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
Team are well-equipped to help to 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.