DfT launches digital tool to support sustainable transport planning in England and Wales

The Department for Transport has launched a new connectivity tool aimed at helping planners and built environment professionals ensure that transport projects and development sites are well‑connected to jobs, schools, healthcare and other vital services. The web‑based platform, launched by Minister for Local Transport Lilian Greenwood, provides a nationally consistent metric for measuring access to sustainable transport.

image: gov.uk

The tool assigns a connectivity score to locations across England and Wales, reflecting how easily people can reach key destinations by walking, cycling and public transport. By integrating transport and land‑use data, it establishes what the government describes as the first nationally agreed standard for assessing connectivity in transport planning.

A trial version of the tool was made available to public bodies earlier in the year, and the full version is now accessible to planning professionals. A simpler “Connectivity Tool Lite” has also been launched for public use.

Transport projects and new developments can use the tool to better understand local transport environments and inform decisions about where new homes, jobs and services should be located to maximise accessibility by sustainable modes. Officials say the evidence‑based approach will support local authorities, developers and planners in planning infrastructure that underpins sustainable communities and reduces reliance on car travel.

Lilian Greenwood said the Connectivity Tool offers planners “the evidence they need to make better decisions about where development should happen, ensuring communities are well connected to jobs and services.”

The tool is already being applied to major growth projects and is expected to play a role in shaping future transport and land‑use planning across England and Wales.