CONNECTING COMMUNITIES WITH THE NORTH EAST

5.10 Mixed use and high density developments can help to bring the origins and destinations of trips closer together making journeys shorter and more convenient on foot or by bicycle. Local plans will provide policies to ensure that the design of developments incorporates car parking requirements, as well as landscaping and other issues. New homes must be in scale with the jobs and services and the function of the local communities in which they are located. Housing policy provides local plans with the discretion to allocate small housing developments to rural service centres. To prevent an increase in commuting, especially by car, these small-scale developments should only be identified if they fulfil specific local needs and support economic development and local services. NPPG 15 supports this stance stating that there should be a general presumption against developments in "rural commuter areas". These tend to be less self-sufficient and more reliant on car based trips to access even basic services. Inward investment in economic development will have a role to play in helping existing settlements with high levels of out-commuting by encouraging appropriately sized business and industry and technological innovations, such as home based teleworking.

5.11 Physical and fiscal measures will be required to make walking, cycling or using public transport more attractive than the journey by car. Whenever steps are taken to reduce travel by car, an attractive alternative should be available in order not to undermine accessibility or a choice of travel mode. One potential means to reduce travel, especially in car dependent areas where the alternatives are few and far between, will be to tackle single car occupancy. Internet services and other electronic communications also have the potential to reduce travel in rural areas as much as in urban areas.

5.12 A number of local studies including one for NESEDP have shown that an integrated package of transport measures will do much to improve many of the problems associated with transport. A modern transport system can be effective in mitigating the underlying problems associated with excessive car use. This would consist of, among other things: new local rail services, improved bus facilities, improved traffic management, parking spaces for the benefit of residents, shoppers and visitors and inter-modal interchange. Such a system has wide public support. Together, the package of measures will improve choice, accessibility and road safety; reduce severance in built up areas; enhance economic development by reducing congestion; and reduce noise and air quality problems that currently affect many people especially in the city. It will also reduce energy consumption by encouraging many more people to use public transport etc. and help reduce emissions which have global effects. Whilst the development of the western peripheral route will result in landtake impacts in the corridor around Aberdeen, the significance of those effects will be influenced by the route alignment and extent of environmental mitigation.

5.13 To help the delivery of these policies and measures there should be on going consultation with local communities, other stakeholders and, for consistency, neighbouring structure plan authorities.