Preliminary highway design.
Preliminary highway design for planning: access layouts, off-site works and general arrangement drawings that show the council the scheme can be built.
Also known as: highway design, preliminary highway design, access drawings, general arrangement drawings
What’s included.
At planning stage, the council needs to see that the access and any off-site works are deliverable within the highway or land you control. Preliminary design drawings do that, and form the basis for detailed design and the Section 278 agreement later.
- Access and junction general arrangements
- Off-site footways, crossings and bus stops
- Visibility and swept path overlays
- Highway boundary checks
- Stage 1 Road Safety Audit coordination
- Cost-aware design to avoid surprises later
Straightforward, proportionate, agreed early.
Deliverable
We check the highway boundary early, so the design does not rely on land nobody controls.
Proportionate
Enough detail to satisfy the planning test, without paying for detailed design too soon.
Hand-over ready
Drawings your engineer can pick up for detailed design and technical approval.
Questions we get asked
Is preliminary design enough for planning?
Usually, yes. Detailed design follows after consent through the Section 278 or Section 38 process.
Do you check the highway boundary?
Yes. We request highway extent plans from the council and flag any gaps early.
Can you produce the drawings in CAD?
Yes, in formats your engineer can work from directly.
Often needed alongside.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Ripple Development Planning. Policy and guidance change; for advice on a specific site, send us the details.
From our insights.
Need help with preliminary highway design?
Send us the location and what's proposed. We'll tell you what it needs, with a fixed fee.