The revised NPPF defines sustainable transport modes as: "Any efficient, safe and accessible means of transport with overall low impact on the environment, including walking and cycling, ultra-low and zero emission vehicles, car-sharing and public transport."

This new Framework also tells those submitting planning applications to “give priority first to pedestrian and cycle movements, both within the scheme and with neighbouring areas; and second – so far as possible – to facilitating access to high quality public transport, with layouts that maximise the catchment area for bus or other public transport services, and appropriate facilities that encourage public transport use."

But ... the ominous Paragraph 116 remains, and offers grounds for possible failure: “Development should only be prevented or refused on highways grounds if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety, or the residual cumulative impacts on the road network, following mitigation, would be severe, taking into account all reasonable future scenarios.”

So – will embedding “vision-led” principles in national planning policy accelerate housing delivery and enable greater use of sustainable travel modes? Achieving this requires a paradigm shift in how plans and masterplans are developed and evaluated – one that that the whole sector needs to embrace. 

This event will outline practical ways to reshape the way we plan for housing and transport to address the challenges of decarbonisation, public health and economic growth while creating vibrant, inclusive communities.