Our team in Cambridge was commissioned by Crest Nicholson Eastern to provide transport planning advice in support of a planning application for a residential-led development on an area of land to the east of Red Lodge in Suffolk.
The proposal comprised 374 dwellings together with a small number of retail units to provide local shops in the village centre for future residents. Located to the east of a partially constructed extension to Red Lodge, the scheme was sensitive to local residents, including both those that have lived in Red Lodge for some time and recent arrivals.
Because of the extensive development in the area over recent years, there have previously been concerns raised by the local highway authority on the reliability of traffic surveys carried out in the area. By instructing a specific travel survey of an adjacent housing development, we were able to present a robust analysis of forecast trip generation. The data obtained ensured that little doubt regarding the validity of the assessment could be raised by the highway authority or third parties, specifically local residents. It also meant that the forecast impact of the development was kept to a minimum because we could see definitively how existing residents travel to, from and within the area.
Our alternative approach helped ensure that the scheme could be delivered without the delivery of off-site highway improvements or financial contributions towards wider transport schemes. Ultimately this approach was success in ensuring no objection was received from either the Highways Agency or Suffolk County Council on highway grounds.
The proposal was recommended for approval by the planning officer and Forest Heath Council resolved to grant planning permission.
