Transport assessment - Planning validation requirements

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Planning document information

Description 

A Transport Assessment sets out transport issues relating to a proposed development which will result in significant amounts of movement. It identifies: 

  • what measures you are proposing to take to deal with the anticipated transport impacts of the scheme 
  • your proposals to improve accessibility and safety for all modes of travel, particularly alternatives to cars such as walking, cycling and public transport 

Guidance 

The transport assessment you submit should include an executive summary and be clear, easy to read and jargon free. 

Your transport assessment must include details of: 

  • accessibility to the site by all modes of transport  
  • a modal split of journeys  
  • your proposed measures to improve access by public transport, walking and cycling and other measures to mitigate transport impact 
  • peak time vehicle movements to and from the proposed development  
  • provide a suitable level of detail for the impact of the development to be assessed 

We recommend that you seek advice from a suitably qualified transport consultant to help you prepare your transport assessment. 

You must agree the scope of your transport assessment with the Highway Authority before submitting it as part of your application. You must also agree the scope of your transport assessment with Highways Agency if your proposed development on a trunk road. 

You should also find details of other transport related matters on our draft travel plan and car parking and access pages. 

You can get help and advice from our Duty Planner on travel assessments and other types of planning applications. 

You can get detailed feedback on your proposal by using our pre-application advice service

Personal and confidential statement 

We may publish any information you submit as part of your application. You must tell us if there is any information you do not want us to publish when you submit your application.  

If however, we believe that this information is in the public interest, we reserve the right to publish it.  

We may also decide parts of your submission are not in the public interest and may redact this information. This information may include telephone numbers, email addresses and signatures. 

When you need to submit this information

Depending on the details of your application, you need to submit a travel assessment when you are making an application for: 

You can find out from Appendix B of the Essex County Council Development Management Policies (Feb 2011) if you need to submit a travel assessment with your application. 

If your proposal is for a small scale development, you can submit a simplified transport statement. 

You can also submit a transport statement if your proposal has limited transport issues. 

Validation requirements

Required by 

  • National requirement. You can find details of this requirement in sections 4 and 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework 
  • Local requirement. You can find details of this requirement in: 
    • Essex County Council Development management policy DM13  
    • Local plan policy - LPP1
    • Local plan policy - LPP42
    • Local plan policy - LPP43
    • Local plan policy - LPP20
    • Local plan policy - SP5
    • Local plan policy - LPP2
    • Local plan policy - SP7
    • Local plan policy - LPP52
    • Local plan policy - LPP78
    • Local plan policy - SP6

These policies can be found in the Local Plan 2013 - 2033 document