National Islands Plan: annual report 2024

Transport

Strategic Objective 3 – Improve transport services

Commitment 3.1 Ensure that existing and future transport-related policies, strategies and services are fully island-proofed so that they truly meet the needs of island communities.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• Transport Scotland will continue to undertake Island Communities Impact Assessments and consultation with island stakeholders in relation to future strategies and policies.

From 1 February to 6 May 2024, Transport Scotland’s Ferries team undertook public consultation and community engagement on the Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) draft Strategic Approach and updated Vessels and Ports Plan. Evidence and feedback gathered contributed to the ongoing development of an Island Communities Impact Assessment for the ICP. An independent report on the consultation and engagement outcomes was published, along with our initial responses, on 3 September. The Island Communities Impact Assessment will continue informing development of the ICP within 2025.

We continue to undertake impact assessments for any relevant actions which we are considering, including in future strategies and policies and will undertake further consultation with islands stakeholders on specific topics where required.

Commitment 3.2 Engage with local authorities, island communities and transport operators in developing regulations and guidance for the bus services provisions of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which aim to enable local authorities to better respond to local needs.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The Scottish Government has now delivered all the bus provisions within the 2019 Act to enable local transport authorities to consider all the powers available to them. This includes partnership working, franchising and local authority-run services which sit alongside their ability to subsidise services. Further regulations and guidance will be laid throughout 2024 to give these powers full effect, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders as these are developed.

The Scottish Government encourages all local transport authorities to consider the full range of tools available to them under the Transport Act 2019, to ensure that everyone has accessible public transport regardless of where they are in Scotland. The remaining regulations required for the partnership powers came into force on 26 December 2024. The remaining regulations to bring the franchising powers into full effect will be laid alongside guidance for both partnership and franchising in spring 2025.

Commitment 3.3 Produce a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development at ports to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and reduce emissions to give confidence to island communities on our ongoing commitment.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The updated draft Vessels and Ports Plan was published for public consultation on 1 February 2024. The views from communities and stakeholders will inform the finalisation of the Plan with an aim to publish the final document later in 2024.

The Islands Connectivity Plan Vessels and Ports Plan has been revised in light of input from communities and other stakeholders received through our consultation and engagement events in 2024. The Plan has been finalised and will be published in 2025.

Commitment 3.4 Develop a new Ferries Plan that will meaningfully contribute to delivering the outcomes of wider Scottish Government strategies as set out in the National Transport Strategy and this National Islands Plan.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) draft Strategic Approach and the updated Vessels and Ports Plan, were published for public consultation on 1 February 2024. Key findings and initial responses to the public consultation and community engagement were published on 3 September 2024.
• The purpose of the ICP is to set out how ferry services, supported by other transport modes, will be delivered, and strengthened, working towards a long-term vision, supported by clear priorities and defined outcomes for people and places, based on supporting delivery of the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan.

The draft of the Islands Connectivity Plan Strategic Approach has been revised in light of input from communities and other stakeholders received through our consultation and engagement events in 2024. The revised draft is being finalised for publication.

The Islands Connectivity Plan was informed by existing Scottish Government and Transport Scotland policies, namely the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan and the overall progress of the ICP will be measured through Transport Scotland’s Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Transport Strategy’s indicators.

Commitment 3.5 As part of the next Ferries Plan, review the impacts of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) and consider future ferry fares policy options that will meet the needs of islanders and support island economies.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The Islands Connectivity Plan’s Draft Strategic Approach paper, published for public consultation on 1 February 2024 sets out a commitment to take forward detailed consideration of a number of future ferry fares proposals.

We consulted on the ferry fares proposals that were made in the Islands Connectivity Plan Draft Strategic Approach paper and took forward work to develop those proposals. Future ferry fares policy will be set out in the final version of the Strategic Approach paper.

Commitment 3.6 Also as part of the Ferries Plan, review and promote integration between ferries and other modes of transport on the mainland and islands, with a view to better facilitating the use of active, public or shared transport for all or part of journeys to and from islands in an affordable and accessible manner.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• Development of an Onward and Connecting Travel (OCT) work programme as an element of the Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) is underway. Priority areas for action will be taken forward as an ongoing programme in collaboration with our ferry network operators, other modal transport providers, and relevant stakeholders including local authorities.
• Work with Calmac and Scotrail to develop a Partnership Agreement to facilitate a more integrated approach is now well underway.

An integration work programme, covering onward and connecting travel, is being developed in collaboration with our ferry network operators, wider modal transport providers, and other relevant stakeholders – including Regional Transport Partnerships and local authorities. This will be taken forward in 2025 and beyond as an ongoing workstream of the Islands Connectivity Plan.

Work with CalMac and ScotRail to develop a Partnership Agreement between the two operators in order to facilitate a closer approach on integration of the two services, is nearing completion. Following sign-off of the Agreement, a detailed delivery plan for the various priorities will then be produced.

Commitment 3.7 For the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, we committed to develop and introduce a new booking, reservation and ticketing system, with Smart Ticketing capability, to replace the existing system.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The new booking system is operational but modifications to further improve the experience for customers and staff will continue as required.

CalMac have continued to improve on their new e-booking system and have made various changes to allow the system to be more user-friendly, and to deliver the business functionality to support their contractual requirements. We continue to work closely with them on their booking services.

Commitment 3.8 Use the feedback from the NTS consultation to inform the NTS Delivery Plan which will seek to address the different transport challenges faced across Scotland’s different areas and regions including islands.

Commitment Fulfilled.

This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.

Commitment 3.9 Determine strategic transport investments from our island communities through STPR2 – which will also inform Transport Scotland’s Ferries Plan 2.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The draft Islands Connectivity Plan Strategic Approach paper was published for public consultation on 1 February 2024, and included consideration of the relevant STPR2 commendations.
• The views from communities and stakeholders will inform the finalisation of the Strategic Approach paper with the aim to publish the final document later in 2024.

The strategic transport investment priorities that were set out in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review are now being delivered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP).

The ICP Strategic Approach and updated Vessels and Ports Plan have been revised in light of input from communities and other stakeholders received through our consultation and engagement events that took place in 2024. The revised drafts have been finalised and will be published in 2025.

Commitment 3.10 Work in partnership with local authorities and communities to improve walking and cycling infrastructure, the design of place and access to bikes, facilities, promotion and education to make walking and cycling the most popular choice for shorter everyday journeys including as part of multi-modal journeys.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• Transport Scotland will transform the funding stream for active travel, evolving the delivery model which will include closing the Sustrans Places for Everyone Programme by December 2025.
• Transport Scotland will provide more direct funding to local authorities, working with them to streamline processes and increase the pace and scale of infrastructure delivery.
• Transport Scotland will transform the funding stream for active and sustainable travel behaviour change with funding being provided to Regional Transport Partnerships to tackle priorities in their regions.
• Transport Scotland is also funding Sustrans, to provide embedded officers in Orkney and Highland to support those local authorities in developing their active travel strategies, network plans and projects in 2024-25.

In 2024-25, Transport Scotland introduced a new tiered delivery model for active travel infrastructure. This blended model combines direct funding to local authorities (Tier 1) with an improved bid process for prioritised infrastructure (Tier 2).

Tier 1 replaces the Cycling Walking Safer Routes fund and local authorities who are island-based or have island responsibilities have been developing ambitious programmes of active travel infrastructure works, including:

• Argyll and Bute Council developing detailed designs for the Craighouse to Corran Sands active travel route on Jura, a proposed 4.5 km route.
• Shetland Islands Council is utilising their funding across sixteen different projects, twelve of which are detailed design works for future cycle paths, footways, school zones and crossings.
• North Ayrshire Council have used some of their allocation to revise existing plans to construct a shared surface between Brodick and Corrie on Arran and develop a feasibility study to connect Cumbrae ferry terminal to Millport.

It is anticipated that design work currently underway will become Tier 2 bids in a future year.

Tier 2 builds upon the Active Travel Transformation Fund, replaces the Places for Everyone programme and prioritises funding for partners ready and able to deliver infrastructure quickly. This supports projects that are ready for construction in the financial year. Applications are open to local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park authorities. Tier 2 has a threshold of £100,000 for construction-ready applications. However, to encourage more applications from island communities, there is no threshold for their submissions.

In November 2024, we funded Orkney Islands Council through Tier 2 for the Weyland Bay Coastal Path project in Kirkwall to provide a new segregated off-road shared footway/cycle path.

We funded Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Shetland Islands Council to deliver 11 projects across the islands, including a pedestrian pathway on Lewis and a new footway for pupils to access schools and leisure facilities in Shetland.

Orkney Islands and Highland Councils received additional capacity building support from Sustrans in 2024-25, funded by Transport Scotland. Both have an embedded Sustrans officer and the Sustrans National Cycle Network team are working on a segregated infrastructure project in Stromness.

In 2024-25, Transport Scotland introduced the People and Places Programme, where Regional Transport Partnerships were awarded £19 million to support active travel behaviour change interventions. This funding supports initiatives including local authority Active Travel officers, community projects, maintaining existing cycling infrastructure, developing active travel strategies and plans, installing supporting infrastructure and installing school streets to tackle air pollution and congestion.

HITRANS’ Behaviour Change officers in Orkney and the Western Isles support the delivery of activities and encourage modal shift from private car use to active and sustainable travel.

We provided direct funding of £4.5 million to all 32 local authorities to support active and sustainable travel, with an emphasis on roles within local authorities to deliver behaviour change programmes.

Commitment 3.11 Explore the potential to reduce the need to travel by using the planning system to promote places which bring people and services together.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) approved in February 2023 includes a new policy on local living, including the principle of 20-minute neighbourhoods that connect people to a range of amenities and services close to home. It is a flexible approach that can vary across the country and settlements to suit the context. Planning Guidance: Local living and 20-minute neighbourhoods was published in April 2024. The implementation and monitoring of NPF4 is being progressed through the Delivery Programme | Transforming Planning.

National Planning Framework 4

We have been monitoring the implementation of NPF4 since its adoption in 2023, focusing initially on the application of policies in practice. For more information, please see the latest National Planning Framework 4 Delivery Programme.

We continue to implement the Place Principle and this is supported by tools for good placemaking such as the Place Standard tool hosted on the Ourplace.scot website to support engagement and delivery.

The Town Centre Action Plan is being delivered by Scottish and Local Government, with support from Scotland’s Towns Partnership who also deliver the Scotland Loves Local Programme.

Local living and 20-minute neighbourhood guidance was published in April 2024, and includes case studies, tools and resources that support the implementation of local living principles and engagement with communities in urban and rural areas.

Local Development Plan Guidance

Transport Scotland has engaged with Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles councils on the preparation of their respective Local Development Plans (LDP) being prepared in line with Scottish Government’s LDP Guidance. We will continue to liaise with island councils as their plans progress, promoting NPF4, the National Transport Strategy and routemap to achieving 20% car km reduction. These documents promote a reduction in the need to travel through local living and aligning transport and land use planning, travelling by more sustainable modes and investing in existing infrastructure rather than creating new capacity.

Commitment 3.12 Subject to requirements as set out in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service and the Northern Isles Ferry Service contracts, we will always strive to improve, where necessary and possible, issues relating to freight and will engage proactively with operators, communities and stakeholders as appropriate.

Implementation Route Map 2024

• The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) draft Strategic Approach was published for public consultation on 1 February 2024. This included a section on Freight. The Strategic Approach will be finalised later in 2024.

In the Islands Connectivity Plan draft Strategic Approach, we have committed to revisit the Freight Fares Review in the medium to longer term. We are also continuing to engage with operators, communities and stakeholders regarding freight matters.

We continue to monitor the performance of both our operators through their contractual obligations, details of which are shared frequently with Scottish Ministers. We will encourage Serco NorthLink and CalMac to make efficiencies and improvements where possible in the delivery of services.