SLP KDBH Extracts - Flipbook - Page 85
to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas. Careful
choice of location and layout of new development, combined with appropriate design and
management measures (including adequate provision for pedestrians, cyclists and users of
public transport) in all new development can help to reduce the dependence upon private
cars, providing a safer, and more sustainable (and in the case of walking a cycling, a more
healthy) alternative means of travel for leisure or functional purposes.
268.
Improvement to existing public transport such as rail and bus service along with the
development of new public transport modes such as light rapid transit and bus rapid transit
can offer enhanced access for communities to jobs, service and leisure opportunities. This
can reduce reliance on private cars for travel and lead to lowering in traffic levels arising from
new development. To be most effective they should provide direct links between main areas
of population, and retail and employment centres; complemented by high quality interchanges with other modes of transport.
269.
Without reliable access to local services, healthy and affordable food, jobs, education, open
space, medical and leisure facilities; communities can become disadvantaged and enter into
a cycle of social exclusion. For example, 18-24 year olds in North Solihull experience high
levels of unemployment, but also low car ownership, leaving them reliant on other transport
modes to access jobs, education and training opportunities. Further exacerbating their
circumstance is the poor connection between North Solihull and employment locations in the
south of the Borough, especially Solihull town centre. Together with Solihull Connected and
Movement for Growth, the Local Plan will work to improve accessibility and ease of
movement within, and from, the Regeneration Area to create opportunities for improved
connectivity to key centres for employment and education.
270.
Policy P7 directs residential development to the most accessible locations that benefit from
realistic, commercially and environmentally sustainable opportunities to access local
services and jobs; and non-residential development to locations where it can be readily
accessed by non-car modes but particularly by public transport.
271.
In assessing access to bus
services, access to frequent
and reliable services are critical
in ensuring the bus is
considered a realistic mode of
travel. In this respect Policy P7
sets out an expectation that
major development should be
located within a 400m walking
distance of a high frequency
bus service.
272.
Where development cannot be
provided in accordance with the
accessibility criteria as part of
this policy then mitigation will be
expected to demonstrate how
sustainable transport choices
can be made. Such mitigation
will be proportionate to the
scale of development.
273.
Further to the location of development, consideration must be given to the quality of access
to it by sustainable transport modes, and ease of access in, around and to that development
for different users. Policy P7 expects high quality access by non-car modes to be designed
into developments in order for public transport, walking or cycling (including linking where
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