Highway Safety Assessments - Find a freedom of information request

Lincolnshire County Council Highways Department routinely receives invitations from local authorities to comment on planning applications, particularly regarding the building of road junctions on to the public highway.

In commenting the department must have a set of written procedures or guidelines in making assessments of highway safety and whether a planning application from a new proposed development is safe or not.

1. Please identify the guidance/ written criteria used by the Highways Department at the county council when commenting on planning applications.

2. Please identify which parts of the National Planning Policy Framework and Central Lincolnshire plan that the Highways Department references when making its comments to planning applications.

3. Please identify in what circumstances site visits take place by a Highways Officer if the Highways Department is invited to comment on a planning application.

1. The Highway and Lead Local Flood Authority (HLLFA) refer to a great many legislations, guidance and best practice documents and local policies in assessing planning applications.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) have not produced an exhaustive list as some guidance/ written criteria will be referred to infrequently in relation to a specific application or proposal. The documents most commonly used to assess planning applications are National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance, adopted Local Plans, Manual for Streets, Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Local Transport Notes, Ciria SuDS Manual and DEFRA Non-Statutory Technical Standards for Sustainable Drainage. More detail can be found on Lincolnshire County Council's website, including LCC Highway and Lead Local Flood Authority produced guidance documents on developments;

2. In order to be understood in context LCC as Highway Authority and Lead Local Flood Authority make reference to both NPPF and CLLP as entire documents. LCC may refer to specific paragraphs or policies in its responses to the Local Planning Authority dependent on individual applications and proposals.

3. Officers within the Development Management team on behalf of the Highway Authority will attend site for all applications which may affect the public highway.