Supplementary planning document for transport.
Contact officer: Jayne Black, team leader transport policy.
Tel: 0151 233 8303.
Email: Jayne.Black@liverpool.co.uk.
Start date: 1 May 2008.
End date: 30 June 2008.
Purpose of the exercise:
This exercise consulted on the draft supplementary planning document (SPD) for transport that has been developed in partnership with the other Merseyside local authorities, Merseytravel and the Merseyside Policy Unit.
The document includes guidance on:
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a transport accessibility checklist.
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parking standards.
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transport assessments/transport statements.
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travel plans.
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air quality assessments.
When this document is adopted it will be used for development control purposes when determining planning applications. It will also be an important tool in implementing the objectives of the Liverpool core strategy and local transport plan.
Full adoption of the document will ensure the following benefits by ensuring:
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transport accessibility is a key consideration in the determination of planning applications.
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sustainable forms of development, through more effective integration of land use, planning and transport policy.
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an reduction in the environmental impact of travel choices by reducing pollution, improving the local environment and improving road safety.
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the promotion of healthier lifestyles by providing opportunities for people to walk or cycle for commuting or leisure purposes.
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a reduction in the level of traffic growth and congestion on the local road network.
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the encouragement of opportunities to improve the quality of development proposals by better use of space through the provision of less car parking spaces where appropriate.
More information can be found on the 'ensuring a choice of travel SPD' web page.
Who was consulted and how:
Stakeholders, including the North West Development Agency and Government Office North West, developers, the business community and interest groups were consulted at workshops, meetings and by the circulation of a consultation document.
Who will the results of the exercise be reported to:
The results will be reported to the council's executive board.
What were the findings of the exercise:
The core of the comments received during the consultation centred upon the accessibility checklist:
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there was a lack of understanding about the checklist's scoring process, i.e. there was confusion over the scoring for yes or no answers.
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the process is too complex.
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there was confusion about what achieving the target score actually meant for developers.
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the checklist is going to be an interactive tool so should be included on the TravelWise website.
The following general comments were also received:
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clearer instructions were required on how to use the document.
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the accessibility maps contained within the document were not clear.
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'Ensuring more sustainable transport' would be a better title than 'Ensuring choice of travel'.
What are the changes to the service brought about as a results of the consultation:
Amendments have been made to the accessibility checklist including:
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the inclusion of text high-lighting the implications of yes or no answers.
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the inclusion of text clearly high-lighting the checklist process and its purpose.
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the checklist being developed into an interactive tool that will be included on both the Travelwise and Liverpool City Council websites within the next twelve months.
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the inclusion of explanatory text clarifying that achieving the target score is a minimum requirement and further improvements to developments' accessibility may be required and/or requested.
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changing the targets score terminology to 'minimum score' within the accessibility checklist.
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changing the title of the accessibility checklist to 'Minimum accessibility standard assessment', to further clarify that all scores for developments are minimums and that further improvements may be required and/or requested.
General amendments include:
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the inclusion of explanatory text re the use of the document.
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the inclusion of accessibility maps on the Travelwise website within 12 months.
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the title being changes to 'Ensuring more sustainable transport'.