Coach needs must be considered in England planning reform: RHA

Coaches and coach services must be considered under reform of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in England, RHA has said via its submission to a consultation on that exercise.

The NPPF sets out government planning policies. The consultation notes that “nowhere is decisive reform needed more urgently than in our planning system.” Proposed changes are intended to take a growth-focused approach to that, including growth within “key sectors.”

RHA believes that as communities expand, the need for public transport provision including coach services will increase with them.

Policy Lead James Barwise notes that while freight and logistics has been acknowledged in the new NPPF draft, there must be more detail of how the wider road transport sector can be supported in multiple areas, including green infrastructure and what is needed for coach operation.

On the former, the Association wants a ‘presumption to approve’ approach to planning applications for all forms of renewable and low carbon developments, including those that provide green infrastructure for coaches and HGVs.

The consultation recognises freight and logistics as a key sector and proposes support of clean energy and the environment via the encouragement of decarbonisation, adaptation to changing patterns of global trade, and the adoption of new and emerging technologies across transport, distribution and storage operations.

Policy changes are envisaged “as soon as possible,” the government says. RHA has previously criticised the NPPF as it stands for not doing enough to enable economic growth, with better coach parking facilities among the calls made via the Association’s Mission driven: A blueprint for delivery that was published in July.

Better facilities for drivers are another key RHA ask of the reform. That extends to provision at those locations for infrastructure that supports heavy vehicles’ move away from diesel. Achieving that move to low- and zero-emission commercial vehicles is of “strategic importance and imperative,” the Association says.