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Large housing developments should contain mobility hubs for transport as a condition of planning consent to improve the environment and reduce congestion, ministers have been told.
Responding to a Scottish Government consultation, shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) said greener travel should be ‘at the heart’ of the country’s planning future. It has urged ministers to consider requiring developers of housing estates containing 50 dwellings or more to create hubs containing facilities such as electric vehicle charging, bike sharing and car club schemes.
CoMoUK is pioneering the development of European-style mobility hubs in the UK. These bring together public transport stops for buses, trams and trains with bike share schemes, car clubs, e-scooters, electric vehicle charging points, bike racks and shared taxi rides, as well as community facilities such as cafés, fitness areas, green space, package collection points and wifi and phone charging.
Lorna Finlayson, Scotland director of CoMoUK, said: “Scotland cannot achieve the reduction in greenhouse gasses it needs without changing the way people move about. Reform to the planning system over the coming years provides an opportunity to do exactly that.
“All over the country new housing estates are being built – that provides the perfect chance to install more mobility hubs. People who have just moved are more open to changing their transport habits and trying out new opportunities.
“This is an action the Government could take now which would have a positive impact on the environment, the economy and public health. Getting this right will help everyone and assist the government in many of the targets it has set itself across a range of issues.”
The CoMoUK submission states: “By embedding shared transport and mobility hub policy into NPF4, shared mobility can grow further, developing a national network of hubs, serving a wider population and diverse locations and communities. It can contribute to the decarbonisation of the transport sector as well as the rebalancing of the planning system to prioritise climate and the four main outcomes by 2050.”
