Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/011

Contact: Joy White, Senior Transport Planner Tel: (01865) 815882

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA9).

Travel Plans are long-term management strategies for sites, which seek to ensure that travel associated with them is sustainable. As part of the development control process, they have an important part in wider strategy to reduce the proportion of journeys made by private car, which is vital in order for networks to cope with increasing travel demand and thus to facilitate economic and housing growth. In accordance with national planning policy and local plans, Oxfordshire Councy Council requests travel plans from developers for sites which are expected to generate significant amounts of movement. Developers frequently ask for advice on preparing and implementing travel plans, and a standard guidance document has been developed in draft to ensure consistency and efficiency. As there is effort involved in implementing travel plans, they are likely to be ineffective in achieving their targets unless they are monitored. Councils are permitted to charge fees to cover the costs of monitoring, and the draft Guidance sets out our proposed monitoring fees, as well as clarifying the types of development for which we will request a travel plan. Formalising and publishing the guidance and our fees will make our approach clear to developers and the public, and help to ensure that staffing costs can be covered.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)       approvethe Transport Assessments & Travel Plans Guidance Document and monitoring fee charging schedule (Annex 1) for publication; and

(b)       approve the charging of fees to cover staff costs for other non-statutory Travel Plan related services on an hourly basis by agreement.

Recommendations agreed

Travel Plans are long-term management strategies for sites, which seek to ensure that travel associated with them is sustainable. In accordance with national planning policy and local plans, Oxfordshire County Council requests travel plans from developers for sites which are expected to generate significant amounts of movement. Developers frequently ask for advice on preparing and implementing travel plans, and Cabinet had before them a draft standard guidance document to ensure consistency and efficiency. As there is effort involved in implementing travel plans, they are likely to be ineffective in achieving their targets unless they are monitored. Councils are permitted to charge fees to cover the costs of monitoring, and the draft Guidance set out proposed monitoring fees for approval.

Joy White responding to concerns from Councillor Hibbert Biles, Cabinet member for Public Health & the Voluntary Sector undertook to ensure that all Air Quality Action Plans were referenced in Guidance.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)       approve the Transport Assessments & Travel Plans Guidance Document and monitoring fee charging schedule for publication; and

(b)       approve the charging of fees to cover staff costs for other non-statutory Travel Plan related services on an hourly basis by agreement.