Businesses need to get involved and help shape a huge strategic transport investment plan that could see Cumbria secure a share of £100 billion and 850,000 jobs by 2050.

The call was made by George Beveridge, outgoing chairman of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, at the county launch of the Transport for the North’s draft Strategic Transport Plan, which has now gone out for a 13-week consultation.

He said a “one voice” approach from Cumbria has already ensured the county was well placed to secure funding for key road and rail improvements that linked it with the rest of the North of England.

But Mr Beveridge stressed that businesses now needed to read the 30-year strategy, launched at Carlisle College’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre, and respond with their critical or supportive views.

Cumbria features in two of seven strategic ‘corridors’ which link key economic centres across the North to help support business growth, productivity and job creation.

The Connecting the Energy Coasts corridor looks to better link important economic centres including towns, ports, business parks and industrial facilities stretching from Carlisle, along the west of the county and down to Barrow, with north Lancashire and the North East coastal area.

The North West to Sheffield City Region corridor looks to strengthen rail connections between advanced manufacturing clusters the Carlisle and Furness areas with Lancashire, Greater Manchester, stretching round in to Yorkshire.

Mr Beveridge said the draft plan was hugely important.

He said: “Cumbria features in this plan more than it has featured in any previous transport strategies and plans.

“We are included in two of the seven strategic investment corridors because we have engaged with TfN in a collaborative way and, critically, we have used economic evidence when putting forward the case for better connections, not just in Cumbria but across the north.

“Now it is really important for business to read the document and respond with their views.”

The plan does highlight some specific Cumbria projects, but Mr Beveridge was keen to stress that it did not mean diggers were ready to start work, or that other worthy projects backed by strong evidence, would not find themselves including in the final plan, set to be published in the summer.

He said: “We won’t be able to do everything at once and there will be a sequence of investment but the need for investment in some of our key routes, such as the A595 and A590, feature in the plan.

“A Carlisle southern route to support the Garden Village development, a Whitehaven relief road to support some of the energy developments on the west coast are mentioned, so I would expect those to continue to

develop.

“But there will be on-going work to bring forward schemes on those critical routes – including crucially, the Cumbria coast line, which needs a dose of investment because we can’t support the investment on the west coast without a significant upgrade of that rail line.”

Mr Beveridge said the 30-year plan demonstrated a long-term view and commitment to ensuring the North is given every opportunity to close the historical economic and investment gap with the South by capitalising on its strengths in energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and innovation in healthcare.

And while it does not give specific investment or outcome figures specific for Cumbria he was confident of securing a “portion” of the additional £100 billion and 850,000 jobs investment across the North could create.

“It won’t happen overnight, it will be a long-term process, but it is the start of a journey but a journey that people can influence by reading the strategy and telling us what they think,” he added.

TfN says the plan could equate to £2 billion to £2.3 billion a year, equating to less than £150 per person living in the North.

TfN is set to become a statutory body on April 1 after being given the go-ahead by both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

It will have powers to deliver transport projects, to work with local authorities on road schemes and to be consulted on rail franchises.

Councillor Keith Little, cabinet member for highways, transport and fleet at Cumbria County Council, said the plan was recognition that other leaders involved in TfN now recognised the economic importance of Cumbria.

He said: “When we first went there it was all about the Manchesters, the Sheffields, the Liverpools and those kind of urban corridors, but now, quite clearly Cumbria is highly placed in the plan."

Coun Little will take a place on the TfN board – with the other Cumbria seat reserved for the chairman of Cumbria LEP.

He added: “It’s important that Cumbria speaks with one voice on these issues and presents a compelling and unified argument in favour of the investment the county, and the region, needs. This is great opportunity and we intend to grasp it.”

To view the plan in full, visit http://transportforthenorth.com/reports/