The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has argued the case for a “bus first” approach within the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF) in the trade body’s response to a consultation on proposed reform.
Changes to the NPPF are central to the government’s plan to speed up building to facilitate 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. However, bodies such as Transport for New Homes have expressed concern that the amendments do not go far enough to prevent the widespread creation of car-dependant housing in green-belt areas.
With the consultation period having ended on 24 September, CPT’s response centres on advocating for bus transport to be enshrined into the framework.
Alison Edwards, CPT Director of Policy and External Relations, says: “CPT and its members believe that a vision-led approach to future planning that promotes sustainable transport must put buses and coaches front and centre.
“Only a ‘bus first’ approach enshrined in the framework will ensure that the planning system delivers new towns and housing developments without further embedding car dependency. Placemaking with ‘bus first’ will persuade more people to use buses – delivering healthier, greener, and better-connected communities.
“This approach is also essential to give bus and coach operators the long-term assurance they need to invest in routes and to strengthen their relationships with the communities they serve.”
CPT also notes the failings of “section 106” obligations which are in place to require developers to fund bus services. The response says: “Where section 106 agreements are overly prescriptive, they can result in a failure to deliver much needed bus routes, or else establish a bus route for an insufficient period of time to allow the route to become commercially viable (which requires a minimum of two to three years).”
The body says developers should “design proposals to meet housing and infrastructure needs with bus infrastructure already integrated as an immovable part of the plan”, “design future road use proposals with buses and coaches prioritised” and restrict parking to promote public transport use.
It says planning authorities and local governments should bring bus operators into discussions at the earliest opportunity and “remain cognisant of the need to provide improved bus and coach infrastructure in already existing developments and urban areas”.
