New role makes Active Travel England a statutory consultee on housing developments
Government agency Active Travel England (ATE) has become a statutory consultee on all large planning applications, helping to embed good active travel design into approximately 60% of new homes. The new role applies to applications for developments of more than 150 housing units, 7,500 m2 of floorspace or an area of 5 hectares.
The new role will enable ATE to help planning authorities in their work to implement good active travel design – for example, by ensuring developments include walking, wheeling and cycling connectivity to schools and local amenities.
Building in active travel at design stage, on an estimated 3,100 housing planning applications a year, will also help to avoid big increases in vehicle traffic and reduce the need for costly upgrades to major road junctions or other corrective action in the future.
Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman said, “Designing activity back into our neighbourhoods and creating places where children have transport independence is achievable – it just needs smart planning.
“As a statutory consultee ATE will work with planning authorities and developers to help them ensure new estates give people what they need to get fresh air and exercise, save money on petrol and help fight climate change.”
The establishment of ATE’s statutory consultee status follows a pilot project, which saw ATE work with 30 local authorities to assess more than 60 developments over the 9 months up until November 2022.
Feedback from a survey at the start of the pilot saw 80% of respondents agree ATE should have a role in the planning system.
While ATE will be consulted on developments at and above its thresholds, it will not have any statutory powers to direct the outcome of planning applications. Active Travel England has been working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure its thresholds as a statutory consultee are set at an appropriate level.
In addition to carrying out this new role, ATE continues to invest to help councils deliver walking, wheeling and cycling schemes across the country.