Southampton City Council approved the three-year Implementation Plan at the recent Full Council meeting. The Implementation Plan sets out proposals to invest in supporting the growth of Southampton, including the Freeport, and helping support people move around Southampton easily and sustainably.

The Plan sets out spending on transport projects and infrastructure over the next three years to ‘Get Southampton Moving’.

This includes investment in road maintenance, continuing with infrastructure developments already made across Southampton through the Transforming Cities programme, further developing a business case to renew and improve Northam Rail Bridge and projects such as apps to help plan travel and book tickets in one place.

The Council has ambitions for developing a Mass Transit System in Southampton that could, subject to funding, include a roll out of electric buses, an enhanced water taxi service, support improvements in services that start a move to a higher frequency ‘metro’ level of rail services from our local train stations, and supporting improvements to public transport connections within Southampton and our neighbouring towns and villages.

The Plan also ensures that developments are well connected to opportunities for walking and cycling. It outlines investment in Southampton’s district centres, the continued delivery of Active Travel Zones across the city.

The Plan includes an annual programme of accessibility improvements that will be identified in consultation with a new Accessibility Forum and expansion of School Streets across the city. Funding is planned to come from a variety of sources including annual Government grants for transport investment, successful and future bids to Government, developer contributions, and other sources.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth, said: "Our vision to create an attractive and vibrant city where people live, work and spend time is already taking shape, for example public realm improvements around Bedford Place which go to public consultation this summer and transformational projects like high-quality public spaces connected to Bargate Quarter, Hanover Square and the area around Holyrood."