Guide
Transport Statement vs Transport Assessment: which one you need
Updated
The two documents answer the same question, does the development work on the highway network, at very different depths and prices. The authority draws the line; knowing where saves you from buying the wrong one.
The three documents, plainly
- Transport Statement (TS)
- A proportionate report for smaller developments: existing conditions, access, parking, expected trips, and why the impact is acceptable. Typically £1,500–£3,500 (typical 2026 quotes).
- Transport Assessment (TA)
- A full assessment for larger developments: surveyed baseline data, trip generation and distribution, junction capacity work where required, and mitigation. Commonly £5,000 upwards (typical 2026 quotes), with large schemes well beyond.
- Travel Plan (TP)
- A separate, ongoing document: measures to encourage sustainable travel, with targets and monitoring after occupation. Not a bigger Transport Statement, and often required alongside a TA rather than instead of one.
Who decides which you need
The local planning authority (with its highway authority) sets the thresholds, commonly informed by national guidance; the government's planning practice guidance on travel plans, transport assessments and statements (gov.uk) frames all three documents but deliberately leaves thresholds local. Some authorities publish trip or floorspace thresholds in validation checklists; others decide case by case. That is why we quote no national trip number here: there is not one. See when a Transport Statement is required.
Buying the right document
- Check the validation checklist for the authority, or ask at pre-app; highway authority pre-app advice may carry its own fee, check the authority's schedule.
- Do not upgrade voluntarily. If a TS satisfies the authority, a TA buys you delay and survey costs for no planning benefit.
- Do not downgrade hopefully. A TS submitted where the authority wanted a TA usually surfaces as a validation refusal or a highway objection, which costs more than the difference between the documents.
Consultants who work your authority regularly usually know which document it will expect for a given scheme, which is itself worth paying for. Get quotes from consultants covering your area.