NEWS RELEASE - Tuesday 7th November 2000

Transport Bill: Transport Committee must rein in out-of-town retail development

TRANSform Scotland, an alliance of 68 transport and environment organisations (1), have written to the members of the Scottish Parliament Transport and the Environment Committee in advance of Wednesday's meeting, encouraging them to support an amendment to the Bill that would allow charges to be applied on out-of-town retail developments. (2) The amendment, proposed by Green MSP Robin Harper, is in line with the Stage One Report of the Committee, which supported such a measure. (3)

TRANSform Scotland Campaign Manager Colin Howden said:

"The Transport Bill proposals do nothing to control the spread of car-dependent out-of-town retail and leisure developments. There is a real danger that unless out-of-town sprawl is reined back that traffic levels in urban fringe and outlying areas will grow rapidly, ahead of the 50% overall increase that the Scottish Executive predicts will happen in Scotland over the next 30 years if nothing is done to restrain traffic growth."

The amendment introduced would empower local authorities to extend to retail sites the powers given to them in the workplace parking levy section of the Bill. The power, which would be permissive and would have to be agreed by Scottish Ministers, would encourage developers to implement green transport initiatives for customers, and also in the longer term affect location of new developments.

Colin Howden continued:

"The Scottish Executive came up with plans for workplace parking charges but it is the traffic-generating impact of new out-of-town retail developments that is most worrying. Around all of Scotland's cities we are still seeing local authorities agree to a new rash of car-dependent tin shed developments."

The UK Government's dropping of proposals for retail parking levies, in 1998 prior to the UK Transport White Paper, after intensive lobbying from the supermarket industry.

Regarding media reports that the Executive plans to make a U-turn on Transport Bill proposals for enabling powers for local authorities to introduce workplace parking charges, Colin Howden said:

"The Executive must not collapse on the Transport Bill proposals for workplace parking charges. The Executive must make the case why road charging and workplace parking levies are necessary to combat congestion and cut dangerous levels of pollution. The opponents of road charging appear to have nothing to offer in terms of reducing congestion, air pollution, climate change or the funding of transport - just empty rhetoric. "

The proposals have been under attack by business interests perversely happy to maintain the unsatisfactory status quo of congested roads. TRANSform Scotland believes that the Executive must make the case to business that essential business users are the ones who will gain from a workplace parking levy.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

(1) TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport campaign, bringing together 68 organisations - including transport operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, chambers of commerce and local transport groups - interested in transport, the environment and a sustainable Scotland. We can be contacted at 72 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5QG. Tel.: 0131-467-7714; Fax: 0131-554-8656; e-mail: campaigns@transformscotland.org.uk; web: http://www.transformscotland.org.uk

(2) Copy of amendment is available on request. Copy of letter is available on request.

(3) The amendment is in line with section 87 of the Committee's Stage One Report on the Transport Bill, published in September, which said: "The Committee believes that local authorities should be able to ensure a 'level playing field' by introducing parking levies for those using out of town sites."