Jargon-buster
There are a number of terms commonly used in Travel Planning that may not be familiar. Some of these are listed below.
| Accessibility | The degree to which a site is accessible from different modes of transport, not exclusively single occupancy cars. |
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| Action plan | A series of measures designed to meet the Travel Plan objectives, oriented around defined targets and timescales. |
| Applicant | Person or agency responsible for completing the Travel Plan for, or on behalf of the Developer. |
| Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) | A levy that local authorities can apply to new developments, which can be used to fund infrastructure according to the council’s priorities. |
| Core Strategy | A high level planning document – also referred to as a Local Plan - that sets out the council’s plans for housing, employment and infrastructure within a defined period. |
| Desired outcome | The main objectives of a Travel Plan, which are used to define targets and measures that are relevant to an individual site. |
| Developer | Land owner or company responsible for leading the development of the site. May appoint other companies or agencies to complete certain elements of their planning application – such as the Travel Plan. |
| Development Planning Document (DPD) | Forms part of the Local Development Framework, outlining key development goals – see also ‘Core Strategy’ and ‘Local Plan’. |
| Discharged condition | A planning condition that has been successfully addressed by the developer, thus allowing the development to progress. |
| Enforcement | A role carried out by local authorities to ensure that planning conditions and Section 106 agreements are maintained. |
| iTRACE | An online tool used by local authorities to monitor and review travel plans and ensure they are being implemented effectively. |
| Local Development Framework (LDF) | A series of documents that provide a structure for development planning within a local authority – includes Core Strategies and LTPs. |
| Local plan | See ‘Core Strategy’. |
| Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) | A funding stream established between 2011 and 2015 to facilitate economic development while reducing carbon emissions. |
| Local Transport Plan (LTP) | Document forming part of the LDF and Core Strategy and relating to planned transport improvements and funding. |
| Measures | Individual initiatives incorporated into a Travel Plan to meet targets and achieve objectives. |
| Monitoring | A role carried out by occupiers and local authorities to ensure that the Travel Plan is producing the desired results. |
| Occupier | The eventual end-user of the site, who will occupy the development following completion. |
| Planning condition | A clause within planning documents relating to an issue that has been identified by the local authority. These should be should be resolved (or ‘discharged’) prior to site occupation. |
| Planning obligation | A legal requirement set out by the local authority to ensure that developers provide for or fund elements on a site before planning permission can be granted. |
| Section 106 (S106) agreement | The legal structure used to enshrine and enforce planning obligations. |
| SMART targets | A means of ensuring that any defined targets are not too abstract; stands for Site-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-related. |
| Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) | Documents used to support the Core Strategy, outlining specific planning policies or development plans. |
| Sustainability | A way of living and operating that reduces carbon emissions and often leads to other benefits such as economic savings and health improvements. |
| Sustainable transport | Modes of travel that reduce carbon emissions and congestion, away from single occupancy vehicles. |
| Targets | Site-specific aims that are defined through the objectives and are used to help identify useful measures to help achieve them. |
| Transport Assessment (TA) | A document that accompanies the planning application and is normally drawn up by a transport consultant outlining the predicted transport impact and transport improvements proposed as part of a development. |
| Travel Choices | A branch of TfGM that aims to tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and boost the regional economy. |
| Travel Plan Coordinator | An individual tasked with producing or implementing the Travel Plan. This role can be carried out by several individuals over the course of site development, planning and occupation. |
| TRICS | An online database of traffic surveys that can be used to estimate site traffic generated from a proposed site. |
| Unitary Development Plan (UDP) | A planning document drawn up by municipal authorities, due to be superseded by Core Strategies. |
| Unilateral undertaking | An agreement made by developers to settle planning obligations relevant to their planning application. |