The success or failure of any development is more often than not determined at the earliest stages of the development project where the afore mentioned success or failure can be put down to a typical list of issues. In this article, we review some of the main issues that tend to crop up more often than you'd think.
Reviewing Land Access Issues
It is advisable to check that a site can be accessed properly as early on in the project as possible. Ideally, this should be checked before the Architect has had chance to position a property or designed a larger estate. If the access audit concludes that the site cannot be accessed safely and within the design criteria for the scale of development proposed, then ultimately there is very little chance that the scheme will get to the Planning Application stage. If brought in at an early stage, experienced transport planning consultants, could save considerable abortive costs in the long run.
Reviewing Visibility Issues
Visibility at the access point of the proposed development site is often one of the key hurdles that need to be overcome when it comes to obtaining highway approval. The visibility splay is the area of land either side of the proposed access point. It is essential that it is kept clear of all permanent obstructions such as a wall or fence. It is vital that a driver departing the site is be able to clearly see if another vehicle is passing and of course the passing driver needs to be able to see if a car is about to pull out of the access into his path. The risk of an accident occurring increases significantly, the more substandard the visibility splay provided.
Depending on the circumstances, there is some flexibility in deciding the right visibility splay to use. For instance, the lower the speed limit the smaller the splay, however, there are options available to the scheme designer. Firstly, by basing the splay on the main road’s speed limit, or secondly by determining the required splay based on the actual speed of the traffic. It is not unusual nowadays for Highway Authorities to request a one or two week long Automatic Traffic Count (ATC) using a counter that identifies the speeds of each vehicle. Additionally, this system can classify the vehicle (eg car or HGV) and count vehicle numbers traveling in each direction.
Reviewing Physical Design Issues
The physical design of the access road width is critical. As a general rule, the more houses proposed within the scheme, the wider the road width required. Additionally, on smaller proposals there may not be a requirement to provide footways and therefore have “shared” surfaces. However on larger projects 1.8.m footways would be required, though the width could be reduced at pinch points.
Whether it is a residential or commercial scheme, the access road will need to be designed in order to cater for deliveries, emergency vehicles and waste collection. All of these types of vehicles require consideration as they’ll need be able to negotiate bends as well as having turning areas within the actual development.
Reviewing Car Parking Issues
Car parking is often a stumbling block to progressing the scheme, especially where the site layout is constrained with limited space for parking.
In such a scenario, the architect will need to decide:
A) if each property needs its own off street parking or
B) if parking will be shared communally
It is not unheard of for Highway Authorities to permit lower levels of parking if it is communal parking as opposed to off-street parking schemes. In the past Government guidance helped determine parking levels. However, more recently the Government changed its advice by giving Highway Officers the authority to determine what they think would be the correct level of parking. Developers must remember that parking ratios tend to be based on the numbers of bedrooms, so typically a 1 bedroom house may require 1.5 spaces whereas a 5 bedroom house 3 spaces.
Reviewing Non-car Modes of Transport Issues
Access by non-car modes of transport needs to be factored in to the Planning Application. For larger housing schemes a Travel Plan may need to be produced which considers how a developer would encourage residents to reduce car usage. For smaller schemes, the Highway Authority will need to be convinced that a developer has appropriate access to public transport as well as made provision for non-car users. Ideally a development needs to be near and preferably within 250m of a bus stop with a regular bus service. The design of the development also needs to incorporate cycle parking or storage, have good pedestrian access and there is increasing pressure to incorporate electric vehicle re-charging points at each property.
A Number Of Additional Planning Application Related Information Is Required
The list is by no means limited regarding information that may be needed to be submitted as part of a Planning Application. These often include :
a) Traffic surveys and traffic modelling of the surrounding highway network, as well as a Transport Assessment Report
b) Travel Plan
c) Road Safety Audit which checks the highway design for safety by all road users
d) Noise reports
e) Energy Saving Assessments eg BREEAM, SAP, water efficiency, renewable energy saving assessments.
f) Environmantal surveys eg bat and tree surveys
g) Flood risk assessments
You may get in touch with Modal Group via the website at Traffic Consultants.
