Appointing a
Travel Plan Coordinator

The role of Travel Plan Coordinator is critical to the effective implementation and operation of the Travel Plan and an appointment to this role is usually a requirement of the Local Planning Authority to ensure the imposed planning conditions are complied with. Appointing a Travel Plan Coordinator should be completed at the earliest opportunity and the Travel Plan Coordinator must be appointed before the development becomes operational, to ensure that the Travel Plan measures are in place from the outset.

The Travel Plan Coordinator should be a capable person who has knowledge of sustainable transport and has the ability to influence the users of the development. For businesses or organisations, the Travel Plan Coordinator is often a senior member of staff with strong links to management, as the Travel Plan can have wider implications on an organisation and may influence working practices, including home working and video conferencing etc. The role of Travel Plan Coordinator is also often assigned to a specialist provider such as Sanderson Associates, which is particularly the case for residential developments, where there is unlikely to be any on-site staff who would be able to take on the role.

The Travel Plan Coordinator should be appointed prior to occupation of the development and ideally should take place at least three months prior to occupation, to give sufficient time to allow all of the Travel Plan measures to be implemented in the most effective manner. For Travel Plans that are required as part of a planning approval, it is usual practice to inform the Local Planning Authority and/or the Local Transport Authority immediately upon appointment.

The role of Travel Plan Coordinator will often exist for the life time of the development, or for as long as the planning condition dictates when required as part of a planning approval. However, the majority of the work of a Travel Plan Coordinator takes place early on in the life of a development, which is why the appointment should take place as soon as possible and why the right person/Company is chosen for the role who is sufficiently experienced and able to fulfil it effectively.