Fulfils planning and environmental obligations

All developments should strive to be sustainable and meet their planning conditions. Travel Plans help ensure the impact of your site is mitigated and doesn’t impact negatively on the surrounding area.

 

Improves site environment

Travel Plans encourage employees to use more sustainable modes of transport, thus minimising the impact of travel on the environment, improving local air quality and reducing harmful emissions.

 

Reduces traffic congestion

By opening up the travel choices available to employees, fewer staff may choose to travel by car, which will reduce traffic congestion around the site and relieve stress through reducing delays.

 

Enhances your company image

Companies which alleviate, rather than add to local congestion will give a more positive impression to the local community. Adopting Travel Plans also enhances your company’s environmental credentials.

 

Supports diverse employee travel needs and requirements

Staff on site may need more flexible and inclusive work practices, which can all be catered towards through a Travel Plan.

 

Promotes a healthy, productive and motivated workforce

By catering to individual staff requirements, and opening up opportunities for active travel, employees can be healthier, more productive and happier in their day to day work.

Improves access for employees, visitors and deliveries

Travel Plans consider a range of transport modes and ways that different people can reach your site. By making your site more accessible, more people will be drawn to visit or work there and logistical arrangements can be simplified.

 

Reduces demand for costly car parking and car parking land

Through opening up other opportunities to travel to and from the site, a Travel Plan should reduce the need for car parking, cutting the cost for employees to park nearby and opening up the site for other uses. It should also reduce on-street parking associated with the site, thus improving the local area and local opinion of the site.

 

Improves public transport connections across the area

Considering public transport to and from the site can improve the likelihood of improved accessibility to certain bus , train or Metrolink services.

 

Raises awareness of other travel choices and highlights the benefits of choosing sustainable alternatives

Travel Plans are also useful for promoting alternative transport modes to employees. There may be some travel choices that employees have not previously considered or some that the employer can assist with providing.

 

Reduces unnecessary travel and encourages those who have to travel to do so in the most sustainable way

A Travel Plan can also consider different ways of working that reduces employees need to travel; such as the provision of videoconferencing, or encouraging agile working.

 

Links planning documentation with the everyday operation of a site

The documentation put forward for a planning application rarely includes guidance fro how the site should operate once it is occupied. Travel Plans provide an Action Plan that can be picked up by the occupier and used to encourage sustainable behaviour from the first day of occupation.