The Scottish Government

introduction

1. In July 1998 the Government published the White Paper Travel Choices for Scotland (Cm4010), complementary to the UK White Paper A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone (Cm3950). This National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG), proposed in the White Paper, is intended to develop the integrated land use and transport planning elements of the White Paper policy package. It is accompanied by a Planning Advice Note (PAN 57 Transport and Planning).

2. Preliminary guidance on Local Transport Strategies and the Road Traffic Reduction Act, which the White Paper proposes as key to local delivery of a sustainable transport policy, was published recently. Local Transport Strategies will set out local authorities' objectives, strategies and implementation plans for the development of integrated transport policy. Development plan policies will be both an important means of implementing transport strategies and a key influence on their development. Planning policies for an area should take full account of the relevant Local Transport Strategy. The Local Transport Strategy should flow from and in turn be incorporated into the relevant development plans. Local authorities are being invited to produce interim strategies by July 1999 and full strategies by July 2000.

See Preliminary Guidance on Local Transport Strategies and the Road Traffic Reduction Act SODD February 1999

policy context General

3. The Government's transport policies seek to achieve better integration:

• within and between different modes of transport, to promote genuine choice, so that each mode contributes its full potential and people can move easily between different modes;
• with environmental aims and policies, so that transport choices do not conflict with the achievement of environmental objectives;
• with land-use planning at national, regional and local level, so that the two work together to reduce the need to travel and support more sustainable travel choices;
• with Government policies on education, health, economic growth and the objective of a fairer, more inclusive society.

4. The Government is committed to putting sustainable development at the heart of policy-making. A key goal of integrated transport policy is to promote the creation of sustainable patterns of development through joint consideration of transport, land use, economic development and the environment. This means local authorities putting in place the right framework at both strategic and detailed levels for better co-ordination of decisions. It implies policy co-ordination across departments of a local authority, and an ability to deal corporately with issues. In this NPPG, 'planning authority' will be used where the lead responsibility is planning policy based. Where the responsibility goes wider than the planning function, the guidance will refer to 'local authority'.

5. Down to Earth: a Scottish perspective on sustainable development (February 1999) is intended to maintain the momentum in Scotland during the transition to the Scottish Parliament. It is built around three key aspects, namely concern for the natural environment, economic growth and social development. Integrated transport policy supports this approach by working to reduce the need to travel, to fight congestion and pollution, and to support a strong economy, a sustainable environment and a healthy and inclusive society. The challenge of sustainable development is to provide an improving transport system supporting economic growth, while providing better protection for the environment and improving the quality of life. It should be borne in mind, however, that sustainable transport is only one factor among many underlying national planning policies. If development is to be sustainable close consideration should be given to the guidance in this and other relevant NPPGs when taking planning decisions.

6. This NPPG promotes an integrated approach to land use, economic development, transport and the environment, based on the following objectives:

• to meet Government commitments and targets on greenhouse gases and local air quality;
• to maintain and enhance the quality of urban life, particularly the vitality and viability of town centres;
• to reinforce the rural economy and way of life;
• to maintain and enhance the natural and built environment, through restricting adverse environmental impacts, minimising environmental intrusion and retaining, improving and enhancing areas for biodiversity.
• to support sustainable economic development within a pattern of land use and integrated transport which serves the economy and communities, promotes genuine choice of transport mode, facilitates a reduction in car use, and supports more use of walking, cycling and public transport;
• to ensure that the impact of development proposals on transport networks does not compromise their safety or efficiency.

7. Land use planning can contribute to achieving the Government's broad policy objectives for integrated transport and land use planning through:

• reducing the need to travel by regulating the pattern of land uses in relation to each other and to transport facilities;
• enabling people to access local facilities over local networks by short walking or cycling trips, in turn contributing to social inclusion;
• supporting provision of high quality public transport access to development, in order to persuade motorists that public transport is more attractive to them than car use; and
• supporting the management of motorised travel to enable it to undertake its essential role effectively, but in all other respects to contribute to sustainable transport objectives.

Transport and the Environment

8. The protection of the environment lies at the heart of the Government's policy-making and has a key influence on transport policy. Statutory environmental protection regimes, separate but complementary to the town and country planning system, ensure that air, land and water systems are safeguarded from pollution. See PAN 51 Planning and Environmental Protection

9. Key areas influencing integrated transport policy are climate change and local air quality. The UK National Air Quality Strategy (Cm3587) (currently under review) as developed in the Air Quality Regulations 1997 (SI No. 3043) sets out the local air quality regime. When preparing development plans and considering planning applications, planning authorities should have regard to the statutory air quality objectives, together with the results of air quality reviews and assessments and any Air Quality Management Area Action Plans. Any air quality consideration relating to the use and development of land is potentially a material planning consideration. See PAN 57 Annex 1 Paragraphs 1-8

10. Other regimes include noise and water quality. The noise impact of new transport infrastructure on existing land uses, and any noise constraints that existing transport infrastructure may impose on new development should be taken into account in development control decisions supported by general policies in development plans. See PAN 56 Planning and Noise Paragraphs 19-33, 50-54

11. SEPA have lead responsibility for sustainable urban drainage techniques. These should be used for handling run-off from built development including transport infrastructure in such a way as to protect the quality of watercourses and the aquatic environment. Land use aspects should be reflected in development plans.

12. Land use and transport planning should take into account impacts on the landscape and use of the countryside. Policy on Green Belt is set out in SDD Circular 24/1985 and on Agricultural Land in SDD Circular 18/1987.

13. The Government is committed to safeguarding and, where possible, enhancing Scotland's natural heritage, and is also committed to the preservation of important features of the nation's built heritage. NPPG14 Natural Heritage sets out policy on the assessment of development proposals showing due concern for natural heritage. It deals, in detail, with requirements for development likely to affect sites of national and international importance. NPPG5 Archaeology and Planning and NPPG17 Planning and the Historic Environment set out the requirements for development likely to affect the historic environment. See NPPG5 NPPG14 NPPG 17

Transport and the Scottish Economy

14. Good access is a key element in enabling Scotland's economy to be successful in producing profitable goods and services which can be competitive in wider markets. An essential component is integrated transport infrastructure. The physical geography of Scotland and the distribution of population and economic activity raise diverse transport issues. See PAN 57 Annex 1 Paragraphs 9-16

Transport and Society

15. In 1996, 62% of Scottish households had use of a car, but there were only 38 cars per 100 population. For those households or members of households without access to or first use of a private car, accessibility beyond walking or cycling distance depends on:

• a good quality, safe, reliable public transport service running:
• between the desired points;
• at the right times; and
• at affordable cost.

16. Lack of choice in transport can exclude people from opportunities enjoyed by the majority of society. The location of those opportunities relative to where people live is important. Whether it is education or employment, shopping or leisure, or open space and countryside offering fresh air and tranquility, being within walking or cycling distance of where people live gives them the choice to take up these opportunities. Planning can play a significant role in influencing the location of development in relation to areas of social exclusion.

17. Tackling social exclusion is a key issue for Government alongside concern for the environment and the pursuit of sustainable economic growth. The level of accessibility to facilities through the transport network is an important factor in this. Accessibility can be affected by an individual's own mobility, by the physical disposition of destinations relative to the individual, by the availability of means of transport, or by a combination of the three. Where personal choice is restricted, access to efficient public transport is of paramount importance.

See PAN 57 Paragraph 20 See NPPG Paragraph 48 below

policy guidelines

General Principles

18. Much existing development can be expected to be adapted or maintained in productive use for many decades. Changes of use will affect travel patterns, but it is in the location of new development that development plans can have greatest influence. As the majority of trips start or finish at home the location of new residential development can have a significant influence on travel patterns. There is also significant scope to influence travel through land use change at the destination end of trips. The location of major travel-generating uses are critical to the number and length of trips, particularly for shopping, industry, offices and leisure. The ability to control such developments, by locating them in places well served by public transport, especially town centres, and by restricting associated car parking, should gradually have an effect on traffic growth. Councils should also attempt to promote change by seeking, in conjunction with public transport operators, to improve public transport access to existing developments which attract a high level of private car trips.

19. Changes in travel patterns are likely to be incremental but over the medium to longer term significant. Short term change will be constrained by recent developments, commitments in existing plans, and extant planning permissions not yet implemented. These should not, however, set a precedent for similar developments. A key task for planning authorities in reviewing their development plans is to re-assess, against the policy in this NPPG, those development sites in unsustainable locations for which planning permission has not been granted. Where such sites are not consistent with the principles of sustainable transport they should be withdrawn or reallocated for alternative forms of development. Time expired permissions for which renewal is sought will fall to be considered against the policy in this and other relevant NPPGs.

20. Within the general approach set out above, there is a need to prioritise accessibility within the integrated transport system both in terms of mode and of best value. For individual travel, the general hierarchy of priorities should be:

• walking: all of us choose to, or have to walk at some times; walking is an essential part of any public transport trip; as the most sustainable form of travel, capable of contributing significantly to reduction of pollution caused by short distance car trips;
• cycling: a sustainable form of transport promoted through the National Cycling Strategy, capable of being used in conjunction with public transport for medium and longer distances, and capable of substituting for the car over shorter distances;
• public transport: although less sustainable than foot or pedal power, able to carry large numbers of people efficiently and effectively, and dependent on quality of service can provide an alternative to the private car;
• private cars: the integrated transport policy is not anti-car, but it assumes that cars, in appropriate circumstances, will no longer be allowed universal freedom of access. Within cities and larger towns, the amount of car travel will be reduced through other policy initiatives, e.g. the powers and duties conferred on local authorities by the Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997. Consideration should therefore be given to re-allocating road space to increased footway width, to cycle lanes, to dedicated public transport use, or in appropriate locations use by freight vehicles.

Policy Approach to Integrated Transport and Land Use Planning

21. A framework for delivering better integration of transport and land use planning will be a key policy tool. The objective should be to locate key travel generating uses to support more sustainable travel patterns. Such a framework will consist of:

• location policy, ensuring specified development takes place in locations which support sustainable mode share;
• a set of maximum parking standards for specified uses;
• replacing the system of Traffic Impact Assessments with broader Transport Assessments which cover access by all modes; and
• the use of Green Transport Plans and planning agreements to promote sustainable transport solutions.

See PAN 57 Paragraphs 2-14 See PAN 57 Paragraphs 35-37

22. The methodology is intended to ensure that access to significant travel-generating developments by non-car modes becomes significantly greater than at present. The emergence of Transport Assessments and maximum parking standards will focus attention on the requirement to deliver an appropriate modal split in accessing new developments. It is no longer appropriate for minimum parking standards to be a requirement of development proposals. Green Transport Plans described below will raise awareness of the need to deliver sustainable travel patterns to these travel-generating uses. Further work is being commissioned on how this framework might be applied and detailed guidance will be issued in due course.

Developer Contributions

23. Planning authorities should take a more pro-active approach towards the implementation of policies, and should set out sufficient detail in their development plans and Local Transport Strategies to provide a transparent basis for negotiation with developers. Planning agreements offer a key tool in helping to deliver more sustainable transport solutions. General policy on planning agreements is set out in SODD Circular 12/1996. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 11-13

Green Transport Plans

24. The Government wants to raise awareness of the impacts of travel decisions and to promote the widespread use of Green Transport Plans amongst businesses, and for schools, hospitals and other significant travel-generating uses. Green Transport Plans are documents prepared by owners and operators of developments, existing or proposed, to set out proposals for delivery of more sustainable travel patterns. They may deal both with passenger travel and with the business, commercial and freight traffic associated with the development. They should relate to local targets for the reduction of road traffic, or for the promotion of walking, cycling and public transport in the Local Transport Strategy. See PAN 57 Paragraph 14

25. Green Transport Plans associated with a planning permission may be a suitable subject for a planning agreement, negotiated with the developer, in order that they may be adequately implemented and enforced. The existence of a Green Transport Plan does not, however, remove the requirement to consider planning applications against the development plan and other material considerations.

Settlement Strategy and Housing

26. Planning authorities should ensure that their settlement strategy is consistent with the aim of reducing travel demand and puts greater reliance on means of transport other than the private car. In considering the transport implications of future patterns of development in their area, planning authorities should seek out opportunities to help redress the impact of traffic on the environment.

27. Housing is the most extensive development land use in any settlement. The relationship of homes to other uses has a large potential to influence travel demand in terms of transport type and length of journey.

28. The development of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements and built-up areas for housing should in future give greater weight to locations able to be well integrated into effective networks for walking, cycling and public transport. Access to jobs and facilities across the urban area should be a prime consideration. In determining planning applications full consideration should be given to provision of walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure directly related to the travel demand generated by the new development. NPPG3 (Revised 1996) Land for Housing (at paragraph 47) gives guidance on settlement strategy and small-scale new settlements; they should also be assessed against the guidance in this NPPG. See NPPG3 (Revised 1996)

29. Locations that are highly accessible by walking, cycling and public transport, including land most accessible to stations or interchanges, should be developed at highest densities. Priority should be given to development linked to the existing rail network. Where good access to public transport exists or can be provided by the developer, authorities should consider setting lower maximum standards for provision of residential car parking. These accessibility advantages should not be dissipated by low density development. This principle should not however be interpreted as encouraging car-based low density sprawl away from high density nodes, as a sustainable transport policy should nevertheless ensure that significant urban expansion areas have provision made for modes of transport in addition to the private car.

30. Care should be taken to ensure that the appropriate use of high density development embodies the best practice from the Scottish urban tradition. Good urban design should aim to minimise local congestion, and not lead to a loss of amenity through over-development, or a deterioration in the quality of life. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 44-48

Rural, Remote and Island Communities

31. Inevitably, major facilities are concentrated in the larger settlements, and the dispersed population in remote rural and island communities makes public transport less viable and likely to exist in many places on a basic level if at all. However, the objective of sustaining rural communities as set out in the Rural Strategy Framework should be set alongside the desirability of maximising the use and viability of whatever public transport services exist, including community run and other innovative services. Development plans should indicate where development will require new public transport services to be provided, if necessary at developer's expense.

Shopping, Leisure, Offices and Other Town Centre Uses

32. Policies set out in NPPG8 Town Centres and Retailing are fully supportive of the principles of sustainable development. Accordingly, development should be sited where there is a choice of transport and should not be dependent predominantly on access by car. Development plans should safeguard and provide for improvement of existing suburban and rural shopping centres within easy reach of local housing, on foot or by cycle. See NPPG8

33. Leisure travel is the fastest area of traffic growth. The car enables many people to pursue leisure opportunities in the countryside that would not otherwise be available to them. In urban areas, much commercial leisure sees peak use in the evenings and at weekends when public transport is at its least regular or frequent. Major new attractions, such as sports stadia or cinemas should be readily accessible by a range of means of transport. Developers, as part of their Transport Assessment, should normally be required to ensure that walking, cycling and public transport facilities are available whenever the development is in use to the extent required to meet the modal share objectives of a sustainable transport policy. Wherever possible, sites in or on the edge of existing centres should be used. See PAN 57 Paragraph 15

Employment - Business and Industry

34. NPPG2 Business and Industry indicates that the needs of business and industry should be a key consideration in the preparation of development plans. In considering future development locations, a key objective will be to reduce the need to travel, particularly by car. Good locations for business and industry are in or on the edge of town and suburban centres (subject to other policy considerations). By means of proximity to other uses such as commerce, retail and leisure which attract a significant number of trips, business and industry may contribute to improvements in and take advantage of greater reliance on public transport. See NPPG2

35. However, it has to be recognised that not all business and industry will be able to seek or benefit from a city or town centre location, and for some, such a location would be inappropriate. Development plan allocations and development proposals elsewhere should in future demonstrate their accessibility to walking, cycling and public transport networks.

36. Specific locations with special physical qualities should be reserved for specific purposes where safeguarding of the site has been agreed as in the national interest. There may be some major projects where a company opts for a high amenity site which does not easily lend itself to sustainable transport requirements (and where failure to offer such a site may result in the project being lost). Nevertheless the identification and assessment of sites for major developments will take into consideration the opportunities for the site to be integrated into networks for walking, cycling and public transport wherever this is practical.

Freight

37. The strategic importance to the economy of freight access to industry and commerce should be recognised, and appropriate arrangements made. Planning authorities should encourage the carriage of freight by rail or water rather than by road wherever it can provide a feasible alternative for all or part of the journey. In this context planning authorities should, in consultation with transport providers, identify sites adjacent to existing operational or disused infrastructure which may be capable of being developed for uses requiring rail or water borne freight access. See PAN 57 Paragraph 49

38. Where rail or water borne freight are not feasible, development which attracts significant movements of road freight (such as large scale warehousing distribution depots and some forms of manufacturing) should be located away from congested inner areas and from residential areas. They should have direct access to the local distributor road network and good links to the trunk and principal road network.

39. Development plan policies should allocate sites for distribution and warehousing, which are readily accessible not only to the trunk road network, but also to suitable rail facilities, or suitable wharves and harbours. Sites convenient to rail sidings, wharves and harbours should be safeguarded for manufacturing, processing or distribution and warehousing developments with potential to use rail or water freight. More localised arrangements for freight access to service properties will have to weigh the requirements of business with policy priorities for walking, cycling and public transport.

Rural and Remote Communities

40. In areas of forestry extraction, pressure for strengthening of roads and bridges in relation to current extraction puts a strain on local resources and may threaten the conservation and enjoyment of the natural and cultural heritage. Indicative Forestry Strategies for future planting should include consideration of the lifecycle impacts on the transport system, including constraints on local extraction by road and opportunities for longer distance haulage by rail or water, and should adopt policies accordingly.

41. In the case of minerals, NPPG4 Land for Mineral Working acknowledges that the transportation of minerals to markets may have significant environmental consequences. Minerals can be worked only where they are found and in many cases lack of any nearby rail facility means that the transporting of minerals by road will be the only viable option. Planning authorities considering planning consent for new mineral extraction should consider how planning conditions and/or a planning or other agreement can be used to ensure developers are responsible for mitigating the effects of their lorries on public roads, including providing for damage reinstatement. Where appropriate, dedicated haul roads, provided by the developer, or use of rail transport should be considered, to keep heavy goods vehicles off the public road network. See NPPG4

42. However, where alternatives exist, both in terms of reserves and in terms of transport opportunities, new mineral workings should be guided to locations which reduce journey frequency and length, and potentially allow rail or water transport, thereby contributing to a reduction in energy consumption and pollution. In some instances minerals planning issues overlap planning authority boundaries and joint working will be necessary in order to identify the transport impacts of reaching markets. For opencast coal extraction, policy is contained in NPPG16 Opencast Coal and Related Minerals. See NPPG16 43. Waste management facilities should be served by rail where possible, or located such that lorry traffic can be minimised. More detailed guidance is set out in NPPG10 Planning and Waste Management. See NPPG10

Other Developments

44. Other developments can have significant implications for travel demand. Major secondary, higher and further educational establishments, hospitals, main libraries, conference centres and principal offices of local authorities attract a large number of people from a wide catchment area. As with other developments, they should be located so that they are well served by public transport and walking and cycling networks. Health facilities require careful consideration, not only because of their traffic generation and likelihood that people using them may have mobility difficulties, but also because they often require rapid access for emergency services, unaffected by potential traffic congestion. Other facilities such as health centres, branch libraries and local offices of the planning authority and other service providers (e.g. utilities) should be in or associated with local centres.

45. Development plan policies should assist by:

• concentrating facilities in town centres, in local neighbourhood centres and in other locations well served by public transport with safe and convenient walking and cycle access and adequate short term car parking;
• maintaining and providing opportunities in locations well served by a choice of means of transport for the enhancement of leisure and entertainment facilities;
• providing attractive local play areas, public open space and other recreational facilities, within easy reach of housing; by providing for safe walking and cycle routes to serve local schools; and by providing appropriate sites for health facilities.

providing for non-motorised travel

People on Foot

46. Walking strategies should form part of an integrated approach to transport. As part of its Local Transport Strategy, each local authority should have clear policies for walking, and a programme of actions to implement these. Urban areas should be made more attractive and safer for pedestrians, including in particular people with mobility difficulties. Improved conditions, linked to locational policies which promote local activity, could lead to a significant change in travel choices. The impact of policies and development on pedestrian movement should therefore always be considered. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 16-19

47. Pedestrian studies, incorporating access audits, should be undertaken to identify congestion, spare capacity and conflicts with vehicular traffic. These should feed in to local plans. In areas such as town centres where pedestrian flows are strong, or policy is to encourage access on foot, the pedestrian should be given priority over other modes. This should be reinforced through detailed design which seeks to reduce traffic speed, restrict the movement of vehicles and give pedestrians priority over vehicles. In some areas, it may also be possible to develop pedestrian routes along river banks, canal towpaths or disused railways. But pedestrians should not generally be segregated from the roadway or other activity; isolated routes may not always be attractive and can encourage crime. See PAN46

Access for Disabled People

48. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 aims to provide disabled people with an equal opportunity in terms, inter alia, of access to goods and services. The broad principle embodied in legislation is that disabled people should be treated no less favourably than other people, unless less favourable treatment can be justified on a limited number of grounds. The policies contained in this NPPG should be applied with this principle constantly in mind. In this context disabled includes those with learning difficulties or mental health problems. The needs of older people and those travelling with children who may experience difficulties must also be considered. In a planning context, the relationship of land uses to the means of transport accessing them should take into account and make positive provision for access by the disabled. That will have implications for access and parking for disabled persons' vehicles in situations where otherwise vehicular access is being discouraged. It may also have design requirements, for example, for wheelchair use of pedestrian or pedestrian/cycle routes. For disabled people who are not restricted to their own personal transport, accommodating dial-a-bus type services, or designing access to public transport, waiting facilities, information and ticketing, and on-vehicle aids to the disabled will all assist in giving as high a degree of freedom of access as is practicable. The Government has made regulations under the Act that require all public transport introduced from 1 January 1999 to be fully accessible to disabled people, including those who travel in wheelchairs. See PAN 57 Paragraph 20

Provision for Cyclists

49. Safe cycling facilities benefit people of all ages, promoting healthy lifestyles, and are of particular value to young people, giving them independence and reducing the need for car journeys. The National Cycling Strategy aims to double cycle use from 1996 to 2002 and to double it again by 2012. The National Lottery has provided funding for the creation of a National Cycle Network which aims to demonstrate high quality routes. Many local authorities also have cycling strategies, supported by design guidance for a range of cycling priority measures. In providing for cyclists, the aim should be to design routes no longer than main car routes in existing development, and more direct in new development, without the need for artificial gradients. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 21-23

50. In rural areas cycle networks should serve and link neighbouring villages. As well as local needs these can in some areas provide a potentially important tourist facility. The local plan proposals map should include any specific new cycling provisions and measures to make cycling safer and more attractive. Networks may include use of redundant railway lines or space alongside canals and rivers. Where appropriate, routes shared with pedestrians or horseriders should be considered where space allows, but with designations clearly marked or defined to reduce the risk of accidents. Cycling should be integrated into the design of new developments by using some form of cycle audit. Development layouts should include (or provide an opportunity for the creation of) a comprehensive cycle network, concentrating in particular on providing convenient routes to employment centres, schools and other local facilities. Cycle networks should be continuous, with severance by main or distributor roads avoided; where appropriate, signalled crossings should be provided. See DoT Traffic Advisory Leaflet 9/96 and SDD Cycling Advice Notes 1/89,1/90

51. Planning authorities should encourage the provision of secure cycle parking at public transport interchanges, including railway stations and park-and-ride facilities, in order to encourage use of cycles in combination with public transport and car sharing. Sheltered secure cycle parking facilities should also be required in all major new developments, in town centres, and at educational institutions. Cycle parking should be located closer to a building's entrance than car parking, should be overlooked by staff and/or public, and should ideally be within the building. Sheffield racks, preferred by cycle groups and specified by many planning authorities, are appropriate.

providing for public transport

52. Development plans should provide clear guidance on requirements for public transport access to new development areas. Rail services with their fixed infrastructure offer certainty for developers and provide a focus for urban regeneration and redevelopment. Where available, sites adjacent to stations should be the preferred location for development generating a large number of workforce and visitor trips. Planning authorities may wish to explore with rail authorities the potential for reopening rail lines, providing new stations or reviving passenger services on existing lines. Sites at major nodes on the bus network should also be favourably considered for urban redevelopment and regeneration, consistent with other planning policies. All such sites should give priority to ease of pedestrian movement from the public transport facility to the development over access from car parks. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 26-33

53. Local plans should include policies for the management of traffic. Roads intended to carry buses serving new developments should be designed accordingly. Proposals maps should indicate where buses will be given priority and the measures which will be taken to support this. These should reflect location policies and the needs of bus operators.

54. Planning authorities, in selecting appropriate sites for development, should establish "accessibility profiles" for public transport, walking and cycling in order to determine which sites meet the policy goals set out in this NPPG. These profiles should relate both to access from housing and access to employment and other destinations. The profiles should reflect the catchment area served and the likely quality of service, and result in relative indicators of accessibility for different sites.

55. Local authority support for bus services, passenger rail services or proposals for associated facilities should be consistent with the location policies in development plans. Such support could be conditional on careful planning of routes, timetables, and patterns of service, especially in relation to serving rural communities. Where enhancement to public transport services or infrastructure is desirable to serve new development, but would not be provided commercially, a contribution from the developer towards an agreed level of service through the planning authority may be appropriate.

56. Particular attention should be given to interchange between routes at nodal junctions. Too often, for traffic management reasons, bus stops are set well back from the junction on each route, giving long walks, and difficult road crossings, for those changing between buses. Consideration should be given to using land adjacent to the junction, where available, to provide a single set of bus stops in one location. Design should be fully compatible with road safety for all users. See DETR/The Scottish Office/WO Local Transport Note 1/97 Chapter 7

managing motorised travel Car Parking

57. Parking policies have an important role to play in reducing reliance on the car. This will require a well structured approach related to location, the non-car modes likely to be available and the journey purposes served by parking. In town centres, short term parking, preferably off-street, plays an important role in maintaining accessibility and vitality. Parking policies should seek to discourage car commuting journeys by reducing and restricting the opportunities for long stay car parking. As paragraphs 21 and 22 indicate the setting of maximum parking standards will support policies for improved accessibility by public transport, foot and cycle and to ensure that targets consistent with the Road Traffic Reduction Act and any other national and local traffic and air pollution targets, can be met. Parking restraint policies should be supported by appropriate complementary measures to promote the availability of high quality public transport services and the effective management of traffic demand. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 35-37

58. Planning authorities should, where redevelopment or re-use of existing private parking is proposed, encourage through development plan policies adjustment to accord with revised standards set out in the plan. Planning permission for public and private car parks which do not meet the strategic aims of the plan should be refused.

provision of transport infrastructure

59. The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 provides the statutory basis for the Secretary of State's consideration and determination of trunk road and motorway proposals. Practice in Scotland following the publication of Roads, Traffic and Safety 1992 has encouraged a strategic planning debate on all transport proposals. Thus the need for those transport schemes promoted by The Scottish Office or the planning authority can be considered in their wider planning and environmental context. Agreed schemes will then be included in the structure plan and Local Transport Strategy. Some strategic transport proposals will extend beyond individual structure plans and consultation among structure plan authorities will be necessary. In preparing development plans, planning authorities should undertake the necessary level of analysis needed to assess the impact of their land use proposals on the strategic and local transport networks. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 38-50

60. Structure plans and Local Transport Strategies should be co-ordinated to assess the wider environmental and transport implications of new development, the general location of significant individual developments and to indicate where and when broad areas of restraint on new development are necessary. Policies for management of transport and traffic and local transport investment contained in Local Transport Strategies should be developed in conformity with the land use policies and proposals of the development plan. Local Transport Strategies submitted to The Scottish Office Development Department should be consistent with the policies in the Integrated Transport White Paper, Road Traffic Reduction Act reports, this NPPG, and up to date development plan policies. They should also take on board the principles of the recent Scottish Office publications Rural Road Hierarchies and Lorry Routeing,Fitting Roads, Cost-Effective Landscaping Learning from Nature and Traffic Calming on Through Routes.

Road Planning

61. Trunk roads, which include all motorways, have an important strategic role to play in carrying long distance traffic between major centres, although in many parts of rural Scotland trunk roads perform important local functions. There is likely to be little scope to alter priorities within the trunk road programme in connection with local planning priorities even if these place particular pressures on a trunk road link or junction. Plans should therefore aim to reduce the need to use trunk roads and other through routes for short local journeys. They should identify those routes which are reserved as corridors for movement where development seeking access would be resisted. Major developments arising from development plan strategies should be integrated with existing settlements and capable of being accessed by public transport, and by local cycle and footpath networks. The impact of developments on trunk roads at or near capacity should be mitigated to achieve "no net detriment" to the carrying capacity of the trunk road. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 6, 43

62. Given the road hierarchy, direct access on to trunk roads should be avoided as far as practicable. Where feasible, access should be to a secondary road. Direct access to a motorway or motorway slip road is not allowed from any private development other than a motorway service area approved by The Scottish Office. See NPPG9

63. Elsewhere safe and appropriate access design should reflect the type of road involved, the scale of the development, the nature of the area, and the volume and character of traffic likely to use the access and the road. It may be appropriate to require the developer to carry out major road or junction improvements if the volume or character of traffic or type of road warrant it. Where appropriate in respect of significant distributor roads, the aim should be to minimise the number of individual access points, as this will help to increase road safety. See PAN 57 Paragraphs 44-48

Blight and Safeguarding of Transport Routes

64. Blight should be kept to a minimum by including in plans only schemes on which work is expected to commence within the plan period. This will include schemes upon which the development strategy depends even if the method of funding is uncertain at the outset. Schemes at an advanced stage of preparation and/or in committed programmes should be included in local plan proposals maps; other schemes should merit only description in the text, the level of detail dependent on the degree of commitment.

65. The effects of blight should be removed by listing previously safeguarded schemes where proposals are now unlikely to be taken forward and safeguarding is therefore to be abandoned. This is especially important for proposals, such as new road construction or road widening, which affect large numbers of existing properties. Clearly, any significant development proposals which were dependent on the road proposal will have to be reviewed and alternative transport arrangements made.

66. Planning authorities should ensure through their development plans that disused transport routes, such as old roads, canals and railways, with a reasonable prospect of re-use, are not unnecessarily severed by new buildings or bridges, non-transport land uses or by road proposals. In particular, disused railways should only be severed in exceptional circumstances, and former and potential sites for stations should be protected wherever possible. As well as their original uses, such routes may be used for future rapid transit systems or serve as walking paths, cycle routes, bridleways or as a focus for leisure and recreation development. Planning authorities have a general duty under Section 46 of the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1968 to protect, keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any public right of way. They should safeguard and promote routes which will form part of "green networks" for wildlife, biodiversity and tranquil access within and around urban areas. Where disused routes forming part of walking and cycling networks are to be re-used for road or rail based transport, appropriate measures should be taken to safeguard the integrity of the walking and cycling network, and any acquired wildlife corridor role.

Aviation

67. Development at airports brings direct and indirect economic benefits. It also gives rise to environmental and other concerns including issues relating to road and rail access, traffic generation and noise. Passenger numbers have grown significantly. Air freight, including Royal Mail and other courier traffic, has grown based on airport hub arrangements. Airports have therefore become major transport interchanges and traffic generators, and attract a range of related and non-related developments. Non-related developments should be assessed against relevant policy elsewhere in NPPGs. Other developments should have the relationship to airport related business explicitly justified, and be of a scale that is appropriate to serving core airport business without attracting occupants or users more generally. The other aspects of location policy i.e. transport assessment, parking standards, and negotiation of an acceptable transport package, would require to be implemented to the planning authority's satisfaction. Where an airport is a non-conforming use within statutory Green Belt, development pressures should be weighed particularly carefully against Green Belt policy. See PAN 57 Paragraph 50

68. Small airports have a vital role in maintaining transport links to some of Scotland's remoter rural areas, particularly the islands. They serve local needs, provide essential journeys to hospital, carry post and other key goods, serve tourists and provide opportunities for recreational and leisure flying. Development plans should take account of the contribution of air traffic to local and regional economies and the benefits of having suitable facilities available, as well as the environmental impact on surrounding areas.

69. Planning authorities should therefore address the planning issues arising from potential airport development. These include:

• a strategic assessment of the need for the development in the context of the Scottish airports network and the strategic importance of the airport to local and national economic development; consideration of alternatives, e.g. ferry services or passenger rail for UK destinations; and a full impact assessment, including local impacts such as habitat loss, air quality, noise and surface access;
• the operational needs of the airport in terms of runway capacity, terminal facilities and aircraft maintenance and handling provision;
• warehousing and distribution services related to goods through the airport;
• transport access, for essential supplies, for air freight, for staff and for passengers, including effective walking, cycling and public transport links;
• related development such as transport interchanges, administrative offices, hotels, short and long stay parking;
• less directly related development e.g. conference and leisure facilities; these should be fully justified and of an appropriate scale relative to core airport related business.

Inland Waterways

70. Inland waterways in Scotland are increasingly used for recreation and land alongside can provide car-free routes for walking and cycling. They are important for their heritage and environmental value as well as for water supply and flood defence. In some locations they may have potential to retain or return to a transport role. This potential should be assessed in liaison with British Waterways and any requirements incorporated into development plans. Where inland waterways would be affected by development plan policies, or by the construction or improvement of local roads, the planning authority should consult British Waterways, or other relevant navigation authority e.g. a port authority. Care should be taken to avoid severing or adversely affecting inland waterways. Care should also be taken to locate new marinas and moorings with respect to public transport services to and from these facilities.

Shipping

71. Coastal shipping can provide an environmentally friendly means of moving heavy freight. This requires wharves and harbour facilities able to handle and distribute the goods. Planning authorities should liaise with port authorities. Where appropriate local plans should safeguard such facilities or include proposals for reusing disused docks. The whole freight trip should be considered including the linkages from the port to the origin or destination of the freight. Planning authorities should consider the impacts of road traffic serving the port and ensure that land use planning implications for transport infrastructure are taken into account in preparing plans. Opportunities for rail access to ports should be safeguarded and where appropriate promoted and developed using Track Access Grants and Freight Facilities Grant. See PAN 57 Paragraph 49

action required

72. Development plans and Local Transport Strategies should complement and reinforce each other. Development plans provide the means for examining the relationships between transport and land use planning, for promoting their integration and co-ordination, and for ensuring that they contribute to strategies to reduce the need to travel. In reviewing their development plans, planning authorities should:

• work in partnership with other relevant departments of the local authority, neighbouring planning authorities, the trunk road authority, rail and bus operators, road hauliers and transport users, British Waterways, port and airport authorities, local business, walking and cycling groups, and local communities;
• consult with, and take into account, the needs of disabled people in devising policies for access to services and facilities;
• co-ordinate their objectives and policies for land use, transport provision and the environment at the outset of the planning process;
• have regard to the National Air Quality Strategy, the statutory air quality objectives, any designated air quality management areas, Local Transport Strategy targets to reduce road traffic, and safety issues for all transport users;
• locate and integrate new development, including development of new settlements and expansion of existing built-up areas for housing, with existing or planned transport infrastructure, particularly for walking, cycling and public transport, and with provision of public transport services;
• plan development to bring together related land-uses which can benefit from being accessible to one another, and thereby reduce the length of journeys and the need for multiple journeys;
• establish green networks, protect and enhance green spaces and footpath provision in and around towns and cities, to provide high quality opportunities for informal recreation locally, without the need to travel by car;
• take into account impact of development proposals on demand for transport, including effects on traffic flows in urban areas, and on the need for, and subsequent environmental impact of, consequent transport infrastructure;
• ensure that trunk roads and other through routes (including bypasses) serve as corridors of movement and, although in rural areas they will also serve local traffic needs, do not have their national and strategic role undermined by new development which encourages their use for short local trips;
• allow the inland waterway network to realise its full potential as an agent of economic regeneration, an environmentally sustainable resource for leisure and tourism, and a national heritage asset accessible to all;
• where new transport infrastructure is justified on environmental, social and economic grounds, design it to gain maximum benefit for walking, cycling and public transport in relation to existing and proposed patterns of development, and safeguard it through development plans.

Structure Plans

73. Policies and proposals in approved structure plans should be reviewed to ensure that they reflect the guidance in this NPPG and alterations should be brought forward accordingly. Environmental appraisal of development plans is relevant in this context.

74. Structure plans, in formulating the land use/transport strategy, should take into account requirements of the National Air Quality Strategy, the need to meet statutory air quality objectives, and the objectives of the council's Local Transport Strategy and Road Traffic Reduction Act report. Proposals for development and transport investment should indicate likely timescales in relation to one another. The need for developer contributions to necessary transport infrastructure should also be set out.

75. Structure plans should include policies and proposals designed to contribute to reducing the need to travel, particularly by car, and to increasing the choice of means of travel available, in consultation with neighbouring structure plan authorities to ensure cross-boundary consistency, and relating to:

• planning general housing, employment, education, retail, leisure and other land uses and developments (including mixed use development where appropriate) in relation to walking, cycling, public transport and road networks to fulfil the objectives and policies of this and other relevant NPPGs;
• a land use/transport strategy that takes into account the nature, scale and design of infrastructure and has regard to the implications for the natural and built environment; and that includes as appropriate public transport interchange facilities, park-and-ride sites, cycling and walking routes, guided bus or rail lines, stations, depots, rail freight access points, harbours and airports, re-allocation of road space to walking, cycling and public transport, new roads and major improvements to existing roads in the trunk or local network, and safeguarding of disused transport routes and land for access facilities; and
• strategic consideration of management measures complementing the land use transport strategy including maximum parking standards, potential role of charging regimes, traffic management and traffic calming.

Local Plans

76. Local plans should express the detailed relationship between development proposals and transport in accordance with the strategy of the appropriate structure plan. They should set out:

• olicies and proposals for the specific allocation of housing, employment, schools, retail, leisure and other development integrated into effective networks for walking, cycling and public transport, and where relevant into freight facilities, and taking advantage of schemes to re-allocate road space away from the private car;
• appropriate land use policies to support action required at specific locations to improve air quality in line with the local authority's statutory air quality management responsibilities and the appropriate Air Quality Management Action Plan, and/or to meet the objectives set out in the local authority's Local Transport Strategy and Road Traffic Reduction Act report;
• designation of routes which are reserved as corridors for through movement and on which development requiring access will be resisted;
• identification of sites where there are opportunities for locating or relocating distribution and freight operator centres and other developments with frequent freight movements, including former railway land adjacent to operational rail routes;
• proposals for access to ports and airports where relevant, including by public transport links, and provision of justifiable port and airport related facilities;
• proposals for provision of infrastructure or other facilities as an integral part of major developments, or as improvement to local networks, to encourage people to make more journeys by walking, cycling, and public transport;
• proposals for improvement of local roads and other transport infrastructure, consequent on the development patterns proposed in the plan;
• review of transport proposals including safeguarding of routes proposed in the structure plan, but limiting those included in the plan to schemes intended to be commenced during the plan period, and removal of blight by deletion of safeguarding for schemes now unlikely to be proceeded with;
• appraisal of the effects of road and other infrastructure proposals for their local setting, taking into account implications for the natural and built environment, including its historic and archaeological aspects, and the extent to which they can enhance it, or if not, demonstrate that all non-damaging alternative options have been considered and how any adverse effects might be mitigated;
• retention and safeguarding of linear routes such as canals and former railway lines, and other existing networks for public access on foot and by cycle, including protection and enhancement of green networks and footpaths within and around towns and cities to provide informal recreational opportunities;
• compatibility between standards for planning and for road construction, including definition of areas where particular sensitivity is required to ensure that road standards reflect the existing character and amenity of the area;
• detailed arrangements for traffic and parking management including reference to the Council's parking standards and an outline of the principles on which they are based, public transport priorities and park and ride, and safe and secure provision for walking and cycling including standards for the design and location of cycle parking in support of the land use policies; and
• requirements in respect of types of development and/or locations for transport assessments and green transport plans to be submitted in support of planning applications.

Development Control

77. Section 25 of the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 requires that planning decisions are taken in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The policies of this NPPG are a material consideration and should be embodied in development plans. he Transport Assessment may form the basis for refusing planning permission or imposing conditions or negotiating agreements designed to ensure that development occurs in such a way as to fulfil these policy requirements. Unless provided for specifically and positively in the development plan, the onus will be on the developer to establish that a development proposal is consistent with the development plan framework, that it accords with the policies of this NPPG, and that it does not compromise the transport aspects of the implementation of other proposals in approved development plans. A special case will require to be made to set aside the established policy context. Accordingly:

• all policies and proposals on the basis of which development control decisions will be made should be included in plans; where a planning authority proposes to implement policies by means of conditions or through agreements under Section 75 of the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, the plan should indicate the planning authority's intention;
• development proposals should be assessed against the policies contained in this NPPG and in due course embodied in development plans, which policies may form the basis for refusal or for imposing conditions to ensure that development occurs in such a way as to fulfil these policies;
• planning permission should not normally be granted for major travel-generating uses in locations where links to walking, cycling and public transport networks are inadequate, which would encourage reliance on the private car, which would be likely to have a detrimental effect on the capacity of the trunk road network, and whose Transport Assessment does not include any satisfactory mechanism for meeting sustainable transport requirements.

See PAN 57 Paragraphs 51-53 See PAN 57 Paragraph 6

Environmental Assessment

78. An environmental assessment (EA) may be required for a range of transport projects under EC Directive 85/337/EEC. The Directive has been transposed into Scottish Law in the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1988 and an EA, including the preparation of an environmental statement by the developer, is always required for projects listed in Schedule 1 (including motorways, lines for long distance railway traffic and aerodromes with a runway length of 2100 m or more). For other transport projects which are listed in Schedule 2 (including a road, an aerodrome, canalisation, a tramway, elevated or underground railways, or a modification to a Schedule 1 development) EA will be required if the project is likely to have significant environmental effects. If a project has permitted development rights but also requires an EA under the Regulations, those rights are withdrawn and planning permission must be sought. (EC Directive 97/11/EC amended the earlier Directive and new Regulations together with further guidance will be issued in the near future.)

See SDD Circular 13/1988 SOED Circular 26/1994 SODD Circular 25/1997

conclusions

79. Land use planning has a crucial role to play in giving coherence to the future pattern of development and its relationship with the developments and actions of many public and private transport interests. It is therefore essential through partnership/joint working to promote a more co-ordinated view of transport and land use planning, so that over time, the disposition of land uses can assist in reducing the need to travel; and in creating the right conditions for maximising the proportion of travel on foot, by cycle and by public transport; and in restricting adverse environmental impacts. For freight traffic, too, relating land uses to transport arteries can minimise environmental intrusion. The positive interaction of land use and transport planning will thereby contribute to meeting the Government's environmental, economic and social objectives for sustainable development.

enquiries

80. Enquiries about the content of this NPPG should be addressed to Tom Williamson, Planning Services Division, Room 2-H77, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ, (0131 244 7531) or by e-mail to www.scotland.gov.uk/planning/