Question 3 - Responses
Stevenage Borough Council is our planning authority. How will you ensure that decisions taken are in line with national guidance on the promotion of active travel?
Conservative Party
We would heed the advice of Hertfordshire County Council on how developments should be designed and implemented, in line with their Local Transport Plan and Design Guide - this will ensure cyclists are given proper priority on the highways network.
Green Party
The Stevenage Local Plan is being reviewed in 2023. Active Travel guidance needs to be incorporated into the Local Plan to ensure that all future development is designed to the highest Active Travel standards. We would also press for all developments under planning to be looked at with the new guidance retrospectively so that they also are constructed to the new standards. All new developments must offer active travel infrastructure properly integrated with the existing networks of cycleways and footpaths. When a development is built, the developer must provide funds for local infrastructure, we would press for this to be spent before the development is occupied.
Labour Party
As a Planning Authority these policies are in place in all our local plan and other policy documents. These policies need always to be in our members’ minds when considering planning applications, as advised by the planning officers.
Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats national policies are to do as much as possible to encourage people towards active travel - cycling and walking.
Our 2019 general election manifesto pledged to spend 10% of the Department of Transport's annual budget on cycling. Our national policy calls for a nationwide strategy to promote active travel - walking and cycling. We are calling for the creation of more dedicated and segregated cycle lanes.
We are also calling for infrastructure projects to factor in cycling as part of schemes.
For Stevenage Borough Council, our councillors on the planning and development committee will ensure that cycling interests, where relevant, will be considered as part of any major development.
We hope that your members will agree that we are very much supportive of prioritising better facilities for cyclists.
Independent (Bedwell)
As a matter of policy I would ensure that the planning department insisted that all new developments included suitable cycling tracks, cycle hangers, full details of the cycle track routes, details of the benefits to health and the environment, and details of Cycling UK Stevenage.
Reform UK
The response received was a general statement addressing all 3 questions and can be viewed here.
TUSC
The response received was a general statement addressing all 3 questions and can be viewed here.