Highway development management policies

LHDG reflects current national policy, guidance and standards, including Manual for Streets, Local Transport Note 1/20 and National Design Code. The National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024) (NPPF) is the key point of reference for Leicestershire Highway Design Guide (LHDG) policy pertaining to the delivery of sustainable transport in the county. The council will work with developers and planning authorities so that new highway development accords with the NPPF to ensure:

  • Sustainable transport options are prioritised for all modes, with priority given to active travel movements, taking account of the vision for the site, the type of development and its location;
  • The assessment of whether a proposed highway access is safe and suitable will be undertaken with reference to risks associated with the characteristics of the location and specifics of the proposals;
  • Proposals for new development and any associated highways schemes or impacts do not raise unacceptable safety concerns;
  • Any negative impacts on the effectiveness of the transport network can be avoided or “cost effectively mitigated to an acceptable degree through a vision-led approach.”.

A key change to NPPF as published in December 2024 relates to the ‘vision-led approach’, which it defines as, “an approach to transport planning based on setting outcomes for a development based on achieving well-designed, sustainable and popular places, and providing the transport solutions to deliver those outcomes as opposed to predicting future demand to provide capacity (often referred to as ‘predict and provide’)”.

The council will provide further revision to this chapter of LHDG when the requirements of the vision-led approach and monitoring now sought by NPPF are clarified through revised Planning Practice Guidance and / or emerging best practice. The council’s commitment to sustainability is further demonstrated through the production of wide-reaching policy and strategy documents, such as:

  • Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan
  • Environmental Strategy
  • Public Health Strategy
  • Cycling and Walking Strategy
  • Tree Charter and Tree Management Strategy

These documents set out how the council will work collaboratively with partners, including developers, district and borough councils and the wider industry, to meet sustainability objectives.

Development proposals will be assessed against the following policies. Where it is considered that proposals have material severe implications, the council will normally seek to advise refusal of planning applications.

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Highway Development Management