Latest news about our work, and industry insights

A car share scheme has launched on the Isle of Wight. The tailored scheme, set up for businesses and residents, aims to improve accessibility to employment and other services, reduce travel costs and minimise local congestion. It is fee to sign up to the car share scheme at www.iowc.liftshare.com. Users can then match their journey with others using it. The programme is an opportunity for businesses to benefit from addressing issues associated with car parking and congestion, while also contributing to corporate social responsibility objectives.

The car share community is managed by transport consultancy SYSTRA, in partnership with the council, which is delivering the project as part of the Access Fund for Sustainable Travel, a £1.3 million three-year sustainable transport programme which was secured competitively from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Further details are available in [this] article in the IoW County Press.

We were delighted to hear that planning permission was granted yesterday for a new Aston Martin showroom and workshop on the site of the former Ford Partnership Building in Southampton. Entran worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team, led by HNW Architects, to secure planning permission on behalf of Harwoods. A great scheme.

After a great deal of work by Montreaux and their consultant team (including Assael, GL Hearn, Aecom and Entran) a major outline planning application has been submitted to London Borough of Ealing. The regeneration scheme known as the Margarine Works forms part of the Southall Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF) and comprises some 2000 new homes, 13,000sqm of employment, community and retail space plus a hotel and new public greens and squares. The scheme will deliver key transport infrastructure to open up the OAPF for buses, pedestrians and cyclists, linking the area to the new Southall Crossrail station. Entran prepared the Transport Assessment and Framework Travel Plan as well as Air Quality and Noise and Vibration assessments as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment. This is a really exciting development scheme and we look forward to progressing the application with LBE, GLA and TfL.

This is a very clear description of how to pursue the adoption of a road as highway if the land ownership is unknow. Thanks to Paul Weeks of Shoosmiths.

http://www.shoosmiths.co.uk/adoption-of-unregistered-land-as-highway

Richard Fitter was pleased to be invited last night, at the Institute of Highway Engineers' annual general meeting, to become a Nominated Member of their Council. The IHE's Council sets the policy agenda for the Institute and takes an active role in determining its direction.

More information about the IHE can be found here: https://www.theihe.org/

A group of professional bodies, charities and other organisations involved in the planning and delivery of sustainable development have written a joint letter to government ministers outlining improvements needed to the National Planning Policy Framework.

 The group outlines vital changes that would improve the pace at which development proposals clear the planning process and result in high-quality, genuinely sustainable development. These include:

1.     The need for the NPPF to provide clear criteria for the siting of development – limiting a number of the objections that are made to  development proposals on transport and environmental grounds

2.     Making the accessibility of a development location by a range of sustainable transport options a key factor in determining a developments suitability

3.     Involving transport authorities and operators throughout the planning process, making transport provision part of the solution rather than a hurdle to be overcome.

4.     The site layout for developments should make appropriate provision for buses, cycling and walking – reducing car dependency carries the added benefit of reducing the traffic impact of new development on existing infrastructure

A full version of the letter is available her: http://www.ciht.org.uk/en/media-centre/consultations/previous-consultations.cfm