3 Context
3.1 Developments 2006-2008
3.1.1 This document has been produced by the Greater Manchester authorities (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority) to report on the progress made in delivering our transport strategy in the last two and a half years and looking forward at expected change up to March 2011. The second Local Transport Plan (LTP2), published in March 2006, described the schemes we planned to put in place and the targets we planned to meet to tackle congestion, improve road safety, accessibility and air quality, and support the regeneration and growth of the conurbation.
3.1.2 Our achievements and any problems we have faced are set out in the following chapters. However these need to be seen in the light of wider changes, affecting the demand for transport, that have been taking place in Greater Manchester and nationally.
3.1.3 One of the main factors influencing the demand for transport during the last two years is the continued growth of Greater Manchester's economy. 45,000 additional jobs have been created in the last five years and the city region is one of the fastest growing outside London. The Regional Centre is the pre-eminent business and retail location in the north of England and Manchester Airport is now the third largest in the country and the busiest outside London. This growth led to over 400,000 sq metres of business and industrial floor space being completed in 2006/07. Over the same period, almost 11,500 houses were completed across the Greater Manchester area.
3.1.4 Despite the strong economic performance, there are still large parts of the conurbation where people suffer from deprivation and worklessness. 240,000 people in Greater Manchester are on out-of-work benefits and more than a fifth of the population live in the top ten most deprived areas in England. This means that the area is second only to London in the scale of the need. Regeneration is therefore a key priority and continued economic growth will be needed to sustain this. The contribution that transport has made to regeneration and economic development is described in 5.2 ‘Economy and Regeneration’.