What is Accessibility?
Accessibility is the ease with which people
can reach essential services, such as employment, healthcare,
education, food shops and other destinations that are important to
local residents. If people cannot access the key services they need
at reasonable cost, in reasonable time and with reasonable ease,
their quality of life suffers. The crucial point is that
accessibility is not just about transport, it is also how key
services are planned and delivered.
Local transport authorities are required to
consider access to key services by developing and delivering an
Accessibility Strategy as part of their second Local Transport Plan
(2006-11). The Government’s consultation exercise on the next round
of Local Transport Plans (LTP3) and “Delivering a Sustainable
Transport System” (DaSTS) report confirm that accessibility
planning continues to be a key element of local transport planning
and delivery beyond 2011.
Work has been progressing to review and
refresh the strategic accessibility assessment to identify the
priorities specific to Cheshire West & Chester. The results are
contained in a detailed Strategic
Accessibility Assessment Report - February 2009 (PDF 895
KB).
The assessment has provided a valuable
strategic overview of the accessibility concerns for Cheshire West
& Chester. The 3 priority themes are:
- Access to key services from
rural areas, particularly for older people;
- Access to health care,
particularly in relation to Primary Care Trust (PCT) modernisation
plans; and
- Access to employment,
particularly from areas of deprivation.
It is likely that Cheshire West & Chester
will focus on access to employment and training as the main
priority. With the current economic downturn and rise in
unemployment, there is a need to investigate accessibility
improvements which support people back into work and training. This
will also lead to a consistent and co-ordinated approach to
accessibility across the Mersey Dee Alliance (MDA) sub region.
The next stage in taking forward the
accessibility planning process is to develop more detailed local
area assessments based on the Area Partnership Boards and Local
Area Forums. Cheshire West & Chester is very diverse and at a
local level the accessibility issues and concerns will vary. In
addition, there is a need to consider a range of potential
solutions through option appraisal, develop local area action plans
and monitor performance against a set of targets agreed with
partners.
The evidence from the consultation provides
valuable baseline data for setting out priorities in the new
Sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement. The
consultation has confirmed the need for public, private, community
and voluntary sectors to work in partnership, to share ownership of
accessibility problems and identify solutions based on the needs of
local communities. The emerging Partnership Framework provides the
opportunity to mainstream accessibility planning and work more
closely with partners to incorporate accessibility principles into
wider strategies, policies and procedures.
Additional Information
Contact Details
For further information, please contact:
LTP@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Email: jeanette.dodd@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk