Active Travel England (ATE) has officially been made a statutory consultee on all large-scale planning applications.
The active travel inspectorate will be consulted on all developments equal to or exceeding 150 housing units, 7,500 square metres of floorspace or an area of five hectares.
This is expected to see ATE – an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT) – review around 3,100 applications a year, equating to 60% of new homes.
Under the role, ATE will help planning authorities implement good active travel design – such as ensuring developments include walking, wheeling and cycling connectivity to schools and local amenities - as part of efforts to improve public health and reduce harmful emissions.
Active travel commissioner Chris Boardman said: 'Active travel is essential to improving public health, reducing emissions and tackling the cost of living crisis. That’s why we’re working to ensure millions more people have the opportunity to walk, wheel or cycle from their doorstep to where they need to be.
'Designing activity back into our neighbourhoods and creating places where children have transport independence is achievable – it just needs smart planning.
'As a statutory consulted, ATE will work with planning authorities and developers to help them ensure new estates give people what they need to get fresh air and exercise, save money on petrol and help fight climate change.'
ATE’s statutory consultee status, which became official on 1 June, follows a pilot project where the executive agency worked with 30 local authorities to assess more than 60 developments over the nine months up until November 2022.
'Feedback from a survey at the start of the pilot saw 80% of respondents agree ATE should have a role in the planning system,' other DfT said.
Announcing the move, the DfT added in a statement: 'While ATE will be consulted on developments at and above its thresholds, it will not have any statutory powers to direct the outcome of planning applications. Active Travel England has been working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure its thresholds as a statutory consultee are set at an appropriate level.'
The role was outlined in the ATE framework document from the DfT, which said the body would review 'major planning applications as a statutory consultee ' and act as 'a repository of expert advice on how walking and cycling provision can be improved, including through the planning system'.
ATE was caught up in controversy recently over its allocation of cash under the fourth round of the active travel fund, after the DfT stepped in to block low traffic neighbourhood schemes from receiving any money.
