Agenda item

1.       That the Surrey Rail Strategy and five suggested priorities: Crossrail 2 (regional route), the North Downs Line, access to airports, access to stations (car parking) and access to London from Camberley, Bagshot and Frimley be noted.

2.      That the list of schemes on which Surrey County Council should immediately begin active engagement with government and the rail industry, including on Crossrail 2 (regional route) and the electrification of the North Downs Line (paragraph 13 of the submitted report) be approved. Also, that further work be conducted to quantify car parking problems at certain stations around the county and if appropriate, further action be considered, in consultation with the rail industry.

3.      That officers work with the Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment on developing options for Surrey County Council involvement in specific projects and initiatives. These will be reflected in an implementation plan to be integrated with the Surrey Transport Plan. As part of the Surrey Transport Plan, the implementation plan will need to be approved by Cabinet and Full Council. Proposals which progress specific schemes, including business cases, will be brought back to Cabinet.

Reasons for Decisions

Delivering the Surrey Rail Strategy will support the county council’s priorities to promote sustainable economic growth and secure investment in infrastructure. The Surrey Rail Strategy would benefit Surrey residents and businesses by driving economic growth, maintaining global competitiveness, reducing impacts on the environment and accommodating sustainable population growth.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Environment and Transport Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment presented the outcomes for the development of a Surrey Rail Strategy and said that the report made recommendations for immediate active engagement with the rail industry and government. It also proposed the development of an implementation plan to be integrated with the Surrey Transport Plan.

He considered that good rail services were vital for maintaining and growing Surrey's vibrant community and economy. He thanked Surrey residents and other parties for their feedback and also congratulated the consultants (Ove, Arup and Partners Ltd) for their excellent report, which he considered had been deeply researched and had brought out the major issues.

He considered that the report was timely and stressed the importance of working with external partners to achieve a good rail network in Surrey. He also referred to the issues and options, as set out in paragraphs 6- 15 of the report, the Equalities Impact Assessment and the S151 officer commentary, in relation to the funding.

Finally, he proposed an amendment to recommendation (2) and commended the report to Cabinet.

Other Cabinet Members made the following points:

·         The Rail Strategy would improve the County’s economic performance.

·         Acknowledgement of the length of time some of the proposals would take to come to fruition and the importance of lobbying.

·         To cope with the increasing number of homes being built in Surrey, more funding would also be needed for other infrastructure, such as roads and schools.

·         That the EIA was detailed and clearly set out the impact of the strategy on local residents and for people with mobility issues. There had been extensive consultation which had been incorporated into the EIA, included positive feedback from Surrey Access Forum.

RESOLVED (as amended):

1.       That the Surrey Rail Strategy and five suggested priorities: Crossrail 2 (regional route), the North Downs Line, access to airports, access to stations (car parking) and access to London from Camberley, Bagshot and Frimley be noted.

2.      That the list of schemes on which Surrey County Council should immediately begin active engagement with government and the rail industry, including on Crossrail 2 (regional route) and the electrification of the North Downs Line (paragraph 13 of the submitted report) be approved. Also, that further work be conducted to quantify car parking problems at certain stations around the county and if appropriate, further action be considered, in consultation with the rail industry.

3.      That officers work with the Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways and Environment on developing options for Surrey County Council involvement in specific projects and initiatives. These will be reflected in an implementation plan to be integrated with the Surrey Transport Plan. As part of the Surrey Transport Plan, the implementation plan will need to be approved by Cabinet and Full Council. Proposals which progress specific schemes, including business cases, will be brought back to Cabinet.

Reasons for Decisions

Delivering the Surrey Rail Strategy will support the county council’s priorities to promote sustainable economic growth and secure investment in infrastructure. The Surrey Rail Strategy would benefit Surrey residents and businesses by driving economic growth, maintaining global competitiveness, reducing impacts on the environment and accommodating sustainable population growth.