Did you know that Winchester’s Local Plan is currently being revised? This important document [PDF] sets out policies for development in the District until 2039!
The consultation closes at 23.59 on Wednesday December 14th so there is still time to submit your response!
We’re encouraged that cycling features strongly throughout but feel there is room for stronger requirements on developers to deliver the quality cycling infrastructure that is so badly needed.
It’s a big document but happily the consultation survey here lets you pick and choose which sections to respond to. You can then add comments in text boxes.
If you’re short on time, we recommend focusing on p.124 which includes the four strategic transport policies. Do have a look at any proposed development sites near to you too; what would make cycling in and around these places better?
We’ve had a go at rewriting policies ‘T1’ (p.124) and ‘T2’ (p.128), a task very much inspired by the Exeter Draft Local Plan, here.
Feel free to use this wording in your response if you find it helpful.
We’ll be submitting these suggestions as part of a full Cycle Winchester response to the Draft Plan. If you have views on the Plan you’d like to share with us, please contact: hello@cyclewinchester.org.uk.
T1: Sustainable movement
To help achieve a net zero District by 2030, to support the sustainable growth of Winchester District and to improve accessibility, health and the environmental quality of the city and District, the following outcomes will be sought from all relevant planning decisions:
1. Delivering on the spatial strategy by supporting development in locations which reduce the need to travel and maximise walking, cycling and public transport for the majority of everyday journeys.
2. Providing for mixed-use development which enables communities to access most of their daily needs within a 15 walk or cycle ride from their home.
3. Supporting a healthy, active city through the transport hierarchy by delivering a prioritised and integrated network of active travel links to provide coherent, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive routes for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair and mobility scooter users, and users of emerging modes of transport.
4. Achieving a reliable, low-carbon, frequent and attractive standard of public transport within the city and District and to key destinations.
5. Enhancing transport choices and alternatives to car ownership by expanding shared mobility and requiring its provision in all suitable developments.
T2: Active and sustainable travel in new developments
To help achieve a net zero city by 2030, to support the sustainable growth of Winchester and the District and to improve accessibility, health and environmental quality of the city and District, development will be required to make provision in the following order of priority:
- Provision for active travel by:
i. Ensuring a dense and permeable network of coherent, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive walking and cycling routes within developments and connecting into the wider active travel network. These routes should conform to Cycle Infrastructure Design standards in LTN1/20 and any subsequent revisions.
ii. Delivering early development phases as close as possible to existing walking and cycling routes and establishing usable walking, wheeling and cycling connections in the early phases of development.
iii. Creating an environment which is safe and attractive to pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair and mobility scooter users, and users of emerging modes of transport.
iv. Including secure private cycle storage (including for e-cycles and cargo cycles) with charging facilities for all dwellings.
v. Including secure public cycle parking (including for e-cycles and cargo cycles) in line with the Bicycle Association UK cycle parking standards. - Provision for public transport and shared mobility by:
i. Ensuring densities, layouts and design which allow the provision of prioritised, frequent, reliable and attractive public transport services to, and where relevant, within the site.
ii. Delivering appropriately located bus stops, with raised kerbs for easy bus access and, where appropriate, suitable routes for bus priority.
iii. Allocating spaces for shared mobility vehicles including car clubs and e-cycles in central and accessible locations.
iv. Supporting new local multi-modal transport hubs, interchanges and local cargo facilities and providing secure (e)-cycle storage and charging facilities in line with national cycle parking standards, making best use of existing bus, rail and walking and cycling routes. - Provision for electric vehicles by:
i. Ensuring access to electric vehicle charging points for occupiers of all major development.
ii. Delivering additional public charging points within the development. - Provision of highway enhancements where they are necessary for safety, where they promote an overall reduction in car journeys, where they make improvements to the local environment or where they are required to enable access to a development site.
- Increases in local road capacity only where severe development impacts on the transport network cannot be avoided by the active and sustainable travel investments proposed with the development.
- Encouragement of proposals for car-free development when accompanied by an appropriate assessment of transport demand and impact.