local authorities?

What is a Transport

What’s Changed? »

Travel Plans »

Local Authorities »

Planners/Architects »

Pre-Application Guidance »

Useful Links »

How The Process Works »

We’re sorry, but this page is currently down for maintenance, sorry for any inconvenience.

When you return, please refresh your browser to pick up the new page

Site last updated 08/11/07

Local Authorities

Local authorities should be involved in assessing the transport and travel characteristics of all development and redevelopment proposals. As such, a number of different officers within a local authority may be involved in a planning application. However, it is usually the Highways Development Control officers who take the lead role in the review of Transport Assessments and Travel Plans. The specific purpose of this process is to ensure that the transport and travel impacts of proposed developments have been adequately mitigated. However, officers will often have to balance these factors with other conflicting factors such as economic objectives and political opinions, whilst the constraints of the planning deadlines are likely to cause further pressure.

There are a wide range of transport related issues that need to be considered as part of the planning application process. With regards to Transport Assessments, taking a proactive approach can be of benefit to the local authority. Ways to do this include, but are not limited to:

· encouraging developers to hold early discussions about proposals and the scope of any possible Transport Assessments and Travel Plans. This may help avoid appeals and associated resource issues over unacceptable applications;

· providing advice to developers on specific planning policies beyond the Local Development Framework (for example Supplementary Planning Guidance) that may impact on development sites;

· providing advice and information on the preparation of Travel Plans;

· guidance to developers on subsequent obligations and costs that they may be expected to deliver through planning or other legal agreements; and

· using the Transport Assessment to assess the suitability of the planning application in respect of transport and travel strategies.

Local authorities are often best placed to draw together a number of interested parties, including public transport operators, and other stakeholders such as the Highways Agency. The Highways Agency is increasingly playing an active role in the planning process, and was instrumental in developing the new guidance. The Agency therefore welcomes the opportunity to work with local authorities and other planning bodies to ensure national and regional aims and objectives relating to the Strategic Road Network are addressed.

It should be noted that under Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003, local authorities were given the power to charge for discretionary activities – those services that an authority has the power to provide, but it not obliged to do so. In the case of planning services, this could include charging for pre-application advice – click here for more details.

© JMP Consultants Ltd. 2007