Our role in planning
Spatial planning
We support the Mayor's Transport Strategy and deliver good growth for London. We do this by helping planning applicants, the rest of TfL, the Greater London Authority (GLA), boroughs, and other stakeholders to combine land use and transport planning.
To do this we:
- Promote better urban design and place-making
- Embed the right transport policies in the London Plan and local plans
- Mitigate and improve new development
- Get developer funding for vital transport investment
When to send us your planning application
We're the highway authority for the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN), also known as red routes. We're also a property and land owner as well as a transport operator.
Under the Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010, we must be consulted on all planning applications that are:
- Likely to result in a material increase in the volume, or a material change in the character, of traffic entering or leaving the TLRN
- Likely to prejudice the improvement or construction of the TLRN
- Involving alteration of any means of access to the TLRN
- Consisting of or including the laying out or construction of a new TLRN street
Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, we also have a legal duty to ensure that any development does not have an adverse impact on the Strategic Road Network (SRN).
Our Spatial Planning team should be consulted on all planning applications and policy which may affect TfL assets, services or infrastructure. This includes the generation of new trips on London's walking, cycling, public transport and road networks.
We'll produce and provide a response representing TfL as a whole, across all modes, and work with you to minimise and mitigate transport impacts.
This flow chart shows you who at TfL to consult on a planning application and when:
Developments of strategic importance
Some planning applications in London are automatically submitted to us by either the Greater London Authority (GLA) or borough. We then help them understand how these planning applications are likely to affect transport before they are determined by the Mayor.
The Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 defines three categories of new development which, because of their strategic importance to London, must be referred to the Mayor:
- Category 1: large-scale development
- Category 2: major infrastructure
- Category 3: developments that may affect strategic policies
Our teams
We're split into four geographical area teams and a Planning Obligations team. See the managers and boroughs for each area:
A case officer is assigned when we receive your planning application or policy consultation. You only need to take action if we ask for further information about transport in your proposals.
