Published on Monday 08 July 2024
Proposals to introduce Travel Plan monitoring fees paid by developers are to be consulted on by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council.
Developers and residents are being asked for their views on the introduction of the fees across the whole conurbation as they currently only apply in Poole.
Travel plans are required as part of any planning application for large developments such as new schools, office blocks, hospitals and leisure facilities, and encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport as a way of reducing their impact on surrounding roads.
Managed and monitored by the council, they are a long-term plan for including sustainable travel into planning, with developers required to follow a set of targets over several years which are agreed at the beginning of the planning process.
Although travel plans are in place across all three areas and have been for many years, historically, the monitoring fees associated with them currently only apply in Poole and not Bournemouth and Christchurch.
Before BCP’s formation in 2019, previous authorities took different approaches; The Borough of Poole had a Travel Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance document which required a monitoring fee, while others didn’t.
The monitoring fees currently in place across the Poole area enables the council to fund the following:
- Travel Plan reviews once they are submitted by a developer as part of the planning permission process.
- Regular monitoring once they are in place
- Ensuring arrangements are made at the end of the monitoring period to continue rolling out travel initiatives identified in the Travel Plan.
There are also inconsistencies around the monitoring periods required for travel plans across the three areas, which is currently three years in Christchurch, five years in Bournemouth and seven years in Poole.
BCP Council are now seeking the views of developers and residents on implementing one of three possible approaches to Travel Plan monitoring fees to harmonise these moving forward, as well as the timescales they remain in place for:
- No charge
- Apply Poole monitoring fees across BCP
- Apply a monitoring fee aligned with other councils
- Implementing these over a three, five, or seven-year period
An online survey is now live and will be open for six weeks as part of the consultation process.
Councillor Andy Martin, Portfolio Holder for Customer, Communications and Culture at BCP Council, said: “There are increasing numbers of large developments, particularly in Bournemouth town centre requiring travel plans, and the cost of these can be covered by the introduction of a pan-BCP monitoring fee paid by developers.
“We need to make sure these plans are not funded from the council’s own limited budgets when it is the responsibility of developers to consider the impact of their proposals on the wider community.
“The harmonisation of travel plans should also mean a reduction in private car dependency, help to reduce congestion, and promote alternative methods of travel to single occupancy car journeys.
“There are also additional benefits such as decarbonisation, environmental, safety, health and well-being, which supports objectives in the council’s Climate and Ecological policies well as the emerging BCP Local Plan.”
The survey, along with all the information you need on Travel Plan monitoring fees, can be found at haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/travel-plan-fees with paper copies available upon request at your local library.
The closing date for completion is 11:59pm on Friday 19 August.
Following the completion of this consultation, all responses received will be reviewed to help shape the decision-making process with a final decision made via Cabinet and Full Council later this year.