Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

The location of development can have a significant impact on travel patterns, influencing both the number and length of journeys generated and also the choice of travel mode. Government planning policy requires that major developments, likely to attract significant numbers of visitors, can be easily accessed by walking, cycling and public transport. The objective is to provide realistic alternatives to the car.

The requirements of policy T5 will apply to the following forms of major development:

Land Use	Threshold (Gross Floorspace)
Food retail/non-food retail/conference facilities/Class D2 and leisure uses (including cinemas, bowling alleys etc)	1000 sq. metres
Business uses (Class B1 including offices)/higher and further education	2500 sq. metres
Stadia	1500 seats
Industry (Class B2)	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Warehousing and distribution (Class B8)	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Housing developments	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Major tourism uses (including, theme parks, golf courses, museums etc)	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Holiday villages, hotel complexes, permanent camp sites or caravan parks etc.	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
New schools	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
New hospitals	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Significant extension or replacement of existing sites (Any of the above land uses)	To be specified in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Development proposals which, by themselves, fall below the above thresholds but which in conjunction with other proposals in the area will result in the thresholds being exceeded.

As a guideline, all proposals for major traffic generating proposals as defined above should be on sites that are within 400 metres safe and convenient walking distance of a bus stop, and/or within 800 metres of a stop on the proposed Merseytram network or a railway station. This distance will be influenced by factors such as topography and the need to get across busy main roads.

It is also important to ensure that major developments are well located in relation the rail network and the Strategic Road Network to avoid problems of congestion and of large vehicles (and other traffic) using unsuitable local roads. Where a proposal would significantly increase the volume of traffic on the trunk road network, the Council will consult the Highway Agency prior to making a decision on the planning application. A Memorandum of Understanding with the Highway Agency provides a framework for considering major development proposals in a way, which would not prejudice the implementation of regeneration programmes.

Where development sites fail to meet these criteria, the Council will discuss the issue with its transport planning partners. Where satisfactory provision would not otherwise occur, the developer will be asked to enter into a planning agreement (see glossary) to cover or contribute towards the cost of additional public transport provision, or rail freight or highway infrastructure which is needed to serve the development. The proposed Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on Transport issues (see paragraph 7.1 above) will explain the requirements of this policy and give greater definition to the land use categories in Table 8.1.