March 2006
This strategy follows on from the Accessibility Assessment published with the Provisional Local Transport Plan (LTP).
Following widespread consultation and ACCESSION mapping audits as part of the strategic assessment, the geographic areas of Tilbury and Purfleet have been identified for further consideration as part of the local accessibility assessments, alongside access to colleges by Post 16 students, and access to hospitals, where accessibility barriers have led to social exclusion issues.
The local accessibility assessment was undertaken through a combination of stakeholder consultation and a mapping audit for the areas and themes to be targeted as set out above. The mapping audit affirms difficulties experienced by residents in travelling to hospital, in particular Basildon Hospital where access by public transport can take in excess of one hour. Consultees highlighted access to colleges from Purfleet and Tilbury as being problematic, although this was not evidenced by the ACCESSION mapping exercises. Issues relating to access routes into Grays town centre were highlighted through the LTP consultation and borne out by pedestrian isochrone plots.
Stakeholder engagement on accessibility issues was undertaken through a number of key sector groups that were set up. Many of the issues relating to education accessibility were identified through the Post 16 Education Forum. These highlighted the cost and timing of transport as issues of concern. The development of a joint college Travel Plan was put forward by the group as being an appropriate way of tackling many of the issues.
Engagement with the Primary Care Trust as a key partner in the provision of health transport revealed that hospitals are responsible for the provision of around 80% of transport to hospital. Accessibility is not a key driver in the delivery of NHS targets, and the accessibility planning guidance has not yet made any significant impact on joint working to tackle access to health issues.
Other key consultees have included Purfleet Community Forum, which raised the important issue of improvements in services and facilities not keeping pace with pressures created by new development. The Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation highlighted the issues of access to and from Lakeside as being a concern, and accessibility barriers from Grays Riverside and Grays town centre.
The range of issues identified through the mapping audit and the stakeholder consultation has been developed into a list of solutions that would reduce social exclusion caused by accessibility barriers. These solutions are concentrated on deliverables "on the ground" rather than studies. The solutions are set out in terms of the speed with which they could be delivered (short, medium or long term), and their importance in addressing the accessibility issues identified. Through this process, the following schemes were classified as being of high importance:
Project scopes have been developed to assist with delivering these projects "on the ground". These scopes cover the aims, project description, methodology and implementation considerations (costs, timescales and resource requirements).
A performance-monitoring regime is also set out that fits within the framework of Best Value Performance Indicators, LTP and local performance indicators. The headline accessibility target for Thurrock is focussed on the key priority themes, and is also the LTP mandatory target for accessibility:
"To ensure that by the end of 2011, the combined average percentage of residents living In Tilbury and Purfleet within 30 minutes journey by public transport of Post 16 Education opportunities increases to an average of 93%."
Project-specific targets relating to the use of walking routes in Grays and accessibility from Tilbury and Purfleet to Basildon Hospital by public transport support this main target.
