What is a Travel Plan?
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 also provide Travel Plan Coordination services which removes the need for a safeguard sum. With expertise in planning, community engagement and urban design, the Travel Plan
The team are well-equipped to help achieve better outcomes for residents, developers and clients to enable greener forms of travel.
When is a Travel Plan required?
The thresholds that determine when a Travel Plan is required, and if so what level, are set out in the Travel Planning Guidance 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
- Measures Only Travel Statement (MOTS) – No Fee
- Travel Plan Statement (TPS) – £700
- Full Travel Plan (TP) – £2,000
- Large developments where two or more land-uses on-site exceed the thresholds, or for each individual land-use in the development that is double the threshold – £2,000, plus £1,000 for each additional land-use, or each land-use that is double the threshold.
Safeguard Measures and Sum
Appropriate safeguard measures, along with a proportionate safeguard sum, need to be specified in the Travel Plan in case it fails to hit its targets. As per Appendix 12 of the Travel Planning Guidance, a minimum safeguard sum of £10,000 applies for a standard development and £40,000 for a development that is double the Department of Transport’s Travel Plan threshold. Upon auditing the submitted Travel Plan, the Council will state the specific safeguard sum required based on the scale and land use(s) involved in the proposed development.