About Travel Plans
A Travel Plan is a long term strategy that is submitted in support of a planning application for developments that are likely to generate significant amounts of traffic movements.
The Travel Plan typically includes a Site Audit that appraises the travel options for the development site; an Action Plan of measures that seek to reduce car dependency and mitigate highway and transport impacts; and a Monitoring Strategy setting out how data will be gathered to assess and review the performance of the Travel Plan.
New developments
Travel Plans are integral to the broader transport vision of the proposed development. By submitting and progressing a Travel Plan towards approval prior to determination of the planning application has many benefits including demonstrating the credentials of the scheme to interested parties, provides an accurate basis to inform the financial contributions in the legal agreement, and to help avoid unforeseen costs and delays due to abortive work post determination.
The Travel Plan Team provides Travel Plan Coordination services which removes the need for a safeguard sum. With expertise in planning, community engagement and urban design, the Travel Plan Team is well-equipped to help achieve better outcomes for residents, developers and clients to enable greener forms of travel.
When a Travel Plan is required
The thresholds that determine when a Travel Plan is required, and if so what level, are set out in the Travel Planning Guidance February 2026 which should be referred to in all cases.
Getting started
Early engagement with the Travel Plan Team is always recommended prior to the submission of a planning application and supporting Travel Plan, whether this is for informal advice or if applicants wish to obtain a quotation for our Travel Plan Coordination services.
This can be undertaken as part of a pre-application enquiry seeking highway and transport comments.
Securing your Travel Plan and use of legal agreements
Typically a Section 106 agreement is necessary to ensure the obligations are bound to the relevant party such as the landowner or occupier.
This is a standard requirement for developments triggering financial contributions for the Travel Plan, again emphasising the value in obtaining approval of the submitted Travel Plan prior to this stage to clearly define the financial contributions required for the development and to assist the progress of drafting a suitable legal agreement.
Travel Plan Fee
The Travel Plan Fee is based on officer time to undertake the monitoring of development sites.
- Travel Plan Statement (TPS) – £1000
- Full Travel Plan (TP) – £2000
- Strategic Travel Plan (STP)
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- Non-residential – £3000
- Residential – £4500
- Additional sum every 400 dwellings or 4000 square metres above the threshold – £1000
The thresholds that determine the level of Travel Plan and therefore the fee, are set out in Table 1 of the Travel Planning Guidance.
Safeguard Measures and Sum
Appropriate safeguard measures, along with a proportionate safeguard sum, need to be specified in the Travel Plan. The safeguard sum includes a budget to carry out engagement, events, physical and soft measures for cases when developments are not adhering to the approved Travel Plan or obligations set out within the corresponding legal agreement.
The sum can also be required in cases where sites are not sufficiently meeting their modal shift targets, or in the event of default by the developer, landowner, occupier or leaseholder. The required sum is proportionate to the scale and use of development and aligns with the Council’s own costs to provide Travel Plan Services.
On auditing the submitted Travel Plan, the Council will state the specific safeguard sum required, based on the scale and land uses involved in the proposed development.
Monitoring of Travel Plans
Somerset Council will issue a Completion Certificate upon approval of the final monitoring report (often referred to as Year 5) to demonstrate that the Travel Plan has been successfully delivered.