Housing developments of 10 to 50 homes.

The access junction and its visibility, the internal road layout for refuse and emergency vehicles, the walking route to schools, shops and bus stops, and the effect of new trips on nearby junctions. On edge-of-settlement sites, the location and safe walking routes are often the deciding issue.

• A Transport Statement agreed in scope with the highway authority.
• Trip generation from comparable sites using TRICS.
• An access junction designed and checked with swept paths.
• Walking and cycling audit to local facilities and bus stops.
• A Travel Plan or Travel Plan Statement where the council asks for one.

Rural exception sites are often on lanes without footways. The case usually turns on a deliverable walking route or footway link, sensible visibility and an honest account of how residents will travel. We look for the improvement that makes the scheme acceptable without overdesigning it.

• A Transport Statement covering trips, access and accessibility.
• An access junction design with visibility and swept paths.
• Walking, cycling and bus links to local facilities.
• Parking to the local standard, with cycle and refuse storage.
• A Travel Plan statement where the council asks for one.

A typical case is 35 homes on the edge of a market town, reached from a 30 mph road with a footway on one side. The council asks about the new junction, safe walking routes to the primary school and shop, and whether the local bus stop is close enough. We base trip rates on TRICS sites of a similar size and location, design a priority junction with full visibility, and propose a short length of new footway and an uncontrolled crossing linking the site to the existing route into town.

Trip generation uses TRICS, chosen for comparable location and size. Many highway authorities still use thresholds in their own guidance, some based on the withdrawn 2007 Department for Transport guidance, to decide between a Transport Statement and a full Assessment. The access is designed to Manual for Streets or the local design guide, with swept paths for a refuse vehicle and fire appliance. Rural exception sites raise the same questions, with more weight on walking routes and bus access because local facilities are further away.

Concerns on schemes of this size usually relate to the access junction, walking routes or the capacity of a nearby junction. Most can be resolved by agreeing the scope early and providing the right evidence, such as a speed survey, a walking route audit or a junction count.

Where a highways objection remains, we meet the highway officer, agree any further work, and set out what has changed in a technical note. Our guide to next steps after an objection explains the process.

We start with a feasibility check of the access and walking routes, scope the Transport Statement with the highway authority, and support the application through to conditions.

The same questions arise in Scotland and Wales, where they are assessed against NPF4 and Scottish guidance or Planning Policy Wales and TAN 18 rather than the NPPF.

To get a quote, send us:

• The site address or a location plan.
• The proposed layout and number of homes, with the mix of house types.
• The council’s pre-application response, if you have one.
• Any pre-application advice or highways comments you already have.