School transport
We are required to make suitable travel arrangements free of charge for eligible children as necessary to attend school as set out in the Education Act 1996, amended by part 6 of the Education Inspections Act 2006.
Free transport for pupils is provided in accordance with our Home to School/College Transport Policy.
A contribution will be requested where development will require additional or enhanced home to school transport provision.
Public transport
We acknowledge the role local bus services and supporting bus and highway infrastructure have in delivering connectivity between:
- new development
- urban centres
- major employment sites
- other prominent generators of local trips
Our position is aligned with national and local policy.
The National Planning Policy Framework steers development towards promoting its connectivity with sustainable transport to contribute towards wider sustainability.
It also promotes the integration of planning and sustainable transport in order to provide attractive alternatives to travelling by car to access:
- employment
- education
- health facilities
- leisure
- amenities
- health objectives
The idea behind this is to provide people with a real choice about how they travel.
We request provision and/or improvements to local bus services in association with new development in alignment with the policies in the Warwickshire Local Transport Plan. This includes promoting public transport connectivity between new development and local amenities.
As specified in the Warwickshire Local Transport Plan all occupiers within a new development should be no further than 400 metres away from the nearest bus stop. The policy in the plan is related to connectivity between new development and local bus services.
We ensure that during the planning stage the local bus service provision has every chance of achieving success. This means attracting a sufficient level of patronage so that the provision will not require subsidy from us to continue operation after the expiry of the developer contribution lifespan. Further details can be found in the Warwickshire Design Guide
Walking, wheeling and cycling
New developments must provide a choice of sustainable transport modes, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In accordance with the Travel Choices Hierarchy set out in the Warwickshire Local Transport Plan, walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure must be provided to maximise the number of journeys that can be made by these modes. This applies to journeys made within the development site and to support trips to destinations beyond the site boundaries including schools, workplaces, transport interchanges, and retail and leisure facilities.
Developers are expected to provide a network of cohesive, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive walking, wheeling and cycling routes within the development site as well as links to wider networks. The layout and design of footways and cycle tracks should align with Local Transport Note 1/20 - guidance for local authorities on designing high-quality, safe cycle infrastructure and other relevant national and local design guidance including the Warwickshire Design Guide.
The county council has developed countywide walking, wheeling and cycling network plans and published these in the Warwickshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. These show the existing cycle network and identify future routes required to serve key development sites. Developers will be expected to make an appropriate contribution towards the delivery of active travel infrastructure to connect development sites to key local destinations and / or the existing network. This may be provided through a Section 278 (s278) agreement or a Section 106 (s106) contribution, depending on the scale and nature of the active travel infrastructure required. Section 278 agreements are our preference for providing infrastructure.
Walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure must be provided at an early stage in the occupation of the site, to avoid dependency on the car for local journeys, to promote safe and sustainable travel for residents and to avoid the county council incurring costs associated with transporting children to school due to the lack of safe walking, wheeling and cycling provision. This will be expected prior to occupation and should be reflected in the trigger points for s106 payment.
Developers will also be expected to provide high quality, secure and well-located cycle parking, in line with standards set out in Local Plans.