Monthly Archives: February 2016

What Does a Transport Planner Do? A contact of ours recently asked what work transport planners (like Kronen)  do / what reports we prepare. He was surprised by the number and range of reports and asked for a brief overview each report, key differences and at what planning stage the reports would be used. We explained that transport planners in the development planning field typically prepare the following reports: Transport Statements Transport Assessments Travel Plans Parking Surveys Traffic Surveys Construction Logistics Plans Delivery Servicing Plans We provided brief explanations of these reports as follows: Transport Statements / Transport Assessments Transport Statements and Transport Assessments are the reports most often requested by planning authorities to support applications. Transport Statements and Transport Assessments reports detail: the site’s existing use, existing transport context (sustainable transport accessibility, road / vehicle access, highway conditions), proposed … Continue reading →

Kronen recently assisted Twickenham Park Day Nursery with a successful planning application for the nursery’s expansion. The project manager, James Long of LXA, has kindly provided the following testimonial: “Alex and Kronen provided an efficient and helpful service in assisting with our recent planning application. The intended decision was obtained within an agreeable timescale and all issues raised during the process were dealt with swiftly. I will certainly look to work with Kronen on future projects of ours.” Contact Kronen Limited, Surrey transport planners, using either info@www.kronenlimited.com or 020 8541 1139 if you require similar transport planning support.

Kronen recently prepared a Transport Technical Note to support an approved planning application for a Starbucks coffee shop in Whitton Twickenham, Richmond (as discussed in an earlier news post). We have now been retained to prepare a Delivery Servicing Plan DSP to discharge a planning condition of the planning consent. The Delivery Servicing Plan will be prepared in accordance with ‘London Freight Plan‘ (Mayor of London & TfL, 2007) and ‘Delivery and Servicing Plans: Making Freight Work for You’ (TfL, n.d.). Contact Kronen Limited, Surrey-based transport planning, if your project requires similar transport planning support: info@www.kronenlimited.com, 020 8541 1139 or 16 Church Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY.

Kronen has recently submitted a West Hampstead Parking Survey to support a car free housing proposal. The survey was carried out in accordance with the “Lambeth Methodology” (‘Lambeth Council Parking Survey Guidance Note‘ (Lambeth Council, 2012)) Contact Kronen Limited, Surrey-based transport planning, if your car free housing project requires similar parking survey support: info@www.kronenlimited.com, 020 8541 1139 or 16 Church Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY.

Streetscape Guidance (Third Edition) (Transport for London, 2016) was published last week (9 February 2016). http://content.tfl.gov.uk/streetscape-guidance.pdf The guidance document includes numerous recent examples of high profile streetscape / public realm schemes in London. For development planners Section E provides detailed design guidance that will be useful for public highway assessments (PERS or SWOT analysis etc.) as part of Transport Assessment report preparation and Section 10 is particularly relevant for the preparation of Delivery Servicing Plans.

Kronen is pleased to report that LB Richmond Upon Thames have approved a planning application for a alterations and extensions to a nursery in Twickenham, Richmond. The application was supported by Kronen’s Travel Plan and Transport Statement. Travel Plan The Travel Plan was based on TfL’s STARS school travel plan framework and included hands-up surveys and STARS initiatives. Transport Statement The Transport Statement covered the following technical transport planning issues: Assessment of transport sustainability / public and active transport accessibility Volume and speed traffic surveys by Automatic Traffic Counter ATC road side units Assessment of road safety and Personal Injury Accident collision data On-street parking surveys carried out in accordance with the “Lambeth Methodology” (‘Lambeth Council Parking Survey Guidance Note‘ (Lambeth Council, 2012)) and ‘Richmond Parking Survey Methodology’ (LB Richmond upon Thames, unpublished draft). Car parking provisions Cycle parking provisions … Continue reading →

Some schools, whether due to poor accessibility or lack of school travel planning etc. etc., struggle with congestion / safety on surrounding streets at peak pick-up and drop-off times. The BBC recently reported on a traffic management scheme in the London Borough of Havering where streets surrounding six schools will have Public Space Protection Orders to control inconsiderate parent school drop-offs and pick-ups. The BBC report can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35460348 This sort of activity could fall within a school’s existing TfL STARS school travel plan; potentially under a Smarter Driving initiative such as “A40 Other smarter driving initiative”. Contact Kronen Limited, Surrey-based transport planning, if you would like school travel plan advice: info@www.kronenlimited.com, 020 8541 1139 or 16 Church Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY.

A fair proportion of our project work includes advising on vehicle access design; either revising existing vehicle accesses or the feasibility of creating new vehicle accesses as part of planning applications. We often advise that having accesses that allow vehicles to enter a site in forward gear, provide space to turn and then exit is good practice and is likely to be viewed favourably by local officers. Depending on the site-specific context (road hierarchy and traffic composition etc. of the adjoining highway) the ability to enter and exit an application site could be essential to the success of a planning application due to impacts on highway safety and the free flow of traffic etc. etc. Recently the RTPI’s The Planner’s Appeal Round-Up highlighted an appeal case in Bexley where an application for a beauty salon was refused planning permission and … Continue reading →

Kronen has recently been appointed to prepare a Transport Statement to support a residential planning application in Twickenham Richmond. The appointment follows earlier appeal success at the site in Twickenham town centre. Whilst preparing the new Transport Statement attention will be paid to current web-based best practice guidance resources: Department for Communities & Local Government’s National Planning Practice Guidance: Travel plans, transport assessments and statements in decision-taking and Transport for London’s Transport Assessment Guidance. Contact Kronen Limited, Surrey transport planning, if your project requires similar parking survey support: info@www.kronenlimited.com, 020 8541 1139 or 16 Church Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY.