Transport planning consultants in Preston.
Transport planning for schemes across Preston, from central sites where parking is tight to growth on the edges, for developers and the architects, planners and engineers who work with them.
Preston City Council
decides planning applications
Lancashire County Council
highway authority for local roads
M6, M55 and M61
run by National Highways
How schemes in Preston get decided.
Two councils involved
Preston City Council decides the planning application, but Lancashire County Council is the highway authority and gives the highways response. We deal with both, so the evidence suits the county’s standards as well as the local plan.
What shapes schemes in Preston
A city on the West Coast Main Line where the M6, M55 and M61 meet, with large housing growth to the north. 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 A6, A59 and A583, with the M6, M55 and M61. 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 M6, M55 and M61, 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 Preston?
Lancashire County Council, for local roads. Preston City Council decides the planning application and consults Lancashire County Council on highways matters. We deal with both. National Highways is responsible for the M6, M55 and M61.
Do you cover the area around Preston?
Yes, including Chorley, Blackburn and Garstang, and the villages and rural sites in between.
Will National Highways need to be involved?
Only if a scheme adds enough traffic to the M6, M55 and M61 to matter. We check that at the start and, where it’s needed, agree the approach with them alongside the council.
Also working around Preston.
From our insights.
What does your Preston site need?
Send us the location. We'll tell you what the council is likely to ask for, with a fixed fee.