Policy T2
Assessing, managing and mitigating the transport impacts of development
Development will only be prevented or refused on highways or transport grounds if there will be an unacceptable impact on safety, or the impacts on the road and transport network, following mitigation, are severe, taking into account all reasonable future scenarios.
All development proposals will be assessed for their contribution to traffic generation and their impact on congestion, particularly on bus routes and on the primary route network. The existing and potential availability of public transport, and its capacity to meet increased demand will also be assessed for any development.
The council will:
a) seek to ensure that traffic generated by new development is minimised so that it does not add to parking pressures on local streets and result in any negative impacts on local congestion and air quality.
b) require a vision led Transport Statement (TS) or Transport Assessment (TA), together with a Travel Plan where a development is anticipated to generate a level of trips that impacts on the local network or have an impact on any strategic routes in accordance with London Plan Policy T4 and TfL's Transport Assessment Guidance. All major development proposals will be expected to include an Active Travel Zone (ATZ) assessment as part of a Transport Assessment, with a separate Inclusivity Statement in line with London Plan Policy D5. Parking stress surveys may be required in the vicinity of a development to support the TS or TA, if deemed necessary.
c) require a Delivery and Servicing Plan (DSP) where a development is expected to generate a significant number of deliveries, servicing or loading activity and/or it is in a particularly sensitive location in terms of noise, traffic management and highway safety. The DSP should be secured in line with TfL's London Freight Plan and should be co-ordinated with Travel Plans.
d) require a Construction Logistics Plan (CLP) for all major developments or refurbishments and for any developments that would have a significant impact on the highway or transport network during construction. The CLP will set out the scope and impact of the proposed operations alongside proposals to mitigate the impacts of any additional traffic or potential disruption to the network following input and co-ordination with the council.
e) expect the scale and intensity of development to be appropriate to the site's public transport accessibility level (PTAL).
f) require development proposals to have a positive impact on highway safety for all users and not have an adverse impact on the transport networks in the borough.
g) require development to reduce and mitigate the impacts of transport-based emissions and noise,
h) look to secure a financial contribution by a Section 106 legal agreement if a TS/TA shows that a development will have an impact on existing infrastructure in a local area that cannot be mitigated through the use of planning conditions.
Where an impact on existing infrastructure in a local area is identified, developments will be expected to contribute towards the delivery of appropriate mitigation measures. This may include measures identified in the council's Transport Strategy Delivery Plan; interventions identified in TAs and/or Transport for London Healthy Streets guidance; strategic Transport Delivery schemes identified in the council's Infrastructure Delivery Plan; and measures that assist in the delivery of the wider objectives set out in the transport policies in the Local Plan.
Where a financial contribution is required, the scale of the contribution will be proportionate to the level of intervention required to mitigate the impact of the development.
Where a Travel Plan, DSP or CLP is required to make the development acceptable then a contribution towards the costs of overseeing the monitoring of the successful implementation of these plans by the council will be sought.
11.16 New development can result in significant changes in demand and has the potential to negatively impact the existing highway and transport network. There is a need to assess and quantify the impacts on traffic and transport infrastructure and where appropriate identify appropriate opportunities for avoiding and mitigating any adverse effects, and for net environmental gains.
11.17 By minimising the traffic generated by a new development the council is seeking achieve sustainable development that is consistent with the objectives of the Local Implementation Plan 3, the emerging Transport Strategy and the Mayor's Transport Strategy as referred above.
Travel Plans
11.18 A travel plan is a long-term management which can support sustainable transport choices by residents or occupiers and is part of the package of measures that can help minimise the traffic generated by a new development. It should be secured by a planning obligation and have regular ongoing management. The council expects Transport Assessments (TA) and Travel Plans to be produced in accordance with the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the council's emerging Transport Strategy.
11.19 The TA will contain information on a range of transportation matters and will assist the council in determining what quantum of development is acceptable in transportation terms and how access can be achieved, as far as possible by means other than the private car. The TA should consider accessibility from the perspective of disabled people or people with mobility impairments.
11.20 A TA will be required for any development where the council anticipated that the development would generate a level of trips that impact on the existing highways arrangement. In line with planning practice guidance published by central government, the need for a TA will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will be at the discretion of the council.
11.21 The provisions of this policy align with the London Plan policy T7 to ensure that development proposals facilitate safe, clean and efficient deliveries and servicing both during construction and following completion.
11.22 Reducing the numbers of people killed and injured on our streets is a key objective of the Local Implementation Plan 3 (and also the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the council's emerging Transport Strategy). This policy will help ensure that development does not have a negative impact on road safety.