- a new clear way of measuring what is a ‘sustainable location'
for development around transport projects
- the full Connectivity Tool is now available
to built environment professionals, setting
a national metric of connectivity
- a new Connectivity Tool Lite version will be released
for the public, we're opening up access online to everyone, free
of charge
Transport projects will be better connected to jobs, shops,
schools and healthcare thanks to a new Connectivity Tool launched
for planning professionals.
The web-based tool will
help built environment professionals and planners
in England and Wales give schemes a ‘connectivity score' and
better map them to essential services, helping to place them in
areas that are better connected and easily accessible by walking,
cycling and public transport.
Try the Connectivity Tool or the
new Connectivity Tool Lite.
Sustainable development is a core aim of the UK's planning system, but progress has
been hindered by the lack of a clear way of measuring what a
sustainable location in transport terms is. The Connectivity
Tool tackles this problem by combining transport and land‑use
data in an innovative way to generate the first nationally
agreed connectivity score for every location.
A trial version of the tool was launched last June. Now planners
and built environment professionals can access the complete tool
and a second lite version has gone live to the public, allowing
communities to explore connectivity in their area and understand
how transport links support access to other services.
By establishing a clear, evidence‑based standard, the tool will:
- help ensure new homes, jobs and services are located
where they can be accessed by sustainable modes of transport
- support local authorities, developers and planners in making
better decisions about where development should happen and
plan for the infrastructure needed to support it
- help to reconnect underserved communities, offering improved
access to opportunities
- strengthen the government's wider mission of economic growth,
ensuring transport investment unlocks opportunities across
England and Wales
, Minister for Local
Transport, said:
Transport is central to unlocking growth. The Connectivity Tool
gives planners and professionals the evidence they need to make
better decisions about where development should happen, ensuring
communities are well connected to jobs and services.
By making the tool widely available, we are setting a new
national standard for measuring connectivity and supporting
sustainable growth across England and Wales.
The Connectivity Tool is already being used to inform major
growth projects. It is currently supporting the work on new
towns, helping to understand the opportunities to make new towns
accessible, well-connected and sustainable, in line with the New
Towns Taskforce's recommended placemaking principles.
