To ask the Minister for Infrastructure when the Eastern Transport Plan 2035 will be implemented.

Mr O'Dowd (The Minister for Infrastructure)

The eastern transport plan is one of eight local transport plans that my Department is developing in parallel with each council's local development plan (LDP) process. The eastern transport plan is the largest of the local plans and covers the five councils of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Belfast City, Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Mid and East Antrim. It will set the framework for those councils to make transport policy and investment decisions until 2035 and aims to ensure that the transport network meets the needs of people and businesses living and working in and visiting the eastern transport plan area. We are facing an uncertain future, and we need to make radical changes that address issues arising from the environmental emergency and other societal problems that are related to our historical over-reliance and dependency on fossil fuels and the private car. The eastern transport plan uses a vision-and-validate approach that will consider the wider societal challenges that we face, generate a vision for the area and identify transport measures that will help us achieve that vision. That approach and vision are very much aligned with the core objective of my Department to promote and create cleaner and greener connections by achieving measurable increases in sustainable travel. My Department undertook a public engagement exercise to introduce the vision and objectives of the plan to stakeholders and the general public. The level of engagement was high, with over 500 responses and broad agreement from the respondents on the vision and objectives. Owing to the five councils being at different stages in their local development plan, the eastern transport plan will be published in iterations. The Belfast City Council plan is the most advanced, so the first iteration will cover its transport plan. My officials are undertaking a public engagement exercise with key stakeholders on the draft proposals for the Belfast City Council plan. Visioning has commenced for the remainder of the eastern transport plan area, and transport plans will follow when each of the remaining councils' LDP is sufficiently advanced. My officials are working closely with the councils and stakeholders on the progress of the entire plan.

Mr O'Dowd

Taxis form part of the public transport network, and taxi services are the part of that network that allows customers to travel from door to door. We have opened up the transport links in and around Grand Central station in particular, so it is important that we ensure that part of our public transport system is allowed in bus lanes in order to deliver people to the new transport hub, which is Grand Central station.

Mr Boylan

Minister, what steps is your Department taking to improve active travel?

Mr O'Dowd

My Department is undertaking a consultation on the active travel delivery plan. I encourage Members and members of the public to engage with it. A number of public events are taking place, and there is an opportunity for members of the public and elected representatives to respond online. Members know their local area better than anyone. They will therefore know what connections are required in order to ensure that people can use active travel options, whether that means people travelling into their town or village centre or to their local school or their being connected to public transport networks that will allow them to complete longer journeys.

Mr Gaston

The Minister has talked about the eastern transport plan. I am concerned that large swathes of land in the Ballymena area that are zoned for new roads will never see those roads be built. Has the Department given any consideration to doing away with the proposals in order to allow the land to be released for local regeneration projects?

Mr O'Dowd

It is important that the Department work in tandem with councils on their local development plans so that we recognise councils' plans for development in their area and so that councils know what the Department's plans are through the eastern transport plan. The transport plan, when published, will take into account the plans of councils. There will, obviously, be public consultation, and a final plan will then be published, which will allow councils to release land for further development, if needs be.