Port Masterplan Policy Review, England
On behalf of the lead Regional Development Agency for transport in the UK (Advantage West Midlands), Fisher Associates undertook a review of the Department for Transport’s consultation paper on guidance for port masterplans, and prepared a draft response, under subcontract to Atkins. (2008)
The guidance seeks to facilitate planning for significant port developments, and help to overcome information asymmetry and difficulty of coordination between stakeholders. The guidance is intended to ensure early and effective coordination of ports’ plans with regional, local and network providers’ planning, and awareness of needs for relevant impact assessments. It should do this by encouraging dialogue / consultation that would otherwise occur piecemeal.
The RDA’s draft response was framed in the context of their mission to spread economic prosperity and opportunity throughout the nine regions of England. The draft response considered:
- How port masterplans interface with the RDA’s mission, in the context of the forthcoming broadening of their role.
- The relevance of ports to the RDAs, particularly in respect of their economic contribution, and drawing conclusions on specific points that might be reflected in port masterplans.
- A point-by-point response to the key questions posed by the consultation.