Charity warns rail-led housing plans may miss key services

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust says focusing on station access alone could overlook wider transport links and everyday amenities. 

A charity has warned that government plans to build more homes near railway stations could fail to deliver well-connected communities if they do not take wider transport links and local services into account.

Caption: a snapshot of the government’s Connectivity Tool

The Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, formerly known as Sustrans, said proposed changes to planning rules risk placing too much weight on rail access when deciding where new housing should be built. 

Under draft reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, ministers want to encourage more high-density housing around what they describe as ‘well-connected’ railway stations.

These would need to have at least four trains or trams an hour throughout the day and be located within one of the UK’s 60 strongest Travel to Work Areas. 

But the charity said this definition does not fully reflect how people travel in their daily lives. 

It said being close to a station does not necessarily mean residents can easily reach key services such as schools, GP surgeries, shops and libraries without using a car. 

In a report, the group noted that may railway stations were originally built outside town centres and are not always well linked to surrounding communities. 

The charity also said some areas without train stations may still have strong bus services, walking routes and cycling networks.

With this in mind, the not-for-profit is calling on ministers to make greater use of the government’s Connectivity Tool, which measures how easily people can reach jobs and services using different transport modes at different times of day. Here is a ‘lite’ version, accessible to everyone.

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust said this would help planners better assess whether locations are suitable for new homes, and identify where infrastructure improvements may be needed.

The report highlights Weston-super-Mare, Cheltenham and Wells as examples of places with strong overall connectivity that could be missed under a rail-focused approach.

Image: kwan fung/UnSplash 

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