SERVICES
Big advice doesn't need to come from big consultancies
Development Planning
Development planning starts at a project's masterplanning stage when the principles of the development are first laid down. It then carries through to supporting planning applications and ultimately delivering the development. At the masterplan stages, Transport Seeds offers support to developers and architects to create holistic transport strategies that are inherent to the overall concept layout of a site or area.
Building on this initial step, the delivery of a development is founded on understanding and resolving interlinked and sometimes conflicting issues. Transport Seeds has a strong track record of providing technical transport planning support to planning applications through Transport Assessments and Statements, Travel Plans and wider transport scheme design expertise. In the development planning context, delivery of these technical solutions needs to be tempered with knowledge of the development planning process, commercial and wider engineering issues outside the immediate remit of transport planning. Our philosophy of combining the best advisors from wide ranging disciplines is key to our ability to consistently deliver innovative, specific and appropriate solutions, taking into account often conflicting needs of different specialist areas.
Transport Modelling
Transport modelling is a key component of any major transport strategy and is used by decision makers and analysts to predict the impact of changes on the highway, walking and cycling networks and public transport services in the area. It provides a way to understand the current and future performance of a transport system and may involve an appraisal of future public transport provision or an assessment of a new bypass' effect and the development opportunities it presents.
As experienced users of a wide range of industry standard transport modelling packages, Transport Seeds prepares models and assists in the interpretation of results and the implications of its findings. We know how to tackle the modelling of emerging issues relevant to current transport policies and have the in-depth planning transport and socio-economic knowledge needed to meet today's challenges.
Transport Assessments and Statements
In order to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework which requires that all developments that generate significant amounts of movement should be supported by a Transport Statement or Transport Assessment, it is likely that you will be required to submit one of these documents as part of the planning application for your development.
Transport Seeds regularly prepare such documents for a wide range of developments either as stand alone documents or as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Although our general approach follows the Department for Transport's guidelines, each Transport Assessment we prepare is unique; the scale and complexity of individual projects determining the level of technical work required.
A key part of this exercise is early stakeholder consultation with local planning and highway authorities to determine any issues that may be of concerns to them at the early onset of your project. This is key to successfully negotiate the appropriate scope of the Transport Assessment/Statement and will help to minimise client expenditure on the project. We would then help you to develop deliverable solutions to address any mitigating residual impacts.
Our solutions are innovative and brave, while at the same time being based on industry knowledge and key policy strategies. For every transport problem, there is always a solution.
Expert Witness and Appeal Representations
Sometimes, despite every effort and common sense approach, a development will be heading for planning appeal.
We provide specialist evidence on highways and transport policy and have participated in a number of Public Inquiries and Land Compensation Tribunals. Being tactically aware, commercially astute and with experience of the highest standard, our experts focus on delivering a persuasive case on behalf of our clients, be it from the public or private sector.
In addition to our own evidence, we also maintain a professional dialogue with the other parties to identify common ground and opportunities for resolution of key issues throughout the process.
Travel Plans
When they first came out in the late nineties, Travel Plans were an innovative and influential tool seeking to reduce the reliance on the private car and help meet the Government's sustainability objectives. Since then, they are mainly developed to fulfill planning obligations or to win sustainability awards such as BREEAM.
Regardless of the reasons for producing it, a successful Travel Plan will be one which offers a number of creative measures bespoke to your development rather than one which simply follows a formulaic framework that is often requested by policy.
By helping our clients choose where to focus in order to get the most effective sustainable transport outcome, we will prepare and develop Travel Plans that first and foremost meet your development and business objectives. We have positive working relationships with many Local Authorities regarding the development of Travel Plans; calculating and agreeing Travel Plan costs and if required negotiating off-setting of contributions.
We can also provide a comprehensive Travel Plan Coordinator role to implement your Travel Plans including marketing, promoting, undertaking surveys and liaising with communities and local authorities.
Scheme Economics and Appraisals
Everyone recognises the importance of keeping roads and transport networks flowing to maintain the economic growth of an area; but understanding the impact of transport schemes on the wider communities is also a key part of any scheme appraisal. We have been responsible for the completion of economic, NATA and WebTAG appraisals on a range of transport schemes and our expertise has helped shape their contents so that negative impacts on the most vulnerable user groups have been minimised.
We are using those skills to provide detailed appraisals of major road bridge and highway infrastructure schemes, bus rapid transit projects and a range of innovative strategic schemes including junction improvements and village bypasses.
More Services from Transport Seeds
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Transport Strategy and Masterplanning
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Scheme Economics and Appraisals
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Transport Assessments and Statements
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Transport Modelling
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Sustainable Transport Strategies
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Outline Highway Design
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Travel Plan Development and Implementation
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Planning Appeals and Expert Witness
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Walking and Cycling Schemes
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Public Realm Projects
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Corridor Studies
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Parking Studies
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Freight Transport Planning
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Section 38, 106 and 278 Scheme Development
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Bus Priority Schemes
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Access Feasibility Studies
“I pride myself on providing bespoke transport planning services to my clients so if there is anything that is not featured above, I would still be pleased to hear from you to discuss your requirements and to advise you on your next steps. There is not much that I cannot do for you when it comes to transport planning!”
Valérie Ballorin, Director