Transport planning consultants in Manchester.
Transport planning for schemes across Manchester, from central sites where parking is tight to growth on the edges, for developers and the architects, planners and engineers who work with them.
Manchester City Council
planning and highway authority
M60 and M602
run by National Highways
Railway station
walking and cycling links to it matter
How schemes in Manchester get decided.
One council for planning and highways
Manchester City Council handles both the planning application and the highways response, so we talk to its highways team early and give the case officer a clear answer. Bus services and wider transport plans are shaped by Transport for Greater Manchester, and good evidence reflects that.
What shapes schemes in Manchester
A regional city with Metrolink, the Bee Network and very low parking in the centre, where walking, cycling and public transport lead the assessment. Officers focus on walking, cycling and public transport, and on keeping parking to what a scheme genuinely needs. Junction capacity matters most on the main routes in.
Roads, rail and buses
The main roads are the inner ring road, Mancunian Way and the M60. There’s a railway station, so the walking and cycling route to it counts for a lot in any application. Where a scheme adds traffic to the M60 and M602, National Highways needs to agree the evidence as well. We tell you early if yours does.
Questions we get asked
Who is the highway authority in Manchester?
Manchester City Council is both the planning authority and the highway authority for local roads. National Highways is responsible for the M60 and M602.
Do you cover the area around Manchester?
Yes, including Stockport, Bury and Rochdale, and the villages and rural sites in between.
Will National Highways need to be involved?
Only if a scheme adds enough traffic to the M60 and M602 to matter. We check that at the start and, where it’s needed, agree the approach with them alongside the council.
Also working around Manchester.
From our insights.
What does your Manchester site need?
Send us the location. We'll tell you what the council is likely to ask for, with a fixed fee.