Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Subject: Our City Transport Plan 2035
Date of meeting: 14th October 2025
Report of: Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport & City Infrastructure
Contact Officer: Name: Kieran Taylor, Principal Transport Planner
Email: kieran.taylor@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: (All Wards)
Key Decision: No
1.1 This report informs and updates members on the development of Our City Transport Plan 2035. It includes headline information from the public consultation on the draft plan, which concluded on 12 September 2025. The creation of Our City Transport Plan 2035 will deliver on a commitment made in the Council Plan 2023-27, to develop and launch a new ten-year strategy setting out a long-term vision for the city’s transport network and a pipeline of transport projects to deliver this vision. The Council Plan has an objective to make it easier for people to move around the city.
1.2 The council will be a key stakeholder in shaping a new Local Transport Plan for the wider Sussex region. This Local Transport Plan will be written by the mayoral strategic authority, once it comes into existence in 2026. Our City Transport Plan 2035 will act as a tool to communicate what Brighton & Hove’s transport needs are. The mayoral strategic authority for the wider Sussex region will be created once the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill becomes law. This bill proposes that responsibility for creating a ‘Local Transport Plan’ will pass from the council to the mayoral strategic authority.
1.3 The council is also currently in the process of updating the City Plan, which determines the type of land use and/or development that is desirable for different parts of the city. With land use and transport closely connected Our City Transport Plan 2035 will also help inform the update of the City Plan.
2.1 Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee to note the update to members on Our City Transport Plan 2035 and to comment on the draft plan prior to a final version to be taken to Cabinet for approval later in the year
3.1 The Transport Act 2000, amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, directs local transport authorities to:
• develop policies for the promotion and encouragement of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport to, from and within our area, and carry out our functions to implement those policies, and
• have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State on preparing a Local Transport Plan
3.2 While the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will transfer the duty to create local plans to the Mayoral Strategic Authority it is still important for the council to have a clear idea of the transport needs of the city and to communicate those to the Mayoral Strategic Authority and central Government (who provide the majority of funding for local transport).
3.3 Development of Our City Transport Plan 2035 started four years ago with the preparation of a document called ‘Developing a new Transport Plan for Brighton & Hove’. A public consultation on this document was held in autumn 2021, the results of which were reported to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee in March 2022.
3.4 The Local Transport Plan policy development was timed to coincide with the release of updated guidance from the Secretary of State, which had been announced and was expected in the spring of 2022. The guidance release date was continually pushed back and, at the time of writing, has still not been published. After pausing the development of the Local Transport Plan to await the updated guidance, the decision was made to continue and base the content of our draft plan on what we anticipate will be included in any future guidance based on published national transport policies and other central government communications.
3.5 The Department for Transport published a policy on Decarbonising Transport in 2021 which made a commitment to ‘drive decarbonisation and transport improvements at a local level by making quantifiable carbon reductions a fundamental part of local transport planning and funding’. This commitment has been followed up by the release in 2024 of a Carbon Assessment Playbook, a tool designed to help local authorities estimate the impact that a variety of transport policy interventions will have on reducing carbon emissions in their area. We have therefore written Our City Transport Plan 2035 using the Carbon Assessment Playbook in the expectation that any new guidance will include a requirement to assess what impact our policies will have on carbon emissions.
3.6 The draft version of Our City Transport Plan 2035 was based on the ‘Developing a new Transport Plan for Brighton & Hove’ document with changes to align it with the council’s Council Plan 2023 to 2027 outcomes:
· A city to be proud of
· A fair and inclusive city
· A healthy city where people thrive
· A responsive and learning council with well-run services
3.7 Other changes took account of policies such as the Accessible City Strategy. Our City Transport Plan 2035 identified 5 challenges the city faces and set 6 objectives to address them and deliver the vision for getting around a cleaner, fairer and growing city. Further details are set out in section 5.4 of this report.
4.1 The policies within Our City Transport Plan 2035 must conform with national and regional policies. They must also align with, and help to deliver, other citywide strategies. The specific policies and projects included within the implementation plan have been developed following an analysis of the available data, as set out in the accompanying evidence base and consideration of the impact they will have on carbon emissions reduction.
5.1 The first public consultation, in 2021, sought views on the ‘Developing a New Transport Plan for Brighton & Hove’ document. The feedback from this consultation was used to inform the draft version of Our City Transport Plan 2035. A 12-week public consultation on the draft plan was held between 18 June 2025 and 12 September 2025.
5.2 The consultation was carried out in line with the Community Engagement framework, ensuring:
· Evidence-based proposals, supported by data.
· Inclusivity, engaging a wide range of residents and groups.
· Clarity of purpose, with clear explanations of why input was sought.
· Timing & resources, with a full 12-week consultation period and tailored activities for different groups, including young people.
· Accessibility, though multiple formats and venues.
· Communication & partnership, with feedback shared openly with stakeholders.
5.3 The main channel for the consultation was a survey hosted on the council’s consultation platform. This was promoted through the council’s website and social media, posters in community venues and direct contact with stakeholder groups. Engagement activity included:
· 1 public exhibition and 7 drop-in sessions held in libraries.
· 11 workshops/ meetings with stakeholders including schools, the Transport Partnership, the Local Access Forum and the Destination Experience Group, etc.
· 500 responses via the Your Voice online survey
5.4 We sought views on whether the challenges we had identified were ones that people agreed were the priority for us to focus on and whether the objectives we had set for the plan were supported. The headline results from these questions are below. There was over 70% support for each of the challenges we had identified. Support for the objectives we set ranged from 48% - 73%, with support strongest for well-maintained streets and providing active travel choices for all and excellent public spaces.
Figure 1: Percentage of people who agreed or strongly agreed that the 5 challenges we identified are what we should focus our resources on tackling
Figure 2: Percentage of people who agreed or strongly agreed that the objectives we set will address the challenges facing the city
5.5 Analysis is ongoing on the comments we received as part of the public consultation. This feedback will be used to inform any amendments to the draft document.
Name of finance officer consulted: David Wilder
Date consulted: 17/09/25
7.2 The Local Transport Act 2008 removed the need for Local Transport Plans to be replaced every five years and local transport authorities can update them when they deem appropriate. The final Local Transport Plan will be considered by Cabinet in a subsequent report.
7.3 This report is for noting only; there are no direct legal implications arising out of the report as a result. The implications arising from the final Local Transport Plan will need to be considered prior to its adoption.
Name of lawyer consulted: Katie Kam
Date consulted 22/09/25
8.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment was written to accompany the draft version of Our City Transport Plan 2035 and is an appendix to this report. As the implementation of transport projects often concerns the physical layout of our streets the EIA focuses on the impact there will be on disabled people. The consultation featured a workshop with Possability People’s Get Involved Group. The Equalities Impact Assessment will be re-drafted to account for the feedback we have received.
9.2 Note that the draft version of Our City Transport Plan 2035 underwent a strategic environmental assessment. This found that the likely effect of the plan on the environment ranged from minor positive to significant positive, with the exception of the effects on; land, soil and waste, water resources and quality, which are unknown. The effects on historic environment are likely to be both positive and negative.
10. Health and Wellbeing Implications:
10.1 There are no health and wellbeing implications arising from this report, which is for information and comment only. A subsequent report to cabinet, which will seek approval for the final iteration of Our City Transport Plan 2035, will set out what the health and wellbeing implications are of adopting this policy.
10.2 Note that the Strategic Environmental Assessment considered population and human health. The likely effect was assessed as significantly positive as the plan focuses on reducing road casualties and increasing access to active travel. The plan also has a strong focus on improving air quality.
11. Procurement implications
12. Crime & disorder implications:
12.1 There are no crime and disorder implications arising from this report, which is for information and comment only. A subsequent report to cabinet, which will seek approval for the final iteration of Our City Transport Plan 2035, will set out what the crime and disorder implications are of adopting this policy.
13.1 Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee is being asked to note the update to members on the development of Our City Transport Plan 2035 and to make any comment on the draft iteration of the plan.
Supporting Documentation
1. Our City Transport Plan 2035
2. Our City Transport Plan – Supporting Evidence Base
3. Equality Impact Assessment for Our City Transport Plan 2035
Strategic Environmental Assessment – Environmental Report for Our City Transport Plan 2035