Catalogue description Transport Ministries: Highways General Planning (HGP and GPH series) Files

The Highways Development and General Division, which was part of the Highways Administrative group, was formed in August 1951 primarily to deal with duties relating to planning, legislation and matters of common interest to the other Highways Divisions.

In March 1955, the Highways Administrative group was reconstituted with its functions being allocated between four divisions instead of three. The work of the Highways Development and General Division was split between the Highways Policy Division and the Highways Development Division.

In June 1956, further changes were made to the Highways Administrative group to deal with the increase in work arising from the expanded road construction and improvement programme. The functions of the group were split between five divisions with the creation of the Highways General Planning Division.

The Highways General Planning Division took over work relating to general policy questions on road maintenance and preparation of a long term national plan for roads and the administration of the road fund from the former Highways Policy Division. It also took over from the Highways Development Division, responsibility for liaison between Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on policy matters concerning the Town and Country Planning Acts. In 1961, the Highways General Planning Division was disbanded with the regional aspect of its work being placed into the new regional orientated Highways A, B, N or O Divisions. Work which required a national or functional approach was transferred to the Highways Land and Development Division.

In 1965, the General Planning Highways Division (GPH) was created taking over responsibility for policy, planning and construction of new major roads from the Highways Special Roads Division. It was also responsible for the trunk classified roads programme and the monitoring of investment in the roads programme previously carried out by the Highways A,B,N and O Divisions. The General Planning Highways Division worked to the Director General of Highways.

In October 1966, the Highways Economics Unit (HEU) was established as an integral part of GPH reporting to the Director General of Economic Planning. This Unit used the HEU file series (MT 148). In 1973, the Highways Economics and Modelling Analysis Division (HEMA) replaced the Highways Economics Unit although there was no change in function. At the same time, the HEU prefix was abandoned in favour of HEMA.

In 1975, the General Planning Highways Division was abolished and the work shared between Highways Planning and Management Division and Highways Programming, Contracts and Land Division. In 1977, all work of the former General Planning Highways Division came under the Highways Programming Contracts and Land Division. In 1979, General Policy Highways Division was created and was responsible for work similar to that of the former General Planning Highways Division.

The Highways General Planning Division was responsible for the long term planning of motorways, trunk roads and classified roads (including the Trunk Road Master Plan). The Division also considered the economic problems of road planning and investment and the programming of new construction of motorway, trunk and classified roads. It exercised general control over the rate of commitment to trunk and classified road schemes and was responsible for producing the annual report on roads and the ten year programme of classified road maintenance and minor improvements. Other responsibilities of the Division included: deciding the general policy on the size and shape of the Government's Road Programme and the control of payments on Construction of highways (including Parliamentary Estimates, forecast estimates and outturns).