Exploring planning tribunal decisions on travel plans for new developments

In an effort to support the management of transport impacts at new developments, travel plans can be required through the land use planning and approvals process for new and expanded buildings. Travel plans contain a range of site-specific measures aimed at managing car use and encouraging the use of more sustainable modes. However, they commonly face a number of challenges, particularly those associated with effective implementation. Where decisions on development applications are appealed, a planning tribunal is typically involved in reviewing the decision, including the requirement for a travel plan where applicable. The aim of this research¹ was to explore planning tribunal decisions on requiring travel plans for new developments, using a case study of Victoria, Australia. An analysis of 178 planning tribunal reports from 2005-16 showed that travel plan requirements were accepted in 88% of cases. However, hearings dominated by junior planning tribunal members were associated with lower acceptance rates compared to those involving more senior members. The results also showed that more generic wording of travel plan requirements was associated with lower rates of acceptance. Recommendations for improving travel planning practice include the development of more clearly worded travel plan conditions, provision of training programs and guidelines, and the introduction of supportive and consistent planning policy. Future research should explore the reasons for planning tribunal decisions in greater depth and expand the methodology to other jurisdictions.