regarding location, but with appropriate consideration for residential and other sensitive environments;

• safeguard strategic freight sites identified during the privatisation of the rail industry, where that statutory protection continues to apply; and

• identify with transport providers, existing operational or disused sites adjacent to infrastructure which may be suitable in commercial, operational and technical terms for development as rail or water-borne freight access terminals.

FQPs can assist in each of these areas and help establish what freight provision should be included in development plans by planning officials, in addition to other actions that would generally fall within the remit of transport or traffic management officials.

Participation in FQPs

Before formally establishing an FQP, RTPs and local authorities should first consider the main issues it might address and, from these, the various interests that should be invited to participate. To be effective, the FQP needs to include all key stakeholders, including the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and the Road Haulage Association (RHA). However, representatives from the whole supply chain, including end users, such as retailers, should also be involved if at all possible.

If numbers become a problem, smaller-core working groups focusing on specific objectives might be created. The range of interests represented in the FQP should reflect the issues to be considered but might include:

• Road hauliers/logistics ...