Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce congestion on local roads in rural areas resulting from major planning developments.

It is for local planning authorities, in consultation with the relevant highways and transport authorities, to assess the impact of major development on the local road network. Where necessary, they can seek to mitigate those impacts through local transport improvements secured by planning conditions or developer contributions.

The National Planning Policy Framework already requires local planning authorities and developers to consider transport issues from the earliest stages of plan-making and when developing proposals. It promotes a vision-led approach to identifying transport solutions that support well-designed, sustainable and popular places.