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Strategic Policy

The current programme to improve transportation links in Northern Ireland has evolved over the last decade or so. The key document and strategies guiding this programme are:

• The White Paper "A New Deal for Transport" published 1998;
• "Moving Forward: The Northern Ireland Transport Policy Statement" published 1998;
• Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025 (RDS) published 2002;
• Regional Transport Strategy for Northern Ireland 2002-2012 (RTS) published 2002;
• Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan 2015 (RSTN TP) published 2005;
• Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland 2005/2015 (574KB) published 2005;
• Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland 2008/2018 (4.17MB) published 2008; and
• Investment Delivery Plan for Roads (IDP) published 2008

The Regional Development Strategy (RDS) set out the development of Northern Ireland over the 25 years from 2000. The importance of the RDS was underpinned by Article 5 of the Strategic Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and was recognised in the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government.

The Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), an RDS daughter document, supports the RDS by aligning transport planning with progress towards the achievement of its transportation vision for Northern Ireland ie 'to have a modern, sustainable, safe transportation system which benefits society, and the environment and which actively contributes to social inclusion and everyone's quality of life' The RTS was endorsed by the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2002.

The first iteration of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland was published in 2005 which increased the envisaged levels of funding for roads, in particular improvements on the Strategic Road Network from £1.0 billion to £1.4 billion over the ten year period. The programme was enlarged following public consultation in 2006 utilising the guidance set out in the RDS, RTS and the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan.

The current Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland was published in 2008 with envisaged levels of funding for roads increasing to £3.1 billion over the ten year period 2008 to 2018, of which £2.5 billion is for Strategic Road Improvements.

The current programme of Strategic Road Improvements is set out in the Investment Delivery Plan for Roads (IDP) published in 2008.