Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan
Transport Innovation & Digital Connectivity
11.66 The historic relationship between the West Midlands' economic success and mobility goes beyond increasing travel. The West Midlands is a key UK centre of automotive manufacturing and production. It is also part of the UK's so called "Golden Triangle", within a four-hour drive to all major UK ports and 90% of the UK's population. As such, Sandwell is the location of choice for some of the UK's major industries and largest distribution centres. Freight and logistics, a key sector for Sandwell and the wider West Midlands, supports almost every other economic sector, employing thousands of people and contributing extensively to Inclusive Growth. There are also those employed in public transport services in the region, including many who work for Mobico (formerly National Express Group), a leading public transport operator with bus, coach and rail services across the world, and headquartered in the West Midlands.
11.67 An ever-evolving industry will represent great challenges and opportunities to industry, both in terms of products and services created here and exported, and products and services created here and used by residents of Sandwell. For example, the freight and logistics sector face a great challenge with phasing out internal combustion engines, but also with reducing vehicle miles through consolidation of deliveries and minimising the impacts of delivery vehicles in places with high pedestrian footfall. However, there are also plenty of opportunities for new industrial activity in the provision of transport products and services that better support Inclusive Growth given that significant demand for transport will remain.
Policy STR10 – Transport Innovation and Digital Connectivity
- Opportunities for integrating 5G connectivity within the transport network should be explored when development proposals, masterplanning and major housing and employment schemes are being promoted, to improve transport services and ensure there is 5G connectivity throughout Sandwell. This should include the provision of 5G connectivity as part of new development proposals, which will encourage more people to connect remotely, reducing the need to travel (see Policy SID1).
- Sandwell will ensure the integration of 'smart infrastructure' where possible as part of new development proposals. In transport terms, examples of smart infrastructure include:
- smart parking sensors, which provide live parking capacity data;
- traffic signals that can respond to levels of congestion and prioritise sustainable transport modes; and
- transport volume monitoring sensors, which can provide information on the use of different modes, journey time or tracking data.
- Working in partnership with Transport for West Midlands and neighbouring Local Authorities, Sandwell will facilitate Mobility as a Service[177] and will ensure this is integrated into any new infrastructure where applicable.
Justification
11.68 The West Midlands currently leads on the Industrial Strategy's 'Future of Mobility' grand challenge building on its existing strengths in automotive innovation (e.g., the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre), and connected supply chains in rail, automotive and aerospace as well as digital communications with the West Midlands 5G testbed. We are piloting and leading on a broad spectrum of transport innovations and technologies including micromobility (such as e-scooters), Mobility as a Service (MaaS), connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) and mobility credit trials. The region has also developed a UK first proposal for a transport regulatory 'sandbox' to help test and develop new solutions to our transport challenges. The West Midlands already has well-developed infrastructure and energy plans to support the shift to zero carbon. Therefore, cementing its position as a UK industry leader in mobility sectors will attract new investment, create and sustain highly skilled jobs, accelerate clustering and catalyse innovation - boosting the international competitiveness of the region.
[177] Digital transport service platforms that enable users to access, pay for, and get real-time information on, a range of public and private transport options.