Travel plan advice

A Travel Plan will be required to be submitted alongside planning applications which are likely to have significant transport implications. This includes all large and major developments comprising jobs, shopping, leisure and services.

Applications that meet or exceed the following thresholds will require a Travel Plan.

Use Threshold (m2)
A1 Food Retail 500
A1 Non-Food Retail 800
A2 Financial and Professional Services 1,000
A3 Restaurants and Cafes 2,500
A4 Drinking Establishments 600
A5 Hot Food Takeaway 500
B1 Business 1,000
B2 General Industrial 1,000
B8 Storage and Distribution 2,000
C1 Hotels 30 bedrooms
C2 Residential Institutions All
C3 Dwelling Houses 30 units
D1 Non-Residential Institutions 500
D2 Assembly & Leisure (except stadia 800
Stadia All
Schools/Colleges/Universities All

Any development of a smaller nature that will employ 200 or more staff or that estimates 100,000 or more visitors per year is also required to submit a Travel Plan.

For all new and expanded school facilities, a school Travel Plan will be required. The school travel plan will include measures to promote safe cycle and walking routes, restrict parking and car access at and around schools, include on-site changing and cycle storage facilities and particularly for secondary schools, include priority provision for public transport access.

Extensions to sites which bring the total floorspace, seating, units or employees to the thresholds above or higher will also be required to submit a travel plan. Any application to increase parking by 20% or 25 spaces (whichever is lower) will also be required to submit a travel plan.

A Travelwise 'Travel Plan Pack' is available to download, along with guidance from the Department for Transport (DFT) who have published a guide entitled 'Manual for Streets' to assist in the development of travel plans. These guides should be used in conjunction with TravelWise resources which are available on the TravelWise website.

A 'Supplementary Planning Document' for parking is available to provide advice on the maximum levels of parking provision for motor vehicles necessary to serve new development or changes of use for retail, residential, industrial, non-residential institutions, and assembly and leisure uses.